Parker’s eyes flicked to the side, watching Alton’s reaction to that last verbal tremor. He hadn’t been paying that much mind to what she’d been saying before, but that was a red flag. Didn’t smelling smoke mean you were having a stroke? No, that was burnt toast. But still, olfactory hallucinations weren’t exactly a good indicator that all her lights were on.
His attempt to push the conversation onto solid ground had been halted by the other two, with Caroline apparently being unable to keep a train of thought coherent for longer than a few seconds, and Alton deciding to keep the topic careening around. He wondered what that was about, why Alton wasn’t trying to end the conversation on his part. What was he getting out of this?
Maybe the criminal enterprises thing wasn’t just to fuck with Caroline? Making your own Cassandra someone as clearly unstable as Caroline would carry benefits by association with the idea, he supposed. He wondered if that meant he considered him someone trustworthy, or someone who wouldn’t be believed if he talked about it.
That question was interesting, but not one he had the tools to answer currently. Questions like that were something very few people had the courage in their convictions to answer truthfully in the presence of the subject, and as such were best asked by proxy, if he was still curious at a later date.
What he was puzzling over right now was how to get himself out of this conversation. He didn’t particularly want to have to call someone out from the crowd, given that he couldn’t see anyone who’s name he knew nearby, and calling out a “hey mate” and failing was the most transparent and socially awkward way to try and leave Alton to his bear baiting. He needed something a bit more substantial to get out of this without breaking social convention.
He nodded along to the beats of the conversation as he looked down at his phone, having pulled it out, holding it flat at waist level as to not draw too much attention to it as he unlocked it and opened up the messenger app and scrolled down about half a screen before picking out a name.
The phone disappeared back into his pocket and he resumed paying enough attention to be present in the conversation.
We're Milling Through The Grinder, Grinding Through The Mill
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Frozen Smoke
- Posts: 533
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
- Location: Where I need to be
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
((Desiree Beck continued from Say Yes! To T!nn!ss!!))
Desiree hated her school. She hated this chemistry class. She hated her classmates. She hated Ms. Zhang's incompetence.
But most of all she hated the sun singling her out to receive its caressing arms and prematurely blind her. Shielding her eyes with her hand barely helped.
As she looked at the ground and back to the other survivors of the Great George Hunter Fire of 2018, she reminded herself that she would leave this hellhole. Soon.
At least she had some reprieve from Ms. Zhang's annoying and lackluster lecture. Fire drills had some value, though whenever she finally achieved world domination and unlimited power she'd have to remember that the sun was #4 on her shitlist.
She looked around to see what all of these fuckers were up to.
Parker was easy to spot in the crowd, looking suspiciously unassuming like he wasn't already plotting some sort of political coup. Maybe she could go bother him. Or rather, she would if she wasn't all the way back here and Zhang wasn't a Nazi about people stepping out of line because apparently the fire wasn't under control after all and would soon overtake east Tennessee. Not like that was some big loss besides Dollywood.
Seeing Parker wasn't surprising though. What surprised Desiree was the company he was currently with. The weird Mormon girl was whatever, probably unironically got roped into an ironic religion talk with Parker. No, the bigger surprise was Alton. What did he want with him?
Desiree kept staring from her peanut gallery, watching the three of them. Parker momentarily ducked to his phone; Desiree looked around to make sure the coast was clear and did the same.
Hmm. Nothing. All right then. She went back to staring, squinting slightly both to help control the sun's influence and also because she just felt like it.
She especially melted a hole through the side of Alton's plastic face.
Desiree hated her school. She hated this chemistry class. She hated her classmates. She hated Ms. Zhang's incompetence.
But most of all she hated the sun singling her out to receive its caressing arms and prematurely blind her. Shielding her eyes with her hand barely helped.
As she looked at the ground and back to the other survivors of the Great George Hunter Fire of 2018, she reminded herself that she would leave this hellhole. Soon.
At least she had some reprieve from Ms. Zhang's annoying and lackluster lecture. Fire drills had some value, though whenever she finally achieved world domination and unlimited power she'd have to remember that the sun was #4 on her shitlist.
She looked around to see what all of these fuckers were up to.
Parker was easy to spot in the crowd, looking suspiciously unassuming like he wasn't already plotting some sort of political coup. Maybe she could go bother him. Or rather, she would if she wasn't all the way back here and Zhang wasn't a Nazi about people stepping out of line because apparently the fire wasn't under control after all and would soon overtake east Tennessee. Not like that was some big loss besides Dollywood.
