Hush, Hush: Chapter 21
ZeldaQueen: In which we continue through Do Not Want territory
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 21
Nora leaves the diner and is on her way home when she feels a familiar icy sensation on the back of her neck, which she knows means she's being followed. She pretends to tie her shoe to have a chance to look around, but sees no one. She makes it to the bus stop alright and is just boarding the bus to go home when she gets a text from Vee. Apparently Vee is in Portland with Jules and Elliot, at a party of some sort. Nora freaks out, because yet again Vee is an idiot who continues to wander off with those two. And yes, I know that Vee isn't supposed to know that Elliot is dangerous, but I'd like to point two things out
First of all, Vee continues to badger Nora to stay away from Patch (perfectly justified) yet refuses to do anything to allay Nora's concerns about Elliot, even if it's just to humor her friend. Hell, last chapter already showed us that she’s perfectly willing to excuse Elliot attacking Nora!
Second of all, I think the last few chapters have well proven that Vee is too dumb to live.
Nora gets Vee on the phone and asks if her mother knows that she's out with those two. Vee replies that Nora sounds neurotic. Why yes, how neurotic of her to be worried! She's only been stalked several times, one of which lead to Vee being hospitalized! Not to mention ELLIOT JUST ATTACKED HER, DUMBASS! WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO FIND IT ODD THAT SHE DOESN'T TRUST HIM??? Jesus Christ, does Vee have short-term memory loss? Anyway, Vee continues to prove to be an idiot by telling Nora that she's alone at the moment (Elliot and Jules having bailed to go to Kinghorn for something) and clearly in an area that is not safe. She pauses in the conversation to tell someone to stop groping her (no, really) and asks if Nora could come join her at the party.
I shall repeat that. She is in a place that is not safe with people who are obviously being grabby and instead of just leaving (perfectly justified, seeing as the guys who brought her there bailed), she has her friend join her in said unsafe location.
ZeldaQueen: Nora has a fit of intelligence and says that she's going to get Vee and bring her home. She gets Vee's address and gets instructions from the bus driver as to how to walk there. He warns her that it's a very rough neighborhood she'll be going through. Of course it is. And no, she doesn't check to see if there's any buses that go by Vee's address, which would be the safest thing for her to do. Granted she later mentions that she only has enough money for a bus fare home, but you'd think Vee would spot her. Then again, given how Vee's being going along, probably not.
Nora goes a few blocks before entering an area that's all graffitied and grungy, with iron bars over the various shop windows. At about this time, she comes across a bag lady who seems to be not right in the head, or at least is really freaking creepy. The bag lady eyes up Nora and instead of just continuing on her way, Nora decides to stop, engage the bag lady in conversation, and ask her if she's going to right way to reach Vee's address.
The bag lady tells Nora that she's not going the right way to get there and offers to give the right directions in exchange for Nora's coat. Because the directions of a possibly crazy bag lady are so much more reputable than those of a bus driver, Nora forks over her coat. She then is blakmailed into handing over her hat, to get the "short version" to get there. Apparently it's one block over, which means that Nora gets to now stumble around in Portland with no coat or hat, in a bad area of town. Cripes, this world really has it in for her, doesn't it?
Nora heads over to the next block via an alleyway, because dark alleyways are smart places to walk through in bad neighborhoods. Isn't Nora supposed to be a straight-A student? Shouldn't someone like that be a little...I don't know, smart? Anyway, she's almost through when she realizes that, contrivances of contrivances, she has no cell phone. She left it in her coat, which the bag lady has
ZeldaQueen: I really have nothing to say to this. This much idiocy just speaks for itself.
Nora turns around to give a desperate go at getting her phone back, but before she goes far, a black sedan drives down the street the bag lady is on. The car pauses, there's several gunshots, and the bag lady is killed.
Nora, understandably, is freaked out. After the car leaves, she runs over to look for her cell phone, but it's not there. She heads for a pay phone to call 911, but freaks out some more when she hears footsteps approaching. Terrified and in need of help, she decides to call...Patch.
Now in my opinion, calling the guy who's been harassing and threatening her is like saving yourself from drowning via throwing yourself into the embrace of a shark, especially after that charming incident in the library parking area. Still, I guess I'm one of those boring people who doesn't feel save in the arms of a stalker. Patch answers his phone and is over in about fifteen minutes. Nora promptly starts snuggling with him for comfort, which sounds about as appealing as hugging Freddy Kruger. He gets her in his Jeep and gives her his cell phone to call Vee, though he warns her that it’s almost out of juice. WELL, WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THAT? ONLY ONE CELL PHONE LEFT AND IT’S ABOUT TO RUN OUT OF POWER!
