27- Unanswered Question
…but there was still something on his mind.
He found Dash sitting at the kitchen table, picking at a muffin and still looking half-asleep. Understandable, after the previous night. Mars sat across from him, folding his hands on the table.
“You look chipper,” Dash remarked, not bothering to look up.
“I have you to thank for that. I… I don’t think I ever said it, did I?” Mars said. “I never once thanked you for all this.”
Dash shook his head. “No, no, don’t bother. It’s the least I could do.”
“What do you mean?”
“For letting me stay here all this time. For… putting up with me.” Dash smiled. “I know I can be difficult-“
“Understatement.”
“Said the pot to the kettle.”
Mars laughed. “Okay, okay, I deserved that one. But, that aside, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
When Dash didn’t say anything, Marshall took a deep breath and took the plunge. “I want to know why. Why did you save me in the first place?”
“I dunno.” Dash shrugged, nonchalant. “Luck on your part, I guess.”
“That’s a lie.”
Dash looked up, startled, and saw that Marshall was starting at him intently. He knew he wasn’t about to get out of answering now. So he sighed and replied, “Well, I happened to be out that night, and I guess you could say I ‘sensed’ DeAngelo nearby, so I went to check it out.”
“And you just happened to have a wooden stake with you?”
“Heh, actually, that stake came from your attic.”
Marshall was thrown for a loop. “Uh. What?”
“After I saw him that day at the World O’ Stuff, I did a little research. I had my suspicions, so I decided I’d be prepared if I ran across him again.”
“But how did you…?” Mars trailed off, shaking his head. “Never mind, I’m sure I don’t want to know. But you still haven’t answered my question.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I thought that after I ticked you off, when you socked me that one day, you wanted nothing to do with me or Simon. You didn’t have to get involved, you could’ve…” Mars let his unspoken words hang in the air- You could’ve let me die. There was a long pause. “No. You wouldn’t’ve. I know you’re not like that, at least, I do now.”
Dash didn’t know how to respond. When he finally found his voice, it was shaky. “When I got in the barn, I saw him stab you, and honestly, I hesitated. But then… then I realized that I had to do something. No matter how mad I was at you, I couldn’t just let you, y’know, die.”
To his surprise, Mars stood up then. “Thanks for telling me.”
“What, no in-depth interrogation? No questioning my motives?”
“No. I got my answer.” Mars smiled. “You’re definitely not the same guy I met all those months ago in the mill. Things would be… different if that were true.”
“Probably,” Dash admitted. “But I’ve changed. And so have you. Yesterday, for instance.”
It didn’t take long for Marshall to figure out what he meant. “I meant what I said. I do trust you now.”
“Even after you swore up and down that you wouldn’t, no matter what happened?”
“I lied.”
Dash couldn’t hide the smirk that spread across his lips. “I must be a bad influence on you, then.”
“That’s what I get for having you as a roommate. And, speaking of, well, since you don’t really have a place to go for the time being…” Marshall bit his lip, feeling decidedly awkward. Dash took a bite of the muffin, which, up until then, had been mostly neglected.
“Okay, I’ll stick around, but on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“That your mother never ever stops making these muffins.”
Marshall threw back his head and laughed for what seemed like the longest time. “You drive a hard bargain, Dash X, but I’ll see what I can do.”
He found Dash sitting at the kitchen table, picking at a muffin and still looking half-asleep. Understandable, after the previous night. Mars sat across from him, folding his hands on the table.
“You look chipper,” Dash remarked, not bothering to look up.
“I have you to thank for that. I… I don’t think I ever said it, did I?” Mars said. “I never once thanked you for all this.”
Dash shook his head. “No, no, don’t bother. It’s the least I could do.”
“What do you mean?”
“For letting me stay here all this time. For… putting up with me.” Dash smiled. “I know I can be difficult-“
“Understatement.”
“Said the pot to the kettle.”
Mars laughed. “Okay, okay, I deserved that one. But, that aside, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
When Dash didn’t say anything, Marshall took a deep breath and took the plunge. “I want to know why. Why did you save me in the first place?”
“I dunno.” Dash shrugged, nonchalant. “Luck on your part, I guess.”
“That’s a lie.”
Dash looked up, startled, and saw that Marshall was starting at him intently. He knew he wasn’t about to get out of answering now. So he sighed and replied, “Well, I happened to be out that night, and I guess you could say I ‘sensed’ DeAngelo nearby, so I went to check it out.”
“And you just happened to have a wooden stake with you?”
“Heh, actually, that stake came from your attic.”
Marshall was thrown for a loop. “Uh. What?”
“After I saw him that day at the World O’ Stuff, I did a little research. I had my suspicions, so I decided I’d be prepared if I ran across him again.”
“But how did you…?” Mars trailed off, shaking his head. “Never mind, I’m sure I don’t want to know. But you still haven’t answered my question.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I thought that after I ticked you off, when you socked me that one day, you wanted nothing to do with me or Simon. You didn’t have to get involved, you could’ve…” Mars let his unspoken words hang in the air- You could’ve let me die. There was a long pause. “No. You wouldn’t’ve. I know you’re not like that, at least, I do now.”
Dash didn’t know how to respond. When he finally found his voice, it was shaky. “When I got in the barn, I saw him stab you, and honestly, I hesitated. But then… then I realized that I had to do something. No matter how mad I was at you, I couldn’t just let you, y’know, die.”
To his surprise, Mars stood up then. “Thanks for telling me.”
“What, no in-depth interrogation? No questioning my motives?”
“No. I got my answer.” Mars smiled. “You’re definitely not the same guy I met all those months ago in the mill. Things would be… different if that were true.”
“Probably,” Dash admitted. “But I’ve changed. And so have you. Yesterday, for instance.”
It didn’t take long for Marshall to figure out what he meant. “I meant what I said. I do trust you now.”
“Even after you swore up and down that you wouldn’t, no matter what happened?”
“I lied.”
Dash couldn’t hide the smirk that spread across his lips. “I must be a bad influence on you, then.”
“That’s what I get for having you as a roommate. And, speaking of, well, since you don’t really have a place to go for the time being…” Marshall bit his lip, feeling decidedly awkward. Dash took a bite of the muffin, which, up until then, had been mostly neglected.
“Okay, I’ll stick around, but on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“That your mother never ever stops making these muffins.”
Marshall threw back his head and laughed for what seemed like the longest time. “You drive a hard bargain, Dash X, but I’ll see what I can do.”