Caffeine Fix[KATHRYN/OPEN]

[blake]

Blake stretched his legs underneath the table and immediately regretted the idea as his toe hit the hard metal bar of the chair in front of him. The day was dragging on like Fridays generally do and his eyes wandered to the clock on the wall. It wasn't even Friday, but he felt like he'd been at school for a full week. Three days were enough, especially with the work he had. The rain banged against the coffee shop windows; it was another rainy day in the dreary town. Blake watched as an employee began to wipe down the counters for the next person after her to dirty up and clean them themselves. It seemed like it was the same old cycle for the part time employees of Tim Hortons.

Outside on the sidewalk he observed passersby as he silently sipped on his latte. The cold of the rain was wearing him down and he was determined not to get back out into the street anytime soon. Waiting for something, he believed, only makes it sweeter. Maybe that's why I never get involved with someone, It just made it that much better when he found that one girl. He chuckled to himself. As if…

When the door to Horton’s opened up again, wind and rain blew into the hallway leading to the main room of the shop. The coffee shop, or the shop as the locals liked to call it, had an unusual floor plan. The front side held a counter and an array of seating arrangements. The other side held even more chairs, tables, and anything else you could sit on; it also had four computers with internet access. It was basically the large yet cozy place to be in town. Blake looked up from his cup and gawked at who was walking in.

OUTFIT

[jordanxnicole]

[*img]http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/373363_37603132552_564055585_n.jpg[*/img]
HE’S A REAL NOWHERE MAN
SITTING IN HIS NOWHERE LAND
MAKING ALL HIS NOWHERE PLANS FOR NOBODY

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The rain whipped around Kathryn, making the black skirt that usually puffed around her cling to her legs, and her rusty brown hair, in its sort of bobby fashion, cling to her cheek bones. She kept pushing it out of her face, but it just kept going right back. She grumbled to herself, hating the rain. It was dreadful to be walking places in; she would much rather be sitting in front of a blazing hot fire with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. Why had he wanted to hang out and meet up here?

Kathryn was finally happy when she saw the Tim Hortons in her view, and she brightened up a little bit- but still not much. The wind whipped around her when she opened the door and immediately saw Blake sitting down. She sat in the chair across from him, dripping water as she went. Setting her wet shopping bag on the seat next to her, she took her hat off and shook her head like a wet dog. Her hair stood up a little bit, but she had still succeeded in dripping water onto her best friend. "Oh, wipe that smirk off your and give me a sip of that."

She swiftly reached over across the table and took his cup and gulped down a sip. Immediately she regretted it though, and gasped out, "Gaaahh, that's hot. And ew- it's coffee." She normally wouldn't have complained about it being hot, because she generally liked things hot, but it was such a contrast with how cold she was from outside. Some people thought she was weird because she didn't like coffee, but she just didn't. It was an acquired taste, and she just didn't have it. She would much rather have a piping hot cup of hot chocolate, or warm fat-free milk.

[blake]

Blake’s grin grew exponentially when Kathryn Parker burst through Horton’s main doors. She was soaked from head to toe from the heavy rainfall. True to form she had a shopping bag on her. ’Must have put a pretty big dent on her credit card limit today. Too bad she didn't pick up an umbrella like me,’ Blake thought. When Kat joined him at the table and stole his drink he barely had time for protest. He offered her no sympathy when she practically coughed up what she had drank. ”What else did you expect Kat, this is a coffee house,” Blake brought his other hand up to the table top to reveal another cup. ”You might like this a little more than my latte you saw fit to trying without my permission,” he pushed the cup towards her before wrapping both hands around his own.

Hopefully the hot chocolate he got Kat would put her in a good mood and help her forget about the rain. Blake knew her well enough to know that she let little things bother her. It was in his best interest for him and everyone around them that she didn’t let her temper get the best of her. Slowly he brought his drink to his lips and enjoyed the hot beverage. ”I’d offer you a hug but I like being dry. This is a great look for you though,” he teased. Everything on her clung to her body and made her look impossibly skinny. "You probably have enough clothes in that bag to cloth a third world country,"

Both Kat and Blake were accustomed to a rather privilege lifestyle most kids would be jealous of. Money was no object and for Blake at least, his Father rather have Blake out wasting money than be forced to actually raise him. Thank God for his mother or else Blake would have gone crazy. "So, I got you hot chocolate...did you get me anything?" He wasn't expected a yes, but Kat had complained about his 'style' more often than not. Just because Blake could afford nice clothes didn't mean he went out looking for them.

