Nicoletta
September 14, 2007 11:38 PM
Fifth Year Girls' Dorm by Nicoletta
Scratch, scratch, was the sound of the quill on stationary, as she crossed something out. A groan of frustration escaped her lips and the paper was now in a crumpled ball. This just wasn't working. She didn't know what to say. Nicoletta had always known what to say before, had always held the cards. Ever since summer, it seems like she had become public enemy number one.Nicoletta wasn't even intending to try and be better than anyone anymore. She wasn't going to interfere with Jordanna's leading or try to get Gwen back in the group. Really, she didn't belong in it anymore. She was trying to change, be a nicer person. She had seen the path she was going down, a path she didn't want to take.
It seemed though, that the attempt so far had failed. She had genuinely wanted to get to know Lexi and maybe a couple others, but that had gone out the window with Dalila's accusation. How dare she. Subtleties were obviously lacking with the girl. Nicoletta had ostensibly stated that she had chosen herself and hoped Chris would do the same. But now thanks to the Teppenpaw, Nicoletta had very little hope of making the only possible friend she could. Absolutely lovely.
Completing her dislike of the girl was that she had Adam. Nicoletta completely blew it. She just knew it. She didn't even know why she was attempting to write this letter. Maybe closure, maybe the hope that there was even a small chance. Maybe even, if nothing else, they could be friends. With a sigh, she began the letter again.
After several attempts, she leaned back in the chair, reading it over. It wasn't anywhere near perfect, but she supposed it would have to do. With a sigh, she tied it up and gave it to Loire. The Eagle owl belonged to Chris, but she had asked to borrow her for the beginning of the year for this purpose.
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Nicoletta
Fifth Year Girls' Dorm
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Nicoletta
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5
Catherine
September 15, 2007 9:05 PM
*points at title* I feel old now. by Catherine
Catherine glanced around the common room as she entered it, her eyes wide and stomach in knots. Had it always held this many people? It was better by far than the Feast had been - she had taken one look at the crowd, overwhelming after the seclusion she'd spent most of a month in after her birthday party, lost her head, and hidden in a second-floor bathroom until it was over - but it was still enough to put her off-edge. How many of them had found out about her mother since Isabel's birth? Was there anything about her that announced she was a half-blood to anyone? Were Gwen and Nicoletta and maybe even Jordanna plotting against her? She almost ran to the stairs. It would be quieter in the dorms.She took a moment to steady herself up before she went in. Telling herself it would be empty seemed like one of those things that would have worked much better if it had been a little more plausible. It was rare for anyone to have more than ten minutes alone in there. Ten minutes would be - if she made it be - enough to get her head on straight enough to deal with anyone short of Carey in a vindictive mood or one of her friends giving her the boot, though, and hiding in the Gardens forever wasn't likely to work. Touching her hair out of habit, she opened the door and froze up at the sight of her best friend.
She hadn't been alone with anyone since term had started. Every treacherous thought about her friends not being her friends Michaelson had tried to plant came rushing back - therapy was a very bad name for what that awful woman had put her through, in her opinion - at once, along with all of her own paranoid insecurities. She knows about Nick and my mother. She knows about my sister. She knows I'm a mental patient. Catherine focused on breathing in and out at a regular pace. It didn't really help.
"H-Hi," she said, her voice too high and the pupils of her blue eyes dilated. She glanced down at her brown top, sure it looked horrible and she stupid in it. Daphne had worked as quickly as she could, but hadn't been quite able to get Catherine's new wardrobe completed in time to send all the pieces along with her. She had been promised it would come to her as soon as it was done, but that didn't do her much good at the moment. Focus. "Have a good summer?" If Nicoletta had already said and she had forgotten about it, she thought she might just write home and demand to finish her education there.
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Catherine
*points at title* I feel old now.
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Catherine
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5
Nicoletta
September 16, 2007 6:19 PM
Wait until next term by Nicoletta
The owl was gone and the letter with it. Her stomach clenched in nerves. There was no going back now. She would know one way or another, but at least she could say she tried. With a sigh, she slumped forward on the desk, her head in her arms, suddenly feeling tired. She stayed that way for a few minutes before she heard the door opening.Lifting her head, she turned towards the door to see who it was. She wasn't sure who she was hoping it would be. If it was Jordanna, it brought up a world of problems. She had been, was, the leader of the group. Nicoletta had tried last term to take that away, because it seemed Jordanna had been losing the concept of what was important. Plus, at the time, she had wanted to be the one to get all the attention. She figured Jordanna would just as easily turn on her, especially given that Nicoletta didn't know about the money problems that were occurring in the Howard family. She was too involved in her own problems at the moment to have noticed.
