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Post by kristay on Feb 4, 2011 23:15:18 GMT -5
Yume laughed. "Yup! If MABTown would be famous for anything? It'd be the number of gigantic families we have... had." She shrugged and glanced around the lunchroom before returning her gaze to Grady. "Yeah a lot of people like adopting I guess; us? We're big and dysfunctional all on our own. When we bought the house we live in now, I was surprised all of us fit into it with room to spare." She shook her head in amusement. "My brother kept nagging out aunt, complaining about why in the world she would buy a beach house after we just suffered through a hurricane."
Jackie nodded eagerly. "I actually have several short stories I've written out but I'm not sure yet... And I'm not really good at journalism, more on the fiction stories and novels." She laughed a bit. "And I think Aya just wants to be a freelance photographer like her mom, I don't know if she wants to write about her pictures. But I'll has her; that's a great idea Collins. I can see why my brother likes you.", she laughed a bit and flipped her hair. "What about you? I heard you wanted to be a teacher; you like little kids?"
Aya's eyebrows flew up and disappeared through her choppy bangs. "So either you want gossip or to go out with me. Are you on something or just insane? Please tell me, because I can't really pick which one." She stood up, the small book in one hand as she dusted herself off. She had to look up at Garret because he was much taller than her. Aya blew out her bangs and looked at him, really looked at him. He was cute, but he had that cocky look in his eyes that reminded her far too much of Monte. "You don't know my story; you don't know who I am, you said it yourself. I don't need to give you a burden you don't need to bear."
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Post by Tiff on Feb 4, 2011 23:45:56 GMT -5
Grady laughed. "We're small and dysfunctional all on our own so in this case size doesn't really matter." He shrugged. "It doesn't make much sense to me either except maybe she figures if one house was destroyed by a hurricane then the chances of two would be out of this world. Although Collins friend Chelsea says a few towns where she grew up hit hit by three hurricanes in one year and the next year they were hit again, but then again they were surrounded by water on three sides so the opportunity and the conditions were just right."
Collins smiled. "It's that inspiring gene all teachers should have. I was basically saying what I know about the writing field, which isn't much more than what Chelsea has shared. I seriously think you and Chels would like each other. She has a box full of half finished stories under her bed, I know one of them is an actual novel, but she claims it's not finished and needs a lot of editing, and that she's lost inspiration for it... Yada yada yada." She smiled at her new friend. "Your brother was right I would like you. Yeah I'd love to be a kindergarten teacher." She crossed her fingers. "I just think the five year olds are too cute. They are slightly more mature than toddlers, still adorable, eager to soak up information, and still fearful of consequence like time out."
Garret furrowed his brow. "What if I'm all four of those?" He asked not expecting to get a positive reaction out of her. "Or maybe I'm trying to make up for my assholishness back in the cafeteria and would like to help you any way I can. If you're worried about putting a burden on my shoulders then don't be cause I'm not." He raised his eyebrows. "Going to spill?"
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Post by kristay on Feb 5, 2011 0:03:09 GMT -5
Yume laughed. "Good point; I think all families have that trait; being crazy and dysfunctional no matter what size. It's probably just a lot more noticeable when you have a big family, you know?" Yu paused and thought about why her aunt would pick a hurricane hazard house but couldn't really see why. "Honestly, I think she just decided on the house because even though there was a hurricane, she loves the water. I see her look out from the patio a lot, just gazing wistfully...", she shrugged again, "I don't know really. What about you guys? Do you live in Seaview?"
Jackie nodded. "M'hm. That's true; there have been so many teachers that I've had that weren't like that. They were mean and cynical and were afraid to be bested. Close-minded; terrible folk. But then there were the ones you wanted to learn from; they were the best. I wish all teachers were like that... Then everyone would want to learn, you know?" She gave Collins a bright smile and clapped her hands together like a little child. "I'd love to meet her; I need friends and I barely know anyone here. And if she's a writer, I'm sure I like her already!" She wagged her finger at Collins. "You should know that you're own worst critic."
