Post Key:
Kris(Strawberry Prince) as Marimar Perez
Aphrodite. as Lee-Ann Marie Collier
Shula as Laura Diesen
~~~THE BUTTERFLY CLUB~~~
Marimar smiled as she sat admist the trees of the school. Before her was a Biology book turned to the page of an Electric Blue Butterfly. Its wings looked like it was painted blue, its edges were black. On another side of the page it described the butterfly and its insides and outsides.
In Marimar's hands she held a notebook where she sketched a picture of the butterfly. She was early for the Butterfly Club to meet actually an hour early. But she was excited, it was butterfly season. The spring. She couldn't wait anylonger to be among the butterflys and other beautiful plants that spouted after a long winters sleep. The girl was wearing a blut plaid short dress that went two inches above the knee. The plaid part was magenta, Marimar loved to wear bright colors in the spring and summer. Her long wavy hair fell down to her shoulders and ontop of her head was a black hat that looked like a crown, or a jester hat. It depends on how you look at it.
The girl continued to draw, she took out a couple of color pencils from her backpack sitting beside her and started to shade in the 'electric' blue of the butterfly. A smile was on her face, she enjoyed the weather and the warm sunlight touching her face. This is something Marimar always does, a hobby that will never leave her heart.
Lee-Ann Collier was late. Well, of course that was probably obvious. Her attempts at getting more involved in the the activities the school had to offer that didn't require athletic prominence, which were few in number, were going quite horribly. She had joined the small choir, but could it really even be called that? The members could be counted on her fingers, including herself. Of course, that's not to say that she thought they were bad. In fact, what they lacked in quantity, they more than made up for in quality. The band, however, was horrible. Even at P.J., where the focus was on the academic courses, the band was pretty good. The last practice she had gone to, a week ago, the sound made was more like nails on a chalkboard and police sirens than music.
To put it simply, she was bored with the lack of interesting things to do. She had resorted to the simple, pathetic clubs to find something productive to do. The Butterfly Club. Just its name was enough to make her apprehensive about the people involved with its activities. The only reason she had even considered it was because they were not just interested in butterflies, but were also a horticulture group. Lee-Ann liked plants, flowers in particular. She had a bit of a garden at home. Her favorite flowers, tulips, were abundant this time of year.
Finally reaching her destination, a door that led out to the field and the nearby woods, she took a moment to gather her thoughts and took a deep breath before slowly opening the door. There was only one girl there, laying on the ground. Someone she had never expected to be there: Marimar Perez. Homecoming Queen and part of the very crowd that shunned her figure and personality. The girl was poured over a notebook, sketching something from a book, her curly brown locks hanging from her shoulders. Possibly a butterfly?
It was then that Lee-Ann truly took in her appearance. She was beautiful, that much was certain. Make-up in place here and there, Lee-Ann mused that there must have been something to hide. Of course, that was probably jealousy of her hourglass perfection. That figure wore a cute skirt, although possibly a bit too short. At least, for Lee-Ann's taste. The plaid pattern of the skirt was classy, but a flirty flair embodied it as well. For a moment, Lee-Ann looked at herself. At least, she looked at one side. Her less than satisfactory pear shape and all. In that moment, she wished for a chance to switch places with Marimar.
Knocking slightly on the door, Marimar looked up in slight startlement. "Sorry about that." was the only thing Lee-Ann had in her to say. "I think I'm late, and I just saw you sketching and didn't want to interrupt. So, just what ARE you sketching?"
A club, devoted to butterflies—oh, this can only be enthralling. Honestly now, what could possibly be so great that a bunch of people have a club over it? I mean, I know butterflies are pretty and all, but really. Maybe I should tell them all to watch Purple Butterfly. That'd make them all less frivolously cheerful.
Laura went through entire lists of reasons why she didn't want to be going to some Butterfly Club. Of course, most everything was redundant, but who's paying any attention to that? It wasn't that she had anything better to be doing, just that she had already anticipated the type of people who would be there and while nerds turned tree-hugger were usually nice and most of the time tolerable in small doses, they often grew annoying senses of superiority and self-importance.
Either way, Lee-Ann had talked her into this mess, and she wasn't going to back down now. Backing down from an agreement is never an option...unless it's far more beneficial to do so. There are always exceptions to the rule. As the girl reached her appointed destination however, she wondered if she could justify this as one of those exceptions. That purple plaid skirt sitting under a tree really only meant one thing: Laura was going to have to put up with some frilly, girly crap from some popular chick. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the person in the dress was Marimar.
Oh, this certainly is your lucky day, Laura, isn't it? Laura fought the urge to reply or to look around. She wouldn't find the voice's body anyway. First you get pulled into a club for butterflies and now the only two here are the one who talked you into it and one of those girls. Oh, home-coming queen too! Delightful--an arrogant popular girl. He sounded almost...amused at her imminent social plight.
"Would you shut up?" Laura hissed, "I don't need to put up with anyone poking at me about joining any club."
You're no fun. That's why you're so ignored, you know.
Suddenly, Laura was far less angry at her current situation, and far more willing to behave herself. Maybe this girl would tolerate her being there is she didn't make her presence painfully noticeable. She walked up to the two already there and knelt down, sitting on her feet. Laura didn't look at either of them, choosing instead to aim her glance at some feature some distance away. "Hey."
