girl you're trouble

Nolan forced half a smile. “Alright, if you say so. You made me a bit worried there for a while. I thought you, well, I don’t know…regretted what we did? Which, it’s okay if you do. I don’t. But..never mind. We don’t have to talk about it. Forget I brought it up.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “And I adore you! I’m not going to pry though. Just know I’m here for you while your work your stuff out. And if you need help I’m here to help you.”

Marie shook her head. “No, no, no. I don’t regret it at all. You’re wonderful and so good to me and I adore you, Nolan.” She sighed. “I’m just not the best at....things like that. I don’t really....I’m not used to doing things like that with people I like or am comfortable with. So um...I wasn’t really sure how to act.” Half of it was true which was more than she would normally give anyone. “So..sorry for being a dork?”

When his eyes registered that it was, in fact, his sister, he let out a very soft and slow sigh of relief. Her hand on his shoulder relaxed him, and his shoulder dropped a bit. The grip on the bat loosened, which caused him to drop it like some hot potato or something. “I’m so sorry, Marie. I should know by now that it’s okay here.” He said, kicking the bat further from them, His lips curled into a small smile when she mentioned his music, and complimented it. “Oh, stop.” His cheeks turned a light shade of pink from embarrassment, “I didn’t realize I was playing so loud. That was stupid of me. What if you weren’t you? I would have alerted the entire house that someone was here, and then what?” He shook his head at himself, disappointed in the fact that he could be so careless with his safety but, more importantly, his sister’s safety. He made a mental note to only play when the house was with other people and also to play a little less loudly, though that part would be hard as he could not control the volume of his piano. 

“Also, missy, where have you been hiding?” He asked, scrunching his face at her in an attempt to look angry, and he even brought a finger up to wag but ended up just booping her nose instead. “I’ve missed you. I ran into Toulouse, so I admit that he kept me from worrying too much, but, well, you know Toulouse. He doesn’t talk much about stuff like we do, and it kind of…I made it a little awkward.”

Marie wrinkled her nose at his touch. There were only so many people who were actually allowed to get close enough to her to do that and Berli was at the top of that list. “Don’t be like that. I never want you to play quietly. Because you are censoring yourself that way and that is not okay with me.” She knew he wasn’t going to listen to her, so she had to made a mental note of listening to him play later. “And Thomas is normally around, so I’m not worried.....Not here. Edgar....” she stopped herself. She didn’t want to upset him and she didn’t want to actually upset herself, which would happen whether she wanted to admit that or not.

“Anyways...I’ve been out. I have a life, thank you.”Honestly she really wasn’t doing much. Trying to work every now and then, hang out with Lottie and or Nolan...sometimes Maddox.....Mostly shopping. Wow. Her life really was boring. “I was out shopping earlier. And I got us cute things. Did you wanna see?” She batted her eyes at him. “You’re going to love this new hoodie. It really makes your eyes pop.”

Nolan hadn’t realized how unprepared he was when she finally answered the door. He seemed to be at a loss for words. “Alright,” he said as he walked inside. He’d only been there a few times so there was still that awkward feeling of being in a new place there. “I uh.. I just wanted to apologize, I guess. In case I did something. I don’t really know what exactly I did but I just wanted to make things right. I don’t want to lose you as a friend. We can forget about what happened if that’s what you’d like.”

Marie almost let out a laugh. Nolan thought he was the one in the wrong and she wished she wasn’t so awful that he thought that. “Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She sighed. “Look, you’re wonderful and I adore you. I just..have some stuff I needed to work out. But it’s totally okay. I am okay. Okay?”

Toulouse was surprised to hear his sister’s voice and grinned when he looked up at her. “Well, if I see him, I’ll be sure not to speak to him like that,” he teased, unable to keep a straight face. “Besides, maybe if you didn’t get in my way, I wouldn’t have to be rude.” He knew that his absence was entirely his fault, but he had still missed Marie. He kept meaning to visit her, but he always managed to find an excuse. They were both busy adults; it was perfectly natural for them to grow apart, especially when he had done nothing to stop the worst thing that had ever happened to them. But he tried his best to put that out of his mind when he was with her. They shouldn’t talk about it. It would do no good, and he only wanted a normal relationship with his sister, especially as she appeared to be coping much better than their brother. 

