PRETTY GIRL

5. What energizes and drains them most?

Being spontaneous energizes her, and practically anything that is fun gives her all the energy in the world. She’s drained by complications and confrontations.

8. What kind of inner life do they have — rich and imaginative? Calculating and practical? Full of doubts and fears? Does it find any sort of outlet in their lives?

Her inner life is rich and imaginative, often seen in her artwork. She has always been a confident soul in everything she does, however she is terrified to show any possible weaknesses. Vulnerability is scary and she refuses to ask for help when she needs it. 

19. What are they likely to do if they have the opportunity, resources, and time to accomplish it? Why?

4. Where and when do they seem most and least at ease? Why? How can you tell?

Jenn is the most at ease when she’s skating or cooking. It has always been the two loves of her life that keeps her balanced. She is least at ease when needing to make difficult decisions. She doesn’t like to sit with them for long and often makes up her mind way too quickly just so she doesn’t have to deal with it.

10. Are they more shaped by nature or nurture — who they are, or what has happened to them? How have these shaped who they’ve become as a person?

She is definitely shaped by what has happened to her throughout her life. After her mom had left when she was a kid, she had changed into a more independent person. She wanted to live life by her own rules and not need anyone - especially a mother. But just in the past year she has really started to become a new person after dealing with the loss of her father. Filling in the shoes of a parent are a tough one to fill, but she tries every day for her sister. 

22. Is there anything that counts as a “dealbreaker” for them, positively or negatively? What makes things go smoothly, and what spoils an activity or ruins their day? Why?

Being in front of her here now, the idea felt so good, necessary even just to prove that they could still be friends despite everything that happened. But there was a brief thought running in the back of his mind, warning him that he’d absolutely overthink the prospect of having dinner at her place. “Yeah, I do miss your cooking,” he said with an encouraging smile. With those words, it hit him just how disastrous the idea could turn out to be. It didn’t worry him so much that things could be awkward, that they’d have to tip-toe around their words as usual. No - that would be strange, but somehow expected and easier to bear than the possibility of things being just as they used to be. 

It worried him that it could be perfect, that it could feel just as it did back when he was able to finish their meals with kisses on her lips, a simple way to thank her for cooking. He wouldn’t be able to do that now. Worse, his life felt like it was in such a mess that he wasn’t sure he wanted to be able to do that. What would it mean? That all the suffering and confusion of the past year had meant nothing? Screw overthinking this later, he was already doing it. But no matter, of course he didn’t have to worry about such things, because Jenn only wanted to be friends. She’d broken up with him for a reason. They were attempting to be just friends for a reason. 

Thoughts appeared and disappeared from his mind in mere seconds. He fought to not let any of it show on his features, the calm composure that he usually wore still standing. “Yeah, we could do that. Tonight works.” He accepted suddenly, the words blurting out of his mouth. But, of course, he hesitated again. “But tonight must be kind of last minute for you, no? You have to go through all that work. I don’t want to be a bother.” 

.

It was hard to even imagine what a night with him would look like. She’d be a fool to deny that she loved him still - because of course she did. Those feelings didn’t go away, life just got too loud for her. A more sensible thing would be to just let him go. Let him live his life without her in it so she couldn’t cause anymore pain or screw him up. But she was selfish, and the idea of a night cooking his favorite meal beat anything else that was sensible.

Even though their relationship had always been built off of friendship, it didn’t feel right to be just friends with him. It never had. Would the night prove to her that she still felt every little thing she did for him before or would it be a cruel wake up call that they had officially gone separate ways. The truth was, she didn’t think about all the possibilities when she asked him. She acted out on her desires only. 

“You’re never a bother, Z,” she told him with a warm smile. Admittedly a bit too warm, so she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “Tonight’s perfect. Arielle’s spending the night at a friend’s, but you may be able to say hey before she gets picked up. She really misses you.” Not only did her younger sister miss Zane, but the girl constantly reminded Jenn how much of a fuck up she was for letting him go. Sometimes that girl was wiser than Jenn. “Well, I better head out to the grocery store. Let me know if you think of anything special you want me to pick up. You can text me.... Or, I guess... if you still have my number that is.” Ugh, awkward. A part of her didn’t want to know, in fear he may have deleted her completely out of his life.