Marimar who was sketching the Eletric Blue Butterfly stopped and looked up to see two girls standing before her. She can't say that she's seen these two around school before, Shula and Lee-Ann. She hasn't really talked to them, but Marimar always welcomes the chance of meeting and making new friends. "Oh no your not late at all. Its no problem." she said with a smile. "I'm Marimar." she said as she layed the sketch book in her lap.
I'm glad someones here. Its sad how nobody is into nature anymore... she thought as she shook Lee-Ann's hand. She looked down when Lee-Ann mentioned something about her sketch; "Oh this? Its a drawing of an Electric Blue Butterfly from our Biology book." she said handing her the skecthbook. "What do you think?" she asked tilting her head.
Looking over at the presented sketch, Lee-Ann's visible eye widened in astonishment. There, on the pad, sat what appeared to be an Electric Blue Butterfly. Peleides Hyacinthus was its taxonomy if she remembered correctly. Aside from the obvious sketchmarks, it seemed as if the indigo hued wings were preparing to flutter any second. Lee-Ann couldn't remember a time when she had seen such beauty that wasn't in motion. But, it was in motion, at least in a theory she had.
She realized after a couple of moments that she must look like a fish with her gaping mouth, but at that time, she couldn't have cared less. There was so much she wished to say to Marimar; things that would make her flush in embarrassment at the flattery. All the blonde could manage though was a brisk, breathy "Beautiful..." before continuing with her saucer-sized staring. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the nymph in flight, or perhaps on a twig, its probiscus curled and eyes reflecting bright lights. The tiny scales of its aerial assistants making a cascade of indigo and sky blue. All in all, the image, the mental and physical, were breathtaking.
Laura's reaction wasn't quite as befuddling as Lee-Ann's, and she regained her composure quickly with a simple "Nice." How Marimar's face lit up in the sunlight, and how Lee-Ann felt like she might be accepted. For once, she might be accepted into the arms of the popular crowd.
Soon the trio of girls began talking like the schoolgirls they really were, although Laura's nonchalant behavior dampened the others' spirit just a bit. It seemed to be the beginning of what Lee-Ann hoped would be a turn for the better.
"Oh thank you! I'm glad you liked it." she said as she looked back at the picture of the Electric Blue Butterfly in her Biology book. Marimar was happy that she has made some new friends, her popular friends were kind of boring her with all their talk of gossip and such. "So you like butterflys too? I'm glad, theirs not that many people in this club. We could use more members...."
Marimar remembered when she used to live on the beach with her grandparents, she used to jump into theo cean whenever she had the chance. But due to a job oppertunity they moved to the city and now Marimar is actually going to school living life with like a normal student.
"So do you live near here?" she asked putting her sketch book down and focusing on the conversation at hand. "I used to live near the ocean and the beach, but.....We moved to the city and now this is where we live.." she said with a small smile.
Marimar's first question was relatively simple, and Lee-Ann replied with "Actually, it's not really butterflies I have a fascination with. I enjoy plants. Botany has become a pretty big hobby of mine as of late, but I also like entomology since it is related to botany. My favorite insect isn't the butterfly, though. I actually prefer moths simply because of their nocturnal beauty. In particular, I love the lunar moth. It's so... elegant in appearance."
Her miniature speech ended up annoying Laura a little bit. She could tell the other girl was present only so Lee-Ann wouldn't be there alone. It was then she felt another one of her blind flashes, a blackout of sorts. Her worst fear coming forth in only a few seconds. A small gasp escaped Lee-Ann's lips as her vision blurred. It was a flash of indistinguishable light, and it must have been obvious that her visible eye was out of focus from her pained expression. Just like it came on in an instant, it stopped and the light haired girl realized neither of her companions had noted the change in her. On one side, she was relieved, but in retrospect she was disappointed. She really needed someone to help her.
When she had finally comprehended Marimar's second question, she thought for a moment. 'Should I tell her what happened? I mean, everyone knows I came from P.J., but I don't think I should explain the rest.' was the beginning of her mixed emotioned thoughts. After her decision to tell everything that didn't include her incident, she answered the other girl's inquiry. "It's really not that much to tell. You probably heard that I switched schools early in the year, and that I'm a bit of a geek. At least, that's what everyone says. Obviously I'm not exactly the size two that most girls are around here. Oh! Sorry about getting off topic. Well, to put it simply, my dad got a new job, and we had to move so he could be closer."
Nothing she said seemed to make either girl uncomfortable, and for that she was glad. The bangs on Lee-Ann's left side were a little off, and she soon realized the other girls could probably see her eye. Frantic in her motions, the girl pulled her pony-tailed hair down in a rush. Flipping the long strands out in front of her face, she stood up with an excuse and walked away, back inside the school; heading for the bathroom at the hall's entrance. She didn't bother to look at the other girls, her nerves and anxiety long having kicked in. Finally reaching the door to the toilets, the model-like femme walked in before collapsing on the floor in tears. These mood swings had been happening for some time, and to say the least, Lee-Ann was disgusted with herself for them. After all, what use are tears? A waste of moisture for her body, that's what. But there she was, a wreck of a person, her tears shining on the ugly bathroom tile while long gold locks hung down, in a pathetic state of disshevelment. The girl wasn't perfect, but maybe if she kept pretending, others might just believe it.
Marimar didn't waste anytime into following Lee-Ann. "Hey wait!" she said as she left her thing on the meadow as she chased the girl inside the school. Something was definatly up, the girl didn't like to see people sad. Following Lee-Ann into the bathroom she kneeled down to the sobbing mess on the floor. It was truly a heartrending site for her to see someone in such pain.