She blinked, a bit surprised at his reply. "Well... Then..." Aya looked at him and tilted her head, wondering if she looked at him from a different angle, she'd understand what he wanted from her. "I don't know..." She looked down at her scuffed Converse before looking back at him, knowing that she had already forgiven him for being a jerk. Aya turned on her heel and walked down the steps, only turning around to look at him when she had reached the bottom step. "Take a walk with me."
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Post by Tiff on Feb 5, 2011 17:38:27 GMT -5
Grady shrugged. "I don't know if it's that noticeable or not, but I'll have more first hand knowledge of that in about a year or maybe in a few months depending on how well I get to know some of you." He shook his head. "No we live on Coldwater. Collins lives a house down. Our dad's didn't care that they lived in the same town, but they didn't want to be next door neighbors, it's like living next door to your parents I suppose." He laughed. "Though I don't know how living a house down makes much of a difference.
Collins nodded in agreement. "I had a great kindergarten teacher and all of my teachers up until middle school were amazing, I mean, I heard of those awful teachers in elementary school, there was one teacher all the kids dreaded and feared and I can't recall her name now, but she was awful. Some of the kids use to laugh at her because when she would say 'shh' she would actually say 'shit.' It was her accent, but still." She laughed. "I wish you'd come a year ago, she would have been sitting in that very chair, but she's in college now." She giggled. "I already said that didn't I."
Garret watched her with eyebrows raised and his interest peaked, he had nothing to say to her 'well' and 'then' or her 'I don't know..' and he still had nothing to say when she told him to take a walk with her. He didn't even look over his shoulder to check that the coast was clear, he didn't give a crap about getting into trouble. "Where we going?"
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Post by kristay on Feb 5, 2011 17:55:19 GMT -5
She grinned at him. "Don't worry, I'm sure you don't have to wait long to say I was right. My aunt's planning a town picnic so that the families that moved in can make friends and stuff. She's that bored; she loves getting into other peoples' businesses." Yume shook her head in amusement. "I think it's kind of the same thing; it still constitutes being neighbors, right?"
Jackie grinned. "I think the best teachers are the kindergarten and preschool ones; they have to have a lot of patience with little kids because they don't really know any better. They're much cuter than elementary and high school kids, that's for sure." Jackie laughed and looked at her chair. "Vreely now? So if I say sshhhit, oh! There it is! I'm channeling her accent through this chair!" she giggled as she tried her hand at the accent that seemed to make everyone laugh a lot.
Aya gave him an impish smile. "It's a secret; honestly Garret, where's your sense of adventure?" she mocked. She walked around the school once before heading to the back entrance and climbing up the stairs. Sure she had made them loop around once for no particular reason but Aya liked to walk and if he wanted her to talk, then he'd walk with her. She reached the final floor and smiled as she opened the door to the roof. "You've been here before I'm sure, but I like the breeze." It was more like gale force winds actually, but Aya was the type to sit in the cold and brood which gave reason for her family to worry about her. She moved towards the edge and sat on the floor, looking up at him. "You ready for the story then?"
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Post by Tiff on Feb 7, 2011 13:51:38 GMT -5
Grady raised his eyebrows. "That sounds pretty cool, when is she thinking of having it? I'd really like to go, not just to see how dysfunctional big families are, but to make friends you know. It's kind of hard to do so at school, I mean it happens, but unless you're in the same class or all the tables are full, the chances aren't likely." He winked. "So yeah, my dad and Collin's mom are always going on about how they shouldn't have moved to the same street, there just isn't enough distance." He laughed. "I don't really mind and would only mind if Collins were not as much fun as she is."
Collins giggled. "Oh, my god, you sound just like her, although she didn't sound like Dracula." She shrugged. "I really wish I knew what nationality she was, because it was just too funny. It probably wouldn't have been that funny if she was more likeable."
