The Tyranny of Grocery Bags

[Espi]

((Jane Madison continued from The Theatrics Formula))

The park was really beautiful; it was calm and tranquil and all those other nice-sounding words. On a nice (and unusually warm) winter day like this, Jane would've loved to come by and read for a bit just to relax and unwind.

Unfortunately for her, today was not one of those days.

Not only had she been made to vacuum the entire house, but she'd also done the dishes from last night (her mother had gone off to bed early citing a migraine, never mind that she'd been fine a few minutes ago), do the laundry, and move around the living room furniture as mom tried to spice up the feng shui or whatever. She'd then been forced by necessity to go grocery shopping, which meant she had to walk half a mile to the store because dad was at work and had the car.

And to top it all off, Jane still had to go to work tonight and finish her homework by the end of tomorrow. So despite the day's lovely springlike weather, she was not in a good mood. She was stressed and frustrated that things kept popping up this close to graduation when she already had a million things going on and she still needed to work on scholarship stuff and homework had been piling up all week and she was-

"Motherfucker!" Jane snarled as one of the four grocery bags she was carrying slipped from her fingers and dropped to the ground. While it was thankfully not the one with the milk or the one with the eggs, the cans and box of pasta spilled everywhere, rolling down the sidewalk and into the grace. "Urgh!" She groaned, resisting the urge to throw the other bags.

Counting to 10 in her head had never been helpful to Jane, but cursing was. So she said another, "Fuck!" and set down the rest of her bags down before dropping to her knees and gathering up the non-perishables she'd bought. From her own money. Because mom had spent the grocery money for the week on new silverware.

Did Jane mention she was in a bad mood? Because this was not her week, it seemed.

[Primrosette]

((Brendan Harte: Pregame Start))

Brendan was having a jog around the park by himself today as his father was still at work and he was in a very cheerful mood right now. He was concentrating on his breaths that he was taking and he was enjoying the rush that was going through his body. He couldn't believe how quiet it was today. Honestly, he wished that he had brought a book with him to read. It was just so peaceful. He wouldn't wait to tell his father about his day. Oh, he suddenly remember that he had some homework to take care of as well. He made a mental note in his head to remember to do that.

"Man, it sure is a beautiful day, huh?" He smiled to himself as he was panting softly and he stopped in his tracks for a moment to wipe away the sweat from his forehead. "Okay, I should continue to jog for a little while longer and then-"

He stopped talking to himself when he heard someone dropping something and he heard a female voice swearing that made him cringe a little. He turned to see who it was and he saw that it was someone from his school. What was her name again? Jane.... Jane something. He didn't know her that well as he was still struggling to make friends and he wasn't sure what to do. It looked like she dropped one of her grocery bags and now she was picking up the food that she had dropped.

Brendan tapped his toe for a few seconds and then he decided that he should try to help her out. He should be a gentleman to her. He put a kind smile on his face and he started to jog over to Jane slowly as he didn't want to trip over her by mistake.

"Hey there. Uh, Jane..... Would you like a hand with that?"

[Espi]

Jane's head snapped up upon hearing her name. When she saw the speaker, she had to resist the urge to snarl at him. She recognized him from school, Brendan something. He was one of those shy kids, she didn't know him well. Really, it was odd he spoke up at all. Then again, who was she to judge?

Anyway, him offering to help out was a nice thing to do, so she didn't bite his head off. "Yeah, sure. Thanks." She said, trying to keep her frustration out of her voice. When her temper flared, she tended to lash out for no good reason. God, she needed to fix that. How was she going to get by if she blew up at people?

Jane pushed the thought away. She had enough to worry about besides her potential character flaws.

Scrounging around, Jane picked up a can and put it back in the bag before looking back to the boy. "Well?" She said, raising one eyebrow.

[Primrosette]

Brendan noticed that Jane's voice sounded like she was upset about something and well, he wouldn't blame her as she had dropped her food on the ground. When she was looking at him with a slight annoyed expression on her face, he realized that he would get down on his knees and help her out. After all, that was what he had wanted to do in the first place.

"O-Oh, right. Sorry, I should be helping you. I'm s-sorry." He was stuttering nervously as he got down to his knees and he started to pick up some cans, feeling very embarrassed about the way he was talking to her. "Uh, so it sure is peaceful and quiet around here today, huh?"

Brendan really wished that he wasn't so shy at his age and he wanted to be more confident when he was talking to other people. He was trying to start a conversation and he normally doesn't due to his quiet and shy nature. Oh, he realized that Jane might not even know who he is. Maybe he should tell here his name first. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

"Oh, I'm Brendan Harte by the way. If you wanted to know that, Jane. I mean, I don't know what to say right now....." He mumbled softly as he was fiddling with one of the cans in his arms and he let out a small chuckle. "I'm just really bad at talking to people."