If it was Gwen, well, that would certainly be interesting. She had attempted to pull Gwen back into the group. Now, she was trying to get herself out of that world. Perhaps, Gwen would understand, but then, she could also use it to her advantage. After all, it was partly Nicoletta's fault that Gwen had been outcasted from the first moment.
But it was neither Jordanna nor Gwen. It was Catherine, another member of the group. The one that Nicoletta felt closer to, but close enough to trust? Pureblood ways called for turning on one another, so why should now be different? But she supposed it was going to come out sooner or later.
She let Catherine speak first. Her voice was off. Nicoletta picked up on it quickly. A slight eyebrow raised, but nothing said. Then, the ever killer of a question, 'Have a good summer?' She just wanted to shout at people that asked that, just should that it hadn't been. It had been awful, but alas she knew she wouldn't. She was still a fairly composed individual, probably always would be, except for rare moments.
She met Catherine's gaze evenly. She would not pretend to be something she was no longer. "Lucien and I are no longer."
She waited for the response. The simple statement on any other person might have seemed like nothing more than two people breaking up, but for people like them, it was more. Arranged marriages didn't end just because one person didn't like the other. Usually, they ended, because one or the other were in some way disgraced.
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Nicoletta
Wait until next term
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Nicoletta
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5
Catherine
September 16, 2007 10:40 PM
I'll probably switch to feeling ancient then. by Catherine
As she forced herself to meet her friend's eyes - something that took much more work than it would have just a bit over a month earlier - Catherine tried to tell herself she would come out of this as well or better than she'd come into it. The voices, however, were putting up a strong struggle. How could she compare her opinions with a professional Healer's deductions? It wouldn't matter how long they had known each other if she had never been regarded as a friend at all.She had to focus. If she did, she might be able to salvage a little of her pride at the very least. She could look Nicoletta in the eye. Nicoletta was really her friend, whatever Michaelson said. The other voices - those she had saved up over the years - didn't matter; Catherine knew she didn't deserve the life Daddy had given her or to have her friends. She was just carrying on in spite of the knowledge, because that was what Crotali did. She had been acting legitimate and pureblooded for fifteen years; doing so for another hundred-odd wouldn't kill her, and she'd be better off dead than openly illegitimate anyway.
It took a moment for the impact of her friend's answer to sink in, but her hands automatically rose to her mouth as it did. "Oh, Merlin," she whispered. This was bad. This was very bad. "I'm so sorry." She considered hugging Nicoletta, but settled for moving beside her. She had yet to talk herself into presuming to touch a real pureblood, and they had never really done that sort of thing anyway. She didn't want to make her friend uncomfortable. She was barely aware of the fact that the voices, so ever-present since her initial cocktail of meds had worn off, were all but silent and totally ignored. "What happened?"
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Catherine
I'll probably switch to feeling ancient then.
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Catherine
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Jordanna Howard
September 16, 2007 11:48 PM
I try not to think about it at all by Jordanna Howard
Jordanna had learned that there was nothing louder than silence, it was positively nerve-racking. So naturally she turned all of the faucets in the bathroom sinks on, humming to herself as she brushed her lank yellow hair. Anything was preferred to the silence, the instances when her thoughts screamed loudest. Really, she didn’t need to think about this summer, about her family, about what everyone would say, or was already saying. She just didn’t want to deal with it.It was too hard to pretend as if nothing had happened at all. It was nigh impossible in the scarlet fleece sweatpants and white t-shirt she wore as pajamas. No magical facial potions, no potions to give life to her lank hair that she tied into a messy bun out of pure frustration. Nothing to hide those bags under her eyes from the sleepless nights she spent worrying about how much everyone hated her.
She shook her head, she couldn’t think about those things.
There were classes to think about, too. Now that she couldn’t rely on her family to make her a good marriage, she would actually have to plan on taking care of herself as an adult. Jordanna would actually have to put effort into her studying for the CATS, even if she was barely passing half her classes and failing miserably at all the rest.
She squeezed her gray eyes shut. Jordanna didn’t want to think about classes, either, but it was inevitable. The girl who was much paler than usual was just going to have to suck it up and go about her business quietly. She would busy herself with her studies and trying her best to still look pretty, to block away the dark thoughts. And the less attention she attracted to herself, the better. That would have to be her new mantra.
