everybody wants to pass as cats

but we all have different reasons for that

[levizedler]

Levi nodded his head, making an abrupt turn when he’d noticed the sign to get downtown a moment too late. “Yeah, I can’t imagine there are assholes in the library,” he shook his head, slowing down his speed when they got stuck behind an old pick up truck. He sighed, memories of his father commenting on his road rage coming back to him as he tapped anxiously on the steering wheel. “Do you like it here? Or can’t wait to get the fuck out?”

[kc-lawrence]

Kennedy scoffed bitterly, shook her head. "You know, you're actually the first person to ask me that." She bent over her lap, the seat belt folding her body in two, and reached for her backpack, which she'd slung onto the floor before climbing in herself. As her fingers toyed with a loose thread near the zipper, she said with a dizzying sensation of relief, "I hate everything about this place. It's been freezing every single day since I got here and my lips are always fucking chapped because of it. Carmex ought to present me with an award for customer loyalty or something." She'd wound the string around her middle finger until the tip was the color of a fresh bruise. 

[levizedler]

A smile of satisfaction came to his face as she made her way to the passenger side of the car. “I’m sorry it smells like alcohol in here,” he laughed. He drove out of the parking spot, making his way down to the main road, as far away from the campus as he could. That was always the goal. As long as the campus was in his rearview mirror, he would be alright. “So I take it your a wallflower?” he asked, laughing at his own pun. “I don’t see you around a lot. It’s a shame. I hate being surrounded by assholes all the time.”

[kc-lawrence]

Kennedy decided that he'd complimented her, albeit offhandedly. Perhaps she ought to tell him that his car didn't, in fact, smell like alcohol. Except it did, so Kennedy offered him nothing in return. Her eyes roamed the bland red, white, and blue license plate of the Subaru ahead of them and it occurred to her that it had been a while since she'd last seen her pre-Westfield Arizona license plate. She made a mental note to later search for it amid her clutter. "I guess I just like to keep to myself most of the time," she allowed, shrugging like the subject of her solidarity never crossed her mind. "Maybe you should hang out in the library more often. I'm pretty sure assholes can't get in unless they're invited." 

[levizedler]

"Just don’t let Irons find out. Bitch is scary," he said, glancing over to the administration building. "Well… I was supposed to be in class ten minutes ago, so let’s go somewhere, I feel like an adventure." He pushed himself off the hood and made his way over to the driver’s side, pulling the door open roughly. "Well? Are you coming flower? We’ve got important business to attend to," he said, laughing as he slipped into the seat, starting the car. 

[kc-lawrence]

Kennedy stood rooted to her spot on the edge of the curb for a moment. These kinds of things did not happen to people like her. Nobody had ever invited her on a spontaneous game of hooky; They'd never even talked to her, really. Kennedy was almost positive that all of the kids in her biology class were convinced that she must be autistic. Now that the opportunity had finally arisen, her hesitation was brief. She tried not to think about the things that would normally go through her mind: the possibility that once they get in the car the awkwardness would set in like a pungent odor, the worry of where he might plan on driving her while he was still practically a stranger. No, because she wasn't that person anymore. These kinds of things did happen to her--were happening. Now she was the person who stepped down off the curb and circled around to the passenger side and climbed into the car and said, "Wouldn't miss it."

[levizedler]

Levi flicked the butt across the parking lot, watching as the puddle snuffed it out. “No?” he asked, pulling his feet up on the trunk of his car. He’d probably leave a dent. “It stunts your growth,” he said. “Ever try pouring coffee on a flower, Flower?” Levi asked. He wasn’t entirely sure what would happen if you did, but he assumed the result wouldn’t be a good one. “Where are you going? Or do you have a plan? Just going AWOL?”

[kc-lawrence]

Although Kennedy narrowed her eyes at Levi, she felt a lightness in her chest--like her heart was floating freely through the spacious cave--when he teased her with jokes about the orchid. Part of her felt that she was illuminated beneath a spotlight. She remembered the apathetic line of his frown as he and the storm whooshed past her in the administration building, and how odd it was that that same boy was now standing before her with a thrill on his lips. Kennedy blinked the sunshine from her eyes as they fell upon his smirk. "I'm supposed to meet someone at two, but there's no way I would be able break out in the middle of sixth period. I guess I was just gonna hang out at that playground down the street--over there--until then."

[levizedler]

Levi laughed, nodding his head. He never great tired of hearing the shocked response from people at that admittance. His brows furrowed as he glanced up to wear Kennedy was looking, rolling his eyes playfully. “Yep, that’s him,” he replied, squinting over at the man. “Our relationship is top secret, though. Can’t tell anyone. He’d lose his job, you know?” he shrugged his shoulders, glancing back down to the cigarette in his hand. “Do you smoke? Or is your height do to caffeine?”

[kc-lawrence]

Kennedy had meant to add in a comment about how his boyfriend shouldn't be worrying about whether or not Levi skipped class unless he was a cop. Instead she refrained, because she couldn't figure out how to organize the words in an order that didn't necessitate using an intrusive tone; and besides, did she really want to get into another intimate conversation with this kid? Kennedy had to remind herself that they weren't friends. "I don't smoke." She shook her head as she regarded the smoldering end of his cigarette with pursed lips. It wasn't entirely true. Veering away from the topic, she said, "What does caffeine have to do with height?"

