THE HARDEST OF HEARTS,, phil

tearing love apart,

Once again, Nell’s eyes scanned the area, the people who had stopped their conversations to send Phillie curious glances. I’m sure they’ve seen worse, she thought, wishing they’d return to their own business. Of course, there had been a time when Nell tried to pry into the girl’s business, but with a firm reprimand she’d stopped it. Nell knew about keeping secrets and the such, she was keeping quite a few that could land her in prison—she just had to try and put herself into her friend’s shoes. Which was near impossible, since it was still hard to believe that her father would set up a marriage without even asking her daughter’s permission. Even thinking about it put a bitter taste in Nell’s mouth, especially since she’d met Kieran before, being in the same grade.

Turning her eyes back to her friend, she noticed the straight-back posture and terse smile. Very bad day. She even at the donut with poise while Nell was busy wiping off powder residue from her mouth with the back of her hand. Nell wasn’t raised with manners and such—she wasn’t even raised, save for when her father was still around. Her manners and skills were mostly self-taught, but she could never be as prim and graceful as Phil for that was bred into her. There was a huge social gap between them, but Nell didn’t care for how much someone’s father made in the year or their statuses in the world—she cared for that someone’s personality. But something she never told anyone about was her own family, the people who were aiming to lock her up—they had the money and the power. But she didn’t grow up with their influence, with their money and their inner circle of class. She was the black sheep.

Nell laughed a bit at the disco ball comparison and said, ”A very elegant walking disco ball.” Then, she gave reassurance in saying, ”You wear anything well, so I don’t see it as over the top.” Those were her very sincere compliments—she lied about a lot when it came to herself, but not with others and not when trying to make others feel at least a little better. The people staring were all mostly jealous seeing as Maple Hollow wasn’t the crème de la crème. But it was a place where mostly everyone went to, and it was helluva lot better than where Nell lived downtown. She chuckled at Phillie’s matter-of-fact reply. ”You’re completely right,” she admitted. Nell didn’t hate her job—‘look on the bright side’ mentality and all—but it was certainly not what she wanted to do with her life. She wondered if the Wind leader wanted to do something other than use her father’s wealth to get by—she wasn’t the kind of stuck-up socialite that would sit back and mooch off her family’s wealth. ”I’m glad I’m not turning you off with the stench,” she joked.

Phil fervently turned down her offer of coffee, of course being stubborn. Understandable. Nell had to be careful with her money, but when it came to getting something for her friends… Maybe she should work on that. ”Hmm…Isn’t that a rule? Never wear a nice dress twice?” she mused, tapping her finger against her chin. She tried to remember where she’d heard that from, and it came to her in a rather sour thought. Aunt Jane, when mocking her for shits and giggles. Or revenge. She came to the hospital in a little black dress, and thought that Nell’s hospital gown was rather amusing. The girl didn’t enjoy banter with her aunt, but had nonetheless carried on a mean-spirited conversation with the woman for over an hour. ”That gown looks rather good on you Nell, but you should never wear a dress twice. So I’ll be putting you in stripes for your next outfit.” Lovely woman, she was. ”I still think it’s too cute to shut away in your closet forever.” Which is true. It might have been over the top here, but for an outing that Phil usually went to it was perfect.

Nell wrinkled her nose in much the same way she had when smelling her shirt, the distaste clear on her usually smiling face. Sadly enough, that explained everything, so she didn’t need to push Phillie for any more information on that front. Nell was a nice girl and only reserved her intense dislike for her family—but Kieran was not-so-nice a person and if she were to put it bluntly, he was a brat. ”I see he’s as charming as usual,” she simply said, finishing off the donut. ”Well, you’re not out with him anymore. You’re out with me, and I’m going to ensure the rest of your night is as enjoyable as possible.” She gave a wink as she finished saying this, hoping the prospect of anything other than Kieran would be enough to cheer her up.

