Lee, for some possession unknown to her, waits on the baseball field for the Hamilton Collegiate Institute to let out. Maybe a strange young lady hanging around the high school might draw attention, but Lee, frankly, doesn't give a shit. She is a woman with a mission, albeit a crazy one. Whatever. All of her plans are half-baked anyway.
Erik sees her immediately. One of his friends is chatting with him, but the words go in one ear and out another. Without explaining his sudden departure to his friend, Erik walks over to Lee. He can feel his shoes kicking up rocks and dust as he drags his feet along the ground.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Erik growls. He stands only a foot away from lee, but a waist-high fence separates the two.
Lee swallows, facing her fear. "My brother is missing. You're Dad is a cop right?"
"A fucking useless one," Erik bites back, staring her down. He can't believe she has come to ask Erik for help. Didn't she see the missing posters for Amelia? "He won't help you."
"Okay, well, I wasn't asking for his help," Lee rolls her eyes. What a whiny child. Maybe she was asking him for help, but he doesn't get the satisfaction of knowing that. "Quit it with your shitty assumptions."
"You came to me for help, and now you're insulting me!" Erik demands, wrapping his fists around the fence. Lee recoils, her face contorting as tears brim in her eyes. He doesn't care. "I've got my own shit to deal with. I don't need you and your missing brother come in here and messing up my stuff."
This time, Lee doesn't look away from Erik. She lets him see the sadness burning her face. Her face is hot and her eyes are cool instead of cold. If he is going to be a dick, he is going to have to deal with the consequences. He will have to live her pain.
"Fine," Lee tells him, turning her chin up. For the first time in a while, Lee doesn't feel the urge to snap back. Instead, she tells him like it is. "Just know that I really needed your help."
Erik rolls his eyes, walking away from the fence. Over his shoulder, he calls to her. "I'll see you at your stupid concert, or whatever."
~~~
"Thanks for taking me in as a refuge," Jamie says, holding a warm cup of tea in his hands. He winces at himself. "Is that insensitive? I mean, the plight of refugees is not comparable to having a crappy roommate, but I thought it was an apt metaphor. I don't know. Metaphors aren't really my thing."
"I don't think I'm the best person to decide what is and isn't insensitive." Eden shrugs. He reaches for the piping hot glass of coffee on the table but thinks better of touching it. Even if burning heals too quickly, it still hurts.
Jamie catches his eyes. "You know, I'm not entirely sure how you're a grown man who only has one mug. Is it because your straight? What do you do when girls spend the night?"
Eden smirks but says nothing. He is thankful that Jamie is quite oblivious, as he always is. Since Eden's heater isn't working, the apartment is freezing. On the plus side, that means his coffee will cool down quickly, so he'll be able to drink it. However, it means that Jamie has borrowed one of Eden's Barnaby sweaters to throw over the sweater Jamie is already wearing.
It's too big for Jamie, that's what Eden notices from his spot on the counter. Jamie is swallowed by it, as well as the blanket on the couch. He looks so cozy. Eden dares himself to step closer, but can't.
"What's the deal with your roommate anyway?" Eden asks. "You said he's back?"
Jamie nods his head. He nods it so much that Eden is worried that Jamie might get whiplash. Not that it matters, but still, that would suck. "So, he shows up as nothing happened. Like, he doesn't even acknowledge that he's been missing for a week. Fifteen minutes later, he's high as a kite in his room again. So yesterday I crash at my parents' place, but I can't do that forever, or they will get suspicious."
Now, Eden leans against the kitchen countertops. He likes how Jamie fills the silence. Finally, Eden takes a sip out of his coffee cup. It burns his mouth, which sucks but he doesn't care all that much. He holds the cup to hide his smirk.
"I mean, I did get to dip out to help Wes on June duty last night, which was nice," Jamie takes a sip from his drink, then pauses to look back at Eden. "You know, I can't tell if June is doing better or worse. Now, I don't think she's suicidal, but I doubt it's worth the risk, you know? I was supposed to be on duty with her, but Wes took over for me."
Eden nods. "That was nice of him."
Jamie's face flashes pink, but Eden doesn't notice. He can hear a loud ruckus in the hallway, one that is all too familiar. The door handle to his apartment jiggles, and Eden curses himself for not having locked it earlier.
In bursts Liam and the crew. They each carry a drink and a bag with a sub inside. Eden crosses his arms over his chest, running his hand over the stubble on his chin. Crap.
"How're you doing, Eddie?" Liam slaps Eden over the back, moving across from him. He lifts a sports drink to his lips, swinging back. He exhales loudly after the sip, then gestures to Jamie. "Who's this dude? He go to Barnaby?"
"Umm... I'm a friend of Eden's," Jamie swallows, looking to Eden for support. Eden's eyes harden. "I'm just borrowing the sweater."
"A friend, huh?" Liam laughs, he looks around the room. "Did you hear that, Mikey? This Jamie guy is Eden's friend."
Michael turns around, a grin spread across his face. Jamie can feel his knee jittering as he looks between the football boys. Something is happening, something that Jamie doesn't quite understand. Something that makes him feel deeply uncomfortable.
"You've sure got a lot of male friends, don't you Connor?" Michael jokes, staring Eden down. "I mean, one has to wonder if you're even fucking that wannabe-doctor chick, or if you're just painting each other's nails every night."
Jamie looks over to Eden, pursing his lips. Are they talking about Cara? He tries to read the answer off Eden's face, but Eden leaves himself sterner than Jamie has ever seen him.
"You shut your damn mouth," Eden mutters, though only Jamie hears him. Maybe Jamie doesn't hear him but feels it rather.