Seeing Parker wasn't surprising though. What surprised Desiree was the company he was currently with. The weird Mormon girl was whatever, probably unironically got roped into an ironic religion talk with Parker. No, the bigger surprise was Alton. What did he want with him?
Desiree kept staring from her peanut gallery, watching the three of them. Parker momentarily ducked to his phone; Desiree looked around to make sure the coast was clear and did the same.
Hmm. Nothing. All right then. She went back to staring, squinting slightly both to help control the sun's influence and also because she just felt like it.
She especially melted a hole through the side of Alton's plastic face.
Interesting?
That didn’t make sense. Did it? What was interesting? Certainly not her appearance, despite the
Her religious beliefs? Maybe. That she understood the revealed truth of the Latter-Day-Saints while most of her peers at this school was perhaps novel, though she doubted that Alton thought much of it. He had that look, that arrogant, downward stare that so many Gentiles had when they were skeptical of her. No, she was certain he would never understand that. This person drove criminals, ran friends out of parties, and the enterprising bastard obviously lacked any remorse for it.
Must be targeting you. Con man.
Caroline looked at Alton, unsure of what to do in response to his comment and too frightened by the thoughts racing through her mind to come up with much of a coherent answer. Not frightened of Alton. She knew – no, she thought – that he was surely taking the opportunity of the fire in the school to drag her away to a waiting car. He would sell her to his criminal friends, the ones he drove to parties. It was the way he carried himself. No doubt the kind of scum who gravitated to human trafficking organizations. It was one of the risks of working in dangerous parts of the world that she’d read about. People like Alton. What an enterprising bastard he was.
That makes no sense. Why do I think that?
Why did she think that? Second-guessing her thoughts was discovering effect without an obvious cause. Concentrating long enough to shut them out made regular conversation impossible, and engaging in regular conversation allowed these thoughts in. There was a hole in her heart where rage should have been, that this disease confounded and befuddled her. Surely she could do better than this. She had strength.
Enterprising. Bastard. Criminal. Con.
Caroline managed a wide eyed grin, taking Alton’s words at face value much as her internal monologue shifted between conspiratorial, conflicted thoughts and the struggle to suppress them. It was difficult to feign positive emotions, as she found it hard to focus on Alton’s face which appeared to be slowly dissolving in the heat of the sun.
Heavenly Father, am I to follow Job?
The hole where rage was supposed to be suddenly caved in, and her face dropped as she snapped at Alton.
“Thanks, buddy! I’m glad going schizo has made me so fucking entertaining.”
Somewhere in the depths of her mind, she felt embarrassment and shock for lashing out so uncharacteristically. Terror at revealing what was actually going on, and the near-certainty that Alton would leverage that knowledge however he saw fit. Shame at cursing out another student, and at how good it made her feel.
On the surface, she offered little but a dead-eyed stare. No averting her gaze, no blushing with embarrassment. Avoidance didn’t work, so brute force had to be the only option. In aviation parlance, she opted for a crash landing in absence of anything resembling a runway in this conversation. Parker remained silent, but seemed surprised by her outburst. Maybe they'd shut up and she could go back into the building that couldn't possibly be the same that she saw consumed in the raging inferno moments before.
Soon. Please let it be soon.
Back with the rest of the illiterate morons failing to grasp asinine lessons pitched by desolate human beings bereft of anything resembling a soul, for whom only the Heavenly Father could possibly show mercy or understanding. They deserved to burn for what they'd done. Imprisoning children for a term barely less than a sentence for murder! All to figure out the best way to toss a pigskin and learn to lie through their teeth every waking moment. The building was a den of sin that deserved being purged by fire and water.
What a long con this all is. What a lie we've been fed.
She blinked, the bright sunlight making her eyes sting. The anger was at least something. Something true to feel. She would atone for it, eventually.
“What?”
That didn’t make sense. Did it? What was interesting? Certainly not her appearance, despite the
Her religious beliefs? Maybe. That she understood the revealed truth of the Latter-Day-Saints while most of her peers at this school was perhaps novel, though she doubted that Alton thought much of it. He had that look, that arrogant, downward stare that so many Gentiles had when they were skeptical of her. No, she was certain he would never understand that. This person drove criminals, ran friends out of parties, and the enterprising bastard obviously lacked any remorse for it.
Must be targeting you. Con man.
