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Post by charlie on Aug 13, 2009 18:19:09 GMT -5
Luna helped Luke pull Snoop from the car, the three stumbling towards the apartment. Snoop gave a pained groan, eyes falling shut. She was fearfully pale and murmuring incoherent words that Luna didn’t understand.
They made it into the lift and it seemed a lifetime before it finally dinged open and let them spill out onto the fourth floor. Luna staggered slightly under Snoop’s dead weight as Luke fumbled for his keys. She glanced behind her, as if fearing Marlo would turn up right there.
Finally, they made it into the apartment and she helped haul Snoop onto the sofa. She looked up at Luke as he said about the first aid kit. Nodding, she darted from the apartment and to hers, fumbling with her key before jamming it in the lock. Luna darted around her apartment until she located the first aid kit. Rushing back to Luke’s apartment, she set the kit on the coffee able and moved to Snoop.
She unzipped her coat, murmuring sorry over and over as she tried to pull it off. It finally gave way as Snoop cried out and she dumped the coat on the other sofa, leaving her old friend in a large t-shirt that just made her look smaller and more fragile than she was. ‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured again, sitting down and lifting the cloth from the bowl of water that Luke had brought. ‘Stop saying sorry and get the fucking thing out of me, yo,’ Snoop groaned. Luna nodded, lifting up the sleeve of Snoop’s shirt. Her arm was covered with blood and Luna’s hands were shaking.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ she said, voice octave. Snoop opened her eyes a little. ‘You need to get the bullet out.’
--
The morning sun was just coming in through the window when the whole apartment was quiet and Luna sat, tired and aching, on the sofa beside Snoop. Snoop was curled on her side, her feet on Luna’s lap. She’d refused to go to sleep until she knew Snoop was okay. She’d managed to get the bullet out and the bandage wrapped around her arm.
Now that she knew Snoop wasn’t going away soon, she got to her feet, tugging the blanket over Snoop’s feet and moving through the apartment. She knocked lightly on Luke’s door, before opening it and stepping inside. She didn’t know whether or not he was awake.
‘Luke?’ she frowned, speaking quietly to the figure in the bed. ‘Are you awake?’
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Post by charlie on Aug 13, 2009 18:45:49 GMT -5
6:00am. The clock flashed angrily, on silent alarm. A hand lazily outstretched and press it down, the light disappearing, and the clock continuing to tick. Rufus stuck his paw around the door, and he wedged it open, squeezing through the small gap, before strutting into the lounge and mewing at the new guests. Tail standing high, he moved to the front of the sofa, and, on hind legs, began to lick Snoop’s hand which was hanging over the edge. Getting no reply from the girl, the cat turned and watched as Luna disappeared into Luke’s room. Another mew escaped his lips in a -Hey-has-anyone-noticed-me tone, before the cat gave in and clambered to the top of the sofa, where he fell into another nap.
Grace didn’t get up. She didn’t want to. She couldn’t face him. Keep the cool. They’d have to talk about it sometime, just, not today. The clock came up to 6:05, and still she lay, hands behind her head, eyes looking through the open window, the birds tweeting happily, and the world seemingly calm. For that moment at least. A car engine was started, chattering was heard, and a lot of swear words from early rising teenagers. She couldn’t sleep her life away. And anyway, it was just a kiss. A drunken mistake, it was bound to happen, wasn’t it? They had to see if they had a chance together, and they didn’t.
Luke gave a small mumble, rolling over in the bed, the sheets down by his waist, the top half of his chest showing. Bare. He couldn’t sleep with clothing on his stomach, it restricted him, he felt enclosed. A voice spoke again, and for a moment he thought it was Grace. Coming to complain about something. What time was it anyway? Bleary eyed, he took a chance and glanced at the clock on his bedside table. A small groan escaped his lips, and he turned in the bed to look at the door ‘Shit, Grace. It’s only fuckin’-’ cutting himself off, Luke rubbed his eyes, and gave a small smile to see it was Luna.
She didn’t look like she’d got much sleep. But she still looked as beautiful as ever. Sitting up in the bed, he ran a hair through his messy hair, before irking an eyebrow ‘Is everything aright?’ he asked. It wasn’t Snoop was it? He wouldn’t have it if she died on his sofa. His new sofa.
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Post by charlie on Aug 13, 2009 19:11:40 GMT -5
Roland stared up at the ceiling, a sigh escaping his lips. It was school. He loved going in and teaching the kids, knowing no matter how they protested and complained and swore, he knew they all learnt something every day. The only reason he felt sick, an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach, was because of Grace.
Drunk after one glass? Not only would she think he was some pervert who came on to all the young women, she’d think he was some fool who couldn’t take his drink. He just wasn’t a big drinker. Finally, he pulled himself out of bed. He’d get washed, dressed, have breakfast, go to work and at break, he’d pull her aside for a quick word. And he’d apologise for his idiotic behaviour. Good plan, he told himself. If she even kept the job after his stunt last night.
