|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 4:38 pm
 |
|
|
 |
Brooklyn was going to call. She wanted to call, but…honestly. She was feeling…almost too chicken to call. What she wasn’t feeling to chicken to do was to go to a cheap donut shop and pick up a dozen glazed donuts with the last of her leaf raking money and head over to Elliot’s house, knocking on his door and hoping that he was home.
Twelve would be enough donuts for herself, both boys, both sets of boys fathers…math wasn’t her strong suit but…twelve donuts between seven people sounded an adequate number. Unless everyone wanted two, in which case she would just…she would just not have any.
Maybe she shouldn’t have any anyway. Apology donuts weren’t meant for the one who was doing the apology after all.
The longer she stood there, and it had only been about fifteen seconds max...but the longer that Brooklyn stood there, the worse she was feeling, and sweat began to trickle down the back of her neck. It wasn’t warm out by any stretch of the imagination but…
Perhaps this was just…stress sweat? Interesting.
She knocked again and let out a long, slightly frustrated breath.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 5:25 pm
|
|
|
|
The seconds ticked on–not too much, but enough that it was clear that no one had been hovering near the door. There was movement from the other side of it, and then a surprised, “Oh.” It unlocked, and Oliver appeared with a smile on his face.
“Brooklyn, hello. Hi, come in. Are you looking for Elliot? He and his father should be back soon. They ran up to the store, but you can make yourself comfortable, they’ll be back soon.”
It didn’t seem to matter that Oliver hadn’t been expecting company, he was more than happy to invite her in. He stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. “I was just grading some papers but if you give me a moment, I can clear you off a space if you want to put something on the television or play a game. Is everything okay? You look a little worried.”
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2023 7:12 am
|
|
|
|
Oliver wore the same patient, friendly smile. He noticed her demeanor, and even if Elliot was prone to keeping more secrets than he did, he’d have deduced that something was wrong.
“Brooklyn, you’ve come all this way. I’m not going to send you away. Elliot will be here soon and he can call Atticus. Come inside, it’s chilly out there. Do you want something to warm up? I’m heating up some cider, I can get you a glass. Oh, well, we have soda and tea, too. There are plenty of options. I’m sure Elliot will be happy to see you. He’s been worried.”
He paused, like he was considering if he’d said too much, but he shook his head. “He’s doing okay. Well enough to be out and about, if you were worried about him. Taking it easy, but. I’m just glad you’re all okay.”
He moved away from the door and began to gather up his paperwork so she could have a bit of space on the couch.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2023 7:23 am
|
|
|
|
Hesitating for another moment, Brooklyn finally just sighed and nodded, following Oliver into the house and sitting on the very edge of the couch that was cleared of his papers. “...I’m glad he’s doing okay…It. I’m sorry that he got hurt. I didn’t want that to happen, and I didn’t mean for it to happen…I…I’m sorry that we got into a fight too…I…didn’t want that either.”
Still unable to raise her eyes, to look at Oliver, to see the disappointment and reproach in his eyes that simply had to be there, Brooklyn kept her gaze firmly on her hands, twisting them in her lap.
“I had just wanted to help, and I know I’m not a good friend for either of them, or for anyone…and I guess I would have just been better not coming and…I’m sorry to have bothered you, I don’t need anything to drink but um…maybe I should go. Really, this was a mistake…”
If she could just push it all away…nobody could take it from her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2023 8:44 am
|
|
|
|
The outburst surprised Oliver, who was either very easy to read, or very good at looking like he was easy to read. He watched her for a few seconds, like maybe there was something he might miss if he blinked. It wasn’t really an outburst, it’s not like there was anything violent or angry about her. It wasn’t enough to put him on edge.
“Elliot’s a smart boy,” he said finally. “I don’t need to police his friends. I think he sees the best in people. And I trust him to make his own decisions about who he wants in his life. Asher and I have always told him to trust his gut and make good decisions. He doesn’t lie to us.”
Well, he might, but he probably lied to them significantly less than most fourteen year old boys lied to their parents. Or, maybe Oliver was just optimistic.
“I’m not going to banish you. And Elliot’s already told us that he was hoping you’d message soon. I know he’s been checking his phone all day. He’s not the sort to blame someone or hold things against them. He’s not the sort to let himself get blackmailed, either. He can stand up for himself. If there was a problem, he would have told us. But, knowing Elliot, he probably just wanted to help. Which sounds like the right thing to do if you weren’t getting enough food. You’re back at the dorms now, right? Are you getting enough to eat or are you still having problems back home?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2023 6:00 pm
|
|
|
|
Once more, Oliver listened closely. He nodded along, just slightly, and didn’t speak until he was certain she was done. He was careful not to interrupt her, and careful to actually listen.
“They’re good friends, aren’t they? I know I’m a little biased, but Elliot’s my pride and joy.” He stretched across the table and pulled the box of Kleenex closer so he could pass it over to her. “I love both of those boys so much. They’ve got good hearts. It’ll be okay, Brooklyn. I’m sure you’ll feel better after you get a chance to talk to them. I don’t know if it’s the same for you, but I tend to imagine the worst and make myself sick about it. But I trust Elliot to make his own decisions, and to come to me when he needs help. The only thing he said about you was that he hoped you were okay and that he was afraid you might try to push everyone away. So I’m very happy to have you here, I know it’ll mean a lot to him that you wanted to talk.”
