Stranded in this Shopping Hell

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It's your normal mall food court. Eateries are in place to serve the high brow and the low brow, the extravagant and the money-minding. Pizza, pasta, hamburgers, Oriental, you name it, it's here. A vast sea of tables and chairs sprawls forth from the food court, and it never seems to be empty.
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MurderWeasel
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#46

Post by MurderWeasel »

Apparently, Rizzo realized he was out of line, and decided to play nice, introducing himself to Amber. That was good. It seemed they even had seen each other before, which begged the question of why Rizzo hadn't noticed or recognized her in the first place. It certainly seemed something was wrong with the boy.

Apparently, Amber noticed it too. That wasn't actually all that surprising, since every action of Rizzo's practically screamed that something serious was going on. Aaron had a brief flash of worry. What if Rizzo was unstable? What if he was on meth or something and was about to go crazy and attack them all? Perhaps his touchiness was a sign that he was about to degenerate. Aaron pushed that thought away, though. They were in a mall. Rizzo wasn't that crazy. He hadn't done anything even apparently dangerous.

Following up on Amber's question, Aaron added, "Are you feeling alright? You look a little out of it."

There. He had now hinted that there could be something actually wrong with Rizzo, besides just whatever drama he was having. Maybe now he'd explain things. It was probably something really boring, some horrible anticlimax like smoking a bit too much weed or not sleeping in three days or something else equally pointless. Aaron leaned back, hoping that the mystery would finally be unraveled.
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Acelister†
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#47

Post by Acelister† »

"Are you okay Rizzo? You've been seeming kinda down this whole conversation."

"Are you feeling alright? You look a little out of it."

Rizzo cringed at the dual-questioning. He had wanted to just ignore it eventually. Get over the feelings of anger and betrayal. But it hadn't seemed likely since he arrived here. He kept going over everything in his head, making him feel bitter and resentment towards all of womankind.

He promised not to talk about it, though...

"This girl..." he shrugged, part of him regretting it as soon as he said it. But Janet broke his heart... Then again, she would likely break his legs when she found out he told people...

"Last night she gave me something awesome, but this morning broke my heart..." he explained. No names, no sexual talk, just the facts. And no embellishing about how long it lasted or how great he was. "So I'm pretty bumed out, you know how it is..."

He tried not to look at Aaron when he says that. He was a nerd, so it was unlikely he did know. As for Amber, she wouldn't know how a girl can break your heart. Maybe...

He looked at her and shrugged, trying to see if she looked like a lesbian.

"I'll live though..." he tells her.
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Slam
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#48

Post by Slam »

It was all Amber could do but to restrain herself from grinning as Rizzo spilled out more and more detail regarding his sadness, overjoyed with the fresh facts coming straight from the horse's mouth. Instead, she had to cope with the slight twitching of the corner of her mouth, whilst maintaining a straight face as best she could.

Still, the facts were right there! Girls! Night time! Following morning depression! You'd have to be some kind of idiot to think there wasn't any sex involved! And for added juiciness: heartbreak! Blend all together in a journalists Microsoft Word and you have one delicious Story Smoothie!

Focus Amber: I'm sure there's still more to come.

"I'll live though..."

Briefly coughing in a fake attempt to clear her throat, Amber nodded in agreement at Rizzo.

"Yes, I'm sure you're right. After all, why fret over some girl breaking your heart? She sounds like an total piece of work, if you ask me."

That's right: keep sticking to his guns so that he'll feel more comfortable and want to insult her more, perhaps even by revealing the chick's identity. Then you'll have the grand nugget of truth.


Whatever happened to wanting to be sure he was okay?
My V8 Relationship Thread!
[+] Dead V7 Kids
B035: LUCAS BRADY - Had Enough - 1 - 2 - 3- 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9
G002: ELISABETH "LIZZIE" LEBOWSKI - "You've been a great audience." - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
[+] Pregame Shenanigans
Lucas Brady - Facebook!Lucas - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
Elisabeth "Lizzie" Lebowski - "My parents told me to make a good signature, so I signed a note promising I would do it later." - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
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MurderWeasel
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#49

Post by MurderWeasel »

Aaron wasn't up to speed on pop culture, slang, or innuendo, but he didn't have much trouble figuring out what Rizzo was talking about. His feelings immediately began fluctuating between embarrassment at being part of such a personal conversation, pity about the horrible way Rizzo had to be feeling, and jealousy that some random guy had just been able to pick up a girl like that. Aaron had never even dated anyone. He didn't want to ask anyone out; he knew that when the right girl came along, she'd ask him. Of course, it looked like the right girl wasn't going to be show up until some time after the end of high school, but that was alright. He wouldn't have even considered dating most of his classmates anyways.