Garret kept his hands in his pocket as they walked around the school. He followed her through the back entrance and followed her up the stairs, still not really sure where she was taking him, until they reached the final floor, she was headed for the roof. Oh yeah he'd been on the roof on countless occasions. He didn't mind the breeze either, he was just wishing he'd grabbed his jacket. He watched her sit and did the same. "Yeah, shoot."
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Post by kristay on Feb 7, 2011 17:49:36 GMT -5
Yume shrugged. "Next week I think? Probably after she and her friend can meet and talk about it. You should go; I think it's a great idea actually. I know what you mean, even when you're in the same class and then bump into each other in the hallway, there's still that awkward half-step where you don't know what you're allowed to do or say, right?" She laughed with him. "So what about you? Are you planning to take the captain-ship once we graduate or?"
Jackie clapped her hands together again and took a mock bow. "Zank you, zank you. I aim to please. And I agree; I think it's hard to make fun of teachers who are cool but really easy to laugh at a teacher who is a complete bitch, you know?"
Aya put her hands in her pockets and leaned against the tall ledge that was the only divider between her and the sky. She eyed him and had to smile a bit as he followed suit and sat down. "We met... Last year; we lived in the same town as you have correctly deduced. He was an ass the first time we met; I'm not sure why I let him take me out. We lo-liked each other... A lot. And then I had to leave because I..." What sounded less dramatic? I found out I had cancer or I was dying? Aya shrugged. "I had to leave for health purposes.", was what she said instead. "We thought the relationship would still work out, you know? We'd wait and all that. But things happened, his calls didn't come through, and my letters didn't reach him and the both of us thought... That it was over." She shrugged again, as if it was nothing even if at one point it had been everything. "He broke my heart, I broke his. He has a new girlfriend, I saw him the other day and... Well that's it. Any questions?" She had tried her best to summarize the story, not really trusting Garret with the full version, not yet anyway.
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Post by Tiff on Feb 7, 2011 18:03:35 GMT -5
Grady nodded. "Well let me know." He took a piece of paper out of his back pack and scribbled his number down. "I'll spread the word with our friends and at practice. I'm assuming the guys on the North Ridge team will all show up and then you know those families will know about it too." He shrugged. "I don't know about taking the captain-ship over, I'm not even really good at baseball. I'll be on the bench for the rest of the season if Garret ever gets his act together and the North Ridge boys are good, if they all elect to merge with our team then I don't stand a chance." He laughed.
Collins nodded. "I want to be one of those likable cool teachers, because I don't do well with ridicule." She shrugged. "I mean, I can take it from Garret, but from a bunch of kids would drive me nuts." She shrugged again. "It's silly really. So, I forget, you're a senior this year?"
Garret listened, something he wasn't used to doing. "So what if you fought for him?" What the hell was that? You don't want her to fight for him. "I mean if he was really important to you and it was all a misunderstanding, convince him that his current girlfriend is a waste of time because you and him are supposed to be together." He shrugged and looked at his tennis shoes. "I'm sorry, that's what I would do, you aren't me though." He glanced up at her. "You don't have a boyfriend now do you?"
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Post by kristay on Feb 7, 2011 19:54:53 GMT -5
Yume grinned. "Great! If there's one thing my aunt loves more than getting into other people's businesses it's feeding people. I think that's why she got along so well with my cousin Georgiana, or maybe it's just a Filipino thing to like feeding people." She smiled kindly at Grady as she received the piece of paper he handed to her. "So if you aren't a big player of baseball, what do you do? I'm not really into sports myself; I'm the family's know-it-all bookworm actually. That was how I meant my boyfriend actually, we both love books." she added, grinning at the thought of how she met Jack.
Jackie grinned and nodded. "Yup, a senior. Probably taking up Creative Writing next year at the University, I hope anyway." She ran her fingers through her messy hair. "But I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot of you around because of Xander huh?" A sneaky smile found its way to her red lips as she sincerely hoped that Collins would stick around and find out just amazing her big brother was.
