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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 15, 2011 14:37:06 GMT -5
 Leaving Ace alone for the rest of her shift, she kept an eye on him to make sure no one reached into his pocket or anything while he slept. Danny said that he should be thrown in the gutter—”Cliches don’t always have to be bad”—but she shooed him away and left the birthday boy to sleep as patrons eyed him. Luckily, her shift didn’t last too long at all, and soon she was wiping down the counter and taking inventory and counting her tips. The bar was closing up, and as she took off her apron, Nell sighed as she looked at her sleeping friend. Right. She needed to take him to her car.
Nell wasn’t a wimp, see, but she certainly wasn’t the strongest girl. Even if she made sure to keep active, she was still a scrawny little thing, and Ace…was not. ”Hey, Danny, can you help him out to my car?” she called, nodding her head over to the slumbering Water student. It took the two of them to haul him off to the car, and Nell wondered if he’d wake up on the drive to her apartment. She was half-hoping, too, because the real trial would be hauling him up to her apartment. As she pulled into the parking lot, she looked over at his body in the passenger seat. Wake up, Ace, come on. The girl wasn’t mean enough to shake him awake when he was bound to have a hangover.
Instead, she tested her strength as she dragged him to the elevator, thanking the good lord when they finally arrived to her tiny apartment. After fussing with the keys for five minutes, she got in and kicked the door close, and sighed when she could finally drop him—very gently—on her futon. Stretching out after the ordeal, she waved her arms as Pablo jumped up onto the futon and started kneading on Ace. She quickly pulled the kitten away, putting a finger up to her lips as if the animal could understand the universal signal for silence. Nell then dropped him down and whispered, ”It’s not breakfast yet.”
It was way too early for a kitten to be eating, but Nell would definitely be needing something to chow down on after her shift. But first, she needed to change, and she headed into the bathroom, wondering when Ace would wake up and how he would feel when he did. She did have her secret concoction to help, but hangovers were still a bitch. Not that she’d experienced many in her life, but it was easy to tell from her friends that had gone through them just how terrible they made you feel. Nell labored through her rituals that most people did at six at night. She never complained about the hours, but she knew eventually she’d need a better job. Not that it’s stopping you from feeding off papa. Hopefully Ace would wake up soon, and know where he was, even though he’d never been over before. Oh jeez. That might not be good. But Nell didn’t think too hard on it.
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Post by AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE on Aug 15, 2011 15:49:21 GMT -5
Ace was sleeping soundly his head in his arms, gently snoring the night away. The Alcohol he had consumed that day influenced his dreams. He was swinging around like Tarzan one moment, only to be crashing down in a passenger plane only to be the only one to be able to rescue the plane. He had some amazing dreams, some of them where he was a king with a harem of women all pawing over him. Other times he sacrificed himself to save someone close to him.
When Danny and Nell carried him to the car Ace was dreaming he had just knocked out the raining boxing champion of the world. Right now his Coach and his friends were lifting him up on their shoulders. The crowd was cheering, and he lifted his fist above his head cheering with them. Man that was awesome. His last punch he put all his hopes and dreams in. And boom his opponent went down like confetti at the Macy's Day Parade. It was a good twelve rounds, and at the last ten seconds did he make the punch that changed the outcome of the fight. The world cheered, he was now the best fighter in the world.
Ace had woken up when he felt something mewling at him. The noise was obnoxiously loud. He heard someone talk to him, it wasn't breakfast yet? What did that mean. Maybe it meant he could go back to sleep, he wanted to. He rolled over on his bed, did his bed get uncomfortable? It felt really different. He sighed as he heard the mewling again, he opened his tired eyes and instantly regretted it. The light was so bright, and his head started to pound like a war drum. It hurt horribly, he needed glasses, the light was too bright. He usually had a pair of glasses next to his bed. But when he went to reach for them his hand hit empty air. What, did someone move his stuff. He rolled out of the bed and felt something pawing his hand. He looked down, what? When did he get a kitten. He scratched it behind the ears before he needed to go.
Crap this wasn't the water dorm. He realized as he moved around the small apartment? Where was he? He walked around and opened random doors. He saw that he was in a small apartment somewhere in Maple Hollow. He had no idea what had happened for him or how he had gotten here. Was he at a girls place? Did he meet a girl and gone back to her place? Where was he? He opened the door to what had seemed to be the bathroom, what he saw was well, a girl who was wearing nothing. He blinked as his memory formed, and he recognized the girl, he looked at her face, then down, and then back up. He felt the blood rush to his face as he kept staring. He blinked turned around and exited the bathroom. He just saw, well Nell, but not in any way he wanted to see her. Well Not that he hadn't wanted to before, but she was like his little sister, he couldn't think of her like that. Holy crap his head hurt and now he was embarrassed and just wanted to die.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 15, 2011 16:51:04 GMT -5
Nell always looked like a hot mess after work, especially with the smeared eye liner and lip gloss. Oh jeez, did I actually look like this at the bar? That, or she got all disheveled hauling Ace’s ass up to her apartment. With the water running so she could wash her face off, she didn’t hear any signal that he’d gotten up, no movement or the sound of footsteps. She even forgot for a moment that there was another person in her apartment, a person who probably wouldn’t even realize where he was when he got up. Well, that’s the price to pay for getting completely wasted. It had been his birthday though, so she didn’t kill his fun. He wanted to get drunk on his ‘twenty-first’ birthday, then she’d be the one mixing his drinks. Or his one drink. That Adios Motherfucker must have really done him in, and she felt a strange feeling of pride. For knocking someone out with alcohol. I’m so terrible.
With her change of clothes on the toilet, she begun taking off her smelly work clothes, turning away from the mirror so she wouldn’t have to look at herself. Nell really hated to see her body, especially the marks that her mother had left on her. Eventually, they would go away (they had to go away) but for now she had to endure the presence of scars on her skin. Whore. Unconsciously, her fingers ran across the letters that had been engraved on her stomach…a year ago, was it? It was recent, that’s what she remembered. And of course right next to that was the knife wound which was beginning to heal up. And then there were the random ones, and the ones from the incident she barely remembered. It was really hard nots to think of herself as the words her mother told her for so many years, so she ignored those thoughts as she stripped.
It took a moment to register that the bathroom door had opened, and another moment to realize that it was Ace. Standing there. Looking at her. When she was naked. There was a moment of shocked staring between the two of them where neither of them made a move. Just stared. Eventually, she let out a surprised, ”Eep!” before grabbing at her shower curtain and wrapping it around her body. ”You should leave, please,” she called out, her cheeks flushing with heat. Oh god, oh god, he saw me naked. Oh god. When she heard the door close, she let out the breath she’d been holding and untangled herself from the shower curtain. She quickly dressed, just in case Ace decided he wanted another peak. He’s not like that, it was an accident. That didn’t keep the blush from her face as she pulled on her tank and a pair of sweats, not even bothering to fix up her hair.
