The night had gone still again.
The road stretched empty in both directions, the broken car somewhere behind them, barely visible now through the darkness.
Ray hadn't moved.
Kate was still crouched beside him, one hand resting lightly on his shoulder, like she was making sure he was actually there.
Julia stood a few steps away, arms crossed, eyes scanning the road for a second before returning to them.
"…Okay," she said, more to herself than anyone else.
Kate didn't look up right away.
Her fingers pressed slightly into his shoulder.
"…He's breathing," she muttered, quieter now.
Julia nodded once, already thinking ahead. "Then we need to move him," she said, tone steady.
Kate finally looked up at her. "…Move him where?"
Julia glanced back toward the direction of the car.
"…Back," she said simply.
"Or maybe I will stay here with him until you can fix the car? So that way you can just ride back here and take us?" Kate said, still crouched beside Ray, her hand not leaving his shoulder.
Julia looked at her for a second, considering it, her eyes flicking briefly to Ray. "…That's not the worst idea," she said slowly.
Kate glanced down at him again, her fingers pressing slightly into his arm.
Julia shifted her weight, already thinking it through. "…But if he wakes up and runs again, that's on you," she added, one brow lifting slightly.
"I can suck his dick to stop him."
The words just… hung there.
Kate froze immediately after saying it, like her brain caught up a second too late, her eyes widening slightly.
Julia stared at her.
For a full second.
Then another.
"…Wow," she said slowly, one eyebrow raising. "That's… a strategy."
Kate shut her eyes briefly, rubbing her forehead. "…I didn't mean it like that," she muttered, clearly regretting every life choice that led to this sentence.
Julia nodded once, very serious. "No, no—I'm sure it was a well-thought-out plan."
Kate shot her a look. "…Shut up."
"So you're team little bunnies with him?" Julia asked, glancing at Kate with a faint smirk, clearly remembering.
Kate froze instantly, her head snapping toward her. "…Oh my God," she muttered, her face heating up again.
Julia just shrugged lightly, looking down at Ray for a second. "Just asking."
Kate looked away quickly, tightening her grip slightly on his arm. "…Shut up."
Julia glanced between them one last time, then turned back toward the road. "Don't let him wander off," she said, already starting to walk away, her voice calm but firm.
Kate didn't answer.
She just lowered herself down beside Ray, sitting in the grass, the silence settling in around her again.
His pack of smokes had fallen out onto the ground.
The empty bottles were still in her hand.
She stared at them for a second… then at him.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the glass.
And then… she took a cigarette out of the pack.
Without thinking twice, she slipped it between her lips, already reaching for the lighter.
Ray didn't move.
The night stayed quiet around her.
"Fuck it," she thought to herself as she took a puff, the smoke steady this time as she grabbed the vodka.
She unscrewed it and took a long sip without hesitation.
Ray didn't move.
Kate exhaled slowly, smoke drifting into the cold air as she sat there next to him like this was somehow normal now.
"I'm a drunk now," she said to herself, taking another small sip.
The words lingered for a second, quieter than she probably meant them to be.
She glanced down at him, her expression shifting.
"Did your father really beat you, Ray?" she asked, like he was actually going to answer.
Ray didn't move.
Didn't react.
Kate watched him for a second longer, the cigarette resting between her fingers as the silence stretched again.
"I… I was raped by… someone."
The words broke out of her, uneven—
and then she just froze.
Her breath caught almost immediately, like something in her chest locked up, the cigarette trembling slightly between her fingers.
She swallowed, hard.
Her eyes dropped to the ground, then back to him, then away again—anywhere but straight ahead.
Ray didn't move.
That somehow made it worse.
Kate let out a shaky breath, her hand coming up to her face for a second, pressing hard against her forehead like she could push it back in. "…I—" she started, then stopped, her voice failing her.
Another breath.
This one less steady.
She took a step back—
then sat back down again like her legs didn't know what to do.
"…Forget it," she muttered, too quickly, her voice tight.
The cigarette burned lower between her fingers.
She didn't even notice.
As she took another big sip, her hand shaking slightly—
tears slipped from her eyes before she could stop them.
She let out a shaky breath, quickly wiping at her face with the back of her hand, like that would fix it.
Another tear followed anyway.
Ray didn't move.
Kate let out a quiet, broken laugh under her breath, more breath than sound, as she looked down for a second, gripping the bottle tighter than she should have.
"…Great," she muttered, voice unsteady.
"But… I'm okay. He… he's where your father is. In hell."
Her voice wavered halfway through, like it didn't quite hold together.
She nodded to herself, too quickly, gripping the bottle tighter.
Another tear slipped down.
Kate wiped it away almost immediately, her jaw tightening.
"…My dad made sure of it," she added quietly, almost under her breath, like it just slipped out.
Ray didn't move.
The night stayed still around her, the weight of it all just… sitting there.
"But yeah I don't remember it because I got drugged so… that's good right?"
She let out a shaky laugh that broke halfway through, the sound catching in her throat as more tears slipped down.
Her hand trembled slightly around the bottle, her grip tightening like she needed something to hold onto.
She wiped at her face again, quicker this time, almost frustrated, but it didn't stop.
Ray didn't move.
Kate's laugh faded into silence, her breathing uneven as she stared ahead, like she was trying to convince herself of something that just… wouldn't stick.
As if he felt her fear and pain—
he reached out, his fingers brushing against hers before gently taking her hand.
Kate flinched slightly, her breath catching as she looked down at him.
His eyes slowly opened, still unfocused—
then, barely above a mumble—
"Hoorah… Hoorah… we are the Billy Boys…"
Kate just stared at him for a second.
And then—
a small, broken smile slipped through.
And that's when she—
just broke.
She dropped the bottle without thinking and threw herself into him, wrapping her arms around him tightly, like she needed to hold onto something real.
Ray barely reacted at first, still half out of it, but his arm shifted slightly around her.
Kate buried her face into him, her grip tightening, her shoulders shaking as she held onto him.
"I… I like you too!" she muttered, her voice breaking as she squeezed him tighter.
Her fingers dug slightly into his shirtless back, like she was afraid to let go now.
Ray blinked slowly, still not fully there, but he didn't pull away.
Kate kept holding onto him, her face pressed against him, breath uneven as everything finally caught up to her.
Even if he was out of it, for some reason—
he started patting her head gently.
Slow, uneven, but careful.
Kate froze for a second at the touch, her grip tightening just a little more before she let out a shaky breath against him.
He didn't say anything.
Just kept doing it, like it made sense to him.
Then, completely out of nowhere—
"Oppa Gangnam Style—" he mumbled, voice slurred, still patting her head like nothing changed.
Kate froze for half a second—
and then a real laugh broke out of her, shaky at first, then louder, burying her face into him as she tried to breathe.
Her grip on him didn't loosen, but her shoulders shook for a different reason now.
Ray just kept mumbling, completely gone.
And somehow—
it helped.
And as if everything was going to be okay—
Kate lifted her head slightly—
and saw the light.
Headlights cutting through the darkness.
Julia's car.
Kate let out a small breath, her grip on Ray tightening for just a second, something easing in her chest.
She didn't let go of him.
Didn't move.
Just stayed there—
holding onto him—
as the light got closer.