[Espi]

After Jane, with Brendan's help, sorted out the rest of her dropped groceries and gathered them haphazardly into one of her plastic bags, she stood up and hiked the back over her shoulder. She was feeling a little less freaked out, and a little embarrassed, too. She was getting so freaked out over stupid crap, when really she just needed to let go a little stress.

Brendan's comment on the day's quietness resonated with Jane, but it was also kind of a 'how's the weather' sort of thing. Kinda awkward, you know? And his followup wasn't exactly earning him points. Poor kid, he was definitely one of those shy kids. "Yeah, I guess." She said, humoring him. "I guess you know me, already. I'm Jane." She forced a smile.

"It's fine. Thanks for the help." Jane tilted her head and looked up at the boy. He was super-tall, lanky and kind of awkward physically. He seemed shy. "So what're you doing here? Taking a walk?"

Hopefully that helped. Jane felt bad for shy kids.

[Primrosette]

Brendan was surprised that this girl wasn't lashing out at him for what had happened and she seemed to be very comfortable with talking with him. He scratched his nose and he cleared his throat a little. Oh? She wanted to know why he was here. He was happy that she was asking and he couldn't wait to tell his father that he was talking to a different girl other than Bernadette. Maybe he could become friends with Jane. Well, he was hoping that he could.

He could see that Jane was staring at him now and it was making him feel worse. He felt like he should hurry up and answer her question. He didn't want her to think that he was a weird person or anything like that. He was going to try to answer her question without stuttering or mumbling quietly.

"Oh, yes. I was going for a jog around here. I always go out for a jog everyday. I like to keep fit, you know? I am on the track team after all. I like to be the best." He sounded a little too proud and he was hoping that it wasn't too much for Jane. He didn't want to sound too arrogant about one of his favourite things. "I'm sorry if I sound too proud about it. I'm more crazy about swimming."

He scratched his bent nose again and he glanced down at Jane with a small smile. He suddenly felt the urge to flee as he felt that he was embarrassing himself more in front of her and he was telling himself in his mind to stay calm and focus on Jane to see how she would react. Jane.... Oh! Jane Madison! That's her name! He suddenly remembered.

"Oh..... You're Jane Madison, right? Uh..... You do acting or something in school, right?"

[Emprexx Plush]

((Caedyn Miller Continued From Everyday is a great day at Your Junes))

The park was just, like, the perfect place to get those creative juices going after a long shift. It felt like the right place to go so she could get the right mojo going before she started drawing tonight. A spot to really kick back and soak up the I of the universe, really get that oneness with creation pulsing within her. The unbridled glory of the universe would flow into her tablet for a new masterpiece Lily and that stuck-up chick she was dating.

A quick nip on the ear from something reminded her not to be quite so one with nature any longer than she needed to. She knew Jah loved creatures great and small, but some of them were super annoying and needed to give her some space for the next forever or so. As she tried to refocus her center, a girl across the park caught her eye.

Is that Jane? With a guy? Juicy. I can't pass this up.

Jane Madison was the sort of girl who had a...fragile sensibility. She could go from zero to mega-bitch in six seconds, which made her really, really fun to poke at, especially when she could be embarrassed. So of course Caedyn took every opportunity she could to do just that.

"Jane," she squealed, waving across the park as she jogged over, "it feels like it's been too long! How are you? You look..." Caedyn let the comment hang as she came forward, deliberately hesitating as she looked over Jane's outfit and darting her eyes into the bags in her hand. "So, um," she pushed on, letting her lack of follow-up speak for itself, "are you doing a charity drive or something? That's so sweet!"

Without waiting for an answer, she turned to the boy Jane had been talking to and grinned up at him. "And who's this? I know you, I know I do, I just can't put my finger on your name?"

[Espi]

Aw, he was so shy it was kind of cute. "No, it's fine, I like walking too. Unfortunately, that's not why I'm here!" Jane chuckled, looking down at her now collected groceries. It was nice that he'd helped her out, after all. She shouldn't give him a hard time for being insecure. Hell, wasn't she just being insecure a moment ago? What with the whole 'I can't handle this!' crap she was going on about? "Yeah, I do the theater. Mostly backstage stuff, but-"

An approaching person caught her eye.

Oh god. It was Caedyn Miller.

Caedyn was one of those people. Jane hated them. They were in your face at all times, jumped to conclusions at the drop of a hat, and caused chaos for kicks. Plus, Jane was pretty sure Caedyn was a furry, which was just creepy. They...did not get along, especially because Caedyn was actually a decent actress. Well, better than Jane.

