MAGNATE

naomi walsh. 25. yeah your boyfriend's pretty cool, but he's not as cool as me.

[crashisworse]

i get around.

[begstoprove]

      “Haven’t in years,” I lied. I thought maybe, just maybe, if I left it at that, she wouldn’t ask about it. But in reality, I loved to hula- by myself, that is. It was like a form of yoga or meditation to me, something I find extremely soothing and therapeutic. I wasn’t much of a performer, never had nor ever will be no matter how much my dance instructor urged me to continue it. So, I decided to focus on her because she was the more interesting one in my eyes. Foreign, edgy, stunning. Not to mention charismatic as hell. She could talk to a wall, and I’m almost positive it would talk back. Maybe that’s what I was. A wall.

      I gave her a smile and listened to the way she talked about her home while painting a picture of it inside my head. It sounded beautiful, green and lush with loads of history. I admired foreign places, foreign cultures. It was a beautiful world when you saw it through the eyes of others, and that’s the only thing that ever brought me down from my cloud of disapproval. We live in a beautiful world. “It sounds great,” I tell her and smile, “I’ll add it to my list of places to visit.” But then she brought up the damn hula again, and I found myself peering off into the distance to avoid her gaze. I chuckled and said, “What? Here? Nah, the hula requires.. a specific type of music. As much as I love The Beach Boys, it doesn’t really go well together.” I offered a smile and gave a hopeful comment. “Maybe someday I’ll make a believer out of you. Maybe.”

[crashisworse]

     I guess she was fair in declining my ever so hopeful request, but I was still inclined on messing her about it. There was nothing more beautiful than catching a real smile of hers, as rarely as they’d come about. She probably didn’t know that I saw them - she was shy, hidden like that - but I did. And if it took teasing her just a little bit to bring them out, I was willing to jump through hoops all damn day. I mean, she was fucking worth it. Disregard that I’m talking like I’m sprung, because I’m not. The girl’s just... awesome. 

     “Ah, I get it,” I nodded in understanding, but it wasn’t long before I cracked a grin and looked at her. “You must be hiding some dirty little hula secret. You can probably only hula naked or somethin’,” I said, laughing. “Or you’re probably like... a hula champion and you just don’t want all the attention coming to you when you do it, ‘cause then people are gonna flock to you, ask for your autographs and shit. Then you’ll be bummed ‘cause I’ll be lost in the crowd and you’ll probably never see my beautiful face again. Unless you look me up. Still - not the same, real thing.” I smirked. 

[jakegyllenhaal]

[crashisworse]

i get around.

[begstoprove]

      It was a little strange for me, I had to admit. Maybe she hypnotized me and somehow lured me to this dance floor, because this was all a little out of my element. Or maybe she was just hypnotic herself, and I was casted under her spell. That may be it, because I knew if it had been any other person, I would have denied the offer. If it had been her cousin, I would have laughed in his face. But then she was the one who came and joined me by the fire, listened to me ramble about the sky and life like I was a damn crazy person. Maybe I am crazy.It would explain a lot.

      I chuckled and felt myself grow a little embarrassed. I shouldn’t have even mentioned the dancing thing. “Line dancing,” I laughed, “Definitely my forte.” Instinctively, I chewed on my bottom lip and looked off into the distance for a moment to avert my gaze. “It’s cliché, but I have a wicked hula,” I admitted with a snicker, “at least that’s what my dance instructor told me when I was thirteen.” Just as I was growing a little un-embarrassed, she moved my hands to a proper place and I tucked in my lips sheepishly. I’m so bad at this. “Fake Hawaii?” I chuckled at the thought of a slice of Hawaii in Dublin, of all places. “I bet Dublin is pretty beautiful, too.”

