the world is mine

Aubrey rolled her eyes, “We should have just done it ourselves. He wouldn’t have found out so easily.” Her head shook in disbelief. Something so stupid was ruining the fun time they had. Both of them had wrecked Jake’s car without getting in trouble, yet here they were getting caught over some stupid ring and comic books. “God, if I knew comic books would be my downfall I wouldn’t have went in the first place.” She put the ring back in her pocket, shrugging her shoulders. “I’ll get rid of it then. None of us will have to worry, and he won’t have proof that it was us. At least us two, not sure about your other friends, though.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Pearl was internally freaking out, knowing the consequences if Brooks didn’t get his ring back. Damon would flip shit if he ever found about this whole endeavor, and that wasn’t something she wanted to let him in on right now. “Look, I’m sorry. It won’t be out downfall if you just give me the damn ring, and I’ll give it back to him. No questions asked.” She almost felt pity for the guy, and for herself. “Jesus Christ, Aubrey, don’t get rid of it, he already knows we have it. And he’s gonna tell my dad and then my dad will fucking tell your mom, and I don’t know about you, but I’ll be grounded for fucking life if that happens.”

Mandy sighed softly as she stepped closer, pulling the chair down to take a seat at the table. “I always wondered what he told you,” there was a sadness clinging to every word. A sadness that was deeper than she had ever known and one, in that moment gripped her bones. “I was a different person then, I’m ashamed of that person I was, but I was sick. It doesn’t make what happened right, but it should have been my sign to get help.” She took a deep breathe, trying to calm herself down.“I feel you deserve to know the story, my side anyway if you want to that is.” She looked at Pearl, trying not to pick out every feature she inherited. “You deserve to hear it. 

There was far too much running through Pearl’s mind to think rationally or effectively. It was all just racing, along with her heart beat. Everything Mandy said, she had to cling onto, because she didn’t know what she was going to want next, and if this would be the last time she wanted to even see her. “Did you get help?” She only had to question, seeing that she was here now, and seemingly living a better life than before, though her perceptions were all through the eyes of Damon. “I want to hear your side.” She nodded, knowing that despite all the wrong she had heard about, there were always two sides to any story.

Aubrey wasn’t sure why she took it in the first place, maybe it had something to do with her own marriage, or failed one. The concept was stupid to her now, and taking it somehow felt as if she was helping others avoid it. She looked over at her friend, eyebrows knitting together. “How does he know?” It wasn’t as if they left anything behind to give it away, unless someone blabbed. “There’s nothing to link us to being there. I could have easily bought this ring at a thrift store or pawn shop.”

“Avery’s damn brother I bet.” Pearl uttered out with a sigh. She knew she shouldn’t have trusted her, but no was no time to blame each other. She needed to retcon this whole situation before it went entirely out of hand and she really saw what true regret was. In fact, it was all apart of her attempt to get the ring back so she could at least give it back to Brooks to get him off her back. “But you didn’t buy it at a pawn shop! Avery gave Nate some of the comic books that she took from the place. That’s my only guess. And this town is small enough that words gets around.”

“You could thank me, too,” he teased as he leaned back into his chair, looking over at the young woman who decided to join him. He admired her feisty nature from first glance, he always enjoyed that bold personality.“That is preciously why I drink tea,” he chuckled, nodding in agreement with the young woman. “I could blame their mania on caffeine addiction, but I think it’s become more of an aesthetic desire.”  He watched as hipster after hipster got a coffee for a picture alone and barely touched the drink after. It was a shame. “I will never understand the hipster culture.”

Pearl looked to the young man, scrunching her face slightly. “Nah, that would take away the fun.” She chuckled after a moment as she sat across from him. She looked to the table before offering a shrug. “Even tea is becoming more popular. I guess it is probably a bit healthier though.” She didn’t care, and she didn’t know why she was even talking about the drink still. “An aesthetic desire?” Pearl pulled another face, before rolling her eyes. “Are you talking about that instagram shit where you take a picture of your food or coffee, post it, and then wait for people to like and comment on it.” Pearl couldn’t roll her eyes hard enough. “I say fuck ‘em. They won’t know what hit them when they realize what terrible life choices they’ve made.”