OUTFIT

[jordanxnicole]

"Well, it may be a coffee house, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have other-ooh!" She jumped at the coffee cup she pushed toward her. Taking a very generous sip of it, Kathryn savored the flavor. It was one her favorite things, the heat splashing its way down her throat, and emanating a warmth that spread all throughout her body, all the way down to her fingertips and toes. It didn't surprise her that he knew her order perfectly down to the two shots of mint that made the drink burst.

This instantly lifted Kathryn into a great mood, plus the fact that she felt warmer and was starting to dry out a little bit. Her hair and her skirt no longer clung to her, so the corners of her lips rose into a perfect smile. "Oh my god," she finally said, after probably downing almost half of the cup. "I love you so much!"And it was true- she did love him. She had known Blake since she was younger, probably about the age she was four and her dad got a higher up position in the business he worked for, effectively making him and Blake's dad partners, and close friends. She had grown up all of her life with Blake as her closest and best friend, and out of anyone, he knew her the best. He knew her moods, and just how to bring her out of a bad one. He knew how to calm her down when she got frustrated and reckless, and he knew exactly how to make her laugh. Blake was probably the only person that really never irritated her.

"Mmm!" She sounded, during another sip of her hot chocolate. She put the cup down, splashing a little bit down the side, which pooled into a small drop beside it. "In fact, I actually do." She dug into her bag, which was still a bit soggy, the clothes a bit damp, but they weren't that bad. She tossed aside the couple of shirts and a new skirt she had gotten and found the scarf that had been tucked away at the bottom. She pulled the green and grey striped scarf out of the bag and wrapped it around Blake. "Adorable!"

[blake]

When Kat cut herself off from her little coffee house speech, she was able to evoke an actual laugh from the Thunder student. She was quick, sometimes too quick for her own good. He watched as she guzzled down the drink and he couldn't help but smile. That was two birds with one stone he just killed. Not only had he put Kathryn in a better mood, now Kat was probably warmed up and already over the rain. He gave her a simple shrug of the shoulder as she professed her love for him. "It's a drink, no big deal."

What Blake couldn't even recognize though was that it was a big deal for him. This wasn't the type of guy to go out of his way for anyone. Even if it did mean he would get something in return. Blake hardly even enjoyed having any sort of company around. Not with Kat though. Kat was his oldest and closest friend. For her, Blake would sit his neck out on the line if it meant appeasing her.

"Oh-" Blake was caught off guard for once as Kat slipped a scarf around his neck. He felt her fingers graze pass his neck for a moment and noticed that at least she wasn't cold anymore. "You didn't have to Kat, I was just joking," The boy knew nothing about fashion except for the general rule of, if it's priced high, it's probably stylish to someone. When she commented on him or the scarf being adorable he met her eyes with uncertainty. "If you say so..." Kat probably spent way more on the scarf than Blake ever would on an entire outfit. Unless of course his mother or Kat dragged him along for clothes shopping. "Thanks Kat."

He looked down at the scarf and adjusted it just enough so it still felt loose around his neck. Usually he was drawn to anything plain, both in patterns and color. Like always, Kat knew what was better for him than he did. He wasn't modest enough to not say it looked good on him. "This will come in handy for when it's winter. I left my old one at home." A stupid move on his part. The Canadian winters were too much for the Thunder. Blake honestly would have loved it if winter didn't exist at all. "So does the drink count as an apology for making you walk through the rain, or do I have to beg for forgiveness?" he asked with a sarcastic tone to his voice. Hell would freeze over before Blake pleaded with anyone.

