Part of This World

Hi, I'm Morgan Calder. That's about all...

[dante-trainor]

mutedmorgan:

Me? And you? And dancing? Dante Trainor you are a glutton for punishment.

But yeah. I guess that would be alright… because you want to. Together is alright, we can try that. 

It’s a resounding yes.

I resent the idea that I am a bad dancer – I’m great, thank you very much. And I’ll prove it to you at prom. So watch out. Together it is, then. 

YES. I mean…Thanks. It ought to be fun. 

[mutedmorgan]

I meant me, ya dork. You know I can’t dance! but fine. If you’re so self-conscious....

Should I be nervous? Is it weird? I’m excited though...

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

[dante-trainor]

mutedmorgan:

She had never seen Dante be this serious in her entire eighteen years. It was really strange, but it was all genuine. He was really making an effort to convey everything he was saying was real and that he meant every single word he said to her. And he loved her, he really did love her!  Wow, just thinking of that made everything easier to forget, if only for a while. She probably looked like a mess right now. Well, that wouldn’t be shocking. She was a mess right now. Morgan was just going to do her best to enjoy that and not overthink the future. That wasn’t generally something in her skillset, but getting the paranoid part of her brain to momentarily shut up would be amazing. She found herself yawning, which may have given off the wrong impression but she knew he wouldn’t be too upset. It was really late after all and she was constantly tired. At least it wasn’t a school night. “I was almost going to try and make you run lines with me.” She confessed lamely. “I didn’t really want to but…it’s been weird since that day and I was going to try to use it to get you to stay longer..” she laughed, feeling totally embarrassed. “So stupid.”

It was ridiculous to think that she wanted more. Not more attention, or validation, or anything like that. But, she did want to be close to him more, constantly having some sort of contact whatever that meant. It was super strange and she wasn’t entirely sure she was comfortable with these foreign feelings. It was overwhelming, almost painful to think of not being near him right now. That was the most mortifying thing for Morgan. She had never been one of those girls to get all wrapped up and obsessed over a guy like that. It just wasn’t how she operated. But she did at this moment really want to kiss him again. And she just might but…not here. She was a little tired of standing here.  Maybe that was just general sluggishness. Morgan was actually a very lazy person. When he said she wanted to stay, that painful feeling disappeared and she beamed at him. “I guess I’ll keep you then.” She teased.

Morgan felt another wave of exhaustion pass over her and she yawned again quite loudly. “I don’t think I can stand anymore” she said matter-of-factly. “Movie or something…?” she askly, nodding towards the living room.  She turned to face him before moving towards the couch, and did something that surprised even her and pressed her lips to his, relatively quickly compared to the other kiss, but it still happened. Well…she hadn’t even planned that one. “Uh…yeah. Don’t hate me if I fall asleep?” was all she ended up saying, before taking his hand and looking down at the floor as the two of them finally moved from the hall. It was alright and everything, but it was still an awkward thing to get used to. Boy, did she feel like an idiot right now.

She’d yawned, and it had become Dante’s instinct to want to tell her to go lay down or eat something or…Something. He’d always had this protective nature over Morgan, but it was only heightened now that they weren’t just friends. But he didn’t want her thinking that he looked at her any differently, now, so rather than jump into protective-savior mode, he merely gave her yawn a look. But before he could ask if she was tired (which she was), Morgan mentioned that she almost made him run lines with her. A smile crept across his face, and Dante couldn’t help but laugh, finally, after being so serious for so long. “I would’ve done it!” he exclaimed through chuckles. “I would’ve sat here and recited Shakespeare with you mindlessly for hours…But…Honestly, I’m glad you didn’t.” Dante shook his head, smirking.

He could see how exhausted she was – Probably not just from a long day, either. It seemed more like a long few months. Which he could relate to, at least a little bit. It had been a long few months for the both of them, topped off by this particular excruciatingly long day, no matter how joyous an occasion this was, it was mentally draining. Dante gave another chuckle at Morgan’s teasing, and was about to suggest that she go lay down – He’d stay, of course – when she yawned once more, but her words beat him to it. “Movie would be great.” Just like they used to. Obviously, some circumstances had changed, but just sitting on the couch with Morgan and watching a movie seemed so comfortable. 

Before he could offer to put some popcorn in the microwave or grab them something to drink, her lips were on his again, for a mere second or two this time, it seemed. Dante didn’t really even have time to process it while it was happening, but as soon as she pulled away, he felt the corner of his lips pull up into a smirk. Just…The fact that she initiated it, for some reason, made him happy – Kind of proof that this was, indeed, a mutual thing. Morgan took him by the hand and led him to the living room, but Dante could tell that she might have been embarrassed by her action. “Hey,” Swiftly (as swiftly as he could, really), Dante took the arm that she had him by and placed it around her shoulder, now side-by-side with her, and still holding onto her hand. “I could never hate you.” he smirked, eyeing her for a second, and really wanted to kiss her again, maybe on the cheek this time, but decided against it. 

Dante took a seat on her couch as casually and comfortably as he could, reminiscent of the days when they would do this as “just friends”. He figured that might make this more comfortable for her…And maybe him, too. “So what’s Netflix got to offer that might or might not lull you to sleep?” And then, Dante caught himself yawning, as well. “…Or me. I guess I’m not immune.” He shrugged, a little irritated that he was so tired. Sure, it had been a mentally tiring day, but he kind of wanted to live in it for as long as possible. 

[mutedmorgan]

“Me too.” She smiled. Really, the play was an excuse to feel like she wasn’t a complete wreck. It was something that really did require thought and effort and learning her lines was the perfect excuse to get something done. It was also a safe environment where she could get used to people again, and spend time with Dante where they wouldn’t have to be completely alone. Not that most of their theater-related experiences had been great. Most of them had involved vomit, actually. Still, staying occupied made her feel a little less unhinged. And the way he was looking at her now, it made her feel a little less crazy. And at least if she was…he didn’t care. That’s honestly all she was looking for right now. “I like this a lot more than some stupid play.” Not that it didn’t go without saying so. Shakespeare didn’t have anything on the two of them. “But yeah, I know you would have.” She said, in this moment very content.

She was thinking something, but it just needed to be said. It was useless just floating around in her head. “This is weird, Dante.” She said with a small shrug, finally acknowledging it out loud. Putting it out there actually made her feel a bit better about the whole situation. Now that they had both truly admitted to their mutual attraction, Morgan was more aware of what this was. She loved him. That was the whole reason for what should be simple, ordinary reactions became so intense and sometimes painful whenever Dante was involved. But she was more aware of what it was now, truly, and insanely aware. “It’s not bad though, you know. It just is.” She smiled at him. “I’m alright with it.”