“What are you up to this morning? I doubt being snapped at by your least favorite brother was at the top of your to do list,” Toulouse joked, knowing that she probably wasn’t anticipating on seeing him at all. He had done an excellent job of disappearing, though that wasn’t his initial intention. It started as him making excuses about being too busy or not wanting to intrude, and then it became much easier to just not visit.

Marie knew he was joking, but she still had a rather permanent pout on her face as she moved a bit to the right from where she was standing. If she was in the way then she was probably in it more now or the opposite. Seeing Toulouse was worth it overall though. She really adored her older brother even when she felt so far away from him. “You should know by now I don’t play favorites anymore. I am an adult now.” She always had a feeling that Toulouse was worried she resented him for things. And she didn’t; he wasn’t the cause of their issues then and he wasn’t the cause of her issues now. But that was not relevant. She was more focused on getting a glimpse at his work.

“Nothing really. I don’t have work today so I was just going to shop for a little bit. Same old, same old.” Shopping was her favorite and least favorite way to cope. It really depended on what she went for. Trinkets, accessories, and little things like that were fine but clothes....a completely different challenge. She almost wished she didn’t think of clothes because as if on a cue her stomach grumbled and she frowned further. “Anyways. I just wanted to see what you were doing since I haven’t seen you in a bit. I can leave you be if you wish.”

“So now you’re a clumsy drunk?” Maddox challenged, lips stretched in a wide smile that the drunken flush of his cheeks only illuminated. “How long has it been since we’ve been out, do I even know you anymore?” He got the bartender’s attention with a wave the second the word sour passed her lips, and he laughed with a little scoff. “That’s good, all good. I’m here to make sure you have a good time, kiddo, whiskey sour’s a good time.”

Marie just rolled her eyes at him. Maddox was just as theatrical as she was sometimes. “It hasn’t even been that long, doofus,” she said before taking her drink and sipping at it. “Kiddo? Please, you are hardly older than me. Do you want me to start calling you old man? I don’t think you will like it very much.”

Arista noticed the blonde’s giggle but couldn’t be sure what she meant by it. Did she know Ariel? Even though Ariel was the sister Arista was closest to, she still didn’t keep many tabs on who she knew around town. She silently wondered if this made her a bad sister, but she ignored it and moved on.  “Well, I guess we’re about to see,” she teased, although she knew it wasn’t true. All the Triton sisters had natural singing abilities, but none like Ariel’s. And Arista had made it no secret that she was envious of her younger sibling’s voice. “Don’t worry. I’m not backing out.” 

“Good. Because there is no one else here with energy like yours. I can already tell.” And she left it at that. She was grateful she didn’t question her about her knowledge of Ariel and was more focused on singing and having a good time. “Want another round of drinks before our turn is up?”

Maddox was firmly in the pocket, warmly buzzed without the room spinning around him, and he was content to stay there for a little while longer, sipping pure diet coke through a paper straw. “I still say you’re scared,” he teased, looking down and leaning back off of his stool to eye her shoes. Cute, probably not too effective so she might not have been lying, but that wasn’t half as fun. “What’re you drinking next? Gotta spice it up a little, I won’t order you a vodka cranberry. Absolutely bonkers, my card will decline if it detects me being a bland ass, even for you.”

Marie scoffed. “I’m so not scared of dancing. I just don’t want to break my ankles trying to do it in these platforms.” She could probably handle it fine but she was too stubborn to now. “As for my drink...I dunno yet. Something fun that’s for sure. Maybe a whiskey sour. Is that alright with you? Because I can keep brainstorming if you’re gonna be picky.”

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She returned the fellow blonde’s smile. “It is. Especially Wannabe or Spice Up Your Life. People go crazy for those.” She chuckled lightly at the girl’s abundant enthusiasm, but rose from her seat without question to go sign up. What could be the worst that would happen? “Alright. Well, I have six but Ariel is the name of the one who can really sing.” 

“Absolutely,” Marie said, nodding her head in agreement. The moment Ariel’s name was dropped a nervous giggle escaped her lips. It wasn’t that Marie detested Ariel....she just didn’t think Ariel was the biggest fan of her. “I’m sure you can sing just as well as your sister. And it’s too late to back out now, so.”

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