OUTFIT

[jordanxnicole]

"It may just be a drink, but it's a very delicious one, and I love you for it. You know I don't love people often," she laughed. She didn't have to clarify what she meant by love. She wasn't head over heels for him, trying to be his one and only because they were perfect matches or any of that other cliche garbage. Kathryn was never that way towards anyone, because Kathryn was pretty sure she just couldn't be that way towards anyone. Its not like anyone at the school had what she looked for in a relationship anyways- actually, she didn't even know what she looked for in a relationship because she never looks for any. She finds boys for a night or two, and then never calls them again. No, Blake was a different kind of love. Kathryn considered it family love, but she felt it extended farther than that. That's just how the crazy friendship between the two of them went.

Kathryn reached over across the table, took a hold of it, and started to pull it back to her. "Well, if you don't want it, of course I'll take it back. I, for one, think it's cute, and I'll wear it," she smiled at him, her voice dripping sarcasm. She knew he was going to protest and that he did want the scarf. "It was a a first paycheck well spent, if I do say so myself. And I don't even think I spent half of it!" She exclaimed, reaching into her bag and pulling out three shirts and the skirt she got, showing each of them to him, as if he would care. Kathryn knew so well that obviously, he didn't, but when Blake took the role of being her best friend, he had to know it would come with Kathryn being girly around him sometimes. Personally, she thought having a less than half excited Blake was better than having any overly excited girl friend who she could at least take shopping with her in a happy mood. Whenever she dragged him with her, he complained way too much.

Starting to get much too hot, Kathryn took of her jacket, revealing a small part of a black and blue bruise peaking out from the neckline of her shirt. She hadn't noticed though, that it was visible for someone to see. "And hmm.... You know how much I really hate the rain. Try apologizing a few more times, and maybe I'll think about it." She smiled, taking a napkin and wiping up the hot chocolate she had dribbled on the table.

[blake]

”Chocolate,” he made a gagging noise to drive home the disgust. He loved the taste of chocolate, but the guilty pleasure had too many consequences. ”You know how many sit ups it takes to burn off the calories from that cup?” Image was too important to the teenager and he didn’t get to where he was by sipping down hot chocolate left and right or getting those greasy fries when he went out to dinner. ”Now you’ll have to join me for one of my crazy workouts so you can sleep with ease about your choice of drink Kat.”

As if Kat could keep up with the well toned Thunder. For four days a week, two hours solid Blake went balls to the walls in his workout. When he first started three year ago he could barely go for a jog for fifteen minutes without breathing way too heavy. Now he had three percent body fat, wash board abs and more girls flocking after him than he even cared for some days. ”Everyone deserve a treat every once in awhile though,” He reached across the table and grabbed the cup from her hands. As he took a small sip from her cup and wiggled his eyebrows at her. God, despite how good he felt about his health, he did like chocolate.

As Kat pulled down on the scarf Blake’s body lurched forward a bit. He pushed her cup of Hot Chocolate back across the table and pulled the scarf back towards his own neck. ”Whoa, whoa, whoa. You got this for me,” Blake protested. He looked at his friend in disbelief. ”Kathryn Parker is working? Tell me do you wait tables or work a cash register? You must already know how to run people’s credit cards through the system since you’ve done it so many times yourself.” Part time work. What a strange concept for Blake to wrap his head around. With his family’s reputation and wealth he probably wouldn’t have to work a day in his life. He very well knew Kat wasn’t in any dire need to work herself.

As Kathryn took off her jacket Blake’s eyes narrowed in on her bruise. An evil smirk spread across his face. ”I don’t apologize more than once. And what is this here?” He tapped his own neck as if to clue Kat in. ”Or should I ask who?” His smile faded a bit the more he thought about it. He had know her since she was four and it was painfully aware to Blake that she wasn’t as innocent as she use to be. Something didn’t set right with him, but he pushed past the thoughts. He was far from sainthood himself when it came to who he spent his nights with.

OUTFIT

[jordanxnicole]

When Blake started talking about the calories there were in hot chocolate, Kathryn started to tentatively put the cup down. She wasn't too big on eating or drinking a lot of fats or calories. In fact, that was the first thing she'd put through her mouth that day, besides a few bottles of water, and it was nearing the evening quickly.She didn't even feel hungry though, and before her head had started feeling light, but she had popped in a few aspirin and that had quickly subsided. She didn't need to join Blake during a workout, her stomach was empty and she felt light like a butterfly, whether she enjoyed the one cup of hot chocolate or not. But still...she made no protests when he had gone for her cup, and made no plans to pick it back up when he sat it back down.