[crashisworse]

     “You still hula?” I asked, genuinely curious. The only hula I had been privy to since my arrival to Hawaii was, surprisingly just the pathetic attempts of hula done by some white girls I’d seen messing around at the airport. I didn’t know why I was expecting Hawaiian girls to greet me from my airplane hula dancing, but I did - and I was disappointed to discover that it was probably just some stereotype. I was a little excited, though, when I heard Abby dabbled in it. I had to admit I was dying to see it. There were a lot of unexpected things I was slowly learning about Abby, but I knew there was going to be more where that came from. Hopefully I stuck around long enough to find out. 

     We swayed side to side to God Only Knows, but it wasn’t anything stiff or anything you’d do during an actual slow dance. It was more of a carefree slow dance, if that made any sense. Regardless, I kept a grin the whole time and had to refrain from twirling her around again. She was just too damn cute. “Dublin’s alright,” I responded with a humble nod, offering her a shrug of my shoulders. “It’s not super urban. They balance big parts of the city with countryside outskirts, like hills and mountains and whatnot. It’s really gorgeous. There are these... ruins to this castle that sit an hour or so away from Dublin, and it’s my favorite spot to visit. Pretty beautiful.” I chuckled. There was a comfortable pause between us before I gave her a cheeky smile.  “You should show me how you hula. Otherwise, I’m not gonna believe it. Yeah, I’m one of those people,” I said, laughing. 

[crashisworse]

i get around.

[begstoprove]

      Did she call me Kailana? Oh lordy. It was nice to hear that name, though it reminded me of a distant memory that didn’t even belong to me, but that was for another time and place. I smiled up at her and shook my head before taking her hand. I didn’t have to verbally say how much I loved her calling me that, because I’m pretty sure it was obvious by the uncommon smile on my lips. It wasn’t going away. Damn this girl. And to think I almost left nearly an hour ago. Truthfully I only stayed for the music, but now I think I have another reason. Maybe. Let’s not get too crazy here.

      I followed her to the dance floor and bit my lip in anticipation. When it came to dancing, I was neither good nor terrible. The only dance I knew how to do was the hula – I know, I know. Stereotypical, but the hula, when done right, is beautiful. I twirled with a chuckle and soon enough I was standing right there in front of her. “I’m probably worse,” I tell her with a small chuckle, “Normal dancing isn’t necessarily my forte… But I do love this song.” Favorite, actually. Breathing in, I set my other hand on her waist. Was that where it was supposed to be? Fuck. I don’t know. “So… how are you liking Hawaii?”

[crashisworse]

     I hoped she didn’t think I was weird for calling her kailana. Was that even a thing? God, who knows. Pet names didn’t go along very well up in Dublin. They were usually used during catcalling and nowhere else. For some reason, us Irish tended to be... experts at our inability to express sincerity. I mean, fucking look at my twat of a cousin over there, standing with his array of idiot boys and calling out to the beautiful Hawaiian girls that passed by. They were the poster children for douchebaggery. Anyway, by the look she gave me - the one look she didn’t think I’d see - she was quite fond of it. Maybe she was the type of girl who didn’t get to be flirted with like this very often. Hm. I needed that. Liked it.

     “Normal dancing?” I echoed, laughing. “So what’s your forte? You must be a professional line dancer - that’s what it is. Part of a flash mob?” Of course I was kidding, and I kept the grin on my face just to let her know. I twirled her around one more time before her hands landed on my waist. I couldn’t help but smile. She was too. Damn. Adorable. “I’m loving Hawaii,” I responded with a nod. “It’s amazing. Beautiful. Hot,” I chuckled, politely moving her hands to wrap around my neck so that I could put my hands on her waist. That way, I was the male of the pair - I was more comfortable that way. “And I’m not just describing the girls. No, really, it’s gorgeous. It beats the fake Hawaii I used to set up when I was in my teens.”

[qwenstefani-deactivated20200903]

[crashisworse]

i get around.

[begstoprove]

      It was an odd yet enjoyable sensation, the feeling of being heard, or you know, appreciated. Maybe this party wasn’t a disaster after all, and right then and there, I could tell the girl had a lot of mana within herself. I had the urge to tell her that, but I knew that would lead to more of Hawaiian mumbo jumbo beliefs and I was already weird enough. But she did have it and I could feel it. Good spirit was uncommon these days, at least in my reality.

