[right][sub][color=6ecff6]Collab with [@TootsiePop]
Mentions of [color=D52759]Val[/color] [@Dirty Pretty Lies] 
and that [color=AD5050]bastard[/color] [@Spooner]
At the end, AJ approaches [color=ffff1e]Goldie[/color] [@NeoAJ][/color][/sub][/right]
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[indent][color=6ecff6]As if fate was against him, or some shit, AJ stood off in the distance, with wide eyes. His face fell faster than a rapid-fire finishing move on WWE. It’s like he got a chokeslam chaos and was completely paralyzed, his feet planted to the ground. The pain took over a portion of his brain. Something he hadn’t felt in [i]awhile[/i]. The sort of pain that was like flame against his skin. This feeling didn’t even come in small doses. No, it came in fast, as if he was getting punched repeatedly, swiftly and deadly, taking away his ability to talk or move. Acidic anger and sadness, all in one go. 

What-the-flying-fuck. 

He was too far to catch onto anything they were saying, but the moment [i]she[/i] pressed [i]her[/i] lips against [i]his[/i], he was shot down like the sheriff. He recalled their freshman year, when she bitched and whined about never being kissed before. He couldn’t understand why she was so caught up on a topic that was incredibly menial to him. Taking it upon himself, to shut her up, he snatched the opportunity and made her first kiss, his. There were no feelings behind it. It meant nothing. He was simply doing a friend a favor. 

This felt different. This didn’t feel right at all, like the only reason she did this was in spite of him. Like the only reason she had the courage to do a bold move out of his book was because he basically called her a coward. Like the only reason she was seeking affection was because he made her hate herself more than she already did.  

[b]WHY DID HE DO THAT?![/b]

Since when did Val go full on carpe diem?! There was so much unpleasant warmth eating at his stomach, it was literally killing him from the inside out. Part of him wished he could take back the fight. If he didn’t say those words to her, if he wasn’t hurt from the rift she put between them, everything would be how it use to be. How things were meant to be. Them side by side enjoying each other’s company.

On top of that, the bastard pulled a way! 

What a fucking waste. 

And then she… looked happy. She did a little shimmy and exclaimed her pride and joy. Did he ever make her smile like that? His eyes peered down to the ground, as he softly whispered to himself, [b][color=ff4500]“Good for you, Tink.”[/color][/b] It wasn’t his place to take this moment away from her. It wasn’t his place to feel like this. 

Maybe it was time to go back to the campfire...

...Yeah, he’d do that.[/color][/indent]
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[indent][color=6ecff6]Matt had driven like a madman. Speeding was the least of his sin. His foot was lead and only the highest two gears saw any action. The engine was roaring way beyond the advised 4.000 RPM. Though brazen Matt was at all times in control. Skillfully but aggressively switching lanes and weaving through the much slower though luckily sparse traffic. He didn’t even try to strike up a conversation with Kim, who rather unfortunately chose to be his passenger. Though amongst the Misfits, she seemed to be the least horrible choice so Matt never protested. Talking to her might distract him from practicing his skill. He hadn’t raced in some months now but he didn’t forget his old tricks. In fact, he could even keep up with AJ’s antics. Who clearly didn’t learn anything about the RV accident. As of why he drove like the devil himself was behind him? Well that became apparent when they arrived at their destination.
 
He didn’t say a word as he pushed the breaks and came to a sudden standstill right in front of a cabin. Minutes later he had a key and walked in. His bag got tossed on the floor and he threw himself on the bed. His door was locked behind him. For a minute it got too much for him. Again. AJ and Val’s fallout. The Misfit’s RV crashing. Emilia’s breakdown. For the first time in hours he wondered if he did the right thing. No, he did the right thing. If she broke down by the mere sight of him and AJ, she hadn’t stopped crying since Prom. Those were many, many painfilled nights. It paled with anything Matt could say he ever felt. Was what she and Brandon had so real? So fantastic? That it destroyed her to her core? Alas, it didn’t matter. She deserved to be happy. For the months he had known her she was nothing but cheerful and caring. What he doubted was just how much he gave. Did she even know how to take it? Questions of her welfare began to bounce through his head. More questions. More worries.
 
