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fandomtownies2013-03-27 07:02 pm
notacokeperson.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomtownies2013-03-27 07:02 pm
Entry tags:
The Preserve, Wednesday Early Evening
Today… today was something and Karina was blaming the island. It was the only reason she had for, when her manager had asked her how she was doing, she'd gone off into a tirade about all the petty, niggling little things that had been bugging her.
Karina was pretty sure he was never going to ask her how she was doing ever again.
Once she'd gotten off the phone with him, Karina had talked to herself (feeling like a total loser) long enough to get a grasp on what the hell was going on. Truth. Whenever she tried to lie, she couldn't.
Worse, it was like she couldn't shut up about the truth.
After getting tired of hiding in her room, Karina had made it to the Perk, gotten a hot chocolate (snapping at the barista about how it wasn't a nice day and no thanks for asking), and from there had decided that discretion was the better part of valor.
It was tempting to head off to the mainland but Karina didn't really want to tell strangers her truths any more than she wanted to tell… well, anyone else. So she headed to the preserve instead.
If she said anything, it would be to the teal deer, and that was way less damaging than all the other options. After all, it wasn’t like they could talk.
… Right?
Oh god, what if they did?
Karina decided that, even if the deer could, it was better than, like, her classmates. The preserve was a sanctuary.
Okay, truth compelled her to concede it was really a hiding spot. Shut up.
[Open, sure!]
Karina was pretty sure he was never going to ask her how she was doing ever again.
Once she'd gotten off the phone with him, Karina had talked to herself (feeling like a total loser) long enough to get a grasp on what the hell was going on. Truth. Whenever she tried to lie, she couldn't.
Worse, it was like she couldn't shut up about the truth.
After getting tired of hiding in her room, Karina had made it to the Perk, gotten a hot chocolate (snapping at the barista about how it wasn't a nice day and no thanks for asking), and from there had decided that discretion was the better part of valor.
It was tempting to head off to the mainland but Karina didn't really want to tell strangers her truths any more than she wanted to tell… well, anyone else. So she headed to the preserve instead.
If she said anything, it would be to the teal deer, and that was way less damaging than all the other options. After all, it wasn’t like they could talk.
… Right?
Oh god, what if they did?
Karina decided that, even if the deer could, it was better than, like, her classmates. The preserve was a sanctuary.
Okay, truth compelled her to concede it was really a hiding spot. Shut up.
[Open, sure!]
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And then Sparkle was pulling Velcro from the bag entirely, and hugging him to his shoulder.
And then letting go.
Naturally, Velcro stuck there.
"Cutest cat on the whole fucking island."
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Karina’s lips twitched, then she was smiling for the first time that day since she’d realized the whole truth-issue. “I see why you called him Velcro.”
It was pretty obvious.
“Can’t disagree with you about the cute factor either.”
So… congratulations?
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In the face of crappy moods and cranky teenagers, it would always be the cute kitten to come out on top.
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“I don’t want to ruin your shirt,” Karina said, still smiling. “Will he cling for a long time? Or does he get bored?”
But the second bit, she didn’t really know. “I don’t have a pet.”
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Yeah. That wasn't something Sparkle usually shared. Ever.
"He'll cling until I take him off, anyhow. I think he just kinda likes it there. Little claws like freaking needles, though." Ow. "No pet, huh? You allergic or something?"
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She did give into the temptation to lean over to get a better look though. So sue her, the kitty had the upper hand. “No allergies,” she said, “my family just never really considered it. Mom and Dad and I are too busy to have one at home.”
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It was short-lived, though. He shrugged and reached up to pick the kitty claws out of his shoulder, one-by-one.
"Yeah? That makes sense, I guess. Velcro's my first pet, anyhow. Not sure if I'll get to keep him after I graduate, but that's a few years off. He's good company until then. You like cats?"
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Because otherwise they’d probably still be hurling insults at one another.
Ah, socializing.
"I mean, besides people who are allergic and shit. THey've got excuses." And, oh hell, he probably didn’t want her to ask but: “Why wouldn’t you get to keep him after grad?”
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"Group home," he replied, his tone flat, now. "I'm one of those homeless kids they write about in the newspapers, all underprivileged with no hope of a decent future because society failed them, or something like that."
Flat. Flat. He clearly did not want to be sharing this. He actually looked very visibly annoyed that his mouth was moving and words were coming out of it, as he relayed that information.
"Which I'm only telling you because you asked and this island is a fucking jerk, I don't just run around crying about that and I don't want anybody's pity, you got that? I'll scream if someone tries to get all pity-party on me, here. Just cuddle the cat, he's cute."
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Then Karina took the cat.
After all, he was right, the cat was super cute.
And now she felt sorta bad for asking. Only sorta though.
“Stupid question,” she said, “but why go back?”
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Talking about this stressed him out.
"I can get by in realities like mine. But I only exist in realities like mine. I don't have, like, birth certificates, government files, whatever, anywhere else. I'd just be in the same position all over again. You need all that stuff to go to... like... real schools. To get real jobs. To get an apartment and health care and a car and a life. It would be easy if I went to space or Fairyland or the end of the world or something, but I'm not in any hurry to die."
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“And, no, I didn’t mean that,” Karina continued, frowning a little. “I meant, okay, so you’ve got to go back to that world. That makes sense to me. Government red tape is ugly. But you’ve got the time here to get the education to maybe get a scholarship or a student loan in one of your schools and go do something else. I know classes are weird as fuck here but you can sign up for normal online classes and the library’s got free computers for use. Why not take advantage of that, I meant?”
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"Normal online classes that have nothing to do with this messed-up school cost money or something, don't they? I'm working two jobs but part-time money doesn't go that far, and I'm crap at actual academics. Like, I can read okay if I really try but math is way beyond me, and it's not like there are math teachers I can go to around here for help. Tutors cost even more. I could probably fake my way through French if I knew more than how to sing Happy Birthday."
He needed to just take a moment and not talk, now. It was way more important to kind of haul his ass around to the other side of the nosy girl and light his cigarette, visibly perturbed.
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“Are you crap because you’ve never been properly taught or because you think you’re worthless and can’t go any further?”
This was a super unfair conversation. Karina still wasn't feeling particularly sorry for it though. He could turn the tables on her at any time.
“And I’m pretty sure if you needed a tutor you could find one that worked for free here. Sob story at them. They’d fall over themselves to help. That Evan kid in the library would probably be thrilled.”
Evan was not Karina’s most favorite person ever. Still.
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"I'm crap because I missed more classes growing up than I actually made it to, and was thrown from school to school so much I didn't actually learn fuck-all until I was taken away from my family."
God damn it.
"I don't want to talk about it." His family. No. Big, thick line in the sand, no. "I know someone who works in the library, though. I guess I could talk to Sholeh, see if she can help with... I don't know... studying..."
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"I'd offer to help," Karina said. "But I don't know that I like you enough to bother with the amount of effort that would be."
God, the idea made her shudder.
"Which is kind of a shame because you could pay me with letting me cuddle Velcro and random smoothie buying."
... That was true. Sadly. She sulkily took a sip of her hot chocolate.
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"See and there's why it pays to be able to lie," he decided. "I totally would've drafted you for study help if all you were asking for were friggin' smoothies and quality time with my cat."
Seriously. Easy.
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Honestly, Karina. You were kind of doomed, now.
"So if I don't, like, chicken out and I actually manage to register for online classes in... I dunno... something, you know I'm totally gonna pester you if I have problems. And I'll have problems."