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tearing love apart,

Nell didn’t know whether or not she envied Phil the good life. She never asked for much, so even a decent paycheck would be enough for her. Living in squalor was something she’d grown used to, but it didn’t mean she enjoyed it. But to have the kind of money Birdie had? Well, that seemed a bit intimidating. But the girl must have been used to it, and looking at Nell it must have seemed completely foreign to be living paycheck by paycheck. Nell knew that even at her age she should have still been living with her parents, with their shelter and their money, safe from the problems of the real world until she was ready to be nudged out of the nest. But that’s not how her life was, it’d never been that way. Sure, she had a roof over her head for her entire life, but she also had her mother who hated the girl like nothing else.

Phil gave a modest laugh, and Nell smiled at her. She was glad to see that the girl’s mood was slowly turning. ”You’d be surprised. I’ve seen some very nice-looking disco balls in my day.” She laughed saying this, enjoying joking around with the girl. She’d liked to forget about the pressures of her life for at least a little bit of time. Her talents lay in ignoring things, but even she wasn’t adept at ignoring things right in front of her. Like all the work she had to do with her studying, and her job, and her apartment and all that. But sitting her with Birdie she could pretend all of that didn’t even exist. She could tell that Phillie liked the compliments even as she told Nell to cool it. ”Aww, but I’m having fun with complimenting you!” Nell teased good-naturedly. She shook her cup a bit to see how much cocoa she had left, and it wasn’t much. ”Fine, fine, no more compliments from me.” At least Phil wasn’t disgusted by the smell of her work, and that was enough for her. She decided for the future to carry around body spray or something in her purse for when she got off work.

On the subject of never wearing a dress twice, Nell heard her friend snort as she grew a bit lost in thought. And then came her rather matter-of-fact reply. ”A stereotype? I’m glad I can disregard it, then.” She smirked, thinking of telling her aunt about that, by way of calling her ‘low-class’. Nell hoped that she’d never have to see the woman ever again, but she knew better. Even as she tried to deny it, she knew she could never escape. For now she pretended to cope with her problems. She wondered how Aunt Jane would react to that one? Hey, did you know only low class people think that way about the upper class? Probably with a narrow-eyed, angry retort would come. Aunt Jane considered herself to be very high class, making money as a musician but also dealing in organized crime. And she wore elegant dresses while being a vindictive witch. Nell blinked when Phil offered to give her the dress. ”Where am I going to wear a dress like that?” she asked with knitted-eyebrows, disappointed in realizing this. But still… ”It’d be nice to actually have a dress.” She smiled slightly as she said this. It’s not like she ever had nice clothes before. Another one of their black and white, night and day differences. ”Thank you.”

Phil was sardonic in her opinion of her fiancé. Nell didn’t even like to think of it like that. She knew the girl didn’t love the Fire brat, didn’t even like him for that matter. And Nell was one of those people that believed two people should be in love before they decide to spend the rest of their lives together. But there was no deciding between the two of them; the marriage was their families’ prerogative. ”His parents must be proud.” She shook her head. Raised to be a prick? Nell didn’t know how she felt about wealthy parents like that. Phil’s didn’t seem too good to her at the moment, but of course she said nothing of it—that would have been more-than-rude and Nell liked to believe she had manners. She didn’t know about Kieran’s parents, though, and couldn’t pass judgment on them. Nell simply decided that wealth didn’t matter when it came to parenting—because parents were supposed to care for their children, and that was that.

Nell’s eyes sparkled at Phil’s reply. ”Good! Now, is there anywhere you’d like to go tonight? Of course if you’d like to have a wild night out. Or we could just stay in and do nothing. I’m up for anything.” Anything that didn’t involve work and anything like that. Nell just wanted to forget about her problems and enjoy Phillie’s company.