I’m very cross.
Anyway, she texts Vee, who responds that Elliot and Jules couldn’t find what they left for and returned, so she’s gone home.
So, let us recap what’s going on so we have a good idea of the scenario here. Nora is stranded in a strange part of Portland with no working cell phones, no friend, very little money, no one knowing exactly where she is, and Patch the Asshole being her only means of getting home.
Yes, this certainly isn’t going to end badly, is it?
Patch obligingly drives Nora to Vee’s place, and along the way she feels good enough to explain how she was tricked out of her possessions by a bag lady. She does not explain how the bag lady was killed or her body disappeared.
Just as they’re on “a stretch of lush and unpopulated highway”, the engine of the Jeep comes to a tragic end. Nora notes “Of all the cars, he had to win the lemon”. *raises eyebrows* You really haven’t noticed how your only means of contacting others tend to break when this guy is around?
Anyway, Patch says that their options are either to go to a nearby motel to call for help or to wait by the Jeep and flag someone down for help. Nora says she’ll go to the motel while Patch keeps an eye on the road. He refuses to let her out of his sight because “You're looking a little deranged, Angel”. And why do you think that is, asshole? Nora refuses to go anywhere near a motel with him, and he jokes “You think the two of us and a slummy motel make for a dangerous combination?” That’s really not funny at all, Fitzpatrick. Because even Nora admits that there’s the very good possibility that it doesn’t. Jokes like that aren’t funny when it’s quite probably they’ll actually happen. And personally, I wouldn't go anywhere like that when Patch is within a fifty-mile radius of me. Of course, I can just hear the squeeing fangirls who are swooning at the idea of getting Patch alone in a motel, so yeah.
And then it starts to rain, forcing them to go to the motel anyway.
Dear God, I hate this book. I hate the lead, I hate the Suethor, and I hate the next few chapters that are coming up. *rubs head* Keeep it together. More than two-thirds done.
And with that, we end this chapter
Onward to: Chapter 22
Back to: Chapter 20
Return to to: Table of Contents
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 21
Nora leaves the diner and is on her way home when she feels a familiar icy sensation on the back of her neck, which she knows means she's being followed. She pretends to tie her shoe to have a chance to look around, but sees no one. She makes it to the bus stop alright and is just boarding the bus to go home when she gets a text from Vee. Apparently Vee is in Portland with Jules and Elliot, at a party of some sort. Nora freaks out, because yet again Vee is an idiot who continues to wander off with those two. And yes, I know that Vee isn't supposed to know that Elliot is dangerous, but I'd like to point two things out
First of all, Vee continues to badger Nora to stay away from Patch (perfectly justified) yet refuses to do anything to allay Nora's concerns about Elliot, even if it's just to humor her friend. Hell, last chapter already showed us that she’s perfectly willing to excuse Elliot attacking Nora!
Second of all, I think the last few chapters have well proven that Vee is too dumb to live.
Nora gets Vee on the phone and asks if her mother knows that she's out with those two. Vee replies that Nora sounds neurotic. Why yes, how neurotic of her to be worried! She's only been stalked several times, one of which lead to Vee being hospitalized! Not to mention ELLIOT JUST ATTACKED HER, DUMBASS! WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO FIND IT ODD THAT SHE DOESN'T TRUST HIM??? Jesus Christ, does Vee have short-term memory loss? Anyway, Vee continues to prove to be an idiot by telling Nora that she's alone at the moment (Elliot and Jules having bailed to go to Kinghorn for something) and clearly in an area that is not safe. She pauses in the conversation to tell someone to stop groping her (no, really) and asks if Nora could come join her at the party.
I shall repeat that. She is in a place that is not safe with people who are obviously being grabby and instead of just leaving (perfectly justified, seeing as the guys who brought her there bailed), she has her friend join her in said unsafe location.
ZeldaQueen: Nora has a fit of intelligence and says that she's going to get Vee and bring her home. She gets Vee's address and gets instructions from the bus driver as to how to walk there. He warns her that it's a very rough neighborhood she'll be going through. Of course it is. And no, she doesn't check to see if there's any buses that go by Vee's address, which would be the safest thing for her to do. Granted she later mentions that she only has enough money for a bus fare home, but you'd think Vee would spot her. Then again, given how Vee's being going along, probably not.
