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 Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:47 am
There were certain things that she hated indisputably, with a passion. And though many, for she hated almost on impulse, if you had asked Aithne who she hated the most, she'd say Carnelian for certain with an almost brutal quickness. To say they shared an antagonistic relationship was putting it mildly.
Four years in high school. Four, long, dreary years spent in the vicinity of the stuck-up brat. Aithne sighed as she sat down. Four years of forced partnerships, four years of acrid silence. Four years where luck seemed to flee her side, four years when Fate seemed to deem it funny to pair her up with someone she couldn't stand. Someone had once called it "karma". If it was indeed karma, then she must have been a horrible person in her past life. The classroom was still half-empty. Ten minutes till class started. Thinking of high school made her realize how much she appreciated college. Half her classes had passed and still no sign of the dusty orange hair or trademark mole. The bell rang.
The classroom was mostly filled, the professor was opening his folder at the front podium. Aithne looked around. She counted a few empty seats. One in the far, far back, one next to a kid that looked drunk (or high, or perhaps both), and one next to her. The tables were two-seaters facing the front set of blackboards. She dared to think that perhaps, for once, luck had turned in her favor. A year without sitting next to Carnelian! A year without seeing Carnelian! A year without his snide remarks! And this is her mistake, for praising your luck, as everyone knows, is the best way to jinx it.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 9:11 pm
Lian was a loyal person. When he became someone’s friend, he had his or her back no matter the circumstance. The odds could be against his friend, but Lian would still stand firm in his decision. The same held true for the opposite spectrum—enemies.
He could recall few people who met the criteria, but Aithne was definitely at the top of his hate list. Had he been any other person, Lian admitted that perhaps their relationship would have been slightly different, but the same could be said for anyone and everyone. Lian and Aithne simply could not coexist peacefully. It was like trying to put two magnets together on the same poles—like and like did not match. Considering how explosive the two together could be, he considered it a miracle they had somehow managed through four years of each other’s presence. This was a new year, though. What were the chances of the two meeting up in the same class, at college no less?
One hand gripped the strap of his bag as he entered the classroom five minutes before the lesson started. His other hand twitched when Lian noted how crowded the room was already. He had been expecting a few more open seats, but perhaps the class was more popular than he gave it credit for. Eyes narrowed, he searched the rows of seats for a vacant one. Soon as he spotted an open seat he stepped toward it, but froze when he realized who his seatmate would be.
Aithne. **** my luck. Another sweeping stare across the room revealed not a single seat available to him. How the hell did that happen? He took a deep, silent breath before stalking over and taking the seat next to her. Moodier than usual, Lian plopped his bag to the floor and blatantly moved his seat as far away from her as he could. He briefly glanced at her, but said nothing. Don’t talk. Don’t talk and maybe he could get through class without breaking a pencil or something.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 5:14 am
She hadn’t been watching the door, so Aithne did not realize the grave misfortune until it settled into the seat next to her. It was only when Carnelian settled into his seat, abnormally but understandably stiff, that she turned around. It took a moment for the situation to register in her head. His hair had gotten longer, darker, since the last time she’d seen him. It was, Aithne had hoped, the last time she would see him. Alas, fate is not a kind mistress.
If it was anyone else, she would have told herself to act civilly. To start over, from a clean slate and not drag the past into the present. But this wasn’t just anyone. This was Carnelian. Carnelian Esposito, damn him to hell. If there were two people in the world who should not be allowed in close proximity of each other, then she sincerely believed it was the two of them.
Her mind told her to stay quiet. If she ignored his existence, then perhaps this would be bearable. It was, after all, only one class out of many. But when Carnelian moved his seat to the farthest the desk could accommodate, she could not help but feel anger. If there was anyone who should be discontented with the arrangements, it should be her.
“I didn’t think you had the capacity to take an Ancient Mythology course.”
The words had tumbled out, breaking the uneasy ceasefire they seemed to have maintained for all of three seconds.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 8:46 pm
How long had it been since Aithne and Carnelian had met? He last saw her at graduation, so a few months shy of a full year. His lips formed a thin line as he continued to avoid eye contact with the other girl. It was too soon. It would always be too soon to meet Aithne. The mention of her name irked him enough, but now he would have to drudge through the rest of the year with this vexing woman in his class? God was asking too much of Lian.