Moving into his bathroom, he looked in the mirror; there were bags under his eyes from his lack of sleep last night and his hair was all messed up. His brushed his lip with his thumb and sighed. Fucking idiot.
--
Luna wasn’t sure if she should back out and leave the room as her eyes focused in the darkness of the bedroom to see Luke’s bare chest and toned stomach. Wow, she thought briefly, but scolded herself. Now really wasn’t the time to start appreciating the man’s body. She cleared her throat and gave a hesitant smile, dragging her gaze up his body and to his face. He looked just as nice all sleepy, hair stuck at odd angles.
‘I just wanted to say thank you,’ she said quietly, as not to wake anyone else up. ‘For… coming when you did.’ She moved to sit on the end of the bed, lacing her hands together on her lap. ‘I mean, I didn’t know Snoop was going to do some macho shit back there. If you hadn’t been there…’ she trailed off, not wanting to think about it. ‘Just, thank you, okay?’ she said, looking up and giving him a smile. She got to her feet. ‘I’ll put the kettle on for you,’ she said, before moving out the room.
--
Snoop blinked, opening her eyes as something rough and wet touched her hand. She jerked it up, peering to see a little kitten. She gave a brief smile, before wincing as she sat herself up. Her arm was stiff and ached and she glanced to see that blood had soaked through the bandage.
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Post by kittypatter on Aug 13, 2009 20:01:08 GMT -5
Still in the bed, Luke gave another smile towards Luna 'It's fine. I knew summit was up from the start. If I dint go after you, I'd just be worrying myself silly all day. I'm glad Snoops okay too... she seems.... ' he hesitated for a moment 'nice,' he added, an unsure look to his face. He wasn't really sure what he thought of her yet, but if she was a friend of Luna, how bad could she really be?
'Two sugars,' he flashed her a wink, before clambering out of the bed, to go after her.
Now out of bed, Grace stood before her full length mirror. Her hands slid down her sides, feeling at all her curves, angles and errors. Moving her hand to her stomach, she left it there for a moment, looking at herself, but with her mind elsewhere.
The room smelt of disinfectant. Disinfectant and bleach. Everything was white, and no one was smiling; even the sectary looked like she wanted to be somewhere else. The chairs were plastic, screwed onto the walls, and slippery; so that if you moved, you faced a chance of sliding off and onto the floor. The floor tiles also white, with little rubber things on them so you didn’t fall over. Posters were around the room, indicating measures for safe sex, and adoptions. Leaning sideways in her seat, Grace picked at the fake rubber tree that sat down besides her, running her fingers over the plastic leaves, she let a sigh escape her lips.
Daniel was besides her, his head in a magazine, on the problem page, with things such as sex advice, and cheating husbands. He hadn't looked at her, not once since they'd got there. And even on the way there, he hadn't even muttered a word of help, or advice. He didn't even look up when the woman at the desk called her name and led her into a room. And when she came out, an hour later, she felt sick. Sick to her stomach. And he still didn't speak, but he did look at her. Eyes cold. 'You couldn't have kept it anyway. It was a mistake. You wouldn't have been a good Mother,' with that, the two left and Grace didn't look back at the place. A plaque above the hall. Abortion Centre.
Back in reality, Grace looked away from the mirror, moving to the wardrobe. Slipping on a simple white dress, she added some black pumps, and didn't even bother to look at herself again. She couldn't. She was a fuckin' mess. Her life was a mess. Pulling open her door, she stepped into the kitchen, grabbed a bagel from the cupboard and stuffed it in her bag; ready to go. When Luna emerged from Lukes room, then Luke - half naked- followed. What was he playing at? Had they had sex last night!? After what he'd said to Roland? The cheek of it. Fit to burst, she simply gave Luke a We'll-talk-about-this-later look, before moving out of the kitchen.
It was only then that she noticed the intruder on the couch, the person stirred and Grace irked an eyebrow. Had he slept with her too? She didn't even notice the bandage on her arm, and simply thought the worst 'Who the hell is she?' she asked, directing the question to Luke. Before he could stammer a reply, she simply shook her head, ruffled Rufus' fur and left the apartment. It wouldn't do her bad to leave early. Get a head start on the day. After all, it was going to be long.
The air was warm, slightly damp from he nights dew that had covered any grass. She would walk, it would take her longer that way, and she could examine more of Baltimore. Take in the surroundings; the rundown buildings, the tattoo parlours, and the corners that held teenagers with guns. Lovely, she thought to herself. As she turned a corner, brown eyes landed on a figure perched on a wall. At a second glance, she smiled. 'Dukie!' she called, moving towards the young boy and frowning as she heard his stomach rumble. Pausing, she dipped her hand in her bag, before revealing the cheese bagel and passing it to him.
