+::14::Falling between the Laughs::+::The One to Blame::+

Water enveloped in a welcome presence around her as Cris dove in. The loud, successive splashes that reverberated in underwater tones to her not long after let her know that four of the six boys had all driven themselves head-first in after her. With a simple ease, she held her breath, swimming to the far end of the large pool and tracing around the bottom edges in a graceless arc that brought her spinning gently to the surface again. She glanced about to see Ethan sitting out in the sun, a book in hand as he tried to keep what little tan the summer had given his pale flesh. Aiden was a few feet away from her, bobbing in the water as a look of pure bliss crossed his face, his love for the water taking over. Suddenly, he dunked under as Cris found Caden, watching him pull his twin down with a laugh that let out a massive amount of bubbles.
With a chuckle, her eyes continued over the pool deck, finally resting on Ryan, who was preparing to dive into the water. That left only Brad.
With an apprehensive look around, yielding no sign of the boy, she took a deep breath, diving under and going to the extreme bottom of the pool, circling around, peering about and trying to distinguish one boy from the other- seeking out Brad's form. With an internal sigh, she kicked up to the surface once more, gaining air again.
"Cris, you okay there?" Came Caden's voice from across the pool. She smiled, nodding and holding out a thumbs-up sign before taking another breath and diving once more. Her careful arc brought her to the deep bowls of the pool, the dark gray siding providing no leave for her as she circled in the cool water, closing her eyes once more and slinking along the bottom, going by memory and feel alone. The silence, punctuated by the splashing and gleeful cries from the boys above caught her, lulling her as she slowly circled about the sides of the pool, finally feeling the slight sting at her mind, telling her she needed air. With a sigh that released carbon-Dioxide-filled bubbles to the surface, she began her ascent to the top once more. Breaking the surface for only a few seconds, she drew in a great gulp of air before diving again.
Her eyes remained open on this round, her fingers trailing ahead of her as she held her arms before her, her feet gently kicking her along.
Her peace was interrupted in a surprising and startling manner, as something from behind her suddenly grabbed her leg, dragging her toward the small concave that lead to the foe-rock structure that hid the small hot tub from the pool in a way that had her screaming and gasping, water flooding into her throat and making her try to kick free just before she disappeared into the concave. Her head broke the water and she sputtered, coughing and patting her chest, taking deep, choked breaths that vividly resembled sobs. Then there was a gentle hand on her back, patting and a concerned voice humming worriedly in her ear. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to startle you that much..."
Cris glared up at Brad, her eyes pinning him as she gained her breath again slowly, the gasping subsiding. Choice phrases danced in her mind, but she bit them back, figuring it safer to keep her breath at the moment. She nodded tersely, affirming that she would be fine to the boy.
He sighed, his body's previously firm, concerned position relaxing and leaning forward gently as he stooped in thanks. Cris sat stiffly, looking around and realizing they were in the small concave, sitting on the small step before the hot tub's wall. The closeness of his body and her own hit her with a force as he sagged forward a little more, his head resting on her shoulder as she remained stiff, pushing as far away from him as the wall would allow.
"Brad- C'mon, I'm fine. Let's just go back and swim now." Her voice shook lightly as she pushed him back, sitting him up as he inspected her face for a moment.
"I wanted to talk to you, though..." Brad's protest was whole-hearted, though quiet, forcing Cris to lean in gently to hear him.
The second she leaned in, Brad's head shot up, his eyes staring dead into hers as she froze once more. Silently, he pulled his face away from her own, drawing in a breath as she seemed to relax.
"What do you want to talk about, Brad?" She mumbled, smiling weakly up at him from where she sat. Brad inspected her for a moment- could she really stand what he had to say, or was he being far too forward, as Jadon had snapped at him the other day? After the moment's hesitation, Cris's eyes had wandered to the still water of the hot tub, and, shifting lightly, she draped her arm into the warmed water, her eyes closing in a contented state as her arm drifted lazily in the tub, moving along with the gently flow.
