"Yeah, so who the fuck does? Susie, Joey, Frank. But those are literally the people stressing you out, so like..." His fingers fan on the steering wheel, mouth twists sideways. "What's the plan? Hold onto it until your heart gives out? Maybe--wreck your stomach over it, and once your man gets out, you can leave and find a nice nursing home that can manage your digestive issues?"
"I don't know where the fuck you get off acting like you know me and what's going on in my life." That one comes with a raised voice. Not a shout, but she sits up straight, turns to look at him, and even with the sunglasses on it's obvious that she's furious. She looks down at her seatbelt like she's seriously contemplating just fucking undoing it and getting out of a moving vehicle.
Of course she doesn't, because she doesn't want to die horribly on the highway because she was a stubborn idiot, but that doesn't really cool her off any.
"What is this for you, some kind of project? Come into town and fix the bitch?"
He laughs, hyena high, and only spares a glance to ascertain that yeah she's pissed before fixing his eyes back on the road. "Yeah. Yeah, Julie, that's it! If there wasn't a major bitch in town I woulda just--moved onto the next one! I know everyone in this fucking county has a heart two sizes too small, but is it that crazy to think that someone might just want to help? I just wanna help."
His mouth is still bent from laughter, but he's not laughing. Frustrated color high on his cheeks, he shakes his head. "What are you waiting for me to say? I wanna sleep with you? With one of your friends? Because that's like the only ulterior motive I can imagine. I'm not winning hearts by hanging out with you, you know that right?"
"Right, right. You just wanna help. You wanna be nice because I'm so lonely without my creepy convict boyfriend around, right?" Julie scoffs, shakes her head and looks back out the window. "You're so full of it. Come to some shitty little town as an EMT, try and help out my miserable ass so you can go home and tell yourself what a good guy you are."
She shakes her head, tone of voice distinctly mocking, but she's still looking out the window instead of at him.
"No, I wanna help because I'm not a total piece of shit! I don't need you to prove I'm a decent person! Jesus, if I did, I'd fucking--" Suffice to say he's not waiting on her cosign on his morality. He swallows and sucks at his teeth, and, tetchy: "Are you gonna freak out if I light up? I'll roll down the window."
"It's your car." She shrugs a shoulder, it's just about the last thing she'd care about, if anything she'd want one too but she's not about to ask.
Usually anger is a comfortable place, somewhere Julie can go to insulate herself from all the other shit around her and in her head, but right now it's just... It's a lot. So soon after seeing Frank. Leaves everything feeling like a raw nerve and all she wants right now is a short list of things she can't have. Tiredly, she takes a quiet breath, rubs her nose with the back of her hand to try and quell the stinging sensation.
"Tell you what, I'll do us both a favour when we get back and keep a wide berth from now on, how about that?"
He pauses with a cigarette pinched between his lips, lighter fiddling between his fingers to shake his head. "Okay? I don't....want that? Fuck." His brow pinches low, frustration and concentration, as he lights up--drops the lighter in the console before cracking the window. Somewhere between the hot smoke and the cold air, his brain starts to settle. Back up. Be nice. Offer something.
"I had--I had this group of friends. In high school. Just--assholes, but they were my assholes, right? My dad fucking hated them, he'd never say it but...y'know no one's ever good enough. They probably woulda gone to college and we all woulda found new friends and girlfriends and all that, just..." His thumb raps the steering wheel as he takes a drag. "...just they all died. Were all--murdered. Serial killer who picked us cuz..."
Serial killers pick people for no fuck reason all the time. This is already more than Quentin likes to share with anyone, he can probably forego the gritty details--especially when they sound insane. He focuses on the grind of smoke along his tongue for a few thoughtful seconds, focuses till his eyes stop watering. "I got away. And I was so fucking lonely. If I had someone else, I would've...I dunno. Maybe I could go home.
Her eyes might be obscured, but Julie's expression is probably plenty clear despite that, a frown that only deepens as Quentin keeps talking. Confused, frustrated, annoyed. Why is he telling her all this?