'I don't really like cheese, but thats what you get if you get your brother to do the shopping,' she joked, doing her bag back up and glancing around 'want to walk to school with me? Mr P tells me you're quite good on the computer games? You could show me your skills?' the name of Roland arose, but she simply swallowed and waited for the young boy to give a reply 'I understand if you don't want to come with me... I don't think your friends would think high of you, walking with a teacher like me,'
'Nah, they won't mind. They like you,' he grinned, accepting the bagel with a large smile, before jumping off the two, and walking along side Grace.
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Post by kittypatter on Aug 13, 2009 20:27:04 GMT -5
Luna moved out of his bedroom, Luke following quickly behind her. She almost collided with Grace, who was already dressed and getting ready to go out the door. She gave her a small smile, but it faded when she caught her look. Great, she thought they’d been up to something. ‘Oh, no-’ She started, but Grace had already turned her attention to Snoop.
Snoop sat was forward, leaning her elbows on her legs and fixing her cap. She glanced up at Grace’s words, though the other woman didn’t seem to stop for an answer. She looked up and watched as Grace left the apartment, before shaking her head. ‘Rude bitch don’t let me answer, yo. What kind a shit is that?
‘How are you feeling?’ Luna called from the kitchen as she set making cups of tea. ‘Do you want something?’ Snoop didn’t answer. She got to her feet, wincing a little as she flexed her arm. She moved across the apartment, peering at photos and reaching out to touch ornaments, before casting around for her coat. She grabbed it from the chair and went through the pockets.
‘What the fuck? Where’s my gun?’ she demanded loudly. Luna came back through. ‘I… took it away.’ ‘What?’ ‘Look, we need to stay low. Right?’ ‘What if they come bursting in right now?’ Snoop asked, glaring in Luna’s direction. ‘Give it back.’ ‘No,’ Luna said, standing her ground. ‘Give it.’ ‘No.’ ‘Fuck this shit. I don’t need to be here.’ She turned, moving towards the door.
Luna reached out to grab her good arm. ‘No. If you go out there you’ll get killed. You heard what he said and you know him better than I do. We should just stay in the apartments.’ Snoop studied her for a moment, before shaking Luna off. ‘I’ll have a coffee,’ she said gruffly, before moving to slouch on the chair.
Luna nodded, grabbing Luke’s arm and tugging him into the kitchen. ‘Listen, Snoop may be a bit…’ she frowned. ‘She’s different now from when I knew her. Shit, we used to play with our dolls when we were young and now she’s going around with a gun?’ She said all this in a hushed tone, so Snoop couldn’t overhear. ‘I put the gun under the sink, in the basket of cleaning materials,’ she told him, before looking him up and down. ‘You’re okay, right? You didn’t get hurt, did you?’
--
Michael caught site of Dukie and a woman walking down the street up ahead, Dukie’s hands full with bagel as he ate. Bug was sat on his shoulders, singing the theme tune to Lazytown or whatever crap was on the TV these days. Namond gave a whistle and Randy gave a laugh. ‘Is that Miss Thomas?’ he asked. ‘I think so,’ Namond grinned. ‘Dukie taps that shit, man. How’d he get so lucky?’ Michael called out for them to wait up as they hurried across the road and towards them.
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Post by kittypatter on Aug 13, 2009 20:47:52 GMT -5
‘And you don’t think Grace will find it there?’ Luke asked, looking down at the cupboard, before turning back to Luna. ‘She likes to clean. A lot. She doesn’t know about the shit that happened last night, and I’m not going to tell her. You better find a better place to hide it,’ he muttered, moving around her as the kettle boiled, he filled the cups and took his own cup over towards the living room.
Glancing out the window, he gave a short groan at how early it was; the sun only just rising. With a nod towards Snoop, he took a glance back at Luna before disappearing into his room again, shutting the door behind him. Shit, he couldn’t be doing with being up this early in the morning. What was the point? Nothing was on television, nothing to do, nothing was open, and the sun wasn’t even awake. So why should he be? Sipping the scolding tea, he placed it on the bedside table, before slumping down in the screwed up duvet.
Grace smiled happily as Dukie tucked into his bagel, she much preferred him to have it, rather than her. He needed it. He was still growing - as her Father would say, whereas she had stopped. A small whistle came from down the street, and she inclined her head, catching a glimpse of the rest of the boys from school. ‘Seems your friends are here, you can walk with them-’ ‘I want to walk with you,’ Dukie insisted, turning back to look at his friends with a cheeky smirk as if to say be-jealous.
‘Little fucker,’ Randy laughed, shaking his head as they all jogged towards them, the boys pushing Dukie out of the way so that they could stand by Grace. ‘Mornin’ Miss,’ Randy smiled, inclining his head as he shifted his bag over his shoulder ‘Little bit early for you to be going to school isn’t it?’ he asked. ‘I could say the same to you’ she replied, just as easily.