Carrying the black bag with her toiletries in them, she planned on going to sleep early. That way, she could wake up early, and not have to deal with any confrontations with her roommates. But luck had left her side much earlier this summer, and it seemed as if it was still nowhere to be found.
“’Evening,” she said quietly, nodding to each girl in turn, before continuing on towards her bed. She hadn't heard any of their conversation. Silently she continued to put her black bag away; she didn’t expect them to greet her. And if they did, they’d probably say something nasty, something she didn’t want to hear, anyway.
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Jordanna Howard
I try not to think about it at all
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Jordanna Howard
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5
Nicoletta
September 17, 2007 4:11 PM
I look forward to it by Nicoletta
The Merlin, the sorry, the question, all were expected. She twitched nervously. This was the defining moment. Catherine would know and soon Jordanna would too. She hadn’t even told her parents the decision yet, but undoubtedly, it was soon to come. She twisted a lock of dark hair around her index finger. When she said the next words, Nicoletta knew that she would no longer have any friends in this dorm.She opened her mouth to reveal all when the knob turned unexpectedly and Jordanna walked in. No, no, no! There was no doubt in Nicoletta’s mind that the other girl would turn on her. She had done the same thing the very last term. So, why shouldn’t she? Especially given the only thing she said to them was an evening greeting. Now what? Should she continue anyhow or not?
It was going to come out eventually. She supposed sooner rather than later was better, especially given that she wasn’t going to be accepted by either side. People, like Dalila, assumed that she was going to marry her parents’ choice. The others would assume, no know, that it was just the opposite. The sooner that she did it, the sooner she would be free of all the expectations, the pressures. Yes, it was the right decision.
Continuing on, Nicoletta began her confession, “Lucien is a little…more than I can handle. I chose not to marry him. In fact, I have decided to marry for love.”
The weight of the words was there. She was turning her back on the traditional values. To make it complete, to show how serious she was about the decision, she added, “Last term, I was secretly dating Adam Whitney.”
She met eyes with determination. She wasn’t going to cry, no matter what happened. It was only for three years. Gwen had done it for a lot longer than her. Maybe she could ask for pointers. Nicoletta nearly gave a snort at the ridiculousness of the thought.
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Nicoletta
I look forward to it
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Nicoletta
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5
Jordanna
September 17, 2007 7:32 PM
I favor pessimism. I'm either right, or pleasantly surprise by Jordanna
Sure that neither Catherine nor Nicoletta wanted anything to do with her, she continued to pu away her things for the night. The sooner she got to bed, the sooner she could wake up and leave, and continue her life as a social pariah.But neither girl said anything about Jordanna. Were they ignoring her? Merlin, to be ignored, for them to act as if her existence was meaningless, was possibly worse than any verbal insult they could have thrown at her. Still, she was curious, and continued to listen to the conversation anyway. If they really didn't want her to hear it, the other girls could have left. And really, could she be blamed for having perfectly functioning ears?
“What?” she exclaimed incredulously. It took her a moment to realize she had spoken her thoughts allowed, and her cheeks flushed for a moment. Sitting cross-legged in the middle of her own bed, she positioned herself so that she was facing Nicoletta, not caring to hid the confusion on her face, “I mean, why?”
And then the other girl went on to explain. Adam Whitney? The Pecari boy in their year? Was she serious? Her jaw dropped at the thought of the scandal this would cause. Nicoletta might end up even worse off than Jordanna. At least the blond still had a family to go home to, even if that home was practically a closet compared to her old house.
Did Nicoletta have any idea what she was talking about? What she was about to do to herself? Yes, love was important, but people fell in and out of love all the time. Disownment was permanent.
“Are you sure?” Jordanna queried, forgetting she was supposed to be an outcast, “You’re serious about him, aren’t you? You must be, if you’re willing to become like me to be with him,” she shuddered momentarily at her newfound position in life, “Does he even know what you're going to do?”
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Jordanna
I favor pessimism. I'm either right, or pleasantly surprise
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Jordanna
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5
Catherine
September 17, 2007 10:29 PM
I agree with this philosophy...to an extent. by Catherine
Before Nicoletta could tell her what was going on, Jordanna entered without ceremony, greeted them, and made her way to her own bed. Catherine, for the second time in a very short period of time, froze. She didn't even know why; all Jordanna had done was greet her, and answering that did not require any stamping on the unsteady ground they were being forced to stand on. She'd just made up her mind to tell the other girl 'hello' when Nicoletta confessed everything.She barely heard Jordanna's exclamation as she stared, more than a bit horrified, at Nicoletta. Was she insane? She had everything Catherine would have given years off her life to have, and she was throwing it away over a nobody Pecari. It could have been worse - her friend could've been dating his even-more-boring Muggleborn roommate - but to break off her engagement over someone with no fortune and no prospects of one...
