We're Not in Vermont Anymore (Kristina)

[Kristina Novak]

Nodding, Kristina's eyes stayed on the road ahead. She was always a cautious driver, especially in unfamiliar territory. The silence was almost unbearable, and she was tempted to turn on the radio to provide background noise in the car. But maybe Jade needed this; the silence, to process her thoughts. To think.

She tapped her fingertips on the wheel, staring straight ahead. She stayed quiet until Jade pointed out that she needed to make the next left. Kristina nodded twice, turning onto the gravel road. The change caught her off guard, raising an eyebrow at nothing or nobody in particular. Her speed slowed down further. She thought to ask where they were going, but couldn't find it in her to say.

Until they passed headstones.

Silence. Kristina licked her suddenly dry lips. Still, nothing.

"Did... is this where we were suppose to end up?" She finally asked, glancing over at Jade with a slightly confused expression.

[Jade Parrish]

Jade wasn't usually one for silence or solitude. She needed the noise, which is why when she was in the newspaper office alone she often had to blare music. It kept her from getting too lost in her own head. And right now, the silence was deafening and she wondered if Kristina felt it too, if it made her uncomfortable. And then she heard the soft tapping of Kristina's fingers on the steering wheel and relaxed a little.

She knew the questioning would come and she felt Kristina's eyes on her as the car slowed. She turned to meet her gaze. "Yes," she said, trying to sound matter of fact. She was always so sure of herself. "Morbid, huh?" She was having trouble figuring out how to act.

[Kristina Novak]

The silence had been a little uncomfortable for Kristina as well, but she was more concerned about adjusting for Jade. But, she'd never been good at reading people and failed to take notice that her friend was just as uncomfortable, if not more.

Yes. They were suppose to be here. Nodding, Kristina's kept her eyes on Jade, a hint of a smile barely pulling on her lips. She would say something like that as they were sitting in a cemetery. "Maybe a little. But..." She trailed off, not really sure what to say.

"But, we're here for a reason, right?" Reminding her of the task at hand. Even if it was a little creepy, Kristina was here to provide support for Jade. That was the entire goal of her coming with her roommate to Texas.

[Jade Parrish]

"Would you have come with me if I told you we were going to Texas to go to a cemetary?" Jade said it lightly, as if it were a joke. It was easiest to say it that way. She didn't think anyone would want to do that and while Kristina might have said she would have gone anyway, Jade just wanted her to be honest. "You can't possibly like me that much."

As the car came to a stop in the gravel, she let out a sigh. "You think I would just bring you to a cemetary for no reason?" Of course she had a reason, but she was trying to keep things positive. Would Kristina run when she learned what she told no one? Okay, so she'd told one person. And out of all people, it had been James. He hadn't run, at least not until she'd accidentally paralyzed him. But Kristina meant something to Jade. She looked over at her friend in the driver's seat. If they didn't get out of the car now, Jade wasn't sure if she'd stay.

[Kristina Novak]

The smile wavered on Kristina's expression at Jade's next question, which could be taken as a serious statement or as a joke. That was the hard thing to tell. "I might have hesitated, but yeah.. I'd like to think I still would have come." She answered, honestly.

"Besides, I think you underestimate how much I like you." Kristina added, brown eyes darting back to the scene ahead. Of tombstones and dead bodies... a shiver ran down her spine before gaze diverted back to Jade.

"Maybe, I don't know. Maybe you like to spend your free time in graveyards." She added, letting go of the steering wheel to cross her arms across her chest. Her eyes met with Jade's, and after a moment, she nodded to herself. "You should lead the way." Kristina reached over, unlocking the doors and taking the keys out of the ignition.

[Jade Parrish]

"I appreciate you being honest," Jade told her friend, trying to crack a smile. Kristina was raw, she was real. Jade liked that about her. The next thing she said struck Jade in a strange way. She hadn't said it in a joking tone, and it was open for interpretation, but she trid not to think too hard about it. Mostly because this trip was supposed to be about closure, about her sister, about the one tombstone in the graveyard she cared about. She needed to push aside how she felt about Kristina for now, because it was easy to distract herself with the brunette. "Guess I do."

"I don't, but it's good to know that you'd be accepting." She finally got out of the car, stepping back out into the Texas heat. Even the graveyard wasn't cold. She stood there for a moment, trying to picture where the tombstone was. She had't been here in so long.

[Kristina Novak]

"Honesty's the best policy, right? Or something like that." Kristina replied, unsure if that was the exact quote. Either way it got the point across. Before she could think twice, her next comment slipped through her mouth, unfiltered and maybe a little too honest. Because Kristina hadn't been joking, but she didn't know what to say that would make it any better. Since Jade didn't say anything further, she let the subject drop. Feelings couldn't get in the way now.

She took a moment to herself before opening the driver's side door. "People find comfort in different places." She answered, as she peeked over the roof of the car to Jade with a slight shrug. For her, it was behind the camera. Any time or place and she felt like she was at home. She walked over to the other side, standing about a foot away. Already, the heat was overwhelming but they were here now and it'd be a terrible idea to turn back after travelling so far.