She walked out into the single room that served as her apartment, and coughed a bit. Well, this was probably the most awkward thing ever. ”So you’re up, huh.” She looked around at everything except Ace. He saw me naked, oh Jesus. She wasn’t a prude, but give the girl a break! That was a sort of intimacy she did not want with Ace. They were just friends, even though he must have been confused upon realizing that he woke up in her bed. ”Nothing happened last night, in case you were wondering,” she said quickly before he could make any assumptions on that part. ”You just got wasted and I…uh, brought you to my bachelor pad. How's your head, by the way?” There was another moment of completely awkward silence as she looked around and felt Pablo rubbing against her leg, probably wanting to be fed. She mussed up her already ruffled hair, and said, ”…You know, when in an unfamiliar place, you really should knock on doors.”
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Post by AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE on Aug 15, 2011 18:11:46 GMT -5
There was that singular moment of awkwardness between the two as he stood there dumb founded. He blinked and she wrapped herself up in a towel. He had seen her though, and the image was burned into his brain. Even if he had somehow gotten amnesia he wouldn't be able to forget that. Holy crap that was the most awkward and embarrassing thing that had ever happened to him. Ace nodded dumbly and embarrassed as he turned around, a red blush on his face. Holy crap that was single handedly the best and worse moment of the week. Maybe even the year. Best is that he walked in on a girl naked, one of the things he had hoped to happen at least once in his life. The worst as it had been his best friend he walked in on. Oh man she was pretty though. What the hell was he thinking? It was just the result of some leftover alcohol left in his system. At least that's what he thought.
Ace wasn't looking so great. His clothes were all wrinkled and he smelled a lot like beer. He wanted to take a shower just at the smell of himself, but someone was in the bathroom already. Someone who he had seen naked. Someone who happened to be a good friend of his. Someone named Nell. He couldn't believe that he'd been knocked out by only one drink. Granted he had been drinking the wine also. Man his head was killing him, and the lights were so bright. How the hell had he managed to get so hungover. He getting drunk just because of the hangover. Though this was by far one of the worst hangovers he had ever had. Where was he anyways? Well he probably could piece that answer together. He was apparently at Nell's apartment. He glanced around, it was really small, was the conclusion he came too.
"Um yea I think I am. Still trying to see if what had just happened was a dream or not." He said jokingly trying to get rid of this awkwardness hanging about the room. He let out a breath of release but then gave her a lopsided grin "Is it bad that I'm just a little disappointed at that?" He got up from the futon he was sitting at and walked to the small kitchen area. Trying to avoid looking at Nell he fused about looking for a frying pan and a spatula. "My head feels like someone drilled a hole in it and then slammed it again and again with a sledge hammer." He said wincing as he clanged a pan against a pot. To him the noise was really loud. Soon another moment of awkwardness was born, giving her a small smile and looking at her, then blushing and looking away, "Y-yea I should probably start doing that." He said as he scoured her fridge.
Ace raided and found some eggs, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes plus some sliced white bread. "In apology for um, the incident that happened only a few minutes ago. I shall make you breakfast." He said putting the ingredients on the counter. Taking a pan and a spatula he took some butter, and placed it in the pan which he placed on the stove and turned on. Heating up the butter melted and he cracked two eggs, cooking them over easy. The smell of breakfast made his stomach gurgle but he wasn't done yet. He put the eggs on a plate and put the pan on another area on the stove to cool. He took a frying pan and placed it on the stove getting the pan really hot. He went to the sink and wet his hand a little, then he flicked it onto the pan and the droplets of water instantly turned to steam. Grinning he took the bacon and placed it inside of the pan letting them cook. The smell of bacon and eggs now filled the small apartment causing his mouth to water. When the bacon started curling he flipped them over and let them cook a little longer. Without pause he took the bacon off the pan and placed it alongside the eggs. Without taking the pan off the stove he placed the slices of bread in it. The bread fried in the bacon fat until ace deemed it ready. turning off the stove he put one slice of bread on a plate, then he placed bacon strips on the bread, followed by a layering of lettuce and a slice of tomato. Taking a pinch of salt he sprinkled it on the nearly complete sandwich. He skillfully placed the over easy egg on top of all of it without even breaking it. He placed the other slice of bread on top of everything and cut the sandwich in half diagonally letting the yolk flow out. with what was left he made himself a sandwich. "Voila it is done!" He said placing her sandwich and his on the table.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 15, 2011 20:39:35 GMT -5
Even though Nell knew she couldn’t, she really wanted to forget that this ever happened. That one of her best guy friends had seen her in the flesh, fully presented like some model for art class. There was no mystery left, he saw everything. Everything! He’d seen Nell Doe Shepherd and everything she had. Which wasn’t much, but still! She wasn’t mad at Ace, not at all, it was mistake (she hoped, she couldn’t really label him as a pervert even though they flirted and teased like friends do). But it was still so…so weird and embarrassing for both parties. It was like her brother seeing her naked, which only turned the squick up further.
And when she saw Ace, it was the most awkward thing ever. He didn’t look good, of course, that was to be expected. He had gotten hardcore drunk and was probably suffering a major hangover right now. She felt sorry for him, even though she was completely awkwarded it out today. So awkward, so, so awkward. She blushed at his dream comment and looked down at the floor. His comment only increased the awkwardness for her, though, and her face heated up in a blush. ”Let’s just say it was a dream…and move on.” And she knew exactly what kind of dream that would be and ew, ew, ew… She was a lady of delicate sensibilities, dammit! Not true, she was just being a prude right now since she had been walked in on while changing. Stop speaking, Ace! Her face was really heating up and she had half a mind to pull the collar of her shirt over her nose to keep him from seeing just how red she was.
She was glad for the change of subject when he walked into the kitchenette. What was he going to do? He brought up his hangover, and she followed him into the small space. ”I have a very nice remedy for that.” Let’s just forget that you saw me in my birthday suit, never think about it again, oh god this is the most embarrassing moment of my life.. He seemed equally embarrassed about it, and there was enough embarrassment to fill up the kitchen. You saw me naked, nothing will be the same again. Nell was desperately trying to keep herself from panicking in her mind, but she couldn’t help it. Never had this happened when she brought any of her other friends over, probably because most of them weren’t dudes. If her girl friends had walked in on her, they probably would have asked to use the bathroom and they could have shared the space. Because they were girls. But this was Ace, being all…guyish. Oh dead lord, I need to turn a fan on.
The thought of food did well to brighten her mood, because her stomach was the direct way to her heart. She grinned when she said, ”All right. You make breakfast and I’ll get busy with my remedy.” They set to work at the same time, and Nell made sure he was busy with the eggs and bacon and that smells so yummy. That way, he wouldn’t see what she was putting into this concoction of hers, since it wasn’t at all pretty. The smell of food cooking dispelled her earlier embarrassment. She realized that if you ever wanted to get on her good side, just cook her a plate of something. Nell wanted to watch what he was doing over his shoulder, but she was currently filling a glass with red liquid she wouldn’t tell him the name of and adding a few more things in that would help with the headache. When Ace set the sandwhiches down, she literally gasped and said, ”Ace, you are an incredible cook and you are forgiven for everything that you have done to me," she said in a flat voice that carried her wonderment. Now’s not a time for drooling. With an apologetic look, Nell set down the glass on the counter in front of him and said, ”This will help, just don’t ask me what’s in it.” Then she got to work on the sandwhich. After swallowing a mouthful, she claimed, ”This is god’s gift to breakfast.”