Even Mother didn't do that. She had her fun with Nick, but she didn't marry him. She did as she was told, married Daddy, and at least tried to keep it from him she was cheating on him for a while. Of course, Nick-the-Muggleborn was a much worse choice of boyfriend on the side than Adam Whitney, who could at least claim pure blood, but still...
Catherine glanced at Jordanna as the other fifth year tried to make Nicoletta see sense, nodding automatically before a revolutionary idea entered her stunned and thoroughly over-wrought brain. She was, for the first time, the best-off of their group. Jordanna was financially ruined - her hair was getting that point across very well - and Nicoletta stood a good chance of being disowned. She had spent weeks worrying that they would walk away from her, but neither of them was in any position to do that.
She was in a position to walk away from them.
The very idea was terrifying. They three had been together since first year - the longest-lasting friendship of their year. She needed them, especially Nicoletta. If her friends were suddenly no longer in the picture, her entire self-concept vanished. Without them, she had nothing to go back to during the bad times. Besides, she knew what she'd imagined it would feel like to be abandoned by them. There was no way she could put them through that.
And there was, of course, Michaelson's voice in her head to consider. She wanted to prove her wrong. She wanted to show Michaelson that her friendships were real.
"She's right, you know," she said right on top of Jordanna, still too on-edge to give Nicoletta the time to answer. She tried to catch Jordanna's eye and silently convey it to her that she'd meant no offense by the comment. "I know as well as anyone how messed up arrangements can be, but have you - er - " she couldn't say it - "really thought about all that you've got at stake here?" She was starting to sound just a little bit too much like Michaelson for her own comfort. "I mean, my mother'll let you stay with us if you - erm - need to, but you might still be able to fix it."
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Catherine
I agree with this philosophy...to an extent.
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Catherine
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Nicoletta
September 18, 2007 2:01 AM
Everything is to an extent by Nicoletta
All her nerves were screaming, as she sat on edge, waiting for the judgement. What would they do? Would they merely turn their backs on her or worse, would they make her life miserable? She waited, hoping for the former, the abandonment. She fingered the edge of the quill in nervousness. It was a top of the line writing utensil, one that she may never own again. But the turning of their backs never came.Just questions. Nicoletta turned towards Jordanna, as she had begun to speak first, asking them. If she was sure, if she was serious, and if he knew. Though, two critical words didn’t fail to be noticed. What did she mean like her? What had happened to her? Did Nicoletta miss something while she was away? She decided if they made it through this conversation she would find out.
Before she could answer them, though, Catherine interjected pretty much stating what Jordanna had. Of course, hers was with a nice offer to stay with them, a gesture that surprised her greatly. She wanted to grab Catherine’s hand and thank her, but she refrained, refrained until she finished.
But again, she didn’t get the chance to, as Chris’ owl flew threw the window with a return letter. She quickly untied the piece of parchment. Her eyes scanned over the letter. Confusion swept over her features, unsure what to think. It was vague and not so at the same time. Adam used the pet name and he agreed to talk to her, but it also said to get over it. Maybe she was overanalyzing it. Maybe the name meant nothing more than being secretive, something she didn’t want anymore. Nor did she want to be over it. She had no choice though, if that was what he wanted.
She gave a sigh, blinking back the tears that threatened, before telling them more, “I wrote a letter to Adam earlier. This is the reply. He wants to move on, but agreed to talk, so yes, he’ll know. I just…” She ran her hands through her hair, resting on the back of her neck, trying to think, untangle the thoughts. “I love him.” The sudden realization made her stop. She was in love with him? Why did life have to be so cruel? “He obviously doesn’t feel the same way, but…I don’t know what I expect. I just don’t want to miss out on something, because of the family I happened to be born to.”
She was sure most of what she was saying made no sense, but she really didn’t know how to convey her thoughts in a logical way.
