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[anonymouse]

Zeke's light green eyes narrowed skeptically. He found Julianna to be lying. Perhaps. With his part time job at a book store, he had earned more money than he knew what to do with. The deed of paying seemed like such a minor thing, something Julianna was making a fuss out of. Not in a bad way. More as a laughable manner. He didn't know the reasons behind her need to pay, but it seemed he should soon find out.
"And why does this matter? A couple of dollars thus far aren't making much of a difference; except to rile you up apparently." Zeke kept his tone teasing and tried to be very nonchalant about it; but a laugh kept bubbling up inside of him, growing stronger as the conversation went on. The slight tension that had still been resting in Zeke's mind and body had vanished. Julianna was easily fitting into what he enjoyed in a playful banter and it was a relief. To distract himself from staring, Zeke tested his coffee, his sip hesitant and careful. It was perfect. Hot enough to warm him all the way down through, but not cold enough that it was uncomfortable. A happy smile lit Ezekiel's face. He hadn't been burnt! It was almost a miracle, being cooled so soon, but he had put a little effort into it to cool it down. Zeke slipped off the scarf from around his shoulders along with his jacket, shaking his hair as well. You never knew when your hair could be worse than you would assume. Which he didn't fail to notice as Julianna quickly ran her fingers through her dark locks. It was slightly miffed, her hair, but it was almost... adorable. He had also seen her shiver slightly while he was quite comfortable. That got Zeke thinking. His power could be used for good, right? With a flick of his finger, casually he hoped, and the air around Julianna raised in temperature ever so slightly. Not enough to make her notice except for feeling more warmed. He did it as gradually as he could, seemingly normal, but as he took another sip he felt the urge to just heat the whole entire cafe. He had been getting stronger with his gift and sometimes he over heated his water or even his pencil as he studied. Zeke stopped his heating, keeping it to a minimum, and wiped any remains of coffee across his lips. Then, assessing the hair 'problem', Zeke gently reached over and helped the girl process of fixing themselves. His fingers carefully unlooped a few strands of her hair from itself so that her hair felt perfectly once more. Then it struck Zeke. That was something a boyfriend would do. He was most certainly not her boyfriend, nor anyone's. The color in Zeke's cheeks deepened.
"I-I'm sorry," He blinked, looking away with embarrassment. Had he just done that? It something he had never done to anyone. Maybe his brother when he went out but nothing more. Zeke gave a small, sheepish smile to the stunning girl before him.

"Yes. No one is allowed to laugh at me. It should be against the law, punishable by Chinese Water Torture. And maybe it does. But I believe that everyone can start a conversation, no matter how clever or... un-clever." Zeke chuckled, leaning back and sipping gladly at his drink to give him something to do other than look over at Julianna. But then he couldn't help it. He was positive that his heart gave a little flutter as Julianna laughed freely. He didn't know how and he didn't know why, but he did know that he wanted to make Julianna laugh like that on a daily basis. It was too beautiful to pass up...? Zeke stopped those thoughts than and there. He didn't even know if Julianna wanted to stay friends or move on to a relationship. There was no point in worry about it now. Right?

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The words that Nick said echoed in Brielle's ears. She took a moment to reply, thinking things over. She had laid out a card she usually kept up her sleeve for safe keeping but now it wasn't the same. Yet, Nick had been the perfect person to tell it to she realized. Nick could understand what she was going through. Bri looked over at Nick, fighting with herself. But when he spoke more words of comfort, those quiet words sent a shiver down her spine. She didn't know why but it wasn't exactly a bad feeling. It's was almost like she was meeting someone incredibly special, a once in a life time meeting, and it almost scared Bri. What did it mean and why her? But then, Brielle suddenly stiffened when Nick said that one word: Abuse. She knew what that was. But was it possible, he did to? Not from self experience most likely, but she knew that abuse didn't only effect the one person, but those around them. In some cases.
"I'm sorry..." Brielle said softly. "I don't think anyone should be put through events like that. But, I guess love doesn't always last." But slowly her 'fake' side was winning out. Brielle had already said too much for her comfort. Things were hitting too close to home for Brielle to relax. She shook her head slowly and gave a small sigh before she gathered her jacket and bag. "I-I should leave. I don't want to be a bother when you and Audrey still have the whole day ahead of you. I'm sorry." She repeated herself as she shrugged into her jacket. "Maybe we'll meet again. I had a good time." Brielle turned away and wove her way through the tables and the small crowd of people. But even if her mouth said one thing, the whole time Brielle's mind was saying another. Please Nick. Please be the one person that stops me, that doesn't let me walk away from it. Please. But she knew she was kidding herself. Nick was most certainly not a mind reader, why did she even have to bother? Brielle stepped out into the cold wind, never looking back. She knew it was wrong of her but how could it be right when she had come this close to telling Nick her secret?