      I felt my lips curl into a smile as I looked over at her, the glare of the fire casting glow to soften her features. It was nice, even though I had to admit I loved her edgy look. But then she spoke and suddenly I didn’t know how to speak. Holy shit. Was she… Nah… was she? Was she flirting with me? Maybe she was just nice. Maybe. Either way, I found myself flushing and looking away in attempt to hide the new tint on my cheeks. “That’s a first,” I said with a chuckle, rubbing my lips together to hide my smile. I glanced up at her and looked over at the little dance floor. A dance? When was the last time I actually danced with someone? “Um,” I mumbled before letting my eyes trail back to hers, “I don’t dance that much..” Don’t push her away, idiot. “But, uh, yeah. Okay, yeah.”

[crashisworse]

     She started to look sort of dazed and I couldn’t help but feel a bit of a lump start to form in my throat. If she was going to say no, I had no choice but to respect it, although I had to admit I was going to be extremely disappointed in myself if she did. But who knew? She was probably straight, anyway. I just hated the prospect of not being able to give her a good time after Joseph had ruined the night for her. My smile dropped and I pushed my bottom lip to one side, my eyebrows curling in anticipation. But then she said yes, and some sort of Hawaiian choir started to rejoice in my head, and I couldn’t help but grin in excitement. “Alright then, kailana, let’s dance,”

     I figured I could use my little knowledge of Hawaiian on the blonde, hopefully to get a laugh out of her. That little informational brochure I got from the airport had to get me somewhere. I stood up, reaching my hand for her to take before we made our way towards the dance floor. There was a certain open area with fairy lights hung up along the palm trees, the Beach Boys cover band still playing. Just as Abby and I got there, Surfin’ USA finished, but it wasn’t long before God Only Knows began. I looked over at Abby with a sly smile, lifting our hands up for her to twirl under them. “Good timing, hm? I'm sorry if I'm not the best dancer. Not my first talent.”     

[crashisworse]

i get around.

[begstoprove]

      That thought made me smile, I couldn’t hide it. As a kid, the sky was my everything. Anytime I felt like the weight of the world was crushing down on me, I’d lift my eyes to the sky and listen to whatever it was trying to tell me. It felt promising, whole, a home inside of home. I guess the Flynn’s have a thing for the sky. Kyle liked to write off my unusual beliefs as just stories, but I think somewhere deep inside of him he believed in the sky as much as I did. Everyone should believe in something, because somehow, it made life a little more beautiful even in the darkest corners of the world. “Yeah, maybe,” I told her with a warm smile.

      I watched the way she flipped through the book, and I couldn’t help but to absentmindedly bite down on my bottom lip as I peered over and watched. It was a little surreal for me. Not even my closest “friends”, and I use that word lightly, had ever taken the time to flip through my books or ask me about it. If anything, all they ever did was try to get me to stop reading. “I already love it a lot,” I told her and smiled, “I’m jealous you got to go to Greece. I bet that was amazing.” Hey, look at me. Holding conversations for once. What was it about her that got me out of my shell? “It makes a lot of sense. It just depends how you look at the world. You could just see it as stories or as a reality. Even if it’s unrealistic, it’s kind of magical to believe in impossible things. Makes life interesting, you know?” I glanced up and smiled before returning my eyes to the fire that crackled and popped. Clearing my throat, I sat up straight and brushed my hair off my shoulders and shrugged. “Sorry, I tend to, um. Over talk or not talk enough.”

[crashisworse]

     I could listen to her talk for days. We were in the middle of a luau in Hawaii, surrounded by some half-drunk, fully-obnoxious college kids, but I somehow felt like we were at fucking dinner by the candlelight or something. She made me feel that cliche. A part of me was glad that my twat of a cousin had come up to me about her, or else we probably would’ve never met. I often get a little too involved in the slutty bunch, but I usually had to remind them I was a girl. With Abby, she was sober enough to know, and intelligent at that. I wouldn’t say she won me over for the rest of my life, I wasn’t sprung or anything - but I could say she won me over for the night. And with my small amount of time in Hawaii, I’d say that was enough. 

