TIME & TIED: AWARENESS

ARC 1.4 - Of Herself

PART 24b: UNDERSTANDINGS 2

Carrie shook her head. “Anyway, I... I promise I'll be more patient with your efforts from now on. You're allowed to hit me if I'm not, all right?"

Frank chuckled. "I trust it won't come to that.”

“No, seriously, hit me, you need to get more assertive,” Carrie insisted. “It was bad enough when I was walking all over you - if you’re not careful, Luci’s going to end up doing the same thing.”

“Um... I’ll keep it in mind then.”

The two of them stood silently for another long moment. “Okay. Well, I should get back home," Carrie said at last. “I’m late for curfew as it is.”

"Yeah, I should go too," Frank agreed. He ran a hand back through his hair. "See you tomorrow then?”

"See you then," Carrie affirmed. "And Frank... thanks. Really." They exchanged one last smile before going their separate ways.

***

The rumours had already started to fly by Friday lunchtime. Not all of them compatible. Some said Corry had managed to break up the friendship between Julie and Carrie, by getting them in trouble. Another story went that Julie had broken it off with Carrie, because of something Frank had done to them. Others believed Carrie had broken it off with Julie, related to something Corry had done to her and Chartreuse.

There was even a rumour that the breakup was a ruse, devised by Carrie, to pair off Corry and Julie, so that Clarke could date Laurie and Chartreuse could date Frank. It was all very confusing.

Naturally, no one was confessing to anything. However, none of the big names were officially denying anything either, which made it even more difficult to figure out what was really going on. After all, you could never truly believe anything until it had been officially denied by Julie or Corry.

By the end of the day, Carrie was so tired of all the questions she was getting that she was actually looking forward to the solitude of detention. She did take some small consolation in that her own changing social status was being lost in the shuffle, but she knew that wouldn't last. The people staring and whispering around her, that was just the beginning.

Worse, her father had indeed been upset with her arriving home late - and admitting to her detention hadn’t helped matters - such that she wouldn’t be able to socialize in the evenings for a while anyway. At this rate, Carrie rather hoped she was due for a run of good luck.

She opened her locker door to toss in her books, only to have it immediately slammed shut again. Carrie blinked in surprise at Corry, who was now leaning against the locker in question. "We have to talk," Corry stated.

"I have to get to detention," Carrie retorted. "Big surprise for you there, I'm sure."

"What happened to you in the office yesterday was not my doing," Corry asserted, lowering his voice. Perhaps he need not have bothered, as people were again making a point of avoiding them. “And I really don't care whether you believe that or not, my point is how we seem to have a common enemy."

Carrie crossed her arms. “What, the enemy of my enemy is my friend? I don't think so."

Corry grimaced. "Thank heaven for that! Don't get me wrong here, Waterson. I don't like you. I think you're shallow, self-serving and a terrible influence on my sister. After what happened at the dance, it's taking a lot of willpower not to simply walk away, and let you swing in the breeze."

"Nice talking with you, too."

"But I'm not going to listen to that voice in my head," Corry said, narrowing his eyes. "Because that's exactly what Julie would expect of me.”

Carrie paused. "Okay, I'll bite. Huh?"

"It's becoming obvious that Julie's manipulating us. And I hate being manipulated even worse than I hate you. So here's the deal. You help me out in dealing with Julie, I see that you don't become a social pariah at school. Subject to a few conditions up front, with the understanding that my offer may be terminated at any time."

"How nice. Doesn't sound like I'm getting a lot out of this deal, does it," Carrie said dryly.

Corry shrugged. "Assuming you don't break the terms of our agreement, you’ll get immunity from me for the rest of the semester. Julie won't be able to touch you either, assuming I know she's going to. I'm even willing to exert some authority to help you out at times. Within reason."

Carrie hesitated. It seemed like he was serious. "Tempting," she admitted. "But let me be honest with you. I never paid that much attention to Julie's plans. I doubt I'll be of much help."

Corry shook his head. "Don't kid yourself. You know things, even if you don't think you do. For instance, in all your time with her, have you ever known Julie to self harm?”

