"No. This is your mess." Paisley narrowed her eyes. "She wouldn't have done anything if you didn't kill her friends. You heard what she said. She had friends. Plural."
She wasn't going to sit there and just take Pia's nonsense. Fallacy of Relevance. Pia was listing an example, exaggerating it to the umpteenth degree, and to prove her point. They didn't know what would happen if Genni had a bunch of friends together, with guns. What she did know was that Pia didn't know. That was an entire different situation and it was completely irrelevant.
But Pia had a point. Pia was right. Paisley couldn't deny it. All Paisley could do was pick and prod at the tiny errors but that changed nothing.
She was crying. Lord, she was back at the house. She imagined herself crumpling into a ball on the ground. She couldn't though. She refused. Not in front of Pia. Not now. She was sobbing. She was breaking.
"You're right, okay?! I flaked out! I couldn't kill someone, alright? Is that what you want to hear? I was scared! I'm sorry, Pia!"
She pressed her arm to her eyes, fist clenched. Paisley hiccuped. Calm down, calm down. She kept telling herself that. It helped her to stop crying but it did nothing to quell her boiling anger.
"But thank God I have you around to clean my messes. I'm really grateful." She sniffled, throwing her hands up again. "I mean, you just stabbed her, right? No big deal. The blood will just wash off. At least she's with her friends now. Doesn't that make it all better?"
Paisley was being sarcastic. Paisley wasn't very good at sarcasm. Especially when she was crying like a baby.
The Devil You Know
[s]open![/s] PM for entry b/c death thread
Pia had heard somewhere that there were two kinds of anger: dry and wet. Dry anger was when you were sharp and hard and strong and everybody got the message that you were done with this shit. Wet anger, on the other hand, was when you shook and your chest hurt and your eyes stung and it was so much worse because you knew you were strong, but you felt so goddamn small and weak. Her anger had started out dry, but now she was crumbling right along with Paisley and she couldn't keep her voice from wobbling when she responded.
"Yeah, well you know what? I had friends too, Pais. Eden was my friend. Marcus was my friend, before he flipped his lid and killed her. Valerie was my friend and she got pushed down the stairs by some nobody. I never even got to see any of them before it happened!"
She scrubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands. She wouldn't sob. She wouldn't break down here, in the daylight, where everyone could see. She was strong. Diamonds are unbreakable.
"You're my friend too. You think I'm just going along with you because I have to? I'm doing this for you, but I don't need you, Pais. Not like you need me." It would hurt Paisley to hear that. It hurt Pia to say it. But you know what? Sometimes life hurt and it sucked and there was nothing you could do about it but disinfect the scrapes and bruises and go on your merry way.
Pia sniffled and then spat, trying to rid herself of the phlegm that built up in her throat whenever she cried. Gross. Unladylike. Let them see how tough she was. She made her way back to where she'd dropped her bag, fishing her gun out before hoisting the bag over her shoulder. She'd keep it out from now on. If the sight of it wasn't enough to keep potential aggressors away, then they deserved whatever she ended up giving them.
There were no real warning shots in Survival of the Fittest.
"Let's just... let's just go, okay? I'm cold. We need to find Tucker and hook up with Caroline and M- and whoever else is on the team." Pia just barely caught herself before she spilled to Paisley that Marcus was on the Bears. God, Marcus, what happened to you? Why'd you have to go batshit, huh? She hoped, in a little dark corner of her mind, that somebody else caught up with Marcus before she and Paisley had to deal with him. It would be better if he was just another name in the morning. Easier.
She moved to Paisley's side again, touched her arm. "I'm sorry too, okay? Let's go."
((Pia Malone continued in I Played it Out))
"Yeah, well you know what? I had friends too, Pais. Eden was my friend. Marcus was my friend, before he flipped his lid and killed her. Valerie was my friend and she got pushed down the stairs by some nobody. I never even got to see any of them before it happened!"
She scrubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands. She wouldn't sob. She wouldn't break down here, in the daylight, where everyone could see. She was strong. Diamonds are unbreakable.
"You're my friend too. You think I'm just going along with you because I have to? I'm doing this for you, but I don't need you, Pais. Not like you need me." It would hurt Paisley to hear that. It hurt Pia to say it. But you know what? Sometimes life hurt and it sucked and there was nothing you could do about it but disinfect the scrapes and bruises and go on your merry way.
Pia sniffled and then spat, trying to rid herself of the phlegm that built up in her throat whenever she cried. Gross. Unladylike. Let them see how tough she was. She made her way back to where she'd dropped her bag, fishing her gun out before hoisting the bag over her shoulder. She'd keep it out from now on. If the sight of it wasn't enough to keep potential aggressors away, then they deserved whatever she ended up giving them.
There were no real warning shots in Survival of the Fittest.
"Let's just... let's just go, okay? I'm cold. We need to find Tucker and hook up with Caroline and M- and whoever else is on the team." Pia just barely caught herself before she spilled to Paisley that Marcus was on the Bears. God, Marcus, what happened to you? Why'd you have to go batshit, huh? She hoped, in a little dark corner of her mind, that somebody else caught up with Marcus before she and Paisley had to deal with him. It would be better if he was just another name in the morning. Easier.
