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![once more, with feeling [one-shot] Empty](https://2img.net/i/empty.gif)
The tracks are just as peaceful as they were two weeks ago. A few birds chirp in the surrounding trees, and she can hear Gabe hurling rocks against the inside of the tunnel. Other than those few noises, the place is deserted; desolate, quiet, forgotten.
Just like her. Sophie is forgotten. She knows Andrew will find someone prettier at his pathetic Harvard, and she knows he's already erased her from his mind. She probably wasn't even important to him. He was probably just playing with her for his short-term amusement until he got to leave this God-forsaken town.
She walks along the tracks, away from the tunnel, thinking about these things. She hates Andrew; loathes him, really. She stops, closes her eyes, and inhales deeply, but the smell of rotting wood and rusty metal isn't there.
Instead, there is the faint scent of new wood, like a tree that's been freshly cut. She looks down and sees the old, dilapidated railroad tracks are gone. The rotten ties are replaced by fresh, light wood, and the stakes are shiny and new.
Her heart skips a beat, and she balances on the new, gleaming rail. Could this be a sign of a fresh start? Maybe her safe haven was changing for her, a way of saying she needs to move on just as it has.
Then she feels the vibration. The quiver of the rail that signals an approaching train. She steps off the tracks and waits, watching the rail's vibration increase. She looks around the bend, but no train is coming. It must be heading from the other side of the tunnel.
Her heart skips a beat when she remembers. Gabe.
She whirls around, a wave of panic engulfing her mind. Andrew is forgotten as she stares at the tunnel. She's walked so far, it's a long way off.
"Gabe!" She calls, jogging back towards the tunnel. No one comes out, and her little brother doesn't answer her calls. She tries again, louder.
The train blares its horn.
"Gabe!" She screams, sprinting now even though her legs ache from the strain. She makes the mad dash to the side of the tunnel, peeking into it and having to duck back as the train speeds by.
She takes a shaky breath, and quickly scales the side of the hill, clambering up, hoping to find Gabe safe and sound on the other side.
She sees nothing but the coal cars whirring below her. For several minutes, she runs around, calling Gabe's name and looking through the woods. The several minutes turn into an hour, but she hasn't found him.
She climbs up the hill to stand on the bridge.
For the first time since Andrew left, Sophie sits down and sobs, right in the middle of the street.
She's sitting on the window sill in her room when he finally catches her. He knocks twice but comes in anyway. Sophie reminds herself to scream at her mother later for letting him in the house.
His eyes are red-rimmed and bloodshot, and he looks like hell. "Sophie," He says, and his voice cracks.
She glares at him, fresh tears forming. "Get out."
Andrew doesn't even falter. "I haven't slept in days."
She looks at him in disbelief. Was he really asking for her sympathy? He wants her understanding? He has to be joking. Sophie decides right now that she hates him; she hates him so much it hurts.
"I haven't slept in weeks," She counters icily, raising an eyebrow. Let him chew on that, the bastard.
She hides a satisfied smirk when he winces. "I don't want to fight," He says softly.
"Really?" She says, her tone scornful. "Then what would you like to do, Andrew? Fuck?"
"Cut it out, Soph," He says, coming towards her.
"No," She replies harshly. She marches towards him and shoves him with so much force that he falls on her bed. "Really, it's not a problem. Let's just fuck and you can leave, hm? Sounds like a plan to me!"
"Soph!" He cries, holding his hands up as she straddles his lap. He sits up, holding her by the elbows. "This isn't funny!"
"Really?!" She's yelling now. "Because you thought it was hilarious two weeks ago!"
He starts to cry.
And she smiles. She waits for the victorious feeling, but nothing comes. Instead she sees Gabe, blonde and blue-eyed and perfect, just eight years old. She sees him on Andrew's shoulders. Sophie collapses into Andrew's arms, a sobbing mess.
They cry together for a while, and eventually they fuck. Sophie knows it's a hate-fuck, the one full of grief and angst and other things they blame each other for. She falls asleep using his arm as a pillow, faintly aware of his fingers tracing patterns on her bare back.
In the morning, Andrew is gone.
AN: I don't even know? I saw a railroad track the other day. It was brand new; the city just re-did it. I collected railroad spikes there when I was little. My dad and I kept them in a big hole underneath the tracks.
It was epic. And so, I guess this story came from it? How? I have no idea. Sorry for the bluntness of the last lines; kind of cliche but that's how I am.
