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Post by NEELANJAN MARTIN on Oct 25, 2013 7:43:19 GMT -8
He was a hot mess, a damn kid. He walked the walk and talked the talk but barely knew who he was. In many ways, he came across as more confident than the people around him-- and he was. In fact, you wouldn't have been wrong to call him arrogant. But the events of recent years had changed that, had changed him. They'd morphed him into someone who doubted, someone who thought, someone who actually looked before he leaped. He knew that he was still better than many of the people around him, but there were still mountains of people ahead. It was just a matter of what measure you used.
(He still needed to learn that sometimes it wasn't necessary to use any measure at all.)
But he was in Los Angeles now. A new city, a new chance, time to start anew. And as he walked through Main Street USA with the girl who he considered his only real friend, he couldn't help but smile. This was his new beginning, time for him to do what he'd always felt like he was meant to. He could change his life. He could change his path.
That was, if he didn't mess up.
Bright blue eyes drifted towards the sky as he jostled through the crowd, beckoning for Kris to follow. "Come here!" he exclaimed. "Just push through with me-- we'll get a better spot." Tonight, they would enjoy themselves, and lose themselves to symbols of childhood.
__________
May 18th, 9:00 pm
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Post by KRISTEN MAYOR on Oct 25, 2013 11:05:01 GMT -8
The day had been a blast, and she had enjoyed every minute of it. It had been crowded, sure, but it was Disney; it would have been crowded no matter what day of the week they had gone. The rides had been fun, the food had been excellent, and the face characters they met throughout the day had been perfectly in-character. Call it hometown pride, though, but Kris decided DisneyWorld was better. But still, Disney Land was impressive, so it got 5 out of 5 stars in her books.
They thought they had plenty of time when they got in line for Space Mountain. There had been an hour left before the fireworks started, after all, they had more than enough time for one more quick ride on the coaster before the show started. They hadn't anticipated just how long the line would be, though, or how slow- by the time they exited the ride, they were just minutes away from the fireworks finale that Disney parks were renown for. Main Street was the best place to watch from, but now the streets were full to bursting with people everywhere.
It was enough to make anyone's head spin, especially with strangers' bodies pressing in from all sides. Kris was in no way claustrophobic, but even she felt a little queasy as she jostled her way after Neil. Oh yeah, sure, 'come here,' like there wasn't a sea of people all around them trying to do the exact same thing they were: find a good spot to watch the fireworks. Crowds were intense, okay, and she wasn't about to elbow her way through a family just to follow Neil.
For half a second, she considered grabbing his hand so they couldn't get separated, but decided against it; instead, she opted to asking him, a bemused smile on her lips, "And just where are you taking us, oh fearless leader?" |
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Post by NEELANJAN MARTIN on Oct 26, 2013 5:06:52 GMT -8
There had to be somewhere else that they could watch the fireworks from. Neil knew that there had to be-- there was no way that this was the best vantage point, where the ground was flat and the place was stuffed to bursting. It didn't make any sense. Besides, there was no chance to get any form of privacy here. Without thinking, a hand reached over and tugged at the other's somewhat impatiently. A frown crossed his brow as he turned towards her, tone unusually serious, a little irritable maybe.
"Don't leave me, okay?"
It probably had more meaning than it should have. She was his only friend, after all; he was starting to meet people that he liked in the area, and there were definitely others who he thought were pretty interesting. However, she was the only person who he'd known for a long enough time and in enough depth that he'd consider her more than a passing acquaintance. Neil wasn't a gregarious person by nature-- Kris was one of the few people who he believed to actually know him. In fact, she might have been the only person outside of his family who did at all. But he decided not to elaborate. It would be pathetic, wouldn't it, for him to admit that she was his only friend? Blue eyes scanned the vicinity, and caught sight of a higher mound in the distance, a little further away from where the fireworks would be. He tugged at Kris' hand again, smiling this time.
"Don't let go. I wouldn't want to lose you in this mess." With that, he began in that direction. It was a little further away, but at least they wouldn't be suffocated by seas and seas of people. He didn't want to have his voice, his very being drowned out by the background noise.