She moved to Paisley's side again, touched her arm. "I'm sorry too, okay? Let's go."
((Pia Malone continued in I Played it Out))
...
If Paisley wasn't a God-loving Christian she would have slapped Pia when she said 'I don't need you.' How the fuck dare she? Paisley was about to say 'After all I've done for you,' but then she stopped. What exactly had Paisley done for Pia? That was when Paisley broke. She stopped crying. Her head lolled, eyes pointed at her shoes.
Pia was right.
Paisley needed Pia tenfold, compared to the other way around.
She didn't say anything when Pia kept on talking. When she heard Pia stop, with a harsh 'ma' sound, Paisley winced. She knew what name was on the tip of Pia's tongue. She knew, but had no proof or motive or any sort of recourse. It was an assumption,a hunch. She was about to say Marcus. Who else would Pia backpedal on? Paisley told her about Marcus, she knew how she felt about him. Why would Pia ever mention Marcus? Like, was she intending to pour salt in the would but backed off? Or was it something else? Did she know something Paisley didn't? Was he on Pia's team? Was he on Paisley's? How would Pia even know that? They were never informed who was on what team. Paisley's 'coach' refused to reveal anything about Tucker. Paisley tried to shrug it off. Pia just misspoke, surely. It was just a slip of the tongue and nothing more. She was just being paranoid, she told herself. Silly. But she couldn't shake it. What if Pia was hiding things from her? What if she was lying to her? What if she was afraid Paisley would fly off the handle again? What if? What if.
But. But. Paisley said nothing about it. Because Pia was one of her best friends and friends don't do that, they don't suspect. Friends apologized.
Pia came up and touched her arm. Paisley was ready to shrug her off when Pia apologized. She stared at Pia with wet eyes, confused, before she smiled and gave a slow nod.
"It's okay." Paisley said.
"Nothing's okay." Paisley did not say. "Screw you Pia." Paisley could never ever say. "I don't need you either." Paisley would never say. Because she knew it was a lie. A little chihuahua in Pia's handbag. That was all Paisley was now. A cute, weak pet that Pia could not let out of her sight less somebody stepped on it.
As much as she loved her, as any friend aught to, Paisley wish she just let Genni lunge. That would put the fear of god into Pia, at least. How different would things be, had Paisley shot Genni at the last possible moment. Maybe Pia'd turn, smile and embrace Paisley with a tearful 'Thank You'.
... It was funny. She never wanted to kill Genni. But she did, technically speaking, and now she was thinking more about Pia than the girl that just died.
It was funny in a terrifying way.
(Paisley Hopkins continued in I Played it Out.)
If Paisley wasn't a God-loving Christian she would have slapped Pia when she said 'I don't need you.' How the fuck dare she? Paisley was about to say 'After all I've done for you,' but then she stopped. What exactly had Paisley done for Pia? That was when Paisley broke. She stopped crying. Her head lolled, eyes pointed at her shoes.
Pia was right.
Paisley needed Pia tenfold, compared to the other way around.
She didn't say anything when Pia kept on talking. When she heard Pia stop, with a harsh 'ma' sound, Paisley winced. She knew what name was on the tip of Pia's tongue. She knew, but had no proof or motive or any sort of recourse. It was an assumption,a hunch. She was about to say Marcus. Who else would Pia backpedal on? Paisley told her about Marcus, she knew how she felt about him. Why would Pia ever mention Marcus? Like, was she intending to pour salt in the would but backed off? Or was it something else? Did she know something Paisley didn't? Was he on Pia's team? Was he on Paisley's? How would Pia even know that? They were never informed who was on what team. Paisley's 'coach' refused to reveal anything about Tucker. Paisley tried to shrug it off. Pia just misspoke, surely. It was just a slip of the tongue and nothing more. She was just being paranoid, she told herself. Silly. But she couldn't shake it. What if Pia was hiding things from her? What if she was lying to her? What if she was afraid Paisley would fly off the handle again? What if? What if.
But. But. Paisley said nothing about it. Because Pia was one of her best friends and friends don't do that, they don't suspect. Friends apologized.
Pia came up and touched her arm. Paisley was ready to shrug her off when Pia apologized. She stared at Pia with wet eyes, confused, before she smiled and gave a slow nod.
"It's okay." Paisley said.
"Nothing's okay." Paisley did not say. "Screw you Pia." Paisley could never ever say. "I don't need you either." Paisley would never say. Because she knew it was a lie. A little chihuahua in Pia's handbag. That was all Paisley was now. A cute, weak pet that Pia could not let out of her sight less somebody stepped on it.
As much as she loved her, as any friend aught to, Paisley wish she just let Genni lunge. That would put the fear of god into Pia, at least. How different would things be, had Paisley shot Genni at the last possible moment. Maybe Pia'd turn, smile and embrace Paisley with a tearful 'Thank You'.
... It was funny. She never wanted to kill Genni. But she did, technically speaking, and now she was thinking more about Pia than the girl that just died.
It was funny in a terrifying way.
(Paisley Hopkins continued in I Played it Out.)