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Post by AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE on Aug 15, 2011 21:56:52 GMT -5
Oh god how could he have done that. And why did he have to know her like how he did. A part of was all Wow she was really really pretty, I should hit on her but another part of him was all NO! She's like your sister! You can't do that idiot! He was glad the the second voice was the loudest of the two. But it was so weird, and awkward, and it was just so embarrassing, more so with her than with him, though he was embarrassed. But one of the things he remember seeing was the scars. There was a lot of them on her midsection. He touched his left wrist, where his watch was always clung onto. I guess we both have secrets. he thought.
Wow he could literally Karate chop the awkwardness in the air right now. He unconsciously smoothed out his hair so it didn't look like crap. Of course he did sleep most of the night on his arms, so it was expected to look like crap. Sometimes he wished he was like an actor in a movie, when they wake up their hair is amazing. Well Nell was blushing a lot this morning he observed, then again, he did just see her naked, he had a little blush too. He looked at her then looked away again, the image still fresh in his mind "A dream huh? I guess it wasn't a bad dream. For me anyways." He said looking at his feet. Well It wasn't a nightmare, for him anyways. It was better than a few of his dreams, like where there were zombies. Or when he saw what he did a few years ago. Yea those were bad dreams.
"Ah thanks. Hey do you mind if I take a shower after breakfast? I don't like smelling like this." He said sniffing himself and grimacing. Yea smelling like a bar wasn't the most charming thing in the world. He liked to smell good or at least better than a bar. He didn't even care if she had girly smelling shampoo anything was better than the smell of smoke, beer, and hangover. He gave a sigh as he pulled out the frying pan, in the process he accidental bumped into Nell, and with that embarrassing moment only happening a few minutes ago, he stuttered an apology while lighting up like a stop light. Geez he needed to get over it soon, how could he interact with her without the mental image of her come back into his memory. Just try to forget it he thought to himself.
"Alrighty then." He said with a grin as he got started. When he finally finished with the sandwiches, and he placed them down, he couldn't help but beam when she complimented them. "Well if I ever get you mad I know how to get you to forgive me." He said with a happy grin. Then he saw the concoction she had made for him. "I'm gonna trust you here Nell. But I swear If this kills me I'mma haunt you." He said apprehensively. Then with a deep breath he grabbed the drink and gulped it down. Oh God it tasted so weird. The texture was gross, and the taste was well really odd. But he took it like a man and gulped the whole thing down. "Oh geeze. I'm not dead yet." He said with a pitiful smile. He shivered at the taste, but the headache in his head lessened slightly. When she again complimented his cooking he laughed. "God is so formal. You can call me Ace." He said with a smile.
When he finished his sandwich he looked at her and asked "Nell where are your towels?" He asked as he put his dish in the sink. Eventually he found a good clean towel and brought it with him to the bathroom where the incident had happened. Going in and then closing the door he entered the shower. Ace sighed as he undid his watch, staring at the old scar. It' wasn't going to fade anytime soon, it was a big scar an ugly scar, it was a constant reminder of the mistake he had made. Pulling off his shirt he looked at his back in the mirror, smiling at the wolf tattoo he had only gotten a year ago. His sixteenth birthday present from his dad, a tradition his dad carried. Every Male Lupus had a wolf tattoo on his body, his dad's was on his left shoulder, his was on his right. He knew his uncle had one on his arm, and his grandfather had one on his chest. Ace thought that was really cool that his grandfather did that. He rolled his shoulder watching the tattoo move.
Maybe it was because he was a water student, or maybe it just happened to him, but as soon as the water hit his face his mind cleared and he was able to think straight. It was still a little difficult because of the pounding headache that was slowly ebbing away, which he contributed to Nell's concoction. He sighed as he cleaned himself, scrubbing the smell of his two man party off. Soon he shut off the water
He ran his tongue over his teeth and made a bleh sound. He needed to brush, it was a pet peeve he inherited from his mom. He had to brush his teeth or else his mouth would feel gross. Drying off then wrapping the towel around his waist he walked out of the room. "Nell Do you have a tooth-" while he said these words Nell's kitten came up from behind him and grabbed onto the end of the towel holding it in place. Ace took a step forward so that he could hear Nell's answer better, "-Brush?" He walked forward, none of his hands on the towel and it dropped thanks to the kitty. Today was just the baby booming day of the awkward moments wasn't it. He looked at Nell, then at him, then back at Nell before he realized what happened. Blood rushed to his face, and he was as red as a cherry running into the bathroom. That one awkward moment, had lasted only about thirty seconds, yet to Ace it lasted for too long. Back outside of the bathroom, a small kitten looked innocently up at it's owner it's paws playing with the end of the towel. "Mew?"
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 16, 2011 11:55:31 GMT -5
Did Ace want to make her overheat and pass out, was that his plan? Because it was working really well, and Nell resisted covering her face with her hands out of complete and total embarrassment. Stop overreacting, you’re just being a prude. No one had ever seen her naked before! Skinnydipping was different, because it’s dark and therefore no one can see anyone. And well, there was her mother who was a different story. But still! The fact was that she was intruded upon while completely defenseless. You know you’ve forgiven him already. Not like she could stay mad at anyone for too long, after all.
Of course it was a good dream to Ace, of freaking course. Nell was tempted to bang her head on the nearest object. ”I am so glad,” she managed to get out through her embarrassment. You saw me naked, you jerk. It was a battle in her mind between the side that knew it was just an accident and the side that just wanted to crawl up in a hole and die. This was more or less a nightmare for her, too similar to the kind where you go to school in your underwear. Rather, it was a combination of the underwear dream and being chased by mutant creatures dream. At least, for her, being the one who had been peeped on.
Change of topic, thank god! ”Yeah, that’s fine. You already know where the bathroom is.” She tacked the last part on with a bit of a strangled laugh. Oh ha ha, you just saw me and my lady bits, no biggie! She was going to die from the heat in her face. It didn’t help when he bumped into her in the kitch as she was assembling her concoctino. Just kill me now so I don’t have to suffer any longer. Really, this was just so freaking awkward. Because this was Ace. Ace, one of her closest guy friends who…saw her…changing. She really tried to act like nothing was odd when mizing the drink with her spoon, but it was taking quite a bit of effort.
Nell laughed lightly, even though she couldn’t even meet Ace’s eyes now. Because he was looking at her. And he knew what she looked like naked. ”Yep, food makes everything better.” Try not to be too awkwarded out. Mission, unsuccessful. As he commented on her mysterious red drink, she joked, ”You wouldn’t be the first one…” After taking a bite out of her sandwhich, she said, ”Kidding, kidding!” Nope, no one had ever died from this, or so she hoped. After all, she didn’t know what happened after her patrons returned home. What if they were just dropping at their places? Now she was just being paranoid, if only to keep from feeling too awkward. And she couldn’t help but laugh at the face he made when drinking it. ”See. You can trust me. Nothing up my sleeve, no rat poison in my drinks…” Not even an honest mistake would tempt her to put a little something extra in. Nell laughed as he joked about the god thing, rolling her eyes. ”How about I just call you Superman, who just happens to have a way with the stove.” Or cocino. She really needed to stop with these thoughts.