The first few seconds were alright—the uneasy silence seemed comforting and instilled a faint glimmer of hope that perhaps the two could go the year without talking to each other. Life could have been so much easier that way, but alas fate did not make it so. As he bent down to pull out his notebook and pens, he heard Aithne speak. Lian frowned immediately. He drew his lips tighter, mutely gathering his things together and flipping the book to a fresh page. Don’t say anything. Maybe if he didn’t reply she would drop the conversation and they could keep peacefully ignoring the other.
Twirling a pencil in his hands, he opened his mouth and the words flowed out, “And I didn’t think you had the audacity to strike up conversation with me again, but we can’t all be right all the time, can we?” He tsk’d disapprovingly and leaned against his desk. “And I was looking forward to a year without you, oh well.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 11:31 pm
She sucked in air. That man! Carnelian twirled his pencil, Aithne raged. He even tsk'd! The person who wanted to tsk was her. Not that...she'd be happy with a simple tsk. Part of what irked her was the realization that Carnelian was handling the situation so much more maturely than she was. Given the chance, Aithne would have screamed and cursed the world. Instead, she shot him a malicious smile, one that she reserved just for him.
"Well that makes two of us, doesn't it."
Aithne turned away from him. She focused her pointed stare at the blackboard up front. The lesson had begun. Ancient Mythology was something she enjoyed, reveled in. She hoarded the moments when she could sit in the library engulfed by the books. Not even Carnelian could ruin this, not even Carnelian.
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Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:34 pm
Her miffed reaction satisfied Lian. He cupped his chin with his hand and his fingers covered his mouth to mask the smug grin stretching across his face. Normally he wouldn’t take so much pleasure in someone’s frustrations or pain, but this was Aithne. Aithne was an exception. His eyes narrowed as she threw him a malicious smile that was all too familiar to the older lad. He had seen this smile plenty of occasions throughout their four disastrous years together.
“Indeed. A rather crowded number, don’t you think?” he grumbled. Likewise, Lian angled his body away from Aithne and directed his gaze to the professor, who began to lecture. Occasionally he glanced down at his notebook to jot down a few notes. He was going to make damn sure Aithne wasn’t going to disturb him.
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Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2011 9:48 pm
"I thought," she hissed without taking her gaze off the blackboard, "we agreed not to talk."
She hated how he seemed to always need to have the last word in arguments. Hated his stubbornness, hated his smugness, damn. She just hated everything about him. It was unavoidable. There didn't seem to be any way around it and there didn't seem to be to avoid it. Aithne wasn't going to stop hating Carnelian. She doubted Carnelian would stop hating her. But with all the turmoil in her life, she couldn't continue to fight with him. She wasn't willing to drop her Mythology course just to get away from Carnelian. What she wanted from Carnelian was peace. What she wanted from her life was peace. The world seemed to be intent on denying her both.
Aithne sighed and raised her hand to her forehead. In the process knocking her thermos over and coffee spilling onto Carnelian's notebook.
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 9:02 pm
Snorting, Lian rolled his eyes. “So says the girl who started this conversation in the first place,” he commented wryly.
Hate was such a strong word. For most of his life, he never thought he would actually be able to feeling such an intense emotion, but that was until he had met Aithne. Narrowed eyes peered at the woman from behind his bangs. He stared for a couple seconds before redirecting his gaze to the front of the classroom. What was the point in observing a woman he hated? Especially when there was a lesson to pay attention to. Besides, these seats wouldn’t be permanent. Surely he could move whenever he wanted. All he had to do was make it through the lecture and everything would just be peachy. The idea actually soothed him, his shoulders relaxing and his brows unfurrowing.
Well, until a light knock disturbed his thoughts and hot coffee spilled across his notebook and arm. He was mute as he hastily wiped his arm with his jacket and picked up his notebook, soaked, ruined, and the written notes barely salvageable. The lad gaped. What a waste of a perfectly good notebook!
Then his shock twisted into bitter hate as he slowly turned his head toward her. “You.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:44 pm
She hadn't been aware of the spill until Carnelian had turned to accuse her. She saw first, the overturned thermos, second, the spreading stain on what was once Carnelian's notebook. Aithne glanced up only to be met by a heated stare. She held up her hands apologetically, and sighed.
Being in the same class are Carnelian was a downer. The least Aithne wanted was a strained silence. She could settle for that, it was better than the alternatives.
"Look," she said, "I'm sorry. But this wouldn't have happened if you had just shut up."
She was suddenly aware that no one else in the class was making a sound. All of them staring at them. The professor was giving them a stern stare. There was a tense silence. Aithne sank down deeper into her chair. This was certainly not the best way to start the day.
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