'Whats up his ass?’ Snoop asked, taking the coffee from Luna and shifting on the sofa so she could sit down. Rufus gave a mew of annoyance, having been woken up by the little tiff, the creature was once again on the move, and trotted into the kitchen. 'Whats with everyone this morning? Fuckin' wankers, the lot o' them,'
The school gates came into view, and Grace smiled at the little gang of boys she had collected. At least if the day was to fail miserably, she wouldn’t be on her own by doing so. She’d agreed to meet Dukie the next morning, with another Bagel, if only he showed her how to get to level twenty on pack-man. It was a deal, and she was to learn how to play this dinner time. The smile sank, however, when she saw Mr P coming out of his car. But she wasn’t going to let him get to her, she simply turned her head, and ruffled Dukie’s hair, before moving towards the classroom.
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Post by kittypatter on Aug 13, 2009 21:27:36 GMT -5
Luna sighed, running a hand through her hair. ‘I’m sorry, it was the first placed I chucked it. I was dealing with a shot woman, y’know,’ she scowled, watching as he picked up his tea and turned out the kitchen. She bent down, opening the cupboard and grabbing the gun. Then, she frowned, glancing around the kitchen. Getting onto her hands and knees, she kicked the wood beneath the counter until it gave way. Then, she stuffed the gun beneath it and tugged the wood back.
‘What you doin’?’ Snoop asked, stood in the doorway. Luna got to her feet, dusting off her hands. ‘Nothing,’ she replied. ‘Here’s your coffee.’ She ignored Snoop’s odd look and picked up her own mug, following Snoop into the living room. She sat down beside her, shrugging at her question.
‘Who knows,’ Luna sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. ‘I haven’t known him for that long.’ She fell quiet, cupping the mug between her hands, before she glanced up at Snoop; there was a tattoo on her neck and tattoos over her arms. Prison tats? There was so much she’d missed about her life. She sighed and looked down again. ‘I’m sorry I left,’ she started, because truthfully, she didn’t know where to start.
--
Michael gave a laugh, bouncing Bug a little as they caught out. Namond jostled Dukie out the way, before pinching a bit of his bagel and popping it into his mouth. Bug gave Miss Thomas a shy wave and grinned, before patting the top of Michael’s head. ‘We usually come early. Get good seats an’ all that,’ Michael smiled. They arrived at the school gates and Michael spent a few minutes making sure Bug was all set for school, before hurrying to reach his friends.
Namond caught sight of Roland and beamed, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his coat. ‘A’ight Mr P?’ Prez looked up, caught sight of Grace and went red. He quickly averted his gaze to the boys who’d stopped around his car. ‘Need help with that?’ Michael asked, gesturing to the box in the back of the car. ‘No, I’ve got it,’ Mr Prezbo smiled, lifting the box and balancing it with one arm as he shut the boot with the other. He locked the car and glanced at the group, before giving them a small smile and walking off inside
‘What’s up wit’ him?’ Namond asked. ‘He scurry into school like a little bitch.’
--
Mr Prezbo wrote the test questions on the board, before turning back to the class. ‘Does anyone want to answer this?’ he asked. ‘I can’ read that fuckin’ shit!’ Albert yelled out. ‘I don’t even want to be in here.’ ‘Well, you don’t have a choice, I’m afraid,’ Roland replied, not in the mood today. ‘Fuck you,’ Albert replied and slumped back in his chair. Mr Prezbo turned to explain how to get the answer. It was stupid. All morning, Grace had just been there; he kept looking at her and there was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn’t. He focused on working on the chalk board. When the bell rang for the end of the lesson, he sighed and dropped the chalk instantly. ‘Go on, you can go,’ he said, turning around. Half the class where already out their chairs and heading towards the door anyway.
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Post by kittypatter on Aug 14, 2009 5:30:51 GMT -5
Sorry? No. If she were sorry, she wouldn’t have done it in the first place. Luna knew how much it had killed Snoop, seeing her getting on that train; and she still did it. She wasn’t sorry. ‘Nah you aint’,’ she muttered, leaning forward, elbows on knees, Mug cupped in both hands. ‘I bet you don’t regret nothing’ that you did when you left. I mean… wherever you went, I bet you did some incredible shit. You’re not sorry, you wouldn’t change what you did if you could, would you?’ the girl turned her head slightly to look at her friend. She wondered what had actually happened t Luna. Where had she been? What had she seen? Why didn’t she even send a postcard to tell Snoop she was alright? No, she wasn’t sorry, and she didn’t care.
Randy smiled in goodbyes to Grace, before following Namond over to Mr P. The mans cheeks were red, seemingly blushing at something. The two offered their help, to carry the rather large box in the car, but Roland would have none of it. He simply balanced the box, before scurrying off without another word. ‘Maybe he just can’t wait to see Miss Thomas?’ he asked, smirking slightly ‘I mean, if I were him, I’d be ‘ere with ‘er every fuckin’ day,’ the two boys laughed, before moving down the playground and inside.