There is only so much Matt could hold to himself before he needed to feel numb about it all for a while. So he did what he always did: he distracted himself. Once outside he noticed people had gathered around a campfire. He didn’t really feel the need to join in. They had the company of a stranger already. So instead he lit a cigarette, opened a bottle of tequila and popped the hood of his BMW. He wasn’t a mechanic like Chris but checking everything about his engine (and soon his underside as well) gave him a measure of piece. The next hour and twenty-three minutes he could be utterly absorbed by the inner workings of his car.

That is until approaching footsteps, the sound of a crunch of gravel and sand, echoed in the surrounding desert. Appearing from one of the hiking pathways, a dejected AJ Tyler found himself in the lot where the cars were, slowly making his way back to the fire. His eyes were cast down, his hands were shoved into his pants’ pockets, and his shoulders slumped. The boy glanced over to the noise of tinkering and set his gaze on one of his friends. Matt. He didn’t have it in him to pretend he was doing okay, so instead, he announced his arrival with a question, his voice giving away that he was in one of his lows, [b][color=ff4500]“Not in the party mood?”[/color][/b]

Matt knew, from the way he walked, that AJ was moving behind him. He turned around, taking a swing from the tequila bottle resting on the bumper of his car. The light hanging from the open hood was barely enough to illuminate the engine. In fact, it would appear as if it all made everything around it just a little bit darker. AJ did not look alright. No, that was an understatement. He didn’t look entirely alright after he and Val had fought. What was standing there was an empty shell.
 
[color=F7941D][b]“For once I’m not.”[/b][/color] He said with an ironic smile. Another lie. He hadn’t really partied for several weeks now. Normally Matt would try to prop himself up and at least look like he was holding it somewhat together. But at the sight of AJ he let himself go a little as well. There was no need to hide it anymore. He exhaled the smoke from his cig and said: [color=F7941D][b]“You look like shit.”[/b][/color] It was insulting but hell, that’s what friendship is. And even though he just said that he also offered the bottle of tequila, with the cap loose on it. [color=F7941D][b]“Read something bad about Jamie again?”[/b][/color] Matt knew his friend well enough. AJ couldn’t help it when he gets on the internet to look up his ex. It got worse when Chris wasn’t around.

Without hesitation, AJ took the bottle and gulped down a large, unhealthy portion of Tequila, disregarding the burning sensation. Everyone knew when AJ drank, he [b]drank[/b]. For most of the parties, AJ chose to be the DD. He was just that type of guy, but when he absolutely couldn’t handle whatever was going in his life at the moment, sure. He’d turn to this regrettable poison that makes him do stupid shit, more so than he already does. Yeah, why not? [b][color=ff4500]“Fuck no, I wish this was about Jamie.”[/color][/b] At least with his growing pains about his ex, he was used to it. This pain, though? Was on a  whole ‘nother level. [b][color=ff4500]“It’s… about Val.”[/color][/b] He paused debating if he wanted to tell Matty boy about the kiss or not, he decided against it,  [b][color=ff4500]“I did her wrong, Matt. I’m a god awful friend.”[/color][/b] 

Matt frowned when AJ said it wasn’t about Jamie. Then it went to complete and utter surprise when he learned it was about Val. Their friendship was no secret to Matt. Hell, he still felt partially responsible. Not in a good way though. To him, she was toxic and dangerous. And when AJ said it was his fault, something snapped. [color=F7941D][b]“Oh shut up!”[/b][/color] He said with a sudden fire in his elsewise eternally joking voice. [color=F7941D][b]“She ghosted you for weeks!”[/b][/color] He took the bottle back from AJ with a forceful swipe, took a gulped from the bottle and then used the neck of it to point at him. [color=F7941D][b]“She played games with you my friend.”[/b][/color] He continued. Though inside he was still mad. How dare she? How dare she make his friend feel this bad? [color=F7941D][b]“And when you pointed it out, she literally jumps you? And you feel sorry!? Screw that!”[/b][/color] He offered the bottle again. The liquid inside of it, between the two, looked like it wouldn’t last another half hour. [color=F7941D][b]“You got nothing to feel this bad about. She's the horrible friend here.”[/b][/color]

[b][color=ff4500]“Hey. She might have issues, but she isn’t horrible.”[/color][/b] AJ defended her. Why was he defending her? [b][color=ff4500]“Everyone does fucked up shit, Matt. I tortured Jamie even after the break up because I [i]knew[/i] he still was into me. He just didn’t want to be with me. I knew exactly what I was doing in the halls. I knew exactly what his wishes were and still toyed with him, because I had that power. Fuck, even me not noticing what Brandon was doing to Emi was [i]shitty[/i]. It’s like I purposely turned a blind eye because what? I can’t get over myself? All Val did wrong was not tell me her feelings. Not tell me she was scared!”[/color][/b] Wait. Scared of what? His mind went to the fight they had and the conversation he shared with his Valentine. What made her so scared to act the way she did again? Jealousy? 