Brushing her hands together to get crumbs off, Nell told him, ”Box next to the bathroom.” Yeah, mostly everything was in boxes because there just wasn’t enough room in the apartment to keep even the small amount of things she had. Well, now it was a bit crowded thanks to her flourishing plants, but that was different. When Ace went to go shower, Nell went about fixing up her hair to make it look at least somewhat acceptable and went through the bills she had to pay. She always hated using her father’s money for the important things—was that ironic, or was it just her?—so she used her paycheck for that. In any case, she really liked the feeling of being an adult. It was nice to think that she was finally out on her own and taking care of herself. For the most part. You’re only spending your father’s money on other things.
Then she went about watering her plants, her usual morning routine. Even with her influence, they still needed water and other natural things to help them grow. And grow they did, since they were honestly getting to be quite the hassle. Still, she loved her plants. They were like her babies, even though that sounded incredible odd. Hearing Ace’s voice, she set the can down and turned to see him in a towel, and then…not. She blinked the same time, and they did the same routine as they had done in the bathroom, full of shock and awkwardness. Then, realizing that Pablo had thought it would be funny to rip his towel off, Nell spun around and covered her eyes with her hands. Not facing him anymore, she said, ”In the cabinet under the sink, there should be a new one…”
Just go and brush your teeth, idiot! Even though she spun around pretty quickly, the image would always remain. Could she consider it revenge for earlier? No, no she could not. Because it was simply so, so awkward. And now she had to deal with seeing Ace in the buff, and though she didn’t deny that he was attractive (oh shut up, hormones!), it was still probably the most embarrassing thing ever. Maybe more embarrassing than him seeing her nude. Sure that he was in the bathroom now, Nell turned back around and looked down at Pablo, who was kneading the towel. ”You were born of evil, weren’t you?” she said simply, kneeling down to pat his head. She was pretty sure that Picasso wasn’t giving Josh this much trouble, but then again she was pretty sure he didn’t have half-naked guys walking around.
Nell innocently returned to watering her plants, trying desperately to erase the image of Ace from her head. It was not going to good, because she could feel her face heating up again and this was just so horrible and awkward and why did she have to bring him home. She should have expected something like this from Ace! Again, it wasn’t his fault, but Nell was still having trouble dealing with it…
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Post by AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE on Aug 16, 2011 14:07:33 GMT -5
A part of Ace was so ashamed of himself for walking in on her. Why did it have to be her, of all people to walk in on. Why couldn't it be some other girl he knew. Well not that chick who yelled at him for helping her, yea she'd try and kill him right there. But maybe some other girl it wouldn't have been so bad. Hell he could even tease her about it, but the room was filled with awkward and embarrassing feelings. Hell part of him wanted to tease her, what was wrong with him? He just wanted to make the situation worse? Maybe he should say something about it, maybe to get the awkward heaviness out of the air.
He forced out a little chuckle at her sarcasm. But he wanted to say something that was on his mind. Something he really wanted to say but was also very embarrassing. It was something he wanted to say, and what he wanted to say was something true. "Um I know this may make the situation worse." He said as he busied himself with the food, "But I um wanted to say that."He pulled at his collar. why'd he have to say this? Why'd he have to do this? His mind wouldn't rest until he said it. "That you're really pretty." There he said it, he said a little nervously, I mean isn't it normal for friends of the opposite gender to compliment the other? Right, totally normal, isn't it?
He nodded "Y-yea thanks." he said knowing exactly where the bathroom was. He didn't think he could forget where it was. Man this was horrible, he was still red in the face, and not only that but every single time he looked at her, he saw her like how he saw her before, naked. Good God, if he didn't get over this soon he wouldn't be able too even look at Nell without getting all red. Geeze he was acting like he had never seen a naked woman before. He has a few times, but still it was his best friend it wasn't like all those other times.
He grinned "Yep If we gave Hitler those potato pancakes, bam World War Two averted." He said with a half grin. He bit into his sandwich, and not to stroke his own ego or anything, but it was really good, though he could have used some more spices. But he nearly choked on his bite when she said he wasn't the first one. He gave her a friendly glare when she said it was a joke. "You have rat poison?" He asked looking around for any mouse holes, that would suck if t here were rats in this place. He grinned when called him superman. "That works too."
He nodded as he left to go shower. He grabbed one from the box she directed him too and pulled out a clean white towel and headed in.
That was embarrassing Ace thought to himself. It was really really bad, so bad. He couldn't believe his luck, it totally just went downhill since he had gotten here. God that was horrible! Why couldn't they just have a normal day, not a day filled with nudity. Geeze the only way that could have been more awkward is if they did something like in the Proposal (yes he did watch that once with a girlfriend, and he had to admit it was pretty good) Where they both ran into each other naked. That is the only way that this situation could have gotten any worse. He buried his face in his hands feeling the heat in them. There was no way they could ever have been the same again, they just saw each other naked and they didn't even do it! He had to face her eventually so he pulled on his boxers and then his pants, not bothering with the shirt, he opened the door, quickly went to the sink grabbed a brush and walked back into the bathroom. He kept his eyes everywhere but on Nell as he achieved his goal.
Ace brushed his teeth quickly and placed the brush on the edge of the sink. He pulled on his shirt which didn't smell that bad anymore, brushed a hand through his hair and walked back out of the bathroom. Geez he looked down at the small cat she was petting sighed and said to it as if it could understand "I'm watching you." He said with a grin. His face was still red and he was still embarrassed, but he was trying to mask it. He sat down on the futon and looked at Nell. "So Nell first time you saw a guy naked?" He asked trying to make a joke out of the situation
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 16, 2011 16:49:04 GMT -5
She blinked in anticipation of his next question, and noticed that they were both blushing. Because she was trying desperately not to look him in the eye. He seemed to be having a difficult time getting what he wanted to say out, which made it slightly worse as she scratched her arm nonchalantly, looking around the room, anywhere but his face. Oh god, please please please don’t make this any worse. But it dead. Nell quickly ducked her head when she heard his compliment. ”Erm…thanks,” she said. It would have been normal any other time before he’d seen her in the nude. But now that had a completely different connotation. And then there was the little voice that refused to let her feel good about herself in any way, telling her that she was not pretty. He must not have seen the word on her stomach saying otherwise, or the scars that her mother made to guarentee that Nell would never feel pretty. But she really appreciated Ace’s words anyway, no matter how embarrassing they were. She was glad that someone found her pretty, when she didn’t feel that way about herself.
”If only we could turn back time,” she said almost wistfully about the World War II comment, pushing past all the awkwardness she felt. You can move past this, Nell, just laugh it off. Teehee. But no, it wasn’t that easy for her. But it did elicit a giggle when he practically choked on his sandwhich, though she didn’t jokingly clap him on the back like she usually would have. ”Maybe,” she said slyly, eyes glimmering. Of course she did, in a shithole like this. Downtown apartments were quite literally the breeding ground for vermin. ”This isn’t the best of apartments, you know, but I’m probably going to be moving on up soon.” Using her father’s money, of course. However, he pride always made her reconsider. She can spend that money on little things, but to actually make it somewhere in her life? To actually use it to get ahead in life? For one thing, it seemed almost like cheating, and for another, her pride just wouldn’t allow it.
