[mad_muses] July 1.3.5 - Well. That was interesting.
(This is for July 5th, I'm just writing it now. Frankie and Randall have been down in Virginia with Randall's family.)
They were singing along to Cheap Trick as Randall drove up the highway.
"Mama's alright, Daddy's alright, they just seem a little weird. Surrender, surrender, but don't give yourself away..."
Frankie started laughing towards the end of the song. "Grandma Katie said she cried when she realized you couldn't sing."
Randall frowned playfully and elbowed Frankie. "Yeah, well your Grandma Katie is a drama queen."
"Can I tell her you said that?" The boy grinned.
"No. You can't."
"Can I tell Mom you let me set off fireworks?"
"No. Absolutely not."
"Cuz then she might not let you be my dad anymore?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"When it's all real and like...signed...can she take it back?"
Randall chewed his lip as he considered that. "Maybe. But I think it'd have to be a really good reason. Not just because she's mad at me." He reached out and tousled Frankie's hair, looking over at him. "Don't worry, okay? Me and you? We're-"
"Randall!" Frankie screeched. In the same moment Randall noticed headlights getting closer than they should be to their windshield. He pulled the wheel hard to the right, while glancing over his shoulder and pushing Frankie forward and down.
"Get down!" He swerved off the highway, cars behind him swerving as well. He felt the jolting impact of one hitting the back of his car and he knew there wasn't much steering he could do at that point. It had all happened in a matter of seconds, flashing in front of him, and then the car stopped. Slamming into a ditch on the side of the road.
Randall could hear crashes off in the distance and horns blaring. He heard the sound of his own heart, pounding in his ears. Everything felt fuzzy and warm as he blinked, looking over to the passenger seat. "You okay, buddy? Frankie?" He heard a slight moan from Frankie, before it all faded to darkness.
***
Heather ran her fingers through her hair and sighed deeply. She checked the clock again. They should have been there by that point. She knew. They should have been there. And Randall wasn't answering his cell phone, and she was too scared to call and wake his mother up. She didn't even want to wake up her own parents.
"C'mon Randy," she muttered. She dialed his cell phone number again and listened to it ring and ring, before going to voicemail. "Where are you?" She asked, then hung up. She rubbed her eyes. Okay, maybe she misunderstood. Maybe Randall was supposed to take Frankie back to his place and bring him home in the morning. That had to be it. They were at Randall's apartment sleeping. They had to be.
She couldn't just sit there. She threw on her shoes and grabbed her purse, then borrowed her father's car keys. She started her way across town to Randall's apartment, dialing his cell again. "You better be home, bastard," she whispered out loud as it rang, but it was much more shaky than angry. She had a terrible feeling deep down, pulling at the insides of her stomach, that they weren't there. She had a really bad feeling that something was very, very wrong.
535
They were singing along to Cheap Trick as Randall drove up the highway.
"Mama's alright, Daddy's alright, they just seem a little weird. Surrender, surrender, but don't give yourself away..."
Frankie started laughing towards the end of the song. "Grandma Katie said she cried when she realized you couldn't sing."
Randall frowned playfully and elbowed Frankie. "Yeah, well your Grandma Katie is a drama queen."
"Can I tell her you said that?" The boy grinned.
"No. You can't."
"Can I tell Mom you let me set off fireworks?"
"No. Absolutely not."
"Cuz then she might not let you be my dad anymore?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"When it's all real and like...signed...can she take it back?"
Randall chewed his lip as he considered that. "Maybe. But I think it'd have to be a really good reason. Not just because she's mad at me." He reached out and tousled Frankie's hair, looking over at him. "Don't worry, okay? Me and you? We're-"
"Randall!" Frankie screeched. In the same moment Randall noticed headlights getting closer than they should be to their windshield. He pulled the wheel hard to the right, while glancing over his shoulder and pushing Frankie forward and down.
"Get down!" He swerved off the highway, cars behind him swerving as well. He felt the jolting impact of one hitting the back of his car and he knew there wasn't much steering he could do at that point. It had all happened in a matter of seconds, flashing in front of him, and then the car stopped. Slamming into a ditch on the side of the road.
Randall could hear crashes off in the distance and horns blaring. He heard the sound of his own heart, pounding in his ears. Everything felt fuzzy and warm as he blinked, looking over to the passenger seat. "You okay, buddy? Frankie?" He heard a slight moan from Frankie, before it all faded to darkness.
***
Heather ran her fingers through her hair and sighed deeply. She checked the clock again. They should have been there by that point. She knew. They should have been there. And Randall wasn't answering his cell phone, and she was too scared to call and wake his mother up. She didn't even want to wake up her own parents.
"C'mon Randy," she muttered. She dialed his cell phone number again and listened to it ring and ring, before going to voicemail. "Where are you?" She asked, then hung up. She rubbed her eyes. Okay, maybe she misunderstood. Maybe Randall was supposed to take Frankie back to his place and bring him home in the morning. That had to be it. They were at Randall's apartment sleeping. They had to be.
She couldn't just sit there. She threw on her shoes and grabbed her purse, then borrowed her father's car keys. She started her way across town to Randall's apartment, dialing his cell again. "You better be home, bastard," she whispered out loud as it rang, but it was much more shaky than angry. She had a terrible feeling deep down, pulling at the insides of her stomach, that they weren't there. She had a really bad feeling that something was very, very wrong.
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