"Tell me whats wrong. Maybe I can help." she asked putting a hand on her shoulder. Lee-Ann was now a friend of Marimar, and she values friends as one of her main aspects in life. Finally someone who was intrested in the same subjects as her, someone who adored nature and all it was to offer.
"Please tell me..." Marimar didn't want to insit any longer, she didn't wnat the girl to think she was a brownnoser. But she truly was concerned with Lee-Ann and why she has broken down into a rain of tears.
It took Lee-Ann a long time before she had the confidence or restraint of voice to say anything to Marimar. Laura wasn't there, she saw. Well, saw in the sense of attempting to view throught her long hair; which was now out of place and going in all directions. Standing up, the intelligent female brushed herself off and attempted to wipe away tears. Plastering a big, fake smile onto her pale face, she spoke to Marimar in a voice that she knew from countless times wouldn't betray her true emotions. "I'm sorry. I've had a lot on my mind lately, and I guess it's the hormones. We as girls really need to get a grip on our emotions. Damn mood swings." she said with a light chuckle, hoping Marimar bought the response. 'Please don't look into my eyes' the girl thought. She was almost sure the girl would though, so she tilted her head to let her hair fall over her face. 'Maybe I should get some glasses, to make my eyes less noticeable...'
Lee-Ann's blithering had managed to get on Laura's nerves a bit. Honestly, who really cares why you're at a club for butterflies. You're there; that's what matters. Why is almost never a question that needs answering.
But then Laura's friend got onto a slightly more personal topic and, for whatever reason broke down and ran away. Figures. Why must people all be so damn emotional and over reactive all the time?
Laura never got a chance to suggest to the over achieving homecoming queen artist that they go find out what Lee-Ann's problem was. Marimar was on her feet and calling out to her friend in the blink of an eye. Well, I guess she isn't completely useless beyond a colored pencil, then.
Laura could feel a snarky retort about to come from that insidious voice, but somehow managed to slam down her mind against it. It really wasn't something she needed right now. She followed Marimar into the bathroom where Lee-Ann knelt in tears. Laura leaned against the door, probably just out of Lee-Ann's vision with her hair like that, telling herself she was helping matters by keeping anyone else out. The sorting out of emotions could be left to miss perfect.
"Well, if it's just a matter of moodswings, perhaps an upswing could get on its way, once. I'd suggest chocolate, but I don't have any with me." Sarcastic humor in potentially awkward situations--it might as well have been Laura's trademark.
Laura's behavior had been the same since they had met. Sarcasm, bitterness, and overall rudeness seemed to be her trademark style in speech, dress, and attitude. Lee-Ann certainly respected her, but she could be quite a bitch sometimes. Of course, the blonde wouldn't say such a thing to the other girl, seeing as it might make her licensed to kill her; or worse. Just what the girl could do that was worse than death, Lee-Ann didn't know, but she was certain there was some strange voodoo power noone knew about.
Just when the image of an imaginary voodoo and murder license popped into her head, Lee-Ann regained her thoughts and stopped spacing out. Responding to the remark from Laura, her brain seemed to pick back up where she could form a paragraph of cleverly worded nonsense. "Of course. I can certainly call up my emotions and make them step into line or force one up. Wait, I know. That's called acting!" The girl was a good actor. She had practiced to make her happy face perfect.
"No offense guys, but I think I'm gonna head home. I don't really feel like staying anymore. So, see you two tomorrow?" she inquired, the last bit she preferred not to happen at all. She didn't need people talking about her breakdowns and emotional trauma.
Marimar wasn't convinced at all, she could tell there was sadness in the girls heart. "Lee-Ann, are you sure your ok? You don't want me to walk you home?" she asked her face filled with a look of worry. The girl didn't like to see her friends be sad, it always hurt her heart to see someone crying. That is if they don't deserve it. As Marimar waited for an answer the light bulb in her head lit up. She knew exactly what was needed in this type of situation.
"I know!" Marimar's face lit up as she took both hands of Lee-Ann's. "Lets have a sleepover!" she cried with a happy facy of excitement. "There's nothing like friends to cheer another friend up!" said marimar hoping the girl would say yes. "We can have it at your house, or my house if you'd like..." Marimar looked at Laura that said 'promote the idea!' Friends were always the perfect medicine when it comes to feeling sad and alone. At least, to it was the perfect medicine to Marimar.
Oh. Dear. Gods. Laura had been about to verbally flay Lee-Ann for wanting to leave. Honestly, the girl had dragged her here and now wanted to leave her alone with this...this...HAPPY one? But of course Little Miss Everything-in-the-world-is-pink-and-bubbly-and-perfect beat her to the chance to speak--and suggested a sleepover.
What was this, Marimar was trying to intimidate Laura into agreeing with her? That in itself was enough to set her off. No, she was not about to spend an entire night at some sleepover. Nights were for brooding and sulking and eventually sleeping if luck was to be had. Yessss, it's about time we had a little chat, isn't it? We can discuss our plans to save this race by eliminating it! They still need work, don't you think? And that was more than enough to override Marimar's attempts at insistance.
"Yeah. That sounds like a great idea. I'm all for it." Laura only half hoped it sounded more enthusiastic than she felt. "I mean, I haven't been to a sleep over in years, I guess it's time to change that." There. Any lack of excitement should have been covered up by that. If this didn't cheer Lee-Ann up, somebody was going to be on the recieving end of as vicious a glare as Laura could manage.