"Neither. I decided to take up a job at the music and video store in town. It's really fun, I get to just sit there, and help people check out music. And yeah, yeah, yeah, little miss rich princess got a job. Well, me and the king sort of got into a little fight last time I visited the castle. I decided I no longer wanted any help from his highness, and after him calling me an ungrateful little...well, he used a colorful choice of words...I just thought that I'd get my own job and pay for things myself. It's not like I really ever bought anything that expensive anyways. Daddy hated it, but I've always loved consignment and thrift shops."

Kathryn was a bit confused when he motioned to his neck, and by habit looked down at her own- to see a bruise popping up out of her neckline to say hello. Her face turned from a look of confusion, to a look of pure horror, mumbling, "oh shit...shit.." She quickly pulled her shirt up to cover it, and then wrapped her own maroon knit scarf back around her neck, not really caring how hot she was beginning to get in the coffee shop. Images of her last fight with her father flashed before her eyes. A scene where the two of them were just yelling at each other, her dad looking like his head was about to explode of anger. Another where he had his fist slammed into her chest, knocking her off her feet and onto the floor next to a broken vase, where the glass had cut her hand. She inconspicuously looked down at her palm, and saw that that cut, though not very visible, was still there. Then the third and final image played across her eyes. She was on the ground in a ball, holding herself, and her tears, in. Her dad stood above her with a look of triumph on his face. He had won the fight, so he thought. He wouldn't find out that Kathryn had gotten a job though, so as long as every once and a while she went on a shopping spree and spent more than 500 dollars, she would be alright and he would be happy.

Kathryn looked up at Blake's very amused face. He thought the bruise was a hickey, but he could only see the small part that had peaked out, not the ultimately big bruise that was underneath her shirt. It's not like he would see that though, so whatever he thought the better. "You know, I'm not even exactly sure who it was. I think I was pretty drunk the night."

[blake]

Blake couldn’t wrap his head around why Kat wanted a job still. Revenge against his father came in the form of sucking as much from his bank account as possible. The greedy bastard hated when Blake went on a spending spree, but it must have been an easier problem to deal with rather than attempt to actual raise Blake. ”Why couldn’t you have worked somewhere that would allow you to give me free drinks, like a bar or here?” The music industry was dying in CD sale, but he wasn’t about to rain on the girl’s parade. ”Consignment shop?” Blake thought. Like…used things people give away that the poor buy? He had never set foot in one of those stores.

”Calm down Kat,” he said laughing a bit. ”That’s just a trophy to prove you have yourself a good night. I usually have a few one a good night as well,” She needed to be careful though. Tons of guys out there were nasty blokes with very bad motives. If she couldn’t remember who it was that marked her up today, it could be worse for her in the future. The Thunder trusted his friend, but it was strangers he feared. He was not ready to be a Godfather and he had prayed Kat was making smart choices. Blake leaned forward across the table and got rather serious. ”More importantly, how come we’ve never partied together?” Doing his best to hold back a smile, he finally cracked. Still he was curious to see what sort of folks Kat was partying with. With his own two eyes he would judge if they were really worth Kat’s time. That and he was curious to see what she was like when she was drunk.

OUTFIT

[jordanxnicole]

Kathryn shrugged her shoulders, but then dug back into her bag and pulled out a CD. "Maybe because the really good thing about working at a music shop, is the music." Handing Blake the CD, she offered one last glance at her hot chocolate, but then quickly tried to forget about it. "I found this band, the CD was just lying on the floor. They're sort of a underground, as underground as underground gets, I guess. But still, amazing, and I love it."

The thought of Blake getting a hickey, actually, multiple hickey's, left an unsettling feeling in the bottom of Kathryn's stomach. She wasn't exactly sure why she didn't like the feeling of him hooking up with random girls who he barely even knew and having a 'good night' even mattered to her, but for some reason, it just did. She guessed it was the same reason on why she didn't go out and party with him. She remembered she used to a while ago, but it seemed weird. Kathryn felt skittish having him watch her down alcoholic drinks and dance like she belonged on the corner with any random guy she bumped shoulders with. She didn't want him thinking of her like that. She liked the idea of having at least someone in the whole thinking that she was a good person. She wanted him to believe, however laughable it may be, that she still had morals and could be a proper lady. And she could, but why should she taint what he thought of her for going out a night that she probably wouldn't have fun because she'd being worrying about what he thought the whole night? She generally never cared about what people thought of her. But her best friend since childhood, what he thought made a big difference.