"Um, excuse me." Jane said coolly, sliding the grocery bag into the crook of her elbow to brush off her blouse. Caedyn was trying to push her buttons, but Jane recognized it from a mile away. She knew full well that she looked fine, so no point letting it get to her. "I picked up groceries because I have responsibilities to attend to."

She turned to Brendan. "His name is Brendan, and he was nice enough to help out when I dropped a bag."

[Primrosette]

Ah. Brendan nodded to himself. So he was right about Jane doing theater things. Oh? She did backstage stuff. Wow. That was amazing to him. Her laugh was kind of cute too. Maybe they could become good friends. Jane seemed to be a very nice person to him. He was surprised that she was actually talking to him and he was wondering what else she would be interested in. Maybe he could ask to her to hang out with him at-

Brendan's train of thought was suddenly interrupted by someone approaching him. Oh, it was another girl. She seemed to know Jane by the way she was talking to her. This girl sounded a bit too..... loud for his taste. And he was thinking that it was a bit rude of her to barge into his and Jane's conversation. But he wasn't going to say anything about it.

When Jane introduced him to the girl, he felt himself feeling hesitant to say anything for a few seconds and he forced himself to show the girl a kind smile. "Oh, yeah. I just wanted to help Jane out. I couldn't just leave without being helpful." He glanced at Jane awkwardly and then he looked back at the girl. He suddenly changed his mind about not saying anything about her rudely interrupting his conversation with Jane. "I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but you did kind of butt into our conversation, um...."

Brendan blinked a little when he looked at the girl more closely and he cursed under his breath when he realized who he was talking to. Caedyn Miller..... He didn't know her that well but he had heard that she was trouble. He was now hoping that he had not ticked Caedyn off. He really didn't want to get into an argument right now. Especially not in front of Jane.

[Emprexx Plush]

Caedyn blinked innocently up at the boy with judge a hint of aggression in her widening grin. This would work out well. He definitely wanted to be alone talking to Jane, and that told her everything that she needed to know. Barely a few sentences in and she'd already confirmed the obvious suspicion. Why is everything always so wonderful? "Oh, wow, a real knight in shining armor, Jah?" She gave Brendan a playful pat on the arm. "It's so nice of you to look after Jane here. I know I'm butting in, but I just have to say hey every time I see her. I owe so much to her, y'know?" She turned slightly towards Jane as she spoke. "After all, where would we actors and actresses be without all the little people backstage keeping things running, like, smooth and stuff?"

It really was a beautiful day outside. Barely any chill in the air, and the park looked gorgeous in the sun. "I hope," she said with her eyes on Jane,"your uh, responsibilities let you stay out here a little while and do a little sightseeing. It's a gorgeous day in Jah's land, girl, and you can find all sorts of things you don't expect." Her eyes shifted to Brendan for a moment and gave him a cheeky wink. "After all, just on my little walk today, I've already spotted two pairs of lovebirds."

[Espi]

...Wait what?

Was she seriously insinuating that Brendan and Jane were...no way. That was just...no! Not that Brendan was awful or anything, but really? That required a level of jumping that would make a kangaroo blush. What on earth was...oh, wait, it was Caedyn. Therefore, it was safe to assume she was either A: Being an idiot, or B: trying to set her off on purpose.

Either way, it pissed Jane off. Who did she think she was? "Seriously, you just have to butt in on people, don't you? What's up with that?" Jane stepped towards Caedyn, her face contorting into a snarl. "No, we're not dating, and no, you can't call me a "little people", like, what is this?! Uggh." Jane groaned, and rolled her eyes at the other girl.

Then, just as she was about to speak, Jane realized what she'd done. Caedyn was trying to set her off. And it had worked.

Crap.

Suddenly blushing, Jane stepped away from the other girl and moved next to Brendan, trying to keep herself from breathing too heavily. Damn it all, she just had to open her mouth.

[Primrosette]

Brendan frowned a little. Lovebirds? Was Caedyn being serious about him and Jane? They both barely even knew each other. And Caedyn calling Jane a little person was very disrespectful. Caedyn was really was one of those people that he would definitely want to avoid. He shook his head and he let out a sigh of disbelief. He was feeling very embarrassed now and he just wanted to run back home and hide himself in his room. He didn't even want a romantic relationship with Jane. He just wanted to be friends with Jane and that was it.

Just as he was about to tell Caedyn that he wasn't romantically interested in Jane; he was surprised when Jane stood up to Caedyn and she seemed to be very upset by what Caedyn had said. He honestly couldn't blame her for losing her temper. It seemed like Caedyn was trying to get under Jane's skin and that is something that a bully would do. Brendan felt himself frown a little bit more as he really didn't like bullies at all. The first time he finally stood up to a bully, the guy broke his nose and got away with it. Since that he had been too much of a coward to stand up to any bullies at all and he would try to stay out of their way.