Aubrey looked over at her friend in confusion, “And?” They had gone to his place to reek as much havoc as possible, this was just her way of doing it. Plus, it had been right there, practically begging for her to take it. “You practically destroyed everything he owns, so we both have our vices.”

Pearl knew that her actions had consequences, as she had wanted to make Brooks’ life a living hell. But still the guy’s wedding ring, she felt was a low blow, even for her and her friends. Still, she knew Aubrey probably had some weird fixation on the ring that caused her to grab it and run. “Fuck.” She muttered after a moment. “He knows.” Pearl added, trying not to freak out. She knew how much trouble this could potentially put her in, and how disappointed her dad would be. “Shit Aubrey. He’s gonna press charges if we don’t give it back.”

“Oh, please. Run along and get daddy to help fight your battles for you.” Even Brooks was reaching his limit with her, somehow not drunk enough to be having this conversation. “No one will believe me? That’s why one of your friends gave my comics to her brother? It was a lot of damage, Pearl. No one could have done it by themselves.” It wasn’t even about the comics at this point, just the ring. He sighed, suddenly done trying to be combative. “Look, I don’t give shit about the comic books, or how much of my stuff is broken. But, if you or one of your stupid friends has my ring, can I just get it back? It’s my grandmother’s wedding ring and the one thing I can’t replace.”

"I don’t let him fight my battles for me. I can handle myself.” Pearl said, anger coursing through her at that point, a heavy grip throttled her fists as she stared at the drunk man. Sighing at all the proof he had on her, she shook her head. “That doesn’t prove anything.” She gutted before he seemed to move to a different point. Her eyes only narrowed. “None of us broke into your place and none of us stole your damn dead grandmother’s wedding ring, alright? So drop it. Just go back inside and enjoy your lame party now that you’ve ruined my night.”

“This one’s open,” he offered to the stranger standing among the other patrons.The coffee shop was overflowing due to the sudden return of the cold, he lucked up to find a table in the corner, but he was willing to share his fortune. He reached over to move his napsack of the seat. “I wasn’t saving it.” 

Pearl hated coffeeshops, but after the influx of wind nearly suffocated her, she had to find the nearest place that would just let her loiter while she waited for it to pass. Still, with that, there didn’t seem to be a spot she could reliably wait in, before she heard the young man’s voice. “Oh thank god.” She muttered, pushing back some girl away from the free chair, taking it for her own. “God, people and their coffee make me sick.” She commented carelessly before sighing away at the young man that invited someone to sit with him.

Brooks scoffed, “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re the child, I’m an adult. You should be listening to me.” He was drunk, and should go back inside to find Sofia so he could apologize and go home. But, Brooks wanted the truth before he could just up and leave. “Go ahead, I’d love to see what a real threat is from you.” He shook his head, “I don’t give a shit about that anymore. They know, there’s nothing for them to find out anymore. Except maybe they’re precious, innocent Pearl broke into their son’s apartment. I’m sure they’d love hearing all about that, or would your dad?”

“Jesus Christ dude.” Pearl started, without so much as a drop of alcohol in her system yet, she was not ready to handle a situation like this at her hands. “Just...leave me alone!” She at least had to try to get him off her back, despite how pushy he had become. “If you saw a real threat from me, you wouldn’t be here tonight.” Pearl continued to threaten emptily, though, she knew she would do something drastic if it meant Brooks wasn’t in her life anymore. “You are so full of yourself. No one is gonna believe you anyways. Especially when my dad doesn’t trust you. I have alibis dude. Just drop it okay!”

Ever since they broke into that apartment, Aubrey had struggled with what to do with the ring. Any pawn shops would most likely try and rip her off, but selling it online just sounded like more work than she was willing to put in. She twirled the ring in her hand, “What should I even do with this? I took it because I thought ti’d be cool, but…I’m bored now.”