Caroline looked at Alton, unsure of what to do in response to his comment and too frightened by the thoughts racing through her mind to come up with much of a coherent answer. Not frightened of Alton. She knew – no, she thought – that he was surely taking the opportunity of the fire in the school to drag her away to a waiting car. He would sell her to his criminal friends, the ones he drove to parties. It was the way he carried himself. No doubt the kind of scum who gravitated to human trafficking organizations. It was one of the risks of working in dangerous parts of the world that she’d read about. People like Alton. What an enterprising bastard he was.
That makes no sense. Why do I think that?
Why did she think that? Second-guessing her thoughts was discovering effect without an obvious cause. Concentrating long enough to shut them out made regular conversation impossible, and engaging in regular conversation allowed these thoughts in. There was a hole in her heart where rage should have been, that this disease confounded and befuddled her. Surely she could do better than this. She had strength.
Enterprising. Bastard. Criminal. Con.
Caroline managed a wide eyed grin, taking Alton’s words at face value much as her internal monologue shifted between conspiratorial, conflicted thoughts and the struggle to suppress them. It was difficult to feign positive emotions, as she found it hard to focus on Alton’s face which appeared to be slowly dissolving in the heat of the sun.
Heavenly Father, am I to follow Job?
The hole where rage was supposed to be suddenly caved in, and her face dropped as she snapped at Alton.
“Thanks, buddy! I’m glad going schizo has made me so fucking entertaining.”
Somewhere in the depths of her mind, she felt embarrassment and shock for lashing out so uncharacteristically. Terror at revealing what was actually going on, and the near-certainty that Alton would leverage that knowledge however he saw fit. Shame at cursing out another student, and at how good it made her feel.
On the surface, she offered little but a dead-eyed stare. No averting her gaze, no blushing with embarrassment. Avoidance didn’t work, so brute force had to be the only option. In aviation parlance, she opted for a crash landing in absence of anything resembling a runway in this conversation. Parker remained silent, but seemed surprised by her outburst. Maybe they'd shut up and she could go back into the building that couldn't possibly be the same that she saw consumed in the raging inferno moments before.
Soon. Please let it be soon.
Back with the rest of the illiterate morons failing to grasp asinine lessons pitched by desolate human beings bereft of anything resembling a soul, for whom only the Heavenly Father could possibly show mercy or understanding. They deserved to burn for what they'd done. Imprisoning children for a term barely less than a sentence for murder! All to figure out the best way to toss a pigskin and learn to lie through their teeth every waking moment. The building was a den of sin that deserved being purged by fire and water.
What a long con this all is. What a lie we've been fed.
She blinked, the bright sunlight making her eyes sting. The anger was at least something. Something true to feel. She would atone for it, eventually.
“What?”
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
Alton laughed a little as the girl sputtered. It wasn't a mean laugh, but it also wasn't an awkward laugh or an impending-disaster laugh. He held both hands up, palms out towards her as if to ward her off or wave her down, but gently. His smile was thin now, but that tended to be the case when he was most truly engaged. Baring teeth was more for show.
"Sorry," he said, "sorry. No offense intended. I just, personally, think every person is interesting. It's the differences that make somebody worth knowing."
Differences was another way of saying surprises, and this conversation was delivering to a degree he'd not anticipated. He was aware that attention was turning their way from some of the others in the vicinity, but that didn't matter to him, and he thought maybe it couldn't matter to Caroline. Parker was probably getting antsy. He didn't seem the sort to appreciate the spotlight.
If Caroline made a scene or freaked out or anything of the sort, that would be what it was. Alton had been polite. He was usually polite. Anyone watching would say as much, Parker possibly excepted because the boy was wrapped up in something of his own. This was a very public space, and Caroline could yell and stomp if she wanted but she was the weird girl who'd opened the conversation by popping a pill and seemed to have lost track of whether or not the fire was actually a drill, and Alton was well-liked and social and in the right. If she wanted to pick a fight, she would call down the thunder of public opinion and Alton would win by not bothering to engage. And if she made a jump at him, he could probably hold her at bay with one arm, not that he had any intention of grappling with her even if she did take a swing. No, spectators would separate them and ask Alton if he was alright and he'd say he was fine, to take care of Caroline, see what was going on with her, because obviously something was wrong.
He wasn't mad about her outburst. He wasn't scared, or vengeful, or offended. He certainly wasn't sorry.
"Sorry," he said, "sorry. No offense intended. I just, personally, think every person is interesting. It's the differences that make somebody worth knowing."