Liam pokes Eden in the side but addresses Michael. "He's definitely not screwing the nerd. Hasn't Eddie told you? He's a virgin."
Eden slams the glass down in the sink behind him. It shatters, glass spraying everywhere. Eden can feel it burying deep into his hands. The crash causes all seven heads in the room to turn and face Eden, whose chest is huffing up and down.
"You've had your fun, now get out," Eden begins. "I quit the team, I quit pretending, and I quit listen to you wail about how straight you are all the time. We get it, you fuck women. Get a personality or a hobby, or something else to do Liam."
"Eddie-"
Eden knocks away Liam's fist. "Out."
Liam raises his hands in defence. He grabs the collar of another jock, and soon the five guests leave the apartment.
While Jamie looks on, jaw dropped, Eden leans over the sink. He lifts the largest chunk of glass on to the counter but doesn't move for the others. Great. How fucking embarrassing.
"That was so badass," Jamie begins, shaking his head back and forth in awe.
Eden laughs.
~~~
She shuts the door quietly behind her. Cara gently drops her backpack on the ground and hangs up her peacoat. Her feet tread carefully along the floor as she makes her way to the kitchen. One creaks.
"Cara!" Her Baba calls from upstairs.
Cara winces. "Yes, Baba?"
Her father comes barrelling down the stairs, along with her younger brother. Cara raises her eyebrow, surprised to see Miles up and running.
"I thought the key part of being homesick was the part about being sick," Cara rolls her eyes. Her little brother always seems to be causing problems. At least her fathers have her to be proud of.
Miles shrugs. "Yeah, well, whatever."
Cara tries to hide the smile on her face.
"Sometimes the best thing for a child is to be at home where he can learn from his family, rather than at school," Baba bites down on his tongue. "Don't tell Dad I said that. And at least I didn't take him horseback riding. More importantly, there are no more birds in your vent."
A small exhale escapes Cara's lips. She shakes her head back and forth, a grin infecting her. "Seriously?"
"They flew the coop this morning," Miles tells Cara. "No more birds."
"This is the best thing to happen to me in a long time," she shakes her head back and forth.
Baba only offers a faint smile. He darts past Cara into the kitchen. "Well, allow me to one-up your day. I'm making shakshuka to celebrate."
Cara runs up to Baba and hugs him. She really needed this win.
~~~
The world seems to be getting smaller and smaller. Percy has noticed it before today, but she hasn't really thought about it. Not until she saw Hope sitting on a bench in the park, and notebook in her hands. Well, more like noticed that Hades was basically a beacon pointing at her.
Percy leans down and lets Hades off his leash. The dog bolts across the park, running up to Hope. He practically jumps on her lap. Hope manages to pull her book away, thankfully, before it is covered in slobber.
"Sorry," Percy calls, jogging over. She keeps her feet pointed straight as she heads to Hope. "Sometimes he just sneaks off the leash, you know?"
Hope nods, staring the dog down. She's seen Hades before, but she hasn't really ever been this close. Especially since her father always warned her that Hope could be allergic to dogs. This seems fine though, right? Everything here seems okay.
"What's his name?" Hope asks.
"Hades," Percy answers. Hope mouths the word at the same time. "He's pretty gentle. What are you, uh, doing out here?"
Hope looks up at Percy. She shows her the book. Percy looks inside, scanning the first page.
Scenes from a book I will never write: #43
Vampires have always represented societal fears about sex. Not just the physical dangers of touch but the horror of a love which lasts forever, and the angst that someone else is sucking away your life for their own pleasure.
When I stare at her, and her dark eyes pierce through me, I can't help but comprehend why someone else would give someone their everything for the gift of despair back.
Percy swallows. She hands the book back to Hope, nodding at the passage. The hairs on her arm stick up. It seems the Princess is not just looking for a fairy tale. Perhaps, she wants to be railed in a back alley on a cold February night, with nothing but the warmth of a lover.
"It's pretty cool," Percy manages.
Hope runs her tongue over her bottom lip and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "You really think so?"
Even though Percy nods, she doesn't hear anything Hope says. Instead, her eyes linger on the concave curves between Hope's jaw and neck.
~~~
Water splashes all over Wesley. He is freezing. Perhaps he has never been this cold before. After all, he isn't used to swimming in September (or really, swimming at all).
June's head slowly bobs above the water. She turns to look at Wesley. "Sorry."
"I can't believe you got my hair wet," he shakes the water out of his hair, or at least, tries to.
"No," June doesn't let him joke this off. "I meant for jumping in front of you. I didn't mean to scare you."
Wesley doesn't answer at first. He takes a second to actively avoid hearing the sound of June's bone crunch. "It's fine."
That answer doesn't satisfy June, but she doesn't push.
"I thought you wouldn't want to get your hair wet before the concert," Wesley asks after a minute. He raises an eyebrow at her, waiting for a response.
The bright girl beside him tips her head back into the water and pulls herself forward so that her hair is out of her eyes. She lets the ends float in the water around her. "I own a blow dryer."
"I just don't want you to make us late," Wes jokes.
June furrows her brow. She knows, and now she struggles between concealing her cards and teasing Wesley. Why must life be filled with so many difficult choices? "Who are you meeting that is more important than me?"
Wesley doesn't answer and June smiles.
~~~~~
Hey! This is cool. Let me know if you want me to tag you in my new apply fic! I'm probably going to post the application page in the next few hours.
Thanks!
Also, look at Eden go. His secret is out, and I am so proud of it. He and Jamie are so cute, and no birds for Cara. They are so happy! The concert is next; it is going to be so good!