Mixed Messages [tag Felipe]

[Jessica Pruitte]

There was no knock preceding the intrusion into the teenagers bedroom as a lithe bottle blond woman with more plastic surgery than a woman her age really should have, but had it still sat down on the edge of the bed with a disgruntled look.

"Why," she started in with a sigh, "can't you make some sort of effort with your appearance?"

A look of disbelief crossed Jessica's face as she stared at her mother. Seriously? This woman who was trying desperately to look like a modern Barbie was asking her why she couldn't put forth more effort?

"What do you want?" Disgruntled met disgruntled, but no one out disgruntled a teenager who had tasted freedom only to have it ripped away without so much as a by-your-leave.

False hurt crossed the woman's face. "I only want what's best for you."

"HA!" the sound was out, not as harsh as Jess would have liked, but harsh enough for the mask of motherhood to drop.

"Look, you've been an embarrassment long enough. Work on that. You're old enough to know what reputation this family has and it WILL be upheld."

"Right, because you and dad sleeping around on eachot-"

The slap that shocked silence into the teen resounded in the room, rocking off the bookshelves, blank TV, stuffed animals (everything that made a girls room a girls room. none of it of Jessica's choice).

"Keep a civil tongue," Tiffany Pruitte demanded before she rose to her feet and left with a huff her stiletto's making little dents in the carpet.

Snatching her phone where she'd dropped it earlier on the bed, Jess thumbed in a message to Felipe.

Forget it. I don't wanna hang out.

She hated it. HATED not being free anymore. Despised both of her parents and their damned rituals. Toasting the sunset as though they weren't cutting each other's throats every chance they got. Working as hard as they possibly could to see who could get more "conquests" than the other. Only ever being noticed when she'd done something Embarrassing for them!

Hot tears stung behind the teen's eyes threatening to spill over and blurring her vision before they fell.

Screw "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Vegas had nothing on the Pruitte household.

Shoving her phone into her pocket, Jess fled her room, startling the squash faced cat into a fluffed tail that was at least four times it's size in width.

Once she was out the door, sense came to her and she hurriedly dug her phone from her pocket and sent another text to Fel.

Ignore that last. Hanging out would be good.

Then fear again as she walked further from the house. She was an emotional wreck. She didn't even know who SHE was anymore let alone whys omeone like Fel would wanna hang out with her and not someone like Jonell.

Nevermind, forget it.

Guilt followed, she'd agreed to hang out with Felipe. Wanted to see him. He had that funny way of making her feel like a person. A real live person, worth being around.

Pretend you didn't see the other texts. She thumbed making her way to the bus stop that would take her to the boardwalk. I'll be at the boardwalk. See you there when you're done with whatever.

[felipe]

Felipe's phone warbled from the depths of the small pile of his personal belongings he'd deposited to one side for the duration of his bout with Kian and the pair of sabres. He lifted his sword to indicate he was stopping momentarily and flicking his face protector back so that it lay flat against the top of his head he rummaged for the phone.

Jessica.

He smiled as he keyed the 'read' button... and the smile vanished as might a downpour of snow across the rooftops of São Paulo in July.

She'd changed her mind. Not only that but she seemed mad about something. Had he somehow screwed up? He didn't think so but...

It chirped again... and the smile returned.

Another change of mind. She still wanted to meet up!

He set the phone back down and reached for his face protector... pausing mid action and glancing instead at his phone. Another text?

He grabbed it.

Jessica... again.

Forget it?

What the heck was going on? He drew in a sharp breath, his heart sinking. He had to have done something wrong... He started to write a reply...

'What is it, Jessica? What's wrong? Have I ups...'

The arrival of yet another text interrupted his message and he quickly read it, confused more than ever by the stream of messages - and changes of mind.

Pretend he hadn't seen the other texts? Like that was even a remote possibility!

He frowned as he turned back to face Kian. They'd finish the bout and then he'd see if he could find out what lay behind this latest flurry of activity...

(OOC he'll be there soon - just finishing up the other thread and then he will interrogate your girl ;P)

[felipe]

It didn't take him long to reach the boardwalk... Not really surprising seeing as though he jogged the entire way, eager as he was to meet with Jessica and also ascertain what had caused her to change her mind so many times. He saw her almost immediately, leaning back against the wooden railing at the far end of a section of arcade. He waved a hand above his head to try and catch her attention and frowning slightly when that failed to work.

He strode over to her as she stared down at her feet.

"Hey," he greeted. "Sorry I'm a bit late... I met someone called Kian at the fencing school. We got into a bout and..." Felipe broke off mid-sentence. Jessica hadn't even looked up.

He reached out and put an index finger beneath her chin, lifting her face so that he could see her eyes. "Are you going to tell me what happened or amd I going to have to nag it out of you?" He half smiled, an uneven lift of one edge of his lips and Felipe's head listed slightly to one side.

"Trust me in that I am very good at nagging," he stated. "Lets walk a bit under the boardwalk ok?"

[Jessica Pruitte]

Lost in her own world violently unhappy and angry thoughts swirling through her mind as the teenager began to plan how she was going to escape the house. Escape California. There had to be somewhere else she could go. Somewhere new. Somewhere her parents wouldn't follow. Alaska?

When a voice started yammering at her, Jessica didn't even notice at first. Not until a finger lifted her chin up. Ah, Felipe had shown up. And looking...

Just...

He looked...

Her mind wouldn't complete the sentence, she kept shoving it away. Dangerous territories.

"Got into a fight with my mom," muttered the sullen teen shoving her hands into her pockets as she walked with her friend down the stairs so they could get under the boardwalk properly. There were others there as well, but there always were, some folks hunting for sea glass, children chasing each other through the pillars, and two teenagers making out, up closer to the dune where they had to press their bodies closer in order to fit in the space they had deemed kiss-worthy.

"I hate them," she spat out the venom plain. "You know what I am? I'm the daughter that just NEVER should have been. Some people shouldn't be allowed to have kids!" Not when they were like teens themselves. Never having outgrown the phase where it was all about them. Every action had to lead to some sort of pleasure for them. While at the same time mother and father were in competition with each other. Who was the best lay, who could get more people into bed in a week. Who looked better.

They both looked ridiculous to the girl who was caught up inthe whirlwind of their life.

"Everyone's the same

[felipe]

Felipe didn't speak as Jessica related what had happened. He could tell she needed to get this all off her chest and him inserting questions, comments or inappropriate murmurs of consolation really had no place right now.

He waited until she fell silent. Even then he said nothing for a good dozen beats of his heart. What could he say? Words couldn't hope to fill that void in Jessica's life that had been left there by the actions of her parents. He'd heard gossip around school - not that he cared one damned bit - stating Jessica had an attitude issue. That no one could get close to her or even hold down a reasonably decent conversation. He'd never found either of those to be difficult but then kids could be spiteful and for all he knew they were just out to hurt her... But why? If only people would look as deeply as he did... Then they'd see the girl beneath the armour. The girl he was starting to feel was maybe even more than just a friend. His best friend, sure... but still more than that. He understood her... at least he thought so.

Still not speaking, Felipe slipped his hand around Jessica's. A simple gesture from a person who cared.

He drew in a deep breath. "I'm glad," he said in a voice little more than a whisper. "I'm glad that they had you."

He released her hand and instead placed his arm around her shoulders, head bowed slightly as he stared down at the sand before their feet. "Just tell me what I can do to try and make at least this evening seem... seem less..." Less what? Less bitter? Miserable? Heart-breaking. "More..." More...? More happy? More positive? More memorable.

"To make it seem... right," he finished.