The morning was how she had expected , full of tension, and children that didn’t want to be there. A young child named Albert was sure milking Mr P’s estranged new mood, and Grace didn’t even try and stop him. They were his children, he should take care of them. She was just here to hand out folders, and get rent for her flat - now accommodating two new lodgers. Randy was swinging back on his chair when the bell went, his arms behind his back as he listened Lazily to Mr P’s failed teaching efforts.
Dukie, on the other hand, was up in a flash when the bell had gone, and he moved over towards the computer by Mr P’s desk. ‘Miss, want to see me win at cards?’ he asked, smiling up as Grace moved from her spot and over towards Mr P - as though she were going to say something to him, but she stopped herself, turned and nodded to the young boy. ‘Sure, Dukie,’ not even looking back at Roland, she pulled up a chair, and put her bag down by her side.
‘Miss Thomas?’ looking up, she saw Randy leaning over the computer, is arms folded over the monitor as he smiled down. ‘Miss… I aint’ got nothing for dinner, and I was just wondering if…’ the two stared at each other as he trailed off, and Grace simply nodded again. Hadn’t he said he didn’t have money yesterday? And today again. Irking an eyebrow, she closed her palm as he went to grab the money. ‘Randy, what’s this for?’ she asked.
'You din't send me a postcard or nothin',' Snoop grunted, sipping her coffe. Wincing slightly, as lifting the mug caused her arm to twinge. 'I went fuckin' crazy wonderin' about you. For all I knew, you coulda been dead on a street corner, and Id want to kill myself if I couldn't do anythin' about that!' she admitted, voice agitated and sore. 'Did you even miss me? I mean, you didn't even come back for me. You came back for your brothers. The ones that you went to escape from in the first place!'
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Post by kittypatter on Aug 14, 2009 6:33:42 GMT -5
Luna glanced up at Snoop, watching her carefully. ‘I wish I’d taken you, okay?’ she said, voice low. ‘I wish I’d taken you with me. It was bad enough leaving Michael with that bitch and the look on your face when we were at the train station? I was sixteen. I didn’t know what else to do.’ She trailed off, glaring hard at her mug as if that were to blame for everything that had happened. ‘And I didn’t do incredible shit,’ she replied. ‘Do you know how hard it is for a sixteen year old to even get money or a job, let alone a flat of my own. I was homeless long before anything incredible happened.’ Luna raised her head, meeting Snoop’s gaze. She still looked like she didn’t believe her. Her eyes followed her lines of her face; bags still under her eyes, a slight pain in her expression when she moved her arm, her brown eyes which Luna remembered used to be so gentle and tame, until now. There was a lot of anger in them. -- Michael gave a laugh, watching as Mr P hurried off. ‘Man, he probably has some other shit on his mind right now,’ he told them, lightly defending his teacher. He liked Mr P. He was actually one of the ones he could trust. ‘This gonna be a fun lesson, miss?’ Namond asked, coming to her side and looking up at her as they entered the school with the other students. ‘Cause if you want to liven it up, you can almost drop a pencil in front of me, if you know what I mean,’ he winked. The morning was slow and boring as it always was for Namond. And Miss Thomas did no pencil dropping act, to his dismay. And Mr Prezbo didn’t even seemed in the mood for the class’ antics. Maybe Michael was right. Maybe something was bothering him. Picking up his pencil, he leaned forward in his chair and began making a list of what could be wrong. Finally, the morning bell went and Mr P resigned in his chair with a side, running his hands over his face. Dukie instantly moved to his computer and beckoned Miss Thomas over. Grace, herself, had been heading towards him, but as soon as Dukie called her, she turned and moved over. Roland sighed; he’d have to talk to her because the morning had been awkward. They’d hardly been able to look at each other in the face and if the children caught on that something was wrong… He didn’t want to think of what their reactions would be. Roland looked out at the messy classroom; paper and pencil sharpenings littered the desk and floor. He got to his feet, straightening his tie a little, before heading over to pick the things up. Most of the sheets were blank, with just a name scrawled at the top. Others had doodles, like hangman, or notes to each other. One page was full of writing and for a moment, Roland thought at least some person had done the work. But, no. His eyes scanned the list someone had written. Why Mr P is sad- His mom die
- His dad die
- His hamster die
- He ordered a package off the internet and didn’t get it
- He wasn’t invited to the staff spring party ‘cause he a nerd
- He got beaten up last night
- He just hates us
- He is homeless
- He is gay
- He kissed Miss Thomas last night and she didn’t want it
[/li][/ul] How actuate, Roland thought grimly, but he gave a small grin because someone had noticed and taken the time to write possibilities down. If only they put as much attention in the lesson he was teaching. ‘Miss Thomas?’ he called, looking up. ‘Can you come and see this,’ he waved the sheet. -- Luna rolled her eyes and gave a small groan. ‘A postcard? For god sake, what would it have said? ‘This cardboard box is very comfy’? I’m sorry. I don’t know how much you want me to say that, but I’m sorry and I never meant to hurt you. I never would hurt you.’ She held her gaze, determined not to look away. ‘I missed you, of course I missed you,‘ she said with a bitter laugh. ‘I came back because the time was right. Because my mom couldn’t touch me and I needed to help them. I didn’t eve know if you’d sill be in Baltimore, but don’t think I just forgot about you.’ Then, she sighed, setting her mug aside. ‘How’s your arm?’ she said, moving to sit beside Snoop. She lifted the sleeve, which was stained with blood to inspect the bandage. ‘If you want me to get you some fresh clothes or something? I could nip next door and get you a t-shirt?’ she offered, trying to lighten the mood a little, because she didn’t want to be angry with Snoop.
