Earl Valentine
September 26, 2007 9:17 PM
Chess time (tag:Nicoletta) by Earl Valentine
Earl pushed past the portrait of Gunter the Zombie and entered the Crotalus common room with a box in hand. It was an old wizard chess set of his mothers that Eavan had taken after she had died. Earl had just talked Eavan into letting him borrow it for the day, though she kept on telling him that the pieces preferred girls. Earl scoffed. It's not they were unicorns.He sat down on the couch and began setting up the pieces. A particularly wily bishop kept trying to hop away and didn't stop until Earl held his wand to it threateningly. And then he sat and shifted his gaze from the girl's staircase, to the portrait hole, to the chess pieces, who were mumbling to each other and getting rather impatient.
After a few minutes, Earl saw Nicoletta. He grinned, but remained seated.
"Hey, you actually showed up. You wanna be black or white?"
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Earl Valentine
Chess time (tag:Nicoletta)
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Earl Valentine
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Nic
September 27, 2007 1:31 PM
Sure you're up for it? *grins* by Nic
“Of course, I did,” Nicoletta answered with a grin, taking the seat across from Earl. Playing chess with someone other than Chris was going to prove interesting. “Um, white, I think.”Black was just a depressing color and she had had her fill of that lately. A shadow cast over her face. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She didn’t want to think about it. She forced another grin. She was going to have a good time no matter what.
“Since I’m white, I guess I go first,” she said. She carefully studied the board. The only two pieces she could move right now were the pawn or the knight. Most people started with the pawn, she started with the knight. “Knight to C3.” She watched the knight move past the pawns to its new location.
Her blue eyes shifted to Earl, as she began further friendly conversation, “How was your day?”
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Nic
Sure you're up for it? *grins*
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Nic
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Earl
September 27, 2007 11:43 PM
I'm up for anything by Earl
Earl grinned as Nicoletta say across from and began the game. He looked down at the game, studying the pieces, but taking an occasional glance at his opponent. Shrugging to himself he began."Pawn to E5." The pawn seemed to sigh before heading out to his new square, and Earl smirked triumphantly. The pieces were actually paying attention to him. He finally looked up at Nicoletta when she asked him how his day was.
"Not bad. been working on that Transfiguration thing. Y'know turning a chair into a cat. Still can't get anything more than a furry chair with ears and a tail. But I saw your cat in class...no practice for you." Earl leaned back and grinned at Nicoletta.
"So, Nicki, how's your day been so far?"
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Earl
I'm up for anything
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Earl
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Nic
September 30, 2007 9:06 PM
Oh, really? by Nic
Nicoletta raised a delicate eyebrow at him when he called her Nicki. “Apparently, you don’t want me to take it easy on you.” A smirk played on her lips. Then, a playful grin, “Nic, not Nicki.” She had never been a fan of the ‘e’ sound for her name.Glancing at the board, she said, “Pawn to A4.” The pawn scooted along. Then, she answered about her day, “It was all right. Kinda boring.” A thoughtful expression came to her face. She had adored the cat that had come from the chair. She wished she had a cat like her. “I’m still going to practice the spell. Her name is Lynx. Have you gotten any further since practicing? The biggest help was picturing her in detail. I think I’m going to have trouble with Astronomy, so I’m really not looking forward to the C.A.T.s on that one.”
The real reason she was having trouble with the class is because she didn’t pay attention in it. It was the trip for that class when Adam had said enough. She had cried that night, using the pillow to muffle it. She supposed Jordanna and Catherine now knew what it was about.
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Nic
Oh, really?
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Nic
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Earl
September 30, 2007 11:42 PM
*smirks* You know it. by Earl
Earl chuckled at Nicoletta's reaction to being called 'Nicki'. He held up his arms like she had a gun to him. "Okay, okay; Nic it is, then." He was still grinning as he listened to her talk."You named it?" Earl asked. "I never thought of you as friend of the furry ones...but I guess you're a girl, so it makes sense. I never thought of Eavan as one to fawn over animals, but if you saw her with that unicorn last year." Earl chuckled again.
"But I'll have to remember to picture it in detail, as you put it. I was just going for 'cat' in my head. I thought that'd be enough." Earl shrugged. "Not a fan of astronomy either, eh? Although, those recliners are a lot comfier than your average desk. I'm not looking forward to C.A.T.s in general. I'm mean why do we need a test to tell us how we're doing, anyways? I can tell that well enough on my own. 'O' for you; 'P' for me." Earl grinned at Nicoletta before loking down. "Oh, pawn to A6."
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Earl
*smirks* You know it.