"Because, Blake, you're like my older brother. And it's just- I don't want to go out and drink and party with my older brother. I wouldn't do it with my mother, why would I do it with my brother?" She picked up the tempting cup of hot chocolate next to her, and dropped it in the trash. There- distraction and temptation gone. She plopped back down on the seat and rested her head on the palm of her hand. "I guess if it matters so much to you, we could go down to the club tonight? Actually, I don't even care if you want to or not. We're doing it."

[blake]

Blake picked up the CD and laughed at it. "I haven't seen a CD in a long time. Hasn't anyone told you they have this thing called the internet? You can download music digitally now," He'd humor her though for now as she played student and went through with this part time job. There was no way it could last long. Both Blake and Kat were born with silver spoons in their mouth, no matter how much their dads may have hated them. "Just don't go all hipster on my Kat, I don't think the world needs any more of them." She's get bored with the job soon enough and Blake would have the satisfaction of telling her that he told her so.

"First off, big difference between a brother and a mother. You don't see a mom who can pound back shots of Jameson like I can. Secondly, brothers are there to make fun of sisters and make sure that sisters are protected, She had a point though, how many siblings actually got along. It wasn't like he had actually experience though to give her a straight answer. "Or so they say, I'm a classic example of an only child." Blake traced the surface of his cup as he thought about what it would actually be like hitting up a club or party with Kat. The more he thought about it, he weirder it actually might be. There was no turner back now though. He had suggested it and she was now game. "Alright. How about Club Corrosion? They don't have a good track record when it comes to spotting fakes."

OUTFIT

[jordanxnicole]

Kathryn took her CD back and put it back in her bag. "Yeah, but it's just...not as cool." She wasn't going hipster...yet. But she had already met some pretty cool people at the CD store, which was surprisingly more popular than people like Blake would think. One of the guys she met there that she liked the most, and was able to have a long conversation with him. He was probably somewhere inbetween a hipster, and a rocker, and had a beautiful taste in music. He made her laugh, and was actually pretty good looking. They had exchanged numbers, but since Kathryn had gone straight from work to the coffee shop, she hadn't bothered on taking her phone out in the rain and texting him.

She began putting her coat back on, and wrapping one her new scarfs around her neck, as her phone beeped. She picked it up, and gave the screen a half smile. It was the guy; Hey. Going to Club Corrosion tonight @ 10. Wanna meet up?

"Sure Blake, sounds great. I have stuff I have to go do-meet me there at say, 10?"

[blake]

As Kathryn put her coat back on, Blake straightened up in his chair. Where was she going? They had just gotten together. "Are you heading out already?" Now Kat look down at her phone, and her little grin didn't go unnoticed by the boy. Who was she talking to? It was that all knowing half smile she had that seemed to bother him the most. He knew what it meant. He got the same look when he got a text from on of his hook ups. Maybe she was going to meet some else. Why did Blake care? "Was that an emergency text from work? Do they have a shortage of indie music and they need the CD you stole back?" he teased. secretly though he was upset that the girl was leaving. Other than classes, Blake had no place he really had to be during the school year. He just filled in his free time with working out, partying and the occasionally homework. Too much free time on the Thunder's hands. One of the draw backs from not having a job. He laughed at his own joke before finishing off the rest of his drink.

Time with Kat seemed to be getting shorter and shorter these days. With her working and her recent dive into the party and interest in boys, Blake barely got to see her. It wasn't like the days they would spend together when they were younger. Kat and her mother would come over to the Logan house and the two would cause trouble for hours on end. Now it felt like he had to fight for time with her. Tonight would be no different. Everyone would be lost in the giant crowd and Kat would mostly likely be entertaining someone else. Maybe he needed to invite one of his old standbys, just so he didn't feel like he was alone. "Yeah...ten sounds fine,"

OUTFIT