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Post by kittypatter on Aug 14, 2009 7:02:27 GMT -5
‘I’m good, aint I miss?’ Dukie asked, smiling up at Grace as the screen quickly it up with victory, the young boy winning the game. Grace gave another smile, ruffling his hair, yet still looking towards Randy; waiting for an answer.
‘Randy-’
‘I aint got no money, don’t you believe me? And there I was thinking’ that you were gonna be one of the nice teachers,’ shooting a glare, Randy turned and moved out of the classroom - without the money. A small sigh escaped her lips, and she debated on whether or not she should go after him, but her name was called, and Randy was long gone out of the building.
‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ she told Dukie, and the young boy looked up, watching where she was going, listening to what was going on.
Brown eyes landed on a sheet of paper, and Grace reached out to snag it from him, only to have him hind it behind his back, and for it not to be the reason that he had brought her over. If this was some lame excuse to get them to talk, she wasn’t having, and she was going to go back to Dukie. She didn’t need it. ‘Are you going to show me what’s on that|’ she asked, eyes firm, but she knew he wasn’t going to. An annoyed sigh escaped her lips and she shook her head ‘how old are you Roland? Five, for christ’s sake? If you want to say something to me, just bloody say it,’
'Don't argue,' Dukie muttered, getting up from his computer game. Grace raised a hand, and told him to stop. 'We're not arguing, Duke, we're just trying to sort somethin' out. Look, why don't you go and find Randy Give him this, she opened her hand and passed the money to the young boy, before watching him slowly leave the room.
'You could've taken me. I would have gone. I wanted to come. You didn't even ask me. Luna, we were best friends,' notice the were between the word friends 'I'd have gone anywhere with you, because I understood what crap you were going through, did you not trust me enough to let me come too?' she asked, flinching back as Luna touched her arm.
'Its fine,' she hissed, through the pain that she had just felt, only just now had she remembered what had happened, and so the pain had come back, and it fucking hurt. 'You're too slim,' she muttered, voice more calm this time 'I wouldn't fit into anything you got. And I'm fine, anyways. I don't need nuffink,' she didn't need her help, she could cope on her own. Thank you very much.
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Post by kittypatter on Aug 14, 2009 7:23:28 GMT -5
Roland watched as Randy stalked from the room, before his eyes turned to Grace. As soon as she reached for the sheet, he snatched it away and behind his back. He met her fierce glare and forced himself not to recoil. ‘Look, I just wanted to-’ Dukie cut into his words and he looked up. He looked a little apprehensive, wanting to keep the peace. He opened his mouth to reassure him that they were fine, but Grace got there first.
He wanted until Dukie had left the room, before sitting on the table in front of her. ‘Last night was stupid of me, okay? I don’t usually drink and I’m not like that. We need to act professional around the kids because they know when something’s up.’ Finally, he handed her the paper. ‘I think this is Namond Brice’s. I recognize the handwriting.’ He tapped the last sentence on the list. ‘They are smarter than they give themselves credit for.’ Roland looked away. ‘If I could take back what happened, I would. But, let’s save the fighting for outside the classroom, yes?’
He didn’t look at her again. Instead, he got to his feet and moved back to his desk to start marking yesterday’s fifth grade homework.
--
Luna put a hand over her face for a moment. ‘I’m not going to argue with you about what happened in the past, Snoop,’ she said, patience wearing thin now. ‘Of course I trusted you,’ she snapped. ‘God, you’re so infuriating. You’re starting this fight for no reason.’ She got to her feet, slamming her mug down and moving to sit by Snoop.
Her finger an along the side of the bandage, noticing Snoop flinch. She let her go and got to her feet. ‘Stay here. I need to get some things from my place anyway,’ Luna said, without looking at Snoop. Snoop was hurting her right now with her words, but she refused to let it show. She picked up her jacket and took her keys out, leaving Luke’s apartment.