The shaggy haired blonde had been surprised when Marimar suggested such an elementary activity as a sleepover, but she had been floored when Laura actually agreed to the notion. On the other hand, the girl was embodied the essence of mystery. Either way, the looks the two were giving Lee-Ann were polar opposites, but very moving indeed. Marimar was staring in that caring, puppy way. Like, "Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase?" with a bit of a pout working its way onto her lips. Laura... well, she was giving her "friend" a grade A glare, daring her to say no. With an inward sigh, the girl put on her fake smile again, and looked up at the two very different girls. Yin and yang... Lee-Ann found herself thinking unconciously before responding to Marimar's question like Laura.
"Ok. That sounds great actually. We could study biology or something." This bit got a glare out of Laura, but the other girl kept her mouth closed. "Just one thing, could I run home first to get some things? I also need to call my parents. Or... what would be best? Should I just come to your house later?" In all actuality, the idea wasn't that bad. It really had been a while since Lee-Ann just talked with some friends without any care. Maybe it would do the girl good to leave her troubles behind her for one night. She just really needed to ask permission. After her mother's miscarriage, she had become extremely over-protective of her living, breathing child. Well, teenager, as Lee-Ann would like to be called. As she waited for an answer, she looked at herself in the mirror. Well, she half-looked. She certainly was a mess, her discombobulatory actions hadn't been the best course she realized now, and she could have been out of the situation easily if she had simply asked to be excused to go pee. With that thought, the girl silently thought it ironic that her life was shit, and she had broken down in a toilet.
Marimar clapped her hands in approval. "Oh yes! This wil be fun you'll see." she said making her way to Laura. "Come on, it won't be so bad." marimar finished with a smile. She could tell Laura wasn't the girly girly type, it didn't really matter. Laura to her was just one of those people who were moody all the time, for reasons unknown and unexplained. Marimar thought just to leave those kind of people alone with their feelings, but she thought differently of Laura. She knew she can crack her, in due time of course.
As for Lee-Ann it was time for some cheering up. Marimar knew that a good ol' fashioned sleep over would do the trick. "Of course! Go to your house and gather your things, talk to your parents and then come meet me at my house." The girl took out a piece a paper from her pocket and a pen, she ended up scribbling her adress and phone number for both Lee-Ann and Laura. "Here you go. When your ready just come by the house and we can start the official sleepover!" When it came to a party like this Marimar always knew how to set up: Movies, magazines, girl talk, food, drinks, boys.........Boys.....
That word echoed in Marimar's head; Butterflies, friends, breakdowns, sleep overs fun? She completley forgot about boys which is the dream that she always dreamed of. The girl has never once fallen truly in love with anyone, sure she's had her flings but nothing truly special. Marimar still hasn't found that perfect one, however she always thinks its closer than it appeared. However that didn't stop her from searching, searching for the perfect man who'll make her truly happy.
Laura took one of the two bits of paper with Marimar's address and number. Why did she let herself get dragged into this? The three agreed to meet there and soon went their separate ways for the moment.
As Laura walked to her house (she refused to ever call it home) She started to mentally beat herself up about this whole affair. If she were so much better than other people, how did she end up getting talked into this miniature party? Why didn't she say no when she wanted to? Did she really want to. She had no answers, at least no answers she wanted, so she stopped that lin eof thought and let that voice break through.
It was all the same sharp but masculine voice, always, but it seemed to have two different personalities almost. Laura had named them already. Ryan was the one who teased her any time he could and kept wanting to destroy; Ian was her big teddy bear of a voice, he seemed to act like a big mental hug whenever she needed one.
It was Ian who was talking to her now, telling her that she was better than other people, but no one can win all the time. Sometimes you have to lose the small ones to win the big ones. Surrender the front land so you can sneak up and around to the land behind the enemy's forces and that's when they won't stand a chance...and you'll get your original territory back as well.
Laura ambled her way through her house to her room and threw some things into a large purse; just another shirt and a brush and toothbrush--those types of things. Leaving her house again, not bothering to write her parents a note (they wouldn't notice she wasnt't there, and even if they did, they could jsut call her cell phone....not that they would.) she began her way towards Marimar's house. Once there, she knocked on the door loudly.
She hoped Lee-Ann was already there, it would probably be awkward or something of the sort otherwise.
While Laura was busy at her house, Lee-Ann had just left the school. Jan had been at his locker when she left the others, and the blonde, though dissheveled and self-conscious, stopped to chat briefly with him. Turns out that the directions weren't right after all, and the German boy was simply confused. Of course, it could have been due to his very thick accent that Lee-Ann heard something different. Or it could have been her I-hope-you-don't-notice-my-advances staring instead of listening.
Jan had barely had time to acknowledge her presence before the normally shy girl started babbling to him. He suddenly got a little smile on his face, and leaning down from his tall stature, ceased her babbling with a light kiss. The kiss had been chaste and very cute, which was appropriate for Lee-Ann's first. The blonde's thoughts switched from the brink of insanity by shaky nerves to babbling, pure ecstacy. It was bliss for the hour-like seconds, and time stood still.
Finally, the kiss ended. With it, a new emotion began to swell up in Lee-Ann's chest, sparking a kind of embarrassingly adorable blush on her full cheeks. Jan's tanned hand came out of nowhere to brush the blonde's left bangs away, revealing her eye. Of course, the girl could only get a glimpse of this action, instead relying on the sense of touch. A smile from the taller boy sent the giddy girl further into the throes of joy, and she felt herself start to grin.