Differences was another way of saying surprises, and this conversation was delivering to a degree he'd not anticipated. He was aware that attention was turning their way from some of the others in the vicinity, but that didn't matter to him, and he thought maybe it couldn't matter to Caroline. Parker was probably getting antsy. He didn't seem the sort to appreciate the spotlight.
If Caroline made a scene or freaked out or anything of the sort, that would be what it was. Alton had been polite. He was usually polite. Anyone watching would say as much, Parker possibly excepted because the boy was wrapped up in something of his own. This was a very public space, and Caroline could yell and stomp if she wanted but she was the weird girl who'd opened the conversation by popping a pill and seemed to have lost track of whether or not the fire was actually a drill, and Alton was well-liked and social and in the right. If she wanted to pick a fight, she would call down the thunder of public opinion and Alton would win by not bothering to engage. And if she made a jump at him, he could probably hold her at bay with one arm, not that he had any intention of grappling with her even if she did take a swing. No, spectators would separate them and ask Alton if he was alright and he'd say he was fine, to take care of Caroline, see what was going on with her, because obviously something was wrong.
He wasn't mad about her outburst. He wasn't scared, or vengeful, or offended. He certainly wasn't sorry.
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Frozen Smoke
- Posts: 533
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
- Location: Where I need to be
Parker lacked the wherewithal to hide his surprise at her outburst, tone going from meek and apologetic to burning scorn in a few seconds, before the content of what she'd said was even taken into account. Schizo was a weird, weird word to use there. Maybe she was one of those people who decided to self-diagnose themselves with whatever illness they felt like best described their flaws, over actually dealing with them. Or maybe she actually was genuinely mentally disturbed. Either way, he was more than happy to leave Alton to dealing with this particular mess, and thankfully he seemed more than happy to deal with it.
His lifeline finally came through a few moments after Alton finished speaking, his phone vibrating in his pocket and humming a few bars of the default ringtone before he managed to grasp it and slide his thumb across the screen, pulling it up to his ear and looking away slightly from the two of them as he spoke.
"Yo."
"Que bola?" came the lackadaisical response from Camila, her voice sounding unusually tinny on the shitty connection.
"Uhuh." he responded, nodding his head slightly as if whoever on the other end was telling him something. There was a pause as he continued to listen to the silence emanating from his phone. Camila either too smart or too confused to respond.
"Okay." he agreed to no-one, before rotating the phone back and placing a hand over the microphone to shield it, keeping the speaker pressed against his ear. He looked over at the two of them and offered them a friendly smile, accompanied with a barely audible "One second" as he turned his back to them, as if concentrating on the call, waiting for enough attention to fall away from him that he could dissolve back into the crowd. It only took a few moments, and soon he was out of earshot of the pair, and he could finally explain himself.
"Yo, thanks, one of the crazies cornered me and Alton, needed an excuse to bail. Owe yah one."
The line went dead as he hit the button on the top of his phone.
((Parker Green - GOTO thread/Null█))
His lifeline finally came through a few moments after Alton finished speaking, his phone vibrating in his pocket and humming a few bars of the default ringtone before he managed to grasp it and slide his thumb across the screen, pulling it up to his ear and looking away slightly from the two of them as he spoke.
"Yo."
"Que bola?" came the lackadaisical response from Camila, her voice sounding unusually tinny on the shitty connection.
"Uhuh." he responded, nodding his head slightly as if whoever on the other end was telling him something. There was a pause as he continued to listen to the silence emanating from his phone. Camila either too smart or too confused to respond.
"Okay." he agreed to no-one, before rotating the phone back and placing a hand over the microphone to shield it, keeping the speaker pressed against his ear. He looked over at the two of them and offered them a friendly smile, accompanied with a barely audible "One second" as he turned his back to them, as if concentrating on the call, waiting for enough attention to fall away from him that he could dissolve back into the crowd. It only took a few moments, and soon he was out of earshot of the pair, and he could finally explain himself.
"Yo, thanks, one of the crazies cornered me and Alton, needed an excuse to bail. Owe yah one."
The line went dead as he hit the button on the top of his phone.
((Parker Green - GOTO thread/Null█))
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
Caroline lashed out at Alton. That was about the gist Desiree could pick up from her box seat. This was boring. If only she was 20 feet closer so it wasn't like watching the world's worst silent film.
It looked like other people started watching the show, though. Chatter here and there. A snicker or two like they were even able to hear a punchline.
Parker left the scene on his phone, so it wasn't like there was anything else to care about. Desiree made a mental reminder to go hunt him down during the next break to get the inside scoop.