Morgan didn’t actually look at him after the kiss, she just kept moving. She could only imagine his face and actually did end up glancing back and saw him smirking somewhat. “I didn’t plan to do that.” She mumbled, still set on making it to the couch. When they were both there, she snuggled into him instinctively. In this moment, she was reminded of that one night. She had run as fast as she could in the pouring rain to his house. He gave her dry clothes to wear and she literally cried herself to sleep in his arms. Morgan didn’t really cry in front of anyone ever. He had been the exception. She felt okay being vulnerable with him. How could she not have figured out that she had loved him before right now? Maybe she truly was stupid.

She clicked through the options on Netflix and finally selected The Nightmare before Christmas from the list in front of her and didn’t ask if it was okay. The two of them usually liked the same things after a while. It was the trend. If one of them liked something at first, they talked about it obsessively until the other person at least had a general appreciation for the subject and ended up (occasionally against their will) liking whatever it was. That’s how this movie was. When Dante had heard she’d never seen it, he invited her over that week (It would have been that day, but her dad was never one to be okay with last minute plans) and they watched it together. They had been even been Jack and Sally for Halloween that year. “This one.” She mumbled through a yawn.

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

[mutedmorgan]

He was rambling which didn’t really shock her. Heck, with Dante, she had been prone to rambling sometimes too. It was an odd moment between the two of them, but not out of character at all. It was comforting in this moment with all of these drastic circumstances, there were still things that didn’t change. There was a consistency that she could cling to with him and that was honestly one of the most important things right now. She wasn’t going to Harvard anymore, and honestly, she might never go there. As far as college, she always had a plan and a backup plan and a backup back up and now she wasn’t certain she was going to go in the fall. Not that she would tell Dante. She certainly wouldn’t tell him now. “Sorry.” She mumbled, almost going into another string of apologies. Instead, she stopped herself and smiled softly. “I think we’ve about covered that for now. “ She squeezed his hand lightly and realized just how much she liked holding it. It was really just…simple and nice.

She felt so small, nodding at him. Other girls would just probably kiss him themselves. They would have let this happen a long time ago or something like that. She had drawn it out forever, known this person for basically her entire life and didn’t acknowledge how she even felt until she was about to probably have to leave him for the longest stretch of time she’d ever known. Morgan didn’t even know if she was a good kisser, how to kiss him or anything like that. It was so unlike her to get help in anyway and having him have to take the lead was something that maybe she’d fight for anything else, but this was here and now and she couldn’t be more grateful. At least if she was a bad kisser she would still have her best friend. She didn’t really know if what she did had ruined a moment or whatever, but while she was thinking all these things, they suddenly came to a halt when he finally did kiss her.

Their lips touched and she felt happy. Not anxious at all. Morgan often mused about whether or not she actually would like kissing. She still wasn’t sure whether or not she liked kissing in general; she definitely, without a shred of doubt, liked kissing Dante. She liked it a whole lot. It ended all too quickly but honestly it was probably for the better. She sighed deeply, feeling a little light-headed like all of those damn stereotypes she usually wasn’t anything like. He kissed her on the forehead and she found herself smiling still. Upon his confession, she laughed a little too. “I had a hunch.” She mumbled still enjoying having him so close to her. “I guess it wasn’t….awful.”

It dawned on her how late it was. She wasn’t sure how long they’d been standing here like two fools, but she knew it was late when he’d come over in the first place.  Her dad wasn’t going to be back until the beginning of next week and very quickly she’d dropped her arms at her sides and blurted out her thoughts. “Do you want to maybe stay for a while tonight?” she asked, surprised at herself for saying that so suddenly. Understanding slowly the potential double meaning of her words, her face turned bright red and she began stuttering. “Oh my God, not like that…not…I mean.” She had to stop herself though she was completely mortified. She looked down at the floor, frowning slightly, feeling that she had made this just too awkward. “I just really didn’t be alone right now. For this long…” She’d been doing alright so far, but the isolation was scary to her and she was afraid she was going to get bad again. “I don’t want you to go.” She mumbled.

[dante-trainor]

His decision to keep the kiss short and sweet was ultimately a good one, Dante figured, but still left him wanting more. He let the kiss to her forehead linger, and that helped, as they continued to embrace. To think that he’d come over just to deliver a book and maybe chat and then leave…Dante smirked to himself. Good things happen when you least expect it, he supposed. Admitting to Morgan that he’d stolen her script on purpose was a very “him” thing to do, considering he was a dork and knew it, and couldn’t be slick to save his life. 

Her mumbled response made him chuckle – Of course she knew. Morgan always knew. She was so smart and perceptive, and…That’s one of the reasons why he loved her. Being able to freely think that, now, felt so nice. Dante couldn’t stop smiling. “I knew you might. You know me too well.” Shaking his head, Dante gave a sigh. He could’ve stayed here with her all night if he wasn’t so afraid of crossing boundaries. It was pretty late – he’d finished his homework close to ten o’clock…And there was no telling how long they’d been in her foyer, considering since the moment he got there, everything kind of moved in a blur. (A good blur.)

When Morgan abruptly broke their embrace, Dante followed in suit, detaching his arms from her body, and listened to what she had to say. She’d…asked if he wanted to stay. Naturally, as a hormone-driven teenage boy, Dante’s mind went to embarrassing places, and his cheeks went bright red. Not that he wouldn’t be totally willing – In fact, he was almost too willing. That’s what was embarrassing. “Oh! Um – I…” Running a hand through his hair, Dante waited patiently for Morgan to clarify…He was not going to be the guy who made that assumption. (What with this whole “boundary” thing he was exercising.) Luckily, she elaborated and a sigh of relief tore through him, though he noticed that they were both pretty mortified by this weird sexual tension-type situation that they’d gone through. He wanted to laugh, to ease the tension, but Morgan’s face persuaded him to decide against it. 

She didn’t need his jokes right now, or all of the innuendos he wanted to make. He knew that. She just needed him…There. As she’d said, she simply didn’t want to be alone. And that was just fine with him. Dante inched toward her, tipped her chin up with one hand, and held hers in his other. He wanted to look her in the eye and ensure her that he wasn’t going anywhere. “Hey,” he said tenderly, “And I don’t want to go.” Dante shook his head, removing his hand from her chin, and held her other hand. “You’ve got me as long as you need me, for whatever you need me for. I love you, and it’s my understanding that that’s what people who love each other do.” He gave a shrug. That was all of what he could think to say at this moment, because that was all he felt. They could talk about their feelings some more, or just hang out like old times, or smooch some more; Dante would be glad to do all of those things, as long as they were with – and for – her. 