Matt rolled his eyes as AJ tried to defend Val. He guessed it would always be like that. Sure, no-one could say AJ was a saint. Sure, what he did to Jamie might not have been necessarily good. But to Matt, there was a stark difference between what AJ did to Jamie and what Val did to AJ. For one, AJ was paying for what he did almost every day now. Matt just knew that when it came down to it, AJ still thought about Jamie every day. It was the most horrible self-torture he could remember and only time would make him stop. But Val. Val was just toying with him and there were no consequences. There was no karma that would punish her for it. Hell, if she approached AJ here and now and just talked to him as if nothing happened, AJ would just take her back. Hell, he would apologize first. That’s how AJ worked and to Matt, Val was abusing it.
 
But then the subject of Brandon came up. [i]Your fault. Your fault. Your fault.[/i] The words echoed through his brain as he nearly stopped listening. A spike went straight through where he thought his heart would be. His stomach contracted as he remembered all the times he subtilty took AJ around a corner. [i]Your fault. Liar! Your fault.[/i] He looked down at his own feet as he remembered all the time he quickly turned AJ away from another girl hanging around Brandon’s neck. [b][i]Your fault. Liar! Your fault.[/i][/b] He wanted to puke. Right then and there he wanted nothing more than to puke out his guts. His guilt. His faults. He couldn’t though. No matter how much he’d try to heave and get it out, it was stuck inside of him. Every horrible decision he took for what he thought was ‘the greater good’.
 
Despite his sudden state deuteriation of state, Matt had still listened. He spoke, though meekly: [b][color=f7941d]“Why are you still defending her? Can you at least admit she was a bad friend for not even trusting you with her feelings? Can you at least admit she was at fault?”[/color][/b] [i]Can I?[/i]

Sighing to himself, taking back the hard liquor, AJ’s joyless eyes looked back at his friend, [b][color=ff4500]“I could, but that doesn’t change how I—”[/color][/b] [i]Feel about her[/i]. Oh god. Another chug. He shook himself out of this sappy stupor and shoved the drink back at Matt, straight to his chest with force, [b][color=ff4500]“Enough of this pussy bitch shit. Val gonna’ do what she gonna’ do, and so are we. ‘Nough with the car too. It’s going nowhere. Let’s go have fun and be merry, or I’ll fight you.”[/color][/b]

Matt took the bottle, a bit surprised at the sudden change in AJ. But then he reflected on it and yeah. AJ was right. They were walking down a winding path down. If they had to go up again, they had to turn around. So following his friend, Matt took a big gulp of the bottle and then grinned when AJ joking offered a fight. [color=F7941D][b]“I would have you down eating dirt before you could call me a pussy.”[/b][/color] He said, his usually jokingness abound. Behind him, he quickly killed the light and closed the hood. Then he went on his way towards the rest, sitting around the campfire. Still with a half-empty bottle of tequila in hand. Though after a step or two beyond AJ he quickly turned around and said: [color=f7941d][b]“Before I forget.”[/b][/color] There was a half-apologetic smile on his face. [color=f7941d][b]“Emi might… be different.”[/b][/color] Without any more explanation, he turned back around and went straight for the campfire.

[b][color=ff4500]“Different? How? Should I check on her?”[/color][/b] Turning his head, he realized Matt wasn’t even beside him anymore. OKAY, MATT. THANKS FOR WAITING UP. Picking up the pace, to catch up to Matt, AJ found himself going with the motions, his thoughts focused on: what was wrong with Emi. He saw the gorgeous blonde glowing from the firelight and he smiled to himself. Creeping behind her, and the girl she was leaning on (Kim), he kneeled down, intentionally whispering in her ear,  [b][color=ff4500]“Are you enjoying yourself, Goldie?”[/color][/b]
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