She let herself into her own, shutting the door behind her and running a hand through her hair. Maybe it was a bad idea to come back after all. Maybe she should have stayed in New York. Luna moved through to her bedroom where her suitcase was. She unzipped it, reminding herself that she needed to so her things out at some point. She tugged her shirt over her head; there was blood on it, Snoop’s blood. She hadn’t realized. God, she must look like a mess. Sighing, she dumped it on the floor before rooting through her suitcase for something to wear.
Snoop sighed, running a hand over her face. This was just fucked up. There was a knocking on the door and got to her feet, trying not to move her arm so much. She guessed Luna had locked herself out. She shook her head, making her way towards the door. She pulled it open and saw who it was.
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Post by kittypatter on Aug 14, 2009 10:15:50 GMT -5
Grace didn’t say anything, she just looked down at his feet, unable to look at his face. Unprofessional? He’d not said a single word to her this morning, not a Good day, or an excuse me, could you help me. Nothing. And she was being called unprofessional. At least she came into work, and at least she didn’t look half dead, stupid bags under his eyes, he looked a mess. His tie was crooked too, slightly to the left, she wanted to reach out and straighten it. But then he moved to his desk, and she scowled, opening her mouth to send a snaky comment, but she simply closed it again and left towards the canteen.
Partlow sat in the car outside the block of flats, eyes looking up towards the forth story. They were there. Both of them. Marlo didn’t know where they were, so they didn’t need to hide. They just needed to be wary. Opening his door, Chris slammed it behind him, clicked the lock, before heading into the building, and taking the elevator toward the forth floor.
They dinged open, and the floor was surprisingly empty. Brown eyes flitted around all the doors, which one was it? Simply taking the first one he saw, a large hand knocked, and inside he let a small sigh of release go, as he saw Snoop. She had a bandage on the top of her arm, it seeped through her baggy top, and his lips tweaked a frown. ‘I aint come to hurt you,’ he told her, although he had a gun situated in his back pocket. Safety. ‘I came to see if you were… alright..?’
The end of the day had come, after seemingly lasting forever. Randy had offered a smile to Grace as he came back in after dinner, and everyone seemed calm and relaxed again, as if nothing had been wrong. Namond on the other hand, noticed that things had changed, and thought it to be the results of his little list.
Dukie had shown Grace how to play pac-man, and she’d managed to get to level for, after an hour of practise and hints from the young boy. ‘See you tomorrow, Miss,’ he called, him, Randy, Michael and Namond now leaving the classroom as the bell went. Se didn’t even bother to ask if Roland wanted anything, and simply grabbed her coat and left.
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Post by kittypatter on Aug 14, 2009 10:33:22 GMT -5
Marlo stood, leaning against his SUV, watching as the kids flooded out the school. His dark eyes sought for Michael Lee and his little brother. He already had the plan formed and once he had Bug, Luna would have no choice but to give up Snoop and come to him. His eyes flashed up as suddenly a woman came out the door.
She was pretty, waving goodbye to a group of boys; one of them happened to be Michael. He hesitated, before letting the boys move past. There’d be other days. He came forward as a boy pushed past the woman and she dropped her bag. He quickly bent to pick it up for her, pulling the lollypop out of his mouth to give her a rare smile. ‘Here you go, ma’am,’ he said, handing it back. ‘Kids are bit rough. You alright?’
--
Snoop hesitated for a moment, recalling Luna on her hands and knees on the kitchen floor and having a pretty good idea of where her gun was hidden. Would she have chance to get it if Chris did start anything? Then, she stepped aside to let Partlow in, kicking the door shut behind her. ‘Keep it down. Boy sleeping in the next room,’ she said, jerking a thumb towards the bedroom door Luke had disappeared through. Snoop moved, taking a seat on the armchair and looking up at him. ‘Y’all don’t need to worry about me. Motherfucker got me good,’ she said, reaching up to touch the bandage on her arm. ‘You ain’t goan tell him where I am, are you?’ she asked, looking up. ‘Don’t care if you do. Little warnin’ would be nice, though.’
She looked down at her hands, running a hand on a small scar on the back of her hand, before letting her hands hang loosely between her legs. ‘He angry, ain’t he,’ she stated and it wasn’t a question. ‘Why you here, Chris?’
--
Mr Prezbo felt bad as he watched Grace leave the classroom almost as fast as the children. When the room was empty and silent, he sighed and rubbed his jaw. How’d he messed up even more when he’d supposed to be apologizing? He just needed to talk to her, maybe take her for a coffee and let her know everything wasn’t as bad as it seemed.
Though, first he had to sort out the classroom for tomorrow. He picked up the bin and moved around his desk to start picking up the balls of paper and bits of pencils and snapped pens. He was surprised at how messy the place got between lessons. Finally, he was able to go. It had only been ten minutes since Grace had left and he didn’t know whether she’d have waited around or not. He doubted it. Shrugging into his coat, Roland picked up his briefcase and left the classroom.