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Nicoletta
Everything is to an extent
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Nicoletta
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Jordanna
September 18, 2007 3:39 PM
And yet, the possibilities are infinite by Jordanna
Jordanna raised her eyebrows as Catherine cut her off, only now fully realizing that she was actually in this conversation. And nobody was treating her very differently; it was as if there had been no change at all. Could that be possible? Did no one really care that, unlike Catherine, Jordanna no longer had a nice house to offer to soon-to-be disowned teens for shelter? Certainly she wasn’t homeless, but she doubted the box her parents claimed was a house really counted.She bit her lip, and with the coming of the owl her mind turned to other thoughts. It was rude of Nicoletta to just stop talking to read a letter in the middle of a conversation, but Jordanna held her tongue. It wasn’t her place to decide what was and wasn’t respectable anymore. And it wasn’t like a girl who seemed so willing to throw her whole life away for some poor pureblood would even listen to her, anyway.
Her eyes widened with a sense of realization. Nicoletta was not risking her status to become like Jordanna. Her predicament might turn nasty, but in a way that was much different than what had happened to the frustrated blond.
Nicoletta was risking her status for someone like Jordanna. The thought didn’t please her at all, and yet she couldn’t deny it. She was starting to have more in common with Adam Whitney than she ever expected she would.
With a strange sense of empathy she didn’t completely like or understand, she listened intently to the muddle of words coming from Nicoletta’s mouth. Nicoletta never had this much trouble expressing herself in all the years that Jordanna had known her.
Folding her arms across her chest, her feet reached out towards the floor and she walked to stand in front of Nicoletta. It was a hard walk for her to make, and she went slowly. Because inside her head, she was coming to conclusions, and none were very pleasing.
As strange as it seemed, Nicoletta was serious. Jordanna doubted there was much sense in trying to stop her, Nicoletta just about always got what she wanted. Jordanna remembered wistfully about what that was like. Even stranger, a small yet quickly growing part of Jordanna actually wanted them to be together. Because if there was hope for Adam Whitney to lead a happy, though most likely poor life with a well-bred (though most likely disowned) pureblood, then that meant there was hope for Jordanna, too.
“He’s a total idiot,” she declared in forthrightly, and almost even benignly, “If he leaves you, though I might prefer it. But if you are so convinced about how you feel,” the part of her that was still pulling for propriety in this madness made her look into Nicoletta’s eyes, as if in one last appeal to her respectability, “I don’t see what I could do to stop you,” her eyes fell to the ground as she tried to fight off the part of her that desired for Nicoletta and Adam to be together. But the rebellious, optimistic spirit refused to be put down. It beckoned to her, enticing her to let herself be won over by this foreign cheeriness, which tempted her to believe that if Nicoletta and Adam would be okay, then surely things could be okay for Jordanna as well. The comfort of the thought of a life in which she would not have to die a lonely, old and hated spinster was too alluring to deny.
She was sure she looked sick as she looked up again, but it had to be said, even if she might hate herself for saying so by tomorrow, “I suppose, I guess… you have my blessing.”
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Jordanna
And yet, the possibilities are infinite
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Jordanna
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5
Catherine
September 18, 2007 10:29 PM
Ah, contradictions. How we love thee. by Catherine
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Catherine was thinking longingly of her courtyard. Almost everything about their lives and places in the world was changing too fast to be processed, and she needed to be alone to work it all out. Walking away, however, wasn't an option, because this was more important. Her best friend was in crisis. She'd have enough time to worry over particulars until she de-fogged her brain later; it was the big idea that counted for the moment.Nicoletta's decision to take a letter right in the middle of the conversation was odd enough to jar some of the fog out by itself. She was almost offended, but understood as soon as Nicoletta mentioned Adam's name. Settling herself onto the edge of her bed, she listened almost impassively to what her friend had to say, thoughts whirling about in her head in slow motion.
There was something familiar about Nicoletta's comments. It wasn't the words themselves - she couldn't see herself ever saying something like that - but the feeling. It brought up an instinctive sympathy, though she couldn't pinpoint where it came from. There were quite a lot of places she could've seen it originating from. A shadow stole across her face as Nicoletta claimed to be in love. Though she'd never felt it herself, Catherine knew all about that kind of love. It was nothing but trouble, no matter who the lovers were.
She couldn't tell Nicoletta that, though. It was too cruel, not to mention too risky. She wasn't sure they quite had it in them to forgive her for being an illegitimate half-blood nobody. Catherine stood up and joined Jordanna, though more to Nicoletta's right.
