SOTF Archive/SOTF Classic

It looked like rain today.

[Aileen Aurora Abdallah, continued from Free Samples with Purchase]

Sure, it's Seattle, where nearly everyday looked like rain, but at least the clouds had a nice pattern, as they quickly flew across the sky. Some people would call this calm. Aileen didn't. To be fair, she heard music, loud and guitar-heavy metal, through her ear plugs. Either way, Aileen was sitting in the Gazebo, with an absent mind, staring at the clouds.

She was able to leave class earlier than usual, by saying that she had an appointment. It was a lie, but Aileen really wanted to escape the mass of people in the school. They annoyed her today. Or maybe Aileen was just too tired to put up with them. Whatever the case was, she liked sitting there at the Gazebo.

Her eyes stopped fixating on the sky, and wandered around the place. She noticed people exiting school, so it probably was over. Aileen groaned when she realized that this would mean that some smoking idiots might come and disturb her time. She closed her eyes and told herself that she just had to shoo them off if it came down to it.

((Travis Webster continued from True Friends Are Jerks...))

Travis Webster exited the school with a smile on his lips. It wasn't long now. Prom, School Trip and then Graduation. He still had a few exams he needed to complete, but that didn't worry him in the slightest. It was out of his hands now.

Travis audibly stretched out his back and yawned. What was he going to do now? He could probably head home, smoke some weed and play video games.

Shit, no. Mom is working from home today. Stupid fucking cold.

So that wasn't an option. He had done a lot of stupid things, but he had managed to keep his drug habits relatively hidden from his parents - And that's how he wanted it to stay.

Maybe the Quik Stop? Nah...

He supposed he could hit up Joe, but he was probably busy getting used as a verbal punching bag by his Führer of a father. So that wasn't an option.

Maybe the kids who usually smoked at the Gazebo would be interested in hanging out for a bit. Could probably cause some mischief with them. Travis nodded to himself, put his hands in his pockets and went off towards the Gazebo, all whilst whistling the same old tune he always did.

Aileen opened her eyes, there had to be someone approaching the gazebo at this point. She was right, but she had needed a few seconds to figure out who it was.

Travis Fucking Webster.

There was something one could call antipathy if somebody wanted to describe Aileen's feeling towards him. Travis, a pothead, a jerkass, a trouble-maker... and his taste in girls was rather mediocre. To sum it up, Aileen felt that it was important for people like him to know their place. God knows what he would do once he reached the gazebo, probably smoking some weed and ruining Aileen's time of peace. She smiled a little, maybe she could shut him up. That'd be cool..

Aileen stood up, body fully erect. Her arm raised in front of her, with the full palm showing towards Travis direction. Her face now stern and focused.

"Hold! Hold I say!"

Travis wasn't able to spot who it was sitting at the Gazebo as he walked over towards it. He just saw people, which was good enough for him. As he got closer, however, he recognized the appearance of Aileen Abda-whatever her last name was. He tried to remember what he knew of the girl as he approached, giving her a nonchalant nod. He didn't know much about the girl personally, but he knew the rumors. Just another one of Aurora's spoiled brats. He knew her type. Hell, he even hung around with some people with the same reputation she had.

As he got closer, she got up and showed him the palm of her hand in a dismissive gesture. Her serious face and demeanor amused him to no end.

"Hold! Hold I say!"

Who the fuck talks like that?

He yawned at her audibly as his steps slowly came to a halt a few meters away from the girl. In an arrogant gesture, he looked her up and down, this time with his eyes lazily half-open. He slowly scratched his scruffy hair and smiled a lazy smile, dragging out the moment just a few seconds longer than was tolerable, for extra effect. Then, he carried on like the long pause hadn't just happened:

"... Hmm? What's up?"

Travis reaction certainly was not how you treat a lady. It angered her slightly how he yawned, how he looked at her. As if he doesn't even care who was before him. Then he just stood there, scratching his hair. Aileen was just about to say something, when Travis asked her "what's up". The way he said it irritated Aileen. He didn't seem to be bothered at all.

Aileen pulled her ear plugs out and stored them in her pockets. She thought a little about her reply, licking her lips in the process. Once she knew what she wanted to say, she scowled at Travis, waiting for a few, short moments before saying anything.

"I was just enjoying my time and frankly, I won't let you disturb me. If you want to smoke some weed, go to your home or wherever you ruin your brain."

Fucking pothead

Travis let her words sink in for a few moments. Wow, did she really think he was dumb enough to smoke weed in the middle of the day, in public, at the school!?
He peered at her with a confused look on his face, and then he let out a slight chuckle.

