Dan fcked up: Time Skip Unknown - May 22nd, 1998
Part 4
You know what sucks? Not being able to tell her brother she’s from like 30 years in the future. Or anyone. Like literally, here she is with ALL this future knowledge at her disposal - and she’s bored out of her mind. You know what she should do? Go win the lottery… okay that would be useful if she actually ever paid attention to the lottery and remembered the numbers. Alas, she does not.
Oh well.
Learning new skills it is instead. But… cooking’s out of the running. Honestly… if she tries anything else in the kitchen, her brother might actually kill her. Either him or their maid…or both… oh god… she’s going to die in this life time isn’t she? Sigh.
It’s all so rude. Doesn’t Justin know she’s trying to avoid Leo… and avoid thinking about Leo… and avoid thinking about anything to do with her ex. Was Leo an ex? Could she even call him an ex in this life? no… not really…
Nevertheless, she could go on and on about Leo and how her mind keeps thinking about him…
Clearly avoiding that has been proving to be very hard.
Even now, she agreed to drive around town with Justin so that maybe… just maybe she could distract herself from thinking about him… Leonardo who’s probably… sleeping with that girl from 2 nights earlier… maybe he’s dating her now? Right? Who knows. If anyone knows - Addie knows he’s open to… dating long term… right now… so… good… for… no you know what…
Fck him…
No… that’s a little too harsh. She did this to herself. She shouldn’t be blaming him… even mentally…
Sigh. You see her issue right now? She can’t even distract herself with hanging out with Justin.
“You’re driving”
Ohhhhhh…kay did she hear her brother correctly? He’s crazy right? Absolutely bonkers. She was perfectly happy being the passenger princess all day as they went from his school to the school library to the mall… to the furniture store (to buy kitchen appliances Addie had broken)… so yep, they had been at soooo many places today. AND SHE HAD NEVER DRIVEN ONCE.
“Nope, you’re psychotic.”
“Either you’re driving or we’re not leaving the parking lot.”
“Do you want to bloody die today? Because that’s what’s going to happen if I drive us home.”
“Come on Addie, weren’t you the one going on and on and on about learning new skills. Well guess what, you’re 17 and it’s time to learn how to drive. Here - if you drive home, I’ll get us chocolate ice cream.”
YEAH JUSTIN? WELL SHE CAN’T ENJOY THAT ICE CREAM IF SHE’S DEAD SO, NO.
So Addie argued… for a loooonnnng time. She did. She tried SO hard to convince this idiot that she will NOT be driving. But… clearly… clearly it wasn’t bloody hard enough seeing as Addie was currently sitting in the driver’s seat driving a brisk… 15 miles per hour on a 40.
Yes, she was getting honked at.
Yes, she was scared out of her bloody mind.
BUT SHE WAS NOT DRIVING FASTER THAN THIS, FCK OFF JUSTIN.
Her full attention was on NOT KILLING THEM.
And you know what Justin was doing? He was laughing.
LAUGHING AT HER. LAUGHING LIKE LEO DID THAT ONE TIME.
WELL.
DID THEY LAUGH WHEN SHE WAS IN A HOSPITAL BED? NO.
SO SHUT UP.
What was he even laughing at? Nothing.
Okay fine maybe her speed… or her asking every 2 seconds where they were going and his answer being straight every time.
BUT SHE WAS NERVOUS.
SHE HADN’T DRIVEN IN YEARS. For good reason too.
“Anytime the next 15 years, turn left at the light.”
“I hate you. Have I said I hate you? I hate you. And… did you say left? Left? Or right? Or…”
“Left Addie… but you might want to stop, the light just turned red.”
YEAH JUSTIN SHE SEE’S THAT.
Taking a deep breath, Addie put her foot on the break.
Or she thought it was the break.
Guess what?
It wasn’t the break. Instead of stopping, Addie found the car revving forward, and in an instant, with a rush of speed, Addie slammed Justin’s car into a… extremely nice… extremely expensive looking black car. Fck. Was that an Aston Martin? Yep… they were fcked. That looked expensive. Well, particularly it. looked like one of Leo’s old cars that was limited edition. So, yeah, it looked expensive.
Fck.
Her heart was racing.
Fck.
Adelaide Parker didn’t know what was going on. Her mind was spinning - and Justin was saying something but she didn’t comprehend anything anymore. No. Instead, Adelaide’s kept blinking… kept remembering… a certain moment… a certain event… when she couldn’t’ breathe.
Was she breathing right now?
She was, right?