A strange sense of bursting seemed to come from Aya as she glared spitefully at Garret. "I did that, I fought for him... I was fighting for my life when I was away, just with the thought that if I could make it out alive, we'd be together again!" That was something she had always thought but had always kept inside; it had sounded silly in her head and it sounded even sillier out of her mouth. She had always thought that in fighting for her life, she was fighting for her relationship with Monte. Aya glanced at Garret and felt a bit guilty; here she was yelling at an innocent victim again. She lowered her voice. "Why should I fight for someone who didn't fight for me? I fought for my life, while he... He was doing nothing." She shrugged at him before leaning against the ledge, her eyes closing as a wave of exhaustion hit her. "I don't know if I've accepted it or not... But I know that we were... the 'what if'." Aya didn't care at that point if Garret understood what she had said but she offered him a bitter smile. "Maybe in another life huh?" The girl shook her head. "No, single now... I don't really think I can deal with that kind of relationship again so soon."
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Post by Tiff on Feb 7, 2011 20:48:14 GMT -5
Grady shrugged. "I don't know, nothing really." He laughed. "I do my work, play the game, read, but I'm not particularly good at any one thing. Garret's a freaking rocket pitcher, he just doesn't put the effort into it unless he really wants to or he's going to get something out of it. Like when he joined the team he threw a fast ball and the coach was like you're on, but he's been throwing so so since, unless there's a scout coming to watch the game, but he doesn't get that scouts don't come to see teams that don't do anything, so he can kiss his chances of being a professional player goodbye. I guess if I had to pick any one thing that I'm good at it's cleaning up after Garret." His demeanor changed a bit when he discovered that she was already taken, but tried to keep the change undetectable. He'd just have to deal with being the friend again.
Collins smiled and nodded. "Oh definitely, and maybe you'll just see me around because I think there's a good chance you and I are going to be good friends." She winked. "But yeah, I don't plan on giving up on Xander.
Garret raised his eyebrows and held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I didn't say you didn't fight, I meant why not try and get him back? You said you were sick right? You said you both lost contact, well who says he wanted to give up on your relationship? What if he picked up this other girl to help quell the pain?" He shrugged and looked away from her. He couldn't believe he was trying to get these two back together, but then again she said she didn't want that kind of relationship, so why was he even trying. "Would you go on a date with him if he dumped the girl? What about another guy?"
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Post by kristay on Feb 7, 2011 22:24:29 GMT -5
Yume sighed, completely relating to Grady. "My older brother, Cameron, is exactly like that. He's a genius, well I think he is anyway. But he never really exerts himself in his studies even if he could get into any Ivy League school he wanted to. I ask him why and he's always just like 'Meh. Too much effort.' It's infuriating!" She pouted slightly, it was hard being the responsible sibling when she was also the younger one but she had started getting used to it, it was Cameron after all.
Jackie grinned. "Then I can't wait to see you again. I don't have many friends here yet and it does get boring only talking to the family you know?" She loved her family but she also wished she had friends to go out with. Dragging Joseph around did not constitute her idea of fun, as much as it pained her to admit it. She gazed around the lunch room and saw that the students were starting to file out and she glanced at Collins. "Is it almost time? Did the bell ring? I didn't notice!" she said with a laugh.
Aya sighed, what Garret was saying made perfect sense but she had that feeling deep down in the pit of her stomach that it was over. It wasn't just her pessimism talking but somehow... She knew that there was no more Aya and Monte. "I know what you're saying but I saw him a few days ago, remember? He told me he had a girlfriend because he wanted me to know from him and not someone else... And I can't explain it to you but that look on his face when he said it... God." She buried her face in her hands. "I know he loves me still, but... There's just too much between us now. I wish I could explain it better but I can't. I wish I could fix it... I wish I could be with him again, but... I can't." She put her hands on her lap and stared at the dreary sky, a sad smile on her face. "Besides, his girlfriend would be collateral damage. Monte and I were hurt and I was practically broken beyond repair, this drama doesn't need any more casualties."