“Nah. I don’t gotta wish.” Angel scoffed, his mouth half-full of burrito, as cocky grin gradually emerging. Between the pair of them, there almost wasn’t enough room for both of their egos. Maybe that factored into their single statuses? “Huh?” Angel’s eyebrow rose accusingly. “We keepin’ secrets? Okay, I see.” He was teasing of course as it wouldn’t have made much difference who Jenn was sleeping with to him–as long as she wasn’t complaining about the guy. Then he’d definitely make it his business to find out. “Well, I ain’t got nothin’ serious goin’ on either. Just grindin’, you know?” @jennskates​

There wasn’t enough picnic table to hold up their larger than life egos. Her high self esteem was one of the only things she had going for her - so to hell with it. She enjoyed it. Jenn rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh. “I’m not keeping secrets. It’s just isn’t important.” Besides, things were complicated - but weren’t they always? Narrowing her eyes a bit, she wore an all-knowing smile and decided to tease him a bit. “Oh yeah? Anyone I may know caught your eye lately?” She could’ve sworn she had seen him fawning over her best friend Zola from time to time, but neither had mentioned a thing about it.

He grinned as the water flowed as it was suppose to, pulling himself out from underneath the sink and getting up to his feet. “Hey, come on, you’re practically family, J, I’ll always come to your rescue.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he leaned over and switched the tap off with his free hand. “However if you really do feel like you have to repay me then a cool beer wouldn’t hurt.” He half joked.

Atticus was someone she couldn’t allow herself to be stubborn with. There were times she wanted to do it all on her own, depend on no one, but he showed her throughout time that it was always okay to ask for his help. She appreciated him, even if she didn’t say it enough. “Cold beer coming up,” she told him before giving him a light pat on the back. She walked over to the fridge and pulled two out before handing him one after taking the cap off. “You should really let me pay you. I ask you to do this kind of stuff way too much, Atti.”

.

The thought that Jenn was taking care of her fourteen year old sister entirely by herself, as if she was her own mother, felt strange to Zane. Hardly possible, even, without sacrificing her own well being. Although his own sister was only three years younger than him, it wasn’t so long ago that Zola was acting in such a way that sometimes he’d felt more like her father than her older brother. To this day, he couldn’t be sure how he could’ve handled those years without Jenn by his side. He’d felt completely hopeless countless times, having no support whatsoever from his own parents, but Jenn had stuck through everything. Didn’t she deserve the same from him?

But who was he to say she wasn’t handling it well enough on her own? It wasn’t his place to affirm whether or not she was capable of it and he supposed that was the whole point of them separating, anyway. She needed to handle it on her own. It didn’t make it hurt any less, of course. But Zane didn’t like to be where he wasn’t wanted, and while he’d usually make an exception for everything with the people closest to him, with Jenn it was clearly different. He’d loved her like he had never loved before and it was the kind of love that he’d always believed was strong enough to survive anything. In reality, that kind of love is also the most fragile of all. 

“No, of course it won’t, but that’s all part of being siblings,” he said with a shrug, in hopes that it was comforting coming from him. “One day it’s all hugs and laughs, and the next you wanna push each other off a cliff. All that matters is that you don’t actually do the latter.” A smile grew on his lips, though he wasn’t sure himself if that was supposed to be a joke. Her question catches him by surprise though and, frankly, he isn’t sure whether his face makes that obvious or not. Many times in the past year, he’s wanted a chance to talk to her, really catch up and see what would come of it. But each time, he’d denied himself the temptation of trying, deciding that she was better off without him. Yet, now, here she was, suggesting it herself. “Uh, sure,” it wasn’t so much hesitation in his tone, but rather eager hope mixed with uncertainty that it would actually happen. “I mean, I don’t know, I do have to go back to work soon but anytime you want to meet up works. I’m… usually free after work.”

.

What did she think would come from this idea of talking to him? Closure? A way of tying a loose end? Jenn didn’t like leaving things unresolved, often times willing to do whatever she could to take the weight of responsibility over her shoulders. It was exactly like with her father’s restaurants when he left the businesses to her in his will. The first moment she could sell the company over, she did. Whether that was smart or heartless, she’ll never know. So, was trying to talk it out with Zane exactly that - smart or heartless? Maybe a bit of both. 