Amber was sympathizing with Rizzo, so Aaron added a "Yeah, that's too bad". He didn't want to be rude, after all. Of course, now that the mystery was explained, Rizzo was rapidly becoming less interesting. He was just whining about stupid drama, the sort of thing that Aaron expected to see written on bathroom walls or whispered by girls who said "like" and "totally" way too often.

He quietly took out his phone, and did something typically anathema to him: he began writing his mother a text message. Aaron hated texting, hated that it had replaced conversation, hated that it was so useless in every way, but at least it had good annoyance potential. He could send his mother texts and, whether it happened sooner or later, they'd all turn up as soon as she turned her phone on. The longer that took, the more texts she'd have to deal with. Smiling a little, still half-listening to the conversation, Aaron tapped on the number pad.
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Acelister†
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#50

Post by Acelister† »

"Yes, I'm sure you're right. After all, why fret over some girl breaking your heart? She sounds like an total piece of work, if you ask me."

"Yeah, I should just find some hotter girl..." Rizzo said, trying to not pout. "Then see what she says. But all the hot girls are cheerleaders..."

He frowned at his words, looking at Amber. "No offence." he told her. "But you know what I mean, right?"

He knew girls could be ever so self concious about their looks and took things to heart.
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Slam
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#51

Post by Slam »

Amber nodded in fake sympathy at Rizzo as he continued to vent his troubles, listening only for the ounce of information that would prove useful to her case.

Such as him claiming that all the hot girls are cheerleaders.

Inadvertently jumping to the conclusion that the girl meant she was some sort of cheerleader in order to garner more scandals for her story ('Pyramid of Pleasure Gets Toppled!'), Amber's exaggerated frown started to quiver likely, as excitement continued to once again rush through her system. The story was becoming juicier, but she still needed names, damn it!

"No offence."

'Thanks asshole.' was Amber's internal response: she may have been there to find out the details about this guy's tragic night, but he could've at least had a little courtesy about his wording. Now her frown of sympathy was becoming a frown of irritation.

"No, no I don't know what you mean. Is there something you wanna tell me?"

The story temporarily left her mind, as Amber started to grow rather annoyed. Apart from her ugly schnozz of a nose, Amber always guessed that she was a little hot in her own way. Rizzo had better catch on, or else he's in for a world of slander in her article. ('Creepy Freaky goes out and gets some Peaky')
My V8 Relationship Thread!
[+] Dead V7 Kids
B035: LUCAS BRADY - Had Enough - 1 - 2 - 3- 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9
G002: ELISABETH "LIZZIE" LEBOWSKI - "You've been a great audience." - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
[+] Pregame Shenanigans
Lucas Brady - Facebook!Lucas - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
Elisabeth "Lizzie" Lebowski - "My parents told me to make a good signature, so I signed a note promising I would do it later." - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
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MurderWeasel
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#52

Post by MurderWeasel »

Rizzo talked about finding a hotter girl, as if it was just that easy to pick up dates. Aaron paused. Maybe, for Rizzo, it was. The guy didn't look like much; in fact, he looked like someone Aaron would never have been into even if he had been into guys, but who knew what girls liked? It was pretty evident from their clothing and choice in reading (and boyfriend)material that most of the ones at Bayview had horrible taste.

Rizzo also made a pretty bad comment about cheerleaders, one that implied Amber wasn't up to snuff. He tried to cover, and Aaron almost giggled. It seemed like nobody ever said "no offense" unless they'd just said something incredibly offensive. It was a phrase that almost always had the opposite of its intended effect.

Amber didn't seem too happy about what he'd said, either.

Aaron decided to reinsert himself into the conversation, and said, "I don't know. I've always thought cheerleaders were a bit trashy. You know, I mean, the whole point of them is they show off everything to the whole school, right?"

It wasn't a particularly stunning insight, but Aaron did think it was a shame that everyone in school lusted over the cheerleaders, the football players, or both. Neither group was really worth anything. Their talents would get them through college, make a couple of them rich, but then they'd be left without anything worthwhile to do, ignorant middle-aged people stuck reliving the glories days of their pasts, when they'd had a bunch of pimply geeks salivating over their bodies.

Of course, that wasn't saying the cheerleaders weren't hot.
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Acelister†
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#53

Post by Acelister† »

"No, no I don't know what you mean. Is there something you wanna tell me?"

Rizzo grimaced, knowing this was not a conversation he should have started. He might not have liked Amber, but there was no reason to rub it in.

"I don't know. I've always thought cheerleaders were a bit trashy. You know, I mean, the whole point of them is they show off everything to the whole school, right?"