Just keep watering your plants, Nell thought as she went about her business. Why wasn’t the blush going away? Because she just saw Ace naked, in the buff, all he had. And she couldn’t even appreciate the revenge. I am so sorry Ace. Especially since she didn’t turn around faster. Why did she have to linger? She could have just spun right around, but no, it took several seconds to even register what happened, just like before. Nell even begun to whistle nonchalantly as Ace walked out to get the toothbrbush, shirtless of course. Don’t look at him, for God’s sake don’t look at him! When he went back to the bathroom, she stopped in the whistling, thinking of how much of a loser she was for even thinking that was a good, innocent maneuver to use.
When Ace walked back out again, she couldn’t even look up at him. He was wearing a shirt now, thank god, but still. Even bathing in brain bleach couldn’t dissolve what she’d seen. Not that he was bad-looking, not at all! Great, now her own thoughts were making it worse. She was just going to try and get by like a normal, mature human being. Not even dwell on it. No. Nope. Nell can handle this. ”Pablo, you should apologize to Ace,” she scolded the kitten humorously. He went to sit down on her futon, and she inwardly groaned. Why do you have to sit on the place where I sleep? That just made it ten thousand times worse, even though she’d told him nothing at all had happened. Even though his question was joking, she still blushed. Again. ”Well, yeah, I guess…” she muttered. Way to sound like even more of a prude, Nell. She wasn’t ashamed of the fact that she was a virgin, she’d rather be that than a whore. But still, when it came to talking to a guy about that, it made her sound like a little girl. Nice attempt at joking Ace, really. ”Your first time seeing a girl naked?” she tried to joke back, even though her laughter itself was awkward.
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Post by AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE on Aug 16, 2011 17:50:01 GMT -5
Ace saw the scars, and even with them he still thought she was pretty. He didn't see them well enough that he saw the word they formed, his vision was focused on something else. But he had caught a glimpse of them, she was still pretty. Scars made a person, they defined who they were and what they had been through. Maybe he would ask about them, maybe he should wonder what happened. They were her secrets and he understood, but he still wanted to know. Curiosity was one of his downfalls.
"If only." He said with a thoughtful sigh. He could forget about her being naked. No he couldn't no matter where his minds eye turned, right now it was stuck to that image. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to force down the redness in his face and the embarrassment in his mind. He tried to pile that image over other images of her, Like when she sat beside him yesterday drinking wine, or back when they were in the cave. Trying to bury the image under the others was hard. He needed a girlfriend, that way he could ignore the picture of Nell. His hormones kept telling him to go for it and date her, but his mind knocked them down. Nell was his friend and nothing more. He had to get out more."I'm jealous" He said switching topics. "I wish I had my own place. I'm still living in the water dorms." He said with a heavy sigh. Maybe he could move in with Euphy and her mom, but then he didn't want to be intruding on them with her kid. "Maybe we should be roomies?" He asked innocently. That would be awesome. He always wanted a roomie.
He gave her a slight chuckle at the whistling as he passed by. Yea not the best move at trying to be inconspicuous. He wanted to say that she could look if it were any other situation, but yea not the best idea at all.
Ace grinned at her answer, "Well next time it's gonna be twenty bucks." He said with a playful grin, still trying to make this as unawkward as he could. Then she asked him the same question except switching the genders around. He blinked, should he tell her the real answer, or should he just play along. He thought for a second then shook his head. "No, it wasn't actually." He said admitting to the truth. He reached out and pet Pablo who had seemed to kneed at Ace's jeans. He reached out with his left hand to scratch the small kitten under it's chin when he saw it. He saw his scar, and he froze up instantly the memory flooded back into his head.
He was thirteen, and his heart was shattered, sure it sounded stupid now but at that moment he didn't want to be living. No he just lost his soulmate, and his heart was ripped out of his chest. Like some fireman had used the jaws of life to pry open his chest and then ripped his heart out. The water was warm and it rippled as he moved around. He reached for the razor, his dad shouldn't keep sharp things like this where he could find it. It was easy to find it, right on the shelf in the garage. Not that hard to find. His eyes were glazed over staring at the blade as the glint of light bounced off of it. He took it and placed the cold metal against his wrist, without thinking he cut, deep trying to die so he wouldn't hurt anymore. He didn't remember much after that but his sister had came in and called an ambulance. When he woke up he was in a hospital his wrist stitched up, and he was alive. He looked over and saw his sister crying, his mom being comforted by his dad. What was he thinking? How could he be so selfish?
When the memory cleared, Ace was shaking his right hand covering up the scar. "N-Nell can you help me find my wa-watch." He said his voice unsteady. His breathing was rapid, and it took a while for him to calm down, his right hand still clamped over the scar. "It should be on the sink." He said as he tried to control his breathing.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 16, 2011 18:57:54 GMT -5
If only Nell wasn’t so self-conscious about her body, she’d be able to clear the air more easily. With her cheerful and easygoing nature, she could have cracked a few more jokes and they would have gotten over it eventually. But she hated how she looked and how the scars made her feel the way her mother had intended. She didn’t think she could ever be happy with her body again after the treatment that woman gave it. As long as she was healthy, though, that was all that mattered. Because then she wouldn’t become like her sister and then she could try and forget about all the things the person who was supposed to love and nurture her did. Nell was untouchable, she felt…disgusting. But she would never say that aloud, rest her burdens on someone else’s shoulders.
Instead, she merely smiled a bit—still blushing, of course—when Ace talked about the fact that he wish he had his own place. ”I’m sure if you save up, you could get a crappy place like this,” she said. It was obviously a joke, because Nell would never complain about her living standards. It was a roof over her head and away from her mother and the rest of her family. ”Of course, you need to save up to get that bike of yours, too.” She wondered if he even remembered that conversation between them, but it was earlier on in the night, so maybe. Then he asked to be roomies, and she flushed. ”Not if stuff like this is going to happen,” she said slowly, and it was clear what she meant even though she didn’t actually saying it. ”Besides, studio apartment. You’d get the couch, unfortunately, and you’d have to deal with the spawn of Satan.” She nodded her head over to the kitten, the little fluffball she loved like nothing else. ”Not that I wouldn’t want to have you as a roomie,” she quickly said, because she liked Ace and she hated to be alone. ”It’s just…yeah.” Smooth, Nell. It’s just that she didn’t want anything like this to happen again, because then she could honestly say that she would die from embarrassment.
She allowed some of the awkwardness to clear up with his joke, to give them both a break from the embarrassment and heated faces. ”You’re selling yourself a little short,” she said with a wink. C’mon, we can move along, Nell, we can do it. Even though she was as innocent as a newborn when it came to even things like dating, she knew what Ace had implied when he said that he’d seen girls naked before. Now she was a complete and total prude in comparison to him, who’s probably been with other people and knew all about certain situations. ”Ah, I see…Casanova.” She tacked on the last part to dispell the rest of the awkwardness, and watched with a half-smile as he leaned down to pet Pablo. It was then she noticed the scar on his wrist, and what an odd place for a scar it was. You’re one to talk, hypocrite. Still, she couldn’t think of a lot of reasons people would have a scar like that, unless… Her stomach flipped. No, she didn’t want to think Ace as doing something like that. Instead, she tried to convince herself that it was some sort of freak accident, maybe in a car or something with broken glass. Because she couldn’t imagine Ace as someone who would want to take their own life. He was way too carefree and nice for that. So she was ready with all kinds of excuses to avert the fact that she was probably right.