As he gave her the small reassuring comment, she felt a warmth she hadn’t felt in a year. He always knew the right things to say, which was a relief because Jenn was so horrible with words. Which brought her right back to: what the hell was she going to say to him whenever they talk? Sometimes Jenn didn’t even know what she was feeling. She was headstrong, often set on a certain point of view even if it wasn’t what she was feeling. Jenn would argue that their breakup was for the best, but deep down, she knew well enough that it wasn’t. 

It’s not like she could get on her hands and knees, begging for him to come back to her. He was doing fine without her, so why would she mess that up? But, in the end, she knew they couldn’t walk around forever like ghosts haunting a home. No matter how he felt about her, she missed him. And that’s all she really knew. “Okay… Do you want to come over for dinner after work? I’ll cook you something nice.” Cooking had always been one of Jenn’s favorite pastimes, and she remembered a time the two would make a mess in the kitchen together as she squealed in playful protest that he was ruining her dishes. Even if those memories felt old and faded now, she knew she wanted nothing more than to have him in her home again. “I’m free tonight or anytime this week, really…” 

Angel could only shrug and nod at Jenn’s comment. If he was breathing, he was flirting. It came naturally to him to be a charmer. Most of the time, it worked in his favor. When it didn’t, he moved on to the next. No harm, no foul. He took another bite of his burrito, not quite finished chewing before he sipped his soda. He smirked, careful not to choke on his food from amusement. “Huh. I got the same problem though. Being too sexy.” He licked his lips, pausing a beat to take a breath between bites. “Who’s this guy? I know him?”  @jennskates​ 

“You wish you were as sexy as me,” she confidently stated with a smirk before biting into her food. That was one of Jenn’s strongest traits - her confidence in her appearance and physicality. No one could make her feel anything less… even if she wasn’t really in the romance world as of late. “I don’t know if you know him,” she said while scrunching her nose in thought. The woman shook her head, almost as if she brought herself back to reality. “No way I’m telling you. It’s not serious, anyways.”

Reina: get up u butt! lol

Reina: coffee is coming

Jenn: FINE im up

“Yeah, you made a good call there, J.” A quiet laugh erupting from him as he tightened one of the bolt, tilting his head to meet her gaze for a second before going back to work. “Always happy to help you guys out, y’know I’d never hear the end of it if I didn’t.” A laugh once again leaving his lips as he finished up. “Right, try turn the tap on for me.” He braced himself as he waited, wanting to check his work even though he was sure it was fixed.

She was grateful for Atticus and always had been, even when she was younger. He had been there often for her this year, knowing good and well how difficult of a time it was for her. No one else really looked out for her. Jenn squinted a bit as she reached to turn on the tap, prepared for water to come flying everywhere like it had before. To her delight, the water came out perfectly. “You did it!” Of course he did. “Thank you. I seriously owe you one.. Well, actually, more like I owe you a thousand by the amount you come to my rescue.”

“I literally don’t even remember.” Avery chuckled, shaking her head. “Girl time it is.” She was practically beaming at this point, a wide smile on her lips. “So what kind of girl time are we talking? Like rent this beach cabin out and then have a girls day on the beach one day and a movie night as such for one day at least?” Avery suggested, though there were other things they could do and they could easily play it by ear, it was still nice to plan somewhat.

Jenn did a little spin in her chair and pursed her lips in thought. Planning was never a friend of hers, though it needed to be. The woman hadn’t planned a day in her life until she became Arielle’s guardian. Now it was slowly becoming her new normal, and that was a tough pill to swallow. “Yeah, spend some time on the beach, maybe go grab some drinks together. You know, just do what we want. Maybe we can find a band playing live somewhere, go listen to some tunes by the beach.”

8. Their MBTI type?

ENFP-T! 

16. Are they a coffee or tea person? (or both?) 

Coffee

17. Describe what type of clothes they normally wear.

13. Their favorite weather?

Sunny weather is probably her favorite - a true Californian.

19. Do they have a morning routine or is it just complaining and groaning while trying to wake up?

A mixture of both. She has to attempt to take care of things in the morning and get her little sister ready for school and then take her to school. However, it is often that her sister is the one waking her up as Jenn complains and groans. 