He chewed on the inside of his cheek briefly and then leaned forward. “I’m sorry that things haven’t been easy for you so far. I know everyone’s circumstances are different, and I know that the last thing you want is some adult preaching to you about this or that. But…I don’t think you seem as bad as you keep insisting. Asher and I are teachers, we’ve seen all sorts of kids. And sometimes, things are just tough. Sometimes there’s just a good kid in a bad situation. And it seems like you’re trying your best. I think that counts for a lot, Brooklyn. And, I’m sure you and the boys can work through whatever’s going on. They care about you. And you care about them, so just be gentle–to them, and to yourself. Okay? It’ll work out. And if you need to talk, Asher and I are here. If there’s anything we can do to help, we’ll always do our best.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2023 7:17 pm
|
|
|
|
Whatever restraint Oliver had before, it slipped away. He pulled the well-worn blanket from the back of the couch and shook it out before he moved closer and draped it over her shoulders.
“It’s not like that,” he said gently. “I worry about people who are much better at taking care of themselves than I’ve ever been. I tell Asher to be careful and to take care when he goes to the grocery store. It’s not that they don’t think you can take care of yourself, it’s that they want you to know they want you to be okay. And it might be my fault that Elliot says it because if I’m not saying it to him and his father, they’re saying it to me, because I do have to take care of myself. I have a bad habit of getting into trouble, even if I’m doing my best.”
He didn’t want to overwhelm or crowd her, so he rubbed her back gently and kept a careful eye out to make sure he wasn’t making things worse. “Both of those boys just care about you, Brooklyn. They both have big hearts. I can’t imagine either of them wanting to mock you. Everyone is different, so saying one thing might mean something else to someone, and I’d bet that’s where some of this is coming from. It’s just different walks of life and different experiences. And this whole magical danger that keeps popping up in the city, I don’t blame you for being upset for not knowing what’s going on. I was upset too. But, upset in a different way. I remember when I was your age, things were confusing enough. I can only imagine how much worse it’s gotten. But…it’s okay to be upset. And it’s okay to have feelings and emotions and it’s even okay to fight with your friends sometimes. As long as you’re not trying to hurt each other. And I know you’ve had to be tough before. You don’t have to change how you are. But it’s okay to be gentle here, if you wanted to try. It doesn’t sound like you’ve had a lot of very good influences before, but we can try our best. And Elli and Atticus will, too. I know it’s a lot of new things, and a lot of it is probably scary and frustrating, but I know everybody here just wants what’s best for you. Sometimes we don’t always know what that means, but I hope we can work together to find out.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2023 1:43 pm
|
|
|
|
“I’m…not used to anyone worrying. And those that would pretend to only wanted to use me for money or…or whatever. Foster parents who would act concerned when I would be picked up for shoplifting, pretending to blame themselves when they refused to feed me. I’m just a paycheck. Why…I mean. I’m not worth anything, I’ve heard that enough…I…”
The blanket was appreciated, and Brooklyn drew it tighter around her shoulders, trying to stop her tears, trying to silence her crying but.
“I don’t think that I know how to be gentle, or how to do anything but be the way I am…and it’s just not going to work…and I hate myself for it, I hate myself so much because I can’t just be normal. That my normal is seen to just think that I don’t care and I guess I don’t. I’m disposable. I know that…but. I’m not a quitter, and I can’t just run away when there’s an issue…especially when it’s…I mean. I can if it’s not a physical issue, I’m great at running away from emotional problems…but if the issue is something physical that I can hit? I’m going to use every ounce of force to take it down. Magical or not. The youma from the other night? If you punch something hard enough with a piece of metal in your hand, even if it’s not anything sharp…it’s still better than just running away. I wish…I wish that Elliot had told me that he wanted to lure it away. I wish they had trusted me…but. Then I got blamed for Elliot getting hurt…I…”
She scrubbed her eyes again and hesitated, half wanting to just throw herself at Oliver, to accept this gentle whatever. This comfort from an adult that she honestly couldn’t understand but…
Brooklyn knew that it felt genuine. It didn’t feel like he was lying…and he had nothing to gain from her. “It wasn’t fair to blame me for that…they’re the one that kept secrets…I’m…I’m angry for that…for being blamed…it wasn’t my fault. They expected me to just follow their orders and I can’t do that. I fight. I fight back. I can’t not.” The words were coming out faster and her voice grew more high pitched as the sobs began to increase. This. Wasn’t how this was supposed to go. She was supposed to be showing that she was strong not crying like an idiot baby.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2023 3:43 pm
|
|
|
|
The tears didn’t faze Oliver, who kept stroking her back steadily as he listened. His lips pressed together, because of course it was in his nature to want to defend his son and Atticus. He wasn’t there, though. He didn’t know the exact circumstances, and what was said in the heat of the moment, or recalled through the lens of emotions and hurt.
“Elliot never accused you for being responsible when he told us what happened,” he tried to assure her. “...Asher and I aren’t in the same position as any of you kids, we don’t have magical powers or anything, so I can only imagine how much stress you must all be under, or how scary it must have been. I know when there was a youma in our house, I panicked. Asher was more collected than I was, but it feels like just a blur now. Elliot might seem like he has a plan all the time–and he is quick. He’s clever, he’s hard working, he feels very protective of his friends. But he’s still just a kid too, and I know that he’s been under more stress. I’m sorry that your feelings were hurt. I don’t think anyone meant to. We asked them to keep secrets, to be careful. I’ve had a Negaverse Agent that keeps popping up in my life, and after everything before, well…we just wanted to be careful. But I’m sorry that you got hurt. We just want everyone to be safe. You, included. Even if we all have different ideas of what that means, or how to accomplish that.”
He seemed apologetic, and he continued to rub her back gently.
“There’s no reason to hate yourself, Brooklyn. You’re still so young. Your life isn’t set in stone, you’ve got your whole future ahead of you. You’re not disposable. And now that you do know what’s going on, it means you can figure things out. It’ll be okay. Yesterday’s behind us, and we can make tomorrow better. You’re here, you’re off to a good start, Brooklyn. We’ll figure this all out.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