@pearltxrner

While the break-in was fun, and Pearl didn’t regret it by any means, seeing as a message was sent loud and clear to Brooks overall. There was one thing she couldn’t get over, and that was ring. And clearly, as soon as Aubrey’s crazy-ass begin twirling the thing in her hand, Pearl’s eyes grew wide at the first realization that they might actually get caught unless they got rid of the ring somehow. Or gave it back. “Holy shit! Aubrey! What the hell, you stole that guy’s wedding ring!”

From a stranger on the street to the daughter she had lost all those years ago. She could see part of her, little triggers that should have told her the truth that day. Instead, now, her heart was aching with the pain of knowing she had grown into such a beautiful young woman. Even more so than she ever imagined, the real thing could never compare to what she thought. “I am,” She smiled bitter sweetly, knowing how much pain her name probably caused the poor girl and how her name haunted her  as well. A ghost she could never face. “Pearl, I am so glad you wanted to meet with me. I wish we could have sooner” If she had her way she would have never lost her in the first place. 

There was no denying it. Shock held Pearl’s expression as she stared at the woman, her mother, Mandy, no matter what Pearl referred to her as, she couldn’t help but try to relocate the tales of the horror stories she had heard, but when she laid her eyes on her mother, it seemed like all of them vanished, to see her as a real person, as a real human in front of her, Pearl couldn’t help but shake her head, trying to keep herself from tearing up while biting the inside of her cheeks. “I... I can’t.” She stammered, mostly in disbelief. “You’re not supposed to be this nice.”

“I knew this was a bad idea,” he stepped back, shaking his head. He needed to clear his head, step away from there and maybe get a clear view of what he was seeing. The body always gave away more than the voice ever would, it never lied. He should have known it would not go the way he wanted much less the way he hoped, but now he was seeing how this was just a mistake. Maybe ghosting her would have been better. “Its a stupid ass idea, forget I mentioned it, okay? I shouldn’t have come over. I’ll just go, sorry to ruin your day, but I’m not feeling up for a fuck.” 

Pearl looked to Grayson, confusion planted across her expression as she shook her head back at him. “What are you...what are you talking about?” She felt like she at least had the right to know what he wanted, let alone be ditched for some unknown reason. Jesus, she really was becoming domestic, and she needed to quit that really fast. Quickly she grabbed at his hand and pulled him. “What the fuck are you talking about Grayson? What the hell is your problem?” She stared up at him, narrowed eyes, wanting to just get to the bottom of this. “Fine, you don’t want to fuck. We don’t have to fuck. Whatever.” He had something on his mind, Pearl tried to gather, though, the more she lingered on it, the more she realized that she might not want to know to where he was coming from, because she knew she couldn’t give anything back to him.

He seemed to know how this would play out. He knew what she was expecting and how this was never supposed to even be a thought. But he needed to talk to her and he knew this was likely the beginning of the end. And maybe that was for the best. He steps closer to her, stopping himself from kissing her and letting things fall into the comfortable place he was used to. The same place that left him feeling more empty than the last. “Let’s go for a walk?” he isn’t avoiding the question, but now standing before her he needed some way to be honest without letting himself chickening out. He had never known he could get some comfortable, he could let this go on, but he wouldn’t. It was not fair and it was time he started being honest. “There’s a park the next block over.”

Pearl wanted to just do what they normally did. After all, their arrangements had been made pretty clear, or so she had thought initially. Still, as Grayson seemed to want to do other things, Pearl’s brows arched as she expression pulled out an entirely too confused face. “What are— what?” She questioned after a moment before letting go of his hands. “A walk?” Pearl nearly openly mocked the idea as she tried to wrap her mind around what he was getting at. “Sure...fine. Whatever. Let’s go for a walk.”