The wind shattered Bri's train of thought except the silent message she was hoping would miracously {sp} make it to Nick. Maybe her body language or the tone of her voice - which sounded sad to her - would tell him what she really was feeling. Brielle stared at the snow at her feet, keeping herself moving, and wondered to herself how she was ever suppose to pick herself back up? It was just so hard to stay positive and for a moment, with Nick, she had felt happier than she had been in a while. And she knew that if she had stayed and not run away like a coward, joy would find her in the presence of Nick. Something about him just pulled at her heartstrings. Something. He seemed to genuine to pass up and what had she done? Pass him by as if he was nothing more than just another boy. Her fingertips gently touched where her bruises on her arms lay. She didn't dare touch them any harder for fear of causing herself more pain than was necessary. Brielle tried to see how Nick could possibly forgive her for something so terrible in her eyes.

[lorreli.]

"I...I don't know..." Julianna pursed her lips, trying to think of a reason why the money would matter. "It just matters because it does, and that is all that can be said in that matter. And, yes it does rile me up. You seem to be amused." she said, a smirk spreading across her face. She wondered if he could tell that she was not naturally like this - was it obvious? Or did it seem like she was this outgoing al the time? She was barely able to have friendly banter with her own father. But maybe that was because of her whole situation with her mother...Juli quickly distracted herself from where this thought was going by letting her eyes flick to Zeke, who was now sipping his coffee and apparently not getting burned. She sighed softly in relief - the coffee had cooled down quicker then usual, good thing too. She took a long sip of the warm liquid, a smile on her face. She had always found it odd that she had aquired such a fetish for the hot drinks when she worked with cold things. Maybe it was just that opposites attracted, something she always believed to be true. But, no matter how much coffee she could drink, she was still unnatrually cold. Of course, being cold came in handy during the summer months, but in the winter months it was brutal. She would probably have to keep the coat on the whole time...until an unusal warm came over her. She arched an eyebrow in confusion - had they turned up the heat? She began to feel slightly hot in her coat, so she shrugged it off and dropped it on top of her bag. But, the sudden heat change did nothing for her hands. Julianna's hands were always unaturally cold, probably because that was where she channeled her power from. She wrapped them tightly around the hot coffee cup, trying to keep them warm. When she looked back up again, she noticed Zeke watching her, a soft smile on his face. He had probably seen her hair...oh great. Juli's face began to turn slightly pink. But, then he did something odd. He began to reach across the table. What was he...? Then he began to fix her hair for her. A soft shiver went up Julianna's spin. A skip of the heartbeat. She began to realize...his hand was very warm. Comfortable warm, in contrast to her cold fingers. But maybe they just seemed warm to her, with her always being so cool. But then he withdrew his hand. She watched a sort of realization dawn on him, and his face began to redden. He looked very sheepish. Her face began to redden softly too. Why was he saying he was sorry? There was nothing to be sorry for. Except maybe the fact that he pulled away so fast...Juli blushed deeper at the thought. Was she really thinking that just now? Had she really wanted him to continue to play with her hair? Possibly, yes...she simply grinned at him, at lack of words to say. But then, as the conversation turned, she turned quickly with it.

"Hm, Chinese Water Tourture? Sounds scary." she said with a grin. "I think I could handle it though." She almost chuckled at the irony. Two years ago, Juli had found out she could breath underwater - something that probably came as an extra with her power. So, Chinese Water Tourture wouldn't be all that bad. Maybe just a little uncomfortable. "I could start a conversation if I wanted to, but in an unclever way. I could bring up the weather. People usually use that only topic when the conversation is started to go stale. But mostly, I use the weather as my conversation opener, hm?" she said. It was so Julianna - bring up the weather in any conversation. Some of her longest conversations had actually started when she brought up the weather - it was a classic opener. But, she found that it may not work on guys...guys that you are interested in especially. She stopped to think about that for a moment - was she interested in Zeke? Not just interested as in oh-he's-really-cool interested, but...romantically interested? She had only known the guy for an hour and a half at best. But she couldn't really ignore that shiver that shot up her spine when he touched her hair...