[mutedmorgan]

She had never seen Dante be this serious in her entire eighteen years. It was really strange, but it was all genuine. He was really making an effort to convey everything he was saying was real and that he meant every single word he said to her. And he loved her, he really did love her!  Wow, just thinking of that made everything easier to forget, if only for a while. She probably looked like a mess right now. Well, that wouldn’t be shocking. She was a mess right now. Morgan was just going to do her best to enjoy that and not overthink the future. That wasn’t generally something in her skillset, but getting the paranoid part of her brain to momentarily shut up would be amazing. She found herself yawning, which may have given off the wrong impression but she knew he wouldn’t be too upset. It was really late after all and she was constantly tired. At least it wasn’t a school night. “I was almost going to try and make you run lines with me.” She confessed lamely. “I didn’t really want to but…it’s been weird since that day and I was going to try to use it to get you to stay longer..” she laughed, feeling totally embarrassed. “So stupid.”

It was ridiculous to think that she wanted more. Not more attention, or validation, or anything like that. But, she did want to be close to him more, constantly having some sort of contact whatever that meant. It was super strange and she wasn’t entirely sure she was comfortable with these foreign feelings. It was overwhelming, almost painful to think of not being near him right now. That was the most mortifying thing for Morgan. She had never been one of those girls to get all wrapped up and obsessed over a guy like that. It just wasn’t how she operated. But she did at this moment really want to kiss him again. And she just might but…not here. She was a little tired of standing here.  Maybe that was just general sluggishness. Morgan was actually a very lazy person. When he said she wanted to stay, that painful feeling disappeared and she beamed at him. “I guess I’ll keep you then.” She teased.

Morgan felt another wave of exhaustion pass over her and she yawned again quite loudly. “I don’t think I can stand anymore” she said matter-of-factly. “Movie or something…?” she askly, nodding towards the living room.  She turned to face him before moving towards the couch, and did something that surprised even her and pressed her lips to his, relatively quickly compared to the other kiss, but it still happened. Well…she hadn’t even planned that one. “Uh…yeah. Don’t hate me if I fall asleep?” was all she ended up saying, before taking his hand and looking down at the floor as the two of them finally moved from the hall. It was alright and everything, but it was still an awkward thing to get used to. Boy, did she feel like an idiot right now.

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

[mutedmorgan]

She laughed softly. “I really didn’t. My sisters were absolutely no help. I had to figure it out all on my own.” Her expression sobered a bit because it was a pretty accurate description of her entire life. Morgan had learned at a young age that it would be much more advantageous to try and learn things and complete tasks on her own time. It had probably been better for her education in the long run. Her attention span was actually quite terrible and forcing herself onto specific tasks had been nothing short of miserable. Still, she managed to learn and get things done.

Morgan just stood there and listened to him apologize. The two of them were constantly apologizing, it seemed like. Still, she had something else to say, even though they had been saying sorry their entire lives. “I avoided you.” She said, looking mortified, insanely serious all of a sudden. “And it was stupid and I felt horrible the entire time.” The words were flowing freely now and she couldn’t stop them. She wasn’t entirely certain that she was making any sense at all. “Yeah, you were being an asshole, but I didn’t even try and do anything.” She looked back at him, sadness evident in her current expression. “I just didn’t want to screw anything up…make things worse. I felt like I was overstepping…” holding his hand, she has realized she slipped into a mumble. With her next words however, she found her voice and each word was stronger than the last. “I know I will probably have to hear you say sorry to me a million more times. But, that’s okay…because that will mean that you’re around. I might seem impossible and try and freeze you out but I will always, always forgive you no matter what.” Even against her stubbornness, if he was genuinely sorry, she would never be able to hold it against him.

When he blushed and nodded, affirming that he had said that he loved her she took note of how cute he was. Not that he hadn’t been attractive before, it had just been hard to really, really think that. She had grown up looking at his face. Morgan didn’t really have a concept of “attractive”, never thinking much on the matter of physicality. Skye was insanely beautiful, but that had been her heart too. She found herself blushing at the thought as well.

When she had spoken out verbally of her reciprocation, she was a bit mortified. Had she formed a coherent statement? Did she actually say words to Dante like she hoped she did or did just spout out random syllables? From his reaction, she was at least somewhat hopeful that she had said something that she had meant to. “Yeah, Really.” She said, even though it felt redundant and unnecessary.

Now the two of them together hasn’t been insanely articulate in this moment. Still, the things they were getting out were very necessary and very real. True, it hasn’t been some scene from a movie. It was just Morgan and Dante and they were standing in the hallway and not letting go of each other. Then he asked if he could kiss her and she didn’t know quite how she was going to respond. Most people would take that as a sign, but it was just how she worked. Morgan Calder never had an overwhelming desire for physical contact. She had never been filled with the sensation that she just had to kiss someone or she might die. And that was still how she was right now. That didn’t just change with a confession of love. But, she really was okay to kiss him, she even wanted to. The fact that he asked her first might be seen as “killing the mood” to any other person, but she was deeply appreciative of him for doing so. It made her in that moment comfortable enough to nod her head. “Yeah, yeah you can.” She mumbled, still blushing.

[dante-trainor]

When Morgan’s tone went serious, Dante listened intently at every word. He kept wanting to interject – tell her that she did nothing wrong and it was all his fault – but he felt she just needed to get this off her chest. Even if he didn’t deserve an apology from her. “I’m sorry,” he muttered again, in reply to her comment about hearing him apologize a million times. Because it was true. He was so sorry for everything he’d put her through these past few months, emotionally and socially, and he’d say it a million times. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” His words were persistent, but sweet as he gripped her hands tighter, shaking his head. “I’m sorry for what I did, I’m sorry that you have to apologize, I just…” he shook his head. He was glad she’d always forgive him, but disappointed in himself that it had to get to this point. “Thank you. For giving me another chance. I don’t think I’d ever regain my sanity if you didn’t.” 

