Indirect Connections (private/mature?)

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Sat Feb 05, 2011 10:45 pm

"Awe, does that mean if JJ wouldn't kick my ass, you might say yes? I'm flattered," Lorelei cooed before laughing again. Finishing his cigarette, he said, "I'm kidding. I am done, through, and over with dating. When I am in my twenties, I'll try again, but I am so sick of the bull shit of this hick down." Realizing what he had said, Lorelei was quick to add in a flirty, but joking tone, "Though if you move in with your sister, I might reconsider waiting until I'm sixteen." The statement sent a trill of excitement through him. It wasn't like it was a secret, but the game was still going and he didn't want to lose...not yet at least.

Twice a year, Aren and Lorelei played a game. For their birthdays, neither was allowed to mention it. If the birthday kid mentioned it first, they had to wait a day for their gift. If the other one said something, they weren't allowed to see the other's reaction to their gift. If both made it to noon of the day after, they held their own little birthday party. Because of the game, Lorelei had opted not to have a celebration for the past few years and most people had forgotten. Marcus, Koren, and the others had all wished him a happy birthday and given him gifts, but they did so in private so that it wouldn't count against Lorelei. It was funny, because the whole game had started from their mutual hatred of the 'happy birthday' song.

Suddenly leaping forward, Lorelei spun in a circle. His energy changed completely, from a mellow calm to a vivid eagerness. Bouncing around, he said, "I want to go swimming. Do you want to come with me? We could get Aren and the girls and head up by the old mill! I haven't been there since I went skinny dipping on my fourteenth and a twelfth! The water is really clean and you can see all the stars from the middle of the pond." Before he had even really thought about it, Lorelei's mind was made up: he was going swimming. This party wasn't fun. He might as well bail and have fun.

The quotes hardly answered Nicolas's questions, only giving him more, but he didn't bother to ask. His curiosity was never sated. What did the quotes mean to JJ? Why did he pick the ones he did? Nicolas's mind spewed more questions that would go without thought from him as he smiled and pushed the door open to the diner. The place was red, black, and white, in a retro style. The staff was dressed the part, except for one boy, who was in uniform, but had shoulder length black hair.

Waving at them, Nicolas asked JJ, "Do you want to grab a booth or sit at the bar?" The shop was basically empty, except for a couple that was sharing a smoothie and fry as they talked softly.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:42 am

My eye twitched for a second. "You... you're younger than me... Uggggggggggggh young people stop being taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall..." I groaned then pouted. "I haven't ever had a boyfriend or girlfriend. I've never considered even having one. I thought I was asexual. Has your dating experience been that horrible?"

"Heh, I dunno about swimming, maybe I'll just sit nearby and watch." I coughed awkwardly before adding, "I, uh, can't swim." I felt myself blushing. I loved water. I loved the rain and taking showers and dangling my feet in the creek during the summer, but I never learned to swim.

I was so caught in thought I didn't realize we had arrived already. "Oh cool, uh, I don't care, where ever you want." Then I noticed Nicolas's expression.

"Oh wow, did I confuse you? I'm sorry. Basically it means that if you say how you feel and be honest then things will be less confusing and you'll find that things are different then they appear. What I said about emotions and how it takes time for them to form and disappear is my honest opinion and something I learned from one of my ex's. Lily is one of the most brutally honest people I've ever met. She's also down to earth and isn't afraid to tell people exactly what she thinks. She rejected me 5 times before agreeing to go out with me. She later told me it was because she could tell I still liked Kaine, even though I broke up with him before moving." I sighed, wondering if what I said made any sense.

"I feel like I'm just digging a deeper hole. I'm bad at explaining myself. So basically, be honest and remember that human emotions are so complicated that even humans barely understand them." I started laughing then. I was such an idiot it wasn't even funny.

BEEP BEEP BEEP. my cell phone was going off again. "Hello?... how did you get my number?... No Skittle-hair, I'm not dead I'm with Nicolas... Yes I realize your name is Stephanie but no I'm not calling you that... Actually, I have no idea where Andie is. He disappeared right after we got there..." Her loud voice and the blasting music could be heard on the other end. I had to hold the phone away from my ear or risk going deaf. "No, Andie is NOT my responsibility, he's your brother.... Don't yell at me!... Yes, I can tell you're actually yelling because you're angry and not because its loud... He can handle himself, Skittle-brains. If he wanted me or you, he would've called... I swear, you'll all be deaf by the time you're 20." I hung up on her. She was ruining my good mood.