"Mine, too," she said. "He doesn't deserve you, but if you want him, well, go for it and tell me if you need any help with it. We're still friends either way." She made herself look at Jordanna. It only took a moment to get the courage to say it. "That goes for us, too," she added, quite proud of how steady her voice came out. The Raines money had not been come by entirely honestly, which made it nothing more or less than sheer dumb luck that they hadn't been wearing the Howards' current shoes for seventy-something years.
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Catherine
Ah, contradictions. How we love thee.
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Catherine
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5
Nicoletta
September 19, 2007 12:38 AM
Would we be us any other way? by Nicoletta
Nicoletta raised an eyebrow at the statement that Adam was an idiot, but remained silent. Adam was anything, but one. No, it was she that was the idiot. She should never have lead him on. She should have been honest about everything from the beginning. It was the lies that tore people apart. She had learned that all too quickly. Though, she supposed that sometimes it was the truth as well, such as how the truth was going to tear her from her family.The next words came as no surprise. No proper pureblood ever went with a poor pureblood. When it did happen, they became a non-existent person, something which she was expecting from her so-called friends. And then she was shocked. Her mouth almost hung open in an unladylike fashion. She had Jordanna’s blessing? She had Jordanna’s blessing! Her heart soared. They were friends. She nearly grinned, but she still had to wait for Catherine’s judgement.
Then, she did and so much more. She was even willing to help! Though, she was slightly wrong in saying that Adam didn’t derserve her, but that was loyalty. Nicoletta was elated, but didn’t miss the exchange between Catherine and Jordanna. Now, that she knew her friends were her friends, her best friends, she was growing ever more curious as to what was going on with Jordanna. It was apparent that something was and that was taking precedence over the Adam situation.
Jumping up in a new Nicoletta fashion, pulling both into a hug. She figured it was fine since they were in the dorm room, away from the public eye. Pulling back, a concern expression on her face, “Jordanna, what’s going on?”
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Nicoletta
Would we be us any other way?
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Nicoletta
0
5
Jordanna
September 20, 2007 11:11 PM
I highly doubt it by Jordanna
Jordanna gave Catherine an appreciative smile when she gave the reassurance that their friendship wasn’t over. The thought that she would not be alone in school was enough to assure her that she would be able to make through the next three years. Certainly it would take getting used to wearing more affordable clothes and Nicoletta with her unconventional choice, but it did not seem impossible.
And then the strangest thing happened. Had Nicoletta really hugged her? Her body had gone rigid and her face pulled into a wince upon contact, and slowly she opened her eyes to see that, yes, Nicoletta had hugged her. How odd.
“Baby steps, Nicoletta,” she said uncomfortably, unused to physical contact and such outward displays of emotion, “Baby steps.”
Once she had been released, her whole body relaxed, but just for the moment. Was Nicoletta making some sort of joke, or did she really not know? Jordanna had prepared herself best she could for dealing with what people would say. She hadn’t ever planned on having to explain anything herself.
“You really don’t know?” she asked quietly, fingering at a stray wisp of yellow hair, “Well, I’d sit down, if I were you, because this is going to take a while,” Jordanna paused, in order to figure out her thoughts more than out of any sense of courtesy. If she was going to tell this story, she was going to tell it right because she knew that if she didn’t say it, someone who had the story all skewed might, “My cousin Isaiah, he wasn’t exactly happy with his place in the family. He was the first son of a second son – no hope for advancement, and not allowed to marry his muggleborn girlfriend.” Jordanna never used the word Mudblood, not ever; she had always thought herself to be classy. She continued her speech, slowly, carefully.
“Jenna said he’d been furious about it for years – I wouldn’t know, we weren’t ever very close. Anyway, he… sold the family out. We were involved in black market Re’em blood smuggling and trade. He was supposed to go finalize a deal in Maine last January, but apparently it was a fake. He disappeared, and a small fortune disappeared along with him. He leaked out information about the whole business to the aurors, including a bit about some erm… tax evasion. Practically half the family was put on trial this summer. My parents weren’t directly involved in anything but,” she took the opportunity to wear a scathing smile, “We now live in a tiny split-level, on a tiny suburban road, in this tiny, boring town where I went to my first discount department store about a month ago,” she remembered that particular horrifying experience quite clearly, “Needless to say, it didn’t exactly agree with me.”
Lacing her fingers together and resting her hand on her right hip, she waited for her judgment. Jordanna knew her friends were in a particularly forgiving mood, and yet she couldn’t help but feel as if they were going to hate her.
Who would have thought that Nicoletta Dupree and Jordanna Howard could have fallen off their high pedestal? It seemed to be that Catherine was the only respectable one left in their trio.
