* / LOVE THE SINNER.

plopping down into the chair in the break room roni let out a loud sigh shaking her hair out, “i spent my whole day moping up puke from this kids birthday party,” she groaned rubbing her eyes, “they ate cake and then decided to run around, go on some rides, and finally finished at the arcade,” she continued, “so that’s how my day is going, and i’m really ready to quit right about you. anyways, what’s new with you?”

f: alright m8, i've got fifteen minutes before my break is done.

f: let's get stoned

c: hm i dont really smoke

“what?” asher looks at her blankly, putting his waving hand down. it was in the moments were they weren’t at each other’s throats that asher could really observe how beautiful the girl truly was. the green of her eyes, the way her hair shined in the sun. too bad he would never get to voice them out loud, not if he wanted to not seem like a loser in the general scheme of things. this was not their usual routine, that belonged somewhere deeper and more private. a place of admiration he hoped clementine would never find out he had. “hot dog boy? pet names for little ol’ me? sheesh, clementine, you shouldn’t. it might give people the idea we’re intimate.” something in the way he said the last word made it sound incredibly dirty and secretive. her touch traveling its way up through his arm made heat pool at the bottom of his stomach, in that moment, all he wanted to do was get her out of there, out of this pathetic date, and push her against a wall. but that meant losing this little game of theirs. “disdain?” asher’s free hand came up to touch a strand of her golden hair, holding it between his thumb and index finger. “you’re a fine actress, you know that? but body language can’t be faked. i know your breath hitches when i touch you like this, i know that when i speak your knees get weak… and i know that if i touch you like this–” asher’s hand dropped to the small of her back, pulling her closer as much as the cart between them allowed, his eyes never leaving clementine’s. “you’ll get goosebumps. so drop the act. drop that private school kid you don’t even know their name, and let’s get out of here, what do you say?”

Gabe: One of them tried to trip me over when I was teaching them how to skate!! And on purpose!

Gabe: :( that's okay, you'll get a role soon and it'll be better than the ones you didn't get!

Gabe: Just takes time!

Gabe: Oh, who do I get to play for this script!

Gabe: ThaTS mE LiT aNYtiME somEoNe dIsaGreES wiTH mE

Gabe: That took me forever to write. My favourites change all the time. I want to say Gavin...but I'm not sure!

Clementine: yiKes .. u should've made him done burpees or smth. that always did the trick for me when i didnt feel like behaving in dance class

Clementine: fuck man i hope so //:

Clementine: well i'm auditioning for aubrey from little shop of horrors ! so u can read seymour's line or if ur feelin adventurous, u can be orin !!

Clementine: FUUUCJkacjajsj

the crystal blues of the other female glared directly into indiana’s hazel centers, evoking the formation of a glare on her features. although indy was quite the jealous type herself, she mainly saw it as a predatory trait - a way of protecting lukas. salty exes however ? they really tested her patience — ESPECIALLY clementine for that matter. ‘ yes, it is a baby names book & why you say that so slyly i have no idea. honey, we all know you’re simply jealous that lukas doesn’t want your children & instead he wants mine. i’m not surprised though to be honest, they’d probably be bullied if he would have had them with you anyway, ’ the brunette spat back, a fake scoff escaping her pursed lips. ‘ well, if he likes the name gloria, he can tell me himself. i’m not stupid enough to believe some desperate, thirsty bitch who lukas OBVIOUSLY dumped for a reason. ’ she argued, turning her nose up at the other before digging the book back out of her handbag, pride in her gaze, and scanning the page once more, repeating her previous motion.

No matter if it was love, happiness, sadness or fear – whatever Clementine felt, Francine, felt it too. Growing up with mothers who struggled to shower their girls compassion and affection, mistaking it as a technique to strengthen their willpower and inner strength, had the two girls linked from the day they met. With the appearance, status and out layer her mother had so flawlessly built for herself, it was hard for Francine to speak out about the emotional neglect she had to face growing up; so when a little girl with a cute blonde bun head walked into her mother’s dance studio and took notice of little Francine’s tantrum and usual outburst during dance classes, the brunette knew she was a keeper.

Her chest stung at the sight of tears trickling down Clementine’s cheek; her own blue hues beginning to water from her own memories of her mother and the daggering words she would use to state her points and opinions; successfully attacking her self-esteem, persuading her into thinking she wasn’t and could never be enough. That thought alone managed to haunt her endlessly, shaking her heart at any moment given – and to think Clementine had to go through the same abuse, the same kind that had her shouting and fighting for her stand just a few minutes ago. Not wanting to pull away or to let go of the love and comfort she could feel channeling from Clementine’s touch, Francine held onto both her hands for not only the other’s sake but for her own. A tight squeeze was given as she rolled her lips in; hoping it could calm down her racing and unstable heart as well as muffle any noises she could possibly make from how fragile she had quickly turned.