I rested my head on the cool table. "Ugh that girl and her brother are total opposites. Andie is quiet and thoughtful and Skittle-brains is loud and doesn't use her head... I'm certain he's fine." For a second I almost thought I was going to go to sleep.

I stood up from my spot on the ground and stretched. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket but chose to ignore it. I wanted to be with Lorelei a little longer without being interrupted. Something about him told me he was destined for greatness. I was a little jealous. I was a no one and he was already something amazing. Jealousy was extremely rare for me and the subject of said emotion had caught my interest. I wanted to know more.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Sun Feb 06, 2011 4:34 pm

Nodding, Nicolas listened to JJ's explanation as he lead the way over to one of the booths near the window. That way, if things got awkward, he could randomly point out buildings and stores that were popular. At least, that was his train of thought. Honesty...that was a novel thought. Too bad that even if he would die if he didn't have his lies to hide behind. Well, maybe he wouldn't die. Maybe he'd be just fine. But he would still get kicked from the team, loose his way out, and fall into a self destructive depression. Yeah, lying was better for the time being.

"Lily?" Nicolas asked, rather than reply to the quote on honesty. Yeah, it was best to avoid what he wasn't good at. Life and school had proven that to him several times over. Smiling, he shook his head, about to disagree with JJ about him digging a deeper hole, but then his phone went off. "Sorry," he said softly as he pulled it out. Seeing the number, a smile lit his face, but he quickly hid it. Standing up, he said, "I've got to take this." He noticed that JJ had his phone and shrugged before walking outside.

"Hey," Nicolas said softly as he opened the phone.
"Hey," Jace answered, his voice just as soft. The sound of it made Nicolas want to cry and laugh at the same time, but he did neither as he talked softly with his best friend. It was hard to believe that there were hundreds of miles between them...It was hard to accept.

"Trust me, I wish I was short," Lorelei answered with a laugh. Ironic. Another short person that was older than him. He both loved and hated it, as he considered whether it was a sign that they'd be friends or not. Lorelei had a knack for making friends with short people with height complexes. Tilting his head, Lorelei replied, "My first boyfriend broke up with three words and was dating another guy within the week. My last boy friend was cheating on me with a close friend. My second boyfriend...well, he was a diamond in the rough." Lorelei chuckled at the memory and simply shook his head.

"Aw, sucks," Lorelei answered before hearing what Andie added. Beaming, he grabbed Andie's hands as the other boy finished stretching and trilled, "That's great! I can teach you to swim!" Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down as he eagerly told the other, "I used to be a swimming instructor at the local pool, until one of the parents had me thrown off for being a fabulous fairy. If anyone can teach you, I can."

Pausing, Lorelei glanced in the window, noticing Aren and Levi, but before he could wonder what they were up to, his train of thought switched. Reaching up, he knocked on the window and shouted, "Come swimming with us!" Aren nodded, and Lorelei switched his attention to the raven haired boy. Playfully, he poked Andie in the side and said, "Tag!" Turning, he ran off. His shoes 'clacked' off the pavement as he ran down the road. Pausing, he glanced back, curious to see if Andie would follow him or mark him off as a crazy.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:00 pm

Our phones had managed to go off at the same time. The only difference was that Nicolas was still talking to the person who called him. I felt tired. I felt sick. Oh, hey, food. I decided to take a shot in the dark and order Nicolas something. Hopefully, he'd be okay with it and like what I ordered for him. I ordered a vanilla shake large fry basket for me -I wanted ketchup so bad- and a cheeseburger and chocolate shake for Nicolas.

I found myself tracing circles on the table with my finger. This was boring. Stupid phones. I should've turned mine off after the whole thing with Eric. I didn't want to fall asleep. I didn't want to fall asleep and I was only resting my head on the table. I was only closing my eyes because the light was shining into them. I wasn't going to fall asleep. Ah crap, I fell asleep.

"Ouch." I cringed at Lorelei's boyfriend story. "Maybe I should stay asexual and avoid heartbreak." That was always an option, but could I really deny my feelings if I did fall in love?

"Fairy, huh? Can you teach me to fly as well?" I chuckled just loud enough for Lorelei to hear. Then a sour look was on my face. He invited Aren and Levi. There goes alone time. He wanted to play tag but I was too busy sulking. "Now I'm going to feel embarrassed if I don't get swimming right away." He stopped and turned as if expecting me to follow. I pouted then took off after him, easily catching up to him and tackling him to the ground. "Too slow, Ice-pop."