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Jordanna
I highly doubt it
0
Jordanna
0
5
Catherine
September 21, 2007 10:25 PM
Logic would take away from our incomparable awesomeness. by Catherine
When Jordanna smiled, Catherine smiled back. Everything was going to be just fine. They were all going to be just fine. She was going to be just fine. The voices were quiet now, and she could believe, in the moment, that they'd stay quiet later. Michaelson had been wrong, so what was keeping the rest of them from being as wrong? Even Amelia, the most frequently heard of them all, did not have all the answers. If she had, she wouldn't need the "rest" she had gone north to begin taking back in mid-August. She could be wrong. The voices could all be wrong.She stiffened for a split second when Nicoletta hugged her, unaccustomed to being hugged since her mother, shy and very awkward around her since the Incident, had stopped doing so after their release from the hospital. Catherine hugged her friend back briefly once that first shock wore off, though, having been around her Robinond relations enough to take it fairly well in stride when someone - almost as often as not someone she hardly knew - suddenly decided she looked as if she needed a display of affection. The Robinonds were known for getting a bit over-clannish when they got together in a large group.
Nicoletta's question warranted a moment of surprised regard quickly followed by a careful not-meeting of anyone's eyes. What the adult Howards did wasn't any more Jordanna's fault than the sins of the Raines' were Catherine's, but it still made for an awkward moment. Jordanna told her story with an admirable level of composure, especially given the content. Catherine got the impression she was waiting on something - something from them - once she finished talking.
"Every family has its black sheep," she said quietly. "And most of them did something - erm - a little underhanded to get their money, too." The Raines family certainly had. It was an open secret that Miles Raines had been, in the end, a lucky criminal who married well, and it got harder every year to deny that Daddy was probably the exact same thing. She smiled bleakly at Jordanna. "After the summers we had, I don't think either of us is really in a postion to judge you, Jordanna."
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Catherine
Logic would take away from our incomparable awesomeness.
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Catherine
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Nicoletta
September 22, 2007 12:48 AM
Undoubtedly by Nicoletta
Nicoletta gave a small chuckle over Jordanna’s comment about baby steps. She had never been one for them. She certainly hadn’t with Adam the first day she kissed him. She didn’t know if it was a decision she should regret or not. If she hadn’t, then everything might have been different. She might have continued on the path that was set before her. She would have married Lucien and been the trophy wife, never knowing that life could hold more. Yet, a kiss had brought her love in the cruelest form. She loved him, yet he didn’t feel the same and more than that was with someone else. At least with Lucien, she never had to see him again. Adam, she would see every day in classes or in the dining hall. Everything was a mess.She forced Adam out of her mind, once Jordanna began talking. She wanted to listen to her friend, be there for her. She sat back down in the chair, as suggested. What was the horrible infliction that Jordanna suffered? Obviously, it must have been judging by the angst written on her face.
Nicoletta nodded at the part about Isaiah. Yes, she knew all about that. Her cousin, Devian, was to suffer the same fate. He was so jealous of Chris and her brother had no clue. He thought of Devian as a ‘nice kid.’ She knew he wasn’t. She saw it in his eyes, his face. He hated Chris. She wouldn’t be surprised if Devian acted on it. The Duprees weren’t known for being fair players.
She knew all about the black market too. It seemed all good Pureblood families were involved in it somehow or another. It was dirty dealings and the like. It was just another wonderful realization of summer. It was a shame that it was a road that Chris was going down if he agreed to marry Marie. She would have to try and talk him out of it again. He already confessed that he didn’t want to and while his intentions were noble, he would never be happy.
Would Jordanna? She wondered what living in a smaller place would be like. She supposed it was better than the possibility of none. Though, Catherine had offered, but still, she couldn’t live with Catherine. She wasn’t sure she should accept it at all, but for the moment, it seemed a distance away. Maybe she could figure something out. It was next summer, but she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to get there.
As though, along her line of thought, Catherine spoke words that were never truer than this moment. They all had summers that didn’t warrant being remembered. She gave a wane smile to Jordanna. “Catherine’s right, rather a position of support would be more appropriate."