Was Justin even in the car anymore?
Turning to her right, Adelaide saw his seat empty.
Nope.
Justin wasn’t in the car anymore.
Closing her eyes once again, Addie tired to ground herself to the current moment again. She could hear yelling from outside. Someone screaming. Who? She didn’t know. But, probably the owner of the expensive car in front of them. All she knew was her heart was racing and her mind kept replaying the memory of glass breaking all around her. But… someone was definitely yelling, right?
Well.
She didn’t know until she looked back ahead of her once again - finally registering the scene. And for a second - a mere second, she felt like she could breathe again. Leo. Wait. That was Leo.
Leo was in front of her. Her husb… no… not her husband in this world… not her anything in this world. Fck. That car wasn’t like the Aston Martin Leo had, it WAS the Aston Martin Leo had. Great.
Great.
Of course.
Despite the mental break down she was having, the one thing she could say was Leo’s presence had brought her out of her panic attack.
So to recap: Justin was outside. And Leo… was outside… and Leo was… yelling at Justin… who was… trying to diffuse the situation.
The situation? What situation.
Oh.
Addie had… yeah… yep… of course… Adelaide Parker had crashed into Leo’s car. Of course she had crashed into Leo’s car. In the past week, she had seen Leonardo Azure 3 times. Why wouldn’t she see him more. Obviously, out of the hundreds of thousands of people who lived in this bloody city, she had to crash into Leo’s car.
You had to be fcking kidding her.
He was mad.
Of course Leo was mad, Addie had just crashed into his… yep… his new car. Because in this year…he had just gotten this car. Great.
Breathe, Addie… breathe. Leo couldn’t see her and Justin was dealing with it. Right?
Nope.
Nope because Leo was pssed.
And he was pssed enough to be asking Who the fck was driving - looking right at her. Well… right at her but this car had tinted windows so she knew he couldn’t see her. But… she knew Leo… and she knew that he was pssed, he was going to get what he wanted.
And now, here Leonardo was… knocking on the drivers window… looking at her but not at her… screaming “Get out. Accept some damn responsibility”
She didn’t want to. Nope. If Addie had a choice… she’d rather not talk to Leo right now. Even if a part of her wanted to wrap her arms around him because she was still shaken up with… everything that had just happened. But realistically, Adelaide knew Leo wasn’t going to let up.
With a deep breath, Addie turned off the car - grabbing the car keys and opening the door - not… looking up at Leo just… yet. Getting out of the car, Addie went straight past him and handed Justin the key - looking at him with… SO much frustration as she hit him on the shoulder. A well deserved hit, by the way. “I bloody told you… that I didn’t want to drive.”
And with that… another deep breath left her lips, looking at her brother with a hint of anxiety… but pushed that feeling down before turning to Leo. “I… I’m sorry. Clearly I’m not the best driver - trust me, I will not be doing it again. I’ll pay for the damages… so what do you need from me to get this figured out? Since, as you said, I should accept some damn responsibility. I personally don’t have my checkbook on me right now and I don’t think my brother does either, but I can mail you whatever amount to the Palace Hotel.”
There.
She sad what she needed to.
With that, Addie let her eyes go to Leo’s - expecting a response of some kind. You know. A “fine” or “sounds like a plan”. Something simple. However, Leo looked confused.
Why was he conf… oh…fck… she said… right. right… Adelaide Parker does not know where Leo lives.
Sht.
“If I don’t pay up, you know where I live so are we good here? I imag…”
“How do you know where I live?”
Fck.
Addie was keeping her features steady… bored almost. As if the question didn’t faze her but… yes… yes it did. Because her mind was trying to figure out what the hell to say. Hi Leo, I’m from the future and I know where you live because we fcked in your apartment multiple times and I basically lived there for more than a year doesn’t seem like the right response so… so… she had to… come up with something else.
She couldn’t look him in the eyes. She knew if she did - he’d see her thinking… her mind racing…trying to grasp for an answer. However, the thought left her mind when she saw a blackened bruise behind his jacket.
Wait.
Did she hurt him?
Did his chest hit the steering wheel when she crashed into his car?
Oh god.
It was instinct, the worry that coursed through her veins. Her hand immediately went to his chest - as she looked towards him with worry whispering “You’re hurt? Did I… Oh god darling, did hurt you?”
Gently moving his jacket to see the damage, Addie let her fingers trace the mark from his chest to… his neck. Correction it wasn’t… one bruise. It was… multiple. And… it clearly wasn’t something that just happened.
