Just flying about [Tag:Nic] on Quidditch Pitch

Earl Valentine

November 05, 2008 3:27 PM

Just flying about [Tag:Nic] by Earl Valentine

OOC: Sorry this took so long. The Fates have decided that I don't deserve internet.

BIC:
It was close to the end of the school year. Earl should've been studying for all the tests he had to take, but he decided to take a not-so well earned study break. For all the years he was on the Quidditch team, he rarely flew for no reason. It was always practice, practice, practice and he never got the time to enjoy the rush of the warm air as he traced figure eights around the pitch as he did now.

He was soon mesmerized by the methodical motion of his broom and had taken to staring idly out at the desert that lay beyond the school. After a good half hour of this, Earl had started to fall asleep on his broom(never a good idea) and had started to descend when he spotted a lone figure on the ground, no broom in hand. Wondering what someone would be doing on the Quidditch Pitch right before finals without a broom, he landed about 20 feet away and got a closer look.

"Nic," he said before biting his tongue and walking over. He kept on telling himself that he was over her, that he was happy that she found someone she loved, or what ever it was. But inside he knew the truth. He didn't really want to be with her anymore, but the way she just up and left him was a serious ego bruiser. He hadn't really gotten over that little humiliation. He had spent the entire year trying his best to avoid her and her boyfriend and despite being in the same class as one or the other or both, he felt he had done a rather good job of it.

Of course now there was a different story. Here he was standing just a few feet away from her with no other distractions and all he wanted to do was run. But what would it look like, Earl running from a girl? Very emasculating. So, he took a deep breath and crossed the gap between them.

"Hey," he said rather blandly, trying to be nonchalant. "What brings you all the way out here?"

0 Earl Valentine Just flying about [Tag:Nic] 67 Earl Valentine 1 5

Nicoletta Dupree

November 07, 2008 11:37 PM

Just walking about by Nicoletta Dupree

Ever since Nicoletta had had that with Earl the tension had been thick it could have been cut with a knife. Perhaps, it was selfish of her, but she had hoped that they could have stayed friends. What they were now, she didn’t know what she would call it, but friendship was out of the list. Part of it was her fault. She knew this. Even though, logically speaking, she did nothing wrong, she felt like she did, and because of this, she had been avoiding Earl, which did not help to establish friendship lines. She kept telling herself that she would try and talk to him, but she never did. She had all year to talk to him and she never did. What was wrong with her?

As a way to try and justify the avoidance, she had begun walking around the school. Most times, she avoided the Quidditch pitch, because there were usually practices going on. This time, however, she allowed her feet to carry her there. As she got closer, she realized that there was someone flying. She was about to leave so she wouldn’t bother the person, but then noticed who it actually was. Earl. There was no more choice. There would be no more avoidance. She took a deep breath and willed her feet to stay glued to the ground while she watched him land and come towards her. Was it too late to turn back? No, he had already seen her. Besides, she was Nicoletta Dupree. She didn’t have a reputation for fleeing with her tail between her legs. She wasn’t about to start now.

’What brings you all the way out here?’

“You,” she said boldly, her eyes meeting his. She had always been bold. It was a trait that both worked to her advantage and got her into trouble. She was wondering which one it would be now. “I was hoping that we could talk.” She shuffled her feet a bit in nervousness. Would he be willing to listen? Or would he just laugh her off? She really wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to talk, especially after the last time they did. She had tried to explain to him that she needed time to think. During their time together, she had always been honest that she wasn’t past Adam, but she had told Earl that now she needed the time to be able to get over him and she had tried to. After a month or so at school, she had even been ready to have the final conversation with Adam, the one where everything was ended between them. It hadn’t quite worked out that way, but she had made a valiant effort.

Merlin, how that must have looked to Earl regardless of how much time was lapsed between her talk with Earl and her talk with Adam, a good couple months, but still, she knew as well as anyone, better than most, really, how long it took to heal. Her hand rubbed her temple. Had she been callous? Probably. It was so much like the way she used to be. It had become her greatest fear that she could turn back into the person she was and she knew she feared it for the wrong reason. She wanted to be the better person, because of Adam. Not because, she was changing herself for him, but that she wanted to continue to be the nicer side of herself, the one he brought out in her, the one he deserved to see. Yet, how could she be that person and this person too?