Any awkwardness forgotten, she was now more concerned about Ace and the fact that he looked a little off. And not hangover off. Off off. ”You all right, Ace?” she asked, the worry apparent in her voice. It seemed like he was on the verge of hyperventilating, and a knot of anxiety twisted in her stomach. But what could have occurred so suddenly to make him react like that. Was it something she said? There was nothing out of the ordinary in her words, at least she didn’t think as she went back over their awkward conversation in her head. Her brown eyes lowered to his wrist, the one she noticed the scar on and he was talking about his watch. ”You probably took it off when you got in the shower, right?” she said as if to be reassuring, even though she wasn’t exactly sure what she was reassuring him about. Maybe he was self-conscious about the scar, like she knew most people were if those scars came from something terrible for them. Sure, people liked to brag about their battle scars and the injuries they received while doing something incredibly stupid, but Nell knew from experience that not all wounds inflicted were to be bragged about. She figured that he probably used his watch to cover it.
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Post by AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE on Aug 16, 2011 20:02:11 GMT -5
Ace was silent about his body. There were battle scars, accident scars, and stupidity scars. But unlike Nell He had no scars like hers. No all the scars he wore he wore with pride, all but one of course. That one he hid behind his watch, and when he couldn't wear the watch he wore long sleeves. He hated that scar, but he would never get anything to make it go away. As much as he hated it, that scar was him. Part of him anyways. It was what a monument to his mistake, to his cowardice. It reminded him of why he should strive to save people, because saving people helped save himself. No one but him and his family knew about the scar and the story that had come with it. Not even the girl who caused it knew, he would never tell her, he knew she would blame it on herself, and he just couldn't do that to her. It wasn't her fault, it was his.
He nodded, "Yea I do, don't I." He said thinking about jobs he could get not really remembering the conversation that they had only a few hours ago. Then she brought up the bike and he blinked. "I told you about that?" He asked, he hadn't really told anyone about his plan to get the bike. Hopefully his plan would work and his parent's would buy it for him. He would try and get them to buy it for him. He grinned, "Oh and I thought we could take showers together now." He said jokingly. He looked down at the 'Spawn of Satan' who tilted his head and gave him an innocent mew. He laughed, for real and not because he was trying to clear up the awkwardness. "I understand." He said with a laugh. "Now that you saw me you might not be able to contain yourself." He said a corny smile on his face as he looked at her. If something like that had happened again, well Ace would never be able to look Nell in the face again.
"Really now? So how much should I go for Nell?" He asked looking innocently at her. Man the awkwardness was just clearing up like a thunderstorm passing. He grinned at her calling him Casanova, "One of my personal heroes." He said jokingly. Sure he had but not as many as the famed romantic. No only maybe four girls, maybe two more but none over seven. So it wasn't that many. After his panic attack had passed he fell onto his bottom and leaned against one of the many boxes scattered about the room. He nodded to the girl as she asked where he had left his watch. God he had only been through a few of those attacks when someone was with him. A few of them he was alone. Most of those attacks had happened back when the memory wasn't that long ago. And every one of those attacks, his sister held him and reassured him. He needed that now or else he might go off the deep end again. When Nell came back with his watch he placed it on quickly and without looking back down on his mark of Cowardice. He felt the cool weight of the watch press against the skin, and he was a little better, only a little. "N-Nell c-can you hold me for a few minutes. I-I'm scared, please." He asked his voice like a child pleading. He hadn't had an attack in forever, and the feeling of being alone once again started suffocating him. He needed his sister, but Nell was here instead and that was just as good.
When he could finally settle back down again, when he felt fine and he could easily breath without the pressure of the loneliness clouding his mind. He let out a breath of relief. "Thanks." He said quietly. then he looked up at his friend. The awkwardness gone when he looked at her. Well that was a good thing wasn't it? "I guess you want to know what happened. And even if you don't I want you to know. It's my Kryptonite and I trust you enough to tell you." He said. He had to let her know, just in case something like that happened again. He was going to reveal one of his deepest secrets too her. He patted the floor next to him, still not feeling as if he could stand. "I'm going to tell you a story. A story that only my parents, my sister and I know about." He said. If Ace told it like a story he would feel it was less personal, and he wouldn't have to relive it again, he didn't want to risk having another risk again.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 16, 2011 23:24:08 GMT -5
This was easy conversation, things that they could talk about without getting too awkwarded it out. She laughed a bit when he mentioned the fact that he couldn’t remember their conversation when she was helping him to her car. ”I guess you were already blacked out by then,” she commented, a little sheepish because she was hoping he wouldn’t be the type to get really embarrassed about being shitfaced and forgetting certain nights. ”But yeah, you did. And I thought it sounded pretty good.” She actually laughed at this joke, even though there was the lingering awkwardness for her that she couldn’t really get over. But still, he was making a damn good attempt, and she respected that too much to let it get to her like he did. And she laughed even harder when he said that she wouldn’t be able to help it if they lived together. ”I’m just so weak, it would certainly be hard to resist your charms,” she said with a lilting voice, as if she were swayed by his very presence.
”Okay, not that much,” she teased, rolling her eyes. ”But a few hundred, you know? I’m sure you’ll have a lot of customers.” Yep, she can definietly joke now. It’s all good. The remainders of a blush were still there, but it wasn’t as powerful as it had been before. And so Nell didn’t want to delve too deep into Ace’s romantic history. Maybe he could do that with his guy friends, but she was a lady gosh darnit. Actually, she was still just being a prude, but even so, she’d rather not to think of him and all the girls he’d been with. Well, she didn’t know exactly how many he’d been with, but she still didn’t want to know. ”Your hero is an STI poster child? Good to know,” she joked back, the lbush now fully gone away. She was fine now, she was calm, cool, and collected as she tried to be earlier.
But that quickly went away after Ace freaked out. She’d never seen him like this before, so it was rather concerning. More than concerning, actually, it was distressing. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she looked at him and studied his eyes for answers. Why was he behaving like this? What was wrong? She felt completely powerless to stop her friend from being in pain like this. Until he told her a way that would help. Without another word, she took him into her arms and held him against her, murmuring soft words into his ear to calm him. Pushing back his hair in gentle strokes. She didn’t care about whatever happened that day or the night before or anything like that. Right now, Ace needed comfort and there was nothing stopping her from giving it. She knew it was nice to have someone during a time like this, like when Josh had sat next to her when she’d suffered her own breakdown. She knew the weak feeling, the devastation, all that, and she would do whatever she could to keep Ace from the brink.
She released him when he finally seemed to calm down, smiling softly at his when he expressed his gratitude. ”Of course,” she said simply. And again, she was only concerned about his and what was going on in his head, what was bothering him. So what if they just saw each other naked, that was insignificant next to whatever was going on with him. ”If you want to, go ahead. I’ll be your Lois Lane.” The joking fell a bit flat underneath all her concern and worry, but it was still there. She was there, silently telling him that it was all right and that she wouldn’t let whatever demons he had get him. Nell settled down next to him, and looked over, awaiting whatever he was going to tell her, practically bracing herself. A story, huh? ”Okay,” she said quietly. ”Whatever you want, I’m listening.” And she was truly wondering what he was going to tell her, hoping that it wouldn’t bring about another attack.