[levizedler]

Levi laughed, nodding his head. He couldn’t possibly judge her, since he wasn’t much better himself. “If it makes you feel better, I’m only just getting back from my breakout,” he said, pulling himself up onto the hood of his car. He had no desire to actually go back to the confines of Westfield just yet. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his side pocket, picking one out and placing it between his lips, lighting it with the pack of matches inside it. “Don’t tell my boyfriend,” he mumbled, chuckling softly. “Are you always breaking the rules or do I just happen to run into you every time you do?”

[kc-lawrence]

"Boyfriend?" Kennedy's eyebrows tickled her hairline. The surprise in her tone hung in the air, mixing with white tendrils of cigarette smoke, as her head swiveled from side to side searchingly. Though her eyes still wandered, she mumbled a wistful response, "Must be fate." A moment later she found what she was looking for. "You mean that guy?" With a limp index finger she indicated one of the members of campus security. The man was too far away for Kennedy to make out the contours of his face, but the curvature of his stomach was easier to distinguish. She watched him slip on a pair of black sunglasses that conformed to his eye sockets like goggles, then returned her gaze to Levi.

[levizedler]

Levi spotted the blonde making her way out of the gates to the parking lot and he smiled, pressing the lock on the door. “If it isn’t the flower child,” he said, his voice echoing in the empty area. “You do know that it’s Thursday, right?” he asked. “Wednesday is when you can take a trip into town, not Thursday. Jesus Flower, don’t you ever follow the rules?”

[kc-lawrence]

A figure swathed in the golden glow of sunlight was moving toward her. Kennedy squinted up at him, her pupils recoiling from the brilliance. She leaned into the margin of her periphery, to where his head just blocked the sphere in the sky. As her vision was filtered through a screen of black spots, Kennedy instantly recognized the boy coming into focus before her. Absently she wondered if he planned to show up on every occasion that she decided to break bad. Then she decided that it might not be such a terrible thing if he did. "It's not like I pulled off a prison break," she reasoned, pushing a pile of dirt around with the toe of her shoe. "She technically gave me permission to leave."

[kc-lawrence]

Before the lunch hour could creep more than fifteen minutes along the curve of the clock Kennedy had already circled around to the back of the campus. She didn't find it nearly as difficult to escape the school's bright-eyed security squad as she'd been led to believe. The woman with the walkie-talkie strapped to her hip was far too trusting when Kennedy claimed to have left a vital textbook in her car. Then again, that seemed to be a common mistake among strangers. They see a cute, young blonde and immediately dismiss the threat of deception. She'd be a fool not to exploit it. 

[callamwright-blog]

Callam watched the girl do the ingenious thing of packing his books into her bag. He made note that he should get one himself, but Callam had over estimated his ability to juggle his literal workload. “That’s smart.” He commented, holding his books tighter as he turned and pressed his back against the door. The moment he opened it,  a gust of wind swept through, however it was easier to handle with less books in his arms. “”After you.” He pointed his chin outside, and patiently held the door open as Kennedy walked past.

[kc-lawrence]

She tried to move with a little bit of a haste, skipping over into the no man's land, so that he wouldn't have to stand in the vacuum of the threshold any longer than he had to. The wind whipped the tail end of her ponytail into her eyes like she were a horse and it was goading her to run, run. Kennedy turned into the gale, taking the brunt of it face-first, and pushed through the gelatinous force in the direction of the Apollo house. In the back of her mind she hoped that Callam was in tow, but as far as she was concerned, this had become Mission: Impossible and she was Tom Cruise.  

[levizedler]

Levi stared at her and he did his best to keep his expression blank, unreadable; a kill he was beginning to master. She appeared as though she had more to say and for some reason, Levi felt like he had to give her the second chance to do so before she faced the bitter winter. Anything had to be better than subjecting yourself to the biting late January cold. “My mother kept a garden,” he said randomly. He didn’t really know where he was going with this, but he figured it would at least capture her attention. “And every season when they’d die, She’d take one of each kind and put them in a book so they dried up flat. She could open that book and tell you exactly what had happened that year, just based on the kind of flower,” his brows furrowed, because all of this sounded ridiculous said out loud. It was something meant for a memoir, not a conversation with a stranger in the middle of third period. “And when I’d ask her why she did it, she’d just quote Theodore Roethke. ‘Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light’,” he shrugged. “It’s silly, but it might be true. Even Freud was content with flowers.”

[kc-lawrence]

Kennedy paused. She would've kept her hand frozen on the doorknob for dramatic effect, but if she had then it probably would have literally froze to the doorknob. Instead her palm fell against her thigh, and she glanced over at him with an expression that likened the boy before her to Theodore Roethke himself. Her attention had been captured. "I've heard that before. I actually used to have my own greenhouse back at home. I don't know why I never grew orchids like this, though. Maybe the reason why they take so long to bloom is because their roots just need a little extra time to absorb all the light; But that sounds silly, too, doesn't it?" 