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Post by KRISTEN MAYOR on Oct 26, 2013 6:11:15 GMT -8
His hand closing around her's made her blink in surprise, before a small smile curled the edges of her lips. She'd have to be careful- what if Neil was a mindreader? Now that was a scary thought; on top of being insanely smart, he could also read thoughts? That was some Professor X shit right there. His next words were not very Professor X at all, however, and his tone took her aback a bit. Why in the world would she leave him? They came to the park together, it'd be silly to abandon him now. Besides, they were friends, and friends didn't leave friends right before the fireworks finale. Unless they really, really had to pee. Then it was totally okay to abandon your friend right before the fireworks.
She couldn't say that Neil was her only friend, but he was definitely her best friend; someone outside her family who she trusted more than anyone else. She had a few friends back home in Florida, but college had split them all up from each other. And as much as Kris wanted to keep in touch, she always worried she was bothering them whenever she started to dial one of their numbers. So she had to content herself with only the occasional conversation, waiting on others to reach out to her first.
(Which wasn't very fair of her at all, and she knew that- you had to meet people halfway, right? Not always rely on them to go the extra mile? But the overwhelming feeling that she was annoying them was stronger than any desire to stay in touch. Better to drift apart than end any friendships because she didn't know how to let go, right?)
As one of her villagers in Animal Crossing liked to say, moving to a new town without knowing anybody was living life on hard mode. College had been the first taste of that, but LA was a little different. Here, she didn't have the fact that she was going to school as a common grounds with the people around her; there were people from all walks of life everywhere she looked, and it was a little overwhelming. Of course, she had made plans with Neil, but he had arrived after her. She had been alone at first, and it had been daunting as hell. And still kind of was, if she was going to be honest with herself, but it had gotten better.
The smile he flashed her made her smile in return, and she nodded as she replied, "Okay." She could see the spot he was leading her to now; it was a little out of the way, but it was clear of the crowds and it would still give a good view of the fireworks. She followed behind him as they wove their way through the mass of people, her hand tightening it's grip on his a couple of times when she thought she might get separated from him. Disney crowds: the adventure they don't advertise in commercials.
After what felt like hours of moving through a mass of bodies, they were finally clear of the mob. Kris let out a sigh of relief as they approached their chosen spot, glancing back over her shoulder at the crowd they had just left. "I forgot how bad it could get during the fireworks." She remarked, before turning her attention back on Neil. "Thanks for navigating us through those dangerous waters, captain." She joked, though she'd be lying if she said she wasn't happy to be out of that. |
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Post by NEELANJAN MARTIN on Oct 27, 2013 6:08:18 GMT -8
Luckily, Neil was not a mind reader, and didn't care to be. There was something mysterious about the thought process of every human, the idea that people could be concealing deeper secrets than he could ever hope to imagine. There was a lot of the world that he had yet to see, and he knew that everyone had dark and angry thoughts-- yet he didn't quite care to know those of others, he supposed? It would mean that somewhere out there, there might be someone who was privy to his.
Such as the realization that he wasn't infallible. Not everything was as much of a joke as he had treated it all his life. The fact that he was lonely, so lonely, surrounded by people who barely knew him and who he couldn't relate to. The struggle of not being the smartest, of not being the best for once in his life, the bitter acceptance that he too might have to resign to being second-rate, even if it wasn't what he had meant to be. What would Kris think of him, if she knew that he felt this way all the time? But he smiled; turned around, smiled like he wasn't having these thoughts. He was in Disneyland, he was happy, but there was something about the pensiveness of night that begat the strangest thoughts.
"What can I say? I've been driving this here ship for four score and seven years," he chuckled. With that, he continued walking away from the hordes of people, towards the outskirts of Main Street, USA. There was some elevated ground in the pseudo-park that they could sit and watch the fireworks from. They might not have been as big or as loud, but he had a feeling that big and loud wasn't exactly either his or her kind of thing. No, they were both people who could appreciate the beauty of something from afar, to take it in for what it really was--
-- and that was what he liked most about her, the fact that she understood, that they both saw things a certain way even if they were completely different deep down. Neil continued marching towards the mound of grass, turning back from time to time to make sure that Kris was okay, that she wasn't upset that he was dragging her away. (Just in case.) And finally, they were there, away from the thousands and thousands of people. Neil gestured towards the mound.
"We've found our treasure, miss!"
