half empty girl

ariel rolled her eyes, “fine, ok, maybe you made some points. i guess i’ll just die from heart disease then, huh? i probably have a couple more good years.” she lifted an eyebrow, “i’m not going to stop working too hard- maybe i’ll cute back on coffee, but not work. my boss would kill me before heart disease could.” she tilted her head slightly, letting a small grin slip onto her face, “i figured you already were a stress relief activity? technically. though, i guess i wouldn’t mind making that a more frequent hobby.” 

“a couple?” she laughed. “i think you want more than a couple of years. you’re not even old enough to complain about how old you are yet. not the time to start talking about death by coffee.” melody shook her head as she listened. she never fully understood people who liked working enough to give up the rest of their lives for it. well, people that didn’t have interesting jobs at least. “you’re more important than your job,” she shrugged, knowing she was stating a fact. “clearly i’m not doing a good enough job, then.”

“why would you ever be angry at me? i’m an angel.” she joked, cupping the other woman’s cheek and moving her thumb against her skin gently, “well, i personally love dropping off of the grid, so if ya ever wanna take a quick dip from existence, i’ll come along.” eva nodded, “i don’t know what ‘clout’ meanss but i agree. i think.” she laughed then, smirking at colleen, “i think you’d be a very good stripper, my love. you could practice here at home all you want. i obviously have no ulterior motives.” 

“i feel like the only people who say they’re angels are definitely actually not. something you need to tell me?” she tilted her head as she asked her question, clearly attempting some kind of serious tone but that wasn’t something she did well. “i barely exist anyway.” a small shrug happened at the same time as her words, trying to brush off how serious the statement was. “i’d be an awful stripper, don’t lie to me.”

etta scoffed, “hey! do not say that, you are a beautiful girl, raven.” she slid some money across the counter as she got her own ice cream, still shaking her head at her daughter, “you are both very pretty girls. and i like that you’re short. it’s cute. and easy to kiss ya on top of the head.” she was tempted to do so, but they were in public and wasn’t quite sure what reaction she’d get, “listen, you’re my daughter and i love you always, but you can be unpleasant at times. i still love you when you are, but still.” she rolled her eyes at the other’s dramatics, though she was grinning, “if you emancipate yourself then you have to move out and you’ll no longer be living rent free. so, think about that.” 

“oh, gross.” it was kind of a joke. kind of. raven was never able to except a compliment -- ever. even from her mom. it felt weird & like a lie, so she turned to humor instead in the hopes to forget about it. “um, i am a woman?” she faked being offended to avoid replying to the rest of what she had said. “i’m unpleasant all the time, it’s sorta my thing. don’t take it away from me by saying it’s only sometimes,” she spoke with a mouth full of ice scream. “oh, yeah, deal breaker. i want to hold onto that starving artist sympathy as long as i can.”

avi: listen up, bitch. i’m just going to assume it was you, but if you EVER and i mean EVER go into my trailer again and leave your shit in there— we’re gonna have more problems than before. got it?

alicia: I love texts that start with "listen up, bitch." It's really the best way to be greeted.

“well, good.” a shrug fell from etta’s shoulder quickly, a tight smile working its way onto her face. there was no reason to be rude. well, etta felt there was plenty of reason. but they lived intersecting lives, they couldn’t help but see one another every now and then. plus, hunter had almost been her son too. there was too much that tied them together, “that’s good at least. though i think i’ll steer clear of the roads of briar glen. just to be safe.“ and because she fucking hated briar glen. but that was beside the point. she swallowed, letting out a breath, “it was supposed to be a kinda compliment alluding to the fact that you’re not ordinary, blah, blah, somethin’ stupid that i’ll most likely regret saying. whatever. don’t make me elaborate anymore.” she told her, voice as neutral as she could make it. 

alicia shifted uncomfortably where she stood. one of the many feelings she felt about the way things ended with the other woman was regret, but it was too late to let that linger for more than a second or two. if her being dedicated to her career wasn’t going to be understood, they weren’t going to work. or at least that’s what ali tells herself. “i don’t think you were making your way over there anyway,” she smiled, glancing down at the floor. “well i will gladly accept your kinda compliment. last thing i want to be seen as is ordinary.”

“yes, in a day.” ariel nodded once like it was obvious. she let out a sigh, “listen, i cannot function like a regular human being if i do not have plenty of caffeine throughout the day. do you want me to just stop working? i’ll be like a robot whose off-switch has been hit.” she was being dramatic, but she really was pretty sure she couldn’t function without that much coffee in a day. 

“alright, let’s do it this way.” mel took her phone out, a smirk on her face. “the internet never lies, right?” her question clearly full of sarcasm. she quickly pulled up the first article she found & started reading from it. “says that six or more cups a day regularly can put you at risk for heart disease. oh, wow, so i was almost right? what a turn of events,” she shrugged, looking up from her phone. “also, stress from work can actually kill you. maybe slow down a little? find a new hobby? yoga? painting? me?” the last option was a joke. mostly. 