The second Clementine let out a bashful chuckle, Francine couldn’t seem to hold back the relief she felt to still find sunshine lingering inside of the other. A similar soft chuckle escaped her lips; her head quickly tilted back to stop any tears from falling; both hands letting go of Clementine’s to roughly and swiftly wipe away any tears before she reached over for comfort yet again. How foolish of her to allow her mother to get to her like that. “I’d be so lost without you too, Emmy.” Soft whispers were exchanged before she gave out another sheepish chuckle; embarrassed by her crying on a matter that didn’t involve her – but it was strange to be feeling it first hand. “Our mothers can fucking suck it,” she managed to say with a laugh. “Who needs them when we’ve got each other, right? You know I love you. I love you with my whole heart and if your mother ever gives you shit again, pass the damn phone to me. I’ll put her right back in her place, you hear me? No one disrespects my sister like that. No one.”

although clementine wasn’t a twin, she often felt as if herself and francine developed twin telepathy. they always knew what each other wanted or what they were thinking, and they more often than not felt the same things. the moment emmy saw her best friend become emotional over the blonde’s distress only reminded her of that. not wanting to call attention to the brunette’s shaken up demeanor, emmy just offered a soft smile, a silent its okay, but thank you for caring so much. “ hey, ” she pouted as her hands were shoved away, not quite ready for their soft moment ot end. but she quickly realized what the other was doing, causing a playful eye roll out of the girl before perching her hands out like she was ready to resume their moment as soon francine was good to go. her heart was full with the amount of love she felt from her friend. if anyone knew what mushy idiots these two girls really were, they’d surely lose all credibility. “ yeah .. y’know what ? yeah, who needs them ?? not us, clearly. we’re doing great ! we pay our own rent, we do our own laundry -- and we don’t even wait till we run out of clean clothes !! and i mean, we bought a goddamn welcome mat for our front door .. if that’s not being a great independent adult, i don’t know what is. ” letting out a few chuckles, clementine nodded eagerly, knowing it’s  pointless to even try fighting francine on this. “ i love you so, so much. and i promise if that god awful woman ever calls again, i’ll just let you answer. because i’m tired of wasting my breath on her, ” she sighed, shrugging as she softly smile. “ and as your sister, you should let me take you out for an i’m sorry drink because i totally fucked up your top, ” she bit down on her lip as it stretched into a guilty frown, her fingers poking at the wet patch of tears mixed with makeup.

“clementine, stop accusing me of not taking our relationship seriously. i was there for you, i liked you, i never hit you or yelled at you. it simply didn’t work out. god, you are doing whatever you possibly can to convince yourself that you are the victim.” a scowl on his face remained, breathing starting to get deeper and the slightest bit faster. 

lukas looked the girl over once more with his eyes, in complete disbelief of the words that were coming out of her mouth. “well, sorry for taking time to think about what i was going to say before actually saying it to your face! there’s not many ways i can casually bring up that i knew we weren’t going to work out. especially when you were so pressuring and erratic - when the fuck did you give me the chance to say anything?”

“the fact that you don’t even understand…” he shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. he did miss her - just not as a partner. for lukas, if he chose to date someone, it was because he ultimately saw them as a friend first. he values his friendships on an equal level to any intimate relationship. however, with every insult and every time she attacked the people close to him, he was starting to miss her friendship less and less.

“i don’t blame her for not wanting to be understanding to someone like you.“ he said, staring straight into clementine’s eyes, voice low and even. lukas didn’t understand why she felt the need to step closer and closer to him, but he wasn’t going to be the first to back off. instead of his frustration boiling over, lukas simply left it at that.

clementine shook her head silently, letting lukas continue speaking his mind, only fueling her hatred for the boy. she was exhausted. she was tired and done with humoring her ex and this ridiculous topic they continue to circle back to time after time. they would never be friends, and maybe that’s how thing were suppose to be. clementine came to terms with it, she didn’t understand why lukas couldn’t.

“you know what? you’re right. and i get them so early in the morning, too, it’s truly a struggle. the worst ones are the ones give either a really complicated order or have no idea what they’re ordering. i don’t mind telling them what’s good, it’s just, you know.” annalie shrugged, a smile making its way across her features. emmy was always welcome company. “maybe you should talk just a little bit louder so the entire cafe can hear you,” she added as she cast a quick glance to the rest of brown’s. thank god for her friends who kept her entertained during customer service hell. that, and her paychecks, kept her sane. “it might send all the dumbasses out since they’ve just been called out. so, daily dose of caffeine it is? how badly do you think you’re gonna need it today?” 

Thomas: why even crack the eggs

Thomas: seems like a waste of energy

Thomas: i was thinking sushi or maybe veggie grill

Thomas: gotta get the weekly dose of greens

Clementine: hey i just went grocery shopping

“my clientele is actually none of your business, but thanks for asking.” asher smiles politely at clementine, and gazes back to her so called date. the boy is freakishly skinny and seems to asher like someone who would, quite honestly, believe four female ghostbusters meant the feminists were taking over. but he did score a date with clementine, which, for some reason, didn’t sit very well with asher. emmy’s drop of her confident act, however, surprises asher enough so he manages a chuckle. “yeah, he really would. looks like he’s waiting eagerly on your return, though.” asher waves at the male while he’s staring at them both, and his sympathy is quickly dissolved by clementine’s next words. “has it maybe occured to you that that kid is clearly desperate and you were desperate enough to actually bring him here, and flaunt him in front of me to make me jealous? and i’m sure that’s not the case, because uh – newsflash, there are a lot of people in this park that think you’re a bitch, so. ugly face? oh, please.” asher snorts, sets his jaw as his voice lowers and he bends a little so they are inches away from each other. “you’d die to get a taste of this rat face any day now, sweetheart. don’t play it like you wouldn’t, i can see it in the way you look at me.” as to punctuate his statement, he throws her a sly wink.