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Nick opened his mouth to stop her, but it had gone dry. Had he really scared her off that quickly? What had he said? Was it that he revealed his past, too? Maybe she hadn't wanted him to talk about his stupid sob story. Maybe she just wanted sympathy. But he could tell that she wasn't leaving just so he could spend time with Audrey. She wanted to get out of this place, and she wanted out fast. She wanted away from him. Frankly, badly. He slumped softly in his seat, watching her walk away. How could he be so stupid? He just told a girl his whole dark history, and then she just got up and left. Story of his life...in every relationship, he was always the one who wanted to commit. He had almost told every one of his girlfriend's his story, trusting them easily enough to tell. But, they always ended up taking off, afraid of commitment. And now, he had poured his heart out to a girl he barely knew and by the time it was out of his mouth, she was up and gone. Why was he so...he felt angry. Angry at himself, angry at her...just angry. Why did everyone always leave him? His father, his sister, every girl he'd ever cared about...and now the sole girl that knew his secret. Before she was gone and out the door, he channeled in on her thoughts, just to see what was going through her head. What he heard was...shocking. Be the one person that stops me... At that moment, Nick jumped up from the table. He forgot about his now cold coffee on the table, his and Audrey's coats in the booth. He even forgot about Audrey, who was sitting in the bathroom, waiting and hoping when she would come out, Nick would have a girlfriend. He ran out the door, hoping that she was still in sight. He looked both ways and found her walking a few feet away. He began to jog slightly to catch up with her.

"Wait! Wait a moment..." He said loudly as he persued her, gasping softly to catch his breath. He hadn't ran in a long time...just then, he caught a slick patch of ice and slipped, falling on his back. "Oh jeez." he said as the wnd was knocked out of him. The back of his head was throbbing, and he coughed loudly when the ice thumped his back. There was coolness shooting up his spine from the snow below him. He tried to prop himself upwards on his elbows and continue with the chase, but his back was rigid. A few people began to crowd him, offering to help him up, but he quickly waved them away, loosing sight of Bri. "Brielle! Hey! Come back!" he called out, feeling weak and pathetic spralled out on the ground. What if she hadn't heard him? What if she had heard him, and ignored him? But, what she had been thinking...she had wanted him to follow her. She had wanted him to be the one to stop her. But what if she had changed her mind?

[anonymouse]

"It's quite amusing to watch you get so emotional about such a small matter." Zeke teased right back, the blush still heavy in his cheeks. He hadn't believed he had taken such a daring step. But he couldn't tell if it had positive or negative conquences {sp}. Zeke rubbed his thumb gently across the lip of the coffee cup. He had noticed that Julianna had slipped off her coat. Maybe I went too hot... He mused curiously, lightening his effect on the air surrounding them. Even after years it was still hard to control his gift of fire. Of course Zeke rarely used it at all for fear of setting something on fire. Perhaps he was impervious to the dangerous flames but he didn't want to find out. Nor did he want to burn his house down once more. So Zeke was extremely careful whenever he used his power, even if part of him was telling himself to just let the walls down and see how powerful he really was. The warm coffee slid welcomingly down his throat as Zeke wondered what he should ever say next? He had just touched her hair for goodness sake and she was acting as if it was nothing. How was he suppose to react to that? I guess I should just pretend it's nothing like she's doing. Maybe she won't notice...? It was a long shot but there wasn't really another option. So Zeke acted as normal as normal could be. Which was harder than he thought when he couldn't think as straight as usual. Lingering on his fingertips was the feel of Julianna's smooth hair. Zeke rubbed his fingers together to try to rid himself of that feeling for he had a hunch that he should not be thinking of her like that. He barely knew her and he was already wondering what it would feeling like to run his fingers through her hair. No. No. I'm not going to go there. Zeke was tired of being dumped and he had decided to swear off girls for a while. But what happened? He found himself sitting across a gorgeous girl with a cup of warm coffee in his hands. It was the opposite of what he wanted for himself, but now he was second guessing himself. Why didn't he want to be around girls? They were generally kind and Julianna had proved that. He couldn't imagine being with another girl when she was so interested thus far. Zeke tried to stop thinking about Julianna in that way, the romantic way. He barely knew her and he already felt as if he had known her for quite some time. She seemed so familiar but why? It was possible that he had seen her around from time to time, their town not being the largest, but wouldn't he have at least taken a second glance at her dark eyes? They were indeed hard to look away from... Zeke snapped himself out of it. He had to stop thinking about things like that. It was really going to be the death of him if he kept it up...