This girl...

Still with the same nonchalant expression, he looked at her with disapproval. His tone betrayed his annoyance with the way she'd treated him.

"What? Like, seriously? Dude, first of all, if you don't want to be disturbed, you're the one who should go back to your own fucking home, alright?"

He made a shoo-motion, with a cocky grin on his lips.

"Second of all, I'm not here to smoke weed...."

Her entire look and demeanor just screamed 'I think I'm better than you', and it pissed him off to no end. He wasn't going to disturb her. The fucking audacity on this girl.

"I simply thought some friends might be here, but I guess they haven't arrived yet. So don't get your panties in a twist, alright?"

Aileen liked that he was annoyed. She didn't like that he told her to go home herself. It was beyond Aileen how such a person could ever properly function. Didn't he ever heard of little neat rules like 'First comes - first serves' or 'Ladies first'? Likely not. Or else he would knew that he was terribly unpolite. Travis then mentioned that he wasn't here to smoke.

At least something...

Instead, he just wanted to meet some friends.

...even worse.

For Aileen, one trouble-maker like Travis was enough of a nuisance, but more of his kind? Unacceptable! Who knew what these people would do, probably something that completely ruins Aileen's day.

"...don't get your panties in a twist..."

Aileen folded her arms, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Some seconds passed. She noticed that she was getting too angry, but fuck that. This guy needs some lessons in proper manners. Her arms still folded, her eyes still closed, she slowly spoke up.

"Who do you think... YOU ARE! Have you never heard of "Ladies first"? Or "First comes, first serves"? I was here before you, and if I decide you are a disturbance, you go away, you annoying brat. Especially when you don't know how to behave correctly."

He had noticeably pissed her off. It made him feel all warm on the inside.

After her entire session of yelling, if only for a few moments, he was awestruck. He stared at her in shock. Then a smile crept over his lips. The smile turned into a grin. The grin into a chuckle. Soon, he was outright laughing. He was flabbergasted. How could anyone act like this towards him?

"Ahahahah... aaaah..."

He took a deep breath. With a calm and sarcastic tone, he continued.

"So, uhm, no. How about fuck you, lady?"

He smiled a wolfish grin at her, completely devoid of any genuine joy. Did she really think she could intimidate him to leave?

"Seriously, I don't give a shit about that stuff. You're telling me I should just leave because you tell me to? Give me a fucking break, you self-entitled little bitch."

He shook his head and laughed again. He'd found something to do now.

Travis seemed to be shocked, and Aileen liked that, clearly visible from her smile. But then Travis' face showed a smile, a grin, he began to chuckle. Aileen's face did the opposite. Her smile turned into a surprised mien, her jaw dropped slightly, her eyes focusing on the now laughing Travis. He regained some composure, before insulting Aileen again.

The grin he had on his face. It pissed Aileen off. It pissed her really off. And how he talked to her. How he rejected her command. How he called her a self-intitled bitch. Aileen's face now visibly tensed up. With each word he said, her face became grimmer and angrier. She clenched her fists. Her breath, loud and a staccato.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

It was a yell, so loud, Aileen was hurt herself by it.

"Now! You shall face consequences."

Aileen ran towards the boy, her hand now open, it was very fast to move. It's destination? Travis' cheek.

"Now! You shall face consequences!"

Who talked like that? This fuckin' girl spoke like some sort of king in a fantasy novel. "Aaargh, you killed my son, the prince, you shall face the consequences in the pit of-".... Why was the girl charging at him?

He saw her arm raised, and her hand open, and that was when he got it. She was actually trying to hit him.

Travis quickly took a few steps back to avoid her swing. A few years ago, he would have been struck by the girl with ease, but not anymore. His time at the gym had made him quick and agile. Sure, if it was Miles Strickland or Adonis Alba throwing their entire weight after him, he'd be in trouble... But this was hardly a match.  What a fuckin' loon she was, this random rich girl he'd decided to taunt for fun.

"Woah, watch it there!", he said mockingly as he moved back to a safe distance. He still smiled condescendingly at her, letting her know he wasn't the least bit intimidated by her antics.

He casually put his hands in his pockets and tilted his head. He let out a slight giggle. Oh, how fun it would be if someone caught her trying to hit him. What would be her explanation? "He was rude when I asked him to fuck off before"? For some reason, he was pretty sure she didn't think of that scenario, and if she did, she probably thought she was too good to "FACE THE CONSEQUENCEEES" as she so adequately put it.