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:37 pm

"Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?" Lorelei answered with a slight smile. He wasn't really sure if he meant it. Loosing love sucked. At times, he honestly wished that he had never met those jerks. At the same time, Lorelei knew that he would not be who he was that day if not for them. Koren had taught him to see beyond himself. Evan and Stephen had taught him to see the way people looked at each other.

Shaking his head, Lorelei laughed at the remark, not sure if it was an insult until he heard Andie chuckle. There was no signs of Aren or Levi coming, so the lavender haired male was fairly certain that they didn't have much to worry about. Thinking back, Aren hadn't looked too happy when he knocked. As soon as Lorelie thought it, he cringed, wondering if he had interrupted 'alone time'. Ewwy! His "sister" doing her girl friend. Lorelei mentally shuddered, because while they were a cute couple, he could not handle the thought of "female parts."

When he was tackled, it took him by surprise. For all of half a second, there was an adorable pout on the immature face, and then he teased, "I'm pretty sure if you're already on top of me, it's too fast." Laughing, he hugged Andie for half a second before asking, "Does that count as a tag back or do I have to count to five?" The grin on his delicate face was playfully vicious.

The phone calls with Jace were the most painful thing in Nicolas's life. It was sheer agony to confess to a long time love only to be torn apart. Sometimes, Nicolas thought it would have been better if he had never come clean about his feelings. At the same time, it was what made the phone calls bearable. If he had never said anything, sitting on a phone miles away and unable to whisper that he loved him, Nicolas would have died.

The two talked for a short while. Just before the call ended, Jace said something that struck Nicolas as ironic.

"I love you and I will always love you, no matter whose arms hold you. If you find someone that can love you, go for it. Hell, just someone to hold you, go for it. I don't want you to be alone. It is going the be a while before we can meet again. As long as you don't forget me, I want you to be free. If it helps, you can even stop loving me."

The call had ended and Nicolas had never gotten the chance to reply. How could he? There was no way that he would ever love anyone as much as he did Jace. As he leaned against the wall, his mind skipped to JJ, remembering that he was waiting for him. With a heavy sigh, Nicolas felt like a whore as he walked back in. How could he shamelessly flirt with a guy from out of town when his real love was so far away? There was no way Jace was being as disloyal as him. It was a crime that he could neglect his heart like that.

Their food was ready, and Nicolas took it to the table to make things easier on the staff. Seeing that JJ was asleep, he set the food aside, sipping on the chocolate shake and hoping that it was for him. He didn't wake JJ up until he had finished the first one and figured that his friend wasn't going to wake himself up.

Nicolas shifted to sit next to JJ and shook his shoulders, cooing jokingly, "Wakey, wakey silly head. You fell asleep on me." He ran his hand up and down JJ's back, hoping to help him wake up.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:52 pm

"I'd top you any day, baby and you'd love every second of it." I said, laughing, and rolled off Lorelei and onto my feet. "Catch me if you can!" I took of in the direction of the old mill. I was happy I still remembered where it was. I heard the clacking of Lorelei's shoes behind me.

After running for a few blocks, a blue Chevy Camaro caught my eye. I went over to it. It must be my lucky day, the door was unlocked. I opened the door and slid into the car. I quickly located the necessary wires under the steering wheel and connected them. I found the ignition wire and got the Camaro to start. I loved hearing the engine pur as i rev'd it a few more times so it wouldn't stall.

I heard Lorelei catch up to me. "Wanna take a joy ride?" I said, smirking proudly.

Spoiler:

I was awaken by a jolt sent through my body and straight to my groin. "MmmMMMm..." Holy shit, did I just moan? I sat up straight, my face heated and covered in a blush. I covered my mouth with my hand. "Oh god, that's so embarrassing!" I mumbled through my hand.

I looked at Nicolas, hoping he didn't realize what an awkward situation we were in. I felt really hot and the diner, last I checked, was quite cool.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:20 pm

Hearing the soft moan, Nicolas smiled as JJ sat up straight. He continued to rub JJ's back gently, hoping to help his friend wake up. Smiling comfortingly, Nicolas assured him, "Don't worry. It's my fault for being on the phone so long. It was a...friend that recently moved. His name is Jace and we basically grew up together."

As he continued to rub JJ's back, he leaned back, feeling his day catch up with him. He was so tired. Stopping himself from yawning, thinking it would be rude, he added in a teasing tone, "Either way, falling asleep isn't that embarrassing."

'What a flirt,' Lorelei thought, thought he was laughing as well as he leap up to chase after Andie. Not athletic, Lorelei couldn't catch up, but he didn't fall behind either. He was rather surprised when Andie went in the right direction, but then he reminded himself that the boy had lived here before. It made him wonder if they had met each other before. The thought would bother him after Andie went home, he knew.