     But then she stopped talking, and that sparkle in her eyes suddenly dissipated into some conscience I wanted to deny. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion before I shook my head, offering the book to her. “What? No, don’t worry,” I reassured with a chuckle. “You know how many conversations are going on around here? Hundreds. Maybe even thousands. But the only conversation I want to be a part of, right now, is the one I’m having with you.” Alright, maybe that was a little cheesy, but I was sweet talking. This was way more familiar to me. Whether I was just flirting or not, though, I was genuine. “So, please. Tell me more. Preferably over a dance, though?” I offered, motioning my head over to the crowd. 

[crashisworse]

i get around.

[begstoprove]

     My eyebrows rose and this time I made no effort to hide my surprise. She actually seemed genuinely interested into what I was telling her. Better yet, she seemed to enjoy the same sort of thing. Most would allow their eyes to glaze as I droned on about mythology and the things I was interested in. No one cares, and I guess that’s what make me not care usually. But Naomi was different, and it was somehow very refreshing. It was becoming clear that maybe she didn’t have much of that O’Connor blood in her, or you know. At least the annoying parts.

      “Well,” I started, opening up the page and looking down at the words below. “I’m reading about the sky right now. Like maybe to me and you the sky is just atmosphere, clouds, and place for satellites to roam. To the Hawaiians, it’s something so much more. Majority of the myths are centered around the sky, like it’s life itself up there. They believe that all the answers to man’s questions are written in the sky. Kind of an all-knowing entity. It’s considered very sacred.” I stopped myself from rambling any further and peeked up at her to see that she still seemed interested. In fact, she wanted to take a look herself. “Go ahead,” I told her, scooting a bit closer to hand her the book. “I’m taking a course in Greek Mythology this semester, actually. I love it. I don’t know what it is about myths that gets me so interested… but it does.” I glanced up at her while she inspected the book, and I hoped the glow of the fire would suffice for reading light. “I guess it’s nice to see the world in a creative way.”

[crashisworse]

     Nothing was more fascinating than listening to a girl talk about life like this. I mean, I’d heard plenty of spiels before, hymns on how the universe is not really a universe, but they had all been from drunk Irish girls who were spending their college years at the local pub. Now, don’t get me wrong - I was a big drinker, too - but I always knew how to get back to the books. At least when I talked about philosophical shit, I knew what I’d been going on about. “Wow,” I mused, looking up at the sky. “That’s interesting. Guess that’s why we make wishes on shooting stars. Maybe we think someone’s up there granting all of ‘em.” I offered her a shrug. 

     When she handed me the book, I set my coconut down to the side of the log before bringing my knee up and resting my chin on it. I started flipping through the pages, admiring illustrations here and there. There wasn’t much I could see - bad eyesight and all - but I liked what I saw so far. “Really?” my head perked up when I heard about her class. Now we had something in common. I broke out in a smile. “That’s great. You’re gonna love it.” I reached my hand up to start biting on my thumbnail, a wicked little habit I’d developed since I was a child. “A creative way, yeah, definitely. It’s like... fantasy without the fantasy. Does that make sense? I don’t know,” I laughed a little embarrassingly. 

[crashisworse]

i get around.

[begstoprove]

     It took everything in me to not just cut to the chase and ask her what exactly it was that she wanted for me. God, that sounds so rude… Believe it or not, I try my best not to come off as rude or brash. It just didn’t make much sense why out of all the people at the luau, she chose to speak to the antisocial girl reading about ghost stories by a fire. Maybe Joey did put her up to this after all… Wait, what am I doing? Why can’t I just talk to the girl? Why does there have to be a reason behind everything? I have to let loose once in a while, at least that’s what Kyle always tells me. I hate when he’s right.