Addie knew she had no right to be hurt.
But why did she feel like someone had just stabbed her in the chest?
“Right… right… never mind… Clearly you’re not… hurt…”
The minute she realized the fact that those marks were hickeys, Addie let go. His skin… burned hers… and it hurt…so bloody much. She couldn’t look at him. Addie knew she was torturing herself… she couldn’t blame Leo for this. He was… single. He had every right. But that didn’t make it hurt any less.
She couldn’t look at him in the eyes - but from his movements, she could see him covering himself up.
“Again, how do you know where I live?”
Right.
This.
God…just shut up Leo.
Fcking.
Urgh…
She was annoyed… and angry… and… a in a TEENAGER’S BODY so don’t blame her for the words that came out next.
“Maybe pay less attention to what I know and go back to paying attention to all the girls you’re clearly fcking. Clearly you’re not hurt by the fcking accident so can we just get on with it?”
Okay.
Okay maybe she shouldn’t have burst that out like that.
After a second, she sighed - an idea popping in her mind as she looked back in his eyes.
“I guessed okay? I saw the car you’re driving - you give rich, preppy, girl’s hit on me all the time - but I really couldn’t be bothered unless it benefits me - business savvy - probably going to take over your dad’s company -… annoying “I live in a condo” kind of vibe. And your car has a hotel parking pass with a fancy “P” logo on it- I can literally see it from here - and the only Condos near here that probably lives up to your standards are The Palace Hotel. So - call it an educated guess. Does it really matter? Just… look… give me your room number and I’ll send over a check in the mail. I’m guessing two thousand will cover the inconvenience and the cost to fix it? Great. Let’s get on with our day.”
"Maybe if you put as much effort as you put into making assumptions about someone into your driving, we wouldn’t be having this conversation”
Really Leo? Come on - they both know she was right on everything she said. AND DID SHE NOT JUST SAY SHE DOESN’T WANT TO DRIVE AGAIN. You want a fight, Leo? Fine. Fine. YOU’RE PISSING ADDIE OFF. Here you go. Call her petty, whatever. But she was annoyed.
"I don’t make assumptions - I make educated guesses and from how annoyed you are with me, darling, I’m guessing I was right?”
With a defiant gaze she stared at him - ready for the fight that was going to start, her hand up towards her brother to make sure Justin didn’t step in. But… after a second it hit her: what the hell was she doing? She didn’t need this fight. She didn’t want this fight.
All she wanted was to let Leo live his life. Leo doesn’t owe her anything… and honestly… in this world, she doesn’t… deserve anything from him either.
"Look… I’m sorry… I’m sorry about the car, okay? I do want to make it right so can we just figure this out… You’re right - I need to take some responsibility for it and I’m trying. Is sending a check to you okay?”
Perhaps it was the shift in her tone… or something else… but she felt him ease into the conversation as well. He was no longer on attack mode. Thankfully.
“Fine, what if it get’s lost in the mail?””
"Again you know where I live”
“I don’t have time for all this back and forth stuff.””
"But you have time for me to deliver it?”
“I have time now - who says I’ll have time in the future?””
" “I’ll have someone deliver it for me, to make sure you get it at a time that’s convenient for you.”
“In what world is that you taking responsibility?”
Cheeky arse.
"You just won’t bloody let up will you? Fine - If you have time right now, come over to my place and I’ll do it right now”
“Deal.”
"Addie - I have to go to school to grab something right now so we can’t”
School? Didn’t Justin just drag Addie to his school like 2 hours ago to go ge… oh… he was trying to give her an out. Right. Right. Aw… her brother looked concerned.
Cute.
What a good younger brother.
But honestly, Justin was right… maybe this was getting too…
“You have your house key right? I’ll drive you and your brother can go to school.”
Yeah Justin looked annoyed.
Addie was going to say something but she found Justin finally stepping in front of her, pulling out his wallet and grabbing a stack of hundreds.
“My sister’s not going anywhere with a stranger. Here. This is more than it’ll take to fix your car. We’re sorry for the inconvenience. And my sister will pay me back, so I promise it’s her taking responsibility. So if you don’t mind.”
With that, Justin pulled Addie towards the passenger side, opening the door and ushering her in before joining her a second later. Leo, on the other hand, stood there for a few seconds - looking towards her and then looking at something on the ground for a few seconds before heading back to his car.
This was good.
At the very least, Justin stepping in meant… distance.
And hopefully this was the last time she’d see Leo again.
Hopefully… for both of their sakes.