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Post by KRISTEN MAYOR on Oct 27, 2013 18:31:06 GMT -8
"That's quite the feat, considering this if the first time you've been here." She teased in return, following Neil as he continued to lead the way. He was right in that big and loud wasn't her thing. She liked fireworks, don't get her wrong, but she didn't exactly have to be directly underneath them to enjoy the show. She was perfectly content watching from a distance- in fact, that's how she liked to do most everything. Kris wasn't one to place herself in the heart of things; she'd much rather be a wallflower than in the spotlight any day.
She raised her eyebrows at him every time he glanced back at her; she had to stop herself from laughing every time he did, to be honest. It was like he was afraid she had vanished from sight, and had been replaced by some stranger. 'No, Neil, take me back to the crowd of people, I want to get my toes stepped on!' etc. etc. Yeah, right, that wasn't going to happen in a million years. She was completely okay with this change of plans, and you couldn't pay her to go back to Main Street.
They finally reached their destination, and Kris couldn't help but smile at him as he gestured towards the raised ground. No one to block out the view or elbow her in the ribs; it was about as perfect as it could get. "Why thank you, kind sir." She replied, though she didn't want to point out that if this was treasure in the traditional sense, then x would mark the spot. All things considered though, this was as good a treasure as any, so she wasn't complaining. A high-pitched whistle filled the air above their heads, and Kris looked up in time to catch the first firework of the night: a single white flare, lighting up the castle and throwing everything in relief, to signal the start of the finale. "Ah shit it's starting, c'mon, sit!"
With that, Kris promptly plopped herself down on the top of the mound, legs drawn up and eyes on the sky as she waited in anticipation for the next explosion. |
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Post by NEELANJAN MARTIN on Oct 28, 2013 15:56:18 GMT -8
"First time I've been here? Feels like I've been wandering these seas for far longer," Neil added, furrowing his brow in mock thought. "Be my first mate," he declared, turning to Kris with complete earnestness. "We're setting sail for greener pastures-- such as these, of course," he said as he crossed his legs, sitting down on the grass. He hadn't intended to make that pun, though he did quirk his lips as he realized it. Patting the space beside where he was, he motioned for Kris to come near him.
"Come closer, I think we can see it better from here," he said. Part of him wanted to sling an arm around her neck, but he wasn't sure whether they were close enough for them to do that. When was the last time he had felt a desire to show friendship or intimacy with someone who wasn't family? Far too long, that was what it had been. Neil smiled at the thought, leaning in closer towards the girl, just a little closer than two people who were just friends should have been. So little that he didn't even realize it himself. The announcement blared out across the speakers, and Neil grinned.
"Let's hope this gamble paid off."
With that, a burst of colours shot through the skyline, fireworks blasting across the night like exploding stars. A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes started playing in the background, and Neil started humming to the familiar tune. He did like Disney, even if he wasn't absolutely nuts about it: but the idea of dreams and wishes coming true certainly sounded appealing at that point.
"Here's to hoping all our gambles pay off."
A sincere wish, marked by the chorus of the familiar tune.
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Post by KRISTEN MAYOR on Oct 28, 2013 16:57:03 GMT -8
It started out as a snicker, but Kris quickly escalated into laughter, especially at the pun. Oh god, that was so bad- so why was she laughing? It died down as suddenly as it started, but not before she retorted, still giggling, "That was so, so lame." Puns were absolutely awful, and yet she couldn't help herself- she laughed every time. That wasn't even a good one! Now that it was over, she was almost embarrassed by her outburst, but not enough to apologize. He deserved to be laughed at for that. "Never again, oh my god."
She scooted closer to him at his request, leaving juuust enough space so that they weren't touching, but close enough that she could feel the warmth from his body. It was nice; this was nice. The last time she had gone to DisneyWorld was a few years ago, and that had been a chaotic family excursion. But here with just Neil, even the lines hadn't seemed that long. When he leaned in a little closer though, just enough to close the space between them, she couldn't help but be distracted from the fireworks long enough to glance at him. O-Okay, she wasn't going to comment on that- the brunette quickly fixed her eyes back on the sky again, focusing on the bright, exploding colors over Sleeping Beauty's castle.