Dante’s heart pounded in his chest as Morgan confirmed what he’d heard. It still didn’t seem real, but at the same time he felt incredibly real. Like he’d finally been true to himself, and to her, and…God, he wanted to kiss her. But he knew that they weren’t the type to spontaneously share a Nicholas Sparks-style kiss filled with pent-up passion and romance. Or whatever. With them, it took time. And Dante was okay with that. He watched Morgan’s face, really taking it in for the first time since Les Mis, and she was just as beautiful now as she was when he kissed her the first time. Yes, she looked different – like she’d been through a lot since then, and she had. But she was just as beautiful. Dante brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and waited for her response. If she said no, fine, they’d go even slower. But he was really hoping she’d say yes. 

And she did. Dante gulped, fighting the urge to ask ‘Really?!’ again. He took in a shaky breath and leaned in, slowly, not wanting to rush anything or get too carried away with emotions. Because he would, and the last thing he wanted was to make Morgan uncomfortable right now. So his mouth moved in a slow crawl before capturing her lips in his very softly, delicately, simultaneously trying not to treat her like some fragile object but also making sure he took extra care with her. This was weird for the both of them, but he knew it had to be weirder for her somehow. Dante pressed their lips together with a sharp inhale. It felt…Wow. Very right. Like everything finally began to make sense. After a few moments, Dante pulled away and placed his lips on her forehead instead, wanting to maintain the contact but not overwhelm her (and well, honestly, not to overwhelm himself either). “Well.” he chuckled, murmuring into her hair. “…Now would be a good time to say that I took your script on purpose, huh?”

[mutedmorgan]

He was rambling which didn’t really shock her. Heck, with Dante, she had been prone to rambling sometimes too. It was an odd moment between the two of them, but not out of character at all. It was comforting in this moment with all of these drastic circumstances, there were still things that didn’t change. There was a consistency that she could cling to with him and that was honestly one of the most important things right now. She wasn’t going to Harvard anymore, and honestly, she might never go there. As far as college, she always had a plan and a backup plan and a backup back up and now she wasn’t certain she was going to go in the fall. Not that she would tell Dante. She certainly wouldn’t tell him now. “Sorry.” She mumbled, almost going into another string of apologies. Instead, she stopped herself and smiled softly. “I think we’ve about covered that for now. “ She squeezed his hand lightly and realized just how much she liked holding it. It was really just…simple and nice.

She felt so small, nodding at him. Other girls would just probably kiss him themselves. They would have let this happen a long time ago or something like that. She had drawn it out forever, known this person for basically her entire life and didn’t acknowledge how she even felt until she was about to probably have to leave him for the longest stretch of time she’d ever known. Morgan didn’t even know if she was a good kisser, how to kiss him or anything like that. It was so unlike her to get help in anyway and having him have to take the lead was something that maybe she’d fight for anything else, but this was here and now and she couldn’t be more grateful. At least if she was a bad kisser she would still have her best friend. She didn’t really know if what she did had ruined a moment or whatever, but while she was thinking all these things, they suddenly came to a halt when he finally did kiss her.

Their lips touched and she felt happy. Not anxious at all. Morgan often mused about whether or not she actually would like kissing. She still wasn’t sure whether or not she liked kissing in general; she definitely, without a shred of doubt, liked kissing Dante. She liked it a whole lot. It ended all too quickly but honestly it was probably for the better. She sighed deeply, feeling a little light-headed like all of those damn stereotypes she usually wasn’t anything like. He kissed her on the forehead and she found herself smiling still. Upon his confession, she laughed a little too. “I had a hunch.” She mumbled still enjoying having him so close to her. “I guess it wasn’t….awful.”

It dawned on her how late it was. She wasn’t sure how long they’d been standing here like two fools, but she knew it was late when he’d come over in the first place.  Her dad wasn’t going to be back until the beginning of next week and very quickly she’d dropped her arms at her sides and blurted out her thoughts. “Do you want to maybe stay for a while tonight?” she asked, surprised at herself for saying that so suddenly. Understanding slowly the potential double meaning of her words, her face turned bright red and she began stuttering. “Oh my God, not like that…not…I mean.” She had to stop herself though she was completely mortified. She looked down at the floor, frowning slightly, feeling that she had made this just too awkward. “I just really didn’t be alone right now. For this long…” She’d been doing alright so far, but the isolation was scary to her and she was afraid she was going to get bad again. “I don’t want you to go.” She mumbled.

[mutedmorgan]

Right. Shakespeare’s tricky but we’ll figure it out. We’ve got time to figure this out. You know, together...

[dante-trainor]

I like the sound of that. Together. Like, senior prom is a thing. And attending it together sounds like the best way, don’t you think? 

[mutedmorgan]

Me? And you? And dancing? Dante Trainor you are a glutton for punishment.

But yeah. I guess that would be alright... because you want to. Together is alright, we can try that. 

It’s a resounding yes.

[mutedmorgan]

Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.

Maybe I’m getting the hang of this play thing. 

[dante-trainor]

O Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine! To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?

Took me forever to realize that it was “eyne” and not “eye”. But I’ve got it now, and I’m glad you’ve got it too. I am very much looking forward to rehearsals now that we’ve both…got it. 

[mutedmorgan]

Right. Shakespeare’s tricky but we’ll figure it out. We’ve got time to figure this out. You know, together...

[mutedmorgan]

Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.

Maybe I’m getting the hang of this play thing. 

[positivelyprimeval]

You’re doing fine and all…but where is all the melodrama? You and the others don’t sound on the verge of death when you’re speaking your lines… What gives… I want to see the TRUTH of YOUTH. I don’t care if this is a comedy.

[mutedmorgan]

Starting to. I didn’t expect to get put in another role like this. I can sing fine...but you know this isn’t my strongest point. You’re really passionate about this stuff so I really do appreciate the feedback.

[mutedmorgan]

Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.

Maybe I’m getting the hang of this play thing. 

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

[mutedmorgan]

“To be honest, I’ve never really understood Shakespeare. I had to read everything a million times.” it was probably a strange admission coming from the girl who had one some sort of contest in the seventh grade for her use of iambic pentameter. She had slaved over that nonsense for days to get it just right. It had made her so miserable.She really loved music. She always had. Thinking back on it, she did a lot of musicals as a younger kid, a lot of them with Dante. Into the Woods had probably been one of the better parts of it. It hadn’t mattered about being good . What mattered was having the best time possible, and getting to spend that time with her best friend was just right. And it had always served as a great memory.n her favorite. It was always funny to see Dante lugging that stupid cow around stage. He’d tripped once. But it It had been funny. It was all so simple before.

When she had done what she did he was rambling at first. She didn’t really register what he said because she was too preoccupied with the physical contact that she had just instigated. That was so unlike her to do that, but she didn’t regret it at all. which that was probably a good thing since she lived her life in constant fear of having regrets.