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Earl
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Nic
October 01, 2007 12:29 AM
Do I now? by Nic
Waggling a finger at him, Nicoletta teased, “So, you’re telling me that you don’t have a soft spot at all for adorable creatures? Although, the Mackled Malaclaw would not be on my list of cute animals.” She finished with a wrinkled nose.“I think it’s just to tell us what classes we’re allowed to take next year,” she reasoned, remembering seeing something on it. “I haven’t even thought about it. I mean, it kinda means you have to take the classes you’ll need for your career. I know I’m not ready for my future to be that set.” It once had been and she had pushed it all aside in favor of freedom. It just seemed like everyone else wanted to set her life. Slight worry lines wrinkled her forehead, but quickly vanished with an upturned mouth, the dimple appearing in her cheek. “I’m sure you’ll get at least an A. You at least got part of the transfiguration.”
Thinking ahead a couple possible moves, she commanded, “Knight to F3.” Her other knight moved to the spot. Nicoletta’s ponderings went back to the future, “Do you have any idea what you want to do when we leave here?”
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Nic
Do I now?
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Nic
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Earl
October 01, 2007 7:05 PM
Well, now that I've told you... by Earl
"I'm definitely not a fan of the Mackled Malaclaw," Earl said, remembering from class that they were considered bad luck if they pinched you. "And it's not that I don't have a soft soft for the fuzzy ones...I just don't cuddle up with my transfigurations."Earl stared seriously at the chess board, though not really paying attention to the game. He forgot that CAT level classes were supposed to prepare you for real life. He never thought about what he wanted to do after school. Well, sure he thought about his future; it mainly involved being the keeper for some famous Quidditch team and having attractive women fawn over him. These were two things he really didn't see happening. In reality, he didn't see himself anywhere. Earl was fifteen; should he know all this already?
"Honestly...I have no clue what I wanna do. I'm making graduation my goal right now. How 'bout you? What do you wanna do for the rest of your life?"
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Earl
Well, now that I've told you...
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Earl
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Nic
October 01, 2007 7:42 PM
Well, state the obvious :P by Nic
Nicoletta chuckled softly. Mackled Malaclaws were certainly not soft or cuddly. Besides, there seemed to be enough of bad luck going around without its aid. What they needed to learn in Care of Magical Creatures was about a good luck creature or perhaps one that granted wishes. Though, what to wish for would have certainly been a difficult decision. There were a million things that she could wish for. She supposed the top ranking one was to be someone else.Someone else, who was certain of their future. Someone else, who had a loving family. Someone else that had…She shook her head. It was a slippery slope that she was heading down, one that if she started, she wasn’t going to be able to stop from. Everything was just too much at the moment. She put a hand to her head, wanting to be able to push the thoughts out. Maybe a pensieve would be a consideration. She could put all the thoughts that she didn’t want to remember there. She couldn’t buy one since they were costly, but maybe Chris would for her. At least while they could still talk to one another.
Focusing back on Earl, she gave a weak smile, “I don’t know either.” She would have been happy just knowing what was going to happen within the next year.
\r\n\r\n
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Nic
Well, state the obvious :P
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Nic
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Earl
October 02, 2007 12:08 AM
Captain Obvious to the rescue! by Earl
Nodding in agreement, Earl stared down at the board. Who'd turn was it? After careful scrutinizing he realized it was his turn and made a random move. Maybe this was why he lost so much. He had no head for strategy."Bishop to C5." The bishop refused to go until Earl threatened it with his wand. It seemed to be the only thing to keep them in line. At least Nicoletta was doing fine with her pieces.
"Anyways, at least there's somebody here who has no idea what they're doing," Earl started again. "Why do we gotta choose what we want to be at fifteen? Muggles get to wait until at least 18 to decide on stuff like this. And then they go to college or work at McDonald's or something."
As he said this he wondered what it would have been like if he had stayed as a muggle. He'd still be friends with his old crowd, learning algebra, and eating horrible public school lunches. There would be no Quidditch. That settled things.
"Wow, my life is different now," he said more to himself than to Nicoletta, but loud enough for people to hear.
"Anyways," he said shaking the thoughts from his head. "You don't have any dreams of the future, Nic? No fantasies about ...I don't know...owning a pet shop or dating a humble, yet devilishly handsome Quidditch star?" Earl grinned.
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Earl
Captain Obvious to the rescue!