The fireworks were starting to grow in number, filling the sky with color and light. Kris let out a breath as the speakers began to play the song from Cinderella- she couldn't say Cinderelly was one of her favorite princesses, but she still liked her all the same. This easily had to be the best part of the day. She wanted to grin at Neil as he began to hum along, but his words made her freeze. 'Let's hope this gamble paid off.' Her stomach immediately twisted itself into a nervous knot; because that's exactly what all this was, wasn't it? A gamble that might not even pay out. She simply nodded in reply, eyes not quite on the finale anymore as she mumbled in reply, "Yeah, here's hoping."
No, she didn't regret coming to California- how could she, after she finally got to meet Neil face-to-face for the first time? But every time she started to think about it too much, her thoughts almost always sent her into a spiral of self-doubt and anxiety. But now wasn't the time or place for that. She was at Disney Land, watching fireworks with her best friend- what more could she possibly ask for? |
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Post by NEELANJAN MARTIN on Oct 28, 2013 20:20:00 GMT -8
"I didn't want to make that at all! It just happened," he chuckled, though the more he thought about it the worse it seemed. It wasn't as though he'd made any sort of effort to make the pun, or anything, which was probably why he was able to laugh at himself. Neil had a fairly big ego: that was no secret at all. If he had actually tried to make a joke and had it fall on his face, he wasn't quite sure how he would react. He wasn't a particularly funny person, even if he did consider himself to have a sense of humour: he could appreciate jokes, but it wasn't very often that he actually made them.
He nodded in response to her statement about hoping. Because that was all that they could do, wasn't it? Wish and hope that things would go their way? At the end of the day, no matter what you put in, luck would always play a factor. And while up to that point he'd always felt like Lady Luck would be on his side, he wasn't quite as certain any more.
Part of him wanted to vocalize the thought. He really did. (At this point, it didn't feel like this was something he couldn't say to her, not any more.) But it would have felt wrong to ruin the moment as the fireworks burst out into the sky, It's A Small World playing in the background. Somehow it felt right to be quiet, to not try to fill the space with words. Neither of them were particularly talkative unless you knew them well. Yet even though she knew him better than the rest of the world, it felt right to stay silent.
So he inched even closer to her, bending down to rest his head on her shoulder. He was being too forward-- he knew that for a fact, but it felt right to do so. She was a little too short for him to be able to do it without creaking his neck, however, so he leaned back slightly, adjusting himself so that they were both comfortable.
"Don't mind me," he smiled.
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Post by KRISTEN MAYOR on Oct 28, 2013 20:52:04 GMT -8
All too often, Kris felt the heaviness of silences and lulls in conversation. She dreaded them with every fiber of her being; the moment when she ran out of things to say, and her mouth went dry and her tongue got tied. She wasn't a chatty or sociable person by any stretch of the imagination. She didn't know the right things to say to keep a conversation going; it was a miracle if she managed to get past hello's most of the time. Communicating with other human beings was daunting as hell, give her a dog or cat any day.
But the quiet that fell between them wasn't drawn out or awkward or anything like that. It was comfortable, and Kris found she didn't mind it at all. The silence was broken only by the explosions of the fireworks overhead, and the music playing over the speakers. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. It was fine. Everything was fine, she was fine. She could make a wish too, right? Sure, it was on a firework instead of the first star in the night sky, but fireworks were a perfectly acceptable alternative, right? Just one tiny wish that she please, please didn't mess this up. Any of this up, because she'd like to think that maybe she could be happy now. Maybe she could actually change, for once in her life.
She didn't notice what Neil was doing until it was too late; she had been too lost in her own thoughts and the bright noise of the fireworks show to realize that he was inching a little too close for comfort now. She froze in place when she felt his head finally rest against her shoulder- like a deer in the headlights, only she wasn't facing certain death in this scenario. It was fine, really, so breathe, Kristen. Breathe. Kris slowly relaxed, then smiled in return, quietly replying, "Okay," without taking her eyes off the fireworks.
Her bottom lip was between her teeth, however, and she was trying not to think too much about the warm weight of Neil on her shoulder. It was too late though, she was thinking about it too much; a slight blush was spreading across her cheeks, much to her dismay. As long as she focused on the fireworks, it'd be totally fine, and she'd totally forget all about Neil using her shoulder as a headrest. What friends were for, right? Right. She was just being silly. The show was going to be over soon anyway, and then he'd have to get up. |
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Post by NEELANJAN MARTIN on Oct 29, 2013 5:47:00 GMT -8
Neil smiled back up at Kris as she agreed that him lying there wasn't strange, that it wasn't inappropriate, that they had gotten to a stage in their relationship that this would be okay. It was a foreign feeling, this warm tingly sensation in your stomach for when you spent time with someone, the understanding that you didn't need words or reassurances or anything of the like to realize that you were friends. It was a silence of the most comfortable, reassuring kind, and Neil decided that he liked it very much.