And he hugged her back and it was just the most natural and wonderful thing in the world. Being with him, really having him here where she could see him and feel him…it was like maybe in that moment things could be okay. It wouldn’t magically fix all of her problems but it sure as hell just made it a lot more tolerable. He thought she was invincible, that she could do anything .That is what he always told her and it had never been true.  But with him she felt like maybe she could do a lot moretan being alone.

“I don’t want to keep missing you.” she said, nodding in agreement when he mentioned how awful the past few months had been. It had been miserable for her too. He was a giant part of her life and she didn’t really notice how much until he’d been gone. He let go a little, and immediately she wanted to cling to him, but she didn’t. She just froze. Last time…she didn’t even want to think about that day in the lab. The memory of how she had come apart, well, she couldn’t even remember it. It was like a dream, the whole memory foggy and unclear. That’s why she didn’t talk about it , because she didn’t know if half of the things he had said had just been her imagination. He loved her…that’s what he said. It had seemed like wishful thinking, or something that she may have just misinterpreted. “Yeah, I know. You were kind of being an asshole.” she mumbled back, finding her hand moving to take his and locking their fingers. She bit her lip again. “I believe that you said that you loved me…that’s what you mean right?” she was barely audible, it was so hard to say. She was almost expecting him to be like “just kidding” or freak up and back up and say “woah, not how I meant it, sis!” or something like that. It was way too late now.  It was already progressing much faster. “I maybe…No I do..I mean…I.”

She had to slow herself down. He said it, she loved him too, why was it so hard to say it back? Because logically, it didn’t make any sense for him to still love her. At one point in time, it made sense. They had bee ntogether their entire lives and it was very possible. But that was a different Morgan, wasn’t ot? Maybe he loved the old Morgan, but this new one? It just wasn’t the same person and she could not comprehend how his feelings still managed to still keep going through everything. She took a deep breath, still not letting go of his hand. Morgan forced herself to look right into Dante’s eyes and the next words just spilled out. “I love you.” 

[dante-trainor]

“You never understood Shakespeare? Wow. Had me fooled.” was all Dante could really say, though he knew Morgan preferred musicals over Shakespeare. But hey, she was Morgan – even when she was bad at something, she was still pretty good. But she definitely had the talent for both plays and musicals and always had. When Dante was cowering in the middle school and community theatre ensembles of musicals as a kid, she was always there, too. How appropriate that they would be ending high school this way; Not just in a production together, but together, the way they were now, embracing. Dante had been afraid that he’d have to graduate and go off on tour with his stepdad and leave their friendship in that weird state they’d been in for the past few months. He was so relieved. 

Dante didn’t want to let her go, it felt so nice to have her there. Even when she was acknowledging how much of an asshole he’d been. He couldn’t even argue – it was the truth. He’d be the first to call himself an asshole. So Dante just laughed and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry, by the way. You know me – I never intend to be a jerk, I just…” His voice trailed off when he realized that he really had no excuse. Well, nothing that was easier to say than ‘I was confused about my feelings for you and handled them like a kindergartener’. 

The atmosphere changed when he brought up that day and what he’d said. Saying that was so dumb, Dante didn’t even know if she’d remember or understand. He hadn’t even realized he said it until after it came out. But when Morgan took his hand in hers and interlaced their fingers, he kind of knew that she knew. She said what he had said out loud – that he loved her, and Dante felt the blood rush to his cheeks and his face turn bright red. He nodded in assurance. It was weird to hear it out loud. It was absurd and cliche, that he loved his best friend…But it was also true. And now they both knew it. And after all the crap he’d put her through? There was no way she felt the same. 

She was Morgan – She was smart, he was dumb, they were friends. Sometimes they hated each other, most times they were almost too comfortable together. That was how it had always been.  But when she began stuttering and fumbling over her words, his foolish heart had some hope. Dante watched her lips intently as she formed every almost-sentence, until finally, she said it. She said the words. And admittedly, Dante was taken aback. Maybe his heart wasn’t so foolish after all. He had no doubt that the expression on his face was not one he should have after a girl professed her love for him.  

“…Wait, what? I mean…Wow, I- I mean…” He knew his idiocy was costing them a very romantic moment right now, but he couldn’t help it. He still couldn’t wrap his head around this idea that they loved each other. That they were in love. All he could do was say the first things that popped into his head and hope that he wouldn’t screw this up. Dammit, Dante, of all the times to screw up, do not do it now.  “…Can I kiss you? Like, for real this time?”

[mutedmorgan]

She laughed softly. “I really didn’t. My sisters were absolutely no help. I had to figure it out all on my own.” Her expression sobered a bit because it was a pretty accurate description of her entire life. Morgan had learned at a young age that it would be much more advantageous to try and learn things and complete tasks on her own time. It had probably been better for her education in the long run. Her attention span was actually quite terrible and forcing herself onto specific tasks had been nothing short of miserable. Still, she managed to learn and get things done.

Morgan just stood there and listened to him apologize. The two of them were constantly apologizing, it seemed like. Still, she had something else to say, even though they had been saying sorry their entire lives. “I avoided you.” She said, looking mortified, insanely serious all of a sudden. “And it was stupid and I felt horrible the entire time.” The words were flowing freely now and she couldn’t stop them. She wasn’t entirely certain that she was making any sense at all. “Yeah, you were being an asshole, but I didn’t even try and do anything.” She looked back at him, sadness evident in her current expression. “I just didn’t want to screw anything up…make things worse. I felt like I was overstepping…” holding his hand, she has realized she slipped into a mumble. With her next words however, she found her voice and each word was stronger than the last. “I know I will probably have to hear you say sorry to me a million more times. But, that’s okay…because that will mean that you’re around. I might seem impossible and try and freeze you out but I will always, always forgive you no matter what.” Even against her stubbornness, if he was genuinely sorry, she would never be able to hold it against him.

When he blushed and nodded, affirming that he had said that he loved her she took note of how cute he was. Not that he hadn’t been attractive before, it had just been hard to really, really think that. She had grown up looking at his face. Morgan didn’t really have a concept of “attractive”, never thinking much on the matter of physicality. Skye was insanely beautiful, but that had been her heart too. She found herself blushing at the thought as well.

When she had spoken out verbally of her reciprocation, she was a bit mortified. Had she formed a coherent statement? Did she actually say words to Dante like she hoped she did or did just spout out random syllables? From his reaction, she was at least somewhat hopeful that she had said something that she had meant to. “Yeah, Really.” She said, even though it felt redundant and unnecessary.