She felt like if she didn’t try to make it right, then the better person was a lie. She cleared her throat, before saying what she needed to say. “Earl, you probably don’t want to hear this, but for what it’s worth, I am sorry. I messed everything up. I should never have kissed you, because all I did was drag you into my life drama. But I can’t take it back now. All I can do is apologize and hope you forgive me.” Nicoletta paused for a moment to let it sink in, before adding in the rest, “I wouldn’t want to take it all back anyhow. You were there for me when I was lost. You were my friend. I don’t want to lose you. I want us to still be able to be friends and I don’t mean the kind where we say we’re going to be friends, but really be friends. I miss you.”

0 Nicoletta Dupree Just walking about 64 Nicoletta Dupree 0 5

Earl

November 08, 2008 7:10 PM

Just talking about... by Earl

It was just like Nic to be this direct, and Earl knew that, but that one little one had so much force behind it, he almost stepped back as though that one syllable was a physcial blow. maybe it was the intensity of her eyes. He hadn't actually made eye contact with her in months. Then she said she wanted to talk. Earl scrutinized her. Talk? He really didn't want to talk. To Nic anyways. She'd just bring up the past. The past was dead and gone, but Nic dragged it around like a cherished toy.

But she looked upset. What if she and that guy had broken up. Earl didn't hope that they would get back together. He didn't want that. He just wanted to forget Nic. But Earl wasn't mean; he shrugged and said "Free country. Talk away."

Sorry? She was sorry? Earl huffed. The only times 'sorry' was needed were the times when it wasn't enough. And to say that she should have never kissed him sounded cruel. Like she should've stayed away from him. Like he was the cause of all her problems. He set his jaw in a hard line, willing himself to let her finish before storming off. But then wshe said that she wouldn't take it back. Earl's face relaxed in a moment of confusion. He'd never understand girls. She wished she'd never kissed him, but she doesn't want to take it back? And she still wants to be friends? Earl was way past being friends.

"I'm sorry too. Sorry that I let it go on as long as it did. I knew I should've just backed out when I..." he stopped, not wanting to let Nic know exactly how he felt. It was embarrassing. "I can't believe you still think we can be friends. You humiliated me! Like you said, I was there for you when you were lost." Earl had been yelling a moment before, but now it had gone down to a malicious whisper.

"But I guess I was just a stop on your way home, huh. Nicoletta, you use people. You use them to create your 'life drama'." He used air quotes. "Is your life that boring or awful that you have to resort to making your own drama to make you feel better? Cause that's what homeless people do, Nic. You ever see them talking to themselves? That cause their lives suck so much that make up imaginary lives so they don't have to think about how much their lives suck." Earl stopped, suddenly. His voice had gotten pretty loud and he was sure he was scaring Nic. Good. Maybe she'll leave him alone after this. He dropped back down to a normal voice, though it was more dejected than malicious.

"I'm not gonna accept your apology, but I'll give you my pity. Most people have crappy lives, but you're one of the few who feels that their's is somehow worse. It's not. It's just like everyone elses and you can't see that. Even without all that money and those facy prospects, you're still a princess inside." Earl stayed silent this time. He had been talking to her for a while now and he was feeling a little emotionally drained. He took a deep breath and stared sadly into Nic's eyes.

"Is there anything more you need to say?"

0 Earl Just talking about... 0 Earl 0 5

Nicoletta

November 08, 2008 9:56 PM

Just seething about... by Nicoletta

Nicoletta couldn’t help, but cringe as Earl twisted her words. Automatically, she crossed her arms around herself in protective gesture, as though to shield herself for what was to come next. It would not be pretty to say the least. She glanced down at his chest, not wanting to make eye contact anymore. She didn’t think she could handle the look in his face along with the pitch of his voice that had gone from yelling to a harsh undertone, but that changed when he told her that she used people. Her head snapped up and she met his gaze once more, but this time there was no sadness in her eyes. There was only anger, but she stayed silent until the end, letting him have his say.

“Yes, you got one thing right, Earl. I am a princess, inside and out,” she stressed the last word, but to make her meaning perfectly clear, she added, “I’m going home at the end of term. Not home to my aunt and uncle’s, but really home.” She paused a moment allowing the information to sink in for both of them. She still wasn’t quite used to the idea and she had been given far longer to process it. Chris had come to her about a couple months ago to tell her everything that had been going on, that he was now the Head of family, a bit earlier than he was supposed to be, and that she was welcome to come back if she chose to. As emotionally draining as it was, she needed to go home.

She hadn’t told anyone, but Adam, until now that she was going home. She wasn’t even sure why she hadn’t other than she was being cautious. She didn’t know what was going to happen when she did. For all she knew, it could truly be the final time she would return home, but none of this was said. No, she had made mention of returning to make a point. “Yes, I get to have money and fancy prospects once more, but despite that, I’m here trying to make things right with you. Doesn’t that say anything to you? Doesn’t it say that you matter, even just a little, and that I wasn’t using you?”