Was she blushing, though? Was she actually a little embarrassed? He thought of perhaps drawing back, but she had told him it was okay. He would have liked to think that he knew her well enough that she would feel comfortable saying no. Girls had to have boundaries around guys, after all: his mother had taught him that. A lot of men took and took without realizing that they had overstepped, and Neil had to be understanding when he was turned down in the future. So he decided to ask.
"You sure, right?" He didn't want to seem too concerned. No, the last thing someone like Kris would want was the thought that he was coddling her. Neil maintained the smile on his face as he waited for a reply, but then again, he was usually smiling-- almost always smiling when he was around other people, to be honest. It was just part of his lackadasial charm. She was adorable, though, blushing like this. It probably didn't help that Kiss The Girl started playing in the backdrop, and Neil let out a chuckle.
"Well, what do you know." Not that he was going to kiss her, or anything. But all of a sudden, it didn't sound like such a far-fetched possibility. She was definitely cute, he could give her that, but he wasn't going to step in and wreck their friendship. No, after he hadn't had friends for so long, maintaining this was certainly more important.
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Post by KRISTEN MAYOR on Oct 29, 2013 12:38:11 GMT -8
Look, the only reason she was blushing was because it wasn't exactly everyday she had someone leaning against her like this. Physical affection with anyone outside her family was foreign territory for Kris; if she was initiating it, it was one thing, like when she hugged Neil for the first time before they had mafia sushi. It was another thing entirely when someone else started it. It wasn't exactly hard to make her blush, and embarrassing her like this was one of the easiest ways. "Of course." She replied to his question, risking a glance in his direction and raising a confused brow. Big mistake Kris, big mistake; she quickly looked back up at the sky, willing the flush on her face to disappear already please oh god.
The song that came on next over the speakers didn't help matters at all. And Neil's comment- what in the world was that supposed to mean? Rather than vanishing, her blush became even more pronounced. There was no way he was going to kiss her, or she was going to kiss him- that'd be awkward and weird, and just thinking about it made her stomach flop. Without really thinking, she began to nervously ramble, words tumbling over themselves as they rushed to leave her lips, "I loved this movie so much as a kid, it was one of my favorites- it still is, of course, I love it to death, it's one of my favorites, the music is so amazing and the animation is gorgeous, and Glen Keane really outdid himself with Ariel, she's one of my favorite princesses you know, and for the longest time when I was little I thought mermaids were real so I'd spend all day at the beach looking for them and-"
Shut up.
The flood of words stopped as suddenly as it started, and if it was possible for her to blush even more, at that moment she did. Her face had to be luminescent in the dark, it felt so hot, and more than anything Kris wanted to sink into the ground and never be seen ever again. She really sucked at this, she really did, she didn't know why Neil bothered, she was a lost cause. What did she say after that? Well, a good place to start was probably an apology, so she stuttered out, without looking at him, "S-Sorry." Good job, Kristen. 11/10.
The song finally faded away, only to be replaced by When You Wish Upon a Star, signalling that the fireworks were coming to an end soon. Not going to lie, she was a tiny bit relieved. The fireworks were picking up intensity now, filling the sky with wisps of smoke as the music grew louder. Kris was positive she was going to have the afterimage of the show burned into her retinas for months to come, but she didn't really mind. The finale was enough to take anyone's breath away, and despite the fact she had made a total fool of herself she really had enjoyed it a lot. It was a nice ending to a nice day, and she was happy to have spent it with Neil. |
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Post by NEELANJAN MARTIN on Oct 29, 2013 17:25:25 GMT -8
He wasn't sure what his favourite Disney movie was. Wall-E, maybe? The setting had definitely appealed. But if you were talking traditional Disney, Neil preferred the stuff of old. Robin Hood. Aladdin. Adventures, escapades, mayhem. The Little Mermaid had been a bit too tame for him-- if you were going to talk about princess movies, he'd preferred the hijinks and mishaps of Rapunzel. However, watching Kris blabber on about The Little Mermaid was absolutely adorable and she was flushing and she was going on and on, he'd probably managed to fluster her, oh god that was cute. Neil felt his smile grow into a smirk, and then into a grin, and before he knew it he had parted his lips to speak and--
"Oh my god."