He made his way out of school, surprised to see Grace standing up ahead. She wasn’t alone. He stopped, standing at the top of the steps and frowned. That man…? He was sure he knew him from somewhere. And then it clicked. It was Marlo Stanfield.
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Post by kittypatter on Aug 14, 2009 10:50:08 GMT -5
Grace passed through the doors of the school, only to have her bag pushed off of her shoulder, it fell under the rushed feet and she cursed, hoping it wouldn’t get stomped on. Her eyes flitted around the door, where was it? Panic struck her. It had her keys in, her phone, her money. But then a voice sounded, the crowd cleared, and a man was handing back her bag.
He smiled, a nice smile, and she offered one back, slinging the bag back over her shoulder. ‘I think its something I’m going to have to get used too,’ she told him ‘I’m a teacher,’ she paused for a moment, mulling it over. She was a teacher. Ha, lets hear her Mother say she wasn’t proud of that achievement. She took a second glance at the man. Was he eating a lollypop?
Chris moved his way in, Snoop kicking the door shut behind him, he stay stood, glancing around the flat ‘Nice place you got yourself in,’ he commented, glancing towards where she was pointing. Ah, the boy from the other night? The one that did nothing and swayed with alcohol when he stood. Yes, Partlow remembered him.
‘I aint tell no one nothing’,’ he muttered, rather taken back that Snoop would think he’d do that. The two had been through some shit together, he wasn’t going to just go tattle on her like an ungrateful child. ‘I just came to see if you alright, like I said.’ he hesitated ‘and I came to ask you summit,’ he went on ‘I wanted to know why you did it. Jumped Marlo. Girl, are you fuckin; mental?’ he showed no humour in his voice. You had to be a idiot to do what Snoop had done.
Looking up, Grace had hardly even notice how long she’d been stood there. Everyone has gone, all the children, all the cars, the buses. It was empty. And where the hell was Luke? Then her eyes caught sight of Roland, and she stopped listening for a second, only seeing the mans lip move. Marlo, his name was Marlo. The two of them caught eyes; Roland and Grace, and she quickly turned back to Marlo. Suddenly laughing madly as though he’d said something hilarious.
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Post by charlie on Aug 14, 2009 13:21:41 GMT -5
Marlo gave Grace a small smile. ‘I’m Marlo,’ he introduced, holding out a dark hand. ‘A teacher? What lesson do you teach?’ he asked, looking genuinely interested. He popped the lolly back into his mouth, the white stick wriggling for a moment. ‘Does someone as pretty as you have a name?’ he asked, cocking his head lightly and raising an eyebrow. He gave her another brief smile. ‘I was just going to pick up groceries for my ma,’ he lied easily.
He glanced around; the children were leaving pretty quickly. He watched Michael disappear, Bug toddling at his side. At least he knew exactly what Bug looked like now. He looked back at her. ‘Grace? So, Grace, you got any family around these parts?’
--
Snoop studied Chris for a moment. ‘Thanks,’ she shrugged, also looking around. ‘White boy knows how to decorate,’ he said, allowing herself a small laugh. It faded though and she ran a hand over her head. ‘I had to be sure,’ she said. ‘No offense.’ She knew she could trust Partlow; they’d had each other’s back for years, the bond between them inseparable.
‘I’m alright, yo,’ she shrugged. ‘Guess this place will have to do. Can’t go home. Not with Marlo on the lookout for me.’ She glanced at her arm. ‘Hurts like a son of a bitch, though. I can’t even move it properly.’
Snoop fell quiet at his next words, leaning forward and shutting her eyes for a moment. ‘Shit, I don’t know. I jus’ did. I mean, he was holding a fucking gun to her. I thought you was goan get shot or summing. And that guy was there and it was all goan kick off!’ She looked up, meeting Partlow’s gaze. ‘I loved her. I really did. She was all I had. She was my family and even after she left, even after... I still had to protect her. I didn’t think about what I was doing. I jus’ did it.’
Snoop looked up as the door opened and Luna stepped in. Her eyes widened as she stared at Partlow, before looking at Snoop. ‘He’s gonna get us killed. We have to go.’ ‘He’s safe,’ Snoop said, waving her hand. ‘Calm the fuck down.’
--
Marlo blinked as Grace suddenly laughed. All he’d said was he was never that good at maths, but he gave a small laugh in return. Then, there was a movement at his side and he turned to see a man stood there, glancing between them. And then, there was another man. Luke stood, blinking. His chest tightened as he met the dark gaze of the man who’d shot Snoop last night.
Marlo smiled. Ah. He knew this man. The drunk from last night. The one who’d stole Luna away. ‘Can I get your number?’ he asked Grace, turning to look back at her. ‘No,’ Prezbo blurted out, eyes wide. Marlo ignored him, keeping a soft smile on his face as he watched Grace.
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