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Earl
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Nic
October 02, 2007 9:39 PM
*blinks* I needed rescued? by Nic
Muggles wait? McDonald’s? Nicoletta tilted her head in curiosity. “What’s McDonald’s? And do muggles really get longer?” There was so much she didn’t know about muggles. Now, that she was no longer concerned about maintaining the Pureblood status, she was free to find them utterly fascinating. She had already found their clothing acceptable, and with this the chessboard lay forgotten.Nicoletta gave a small snort at the thought of owning a pet shop. She might like small, cute animals, but she wouldn’t want to be responsible for so many lives. She could barely take care of herself any more, let alone others. As for the Quidditch player, she gave a wink, “Maybe, if he’s really handsome.”
But what were her fantasies? What did she dream? What did she want? She used to dream of falling in love with the one chosen for her. They would marry and live in a castle. She would have children. She would be the perfect wife and partner. They would be happy. Yet, those dreams were shattered. So, what new dreams would she have? She twirled a lock of hair around her index finger, as she chewed on her bottom lip in thought. Would she have similar ones or did she want something new?
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Nic
*blinks* I needed rescued?
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Nic
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Earl
October 04, 2007 4:51 PM
Only from bad grammar by Earl
"McDonald's?" Earl repeated, before realizing that Nicoletta was pureblood and had probably never heard of it. "McDonald's is a restaurant, to use the term loosely. It's where muggles work when they've hit the bottom rung of the job ladder." Earl shrugged and answered her second question. "Muggles just have a general course-load until they graduate...at 18."Earl sighed. It seemed to him that the wizarding world made a kid grow up faster than normal. The chess game completely forgotten, he began to turn his attention to the light glinting off Nicoletta's hair as she twirled it, but he heard her utter that last sentence. He grinned, shifting his gaze from her hair to her face.
"Well, he is. He's incredibly handsome...now you agree."
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Earl
Only from bad grammar
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Earl
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Nicoletta
October 05, 2007 7:55 PM
Well, then by Nicoletta
McDonald’s sounded horrible from Earl’s description. She was now the bottom rung. Would she be working there? It was quite possible. She didn’t see how she would survive the summer without getting a job, but working in a muggle establishment would pose several problems, such as the fact that she didn’t know how to count their money.She fought a sigh. How did she wind up here? Before this summer, she didn’t even have to count wizarding money. It was assumed that she would always have enough for whatever she wanted. Now, she was broke and pondering about work. Maybe Earl would be useful in her new education.
“What’s a general course load?” She asked. She didn’t think what they learned for the first five years was really specific towards a career.
’Well, he is. He’s incredibly handsome…now you agree.’
Nicoletta blushed at the bold statement. She fidgeted slightly and combed her hair with her hand. “I…uh…guess so.” She wondered if what she was doing was wrong. Should she really be flirting with Earl? But then, the reality sunk in. She didn’t have anyone.
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Nicoletta
Well, then
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Nicoletta
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Earl
October 07, 2007 4:34 PM
Did I offend you? by Earl
She was a funny girl, Earl admitted to himself. But the only reason he probably thought this way was because he rarely talked to the members of high pureblood society...unless he counted his aunts, who really didn't act all that uppity."Well, for us, a general course load is just all our classes. And when we take out CATs, we realize what we're good at and narrow down what classes we take in 6th year. But for muggles, you don't really have to narrow down your classes if you don't want to. You take all sorts of classes until you realize which ones sound like the kind of thing you'd want to do for a living. It's a pretty cool idea, if you think about it."
When Nic blushed, Earl grinned. He made the high-and-mighty Nicoletta Dupree blush. Today was actually turning out to be a pretty good day.
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Earl
Did I offend you?
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Earl
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Nic
October 08, 2007 1:16 AM
Only a little :P by Nic
From Earl’s description, muggle school was certainly different than wizarding society. It was hard to imagine a life different from the one she had led. Coming into Sonora, she had assumed that everyone was like her, though, she had heard about those that would be different from her parents. She had also learned that she was better than them. She knew now that wasn’t the case, but she had been young and impressionable at the time.What if she had been raised like Adam had? Would she still be with him? Would she have ever been with him? Would she have been her or someone else? It was such a confusing thing to think about. There were all these ‘what ifs’ swirling about in her head. If she had never known Adam, she might not be miserable now, because whoever had said it was better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all lied. She fought back an unhappy sigh at the thought.
Instead, she forced herself to give a cheeky smile to Earl. Getting up from her seat, she sauntered over to one of the armchairs. She dropped into the chair. Her legs, crossed, were propped up on the one arm. On the other, her head rested, causing her dark hair to spill all around her. Looking back at Earl with a mischievous look, she asked, “Hey, Earl, want to draw me?”