23. Do they have any quirks, strange mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics?

The girl let out a frustrated sigh as she watched her neighbor swing into action for her. The woman was all about independence and female power, so having to call Atticus over once her sink began spraying water all over the place... she felt a little powerless. Grateful, but powerless. “Thank you for doing this,” she told him as she attempted to see how he was fixing it. God, why was it so difficult to be an adult? Soon as she thought she got a handle of it, something bad always happened. “After watching six different youtube videos and failing miserably, I figured I should call you before I flood the house.” 

“I got mad love for you though.” Angel grinned as he ate, playfully nudging Jenn’s elbow. He knew she wasn’t really upset about the sleeve privileges he’d given to Taron over her. If she’d had the opportunity to get tatted by someone as talented as Taron who rarely tattooed, he was confident she’d take it too. “Damn. I ain’t even flirt with that many girls.. this week,” he snickered, assuming that girls from the rink didn’t count in that total since he hadn’t actually spoken to them. “What’s up? No hot dates lately, huh?” He was teasing, but also genuinely curious about Jenn’s romantic life while they were on the subject. @jennskates​

“A day you stop flirting with girls would be a cold day in hell, Angel,” she stated a  matter-of-factly. Jenn took a bite of her burrito and slightly cringed at his question. It was true - she couldn’t remember the last time she had been on a proper date. It was probably over a year, back when she had a steady boyfriend. Now it was all hookups and flings, but even those didn’t come as often these days. “Of course not,” she let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, almost as if she was annoyed at herself for caring. “I mean, I’m sleeping with this one guy every once in a while, but that’s it. I think I intimidate people. Or... y’know, maybe I’m just too sexy.” 

Perhaps it would have been easier to cut their unexpected reunion short and head back to the clinic, but Zane couldn’t help wanting to stay around her a bit longer. It was ridiculous, really, how much he still wanted her company, that pull towards her always there. Her, the only person in this world who had ever broken his heart and broken it good. One year later and he couldn’t even confidently say he was over it, couldn’t run into her by accident and not feel that little punch of anxiety. That was worse than any punch he got at one of his boxing matches. At least those were expected. Zane took in her murmur, but chose not to say anything in return. He figured it would be easier for both of them if the subject was simply dropped.

“Great,” he replied with genuine relief that she’d agreed, smiling. Walking to the table by the window that Jenn pointed out, Zane quickly glanced at his phone, checking that he didn’t have any calls or messages demanding his return, and upon seeing no notifications, put it back into his pocket. “Anyway,” he began as he sat down, taking a sip from his coffee, “you never answered my question about how you’re doing. So?” The strangeness that had been left in the air between them had not gone unnoticed, but Zane’s sudden easy-going posture and lighthearted tone was somewhat forced precisely because of it. He thought there would never a time in his life where he didn’t overcompensate for someone else’s behavior. “And Arielle? How’s it going with her?” 

.

It was easier to pretend, it was easier to forget whenever Zane wasn’t around. He was her anchor, after all. Jenn had been floating for so long now, she had almost forgotten what it was like before. She was normally an open person, someone who boldly told you what was on her mind. Now she felt like the shell of that person, and only Zane reminded her of just that. She couldn’t hide these things from him, because she had never been able to. So, the prospect of sitting down with him for lunch felt terrifying, because he’d likely see through her bullshit. Just as she saw through his. 

Jenn sat down with her bagel and coffee, and rose her eyebrows up as he mentioned the unanswered question. “Right,” she mumbled and then nodded with a small smile, “Yeah. I”m doing good. Really good... Or, I guess, better.” Whenever they went their separate ways, Jenn was the messiest she had ever been. He had seen her during her worst and weakest moments. “Arielle is good. We still get on each other’s nerves all the time, but I guess that won’t change.” Although their dynamic of sisters slightly shifted as Jenn took on a role of being a parent figure, it was impossible to change completely. Most days, Jenn felt like she wasn’t doing enough and there was always a new problem. Bills, plumbing issues, appointments with Arielle’s teachers. It never got easier, but she liked to pretend it did. That was the point of her deciding to be on her own without Zane, wasn’t it? To make sure he didn’t have to clean up this mess. He deserved better than that. “Hey, when are you free next?” The words came out of her with no thought but just pure impulse. Even though she surprised herself by it, she knew she needed to take a chance and spend more time with him than just this little coffee outing. “I’d love to have some time to... I don’t know. Catch up more... talk. I know you probably have to go back to work soon.”