It was times like these where silence acted as a form of therapy and comfort between the two. Though she remained quiet, inviting the ringing silence to drown them both, her head nodded at the words of the blonde’s to ensure that she understood whilst her feet were quick to rush towards the other’s direction. From her own experience and from the duo’s many encounters, Francine knew well enough to not question the other’s state – to not question her bravery or strength, but instead to embrace her and shower her with a love of her own. The brunette made sure to tighten her embrace around Clementine; her father’s very own words playing in her head – the tighter the hug, the quicker wounds heal – though she knew well that these wounds, one that’s been inflicted on both Clementine and Francine, from the people that should adore and love them unconditionally, were wounds that could never be healed.

Francine pulled back the second she felt arms untangled around her; her eyes quick to flicker up at the blonde, offering her a small smile of comfort. She wasted no time in drying Clementine’s eyes; her thumbs carefully wiping the tears trickling down her cheeks before she tucked a few strands of her blonde hair behind her ears. She nodded and muttered a soft “I get it” in response to her best friend’s insecurity, only for her brows to furrowed inwards at the words clearly manipulated by the other’s mother. Anger could be seen firing in Francine’s eyes – a spark of flame triggered inside of her, pure hatred boiling like a hot kettle towards a woman she did not call her mother but knew well enough based of her own experience. However, for her best friend’s sake, she swallowed it down and forced her features to soften.

“Let’s see then, shall we?” She bent herself forward just slightly, her hands were now placed on Clementine’s petite hip, twirling the blonde in a silly manner from clockwise to anti-clockwise as if she was a tailor – hard at work, and observing the size. But Francine didn’t need to do any of those to know the answer. In fact, she knew it the second the question fell out of Clementine’s lips. “Nope!” she declared with a firm shake. “Nope, I don’t think you put on any weight at all. You are absolutely perfect Mon chéri!” She straightened herself back up as her features turned soft naturally. A broken smile was offered. “I think you’re beautiful just the way you are Emmy,” she murmured, “don’t listen to your mother. Don’t let her get into that beautiful mind of yours. She knows shit.”

growing up, the closest thing clementine got to affection was a pat on the back from her parents. her mother viewed compassion as coddling, she refused to make her daughter weak. so after clementine and francine began inseparable best friends, she quickly fell in love with how caring they were to each other, despite the undesirable environment their mother’s created for them. it was like the universe knew they both needed to be loved, and pushed them together. since emmy could remember, they always took care of each other. no matter. they were each other’s person. 

the sight of the girl’s smile made her heart swell, unable to stop herself from offering a sad grin in return. it was hard to stay upset for too long when your best friend was standing in front of you, comforting you, and surrounding you with nothing but positivity and understanding. it was a quick reminder that francine was her true family, and letting anyone else’s bullshit opinion get to her was ridiculous .. but knowing that truth never stopped the blonde from believing every awful thing her mother tells her. letting out a deep sigh she didn’t realize she was holding in, emmy let out a bashful chuckle as frankie’s fingers wiped her now patchy red cheeks dry, laughing softly to cover up how embarrassed she felt for allowing the petty woman get under her skin.

nervously chewing on her lip, she followed the other’s instructing, anxiously waiting to here the verdict. clementine was always very conscious about her wait. she hardly ever allowed herself to indulged in things like sweets and fast food -- and when she did, the guilt would become overwhelming, causing her to spend hours at the gym running until she could hardly stand. she knew in her line of business she had to be perfect, and perfect she would be. once the brunette promised that her looked perfect, a sigh of relief pushed past her lips, a weak smile settling on her face. “ thank you .. ” she mumbled, grabbing the other’s hand and giving it a small squeeze. “ i’d be so lost without you, fran, ” emmy sighed, pulling her into a tight hug, letting another emotional tear slip past her eye as the pain slowly faded away as the two girls embraced. “ our moms fucking suck, ” she laughed out, trying her best to lighten the mood.

Gabe: No need the demon children who came in today killed my soul

Gabe: Sorry!! Is it a new script or the one from last time?

Gabe: Do you want me to run lines with you when I get back

Gabe: Parents have favourites! I think I read it in time magazine once! So you have to have a fave meme!

Clementine: oh come on were they THAT bad ??

Clementine: new one /: ive been bombing every audition lately. kill me.

Clementine: yes pls that would be v helpful

Clementine: i mEAN, if i have to pick .. i really relate to the mocking spongebob meme. me thats lit me anytime someone disagrees with me