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Nicoletta
Undoubtedly
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Nicoletta
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Jordanna
September 22, 2007 10:09 PM
I think we ought to celebrate said awesomeness by Jordanna
Jordanna had to do a double take. Nobody hated her? Thank Merlin for this one sign of mercy – nobody hated her! No longer able to keep her poise, she grinned like a madman, jumping up and down like a little girl. Her hair fell out of the loose bun, and she caught the scarlet hair tie, laughing as she brushed the hair out of her face.“Sorry,” she said, shocked at herself for the display of delight, “It’s just, I was so sure that neither of you would want to speak to me after what happened. Merlin, I thought I would be a loner for the rest of school, and then after graduation I would become an old cat lady and a spinster, or something.”
Of course that second bit could still come true, theoretically speaking. When school was over, the three girls may go their separate ways, and Jordanna would be left as terribly alone as she feared. The pale teen had never realized before now how much she feared solitude. She might even go to university after Sonora, just to make sure she would be around people. Besides, more likely than not, she was probably going to be a career woman now, she’d have to support herself. She’d never given a second thought to classes or any career path she might want to pursue – she’d never had to. Thank goodness there was still some time before CATS; she might still have a chance to pull her grades up out of the gutter where most of them resided.
But Jordanna had the rest of the year to worry about school, and The Future. For now, she just wanted to live in the present, if only for a short while, to celebrate her newfound optimism.
“So, all our summers were complete crud, and we’ve fallen off the pedestal,” she took a second glance at the other two girls, then amended, “Well, at least I have anyway, and Nicoletta’s about to take the plunge. Not to mention CATS are coming up this year, meaning that all the teachers will be crazy. This calls for a celebration, don’t you think?”
It was a spur of the moment thought, a most unnatural occurrence in the mind of Jordanna Howard. It was a curious thing indeed, but Jordanna found herself almost enjoying turning her back on some of the ideals she had been taught to believe since the cradle. She had no idea how to celebrate the occasion, although she had brought along some comfort candy along with her to school.
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Jordanna
I think we ought to celebrate said awesomeness
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Jordanna
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Catherine
September 23, 2007 10:42 PM
Well, we always <i>did</i> enjoy good parties... by Catherine
Catherine felt a little giddy herself as Jordanna started bouncing on the spot. This was the least stressed she had been since...Merlin...She wasn't sure when. The effort of it all had started to catch up with her even before she'd gone home for Christmas to find Daddy in the hospital and Mother pregnant again. That had just been the final straw that wore her out. It was hard to believe that she wasn't dreaming about coming back to school the way she so often had during her house arrest, soon to wake up and face the less-pleasant realities of life. She pinched her leg just to be sure she was awake."Come on, Jordanna," she said, keeping her tone light. "How could I stop talking to you? I wouldn't have anyone to tell me if my shoes go!" She said nothing about her own fears of abandonment. It had been a long time since she'd even tried to express herself that way, and now didn't seem like quite the moment to make an attempt. If she started talking about it, she might not be able to stop.
She grinned ruefully at Jordanna's summary of their current circumstances. Even in defeat, Jordanna was the leader. She had gone from first among princesses to first among wrecks, but she was still first. Did that mean she was still the little-regarded idiot? Catherine felt some of the usual tension creep back into her shoulders. She tried to get rid of it as she bounced up from the end of the bed she had sat down on to hear Jordanna's confession.
"Absolument," she said, not noticing her lapse into Aunt Macy's mode of speech in her vague anxiety about what felt so wrong about this. "A celebration of our new leases on life." She hoped she said it grandly enough to make the stupidity sound a joke if they registered it. "Mother took the plunge for me by proxy," she explained, hoping that it would be left alone after the change in mood, "so I'm sort of on the broomstick, too." She opened her trunk and began looking around it. "Maria Teresa probably slipped cakes in here when I wasn't looking," she said. "The entire staff's been trying to feed me to death since Isabel was born."
At home, Lila Raines was known for abruptly calling up her few friends, ordering them all to change robes and come on over, and then proceeding to play cards and gossip for two or three hours. Food and drink were essential parts of the impromptu get-togethers, and while this wasn't exactly the same thing, her mother's first rule of hostessing was that there had to be something for the guests to much on at all times. She surfaced a moment later with a white box in her hand.
"Voila," she said, opening it to display an assortment of baked goods. She raised an imaginary champagne flute in a mock-toast to the other two girls. "To the destruction of our waistlines." She paused, glancing down at the box. "I can't promise none of this is - er - a little unusual. My old nurse is Spanish, so some of this might be, too." Her friends suitably warned, Catherine selected a cookie and, feeling slightly ridiculous, bit into it.
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Catherine
Well, we always <i>did</i> enjoy good parties...
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Catherine
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