Especially on why Alton spoke with him.
((Desiree Beck continued in Lights, Camera, Laughter!))
It looked like other people started watching the show, though. Chatter here and there. A snicker or two like they were even able to hear a punchline.
Parker left the scene on his phone, so it wasn't like there was anything else to care about. Desiree made a mental reminder to go hunt him down during the next break to get the inside scoop.
Especially on why Alton spoke with him.
((Desiree Beck continued in Lights, Camera, Laughter!))
He said it in the way one might refer to food when you didn't like it, but didn't want to insult the person who made it. Or things you didn't have a real opinion about, but wanted to sound like you did anyways. How different. How interesting. Like how she didn't really care if the school was actually on fire or not. She wasn't sure what she believed - it's not like it wasn't likely somebody wanted to burn the place down.
Then again, they were all heading back inside. Either it was mass suicide, or the place wasn't on fire. No, that was correct. She looked at the building and it seemed perfectly fine, even though she thought it must have been on fire.
Parker had since walked off, no doubt finding Caroline's outburst annoying. Alton seemed to be entertained by it. At least he was pretending to be nice, even though she had a feeling deep down that it was him who had really set the fire. He seemed like the kind of person to commit arson. Bastard.
Other eyes were on her, no doubt. She could feel them crawling on her skin, their glassy legs probing for a crevice in between her clothing to hide in. To watch her at all hours of the day. She brushed at her arms to knock them away. Rolling up her sleeves, she could see that there weren't any eyes. No one was looking at her anymore, they were all thinking about heading in. Good.
She feigned relief and smiled at Alton, hoping that he'd take her conciliatory gesture as a decent enough reason to not set something else on fire. Or, she smiled at him because it was the polite thing to do, and he was being reasonable. If she kept her head on straight, maybe they could have a reasonable conversation after all.
As they headed back inside, she tried to do just that.
"Right, I understand. Tell me Alton, what makes you different?"
((Caroline Ford continued elsewhere))
Then again, they were all heading back inside. Either it was mass suicide, or the place wasn't on fire. No, that was correct. She looked at the building and it seemed perfectly fine, even though she thought it must have been on fire.
Parker had since walked off, no doubt finding Caroline's outburst annoying. Alton seemed to be entertained by it. At least he was pretending to be nice, even though she had a feeling deep down that it was him who had really set the fire. He seemed like the kind of person to commit arson. Bastard.
Other eyes were on her, no doubt. She could feel them crawling on her skin, their glassy legs probing for a crevice in between her clothing to hide in. To watch her at all hours of the day. She brushed at her arms to knock them away. Rolling up her sleeves, she could see that there weren't any eyes. No one was looking at her anymore, they were all thinking about heading in. Good.
She feigned relief and smiled at Alton, hoping that he'd take her conciliatory gesture as a decent enough reason to not set something else on fire. Or, she smiled at him because it was the polite thing to do, and he was being reasonable. If she kept her head on straight, maybe they could have a reasonable conversation after all.
As they headed back inside, she tried to do just that.
"Right, I understand. Tell me Alton, what makes you different?"
((Caroline Ford continued elsewhere))
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
"Everything," Alton answered, with a smile and a quiet chuckle.
He paced Caroline not by shortening his long strides, but instead by adjusting their frequency, keeping his movement calm, relaxed, loping. The tension between them had melted away, the fire sputtered to embers. He still had it, still could reach out and make a decisive social snip to cut the wire of hostility and defuse the bomb in front of him. It felt good to know that, but so would the other possibilities. He wasn't picky. That was probably different too.
Of course, his answer seemed perhaps a bit more flippant than he intended, and so he followed it up with a clarification, however slight:
"Or," Alton said, "maybe it would be more accurate to say 'intent.'"
((Alton Gerow continued in To See And Be Seen))
He paced Caroline not by shortening his long strides, but instead by adjusting their frequency, keeping his movement calm, relaxed, loping. The tension between them had melted away, the fire sputtered to embers. He still had it, still could reach out and make a decisive social snip to cut the wire of hostility and defuse the bomb in front of him. It felt good to know that, but so would the other possibilities. He wasn't picky. That was probably different too.
Of course, his answer seemed perhaps a bit more flippant than he intended, and so he followed it up with a clarification, however slight:
"Or," Alton said, "maybe it would be more accurate to say 'intent.'"
((Alton Gerow continued in To See And Be Seen))