Nora goes a few blocks before entering an area that's all graffitied and grungy, with iron bars over the various shop windows. At about this time, she comes across a bag lady who seems to be not right in the head, or at least is really freaking creepy. The bag lady eyes up Nora and instead of just continuing on her way, Nora decides to stop, engage the bag lady in conversation, and ask her if she's going to right way to reach Vee's address.
The bag lady tells Nora that she's not going the right way to get there and offers to give the right directions in exchange for Nora's coat. Because the directions of a possibly crazy bag lady are so much more reputable than those of a bus driver, Nora forks over her coat. She then is blakmailed into handing over her hat, to get the "short version" to get there. Apparently it's one block over, which means that Nora gets to now stumble around in Portland with no coat or hat, in a bad area of town. Cripes, this world really has it in for her, doesn't it?
Nora heads over to the next block via an alleyway, because dark alleyways are smart places to walk through in bad neighborhoods. Isn't Nora supposed to be a straight-A student? Shouldn't someone like that be a little...I don't know, smart? Anyway, she's almost through when she realizes that, contrivances of contrivances, she has no cell phone. She left it in her coat, which the bag lady has
ZeldaQueen: I really have nothing to say to this. This much idiocy just speaks for itself.
Nora turns around to give a desperate go at getting her phone back, but before she goes far, a black sedan drives down the street the bag lady is on. The car pauses, there's several gunshots, and the bag lady is killed.
Nora, understandably, is freaked out. After the car leaves, she runs over to look for her cell phone, but it's not there. She heads for a pay phone to call 911, but freaks out some more when she hears footsteps approaching. Terrified and in need of help, she decides to call...Patch.
Now in my opinion, calling the guy who's been harassing and threatening her is like saving yourself from drowning via throwing yourself into the embrace of a shark, especially after that charming incident in the library parking area. Still, I guess I'm one of those boring people who doesn't feel save in the arms of a stalker. Patch answers his phone and is over in about fifteen minutes. Nora promptly starts snuggling with him for comfort, which sounds about as appealing as hugging Freddy Kruger. He gets her in his Jeep and gives her his cell phone to call Vee, though he warns her that it’s almost out of juice. WELL, WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THAT? ONLY ONE CELL PHONE LEFT AND IT’S ABOUT TO RUN OUT OF POWER!
I’m very cross.
Anyway, she texts Vee, who responds that Elliot and Jules couldn’t find what they left for and returned, so she’s gone home.
So, let us recap what’s going on so we have a good idea of the scenario here. Nora is stranded in a strange part of Portland with no working cell phones, no friend, very little money, no one knowing exactly where she is, and Patch the Asshole being her only means of getting home.
Yes, this certainly isn’t going to end badly, is it?
Patch obligingly drives Nora to Vee’s place, and along the way she feels good enough to explain how she was tricked out of her possessions by a bag lady. She does not explain how the bag lady was killed or her body disappeared.
Just as they’re on “a stretch of lush and unpopulated highway”, the engine of the Jeep comes to a tragic end. Nora notes “Of all the cars, he had to win the lemon”. *raises eyebrows* You really haven’t noticed how your only means of contacting others tend to break when this guy is around?
Anyway, Patch says that their options are either to go to a nearby motel to call for help or to wait by the Jeep and flag someone down for help. Nora says she’ll go to the motel while Patch keeps an eye on the road. He refuses to let her out of his sight because “You're looking a little deranged, Angel”. And why do you think that is, asshole? Nora refuses to go anywhere near a motel with him, and he jokes “You think the two of us and a slummy motel make for a dangerous combination?” That’s really not funny at all, Fitzpatrick. Because even Nora admits that there’s the very good possibility that it doesn’t. Jokes like that aren’t funny when it’s quite probably they’ll actually happen. And personally, I wouldn't go anywhere like that when Patch is within a fifty-mile radius of me. Of course, I can just hear the squeeing fangirls who are swooning at the idea of getting Patch alone in a motel, so yeah.
And then it starts to rain, forcing them to go to the motel anyway.
Dear God, I hate this book. I hate the lead, I hate the Suethor, and I hate the next few chapters that are coming up. *rubs head* Keeep it together. More than two-thirds done.
And with that, we end this chapter
Onward to: Chapter 22
Back to: Chapter 20
Return to to: Table of Contents