"Will you really answer my question?" The words slipped out, and Brad slapped his hands over his mouth, water splashing gently as the appendages tried to take back the words. Cris's eyes had widened before shooting back to Brad's own, focusing with what seemed to be confusion and horror, so Brad began to stumble and clarify. "Oh, god... I'm- I didn't mean... You don't have to answer me right now, really! I just- It's... Hard trying not to loose my mind with the other guys ready to bash my skull in and none of us knowing what you really want out of this..." His voice trailed off as Cris looked away, feelings of Guilt beginning to swarm.
"I'm sorry, Bra-"
"It's not your fau-" Brad tried to cut her off, only to be silenced by her hand gently resting on his shoulder.
"Brad, I'm sorry that I can't give you the answer you want- it's just, there's been so much changing in the past few months, that I'm having trouble coping... And I view you as the little brother I never got to have..." Cris's own words died out and the silence wasn't allowed to stretch as Brad laughed under his breath. Her gaze shot to his, once more to see him smiling slightly, his eyes cast to the water where her hand still floated freely in the water.
"I thought it's be that way- but you can't blame a guy for trying..." Brad shrugged as suddenly a shadow passed over the Hot tub conclave's only other entrance- the poolside opening. Cris and Brad both shot up and away form one another as Ethan peered inside.
The small boy's eyes widened for a moment before a brow rose. Turning slightly, he called out over his shoulder "They're in here!" to the other boys before turning back to Cris. "You OK in here?" He asked, switching between Brad and Cris questioningly.
Cris smiled, placing a friendly arm around Brad's shoulders and splashing at Ethan playfully. "Yup, just had to talk." She said simply. Ethan nodded, dodging the water before watching the girl slide back into the water.
muaha Thought something bad was going to happen, didn't you? I had you going there. but Brad's loving, not stalker. :x
Cris asked to use the phone, and Jadon smiled at her, tapping her forehead with glee, leaving a dot of water that trailed down, making her pout. "You know where it is!" he said merrily before diving into the water.
Ryan watched her for only a moment, a bikini-clad figure dodging into the kitchen, before shaking his head and turning an annoyed gaze to the twins, who sat at the poolside, arguing over a beach ball. With a hidden smirk, he stalked over, finally bursting past, diving through the two and stealing the ball from their warring arms, landing in the pool with a splash and sending the ball flying to the aggravated calls of the brothers. Ethan cheered him on, cannonballing into the deeper area to dodge a flip-flop- no doubt thrown by one of the brothers.
Jadon surfaced from an extended dive, throwing a glance to be sure Cris was fine, and seeing that she was pacing the kitchen, speaking quickly into the phone, he dove again, smiling easily as he dodged around his old friends.
Cris smiled sadly at the phone. "Yeah... Eight would be great." She mumbled after a moment. Another, longer pause. "It's Okay. I'll call you later, okay?"
this pause shorter, she smiled again, this time normal, her real smile. "I love you, too. Say Hi to Maggie for me. Bye" the phone clicked onto the receiver and she stayed for a moment, her hand reached out just like that, watching the shadows grow long in the kitchen as the sun began it's decent behind the rows of houses.
A wet thwack drew her attention as she turned to see one of the soaked water diving balls rolling away from the window, a water mark showing where it had hit, and past to the five grinning faces of the boys as they all taunted her. without a glance back at the phone, she tugged down her hair, letting it fall in a tangled mess about her shoulders as she took off, sprinting out the house and jumping, soaring through the air with a wild cry to barely clear the small space in the middle of the six, successfully dragging all but Caden and Brad under with her. Life, for the time, was good.
...
The pool lay still, stretching in the glinting moonlight of the crescent that floated above the houses on Villefort lane. The small crack of gas-powered flames in the mock fire pit before the six teens threw a hazy light over them all as they laughed, exchanging fond memories and smiles, Caden telling jokes and causing his brother to laugh merrily and join in the fun. They all laughed, even Ryan in his own reserved way allowed happiness to grace his features as the friends munched lightly at popcorn from the kitchen.