When the smaller boy made a bee-line for a car, Lorelei was confused for a moment and then he realized what Andie was doing. His heart froze and then sped up with excitement. Running up, Lorelei was nearly in the passenger seat almost before Andie asked. Bouncing up and down, he giggled and grinned, obviously ecstatic. "This is would be me agreeing if I was calm enough to."

For a moment, I completely froze, not even breathing. The all important question that made me pause was: should I buckle my seat belt or would that be redundant. Shaking my head, I instantly launched back into my bouncing. "Are we going to the old mill or just gonna drive around? We should go to Berkley if we're just driving around." Pausing, I pouted and then added, "But I still want to swim. Think we could do both tonight?" Shaking his head, Lorelei gave his best 'devilishly handsome' look and added, "I really don't mind what we do so long as we do it together." Realizing how perverted that could sound, he covered his mouth and started giggling.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:21 pm

"Ng. N-no p-plea-aah-please d-don't. N-nah-not here. MMmm." I managed to stutter out trough gasps. My heart was beating so fast and my pants were starting to feel tighter then they did before. I really hated Andie for forcing me into this particular pair of jeans tonight.

Hehe, so Ice-pop liked joy rides. This was going to be fun. "Maybe, we'll see if we have time. If not, we always have tomorrow night and the rest of the week to do things. But I definitely wanna drive around, I love Camaros."

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:33 pm

"Awesome! Drive that way!" Lorelei cheered, pointing in a random direction. There was no way the short brat could keep his excitement hidden. This was one of the few times he would let his 'feminine' side out around Andie, since he was certain he would be the dom in their relationship. Even if their relationship stayed at friendship, Lorelei had already learned his lesson about trying to switch his 'personalities' for someone. It just didn't work out well. As soon as Andie started driving, Lorelei started to giggle.

Pausing, Nicolas was more than a bit confused, before it finally clicked in his brain. Blushing, he couldn't help but start to chuckle. Grinning, he leaned forward and rested his chin on JJ's shoulder. Teasingly, he said, "If not here than where?" Moving away, he stood up and laughed as he added, "Sorry, uncalled for. Didn't realize...yeah. I'm gonna go grab my shake. Your food came." As he walked away, a blush still staining his cheeks, one that he was rather eager to hide. Well, this would be pretty freaking awkward...He sort of liked it.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:42 pm

"YEA BABY!" I shouted as we sped in the direction Lorelei had pointed. I was happy seeing the expression on his face. I very rarely spoke loudly or even allowed myself to laugh more then a chuckle, but here I was laughing with all my heart and soul and I was loving it. I couldn't remember ever having this much fun in one night.

At Nicolas's words, my breathing stopped. My face dropped down to the seat and my body relaxed. I still felt hot. What the hell? I didn't even get it. Did he like me or not? Was I some joke to him? My face traveled to the food and I started eating. I drenched the fries in ketchup and swallowed as many as I could. I felt like I was drowning. I wanted to cry or scream or just do something. I couldn't though. I felt like a robot programed to do only one thing. I couldn't respond and I had no idea why.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:48 pm

Grabbing his shake, Nicolas returned to the table to see JJ stuffing his face. Sitting on the far side, he sipped at his drink meekly. Softly, Nicoals said, "I really am sorry. I just...laugh or die, ya know? I wasn't laughing at you." A soft, breathy laugh escaped him, self mocking in nature. Shaking his head, Nicolas added, "I swear, I am an ass, but usually I'm not that bad..." Ducking his head, he continued to drink the chocolate, icy beverage. The chances of him screwing up this friendship on accident looks pretty high...Yet, Nicolas still was in a giggly, good natured mood. That made him feel guilty but not enough to dampen it.

A wordless shout escaped Lorelei as Andie pulled out. Lorelei didn't have his license yet, but tomorrow he would make Nicolas take him to get it. Then if he and Andie went for another joy ride, he could try talking Andie into letting him drive. Laughter escaped him without restraint and he continued to bounce around. Tapping his hands on the dashboard, he cried, "Drive faster! I want to see how fast we can go!" His voice was louder than he normally let it be, but he didn't mind for once. He felt oddly free.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:43 pm

I managed to look up at Nicolas. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. I wanted to slam my head against the table really really hard right now. I pushed what was left of my food away from me. I felt like I was going to vomit. So much for being hungry.