Rizzo was happy for the interruption - no need for him to back-peddle.

"They're hot, but not the right kind of hot." he agreed. "Like supermodels. You wouldn't date one just 'cause she looked fuckin' good on the runway. You want someone who you want if she's all made up, or if she just woke up."

He stopped talking to let that sink in a little.

"Maybe I can't find someone hotter - but I can find someone more beautiful." he shrugged
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Slam
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#54

Post by Slam »

It still wasn't much of a save on Rizzo's half: he hadn't apologised for the implication, nor did he try to at least imply that she had something going on. Oh sure she was no supermodel, but still!

Revenge wouldn't be a problem though: the pen is mightier than the sword!

"Whatever. It's not like you have to date or you're some kind of loser." At least that's what she always told herself when her crushes went by without conclusion.

"Besides, being single has its own perks. You plenty of time for yourself, instead of having to deal with some clingy boyfriend all the time! That's just the worse." There wasn't any reason to mention she had no way of knowing that, of course.

More importantly, she still needed a name, and she noticed another window of opportunity! Time for a well targeted info seeker!

"Let me tell you, Rizzo Mervin, you're probably better off single anyway! Who needs some trashy cheerleader who breaks your heart?"

Come on Rizzo, we're so close to a page topper for the blog!
My V8 Relationship Thread!
[+] Dead V7 Kids
B035: LUCAS BRADY - Had Enough - 1 - 2 - 3- 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9
G002: ELISABETH "LIZZIE" LEBOWSKI - "You've been a great audience." - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
[+] Pregame Shenanigans
Lucas Brady - Facebook!Lucas - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
Elisabeth "Lizzie" Lebowski - "My parents told me to make a good signature, so I signed a note promising I would do it later." - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
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MurderWeasel
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#55

Post by MurderWeasel »

The conversation drifted to the types of girls Rizzo found hot, and from there to the joys of being single. That was a topic Aaron could get behind. He knew all about being single.

"Yeah," he added, "Dating in high school's really overrated. Most of the people are just doing it because they're expected to, and that leads to all sorts of unpleasant drama and hurt feelings, which in turn increases exponentially to the point where everyone is caught up in a never ending argument of some sort. I prefer to just wait until someone who isn't like that comes along. That way, I save myself the trouble of all these messy breakups people are always having."

Aaron noticed that Amber had used Rizzo's last name, something he himself hadn't been sure of. He made a note of it, so he'd be able to sound better if it ever came up in conversation. Aaron wasn't the best with names, but he certainly wasn't horrible, and he could usually remember the people he spent any length of time talking to.
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Acelister†
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#56

Post by Acelister† »

"Let me tell you, Rizzo Mervin, you're probably better off single anyway! Who needs some trashy cheerleader who breaks your heart?"

Rizzo blinked at that - Mervin? That was nothing like his last name.

"It's Vitoria. Rizzo Vitoria." he tells her. "But yeah, single life looks better and better, rather than betrayal and shit like that."

He didn't want to be alone, now he had experienced something like having someone - but the way Aaron put it did make it sound better to be alone. Women seem more trouble than they're worth...
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Slam
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#57

Post by Slam »

"It's Vitoria. Rizzo Vitoria."

Success!

Amber Whimsy had completed the first objective of her mission: secure the guy's full name. With this material in her hands, she could easily write an article about him (with the added bonus of blacklisting the guy and his unappreciative-of-her-looks ways) and have the story for her blog! Truly, she could walk away now and be happy.

But walking away was never a journalists priority! Chase the scoop to the bitter end!

Obtaining the slutty cheerleader's name would probably be way harder, considering Rizzo seemed to be tight lipped about. How could she get him to reveal the name of this girl to Amber?

Excitement overtook Amber, and she started to open up in her search for gossip.

"You know Rizzo, I happen to write a pretty popular web blog, if you want I could spread all sorts of crap about this whore cheerleader! It's the ultimate way to get back at her for breaking your heart!"

Of course Amber didn't really care about revenge for Rizzo, just like she didn't have a popular web blog, but when you want people to start sharing intimate secrets with you you've gotta offer a little bit back to them. Just so long as they don't try to bite the hand that feeds them, everything would work out fantastic.
My V8 Relationship Thread!
[+] Dead V7 Kids
B035: LUCAS BRADY - Had Enough - 1 - 2 - 3- 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9
G002: ELISABETH "LIZZIE" LEBOWSKI - "You've been a great audience." - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
[+] Pregame Shenanigans
Lucas Brady - Facebook!Lucas - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
Elisabeth "Lizzie" Lebowski - "My parents told me to make a good signature, so I signed a note promising I would do it later." - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
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MurderWeasel
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#58

Post by MurderWeasel »

Rizzo corrected Amber, and Aaron made a note of his actual last name. It was a very good thing Rizzo had chimed in; Aaron would otherwise almost certainly have eventually used the wrong name. He hated how mistakes that began as little things could propagate themselves and become big deals.