Suddenly their moment ended with the football player's whispering a sweet goodbye and telling her to call him early in the morning before his flight was to take off. Lee-Ann just stood with her grin in place for the entire time Jan was walking away. At his turning around the corner, the girl released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. With the exhale of air, her next inhale loaded her lungs with fresh air, but not without many new feelings to add to her melting pot of emotions.
Lee-Ann had been gob-smacked to put it simply. Her flirting had obviously led to something new. She couldn't stop smiling as she walked to her locker. The combination, all multiples of nine, flew by along with the throwing of her unnecessary books into the hideously colored brown mini-safehouse. If she was excited before, Lee-Ann had suddenly become ecstatically anxious. With her extra books locked away for the day, the girl exited the school heading to her home.
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Living in one of the few real houses in the city had begun to be something to look forward to for Lee-Ann. Her earlier experiences of home life basically meant walking four flights of stairs to get to the large apartment. Now it meant heading inside with no stairs. It was no surprise that the girl was in walking distance to Franklyn, but it was still a bit far to go before heading to Marimar's upscale home. Looking in front of her, the blonde took note of the changes made to the new house. A light blue color partnered with dark red brick made for a clashy look, but in a rather good way. Large, shuttered windows stood out along the rectangular two-story house. An old-style chimney had been left during remodeling, kind of obliviously ignorant of the changes gone through by the rest of the house. Style wasn't exactly the point of expertise for any of the three occupants of 158 Ruby Rd.
The obvious point of focus in Lee-Ann's yard was the large swing out under a great oak tree. Two small gardens bordered the sides of the swing, blooming with bright, warm colors. Nearby, Lee-Ann's bike lay. The basic mechanical structure stood out easily among the bright colors, the base a dark blue while the company's writing and other accessories the regular black. The few seconds it took the girl to take in the familiar place passed quickly, and with a swift swish and insert, a change of scenery took place with the inside of the house.
Lee-Ann and her parents' house was a little odd on the outside, but it didn't at all compare to the drastic clashes inside. Instead of checking the house, the still-smiling blonde rushed up the mahogany staircase to her room. Opening the door with a quick turn, Lee-Ann stepped into her haven. The walls of the newly-painted room were a light green, contrasting well with the cream colored carpet. Her room, about the size of a small classroom, was filled with several cabinets, a large queen-sized bed, two bookshelves, and a desk being occupied by her Dell computer.
Going along with her light, earthy colors, the pastel yellow of her bed's coverings added to the feel of a garden. Even moreso gaian, the two windows of her room opened up to plants only Lee-Ann knew the name of, guinea pigs for her botanical studies. The only thing that seemed to be out of place was a large framed photo on the computer desk, a family portrait from a few years back. All of the wooden structures in the room were a light, polished color, without a speck of dust. Missing from the extravagantly organized room were the usual technologies a television and radio.
Lee-Ann took note of the condition of her room before getting to work with her packing. All the while thinking about her amouric experience, the blonde picked out a change of clothes, the books she needed for studying, and her journal. Crossing through her open door to the bathroom, the girl grabbed her dental supplies along with a few grooming necessities. Throwing all of the things into a small sack, the girl stopped to quickly write a note to her parents, and leaving it on the kitchen table downstairs, closed and locked the front door. She was happy. She hadn't been happy in a long time, and it was all because of her... wait! Just what were they? This thought at first troubled the girl, but she pushed it aside before it could cloud her mind with unpleasant notions. She was curious to see just what was in store for her at the princess's sleepover. Her last thought before setting off on her bike consisted of a parody of the fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea", Marimar, and sticking a pea underneath her mattress.
~~~CONTINUED IN: AT MARIMAR'S HOUSE~~~
Marimar quickly went down the stairs, it was getting late and the sleep over was about to commence. She still wore the same cloths she did a couple hours ago. Everything was prepared, Marimar hoped that this would cheer up Lee-Ann in whatever she's dealing with. After hearing the knock the excited sirena leaped to open the door, and surprise it was Laura at the door. With a smile the girl welcomed her into her home. Now Marimar knew she didn't get along with Laura as much as Lee-Ann but she hopes that will change after tonight.
"Hey glad you can come!" she said closing the door behind her. "You can put your stuff in my room." Marimar showed Laura upto her room and then sat on the bed as Laura put her stuff down. "Lee-Ann hasn't arrived, I'm kind of worried. You've known her longer than her, do you think anythings wrong?" she asked. This fact was true, the two were friends long before they met Marimar. Sure she wanted to know, she wanted to get closer to Laura hoping that the homecoming queen sterotype won't infect her brain and thoughts toward her.
Marimar had answered the door with quickly covered surprise on her face, but Laura had caught it nonetheless She didn't really expect you to show, did she? Maybe...she didn't want you to show. That...that incessant voice, sometimes what he told Laura was eccentric to say the least, but always, always he seemed to be right. Of course, there was never really anyway to prove him right either, but Laura always gave Ryan the benefit of the doubt....really, she had no reason not to do so.
The other girl spoke happily, though Laura didn't really listen, and walked to her room. Laura followed. Looking around the room, there really wasn't anything unexpected. It was definitely a girl's room and completely opposite from the dark and gloomy oversized closet of a room Laura sometimes slept in. On the other hand...it wasn't really as painfully bright and pink as the moodier of the two girls had expected.