Just like her. Sophie is forgotten. She knows Andrew will find someone prettier at his pathetic Harvard, and she knows he's already erased her from his mind. She probably wasn't even important to him. He was probably just playing with her for his short-term amusement until he got to leave this God-forsaken town.
She walks along the tracks, away from the tunnel, thinking about these things. She hates Andrew; loathes him, really. She stops, closes her eyes, and inhales deeply, but the smell of rotting wood and rusty metal isn't there.
Instead, there is the faint scent of new wood, like a tree that's been freshly cut. She looks down and sees the old, dilapidated railroad tracks are gone. The rotten ties are replaced by fresh, light wood, and the stakes are shiny and new.
Her heart skips a beat, and she balances on the new, gleaming rail. Could this be a sign of a fresh start? Maybe her safe haven was changing for her, a way of saying she needs to move on just as it has.
Then she feels the vibration. The quiver of the rail that signals an approaching train. She steps off the tracks and waits, watching the rail's vibration increase. She looks around the bend, but no train is coming. It must be heading from the other side of the tunnel.
Her heart skips a beat when she remembers. Gabe.
She whirls around, a wave of panic engulfing her mind. Andrew is forgotten as she stares at the tunnel. She's walked so far, it's a long way off.
"Gabe!" She calls, jogging back towards the tunnel. No one comes out, and her little brother doesn't answer her calls. She tries again, louder.
The train blares its horn.
"Gabe!" She screams, sprinting now even though her legs ache from the strain. She makes the mad dash to the side of the tunnel, peeking into it and having to duck back as the train speeds by.
She takes a shaky breath, and quickly scales the side of the hill, clambering up, hoping to find Gabe safe and sound on the other side.
She sees nothing but the coal cars whirring below her. For several minutes, she runs around, calling Gabe's name and looking through the woods. The several minutes turn into an hour, but she hasn't found him.
She climbs up the hill to stand on the bridge.
For the first time since Andrew left, Sophie sits down and sobs, right in the middle of the street.
* * *
Andrew comes back for the funeral, but Sophie refuses to answer his calls. She skips the wake, and after the funeral ceremony, she leaves before anyone can catch her.She's sitting on the window sill in her room when he finally catches her. He knocks twice but comes in anyway. Sophie reminds herself to scream at her mother later for letting him in the house.
His eyes are red-rimmed and bloodshot, and he looks like hell. "Sophie," He says, and his voice cracks.
She glares at him, fresh tears forming. "Get out."
Andrew doesn't even falter. "I haven't slept in days."
She looks at him in disbelief. Was he really asking for her sympathy? He wants her understanding? He has to be joking. Sophie decides right now that she hates him; she hates him so much it hurts.
"I haven't slept in weeks," She counters icily, raising an eyebrow. Let him chew on that, the bastard.
She hides a satisfied smirk when he winces. "I don't want to fight," He says softly.
"Really?" She says, her tone scornful. "Then what would you like to do, Andrew? Fuck?"
"Cut it out, Soph," He says, coming towards her.
"No," She replies harshly. She marches towards him and shoves him with so much force that he falls on her bed. "Really, it's not a problem. Let's just fuck and you can leave, hm? Sounds like a plan to me!"
"Soph!" He cries, holding his hands up as she straddles his lap. He sits up, holding her by the elbows. "This isn't funny!"
"Really?!" She's yelling now. "Because you thought it was hilarious two weeks ago!"
He starts to cry.
And she smiles. She waits for the victorious feeling, but nothing comes. Instead she sees Gabe, blonde and blue-eyed and perfect, just eight years old. She sees him on Andrew's shoulders. Sophie collapses into Andrew's arms, a sobbing mess.
They cry together for a while, and eventually they fuck. Sophie knows it's a hate-fuck, the one full of grief and angst and other things they blame each other for. She falls asleep using his arm as a pillow, faintly aware of his fingers tracing patterns on her bare back.
In the morning, Andrew is gone.
AN: I don't even know? I saw a railroad track the other day. It was brand new; the city just re-did it. I collected railroad spikes there when I was little. My dad and I kept them in a big hole underneath the tracks.
It was epic. And so, I guess this story came from it? How? I have no idea. Sorry for the bluntness of the last lines; kind of cliche but that's how I am.
Last edited by sb on Wed Sep 01, 2010 7:04 pm; edited 2 times in total