      I began to smile because finally someone was asking me something I was interested in. I almost wanted to tell Naomi that she should give Joey notes, but then I realized that she should never do that. I rather talk to her, anyways. “Yeah, I do. You know, I’ve lived here all my life and the Hawaiian people truly believe in all of this mythology stuff. It’s nice to truly know the place I’m living, so it’s nice to know about.. Ya know, all the legends imbedded within this paradise.” Okay, bring down the weirdness just a smidge. I gave a closed lip smile and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “So, yeah. It’s my favorite.”

[crashisworse]

    “That’s, like, really cool,” I said in between chuckles, grin adorning my lips. “What sort of stuff are they teaching you in that book?” I asked, leaning over a bit more to take a look at the page she’d been on. I looked up at her before biting my bottom lip, motioning towards the novel. “You mind?” I questioned, referring to my desire of wanting to examine it a bit further. “When I was in high school, I had this thing for Greek mythology. Loved the class.  When I finally went to Greece, it was amazing. I enjoyed it a lot more. Probably because I knew more about it, yeah?” I chuckled. “So our little study session here might get me to come back to Hawaii another time.”

     It wasn’t everyday I met a girl into these sorts of things. I always got involved with girls who had more vapid interests, more fascinated with filters and likes than fables and myths. Back in high school, I used to eat this shit up; aced Greek Myth with an astonishing, somewhat impossible 109%. I had to admit that Abby had piqued my interest, and I wasn’t ashamed by it at all. Better to meet someone who actually had a genuine pursuit in the world that wasn’t front page of some nameless tabloid.

[crashisworse]

i get around.

[begstoprove]

     A small snicker bubbled up in me at her little pun. I had to admit I was a sucker for those, but I tried not to show that. Instead I just smiled and looked down momentarily at the fire crackling in front of me. “We just moved here. My grandfather was in the military and got stationed in Hawaii and the family has been living here ever since.” That sounded simple enough. I was kind of famous for not giving a lot of details. I’m either always keeping to myself or not wanting to overshare. I guess I was doing a little bit of both.

      Okay, was it just me or did this girl seem like she wanted something from me? I mean, that has to be the only reason why she’s sticking around… right? No stranger asks another random questions as if they were truly invested into all the little details if they didn’t want something. Maybe I was missing something. Sometimes I was oblivious when it came to these sorts of things. Maybe she was drunk, maybe she was insanely bored, maybe she was hitting on me – ha. Yeah, right. I showed her the cover and felt a little embarrassed, but then again, not at all. I took a little pride in my interests. “Hawaiian Myths of the Earth, Sea, and Sky. Yeah, it’s a little… childish or weird, but I kind of like learning about the mythology of Hawaii. It’s always piqued my interest.”

[crashisworse]

     I listened intently, nodding my head slowly in understanding of the girl’s past. It only figures that she’d moved down to Hawaii for the bases around here. Other than being a tourist attraction, it was sort of a shrine to American military accomplishment. I wondered if she had any interest in taking part of the service they did around here. Then it struck me: God, I was starting to be genuinely interested in this girl. Not that I spend the majority of my days involved in transparent conversations, but I was just used to your fairly airheaded model with not much to say. Now it made sense why she stayed away from Joey - he wasn’t her type.

     “I don’t think it’s weird or childish,” I said matter-of-factly, offering her a shrug of my shoulders. I reached over for a twig to mess with the bonfire in front of us, picking at it a little before looking over at her with a smile. “I think it’s cool. So you read stuff like this all the time? They your favorite?”

[heijn-deactivated20180415]

Ruby Rose | L'Officiel Italia

[crashisworse]

i get around.

[begstoprove]

     I felt my eyes narrow, but I didn’t mean for them to. There was just something hidden behind her words, something I couldn’t clearly see or understand. At least I knew one thing – she wasn’t working for Joey in some strange way, so she was alright in my book. I gotta admit that I was increasingly growing interested in her. Not interested in her, but rather curious on what her story was. Most people were easy to figure out, like her asshole of a cousin. I figured him out day one, but she had a bit of mystery to her. I didn’t know whether I liked that or not.