All too soon it would be time for them to return home. Cris sat, smiling and secretly wising that she could take this one moment and freeze it forever in her mind, never to be affected by time or relationships. Graduation, life, hurt, pain, sorrow, parents, school... Make it so None of it could affect this one moment in her heart. Imprint it in every aspect of her being until she was so full of it she couldn't move, until she sank back into it forever.
"Cris, c'mon. We should get you home in case your mother gets home." Jadon's voice broke through the merriment, making the laughter die down slowly as the boys gazed at Cris, her eyes turned on the still water. She was silent for a long time, and Jadon began to wonder if she had even heard him or if she even cared.
"Do you guys remember the first day I was on Villefort?" She asked. Her voice was so sudden and normal that they all were taken aback, Ryan stiffening, Brad and Ethan leaning forward as though to crutch her from the memory. "I was having an awful fight with mom... You guys must have thought we were the crazed new people- the troubled family. Bet you never knew how right you were until you got to know me, huh?"
Jadon looked to Ryan, who rose a brow, shrugging in his shown confusion. It was such a random time to bring up such a far-off dream of a memory. But she continued, "I realized that I never really explained about everything; about that fight or about my life before..."
Then shook his head, his hand reaching out to take the girl's fingers. "you've told us enough. We're here for you- All of us." He said simply, smiling sheepishly as the rest of the boys gaped at the verbal expression of the devotion they all shared.
Cris grinned suddenly, looking over at them all. "I know you all are. Thanks for not kicking me around too badly all these years." She said, rising and hopping back suddenly, looking to Jadon.
"I'm gonna go back now. See you all tomorrow!" She called this over her shoulder, waving as she grabbed up her towel, tripping out the back gate as they all watched in stunned silence for a few minutes.
"What just happened?" Aiden's question went unanswered as they all stared at the empty gateway, watching Cris's window light a few minutes later.
What IS on our lively heroin's mind...?
The door slammed violently as the house shook. Cris's eyes closed against the noise, trying to deny the inevitable fate that was now tromping angrily up the stairs toward her. Moments later, her door flew open, hitting the wall hard enough to leave a dent- she would have to check that later and cover it up so the boys didn't worry.
"Who the HELL do you think you are, threatening me like that over the PHONE on my DATE?!" The high, angry screech of her mother's voice made her wince even as she felt her own anger soar to new levels. She forced the urge to throw a return scream back at her mother as she slowly stood from the window seat, going over to her drawers and picking up another handful of clothing from her drawers and depositing it into the open duffel on the bed.
"I'll be going to Dad's house for a bit. He'll be here in a little while." Cris's voice was eerily calm- even to herself.
Deathly silence followed her words as Marie Tonnson stopped to digest the volatile words that had just flown from her daughter's mouth. The words 'Dad' and 'Father' were the equivilant of a deadly curse in that house, and Cris knew that she was about to experience the brunt of an extreme explosion of anger that could rival the St. Helen's eruption.
"WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, GIRL!?" The scream was sure to have been heard down three blocks, let alone by the boys. No doubt they were already gathering to come 'rescue' her.
"I'm going to Dad's house for the weekend. It's not that bog of a deal, he did reproduce me. It's mot like I'm never coming back. Besides, I'm human, and there are times when I need to actually EAT?" She grabbed up some of her charms, picking a few out and slipping them all on, careful not to hurt them as she turned to see her mother fuming in the doorway.
"What about all the groceries I bought?" she snapped finally, glaring triumphantly. Cris glared sarcastically.