"Lee-Ann hasn't arrived, I'm kind of worried. You've known her longer than I; do you think anything's wrong?" Huh. Maybe that was why Marimar looked surprised when she had shown up—because Lee-Ann hadn't yet. Well, she probably had a right to be, Laura had planned on being later than Lee-Ann. Pathetic. Always looking for some reason to make yourself less pathetic, but it only backfires. "Go away, Ryan." Laura didn't realize she'd muttered that out loud, although it wasn't loud enough for anyone farther than a few inches away to determine what she'd said. What's this, talking to yourself too, now? I don't know why I put up with you, you're pathetic. I guess I'm just nice. I'd feel bad leaving you with nobody else. Nobody else would tolerate you without--. Laura knew this speech inside and out, could probably repeat it word for word by now; she didn't want to let him finish, so she talked over him, perhaps a little more loudly than would seem strictly necessary to anyone other than her.
"I don't think anything's wrong, she just lives a little farther away than I do, and she's probably taking the time to write a note or talk to her parents or something. Lee-Ann'll be here any minute." Laura tried to stop babbling. "Or maybe she's just being slow and taking her time." She tried harder. It worked that time.
Crap. Double crap. Lee-Ann had remembered where Marimar happened to live, at least the place. She couldn't for the life of her, however, remember the exact address. Her bike, the same one in her front yard, was hurting her in all the wrong places as she rode all over the dreaded Carrington Pointe. Although the blonde knew that the Pointe was most likely the safest place in the city, she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. All the houses were nice and clean, the structures spotless and the lawns filled with shrubbery, edged to perfection.
Ok, so the girl had been living it up for as long as she could remember, but there was something about this neighborhood that just screamed emmaculate. Like, imperfection was never an option. There could be no mistakes. If life were like that, Lee-Ann would surely suck. With all due respect to herself, the scholarly teen felt a little out of place. Her condition, paired with her figure, left a lot to be desired, especially in such a place. 'Wow. I'm dumbfounded. Just where the heck is this place?' Lee-Ann's thoughts wandered from her physical "ailments" to the problems she was having with direction. 'Damn. I've never been very helpful when it comes to directions, but this is a little ridiculous. It feels like I've been around the same houses twice. These Stepford Wives homes are soooo annoying.' The girl was a bit fed up, and with the present outfit not being made to be riding around in the summer heat, her situation was gradually becoming crappier than anything she could've imagined.
Muttering curses to herself, the spectacled female stopped at the nearest house, just another clone in the array of indifference. 'This is so embarrassing.' the girl thought before pressing the small white button designated for the loud ringing it would produce, alerting the occupants of the home of an outside visitor. In normal language, and not the language of Lee-Ann and her intellectual friends, it was a simple doorbell. She heard the slight ding-dong sound, and immediately giggled at the image of the onomatopeia. Suddenly, a little bit too suddenly since Lee-Ann kind of jumped into the air, the painted, blue door opened up to reveal an old woman in her nightgown, unlit cigarette in hand and curlers adorning her hair.
"May I help you?" the old hag asked, her voice hoarse from the onslaught of smoke she must have been inhaling over the years. Cancerous filth. Looking indignant, Lee-Ann responded with a polite tone "I'm looking for Marimar Perez. Would this possibly be her house?" In direct annoyance, the old woman swore before muttering about idiotic children. "No, this isn't that damn sunshine's house. Now get the hell off my property." With that, the rude woman slammed the door in Lee-Ann's face, her mouth opened to make an inquiry about the proper etiquette of answering a door. Sighing loudly, the blonde broke into stride back to her bike, the sack of things needed for the night swinging back and forth from the same motion of her large hips. Taking up the stance on her bicycle, Lee-Ann took off into the direction of her next inquiry, hoping for a different response.
'Wait a minute...' the girl thought. Suddenly remembering the small slip of paper's place of occupance, Lee-Ann struggled to maintain the bike's balance as she dug through the pocket of her long, blue-jean dress. Out of nowhere she heard a honk, followed by the sound of screeching brakes. The noise, obviously a vehicle's scared Lee-Ann for lack of better vocabulary in the situation, shitless. She couldn't see the car as it had been coming from the left side. Braking her bike, the blonde turned to the left, peering with her good eye at the large red truck stopped only a few yards away.
Shock had taken effect after a few seconds, and Lee-Ann noted unconciously that it was probably one of the closest near-death experiences she had ever had. Ok, so it was dark. Not that that really mattered, it was more that Lee-Ann hadn't even been thinking about anything other than getting to the godforsaken sleepover. Still gaping, the girl felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to find the same old woman she had just had a one-sided bad experience with. The woman had an extremely worried look on her face, the cigarette once in her fingers replaced by a handkerchief, offering it to Lee-Ann. Instead of accepting the cloth, Lee-Ann simply looked up to the woman, tears already falling. For a few moments, the blonde didn't feel. She was a shell.
For the second time that day, Lee-Ann sucked in a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. The old woman, curlers still in, was wiping the tears away with her handkerchief, and murmuring comforting words to the stranger who had appeared on her doorstep. It was then that Lee-Ann actually understood something. It really isn't right to judge a book by its cover, since people really can end up surprising you. When she had the composure to speak, the girl thanked the old woman with great gratitude, all in the form of a simple "Thank you." The emotion held in her voice told all. The old hag, still unnamed, put the handkerchief, now noted as a bright blue, into Lee-Ann's still outstretched hand, closing the digits around it.