"Wooow... You're just a regular old fuckin' nutjob, aren't you?"

With a display of theatrics, he mockingly pretended to be shocked and scared.

"I mean...! Assaulting people like that..."

The faux fear turned into glee.

"... Ahah... I mean, someone might get hurt."

He gave her a little wink and awaited her next move.

((Amy Bachelor continued from Adapting The Orchid Thief))

Most of the time after school, when Amy didn't want to face Dale or just needed to stay after school for whatever reason, she would head for the Student Centre. Despite being the designated place for people to get their work done, there were generally so many people there that there was always a low hum of noise resulting from friends chatting. Sometimes this would escalate into a much noisier chatter. Sometimes it was hard to hear yourself speak. There was almost always one of Amy's friends hanging around there, though, so Amy liked the place.

Today though, Amy did not need to be distracted in the slightest. She had homework that was already overdue, and still not finished. She'd promised her teacher it would be handed in first thing tomorrow, and yet somehow she'd neglected to get it finished. Going home was no good either; there were even more distractions there, generally of the technological type.

Amy was heading to the gazebo, planning to work nonstop on her homework in peace and quiet. What was more likely to happen was that she'd write a paragraph or too, get distracted, and end up playing Snake or Temple Run on her iPod. Then she'd realise what the time was, panic a little, and hurriedly finish the homework with one eye on the clock. It had happened before, after all.

Amy's headphones were plugged into her iPod as she walked, pumping out the music of Little Comets. The album came to a close, and Amy stopped walking to change the band she wanted to listen to. In the brief period of silence, Aileen's yell of indignation was very, very clearly audible. Amy's head swiftly turned in the direction of the gazebo. Two people there. Aileen Abdullah was the rather hilarious kind of arrogant idiot. Travis Webster could be pretty cool at times, but could also be a complete dick. From what Amy could see, Travis was in dick mode and Aileen was pissed, as usual. Amy was almost tempted to walk away, but Aileen seemed pissed solely at Travis right now, and she doubted that would change. Unless Amy did something drastically silly, it was unlikely the Spanish girl would bother her. Besides, it would at the very least be amusing to watch, especially if Aileen tried hitting Travis again.

Amy stowed her iPod away as she walked towards the gazebo, a small grin on her face. She smiled at her two classmates, as she slid her bag off her shoulder, sat down, and got her homework out.

"Don't mind me, guys. Carry on as you were!"

Aileen expected a certain result of her physical result. Missing Travis was not the expected one. Her anger briefly transformed into surprise as her arm flailed at the air. Therefore, Aileen decided it was time to improvise. He laughed at her. For Aileen, this is a crime to be punished gravely.

She used the time she got by Travis response - there was the anger again - to think about how she should continue. Travis became snarky, sarcastically talking about how Aileen could've been hurting someone. Aileen smiled at that.

You got lucky, little scumbag.

This would've been hurtful if Travis didn't step back like a coward, or at least what looked to be cowardly. Aileen didn't care. There was just one important goal now, and that was not losing to Travis.

Then, Amy appeared. Aileen was slightly startled by her, but she didn't mind her much. She had to focus on Travis now. Actually, maybe she could use Amy somehow. The girl seemed to be amused at this. Anyway, Aileen figured something out. With a big smile on her face, and histronic gestures, she announced:

"Oh my, oh my. Here I invite you to a duel, like a gentlelady, and you reject me cowardly! It seems you know that you cannot hold up to me, in any way." She glanced towards Amy. "Wouldn't you agree? A waste that the young man here is too afraid for a fair duel."

Yes, I am a genius.

Travis laughed out loud. He wasn't just laughing a little bit, either. Here and there, he was trying to say words to retort, but the laughter was simply too strong. It was a laughter full of mockery and genuine awe over what had just been said. ... Duel!? Gentlelady!? "Young man too afraid for a fair duel"!? What in the actual fuck! Was this girl for real?

He was laughing for what felt like an eternity. And then, after finally regaining some composure, he took a deep breath. He looked at this silly girl in front of him, finally making eye contact with her, still chuckling.

Before he'd thought that she spoke like a king in a fantasy novel, but by now he was almost entirely sure that this girl was really bred and born in medieval times. As far as he knew, "duels" hadn't been a thing since... like, what? The Wild West? And he'd read online that all those western movies had lied, and that Wild West duels were rare, if they ever even happened.