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Nic
Only a little :P
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Nic
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Earl
October 08, 2007 2:11 AM
Sorry. That was supposed to be quirky by Earl
Earl's eyes were fixed on Nicoletta as she walked from her seat across from him and situated herself on an armchair. And Earl had an urge to join her there. Instead he looked up in surprise when she asked if he wanted to draw her.Earl's stomach leapt to his throat as he was oddly reminded of that incredibly long, boring movie about the Titanic that April ha made him watch over the summer. Of course, the hot, redhead in the movie had been naked. Earl tried not to think of that particular point.
Blushing slightly, he grinned and stood up, heading for the boy's staircase. "Yeah, sure. Lemme just get my things...uh...you prefer pencils or charcoal?"
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Earl
Sorry. That was supposed to be quirky
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Earl
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Nicoletta
October 08, 2007 2:53 AM
It's okay. Wasn't sure. Internet communications and all. by Nicoletta
Nicoletta’s blue eyes were fixed on him, watching him intently. Her finger was on her cheek, as though she were thinking about the question. Then, after a moment, she gave a grin and said, “I don’t know which is better. You pick.”While waiting, she placed one hand over her stomach. The butterflies were raging inside. She was unsure of what she was getting herself into. She had been drawn and painted before. There were various portraits throughout her…her parents’ home, but this was different. Earl was a teenage boy that would be viewing possibly her every feature from every angle. He might even get very close. The possibilities ran through her mind. Maybe she was just worrying over nothing. She tried to convince herself of this.
But she just couldn’t shake off the feeling that what she was doing was wrong. Why though? Last year, she hadn’t felt guilty over being with Adam and she had been promised to someone else! She wasn’t with anyone now. Adam was with Dalila and Lucien, well, she couldn’t care less. So, what was this nagging feeling? If she was truthful with herself, she knew the answer. Earl would only ever get what Lucien did. Her heart already belonged to someone, whether or not she wanted it to, and his belonged to another. She gave a sigh. Love was just the pits sometimes.
When Earl returned, pushing down any resisting urges, she gave a grin. “Do you want me to move? Maybe sit up instead or in a certain pose?”
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Nicoletta
It's okay. Wasn't sure. Internet communications and all.
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Nicoletta
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Earl
October 08, 2007 10:35 PM
The internet is not the best way to emote by Earl
She didn't decide, so Earl turned around and headed up the staircase, wondering which medium would be best. He got to his room and began rummaging through his trunk, looking for his drawing supplies. Finally he pulled out a sketch pad and a box of charcoal pencils. Deciding that was all he needed, Earl raced back downstairs.Nic was still lying on the chair just as he left her, but once he got near, she grinned.
“Do you want me to move?"
Earl looked up from his pencils and scrutinized the girl in front of him. "No, don't move." Earl said after a moment's thought. He set aside his things and walked over. Crouching down low to get to eye-level with Nic, he grinned and brushed a piece of her hair away from her face.
"I want you right there, so don't move a muscle." He gave Nic a small grin and grabbed his things from the table. Pulling a piece of charcoal from his box, Earl began trying to capture Nicoletta on paper.
It was a bit disconcerting; usually his drawing subjects didn't stare at him as he drew them. Most of the people he drew didn't know it. He would draw people as they talked to friends in the common room, or while they were reading in the library, or during class. Only Eavan had ever asked him to draw her. April didn't even know he drew.
He continued to draw her, trying to perfect the picture. He was a little nervous. She would be judging this. What if he drew her and she thought it was ugly? What if she started crying like Asher had done? That was just plain embarrassing.
After a good half hour of drawing and not saying much, he looked up at his subject.
"You getting bored?" he asked with a grin before taking a big breath and turning the drawing around so Nicoletta could see it.
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Earl
The internet is not the best way to emote
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Earl
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Nic
October 10, 2007 12:15 AM
Tis the truth by Nic
When Earl touched her, Nicoletta tensed without meaning to. Earl was new, unfamiliar and her guard was still up. It would probably be that way for a while. She tried making herself relax. Earl was just going to be drawing her. They weren’t doing anything else.Staying still actually proved to be easy. Her gaze rested on Earl, but her mind was elsewhere, lost in memories and daydreams. She missed him so much it hurt, but there were times, like this one, that she just liked to think of the breakup as never having happened. That she were still with him and there had never been a Lucien. It was all fantasy, she knew it deep down, but it was a nice escape from reality.
’You getting bored?’
Nicoletta regarded Earl with a note of surprise. She hadn’t realized much time had passed. When he turned the picture around, she gave a gasp. It was amazing! Jumping off the chair, she ran over to get a better look. “Wow,” she breathed. Excited, she impulsively hugged him.