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Post by AMBER SAVANNAH JAMES AMBROSE on Aug 17, 2011 19:02:16 GMT -5
Ace grinned, "Ha I probably was totally gone by then." He said agreeing, he hadn't been the least bit embarrassed that he had blacked out. It happened sometimes. "Really? I guess you'll have to convince my Mom about that." He said "She thinks I'm gonna end up crashing the moment I start the bike." He said sighing. Yea his mom hated the idea of him getting the bike. She thought that he would die the moment he started the thing. She had a lot of evidence, and all that evidence stemmed from when he had a bike and fallen every now and then. Most of those crashes he had was when he was still trying to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. He grinned at her lilting voice. "Yes I am like an Incubus, I'm just so seductive." He said with a grin trying to be sexy as possible. He smiled at her, "But don't worry I won't eat you when I'm done with you. You could just be my human pet." He said with an evil laugh at the end. Well now he was comfortable, the whole situation of seeing each other naked had finally passed. Nothing could have been better.
"Well I'm glad you think I'm worth so much. Maybe I should just sell myself to you." He said with a laugh. Nah he wouldn't really ever go into that business, too much risk. "Hey he was an amazing romantic and made every girl swoon with his smile." He said standing in front of her. "Doesn't my smile make you want to swoon, or giggle like a school girl?" He said smiling his most seductive smile. Well this was a lot better than what it was like before.
Ace felt her warmth as she wrapped her arms around him, her words whispering soft comfort into his mind. She was just like his sister, he muttered apologies as if she was his sister. Her smell reminded him of home and it anchored him there. His arms wrapped around hers tightly, shaking and holding on for dear life. If he let go he would succumb to the memory again and relive the horror. His eyes were closed and his head was buried in her shoulder, he needed this, he was glad Nell was here he couldn't go through this alone. When the shaking stopped and he was finally able to keep him self anchored in the present he slowly let go, "Thanks Mia." He said his eyes still closed, when he opened them he remembered where he was." Sorry, I meant thanks Nell." He said with a smile. He felt better now. Ace smiled at her little joke, and he felt a little better already,
Ace felt her sit down, then looking up at the ceiling and letting out a breath he begun his story.
"Once upon A Time there was a boy and a girl. The two had met when they were just young little kids. Only about six when they met. The boy was a small weak boy, he didn't get into fights, and he didn't handle confrontations well. The girl well the girl was the opposite of him, strong, bold, brave and courageous." Ace said getting into the tell a story kind of mood, almost forgetting about his attack. "The boy was only six and at the pool with his family when he first met the girl. The girl however was being picked on by the neighbor hood bullies. The boy had no idea how or what happened, but suddenly a spark ignited inside him. He felt the courage swell up in him, and he told the bullies to go and pick on someone else. They agreed, mostly. Before they walked away they shoved the poor boy into the water. The boy couldn't swim and so he started sinking nearly drowning before being rescued. He gained a fear of water after that." He said with a small laugh remembering the incident. It was ironic that he had a fear of water once upon a time. "The girl turned out to be the boy's neighbor, and she came over to thank him. When they met the small boy felt something in him that he couldn't explain. Love is blind, and apparently can't tell age either."
"Let's skip ahead a bit shall we? Well Eventually the Boy and Girl fell out of love, but it was mostly one sided, the girl told the boy she hated him, and never wanted to see him again. It broke his heart, and he shattered. For someone so young he took it well, he acted like everything was normal, but when he was alone he cried himself to sleep because his heart hurt so bad. Eventually his heart fixed itself, but there was always that little tiny crack his heart more easy to break." Ace paused and thought about how old he was. "The boy was nine. when he turned ten He met another girl, but this girl, was sick and in the hospital. He was with his Mother that day, when something about the girl made him walk in to the room and say hi. The girl looked at him gave him a grin and said Hey." He smiled at the small memory. "She was the most energetic, and amazing person the boy had ever known. She was funny and adventurous when she could leave the bed. The boy loved playing with his new friend, he asked his mom everyday to go visit her. And with enough pleading he did. The girl was supposedly terminally ill, but at the time, the boy didn't know that, he believed she would get better. And for a time she did. Eventually she got well enough that she was allowed to leave. When she did, the boy went over every day that he could and they would play. They would explore the forest behind her house, or go to the Lake by her house and pretend to be pirates." He again gave a small laugh at the happy memories, but part of him was crying, it was the end of the happy memories.
"The boy was twelve now and he could walk to the girl's house by himself. he was proud of that, to be old enough to do something so small. That day, the second day the boy walked to her house was her birthday. She didn't have a party, or a lot of presents, because she didn't have many friends. She was well enough to stay home, but still sick enough that she couldn't go to school. He knew it was the Girls birthday and he knew that she liked to collect the PEZ dispensers. So he used his own money and bought one he knew she didn't have." At this point in the story Ace reached into his pocket and pulled out the PEZ dispenser it was an older one, worn with a few scratches, the sharp corners of the body had been worn down to soft rounded edges. " That day the two went out to play and explore on the Dock of the lake. When the sun started setting, he pulled out the little dispenser and said happy birthday. The girl gave him a smile, and kissed him, right there on the wooden dock." He gave a weak smile running his thumb slowly down the square body. "That's the happiest this story gets."
"The next month or so later, when he went over to her house they hung out in the front yard staring up at the clouds. She took a nap, and then, well bad things happened, either way he ended up at her bedside at the hospital again." He said with a sad sigh, he didn't want to go into what happened that day, it, it was to horrible to remember. "She had gotten sick again, but the boy was always at her bedside, after school he took a bus to the hospital and was there to read to her, or to talk, or to just hold her hand. He was always there. One day he went over, her hair was gone. He was a little shocked at first, but he smiled and gave her a kiss on her head, telling her how it looked good on her. Trying to make her smile. The days carried on to months and the months turned into a year. By then he was thirteen and deeply in love. One day, he left her room to go and get something to eat when he heard what the doctor was saying. He was saying how she didn't have much time left, and they did what they could. It was up to God now. The boy understood what was happening, and he ran back inside, the girl already knew when he told her, she already knew." He repeated a tear trickling down. " She smiled at him, and suddenly that smile gave him strength, he would be there for her, through to the end. He would even help her get better too." Now more tears came down.
"It was February 4 2007 He was nearly fourteen then. He had come over, and gotten permission to stay the night at the hospital. When he got there she was there sleeping peacefully. He walked to her and took her hand, and her eyes slowly opened. She smiled, and he kissed her. And they stayed like that until she fell asleep again. At 11:45 she woke up again and talked to the boy. 'Hey will you still be here when I wake up?' She asked him." Ace wiped his eyes. "'Yea I'll always be beside you when you wake up.' the boy said holding her hand with a smile. She looked at him. 'Hey' she said looking at him with her blue eyes 'Will you marry me?' the boy without hesitation said yes. And taking a twist tie he found from a bag of cookies he made it into a ring around her finger. She gave a small tired laugh 'Good now don't you ever cheat on me.' the girl said and the boy grinned and nodded. In a few minutes the girl looked back at the boy 'Hey hold my hand, I think I'm going to sleep for a while, be there when I wake up.' The boy nodded and held her hand feeling her squeeze it lightly. At 11:50 she fell asleep, and then at 11:55 a sharp long beep sounded through out the room. " Ace had to stop there. He was wiping his eyes trying to hold back the tears.