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tearing love apart,

Nell was more than glad to see Phil relax, and even return her smile. ”My hobbies are numerous and disco ball observation is only one of them,” she said matter-of-factly. It felt good to be joking around with Phillie like this, especially after the dinner that must have been terrible. She’d been working all day, but she took the shift during some of their least-busiest hours—she reminded herself to do that more often. ”Aye, aye, captain,” Nell said with a goofy smile, saluting with two of her fingers. Good thing she was usually in a good mood and was always there to joke around with—she couldn’t remember the last time she had an ‘off’ day. But that was because she made sure things didn’t get to her. Then again, she didn’t have a Kieran in her life to annoy her. She just had a minimum wage way of life, and all she had to do was remind herself that it was better than where she came from and that she was still free.

If Nell could, she would wear more dresses. As it were, wintertime wasn’t really the best time to go bearing legs and she didn’t have anywhere to go to do so. She actually couldn’t remember the last time she wore a dress—probably when she was younger and wore matching clothes with her sister because that’s what twins did. They wore matching dresses and barrettes and smiles, even though there was nowhere for them to go. ”I have no stereotypes in my head. Most upper-class folk I’ve met have made it a point to prove stereotypes wrong, actually. Including you.” Then again, she hadn’t had any stereotypes in her head beforehand. She guessed her relatives weren’t people you wouldn’t call ‘stereotypical’ upper-class. The Sinclairs were old money, while the Fuentes were new money and both of them were determined to prove they didn’t just sit around sipping wine and playing golf. The Sinclairs had their underground deals, and the Fuentes family made it a point to be important figures in New York society, the politicians and the shakers and the movers. Both complete opposites of each other. And now she had Phil, who even gave her the time of day despite their class differences.

Nell was still registering surprise when Phillie went for another donut. And even more surprise came when she invited her to one of her parents’ parties, with a compliment to boot. ”You’re kidding, right?” She was unused to that kind of invitation, which really wasn’t an invitation judging by Phil’s tone of voice. Nell studied the girl to see if she was serious, and saw her nod with finality. One couldn’t blame her for being skeptical—not like she had much experience in this realm. She tried not to look too excited, but her smile was pretty damn bright. ”I would love to accompany you to one of your parents’ shindigs.” Or any party, for that matter. The kind of ‘parties’ she attended was with her friends to another friend’s house that usually included drinking and destroying furniture and causing general mayhem. Nell merely acted as a ‘designated sober’ (even though when offered she would have a drink) and could have fun without slinging back ten jaegers. She liked to have fun, it was in her nature. ”What are they usually like?” She wondered, considering there was a difference between the kinds of parties she attended and the ones Birdie did.

Phillie wanted to drop the subject, it was clear by the way she sighed and crossed her arms before stating here own opinion on that. Of course his father was proud. Nell resisted the snort, and also withheld all she wanted to say—everything she always wanted to say to Phil—which went something like ‘You don’t have to do this! Tell your father that you don’t want to marry Kieran! If he loves you, he’ll understand!’ But of course she couldn’t open her mouth and carry on this conversation about the stupid kid. Since there was nothing Nell could do about it, she dropped the topic. She surveyed Phil as the other girl stood and adjusted her dress. ”Perfect,” Nell said to her friend’s insistence they go out. She didn’t want to hang out in a coffee shop all night, anyway, and was more than glad to get out. Tonight would be about forgetting.

Nell picked up the last donut box with her finger and threw the empty box away. She exited into the chilly streets, and as the cold hit her she looked over at Phil and said, ”Jeez, you don’t have a coat, do you?” Neither did she, but she was also wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt to keep her warm. Phil…was not. Checking her phone for the time, Nell said, ”The mall’s still open, you want to go shopping?” Nothing like walking around the mall for something to do. True, there was not a lot in Maple Hollow, save for going to a club (which she just got back from, so that was a no-no) and eating out. And both of them had already eaten their fill of donuts.