He was unable to hold it in any more. A laugh escaped his lips. And then another, and another again. Before he knew it, he had gotten up from where he had been using Kris as a pillow and was clenching his sides, laughing through the remainder of the fireworks. "Oh god that-- I'm so sorry," he managed to gasp between words, but his actions showed that he was far from sorry at all. The rest of the show was still going on, and he knew that he probably wasn't helping her embarrassment. But he couldn't help it--
"I'm sure you hear this a lot, but you're adorable."
Oh boy.
He'd said it.
Now it was his turn to feel a churning in his stomach. If he wasn't so dark as it was, he was pretty sure that he would have paled slightly. If lying on her hadn't been too forward, this almost certainly had. But he tried to remain calm, on the outside at least. His eyes met hers, awaiting a response.
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Post by KRISTEN MAYOR on Oct 30, 2013 0:49:12 GMT -8
Great, he was laughing at her again.
Kris grimaced as her face flushed crimson; she was completely distracted from the fireworks as Neil laughed himself sick. It hadn't been that funny, had it? If before she had wanted to sink into the ground and disappear forever, now she wanted nothing more than to simply die right there on the spot. Imagine the uproar and the media coverage Disney would have to face if one of it's parks' visitors simply keeled over out of sheer embarrassment. Could she change her wish from earlier to being struck down by lightning, please?
Sadly, no lightning was on it's way to save her, so she had to content herself with covering her hot face with her hands and drawing her knees up even more. She really needed to learn when to stop talking; ironic, for someone who barely spoke up at all. It was probably because of moments like these that she had become such a mouse in the first place. On the bright side, Neil's outburst of laughter gave her time to get her blush under control, and by the time he made his apology her face was no longer burning red anymore. And if he thought she was going to buy that, he had another thing coming. She made a face at him in reply to his apology, knowing full well from just his tone alone that he wasn't sorry in the slightest. What a jerk.
At his next comment, however, it was her turn to laugh. "Yeah, about as adorable as a nest of wasps." She replied with a snort, her lips quirked in an amused smile. The statement was entirely sincere- she wasn't saying it out of modesty, she really didn't think she was cute. Kris had never been good at taking a compliment, and that was because she knew the truth of the matter: she was, altogether, normal. Slightly above average at best, plain at worst. She wasn't cute and adorable like some girls were, and she was well-aware of that. Her friends and family only told her otherwise because they were obligated to, and strangers didn't know any better. So while it was nice of Neil to say as much, she knew it wasn't true.
The show had been wrapping up while they were busy laughing at each other; only a few fireworks lit up the sky now, as the song reached it's end. Kris watched the explosions for a little while longer, before finally remarking, "We should probably go soon, before we get stuck in traffic." She didn't even want to think of how long they could be sitting while waiting to leave the park; the thought alone made her shudder. |
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Post by NEELANJAN MARTIN on Oct 30, 2013 5:16:45 GMT -8
But no lightning struck, nobody died, and Kris was going to have to keep moving on with her life. And so was he, he thought as his eyes met hers. She didn't seem to be angry, though he frowned a little at her statement about the wasps. "Don't say that about yourself." His tone was resolute, almost child-like, and he shook his head. He wasn't going to stand for this self-deprecation. While he understood that not everyone had the same level of self-esteem as he did, at least he could try to talk to her about it.
"Why put yourself down? People are going to try to do that all around you. Take the compliment and run." And in a matter of seconds, he was back to his normal self, noting the fading sound of music and the falling bursts of light in the sky as he got up from where he was sitting, stretching a hand out for Kris to take so he could help her up.
"Shall we go to my place to hang out for a bit?" Once again, the thought that this might be pushing it crossed his mind, but he decided not to doubt himself this time. He had been right. The world was going to put him down, so it was probably better if he tried to grin and bear it, and not slander himself the way everyone else would later on. Even if they weren't doing it consciously, statistics and figures would soon tell you that you weren't going to be top dog from the get-go.
"Ready whenever you are, Kristen!"
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