With a nice, simple goodbye, the woman left Lee-Ann standing in the dark, the red truck long gone. And like that, the blonde was once again left alone. It was so weird how her life had begun to be. One minute filled with compete trauma, the next a mental hug, and then she was alone again. For a moment, the girl actually considered giving up her quest for the sea princess's house, but decided to continue for the promise she had made and enthusiasm Marimar most likely expected. So with that, like other things, for the second time, Lee-Ann headed towards Marimar's house, the found piece of paper in her hand, clutching the handle of the bike. 'Man my butt hurts.' the girl thought, lightening her own mood a bit.
Marimars house is a cozy little structure, one that poor people yet set people can live in. Beyond the front door is a royal blue carpeted foyer, this is the room that has stairs leading to the second floor. On the left theirs a doorway that leads into the Kitchen. The Kitchen has checkerboard styled tile and counter. Theirs an oak table next the wall and across the table is the counter with cabinets above it. A single white refrigerator is porpped up next to the doorway leading to the foyer.
If you walk straight in the foyer, theirs a family room. The family room also had royal blue carpet. In the middle of the room theirs a blue couch against the wall. Right in front of it is a table, and next to the couch is a small nightstand with a skybluish vase like lamp. Not to far from the coffee table is a regular sized cheap colored television. on the wall to the entrance of the bathroom is a library shelf structure, complete with several old books and movies. Next to that is a door leading to the backyard. Lastly, the room's walls are decorated with hanging shells and framed pictures of oceanic scenes. The right room next to the foyer is the large bathroom of the house with a tub, sink, toliet, and a mirrored cabinet.
Up the stairs is once again a royal blue carpet room completed with shells and move oceanic pictures. Down the hall the first door to the left is a small white tiled bathroom with a toliet, sink, shower, and a mirrored cabinet. The first door on the rightt is more down the hall and is Marimar's granparents room. The room is plain, the bedspread is blue with matching pillows. A nightstand next to the bed holds another sky bluish lamp. The room also has royal blue carpet, a closet, and a desk.
The last room is at the end of the hall and to the left. The room is an old attic like scene, its considered the study of the house. Old, dusty, red lounge chairs sit in the middle of the room with a maroon carpet under them. The room has tons of library shelves that are littered with books. The room also has a desk toppled with more books, papers, and other old documents. Its also considered a play room, a room that isn't used much.
Marimar's room is the last room on the right side of the hall. Her room is the most grand room of the house. All foure walls were painted by her grandfather, its an oceanic beach scene. A lighthouse, the sandy beach, the seagulls flying over head. On another wall is an under the sea mural, of a beautiful mermaid along with fish, shells, bubbles, and sea weed. The bed against the wall has a quilt like bed spread. Patches of underwater/beach scenes quilted on the bedspread, along with the matching pillows. Next to the bed is a nightstand with a lighthouse styled lamp and a picture frame of Marimar and her parents when she was young as well as a phone. Near the door to the room is a desk, the top shelf of the desk is decorated with shells, Marimar's room is the only room in the house with a computer. The Sea Princess's room also has a closet and a makeup table with a large mirror, drawers, and a sea styled bench.
The most grand thing about Marimar's room though, is the balchony. The balchony is right on the wall next to the wall with the closet. Its not an entirley big balchony, but its enough to see the wonderful view of the beach as well as the ocean. A house fit for a sea princess...
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Ryan? Whose Ryan? The thought went through the girls head but it'd be better if she didn't ask. Just as Marimar was about to ask what they should do first the doorbell rang. "She's here!" Marimar went down the stairs and to the front door. "Come in! Come in! Let me take that for you!" Lee-Ann looked a bit tired, but that was probably because of her emotional break down earlier today. But being the hostess she is the sea princess took all of her things and lead her to her room. Opening the door to her room Marimar put all of Lee-Ann's things on the floor next to the closet where Laura's things were.
"Make yourself comfortable, I know its not much but its my home." she said with a smile. Sitting on the bed she looked at both girls, both of them were here, now what was she going to do? Marimar never really had a sleepover, she had several things planned she just didn't know how to approch them. "Feeling better?" she asked Lee-Ann.
Hell hath no fury like Lee-Ann Marie Collier pedaling around the hellacious Carrington Pointe for well over a half-hour in search of a certain "Miss Sunshine"'s house. Even with the address, there was still the trouble of riding around the neighborhood to the right place, which just so happened to be on an entirely other street. The loquacious female's house must have been frickin' magical, as well as the paper. They changed location every other moment. Wheezing slightly, the blonde girl began to bring about a bit of dry humor for her situation.
'I bet this will really help me get into shape. Yea right.' Turning into a culdesac with nice, distinguishing houses. The girl decided to be smart, so she rode to the other side before turning around for easy visage. 'Take that you cursed eye!' the girl thought triumphantly while scanning the mailboxes for the correct address number. This was no easy task in itself as the majority of the inhabitants' houses lacked much lighting outside. One mailbox in particular stood out, and looking in awe, Lee-Ann looked down at her paper. Her right eye visibly lit up like a Christmas ornament, and a grin of success washed over her face. Looking up, she silently thanked whatever being had finally decided to give her a break. Looking back over at the medium-sized house, she kind of thought about how much she really had learned in one day. Two people she thought would be complete wenches turned out to be people she might could really trust. Her trail of thought again switched back to the task at hand: getting down the street without dying from exhaustion.
Suddenly, she started pedaling right towards the house in a happy rush. The night sky wasn't overbearing anymore, she noted. Instead, as the blonde rode quickly down the short street, the stars had seemed to burn with extra brilliance over the not-so-petite femme. Sweaty, tired, and most of all beffudled, none of the adjectives that could describe her stood out as much as a less apparent one in the dark. Happiness had taken over. Whether for the moment or for a long interval she didn't know, but as she rode the small distance over to Marimar's house, she felt like great things were in store for her.