"There's not much to tell after that. He became depressed, and he stayed inside for a whole month, he didn't leave for school, or go out to play. He did nothing. Soon he decided to take his own life so he could see her. Then he did this." Ace said taking off the watch. He didn't look at the scar for fear of another attack but he handed her his wrist. The scar went from one side of his wrist across to the other. It was large and if you ran a hand over it you could feel it raised above the rest of the skin. It was an ugly thing, it was like a gruesome smile. Right in the middle, before the vein was a ragged part, as if he had hesitated, and then it slashed straight through. The skin around it was pale compared to the rest of his skin, because it was always hidden by his watch. When she had gotten her fill of his cowardice he put the watch back on. "And when the boy woke up I was born." He said leaning his head against Nell's shoulder the tears still coming down but the dam he had built holding the held in sadness had only cracked, and not yet broken. He wanted to cry but he held it in.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Aug 17, 2011 22:10:09 GMT -5
It was all going good, she felt strong, she could support him and hold him when he was falling apart. But then he said something that terrified and jolted her away from her soft smile. She bristled at the name, and the only thing that came from her lips was a whispered, ”What did you call me?” Mia. That’s what he’d said, he heard the name from his mouth and now she couldn’t get it out of her head. That was her mother’s name. Mia Ann Sinclair Fuentes. Why did he say that? How did he know her mother’s name? By now any rational thought of the fact that it was probably someone he knew by that name had fled her mind, because all she could think about was the fact he called her by the first name of the woman she feared she would become. It was a name she could never get away from, a woman she could never get away from, because her greatest fear is that she would fall and break just like Mia had. That she would fall into the family cycle of violence and abuse. Why would Ace say something like that to her?
Nell pushed past the panic for Ace’s sake, though, because she knew he was about to delve into something very serious for him to discuss, and it wouldn’t do if she couldn’t be strong. The story he wanted to tell was quite literally a story, told from the third person. But she knew it was about him, because there would be no point in saying it otherwise. And Nell listened patiently as he retold it, shocked by the things he said. Well, the fact that he had been pushed into a pool and had a fear of water. Water elementals liked to swim right? Maybe it’s not about him. But she was pretty sure that it was, and she wasn’t going to interrupt him to figure it out.
It was a bit difficult listening to something so personal and intimate, as everyone felt when this kind of thing passed between them. She was taking a peak inside Ace’s life, and all the dirty little details of it. This was his childhood and his upbrining, this was his past. She almost felt bad that she wouldn’t be able to return the favor for him, even if she wanted to. Nell would never be able to tell him that she was a murderer, that it was her mother who she killed, the woman who locke her up for years and years, abused her and hurt her. She could never explain how her father had left the family and how her twin sister had died. How now the family who was supposed to love and support her wanted her thrown in jail. How every day of her life before coming to the Academy had been filled with suffering. But most of all, she couldn’t tell him how it felt, how all those things affected her. Everything in her past had a deep-seated result in her psyche, in her personality, in everything she did. So she appreciated what Ace was doing.
Of course it must have been hard for him, so she was right next to him listening. She could understand something of terminally ill girls. About hope that she would get better, trying to make it better. Her own twin sister helped her sympathize with this story on some level. Even though the girl could never go to the hospital because she wasn’t allowed out of the house. The world was bad. The family was out there and they waited for little girls to come out and play so they could snatch them up. Nell knew better. Nell was foolish and naïve and oh so stupid. All for her sister’s sake, all so she could help the girl get better. Because her father wasn’t doing his job, he just sat back and watched as his daughter wasted away. He was a scientist, he could have done something. But no. She was afraid of how this story might end now, thinking of how her own had.
When he talked about the little girl’s birthday, he pulled out his PEZ dispenser and she looked at it curiously. Was it the same one? Again, she wouldn’t interrupt as he spoke, moving seamlessly thhrough the tale. And he was talking about what a kiss and childhood and innocence. And then it got sadder as he said it would, and her heart hurt listening about the little girl who must have been so much like Tilly. She found herself wondering how Ace felt and how that girl felt and she now wished she could ask her sister how it felt. How she felt dying her entire life because Nell was the one who was healthy. Was she ever bitter toward her sister? Because Nell always felt guilty about that, going as far as to think she’d killed the girl herself. That’s what momma said, she told her daughter that she was everything wrong with the world. And she knew that she was the one responsible for the fall of her family, everything could be traced back to her.
And Ace was still crying. It was only going to get worse, stories like this didn’t have happy endings. She knew that. She could feel her own emotions start to swell, but Nell still didn’t cry, even though it felt easier after she’d broke down months ago. But she held her own for his sake. A chill laced through her body, because he didn’t have to go on for her to know what happened. Tilly died holding my hand. Her heart sunk, down into her stomach, down into somewhere very far away. Why did this have to happen? Why did little girls have to die? It wasn’t fair, it just wasn’t fair. Why did they have to live in a world where people died right after they were born? Neither of this girls got to experience everything they should have, neither of them actually lived. Tilly had to endure captivity of a steadily slipping mother and a practically negligent father. And there was nothing Nell could do, no matter how hard she tried. And there was nothing Ace could do, nothing the hospital could do, nothing anyone could do.
Nell almost didn’t want to hear the rest, because she knew it would be bad. But still, she needed to hear this. It was her friend, her upset, unhappy friend telling her the most important story in his life. That scar was his story, the slash across his wrist. She knew scars were road maps to each person’s history. Her own were like lines in a book, the word scrawled across her stomach, jagged marks that had their individual tales to tell. He tried to kill himself. That was quite possibly the most chilling fact of all, and even as she felt his weight against her shoulder and the tears stain her shirt, she could barely comprehend it. It didn’t register right with her. This was Ace. This was a guy she could depend on, that she loved like a brother, that she thought could support the weight of the world. It was like seeing Superman turn into Clark Kent—Ace was suddenly very human. Breakable when she thought him to be strong. But it wasn’t scary. She was glad to see this. After a few moments of silence, letting his words soak in, she finally murmered, ”Thank you.” She picked at a piece of lint on her sweat pants, thinknig hard. ”For telling me that. Thank you so much.” Then Nell turned her bright smile on him to show that it was going to be all right and he was going to be fine. ”I wish I could tell you more about me but…” Her smile turned soft and solemn. ”I don’t think my story should ever be told.”
She looked over at him again, biting her lip before she wiped a tear away from his face. ”Do you feel better now?” she asked hopefully, wondering if this could have been some catharsis, hoping that Ace wouldn’t break down again. Please be okay. Because when he wasn’t okay, she wasn’t okay. ”We could go out and have some after-party fun if you feel up to it. I know that your still recovering from that nasty hangover though, so maybe we can just chill inside and watch some movies.” If there was something she had a lot of, it was movies, and she just wanted to make him feel better. She just wasn’t exactly an expert in knowing how to go about doing that.
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