Now the two of them together hasn’t been insanely articulate in this moment. Still, the things they were getting out were very necessary and very real. True, it hasn’t been some scene from a movie. It was just Morgan and Dante and they were standing in the hallway and not letting go of each other. Then he asked if he could kiss her and she didn’t know quite how she was going to respond. Most people would take that as a sign, but it was just how she worked. Morgan Calder never had an overwhelming desire for physical contact. She had never been filled with the sensation that she just had to kiss someone or she might die. And that was still how she was right now. That didn’t just change with a confession of love. But, she really was okay to kiss him, she even wanted to. The fact that he asked her first might be seen as “killing the mood” to any other person, but she was deeply appreciative of him for doing so. It made her in that moment comfortable enough to nod her head. “Yeah, yeah you can.” She mumbled, still blushing.

[wowtastic-nature]

💙 Swishes and Swirls on 500px by Xenedis ☀  Canon EOS 5D Mark II-f/11-1s-16mm-iso100, 3744✱5616px-rating:98.0

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

[mutedmorgan]

She nodded. “I think a musical would have been much more accessible than a play, you know what I mean?” it was some pretty lame small talk. But it was still something and for that something she was quite grateful for that. When they were standing there looking back and forth at each other and she was beginning to feel like maybe asking him in had been a stupid idea all along. But then he stuttered, came inside and for a moment she felt relieved.  she was glad to be around him even though she was feeling so conflicted about it.

Then he said something about her dad not being around. Great, so she did look like a mess. Morgan wanted to crawl under the covers. She was slightly mortified by his comment. “Yeah…me too.” she mumbled. Now she was mortified for another reason. “Yeah no, its fine. I got it.” still she found herself frowning. She needed to get over that really quickly. “I’m okay. Not a lot going on.” That was an understatement but boy was that a change. 

After awhile of just standing there, she knew that something would have to change. Maybe not all at once and maybe not something drastic.But things really did to change. She couldn’t take this anymore. “i’m sorry can we just…start over?” she said, confused by what she was doing herself. Morgan looked down at the floor, biting her lip. She felt pretty self-conscious but she didn’t care. She stepped forward to Dante and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “I miss you.” she mumbled, not wanting to let go. All of her better judgement, her resentment she had placed towards herself and the world. ..right now it didn’t matter one bit. She was here with Dante. She was here with her best friends in the whole world. He wasn’t going anywhere if she had anything to say about it.

[dante-trainor]

“Yeah,  a musical is so much more up my alley.” Dante shook his head with a roll of the eyes – If anyone had told him a year ago that he’d be ending his senior year in a Shakespeare play, he’d have laughed in their face. At least with Les Mis, he knew what he was doing. With this, he hardly knew what he was saying. But hey, it was an experience and he got to spend some time with Morgan (despite her being standoffish) and Clara (despite Ezra’s incessant flirting). Dante was having…as much fun as he could with it.

After his fumble, he wouldn’t have blamed Morgan for just kicking him out right then and there. First, he made her a social pariah by kissing her, then he called her crazy? Yeah, totally best friend material. He was very prepared for the Morgan-cold-shoulder that he was very familiar with by now, but was completely taken aback when she asked if they could start over. He watched her face, confused by her words. He wasn’t sure what she meant, but he knew that she probably just wanted things back to normal, and that was all that mattered. “…That sounds great. Yeah.” he began, but was cut off by her arms around him, throwing him off his balance for a second, but he was able to regain it. 

It took Dante a second to process, before fully and wholeheartedly reciprocating. He squeezed her, hard, not wanting to let go. Having her there with him, in his arms, felt so good and very right. “I miss you too.” he murmured back. Her hair was getting in his mouth, but he didn’t care. He just hugged her tighter. “These last few months have just…sucked.” He shook his head, comparing how he felt a minute ago to how he felt now, and this felt like a weight was being lifted from his shoulders. Dante slackened his grip on her slightly, and said, barely audible. “…I meant what I said…that day, you know.” He hoped she knew what he meant by that – Dante didn’t want to have to elaborate and make things a million times more awkward. 

[mutedmorgan]

“To be honest, I’ve never really understood Shakespeare. I had to read everything a million times.” it was probably a strange admission coming from the girl who had one some sort of contest in the seventh grade for her use of iambic pentameter. She had slaved over that nonsense for days to get it just right. It had made her so miserable.She really loved music. She always had. Thinking back on it, she did a lot of musicals as a younger kid, a lot of them with Dante. Into the Woods had probably been one of the better parts of it. It hadn’t mattered about being good . What mattered was having the best time possible, and getting to spend that time with her best friend was just right. And it had always served as a great memory.n her favorite. It was always funny to see Dante lugging that stupid cow around stage. He’d tripped once. But it It had been funny. It was all so simple before.

When she had done what she did he was rambling at first. She didn’t really register what he said because she was too preoccupied with the physical contact that she had just instigated. That was so unlike her to do that, but she didn’t regret it at all. which that was probably a good thing since she lived her life in constant fear of having regrets.

And he hugged her back and it was just the most natural and wonderful thing in the world. Being with him, really having him here where she could see him and feel him...it was like maybe in that moment things could be okay. It wouldn’t magically fix all of her problems but it sure as hell just made it a lot more tolerable. He thought she was invincible, that she could do anything .That is what he always told her and it had never been true.  But with him she felt like maybe she could do a lot moretan being alone.

“I don’t want to keep missing you.” she said, nodding in agreement when he mentioned how awful the past few months had been. It had been miserable for her too. He was a giant part of her life and she didn’t really notice how much until he’d been gone. He let go a little, and immediately she wanted to cling to him, but she didn’t. She just froze. Last time...she didn’t even want to think about that day in the lab. The memory of how she had come apart, well, she couldn’t even remember it. It was like a dream, the whole memory foggy and unclear. That’s why she didn’t talk about it , because she didn’t know if half of the things he had said had just been her imagination. He loved her...that’s what he said. It had seemed like wishful thinking, or something that she may have just misinterpreted. “Yeah, I know. You were kind of being an asshole.” she mumbled back, finding her hand moving to take his and locking their fingers. She bit her lip again. “I believe that you said that you loved me...that’s what you mean right?” she was barely audible, it was so hard to say. She was almost expecting him to be like “just kidding” or freak up and back up and say “woah, not how I meant it, sis!” or something like that. It was way too late now.  It was already progressing much faster. “I maybe...No I do..I mean...I.”