He didn't mind being called a coward either, considering it was coming from a snotty little rich kid who had just tried to assault him with no warning. He'd finally calmed down. Still with his hands in his pockets, he began pacing back and forth, still keeping his eyes locked with Aileen. He wasn't entirely sure what she was trying to accomplish by dragging the other girl into it, but he'd play along. He gave her an exasperated sigh.

"Look... I don't get what the fuck you're on about. I just wanted to hang out with some friends who I thought might be here, but all I found here was you, and you just fuckin' greet me with rudeness and shit."

He looked over towards the recent arrival. Amy. Amy Bachelor. He hadn't really ever hung out with the girl, but she'd been a new face around the school a few years back. And considering her rather... hrm... pleasant appearance (His eyes immediately flickered down across her curves before reluctantly going back to looking her in the eye again) and her extremely red hair, she had given him enough of an impression so that he actually kinda remembered her.

"Not to mention she fuckin' attacked me. Did you see that shit?"

He looked back at Aileen and sighed. He needed to make her react again. None of this smiling knightly bullshit. Show your true face, you arrogant little brat.

"So, look... I'm not going to fight you, alright? It's not really fair. You're smaller, weaker..."

He paused and looked her over, his eyes stopping at her stomach. Perfect.

With a malicious smile he continued.

"... Although you might weigh a bit more than me, so you do have that."

Really, Amy knew she should have expected this. Step right into the middle of a fight or argument, and the participants are likely to try and use you in some way. She didn't mind all that much, really. It wasn't too hard to focus on homework as well as talking, and listening to the same bands and artists could get old after a while. Even Ed Sheeran.

Amy ignored Travis' oh-so-subtle downwards glance, and jotted a few more words down for her philosophy homework. After a few seconds, she looked back at Travis, a grin on her face.

"Yeah, I saw that punch," Amy replied. "Not exactly warranted, was it? Resorting to violence, I mean? We should all live in peace and harmony and all that good stuff. Yo." Amy lazily threw up a mocking peace sign, and hated herself a little. God that felt stupid. It was like she'd suddenly teleported into the 70s, or some stupid anime or something. Oh well. At least it would leave an impression. Amy returned to her homework for a few more moments, until she heard Travis' next insult.

Oh. Well, shit. This could turn ugly.

It was the sort of thing Amy would jokingly say to Owen or one of her closer friends, but she could tell Travis meant it to hit home for Aileen. This could either turn entertaining, or really awkward, and Amy certainly knew which one she'd prefer to happen. So if she could do anything to make that an eventuality, then it'd probably be best to do so.

"Actually, Aileen, I think that's a perfect excuse to hit him again." Amy said this whilst still looking down at her homework. "Guess it's time to man up, Trav, and get ready for this duel, huh?"

He laughed again. Aileen didn't get that angry now, maybe because she already heard it. Still, it was hurting her, but she managed to remain composed this time and merely watched him laughing. Eventually, he managed to say something. Aileen didn't paid much attention, but there was something about him lamenting that he just wanted to meet his friends. Aileen didn't care much about this anymore, he laughed at her, more than once. He might was right with the fact that Aileen attacked him, but she disagreed with it being out of nowhere.

Shouldn't have mocked me, so you had it coming...

Amy added something about peace and harmony, summing it up with doing a peace sign. Aileen shortly glanced at her, cocking her eye brows.She though that if there was one girl that was batshit, it wouldn't be herself. Travis then continued, talking about how he fighting her was unfair. Aileen rolled her eyes.

Of course... you pothead are already thinking of violence again. Of course you would do, you little misera-

...did he just called her fat? Aileen noticed that his eyes rested on her stomach, and him stating that she might weight a little more has a clear meaning. Amy added that this now warranted some violent response, and Aileen was tempted to slap him again, or at least try it, but then she got a better idea. She raised her finger in the air, focusing her gaze on Travis. Her expression showed that she was really pissed when she spoke.

"Okay, dipshit. Looks like you're too stupid to understan- Excuse me, I was saying: I see, wretched fool, that your ability to see the meaning of my word is.. er, now. Anyway, I never talked about violence. There are forms of dueling that can involve some non-harmful means, especially in the 21. century."

She took a deep breath and pointed now towards her breasts.

"Second, I indeed have some more extra weight, notably collected here. And you know what is even better? I have the ability to do something you can only dream of." Aileen poked at her breats a bit. "I can touch boobs as much as I want, when I want, where I want. See, just like this!"

An ugly laugh escaped her. She found this too amusing, no matter how inappropiate it was for her to behave like this.