"That sucks," in place of the 'I'm sorry' most people would offer, hearing about his friends. Because it's horrible and Julie's pretty sure some asshole picking off her friends would break her, it fucking sucks, but she's not exactly brimming with compassion at the best of times. The way he cuts himself off, stops himself from telling her why pings at her curiosity, but not enough for her to pry. Maybe it's some shred of respect, or maybe she just can't find it in herself to care, who could say?
"Dunno why you're telling me all this. I'm not your friend and I'm definitely not your fucking therapist." It's cold, the way she says it. Impassive. Slapping away the hand he's offering. If he needs people so bad, there's a town full of them. She has all the ones she wants.
She's a stone. Maybe that's the rub; he took her for icy and she's just straight up stone. Quentin laughs, no smiling, and shakes his head. "You're the one who keeps asking why. What's--in it for me." The cigarette is wasting next to the window as he swallows hard. He comes back hoarse, "So I'm fucking telling you. That's why I want to help, because it fucking--sucks."
And this sucks. His mouth shakes till he pinches it around what remains of his cigarette, frees up his hands to reach for the radio. "Whatever. You don't have to believe me." When he cranks the dial, the station is playing something bubblegum and electric. Quentin winces. "Jesus. Can you find something else?"
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Of course she doesn't, because she doesn't want to die horribly on the highway because she was a stubborn idiot, but that doesn't really cool her off any.
"What is this for you, some kind of project? Come into town and fix the bitch?"
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His mouth is still bent from laughter, but he's not laughing. Frustrated color high on his cheeks, he shakes his head. "What are you waiting for me to say? I wanna sleep with you? With one of your friends? Because that's like the only ulterior motive I can imagine. I'm not winning hearts by hanging out with you, you know that right?"
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She shakes her head, tone of voice distinctly mocking, but she's still looking out the window instead of at him.
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Usually anger is a comfortable place, somewhere Julie can go to insulate herself from all the other shit around her and in her head, but right now it's just... It's a lot. So soon after seeing Frank. Leaves everything feeling like a raw nerve and all she wants right now is a short list of things she can't have. Tiredly, she takes a quiet breath, rubs her nose with the back of her hand to try and quell the stinging sensation.
"Tell you what, I'll do us both a favour when we get back and keep a wide berth from now on, how about that?"
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"I had--I had this group of friends. In high school. Just--assholes, but they were my assholes, right? My dad fucking hated them, he'd never say it but...y'know no one's ever good enough. They probably woulda gone to college and we all woulda found new friends and girlfriends and all that, just..." His thumb raps the steering wheel as he takes a drag. "...just they all died. Were all--murdered. Serial killer who picked us cuz..."
Serial killers pick people for no fuck reason all the time. This is already more than Quentin likes to share with anyone, he can probably forego the gritty details--especially when they sound insane. He focuses on the grind of smoke along his tongue for a few thoughtful seconds, focuses till his eyes stop watering. "I got away. And I was so fucking lonely. If I had someone else, I would've...I dunno. Maybe I could go home.
"You need other people."
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"That sucks," in place of the 'I'm sorry' most people would offer, hearing about his friends. Because it's horrible and Julie's pretty sure some asshole picking off her friends would break her, it fucking sucks, but she's not exactly brimming with compassion at the best of times. The way he cuts himself off, stops himself from telling her why pings at her curiosity, but not enough for her to pry. Maybe it's some shred of respect, or maybe she just can't find it in herself to care, who could say?
"Dunno why you're telling me all this. I'm not your friend and I'm definitely not your fucking therapist." It's cold, the way she says it. Impassive. Slapping away the hand he's offering. If he needs people so bad, there's a town full of them. She has all the ones she wants.
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And this sucks. His mouth shakes till he pinches it around what remains of his cigarette, frees up his hands to reach for the radio. "Whatever. You don't have to believe me." When he cranks the dial, the station is playing something bubblegum and electric. Quentin winces. "Jesus. Can you find something else?"