      I brought my cup to my lips while listening before taking a much needed sip of the beer. Maybe I have anxiety… Maybe I’ve just never really been your normal girl, so I’m not sure how to pretend to be one for the sake of small talk. I nodded and swallowed the liquid that sat on my tongue. “I’ve been around the country, and I have to say that nothing beats Hawaii.” I didn’t feel like explaining that the only reason why I once traveled so much was simply due to having an older brother in the military as a legal guardian. The boy had to lug me around all over the place every time he got a specific job. “Yeah, I was born and raised here. I lived on the other island longer, but I know this island pretty well, too.” Should I say something else? How do I keep a conversation going? Fuck it, who cares. Just smile and hope for the best.

[crashisworse]

     If she was a little uncomfortable, I figured I’d bring the conversation home to her. “What are you reading?” I asked, leaning over just a bit to catch a glance at the novel she kept shut, still keeping a comfortable distance. I knew how to talk to girls, especially if they were on the timid side. Intelligent girls, too. I’d taken enough advice from Joey on what not to do, and I felt that after twenty-something years of experience doing this, I could make just about anybody my friend. I hate to say it because it sounds incredibly narcissistic, but it was true - I was irresistible.

      “Born and raised,” I echoed, lifting my eyebrows, impressed. “Lu-wow. Anybody in your family Hawaiian? Or did you guys just move here?” I asked, lifting my coconut up to take a sip. I noticed a little about her demeanor that she probably wasn’t expecting anyone to come talk to her. Hell, if I had been bothered by Joseph even once at this party, I would probably haul ass and leave. I wondered what it was about the blonde that compelled her to stay, but I struggled to figure out just what it was about her that’d leave her lonely. She seemed personable enough.

[crashisworse]

i get around.

[begstoprove]

      There was something about this situation that smelled like the handiwork of O’Connor. Was she coming over because he told her to? Was she setting up one his little schemes? I watched her carefully as if that would allow me to understand the situation better, but I simply couldn’t. What was her motive? It obviously wasn’t to speak highly about him for his behalf, so I had to smile at least a little at her comment. “Sorry,” I said then chuckled, “The accent.. yeah, I figured he must be doing your dirty work.”

      My eyes trail down to her extended hand and sometimes I swear it’s like I don’t even know how to act in social situations. I clumsily put my book down to take her hand and give it a small shake. It gave me a moment to look at her tattoos even a bit more. Shit, I hope I didn’t make that handshake linger… “Abby Flynn. Nice to meet you.” I went to reach to retrieve my book, but then I realized that was rude and I should make an effort. Besides, I had to admit she seemed pretty interesting and well… pretty. “So, are you in town visiting?”

[crashisworse]

     I couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed that Joseph already stained the majority of the girls at his college. Poor fucking guy. This was probably good for him, though - could teach him some discipline on how to treat a girl. And maybe I was being a little hypocritical; after all, there were some chicks here and there I wasn’t really too respectful to. But I was young and foolish then. Now, I had my head on straight - or, gay, for that matter. “It’s alright,” I said with a shake of my head. “But I don’t do anyone’s dirty work.” There was a mysterious twang to my words before I broke out in a grin. See? Totally harmless. 

     “Likewise, Abby Flynn,” I gave her a nod, bringing my hand back over to hold my coconut drink. I couldn’t help but notice her momentary fascination with my tattoos. Clean blonde like her, I doubt she has any, but there’s always this part in even the biggest prudes that want some tattoos - a mark of their caged rebellion. I didn’t bother to bring it up yet, making a mental note to save it for later. “Yeah, I needed a new vacation spot. I was sick of New York and Chicago and all the cities. Dublin drove me crazy. I figured Hawaii, or somethin’ tropical would work out, and... it did. Minus the fact that my idiot cousin is running around being misogynistic.” I shrugged my shoulders. “You go to college here, right? That’s cool. Did you move down here or were you born here?”

[vangoku]

[crashisworse]

i get around.