'One trauma at a time, I suppose.' the girl mused, braking in front of Marimar's quaint home. Taking in the home-style structure's beauty, Lee-Ann barely noticed a small kitten that had invaded her space. Out of the silence, the mewl came, and with it, a sharp but gentle look from the sole occupant of space in the brightly-lit sky. It was a small tabby cat, easily noticeable even in the dark with its bright, nearly flourescently colored bright green eyes. The kitten was obviously a stray, just looking for a food source. It was large enough to be out on its own, but still not mature enough to be dissocial. Felis domesticis in a nutshell, and Lee-Ann couldn't help but want to take it with her. She knelt down, opening her hands in a scooping-like fashion. The striped feline instantly recoiled in the fashion of an apprehensive baby, kind of looking suspiciously at the hand. For a long moment neither moved, but before long the girl had the small animal in her arms, scratching its ears affectionately. Aside from the mewl of fear at being up in the air, the kitten seemed to love the girl's actions.
Smiling, Lee-Ann held the small mammal in one hand while pushing her bike with the other. Looking down, she noted exactly why she had almost been hit earlier: the color of her bike. The dark hued blue and black were nearly invisible in the dark, and with kitten in hand, the blonde silently made a mental note to get some reflectors put on. In her blue-jean dress, Lee-Ann parked the bike, once again shouldered her sack, and walked comfortably up to the door. Ringing the doorbell, the girl prepared for another interesting turn of events. The rollercoaster was just hitting the first loop. She didn't need to see it. She could feel it.
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Marimar had answered the door and ushered her in, not even taking note of the bundle of near malnutrition in her hand. Ushering her in, the brunette's face was bright and happy, but she had an air of concern. Laura however just kind of looked thankful that the girl had arrived to save her from the overly happy princess. 'Of course. I must look like crap.' Lee-Ann thought, brushing stray strands of hair from her face. The house was far less expensive looking inside, but it certainly was genteel at the same time. Being rushed through Marimar's house allowed the blonde only a small glimpse of the home's nice, billowy accents, all some shade of blue. 'Sunshine? Maybe Mermaid is a more appropriate nickname for Marimar. Laura? well... she's kind of... Laura.' the girl thought, vividly aware of the aquatic style of the home.'Did she do the whole frickin' house?' she thought, taking note of the sea shells and various oceanic scenes displayed on canvas. "Wow. Marimar, who did the house? It's very... blue. Not that that's at all a bad thing. Just that I was kind expecting it to be more elegant and not so breezy. It's a very comfortable place." This she said out loud, smiling at the brunette and speaking in a polite, sociable tone.While Marimar explained, the blonde was ushered into the room. For some reason, the kitten in Lee-Ann's hand had fallen asleep, but noone had even noticed it. Sitting on the bed, the girl looked from her amusement at the furball to answer Marimar's inquiry. "I'm fine. Very tired, but not in an overall bad way. I'm just glad I found the place... and this little one." she answered, holding out the gray-furred tabby with cupped hands.
Jolted from its slumber, the kitten yawned with a light mewl, blinking slowly before looking over at the two girls looking at it. One girl looked kind of skeptical, while the other could hardly contain her happiness at the sight of the adorable little feline.With a look at the still blue-decked room of Marimar's, Lee-Ann was instantly greeted with a mental version of that old song "I'm Blue" by the Eiffel Towers or something like that. The brunette and blonde in front of her were complete opposites, but maybe for one night they could find some way to connect. With her last thoughts, she began to humm the ditty, bobbing her head slightly. Looking down at the kitten, she decided that it needed food and some form of liquid. "Umm... not to intrude, but do you have any milk and maybe some ham?" she said, not wanting it to seem like it was imperative; even though... it just might be.
"Awwww thats soo cute!" she said taking hold of the grey kitten. Marimar had a spot for animals, she adored them. "Oh well we i did live most of my life right by the sea. Its my favorite type of enviormental setting." she said with a smile. Marimar was a mermaid at heart, growing up right by the ocean the girl had to move here two years ago because of a job oppertunity her grandfather got. ZMarimar's heart will always belong to the sea. "Ham and milk? Umm sure." she said cardling the kitty back in her arms. Ham and milk....? Well I guess whatever floats your boat. she thought with curiosity. "So when I come back, what would you like to do? Watch a movie?" she asked tilting her head a little. The girl never had a sleepover before, I guess one of the rules of hosting one was to make your compan comfortable. "I'll be right back." she said setting the kitty back into Lee-Ann's arms.
Looking through her fridge she had a package of ham as well as a half carton of milk. Taking a glass from the cabinet she poured the milk into the glass and took out a couple pieces of ham from its plastic wrapping. Placing them on the plate, Marimar took her food and started going back up the stairs careful not to spill. "Here you go." she said placing the plate on the bed and handing the glass to her.
"I'm sorry if I look a little nervous, I've never hosted one of these things before..." she said. "So bear with me." she said with a smile as she scratched her head. I hope I'm not embarassing myself... "So would you like to see a movie? Or do something?" she asked. Suggestions....Yes, suggestions.... Marimar tried thinking of other things but she didn't know what kind of things these girls liked to do. Left alone if its possible to do it in the house.
CONTINUED IN Still At Marimar's House