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Post by Tiff on Feb 7, 2011 22:42:52 GMT -5
Grady gathered his things and zipped up his back pack. "Yeah, I know that infuriating feeling, Garret doesn't know it infuriates me so much yet and if he finds out, he'll just be twice as lazy. Maybe with Avery and Monte around he'll step up his game. I know coach is going to have scouts coming out the ying yang with them on the team, he'll be trying to convince the both of them to give up any future plans they already have to pursue a professional baseball career. I think coach has a serious need for attention..." He put out his hand as the bell rang. "It was nice meeting you Yume, call me about the party, or uh, I suppose I may see you at lunch before then."
Collins laughed. "No, it hasn't..." The bell rang and she giggled. "Now it has. Most of the kids here like to get up and start toward their classes to beat the crowded halls." She shrugged. "Though people still find ways to be late to class. I'll see you around alright, and not awkwardly in the halls either." She got up and shouldered he bag.
Garret heard the bell ring, but he wasn't budging from that spot. "I find it hard to believe someone wouldn't want to keep you around. If I were Monte, I'd brush the other girl off and sweep you off your feet." He shrugged. "It sounds more like he was trying to avoid hurting you any further by telling you he had a girlfriend. How would you have felt if you'd seen them walking hand in hand down the street or in the halls? I wasn't there so I can't imagine what his facial expression was or the tone of his voice, but do you really think a guy who still loves you could say he wants nothing to do with you and mean it?" He kept his hands to himself, though he wanted to hold her and comfort her.
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Post by kristay on Feb 7, 2011 23:15:26 GMT -5
Yume grinned. "Well I always make my feelings known to my older brother. I feel sorry for him sometimes because I'm not the only one who physically abuses him. There are so many females in our house that have a bone to pick with him, he's like our living punching bag really." She too grabbed her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder, vaguely wondering if she would see Aya in class or if she had just left after leaving Garret's body somewhere. "Yeah, I'll definitely text you about the party; please do invite your friends, my aunt would love you forever if you did."
Jackie laughed with her as she took her bag from where she had put it on the chair. "Most definitely, I'll tell Xander I finally met his mysterious Collins, that will probably stress him out for a good day." She laughed evilly as she gave Collins a wave and walked over to Yume. "You think Aya's going to show up for class?" Yume shook her head. "Let's just hope she feels better when we do see her you know?" Jackie smiled. "Maybe Garret did help her out after all."
Aya smiled a bit bitterly at Garret. "Well you aren't Monte, are you?" She too heard the bell ring but just didn't have the energy to stand up and go to her class. She would much rather freeze her ass off on the roof. "I know that was his intention, honestly... I know I kind of paint him as an asshole but he isn't. He's a great guy and Serena's really lucky to have him. And honestly? If I had seen them walking down the hall, I would have socked him in the face and run home crying. Though now that I think about it, that wouldn't have ended well because my cousin and brother would kill him. Literally." she shook her head, a tiny smile had found its way to her somber face.
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Post by Tiff on Feb 7, 2011 23:49:18 GMT -5
Garret shook his head. "Nope, I'm not." He crossed his arms and stared straight ahead of him. "So you hate him, love him, are you happy for him, you want him back? You don't want him back? You going to move on or stay on this roof and gripe? You fought through your illness, why not keep fighting for him? Have you seen the girlfriend? Maybe I could take her of his hands and you two can be reunited."
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Post by kristay on Feb 7, 2011 23:55:17 GMT -5
Aya snorted in amusement and had to give him some credit for making her smile. "I don't hate him. And I know that I'll always love him. I don't think I'm mature enough to be happy for him and I want him back of course but that's impossible without hurting other people." she paused and looked at Garret, unsure of why he was doing any of this for her. "Because it's a selfish thing to do; it'll cause everyone pain and grief. I love him but I have to let him go. I know that, I just haven't done anything about it. And no I haven't met Serena, I think I'd like to avoid that for now." She stood up slowly and stretched before placing one hand on her hip and offering her free hand to Garret. "Come on, I'm alright now and we need to get going."
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