“well, listen, at least they’re good genes.” etta replied smugly before laughing, “agreed. but very sweet when you wanna be. i’ll give you props. you’re great on occasion.” she teased. as raven ordered, she shot her a smirk, “it’ll be delicious. i guarantee it.” she wouldn’t rub it in too much, but she did like being right, “what? what word should i use instead of hip then, huh? is there some hipper word that i should use to replace it? radical? tubular? wicked? do any of those things even mean the same thing?” 

“okay, fair, but carrie got most of the attractive & tall genes from you which i would like to say is wildly unfair. i’m the front man of a band. she has no need for those good looks.” she shook her head, her tone coming off as serious for once. “on occasion. gee, thanks.” ah, that’s where she gets it from. “absolutely not. none of that. please end me before you continue talking.” she grabbed her ice cream off the counter. “someone could hear you. can i emancipate myself from you even though i’m legally an adult?”

etta: she's probably not keeping anything else from you

etta: she loves you, alicia

etta: i figured it was important if you were texting ME of all people lol

alicia: Debatable.

eva tilted her head slightly, a chuckle escaping her lips as she took a few steps toward her partner, “people will believe anything the internet tells them. the government too.” she shrugged, “and we all know that’s bullshit.” she leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to colleen’s forehead, “you can be angry. as long as it’s not at me.” the brunette grinned, “being mad at stupid people on twitter is perfectly fair. we can always go throw your phone in the new pond in the backyard if ya want. start fresh, go off the grid. imagine. there’re so many possibilities.” she was only half-joking. eva herself had had the same phone for about six years, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to figure out a newer one. 

“yeah, i know,” she rolled her eyes playfully, looking up from her drama filled phone. “i have no reason to be angry at you, thank god.” a small smirk found its way to her lips -- something that hadn’t been happening as often. “i would love to go off the grid, but i need to be on here. to be relevant. to have publications actually want to publish my work, i have to have followers on twitter, or some shit. talent doesn’t matter anymore; clout does. i’m going to switch careers. be a stripper. how does that sound?” 

he’s kind of relieved when he’s released from her grip —- not because he doesn’t like her ( she’s practically his second mom .. or third, technically ) but because physical affection hasn’t been in his life for so long it’s still uncomfortable. “it’s just – i dunno, summer and the heat makes me tired, is all.” not the nightmares and anxiety paging his mind every night. it’s not something he wants to burden her with, not today, at least. “why?” eyebrows furrow though he’s genuinely interested. “isn’t la more fun?”

“that’s understandable. i’m not the biggest fan of the heat either, but it could be worse. we could be in florida or something.” she let out a small laugh as she spoke. it was a bit odd, talking to him about working nearby. being in la the majority of her time was the reason they weren’t as close as they could be. she had to settle for lunches & phone calls. “i guess the nightlife is more diverse, & there’s more people but i just don’t like the vibe as much. people say that since i like big cities that i’d like it there, but all it does is make me miss new york or here more.”

“you’re excused —” he says, with very little care or remorse. shoes are shoes, they’re going to be dirty regardless and it’s frankly just a fact of life. hunter doesn’t get it .. not like these people do, he supposes. though he’s not expecting it to be ingrid. of course it’s her —- because god or jesus or whoever the hell is up their, controlling fate, seems to have it out for him in one way or another. “hey, did you know that two people can be in the same place — shocking, i know.” in the most monotone voice he could muster. she really needs to be knocked down a peg. “who’re you — a movie supervillian? jesus christ.”

ingrid’s arms crossed over her chest -- her typical bitch stance. she couldn’t stand when people were unaffected by her. it was frustrating. doesn’t he know who she is? “i also know that this isn’t your place to be. hasn’t your new mommy taugh you anything?” her voice was dripping with sarcasm but, when wasn’t it? “hm, if i was a supervillain i’d probably be that demon from buffy. what was her name? glory. that’s it. she’s hot, i’m hot. she’s tired of idiots, i’m tired of idiots. it only makes sense.”

HUNTER: yea HUNTER: i sure am HUNTER: i swipe a 50 from some lady at the gas station so yes

❛  like  i  said  ,  food  is  food  &  bacon  is  always  good  ,  ❜  robin  shrugs  ,  leaning  against  the  glass.  ❛  you  once  watched  me  eat  a  sandwich  outta  bin  once.  why  are  you  surprised  ??  ❜  the  laugh  that  escapes  them  is  nostalgic  ,  a  wheeze  that  echoes  through  the  room.  they  roll  their  eyes  ,  a  sheepish  smile  widening  into  a  grin.  ❛  well  ,  thank  you.  so  do  you  —  like  always.  ❜

“bacon is fine sometimes, i guess,” raven shrugged, even though she just said she hated it five seconds before. “okay, but we all do shit like that. i’ve eaten off of tables in restaurants that totally were not clean & i’m still alive -- not going to try stoping now.” she shook her head, a smile apparent on her face. “don’t lie to me. you’re the looks of the band, you know it. don’t tell percy i said that. or, you know what, do.”