Brooks scoffed, “Did you not hear what I just said? You were there to get back at me.” He had been the one to do her the favor. Everything had went well to get her ungrounded, but he was the one still paying for it. Pearl hadn’t told his parents anything, which technically meant she kept her end of the bargain. Brooks couldn’t see anyone else doing this, at least in the moment he couldn’t. “No, I’m not okay. My place is wrecked, important family heirlooms are missing. God, knows where she is right now since I pissed her off. I can get home just fine by myself. Stop pretending to be concerned.”

“You are throwing wild accusations!” Pearl tried, knowing it was in her best interest to not admit any sort of fault, or else she knew she’d be looking at some sort of punishment. Instead, Pearl lifted her hands in defense, trying to reason with him. “Okay, well, one, you’re drunk! So...go back inside! And leave me the hell alone, or else you’ll see what it’s like if I actually followed through with a threat of mine.” She continued with a sigh. “I don’t give a shit about you, alright? Never have. Never will. Hell, I was never even going to tell your parents that you were gonna have a baby, alright?”

“I’m moving it for the guy who bought it, paid an extra hundred if I’d drop it off for him. I don’t pass up easy money.” He explained, looking to the set he’d put on the sidewalk. The guy said to cover it and he’d get it later, so he was doing that. But this girl, that was a bit different. He wasn’t sure how to or what to do. He raised his hands when she got defensive. “I was laughing at my joke, dont swear it. I didn’t mean any harm. But if you’re good, I’ll leave you to it.” He nodded at her, knowing that was the best he could do. “Don’t need to hold you up any further.”

“Sounds boring. But...I guess money talks.” Pearl dubiously stated, a grin pulling at her lips. “Whatever old dude.” Her eyes were bit stoic as she shrugged slightly towards him, uneasily and without much balance. “Yeah, I’m fine!” Pearl tried again, the same unconvincing air of attitude marking her drunk state. “You know what! I don’t like the tone of voice you’re using. It’s very...rude.”

He wasn’t sure what he was doing there, but he needed an answer that he knew he could never get when she beckoned him. An emotional siren’s call that pulled him in only to leave him suffocating. Tonight, he would find her and speak the thoughts he didn’t want to face himself. Nothing could ever be fully no strings attached, there was a catch. The world came with a price and he was stuck with the bill. He texted her again, anxiously waiting just out of sight so her dad, if home, wouldn’t find him. 

@pearltxrner

After a string of texts left her rather annoyed by a certain clinginess, she found herself making sure her dad was gone as well, or at least out of the way, before she found Grayson in the hidden in plain sight spot. “Are you okay?” She questioned, tugging at his hand to pull him closer to her, hoping for something a little bit more. She hadn’t seen him in a while, and felt a bit more rambunctious, though, he seems a bit more stiff. Her brows pulled together as she looked up to him. “Grayson? What’s going on?”

“Really?” That was good to know. She didn’t think that Pearl would actually run away from her father, but still. Now she knew when to be careful. “Beautiful, how’s it been? Anyone I should be jealous about?”

“Really, really.” Pearl started, glancing over her friend, eyes tracing over her frame with a short, simple sigh. She really had missed her, despite all the trouble she knew she got her into. “Of course not Maria.” She ducked her head slightly. “I missed you. a lot.”

Avery rolled her eyes, “Apparently, you’re rubbing off on me.” She joked, although not entirely inaccurate. There were things she had picked up from her friend, some of them weren’t exactly healthy but she was still young and deserving of having a bit of fun. “No, I have nothing else planned.” She said in a mocking tone, laughing afterwards. “I’d love to get a drink with you. That always ends up being a fun time, which is exactly how I want this day to continue.”

“Well, that’s the only way to stand you.” Pearl uttered graciously before giving off a teasing smirk. “Well, then it looks like we’re definitely gonna get drunk tonight.” She added, chuckling furiously while putting her hand on her shoulder. “Now I know I’m rubbing off on you. Are you gonna wear something Easter sexy?” She winked to her friend.