So far everything Nicoletta had said was mostly serving in trying to get Earl to understand that he did mean more to her than just someone who had happened to be there, even if that’s how it had started. But even trying to be good, she couldn’t help putting that fact out there, “And while I am sorry, you can’t say that I used you. I was honest from the very beginning. You knew what you were getting into. I told you that I loved Adam. Do you think that I could just stop? Do think I didn’t try to stop? Don’t you think that I wanted to stop? I did. I wanted to let him go so much, because of how much it hurt. I wanted someone to be able to take the pain away and yes, that someone was you, but don’t ever say that I used you. You could have said no.”

She stopped her tirade there. If she went on, she would just end up screaming at him for saying that she wanted to create life dramas, for thinking that she had it worse than others, and for wanting to pity her. If she wanted any of those things, then she could have told everyone the secret that she harbored, one that she didn’t even tell her best friends. When people saw her and Adam, there was no doubt they saw a happy couple and for the most part, they were, but there were the things that others didn’t see. Others may have guessed that Adam wasn’t perfectly healthy, but they didn’t know the truth. He was dying and she was facing that end with him. But she kept her promise just as she always had and always would, because she loved him. He was in her heart.

She couldn’t control who she loved, but she had never meant to hurt Earl because of it. She wished that he could understand that, but it was seemingly obvious that he didn’t. She wasn’t sure if she should continue trying or let it go. She nearly sighed, but bit it back. No, she would try again. She was a Dupree and a Dupree never gave up. They were persistent, sometimes to a fault. “Earl, no one knows what happened between us,” she started, addressing his feel of humiliation. “I mean, no one knows who ended what or such. Tell people that you ended things with me if it’ll help your pride that much.” She hadn’t meant to end it on a bitter note, but, oh, well. Pride got everyone in trouble.

0 Nicoletta Just seething about... 0 Nicoletta 0 5

Earl

November 10, 2008 9:57 PM

Just fuming about... by Earl

Home? Earl started at the word. How could she be going home? Earl had thought that getting kicked out of a family was a big deal; a forever kind of decision. However, Earl's curiosity wasn't going to get the better of him. He stewed as he waited for Nic to finish yelling at him. Here he was, trying to free himself from the stress of classes and now this.

"Please, you're only apologizing because you felt bad about it. If you hadn't noticed, I spent a better part of the year trying to ignore the fact that you exist. I think if you really cared about me, you would've gotten the hint and kept your distance." Earl felt himself becoming very angry. All the feelings he had suppressed were coming to the surface. It wasn't a good feeling. Whoever said, talking about it made it better, had never really talked before.

But Nic's stint on Adam made some of the anger become displaced with something else. He'd never been in love unless this was it, and if it was, it sucked. He somehow didn't think this was anything close to what real love was. So, he was a little at a loss to counter with anything. He stumbled over his words, before finding something to say. "Do you know how hard it is to say no to you? Has anyone ever said no to you, Nic?" Earl lowered his voice, blushing a little, though it went away fairly quickly.

"Hey, I can be humiliated without an audience!" he started up again, but stopped and went over his words in his head. That didn't sound right somehow, but he decided to ignore that part and continued. However, the need to yell has dissipated, replaced with a need to stare at the ground and kick at a clump of grass with his foot. "You know you hurt more than my pride when you went back to Adam."

0 Earl Just fuming about... 0 Earl 0 5

Nicoletta

November 11, 2008 6:29 PM

Just apologizing about... by Nicoletta

Nicoletta’s lips parted as though she was going to say something, but it was more because she was stunned. Realizing that she probably looked like some sort of gaping fish, she quickly closed her mouth. Earl wasn’t completely wrong. To some degree, she was apologizing to make herself feel better, which made her a selfish person. He was right. She had purposely ignored the hints to keep her distance on a permanent basis. The corners of her mouth turned down in thought. Did it mean that she really didn’t care about him?

No, that wasn’t the case. She did. It was just that she believed that things could be resolved by talking. She wasn’t sure if this was a fault or not, however, and supposed that it depended on the situation. She used to try and talk things out with Adam, but the only thing that had ever happened was their penchant for arguing with each other. Yet, at some point, it had turned to actual discussion. She wasn’t quite sure when or why it had. Maybe it was just from experience, the whole part of growing up.