He watched as Jane moved beside him and he tried to show her a comforting smile. He really didn't like to see others teased like this. Okay. He was going to try to calmly talk to Caedyn about how much of an annoyance that she was and that he wanted her to leave him and Jane alone. He had to try to come out of his shy nature and finally speak up for once.

Brendan glanced back at Caedyn with a cool smile on his face and he cleared his throat, feeling a bit nervous. "Look, Caedyn, you obviously have the wrong idea about me and Jane. We barely even know each other and you can't just randomly think that we are in a relationship together. Honestly, I think of Jane as a friend and I don't like it when a bully like you tease my friend like that." He was talking in a very bitter tone and he honestly didn't care if Caedyn was going to get mad at him. "I would really like it if you would leave us alone right now as we didn't want you to talk to us in the first place. Or we can just leave you here on your own, Caedyn. Right, Jane? I could help you carry your bags if you want."

Wow. He had done it. He had finally stood up to a bully again. He felt a little guilty for being mean to Caedyn but he felt like it was worth it for Jane's sake. He couldn't help but smirk slightly, feeling satisfied with himself. The shy kid wasn't cowering this time.

[Emprexx Plush]

Caedyn let a few beats pass between the respective little tantrums Jane and Brendan managed to throw out. Just to get a nice, awkward silence stewing, and let them really think about what had just happened. Then, she burst out laughing. Loud, snorting, high pitched giggles there in front of them, dreads swaying as she bent over and clutched her stomach. She just couldn't watch all of this with a straight face.

"Oh, oh, oh," she panted, trying to catch her breath. "You two are just perfect. It's wonderful, really. If you're trying to keep it down though, maybe like, don't be so obvious?" She pulled a horrified, bashful face as she looked towards Jane and mimicked her in a shrill tone. "Oh no, no, we're definitely not dating!" Between giggles, she spun to Brendan with her hands on her hips, and rumbled out in as low a voice as she could manage, "Yeah, not stop being mean to this delicate, perfect flower, or I'll stand here some more!" Her face twisted as she sputtered the words out, making her bend over into another deep cackle. "Too cute. Way too cute," she stammered breathlessly, pretending to wipe a tear from her eye.

As she gathered herself, already ignoring the pair, she began to walk away and wave over her shoulder. "Have fun you two, and take my advice! Otherwise, who knows who'll figure out this little tryst?" With one last chuckle, she wandered across the park, breathing deeply as she began to work her way back to her car, savoring the scent in the air. Ah, the coming of spring. Love was in the air. It was the perfect day for a little artistry, and she'd found such adorable subjects.

((Caedyn Miller Continued In Hot Problems))

[Espi]

Jane let out an angry growl and stomped the ground while clenching her hands into fists. She was pissed. She was furious. How dare that trashy little bitch do this to her? Make her look like an idiot, mock her and demean her and make up lies about her! Ugh, who did she think she was?! It made Jane mad.

No, no it didn't.

Jane sniffled, suddenly. She wanted, very unexpectedly, to cry. She wasn't mad, she realized, or not just mad. She was humiliated; her stomach hurt, she felt like crying. Fuck if she was going to cry, but she kind of wanted to. She felt like an idiot; Caedyn had played her like a piano, and Jane fell for it like a moron. An idiot. Stupid little Jane, letting someone push all her buttons like a computer.

"I hate her." Jane muttered.

Then she snarled, "I hate her!"  and whipped around to Brendan. He was a victim too, but it was hard to feel sympathetic for him when the situation was far more personally directed towards Jane. She went to speak, but then went silent. A moment passed. She didn't want to blow up on him, poor guy.

Taking a deep breath, Jane said, "Caedyn's a bitch. Thanks for the help. See you later." Then she left, still fuming.

((Jane Madison continued in For a Film))

[Primrosette]

All Brendan could think was poor Jane as he watched her walk away from him in an upset state and he couldn't even say anything to cheer her up. He sighed softly and he felt frustrated with himself for possibly making the situation worse for Jane. Caedyn was really a horrible person and he hoped that he wouldn't walk into her again. He really didn't want anything to do with that horrid girl. Ugh, what a crappy day.

He glanced upwards at the sky and he shook his head a little. Well, he hoped that Jane was going to be alright. Maybe he could check on her at school some time and ask her if she wanted to hang out with him. He didn't know if he had the courage to talk to her again or not. Caedyn had ruined the mood between him and Jane.

He wiped his brow and he started to jog again to get back home. He suddenly had some ideas for a new story. He was going to vent his feelings into that story when he got back home to help him feel better himself.

((Brendan Harte continued in Just Wants A Distraction))