Realizing what she had done, she pulled back, blushing furiously. “I’m sorry. I just…it…thank you,” she managed, her blue eyes focused on the floor.
Why was she suddenly feeling so shy? This wasn’t like her. If it had been, she never would have kissed Adam in the library that day. Maybe, she was better like this, being uncertain of everything, of everyone. Then, she wouldn’t have known Adam. She would have gone about her planned life. She wouldn’t have to feel like this. She didn’t want to feel like this. The pain was just too much. She wanted to forget, just forget. Erase it all.
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Nic
Tis the truth
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Nic
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Earl
October 11, 2007 12:03 AM
The truth will set you free by Earl
Earl grinned when she saw how happy Nic was about the pciture. This was so much better than watching Asher frown as his Christmas present. He breathed a sigh of relief. But when Nic hugged him, it caught Earl unawares. He sucked in his breath, as she wrapped her arms around him. She smelled good.When she let go and began apologizing, Earl tried to stifle a chuckle. This was the Nicoletta, who, just last year would stare daggers at him and flounce about the school as though she owned the place. This was the Nicoletta who stood before him with her eyes on the floor, stuttering apologies and thanking him drawing her a picture. Biting the inside of his cheek, Earl stood up and walked over to Nic.
He looked down at her, grinning. Carefully, he put a finger beneath her chin and guided it up, so she was looking at him directly. "You know, you never have to apologize for hugging me." Earl then sunk his head down and pressed his lips against Nicoletta's.
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Earl
The truth will set you free
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Earl
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Nic
October 11, 2007 8:29 PM
Well, let's try it by Nic
When Earl tilted her head up, she knew what was coming, but she felt powerless to stop it. She wasn’t even sure that she wanted to. In only a moment, his lips were on hers. She responded eagerly enough, letting herself get lost. She wasn’t Nicoletta Dupree. She was someone else, someone who only existed in this moment, someone who was free to enjoy the tenderness of first kisses and first loves.Her hands reached up to intertwine into his hair, wanting to deepen the kiss, but when she did, everything rushed back, who she was, who she was with, and where they were. Breaking the kiss, she placed her hands on his chest, pushing him away feebly, as she began to cry. She pressed her head against him.
“I-I-I’m sorry,” she sobbed into Earl’s shirt. “I just…just got out of a rel-relationship. Y-you don’t want to get…get involved with me.” She couldn’t stop now that she had started. It all came pouring out. “I-I w-was seeing two guys. The one broke up with me and I broke up with the other. I’m…I’m in love with Adam.” She didn’t realize she had said his name, but it didn’t matter. No more secrets. “Lucien just wanted to-to-to use me. Everything is such a mess. No one lov-ves me, not even my pa-parents. I’m being disowned!”
Most of it hadn’t been coherent, but she felt a little better, having gotten it all out there. She felt his shirt, which was all wet from her tears. “I’m sorry.” She seemed to be saying that a lot and suspected that she would be saying it for a while.
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Nic
Well, let's try it
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Nic
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Earl
October 13, 2007 6:31 PM
I'll try anything once by Earl
When Nic kissed him back, he felt as though the common room were filled with a cheering crowd. It was a good sensation, but good things never last. Suddenly he felt the hands move from his hair to his chest, pushing him away. And then she began to cry. Earl looked at the girl, confusion etched in every part of his face.Why did girls have to be so emotional? They were perfectly fine making out, one second and the next, Nic has her head against his chest, sobbing.
"Wha-" he said began but was cut off by an explanation from Nic. Good. He listened because she was holding him there and he really didn't want to make her cry more. But he was incredibly uncomfortable with the goings on. He was just glad that the crowd he had imagined was fake, and the only thing in the common room besides them was a cat snoozing on a chair by the fire.
So he listened and wondered whether she meant Adam, that cool guy in Crotalus that he had spoken to a couple times, or Adam the weird kid in fourth year who was scared of his own shadow. He just answered his own question.
And she was being disowned. Earl had never appreciated his family more. His mother's side was pureblood, but they'd never disown anyone. Automatically, he put his arms around her at her second apology. It was strange, but he felt like he had to. It felt like he was comforting Eavan. But not.
Here was this girl, who felt all alone in the world. If Earl could just prove she wasn't alone, then maybe she'd stop crying. He really didn't like it when girls cried.
Earl had no idea what to say. He wasn't good with things like this. Even Eavan knew that Earl was only there as a shoulder to cry on when she had a problem. Words weren't his forte. So, he just held her tighter and murmured "Don't be sorry. You got nothing to be sorry for."
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Earl
I'll try anything once
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Earl
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5