She had to slow herself down. He said it, she loved him too, why was it so hard to say it back? Because logically, it didn’t make any sense for him to still love her. At one point in time, it made sense. They had bee ntogether their entire lives and it was very possible. But that was a different Morgan, wasn’t ot? Maybe he loved the old Morgan, but this new one? It just wasn’t the same person and she could not comprehend how his feelings still managed to still keep going through everything. She took a deep breath, still not letting go of his hand. Morgan forced herself to look right into Dante’s eyes and the next words just spilled out. “I love you.” 

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

[mutedmorgan]

 She wanted to just let herself be happy about seeing him but instead she felt anxious. Morgan legitimately had herself convinced that they were just super close friends and nothing else was going on. She hadn’t been jealous of Clara because of any romantic feelings for Dante, she was just being selfish and didn’t like sharing her people. She had been doing a whole lot of rationalizing in her lifetime and now was no exception. Everything was just more frustrating because having the answers, the logic, and the reasoning did not make the reality any easier. The reality of the situation was that she was pacing around the living room just waiting for her doorbell to ring. She would open it and see him on the other side. She would get her script and mostly she had no idea how to proceed from that point forward.

When it finally rang she had to take a moment to compose herself before opening the door. How pathetic was that? There he was, just as she knew he was going to be. He was just standing there with her script. Why did she feel so small right now? It was just Dante. He had come to her door loads of times before! This wasn’t, it shouldn’t be any different. If she wasn’t so uneasy herself, she may have taken notice to the fact that he looked just as uneasy as she did. Morgan might also have considered the fact that it would be very much like Dante to take her script on purpose as a means of trying to start some more communication. It was all very possible, and if that happened to be true, she couldn’t blame him. She hadn’t really left him very many options. After that freak out he witnessed, there was no disputing her mental instability. “Hey.” She murmered. Wow, she had gotten super articulate in the past few months. It was like she was talking to someone she didn’t know or something. Why was she making this so difficult?

She took the script from his outstretched hand. “Seriously though, thanks so much. I don’t really have Act 2 as solid…” she trailed off, looking back at him. They both knew that no one had to be off book for another month or so and she was just making excuses. No matter what had happened so far, nothing could completely destroy the over-achieving monster living inside her. It had been growing up with her since birth and it was just a part of who she was now. Her posture was awful as she shifted her weight from one foot to another. You could tell that the warmth had been gone between the two of them for some time now. It was so strange, and she didn’t like it. But she didn’t know what to do about it. That was the sort of thing you couldn’t really force, it was a natural reaction. It  wasn’t as if she wanted it to be gone. She really wanted it back, but she felt like a completely different person now. Maybe that Morgan wasn’t a person he wanted to be best friends with….though he’d probably fight that notion like hell for as long as possible because that’s just who he was.

Her brain was flying through a number of topics, going a million miles a minute to the point where she lost any sort of coherency. That’s why it was such a shock to her when she opened her mouth and said “Do you want to come inside for a bit, maybe?” she didn’t even know what they would do? They could watch a movie or talk or whatever. It had never been this much of a dilemma before. They used to do this all of the time. Why couldn’t she just stop being crazy long enough to enjoy time with him or Skye? She looked up at him kind of slowly. “I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want.” It was sort of late anyway. She was kind of a killjoy right now so even if he did decide to come in she didn’t think the exchange would last very long. He’d probably ditch out within the next hour. Morgan wouldn’t blame him.

[dante-trainor]

“Hey.” Dante responded to her muttered greeting, handing her the script. He had so much he wanted to say, but every word got caught in his throat. It had never been hard to talk to Morgan, so why was it now? Why, after years of friendship, did a few little incidents make it impossible for them to get things back to normal? He had to realize that, now that he knew what he felt about her, nothing would ever be the same. But how could he get them to better than before? That was the question. She had thanked him, and Dante had to fumble up a response. “N-no problem. Yeah, I’m…I’m hardly off-book, too. I’m not really…good with learning lines when there’s no score behind them.” He gave a small chuckle, though it was entirely insincere. 

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Typical Dante, making jokes when he was nervous. That’s the kind of crap that got him into messes like this – never truly feeling anything. The only thing that made him feel better about this was the fact that she seemed just as uncomfortable as he did. Sure, Dante liked to be the savior in situations like this, but right now he was just so burnt out, his savior complex could only carry him far enough to reach Morgan’s doorstep, and not much farther. Everything else he had to do on his own. 

Dante eyed her, trying to find some facial cue or something on what to say or do instead of standing awkwardly at her door. But all Dante saw was that Morgan looked…disheveled. Better, but still disheveled. Was she doing okay? Clearly, if her father left her here by herself. Dante was about to give into his apprehensions and inability to speak his mind, turn on his heel, and leave, but then Morgan invited him inside. That certainly took him by surprise, so he hesistated for a moment, but Dante was not about to turn that down. “Yeah! No, totally, I’m all up for that. Yeah.” he nodded vigorously and stepped over Morgan’s threshold, and into the house. He glanced around for a moment, taking in the house that he hadn’t visited in months. 

“I’m kind of surprised your dad left you here alone like that.” he blurted, but as soon as it came out, he realized that sounded bad. “I mean, in an ‘overprotective parent’ kind of way, not in a way that…makes you seem unfit to…” Dante felt his face redden as he just stopped talking – Not even inside her house for thirty seconds and he’d already messed things up. “I’m gonna shut up now. How have you been?” He gave a shrug, hoping it’d lighten the awkward mood he’d accidentally created. 

[mutedmorgan]

She nodded. “I think a musical would have been much more accessible than a play, you know what I mean?” it was some pretty lame small talk. But it was still something and for that something she was quite grateful for that. When they were standing there looking back and forth at each other and she was beginning to feel like maybe asking him in had been a stupid idea all along. But then he stuttered, came inside and for a moment she felt relieved.  she was glad to be around him even though she was feeling so conflicted about it.

Then he said something about her dad not being around. Great, so she did look like a mess. Morgan wanted to crawl under the covers. She was slightly mortified by his comment. “Yeah...me too.” she mumbled. Now she was mortified for another reason. “Yeah no, its fine. I got it.” still she found herself frowning. She needed to get over that really quickly. “I’m okay. Not a lot going on.” That was an understatement but boy was that a change. 