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tearing love apart,

8d2936”Ah, a shame there isn’t any disco clubs around. Not many outlets for my strange hobbies.” She clucked her tongue, actually managing to keep a straight face. She was even impressed with herself. And now a pirate she was accused of being? She outright smiled now, unable to resist. ”Maybe, maybe not.” Actually, last summer she was still living with her mother in The Bronx. Going on a ship was the last thing on her mind. Or maybe that could have been something she imagined when she tried to think of being any place that wasn’t there. ”I’ll have to answer in the negative. If I were a pirate, I’d have some booty. Then I’d be treating us to something other than donuts and coffee…and I’d also have scurvy, but that’s beside the point.” Life of a pirate was not good for someone like her who prided herself in being a hygienist. Even when scarfing down donuts like there’s no tomorrow. She’d taken to eating junk food a lot lately, actually, it was one of her unfortunate vices.

Nell blinked as the wind hit her face, shivering a bit. She understood when Phil didn’t do anything about it—it was a door opening, nothing worth using your powers for really. Besides, it did to unstick Nell’s mind as it stayed on her family, the rich mothersomethings that her mind had the uncanny habit of wandering over to. Thank you, Phillie, for existing and being an awesome person. She proved to be a great distraction from her easily sidetracked mind. Really, without friends like this girl Nell wouldn’t know where she’d be. In a much worse position than she was now, probably. ”A woman with ambition!” Nell said with a wide grin, cradling her chin in her hand. ”So what do you plan to do instead of feeding off the family name?” In all honesty, Phil could probably do anything she set her mind to. Anyone could, actually, but that girl has serious potential. She possessed presence and sound mind and was the type of person you knew instantly upon meeting was influential, even if unaware of her background.


By now, Nell’s shocked expression had settled into something more of a glowing eagerness. She was completely ignorant of the lifestyle of the rich and famous, so she didn’t know whether to assume it stuffy and rigid or when the wealthy let loose and swung from their chandeliers. But Phil informed her that it was indeed the former. ”A party is a party is a party,” Nell said with the same bright grin. ”Even if it’s just wine and stockbrokers. Especially if there’s a lot of food involved. Food makes everything better.” That’s how Nell saw it, because to Nell food made the world go round. But she tried hard not to seem like a glutton. Just…an Epicurean. That fancy-smancy word was what she decided herself to be instead of something with a derogatory connotation. ”Your mother decorates herself? Oops, I guess there was a stereotype in my head after all.” She ducked her head sheepishly. ”I was assuming that you hire people for that, anyway. Isn’t that usual for parties? To get caterers to handle things like that?” She honestly didn’t know. Nell snorted at the mention of Phil’s brother. ”Since Helios likes to occupy himself with the gents, I’d be more than happy to provide entertainment.” Though Nell had a feeling she’d probably end up embarrassing Phil someway. Not that she was a horribly uncoordinated fool, but she had her moments.

With Phil walking beside her, she felt how different the air moved around her and smiled. ”Right, I forgot. Big bad Wind leader won’t have to be cold.” She winked at her friend before setting off in the direction of the mall, leading the way in case her friend didn’t know. ”Definitely,” Nell agreed. ”Just got my paycheck a few days ago and have enough food. Bills are taken care of. I’m pretty sure I can do some damage at the mall.” She was certainly not a big spender, but it wouldn’t hurt to get a few nice things, and to treat herself and all that. Approaching the large building, she threw open the door and was greeted with the heated inside. It wasn’t too busy, the usual amount of teenagers loitering around outside storefronts. Nell wasn’t in the strictest-sense a girly girl, but she was a girl and she liked shopping for clothes. So she entered stores she was sure Phillie would like, too, because you couldn’t go wrong with the big fashion lines. She did a bit of damage in getting some jeans and blouses for the spring, mostly just her wishing for the season to come upon them. ”I guess I should be getting a jacket or something since I don’t have one, buutt…” She smiled over at Phillie as they exited what must have been their fifth store. ”I just can’t wait for spring. So, since I say we shop till we drop, any stores that are your faves?”

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