"I don't think even I could handle it. With water just dripping onto your forehead, I think it would drive me crazy. But there is only one way to find out..." Zeke had no idea if anyone actually still used Chinese Water Torture anymore. Of course he would never do such a thing but he had to keep up the teasing. "I think the weather is quite normal for our small little town. About 110% of snow. Daily. Nothing like winter, eh?" He laughed to himself. Julianna was certainly something. "I never got why people always went to weather as an opener. It's common but it doesn't make any sense. Everyone can see the weather for themselves, can't they? So why ask about it? The human world is a bit messed up. But that's ok. I don't mind." Zeke ran his fingers across his jeans, trying to rub out the feeling of his fingertips. It was making it hard to concentrate when he couldn't stop replaying the moment he had touched her hair. Was that a bad thing?

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Brielle felt as if she had done a terrible deed. Leaving Nick like that? It seemed horrible in her own mind, but how would Nick take it? Most likely not well. She wouldn't enjoy if the one person who she felt she could relate to, understood, was suddenly gone. Of their own will. It would put a large damper on her day. And now she had gone and ruined Nick's day just because of her selfish reasons. I am a bad person, aren't I? Just because I'm a coward Nick had to suffer. Oh I wish I could just give up all these lies. It would probably make it easier to breathe... Bri twirled a lock of her hair through her fingers, clearly agitated, and tried to tell herself it was for the best. After all, there was always a reason behind every action, right? So why was this moment different? Because I didn't want to leave. I was honestly having a good time and I had to go and ruin it for myself. Well, and Nick's time too. And there's something about Nick... He's not like other boys. So why must I run? The cold wind swirled around her, slipping into her lungs and chilling her from the inside out. Which was fine with Brielle. She felt as if she deserved the coolness of the weather. She might as well deserve the bruises on her body too. Bri knew there was hardly a possibility that Nick would ever forgive her, nor would she forgive herself. Why did she always have to walk away? Pushing people out of her life wasn't going to make anything better. Perhaps safer, on the account of her secret, but did she feel any better about it? Not whatsoever. Feeling even worse then the hour or so before, Brielle searched for answers and options. He went to her school so there could be a chance she would see him there. And that would be slightly awkward. What was she to say? 'I'm sorry I ran off like that but I still don't feel entirely comfortable around you. I just can't make myself enjoy your company when our lives seem so similar. I'm afraid I might give away my secret and you know I could never do that! It would ruin the fake life I've built up for myself.' No, that would not work at all. Bri paused a moment to look up at a tree's long branches. They were dappled with snow and at times the wind blew some of the frozen water off and onto the world below.

Just then, Brielle turned in utter shock to see Nick. His voice had pierced her helpless silence and there was no denying it didn't warm her for a moment to hear his smooth voice once more. Confused, Brielle looked at him as he steadily grew nearer. Even from her distance she could see his breath fogging in the air, the pained look in his eye. It sent an icy pang through her heart to see him so upset. He had all the rights to be of course. She had been rude and harsh but he still came after her? Had- Could he have heard her? Her eyes widening in faint amusement and surprise when Nick slipped. But his eyes never left her. Bri turned her back, afraid to face him. What did she do next? How did she react? There were too many questions coursing through her mind so without a second thought on it, Brielle shut them down. She had to go to him. Had to. His laugh, his smile, the way he had been kind enough to share with her, all of it made Bri want more. What did it feel like to wrap her arms around his neck, her face buried into his warm chest? That thought even shocked Brielle, and she had been the owner of it. Without another moment to spare, Bri faced Nick. Her feet took her towards him, as if by attraction, and she gently extended her hand for him. It was all too easy to guess that her cheeks were burning with embarrassment. She had just walked out on him and now she was with him once more. Would it be like this the whole time they were... well, 'together'? And why did she think of him as more than just a friend?

{Rushed, dinner awaits!}

[lorreli.]