At Earl’s question, Nicoletta looked down, biting her lip. The honest answer was yes. One person had truly told her no. Adam. It had driven her crazy, but had sparked a new level of interest in him. It was quite possibly the first time that she had considered him more than a secret fling, because while she hadn’t liked hearing the word no, he had earned her respect. It was why she there was no question about where he stood when they had gotten back together. But to Earl, she wouldn’t say any of that. “Not really,” she replied with a slight shrug, as though it weren’t really that important.

Her mouth twitched wanting to grin at the oddity of the statement, but she behaved. She didn’t think it would be a very good idea to let on that she was amused when she was still trying to apologize and was certainly far from forgiveness, especially when the real root of the problem came to light. “Oh,” she mouthed, understanding how he felt. She remembered how she felt when Adam turned her down for Dalila. Not thinking and following a more instinctual reaction to comfort, she closed the gap between them and put her arms around him in a hug. The side of her face was close to his, so her lips were near his ear, “I never wanted to hurt you. I’m sorry.”

0 Nicoletta Just apologizing about... 0 Nicoletta 0 5

Earl

November 11, 2008 7:02 PM

Just....about.... by Earl

It had been a hypothetical question, wondering if anyone had ever said 'no' to Nic, but he wasn't that surprised when she gave an answer. It just proved his point. Somehow it didn't make him feel the least bit better. He continued to kick the ground.

Earl barely had time to look back up when he saw Nic move forward and wrap her arms around him. Earl stiffened up, staring straight ahead as he listened to her apologize again. Her breath on his ear made him shiver. He didn't even want to breath. He hadn't been this close to any girl, let alone Nic, in all this time. his instinct was to hug back but he put it off, wondering if he really was over her.

"Nic..." he started, but then stopped. He really didn't have anything to say. What he really wanted to do was kiss her, but suddenly thoughts of her boyfriend filtered through the haze. He let Nic hug him for another few seconds before struggling free and holding Nic at arms length. "You've apologized. Can you just leave me alone now?" He said this with a strained voice. Like part of him didn't want to say it.

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Nic

November 11, 2008 8:46 PM

Just... by Nic

He didn’t push her away immediately. That was good. It was progress, right? He didn’t completely hate her, right? But soon enough, Earl was asking her to leave him alone. Nicoletta’s brow wrinkled. He hadn’t actually accepted her apology and friends didn’t leave friends alone, which meant that they were still where they started. She pulled in her lip while she pondered what more she could possibly say. She was being stubborn about the whole matter now, because she hadn’t gotten what she wanted. Was that what was driving her so much or was it something else?

No, it had to be something else. If it was just because she wasn’t getting her way, then she was being childish and temperamental. Was she being? It didn’t feel like it. At least, she didn’t think so. She cared about Earl and wanted to be able to hang out with him like before minus the kissing. She wanted him to be happy, not like he was now. A small voice told her that she should leave him alone, but then there was the other side, the one that felt as though they hadn’t reached any real conclusion, even if it were in the form of closure.

“No, I can’t leave you alone,” Nicoletta told him stubbornly. Her jaw was set in that way that said she was determined. “Earl, is this really the way it’s going to be? I thought that we were friends. Was that a lie? I know that I caused you pain, but I’m only human. I’m not perfect. But part of being friends is looking past the imperfections. It’s being able to forgive each other and continue on. Am I that easy to castaway?” She knew it was an unfair question, because she already knew the answer, even if it wasn’t said. “I can’t just toss you aside. If I could, I wouldn’t give a damn what you thought or if you ever talked to me again, but more importantly, I don’t want to. So, tell me, is this it?”

0 Nic Just... 0 Nic 0 5

Earl

November 11, 2008 9:00 PM

Just? by Earl

Her jaw was set. Earl could see in her eyes that she wasn't giving in and leaving. Nic hadn't needed to say a word. Earl stayed silent, wondering what he could say to make her understand. but nothing came to mind. The only thing that came was what if he accepted her apology. It would be a lie, but he could get her off his back. And then he'd have to spend the next year pretending to be okay with everything. It could work. What was one year?

"We were friends, Nic. But things change. And Merlin knows you're imperfect, but that's what drew me to you. You got off that high horse and stopped trying to be perfect. The major problem is that it has nothing to do with you." Earl stared at Nic, a little confused at what had just come out of his mouth. What did he mean it had nothing to do with her? Earl sighed, fed up with feeling like this.

"It's my problem and you gotta let me deal with this myself. Trust me, if you were easy to cast away, I would be feeling as crappy as I do right now. Just, just give me the summer or something. You know, some time to forgive. I never really tried to forgive you before...it was more of a forgetting process." Earl smirked. That forgetting thing went awfully well.

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