Then the conversation took a turn for the nasty. Amber revealed that she ran a blog, a decently popular one at that—though Aaron was not entirely convinced of that fact; "popular" was quite relative, after all, especially among his peer group—and offered to slander the girl that had hurt Rizzo.

Aaron was no stranger to the idea of revenge. Hell, he'd been seconds from taking action to get back at one Jacquard Broughten just a short while ago. Getting the internet involved, though... that was taking things a step too far. Aaron liked the idea of personal payback, the sort of thing where you settled your debts in kind, and then you and your foe moved on with your lives hating each other but otherwise unchanged. Social sabotage and the potential destruction of friendships was a too severe for him. That was major stuff, the sort of thing you did in response to a truly unforgivable sin. Embarassing someone was one thing; ruining them was something else entirely.

It wasn't his business to stop Amber and Rizzo if they wanted to step down that road, though. He didn't care what happened to some slutty cheerleader and her unfortunate suitor. It did, however, mean he now needed a smooth way to extricate himself from the conversation. Concocting a plan took him about two seconds.

He continued to fiddle with his phone under the table, out of sight, casually thumbing the ring tone selector to make it ring out. He pushed the red button, silencing the ring, and raised it to his ear.

"Hello? Mom?" he said, then paused.

"Uh huh... Uh huh... Got it; I'll be right there."

He pushed the red button again, then stood up, stretched, and said, "Well, I've got to run. My mom got my message after all. See you around school. I hope your romantic endeavors are more successful in the future, Rizzo."

Then he walked off, leaving his trash on the table, wondering just where in the mall he could lurk now that the food court wasn't available.

((Aaron Hughes continued in Decisions, Decisions))
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Acelister†
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#59

Post by Acelister† »

"You know Rizzo, I happen to write a pretty popular web blog, if you want I could spread all sorts of crap about this whore cheerleader! It's the ultimate way to get back at her for breaking your heart!"

Rizzo was about to accept the offer and spill-all when Aaron interrupted with his phonecall.

"Well, I've got to run. My mom got my message after all. See you around school. I hope your romantic endeavors are more successful in the future, Rizzo." Aaron said as he got up and left. It was quite sudden, but that's the way it went, Rizzo supposed.

"Thanks, you too." Rizzo said to the fading guy. His mother must be right outside or something, for him to leave so suddenly.

He looked back at Amber and remembered her comment.

"No... It's alright." he shrugged. "It was only some fucking slutty girl who means nothing to me. I'm better than her. She missed her chance."

It was a surprisingly upbeat outlook for him to take he realised, but he'd find someone to take to prom, then just rub it in Janet's face. She missed her chance.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Acelister. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
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Slam
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#60

Post by Slam »

Amber waved Aaron goodbye as he excused himself, much to her disappointment. He may have only been a pedestrian in her mission, but he was still someone she was talking to, and that was much better than being all alone in the mall.

She was about to continue her interview of Rizzo despite his denial of her generous offer, ignoring his once in a life time chance to ruin some skank's profile, when she looked behind Rizzo and caught sight of her friend Jessica.

'Oh good! I guess she was able to get here after all!' she smiled, oblivious to the fact that she was trying her best to blow her off. Forgetting about her quest for ratings with a story like Rizzo's, she stood up on her chair and waved over at her friend, grinning eagerly. "Hey Jessica! JESSICA!"

Not being put off by seeing her duck away at the sight of Amber, Amber gathered up her stuff to follow suit. "Sorry Rizzo, I guess she decided to come out after all! I'll see you later!" she waved off, before beginning her chase.

Whilst she wouldn't think about for now, Amber would later remember her blog alone at home. Whilst distractions would become too great on her computer, and the story would never be put up online, it proved to be another secret going in to Amber's Secrets Journal.

((Amber Whimsy pregame end.))
My V8 Relationship Thread!
[+] Dead V7 Kids
B035: LUCAS BRADY - Had Enough - 1 - 2 - 3- 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9
G002: ELISABETH "LIZZIE" LEBOWSKI - "You've been a great audience." - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
[+] Pregame Shenanigans
Lucas Brady - Facebook!Lucas - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
Elisabeth "Lizzie" Lebowski - "My parents told me to make a good signature, so I signed a note promising I would do it later." - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
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