[begstoprove]

      It’s not that I hated parties, I just hated majority of the people who attend parties. So, I guess one could make the generalization that I must hate these sorts of things, but .. well, yeah, I guess they’re right. I wasn’t a partier simply because I hated the social scene. Sure, drinking was fun, sure luaus were both festive and fun, but as I looked around at the sloppy drunk college kids mixed in with beautiful Hawaiian culture… Well, you could see why I wasn’t a fan.

      I know I’m not Hawaiian blood or anything, but I was born and raised on these islands. My beliefs and values reflected this culture and no one seems to appreciate that nowadays. People called the Hawaiian ways just a bunch of mumbo jumbo but for me it was everything. It was how I lived. Hawaii was a very spiritual place, and though that should make me more in tune with others around me, it does just the opposite most days. Like now as I sat there off to myself with a cup of stale beer in hand and a book folded back in my hand, I was definitely not feeling any mana in the air at this party. If anything it just felt like another tourist attraction. As if we didn’t have enough of those already

      Whenever I heard a voice, my mind was quick to believe that it wasn’t towards me. Who would disturb someone reading to make a general statement? But alas, soon as my eyes raised from the page, I saw a girl sitting across the way with her eyes on me. I left my eyes drift a little, picking up all the different tattoos that inked her skin. Now there was something I could admire. “Hi,” I started, because it’s always best to be polite, “Yeah, it’s pretty cool- wait.” And then it hit me. Did I detect an Irish accent? My eyes almost immediately swept the area to see if I could spot Joey, but I decided to stop looking like a completely freak in front of the stranger. “Are you another O’Connor?”

[crashisworse]

     I was slightly preoccupied with checking out the bar straight across from us, wondering what sort of scotch would go well with the coconut juice in my hand, when the blonde beside me suddenly stopped talking. My eyebrows lifted in anticipation for her to say something. Must have been very important. She didn’t seem like the type to have blonde moments. 

     Then she brought up the bloodline that had been lovingly competing with mine for decades now, and I couldn’t help but break out in a grin. Chuckling to myself, I shook my head and turned to her. “You talkin’ about Joey?” I sighed in playful shame, but a smile was still on my lips. I never got flack about being related to Joseph, but for some reason I had a feeling that this blonde didn’t like him very much. I didn’t really blame her - he was a pain in the ass if there ever was one. “We’re uh, we’re related, yeah. But it’s just by blood, not mentality, thank fucking Christ. -- I’m Naomi. Naomi Walsh,” I responded cheekily, reaching my hand out for her to shake. 

[crashisworse]

i get around.

     “Look, you and I have met our fair share of tight asses, but I’m telling you. You’re never going to crack this one. Even if she is a lesbian,” Joey told me, and I couldn’t help but scoff. 

     “Jesus. That’s a sexist, self-centered generalization,” I said, sipping on the coconut I held in my hand. Fucking luaus. I always had them back in Dublin; my dad used to haul in fake sand and everything. Even got these cute pale girls to wear coconut bras and shit. But nothing came even just a little close to the real thing, with all these cute Hawaiian girls running around in grass skirts and flowers in their hair. The live band was even playing covers of the Beach Boys. Nothing compared to this place. 

     “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t say the same thing about straight girls,” my twat of a cousin fired back at me, narrowing his eyes. He took a swig of his beer. “If you think I’m wrong, go try her out for yourself. Her name’s Abby.” 

     Try her out for myself? Jesus, when was Joseph going to learn to stop objectifying beautiful women? He was probably just too used to the loose chicks back in Dublin to mind any of these more conservative girls, which was both good and bad. Bad for him, because he never got any action, but good for me because I got the opportunity to steal it all. 

     And stealing it all was exactly what I was going to do. So he pointed the girl out to me, and I expected to see some lush Hawaiian with her belly out and everything, but instead I saw some blonde chick in a muscle shirt. An American. 

     She piqued my interest already. I walked over to her at her lonely bonfire and took a seat at one of the empty logs surrounding it, flashing her a grin. “Hey there. Sick luau, eh?”

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