[levizedler]

Levi peered up at the clock on the wall above them, nodding his head. “Well, I’m late. But is there such thing as too late when you’re already late?” he asked rhetorically with a shrug of his shoulders. “Are you really that upset over the near death of a flower pot or did Irons just rip into you?”

[kc-lawrence]

Blinking dumbly, Kennedy wanted to shoot back with an explanation of how she was actually really annoyed by everybody's apparent lack of courtesy. It wasn't about the flower pot, it was about the flower. When Kennedy realized that she was weaving a metaphor for herself in her head, she cut the thought in half with a white-hot razor blade. How fucking pitiful. "Just watch where you're going next time," she mumbled, shaking her head as she made a second pass at the door handle.

[blake-ollie-blog]

"Kennedy" Oliver repeated with a grin, completely missing the fact that the girl was obviously completely uncomfortable. "That’s a lovely name" he smiled. "Wish we could have met in a better way, Kennedy, but still, it’s nice to meet you" Oliver said sincerely.

[kc-lawrence]

Because she couldn't think of anything else to say that wasn't along the lines of "Please go away now," she told him, "I'm actually... in Apollo, too. I think we've probably met once or twice before. So, it's not that bad." 

[callamwright-blog]

"Thanks so much," Callam smiled, at the tiny girl, thankful for not having to brave the wind by himself. "Watch out, it’s heavy." He warned as he unloaded three of his books into her arms. Already it was a lot easier to move, and to see. Walking towards the door, Callam glanced over his shoulder at the girl. "Are you sure you’re ready for this?"

[kc-lawrence]

He wasn't kidding. What classes is this kid taking? she wondered, silent and incredulous as she shifted the weight in her arms. "Just a second," Kennedy said aloud, drawing out the syllables as she placed the stack of books on a nearby table. The smack was audible enough to earn an admonishing grimace from the receptionist on the other side of the room. Kennedy didn't notice. She swung her backpack down beside the textbooks and began loading two of them in amongst her notebooks and binders. They were a bit easier to carry on her back. Maybe she'd been a monkey in her past life. A mama monkey. "Ready," she confirmed, nodding at him. 

[blake-ollie-blog]

Ollie’s eyebrows furrowed, because he didn’t understand why it mattered that her coat had been from Macy’s, but he decided to keep his questions to himself, for once in his life. “Right, well” he shrugged, patting down his own coat, which was Saint Laurent if he remembered correctly. “I’m sorry again” he smiled. “I uh, I didn’t catch your name?” he raised an eyebrow.

[kc-lawrence]

"It’s Kennedy," she sighed. Swallowing had become a task within the past sixty seconds. Her throat was still raw from her brief fit of coughing, which she knew Ollie wasn’t responsible for, though a hint of animosity may have leaked into her otherwise blue irises nonetheless.

[corneliusrockefeller]

"Along with a few other things. Admittedly, I like my hair better in my past life, but this isn’t bad either." 

[kc-lawrence]

"Isn't the point of a past life for it to be in the past? I don't think you're supposed to remember that much about it."

[blake-ollie-blog]

"It’s not fine" Ollie shook his head, biting his lip. "Shit I’ve ruined your coat" he frowned, rummaging through the pockets of his own. After pulling out some earphones and his wallet, he finally found what he had been looking for, and pulled out the packet of tissues he always kept just incase. Pulling one out from the packet, he handed it to the girl, taking another one for himself to help her wipe the snow from her clothes. "I’m a disaster" he rambled on, combing his fingers through his soaking wet hair. "I’m Ollie by the way" he introduced himself, sticking out his hand for her to shake. "I’m in Apollo, you know, if you need to send me the dry cleaning bill or whatever" he smiled, finally calming down enough to talk at a normal pace.

[kc-lawrence]

Kennedy didn't shake his hand, but held hers up to stop him before she ended up listening to somebody else talk for thirty minutes straight. "Really," she insisted, tucking the unused tissue in her pocket. "It's not a big deal, I bought it at Macy's." Admittedly it made her just a little proud to hear that she'd accidentally picked out a coat similar enough to one a true Westfield kid would wear that a true Westfield kid mistook it for one. However, beneath her inch of pride was six feet of shame. She actively didn't shop at Bergdorf's for a reason. 

[callamwright-blog]

Callam tried to move his arms down so he could see past his pile of books better. With a little more room he watched as the finally shut the door. “Oh thanks, I was worried the wind was going to make things difficult.” He looked down at the books in his hand and back up to Kennedy. “Look, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind helping me? I just need to get across to Apollo with my books, yet with that wind… I may need some help.”

[kc-lawrence]

"Oh." Kennedy hitched her backpack up over her other shoulder to free both of her hands, then took a few steps toward him. She had to lift her chin to look him in the eye, he was so tall. Then again, she was below average height herself, and nobody ever let her forget it. "I was just about to head over there, anyway," she offered, feeling a tad guilty for the accusation in her previous tone. With an an apologetic half-smile Kennedy held out both hands, braced for the weight of his textbooks, like she were a human forklift.