"you mean the cereal and other assorted mixes you bought A MONTH ago?"she snapped, turning to her bag to zip it violently, slinging the track tote over her shoulder and walking by her mother, bending down for her skates and helmet on her way, slumping out her door as her mother followed her, the irritated clicking of her heels ringing in the wood hall as they raced down to the stairs, then to the entrance hall. Cris heard the rustling down in the driveway of the boys. she only had to hold out for a few more minutes. Quickly, she trumped into the kitchen, dumping her bag by the door as she passed. With a simple motion, she flung open the nearly empty fridge- a few water bottles and an apple was all that remained of the food. Her mother slammed the door closed once more, glaring at her daughter.
"That MAN is not setting foot in MY house." She called after Cris as the girl went to the door, opening it wordlessly. She stopped dead, the sight before her flooring her for a moment. Caden stood foremost before her, his brother hanging back a bit and Ethan beside him. The others were not present and Caden shrugged, telling her they had not been there to begin with. "Cmon in, guys." she muttered quietly, the three sneaking by her as her mother rounded the corner, coming to a dead stop in the hall when she caught sight of the three. Her eyes carefully searched each face, looking for a specific one...
Cris smirked, recalling the vivid memory of Jadon coming through the door, a black knight of forms, brandishing a hockey stick and screaming at her mother to 'BACK THE HELL OFF, LADY' Cris's mother had run to her room, locking the door and claiming she would deal with Cris later. But Jadon was not present now, and her mother quickly determined that, smirking and turning to her daughter. "fine then, play it that way." She said simply, turning on her heel and stalking back into the kitchen.
Cris said nothing as she turned, scooping up her belongings and trooping, head down, out the door.
wow. O O Violent mother-daughter relations, there.... What happened to them? :o ((All will be explained in due time...))
They all sat in silence. Caden sat behind Cris, carefully loosening her grip on her bag and pulling her back so her back pressed against his legs. Ethan and Aiden sat to each side of her. It went unsaid that her father would soon arrive, his bike pulling up with a smooth purr to whisk her to the other side of town for a few days. She would be better when she returned; she was always better after seeing him. After a few moments, Caden reached over, taking Cris's bag from her and fishing about for a moment, pulling out a brush and hair tie. Carefully, he pulled her hair over her shoulder, brushing the long coppery strands back into smooth cooperation as Cris slowly relaxed, the thumping sounds of her mother ceasing as she settled into her house. Aiden and Ethan reached out, holding one hand each of her own as she sat back, allowing them to worry over her in this one rare moment. After a few minutes, Caden pulled back up her hair, a high pony swiftly forming before he twisted it around itself, forming a crisp bun that left a few strands to hang by her eyes. Cris smiled, turning had head and pressing it to his knee. The three boys smiled at her in return, the silent thanks accepted.
It was only a few more minute's wait before a low rumble was heard, soon followed by the familiar purr of a well-kept engine as the mint-green bike pulled up to the curb. After a moment, the engine cut and the rider removed his helmet, swinging his jean-clad leg over the side to stand as the green helmet dropped away. Almost as soon as she saw him, Cris flew to her father, engulfing him in a hug, her face hiding in his shoulder as the three boys followed, bringing her things with them.
"Thank you, Cade, Aiden. Ethan." He nodded to each in turn; the boys smiling and saying, 'no problem' in return. Cris slowly turned to face her friends, her eyes dark and a smile in place once more.
"I'll see you guys later, okay guys?" She mumbled, hugging each in turn. Slowly, she turned once more, taking the motorcycle helmet her father offered before they both mounted, situating her things behind her before they went purring down the street, the bike's tail lights slowly disappearing around the corner.
WHAT?! No Dad Description?! D:
Anybody watch the Republican debate on November 28th, 2007? What kind of question is 'Do you beleive in this book =holds up bible= THIS book, specifically, word for word?'
....
not to say I'm not religeous...
I'm just saying...
How the puck does the fact that these guys are saying they beleive in god, help us select a president? I mean- all of them say they do~! D:
and don't get me started on their answers as to why they don't want Lesbein and Gays in the military! D<