I really didn't feel like it was his fault. I had let my guard down, plain and simple. Usually, I was very very careful around people because on my sensitivity. I was stupid and fell asleep without thinking of the consequences. I inhaled and opened my mouth again. "It's... not your fault." I managed to get the words out of my throat. "I'm extremely sensitive and let my guard down. I'm mad at myself, not you. You had no idea." I shook my head. I really didn't want to lose a friend over this.

"You want faster? You got it, baby!" I shouted back at Lorelei as I pushed the gas pedal to the floor. We were almost at 130 mph. I was having a blast. This was so much cooler then go-carts.

My dad had taught me how to drive when he and Stephanie stayed over mine and mom's house last summer. He was the best driver I knew and loved going on all-out joy rides. He had told me that, in high school, he had been really into drag racing and that he and his friends built their own cars to race.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Mon Feb 07, 2011 5:31 pm

Lorelei's eyes flicked eagerly between the speedometer and the road before them, and he could honestly say that he had never gone this fast before in his life. The road before them wasn't as twisting as most of the streets in the small town were, so he wasn't afraid, but his heart was still hammering in his chest. Andie seemed to really know what he was doing, but Lorelei also felt trills of fear. What if a cop spotted them? What if the road suddenly turned.

Falling back on the seat laughing, Lorelei tilted his head back and squeezed his eyes closed. "Too fast!" he shouted, though the amusement in his tone made it obvious that he didn't mean it. If Evan drove them all the way to Winchester in five minutes, Lorelei would just keep laughing and bouncing around.

The second milkshake was no lasting, as Nicolas kept his eyes on the table and drank it, too embarrassed by his own accidental actions to continue trying to talk. Who knew, maybe this would all blow over and become an inside joke between the two of them. It would certainly not be the worst inside joke that he had been a part of...Of course, first they had to get over the whole awkwardness of it...

"Note to self: keep hands to self," Nicolas answered with a slight smile after hearing JJ's comment. Shaking his head, he asked, "Can we avoid the whole awkwardness of this and just go do something else? ...if you can walk." Nicolas added. Well, that was a whole new level of putting his foot in his mouth, Nicolas thought with an obvious cringe as color flared in his cheeks again. Instantly, his eyes locked on the window and he tilted his head so that his hair felt into his eyes. Mentally, he wished it was long enough to hide behind.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Mon Feb 07, 2011 5:47 pm

My eyes widened and I was staring at Nicolas. Did he really just say that or did I hear him wrong? "E-excuse me?" I questioned, hoping he would say something completely different then what I had just heard.

My eyes narrowed and I pulled out some money. Before Nicolas could reply I said, "Yea, lets do something else." I slid out of the booth and walked toward the door without looking back. Luckily my nausea was enough to turn me off, or else I'd most likely still be hard.

Too fast he says? "I'll show you 'too fast.'" I said smirking before speeding up again. We'd be fine. It was late at night and the barely anyone was out on the roads. The cops were on doughnut breaks at about this time, but then again, when weren't they on doughnut breaks. The big problem was getting the car back before the owner found out.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Mon Feb 07, 2011 8:55 pm

Not meeting his gaze, Nicolas muttered, "It's a joke between a friend and I...I didn't not mean to be offensive or crude." There was no way that Nicolas would go into detail about that particular joke though. Him and Jace had quite a few that were meant to be just between the two of them...and yet, he had slipped up and spit that crap out...He deserved a kick in the nuts for it. Sighing and realizing how badly he had fucked up, he paid for the meal and stood up, following after JJ with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Ugh, I hate this place," Nicolas said as they walked out the door, though he said it under his breath, not meaning for JJ to hear. Shaking his head, he asked, "Anything in particular you want to do? See more of the town or head back to the party or just walk around?" His tone was a little hopeful, an obvious sign that he really was trying to pretend that the incident didn't happen. He was good at that, pretending something hadn't happened.

As Andie sped up, Lorelei leaned forward. His long, elegant fingers clutched at the edge of the seat while his eyes widened in surprise. A soft sound of excitement escaped him as he watched the world fly past. His heart pounded in his chest and he couldn't ever remember feeling so awake. The whole world just seemed to be going slower when they were going so fast. "Faster!" Lorelei shouted, his voice dancing with laughter.

Subject: Re: Indirect Connections (private/mature?) Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:05 pm

I laughed out loud. So he was an adrenaline junkie? Alright, I had a great handle on the car. I'd drive for a few more miles before turning around to go back. He had said that he wanted to go swimming tonight.

After a while I got us turned around and headed back towards town.

"Lets walk around a little longer." I replied as I felt the cool air hit my arms. "It's a nice night." I was just going to forgive and forget. Nicolas really didn't mean it and I wasn't going to ridicule him for it.