Julianna wrinkled her nose lightly in sarchastic displeasure. "Oh, is it now?" she asked. Their banter on the ongoing matter was amusing her in turn. "I usually don't get this emotional over small things - maybe you're just special." She tried to sound serious and annoyed, but ended up cracking a smile at him. She could tell he was still a little embarresed over the hair thing - as was she. She was trying not to show it thought. She didn't want to make it a big deal or draw much attention to it. Because, if she did, it would lead to a conversation about it. An awkward conversation that would lead to talking about love lives. She could tell that maybe Zeke had been in a few relationships, where as she had been in slim to none. So, she would feel almost ashamed to talk about it. Maybe he would think that there was something wrong with her, seeing that she had never really been in any relationships. No one had ever been romantic and sweet with her. For all she knew, no one had ever even had a crush on her. She was just so invisable, and it was hard to fall for someone who was invisable. She shyly peeked from under her lashes to look at him, adn his blush was started to fade to a rosy pink. He looked as if to be in very deep thought, and she began to muse about what he could be thinking. Maybe he was thinking about the hair touch too? Thinking about her? Was it a possibility? Or was he thinking of something entirely different? Just then, his eyes flicked to her quickly and then flicked back. Did that answer her question? Not really. Where would this whole thing lead to, anyways? A new friend....or....she bit her lip and mentally slapped herself. Don't get your hopes up. A small voice in her head seemed to whisper. She almost grimanced - she knew only too well where getting up her hopes got her. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to expect something from this. But...the whole thing with the hair...she sighed internally. Why were boys so confusing? Or maybe boys were just confusing to her. Maybe all the other girls, the cheerleaders and the geeks as well - maybe they could interperate the mixed signals better then she could. Now, what did that say about her?

"I'm sure it would drive you crazy, but I think I'd be ok." she said, a Cheshire smile spreading across her face. She could only imagine what he would do - sure, it would feel uncomfortable, but it wouldn't make much of an impression on her. The funny thing was he had no idea of the irony of the situation. She found it quite amusing. "Hm, no. Not at all like winter. I think we're having an early spring." she joked. "Actually, it's about two or three degrees higher then it was yesterday. Our weather is so incredibly unpredictable. I'm surprised the snow isn't melting." Oh, she wished the snow would melt. Even if she was able to control the snow and ice, winter was no picnic for her because of her constant temperature issues. Summer was more her style. "I think people use weather as an opener because they can't think of anything else to say. Then they just look outside and think, oh, hey, it's raining today. And the human world does need to get a grip on itself." she grinned softly, thinking about it. Truthfully, the world was a mess. And here they were, in the middle of it, sipping coffee like there was no care in the world. Life was funny that way.

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Nick began search through the legs walking on the sidewalk as he lied on the icy concrete. Soon, he was loosing sight of Bri. Either she hadn't heard him, or she simply wasn't coming back. He tried to look around the legs that were walking in his way, but he was getting lost in the crowd. He couldn't even pick her out anymore. He propped himself up on his elbows finally, frantic. She was gone. Then, when someone finally moved, he could see her. She was turned arond, looking for the source of who was calling her name. Nick wanted to get up and continue to pursue her, but he could see the strech of ice ahead. He decided he'd be best on the ground and simply wave to get her attention. But, when she had finally found out where he was, she turned away from him. He stopped waving and his heart dropped - here he was, sitting in the middle of a sidewalk and waving like a maniac. People were staring at him like he was crazy. Others were trying to help him up, or ask what was wrong. But he wasn't paying attentiont to anyone. What had he been thinking, running after Bri like a maniac? What if he had misinterperated her thoughts? He needed to stop doing things without thinking. He was known for doing things like that. He really had to leave - he had been a stupid, irrespondsible brother and left Audrey alone in a cafe bathroom. God only knew what she was doing in there for a half hour. What if she came out and he was gone? She would think he forgot about her and ditched her for a girl he had just met. He had to get back. No matter what thoughts he had heard of Bri's - Audrey was his one and only girl, obviously. He couldn't just leave her alone. And yet he had. It would be a bit of a chore getting up. There was ice all around him, and since he wasn't the most balanced person in the world. And then, someone extended their hand to him. He looked up.

His eyes were wide as he took the hand - it was Bri's. Her cheeks were glowing and there was a faint smile on her lips. He took her hand and stood up, making sure he kept his balance and didn't just slip back down. He looked at her and opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came. What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to ask why she left? Did he say he was glad she came back? What was he supposed to say? His mind quickly flicked back to Audrey...but wouldn't that be an innappropriate thing to say right now? It didn't matter though - big brother came before...whatever their current relationship was. Not boyfriend and girlfriend, yet...something above friends? He couldn't be sure. "I think we should get Audrey." he said quietly, a smile creeping onto his face, trying to lighten the serious mood.

( argh, sorry. my muse is very short and I have writers block T.T )