Carrie flinched. “What? No. Where the hell did that come from?”

“Nowhere, I’m simply making my point. There’s also the fact that you have your own supporters around the school - primarily in athletic circles - and while they'd probably drift to Julie in time, for now, they're still with you. Meaning they’re a potential asset to me. Now, can you honestly say you have no interest whatsoever in getting back at Julie?"

Carrie weighed her options. Going it alone, they didn’t look good. “All right," she admitted warily. “All right, I’m interested. What exactly are you proposing?"

Corry smiled. “After making me look like the villain in breaking you two up, Julie has to know I'm gunning for her now, even more so than before. She's going to be on her guard, using every possible resource to try and head me off at the pass," Corry explained. His smile became another grimace. "So, we wait. My next move will be dictated by her response."

"Wait?" Carrie said in surprise. "You?"

"Yes. Much like approaching you, she’ll never expect it." Corry turned away. "I'll be in touch."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Hurry up Carrie, you'll be late for detention," was Corry's only reply as he walked off down the hall.

***

In the car parked across the street from the high school, the man pulled his hat down lower over his eyes. He tapped his pencil against the notepad he was scrutinizing.

Carrie Waterson had been in possession of his device for a month now. Was that enough time? Moreover, had she taken that pivotal trip yet, the one for which he’d gone into the woods to rescue her? Alas, there was no way to know for sure. All he knew was that he couldn’t afford to rush things.

“On the bright side, I’m pretty sure I know who to target for Phase Two now,” the shady character mumbled. His pencil circled the name scrawled at the top of his notepad. That of Julie LaMille.

***

Clarke shook his head as he paced back and forth in front of the filing cabinets in the room. "Jewels, I don't understand," he murmured. “You let Carrie take a fall like that? Why?”

Julie leaned back in her chair tiredly, staring at the ceiling of her ‘play room’. "I saw the signs. Fool me twice, shame on me and all that," she explained in a detached voice.

“You see, Carrie was no longer willing to act against people who had wronged her. I couldn't risk that becoming a betrayal of me at her next moral conflict, thus decided it was better for the both of us to help Carrie realize whose side she was truly on. Better I do it now, while events are still highly predictable."

"So, what, will I be the next person you cast aside?”

Julie sat back up, eyes widening. "Oh, Phil, no," she gasped. “You’re not like Carrie. I wouldn't do that to you. Even when you say things I don’t like, you’re always still so honest with me."

"I'd like to believe you mean that," Clarke said slowly. "But frankly Jewels, you're worrying me more and more with every passing day. For instance, this whole time machine thing - by your own admission, you blew it way out of proportion. Frank wasn’t working against you at all. You’re wearing yourself out here, and that leads to mistakes. And while I still want to understand, and want to help you out... you're not making it easy."

She stared back at him for a moment before looking away. "Okay. In that case, perhaps you will take some comfort in the fact that, for the moment, I'm finished. The time machine is no longer a factor, and I’ve reached an understanding with Mr. Hunt. Meanwhile, Corry has to have an inkling of how I've been manipulating things by now. Thus the ball is firmly in his court."

She let out a long breath. “He’s sure to do something. My next move will be dictated by his response."

Clarke sighed. "And what if Corry does something to get you suspended or expelled? Where will this end, Jewels? Is it really worth all the trouble?"

Julie nodded. "If I get the outcome I'm hoping for... everything will have been more than worth it. Finally, I’ll have what I’ve always wanted."

“What, victory over Corry? Look, he could do serious damage to you! How can you be so sure you'll come out on top here?”

Julie smiled sadly, as realization hit. "Oh Phil, I’m sorry. You really don't understand, do you. Ever since I started this chain of events, that week when I set myself up with that teddy bear? I've known that I wouldn't be able to emerge intact. In fact, most of my plans haven't even been tailored with a victory against him in mind."

Her gaze fell upon her map of the school, hanging on the wall. "No," she finished quietly. "No, if things go as I anticipate... I fully expect to lose against Corry Veniti.”

END OF "AWARENESS"

NEXT: "TIME & TIED: ESCALATION"