After awhile of just standing there, she knew that something would have to change. Maybe not all at once and maybe not something drastic.But things really did to change. She couldn’t take this anymore. “i’m sorry can we just...start over?” she said, confused by what she was doing herself. Morgan looked down at the floor, biting her lip. She felt pretty self-conscious but she didn’t care. She stepped forward to Dante and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “I miss you.” she mumbled, not wanting to let go. All of her better judgement, her resentment she had placed towards herself and the world. ..right now it didn’t matter one bit. She was here with Dante. She was here with her best friends in the whole world. He wasn’t going anywhere if she had anything to say about it.

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

It wasn’t that she had been avoiding Dante so much as she’d been detaching from reality itself. Ever since her breakdown in the science lab, things hadn’t really been the same. She was removed from a few honors classes. She was no longer participating in the science fair and really wasn’t too certain about her present involvement in the play. She had gotten a lead, but was that going to be good enough? After her performance as Eponine they knew she was talented, but she had never expected to land yet another lead role. Then again, others seemed to be more confident in her abilities than she was. But to do this right, she needed to know here lines and get off book on time. In order to learn her lines she needed a script. The script that she had so carelessly left behind. The last thing she needed to do was fuck up another Oakvale production.

When Dante said that he had it, she was relieved. When he said he wanted to bring it over, she felt anxious. Not that she had any real reason to be, she just didn’t feel insanely social, well, ever. And with him, he’d seen her fall apart. She wasn’t the same Morgan to him anymore and she just felt so odd around him. It was like something between them was so different. She wasn’t stupid, she knew that she loved him. But had it been all in her head that maybe he liked her too? It didn’t matter. It really didn’t matter because she was crazy and he wanted old Morgan. Nobody wanted crazy.

Still, he was going to head over and it was only a matter of time before he arrived.  She caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror. God, she looked like a mess. She at least pulled her hair back into a quick braid. True, she had been sulking a bit but there was no reason to make it that obvious. Not that there wiould be any reason in trying to look nice for Dante. He had seen her in each and every degree of fucking up. Staring resentfully at the medicine on the counter, and took her afternoon dose. She didn’t know how much she wanted to be around him, a lot, or not at all. Damn, life was confusing right now.

[dante-trainor]

Dante had been trying to give Morgan space ever since that…weird day in the chemistry lab. Sure, he’d seen many sides of her in the past year, from perfect star-student, to sopping wet from the rain drinking tea in his living room, to hyperventilating on the floor of a chemistry lab. But this time, he figured since he’d been quite a bit of the cause of her meltdown he was sure, that he should give her some space. But it was so hard. Morgan was his best friend. Naturally, he’d want to be around her. And he’d told her he loved her that day, and it was true. He loved her, in every sense of the word. And if she didn’t feel the same, it was fine. But Dante decided that he needed to stop being afraid and just…talk to her. 

So that’s why he stole her script at rehearsal. “Stole” is a strong word, more like “accidentally-on-purpose picked it up with his own script”. It would be something to break the ice between them that had been building up for weeks, and give them something to talk about. Dante needed to see her outside of awkwardly blocking Midsummer Night’s Dream– though she seemed fine, he was concerned. A day like the one in the chem lab was something that stuck with a person. He couldn’t unsee it and needed to see if she was alright. Like, really alright. 

Pulling up to her house, Dante parked in the driveway, and with slightly-trembling hands picked up her script off of the passenger seat. He walked up to her front step and rang the doorbell, mentally rehearsing what to say in his head. ‘Hey Morgan, here’s your script, I love you, can we be best friends again?’ sounded too to-the-point. ‘Uh, hey. Let’s hang out or something.’ was too vague. ‘Hey. Can I kiss you?’ was way too bold, though that was exactly what was going through his mind. He’d wanted to kiss her again – for real this time – ever since Les Mis, but given the circumstances, that hadn’t been an option. And it still wasn’t. 

[mutedmorgan]

She wanted to just let herself be happy about seeing him but instead she felt anxious. Morgan legitimately had herself convinced that they were just super close friends and nothing else was going on. She hadn’t been jealous of Clara because of any romantic feelings for Dante, she was just being selfish and didn’t like sharing her people. She had been doing a whole lot of rationalizing in her lifetime and now was no exception. Everything was just more frustrating because having the answers, the logic, and the reasoning did not make the reality any easier. The reality of the situation was that she was pacing around the living room just waiting for her doorbell to ring. She would open it and see him on the other side. She would get her script and mostly she had no idea how to proceed from that point forward.

When it finally rang she had to take a moment to compose herself before opening the door. How pathetic was that? There he was, just as she knew he was going to be. He was just standing there with her script. Why did she feel so small right now? It was just Dante. He had come to her door loads of times before! This wasn’t, it shouldn’t be any different. If she wasn’t so uneasy herself, she may have taken notice to the fact that he looked just as uneasy as she did. Morgan might also have considered the fact that it would be very much like Dante to take her script on purpose as a means of trying to start some more communication. It was all very possible, and if that happened to be true, she couldn’t blame him. She hadn’t really left him very many options. After that freak out he witnessed, there was no disputing her mental instability. “Hey.” She murmered. Wow, she had gotten super articulate in the past few months. It was like she was talking to someone she didn’t know or something. Why was she making this so difficult?

She took the script from his outstretched hand. “Seriously though, thanks so much. I don’t really have Act 2 as solid…” she trailed off, looking back at him. They both knew that no one had to be off book for another month or so and she was just making excuses. No matter what had happened so far, nothing could completely destroy the over-achieving monster living inside her. It had been growing up with her since birth and it was just a part of who she was now. Her posture was awful as she shifted her weight from one foot to another. You could tell that the warmth had been gone between the two of them for some time now. It was so strange, and she didn’t like it. But she didn’t know what to do about it. That was the sort of thing you couldn’t really force, it was a natural reaction. It  wasn’t as if she wanted it to be gone. She really wanted it back, but she felt like a completely different person now. Maybe that Morgan wasn’t a person he wanted to be best friends with….though he’d probably fight that notion like hell for as long as possible because that’s just who he was.

Her brain was flying through a number of topics, going a million miles a minute to the point where she lost any sort of coherency. That’s why it was such a shock to her when she opened her mouth and said “Do you want to come inside for a bit, maybe?” she didn’t even know what they would do? They could watch a movie or talk or whatever. It had never been this much of a dilemma before. They used to do this all of the time. Why couldn’t she just stop being crazy long enough to enjoy time with him or Skye? She looked up at him kind of slowly. “I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want.” It was sort of late anyway. She was kind of a killjoy right now so even if he did decide to come in she didn’t think the exchange would last very long. He’d probably ditch out within the next hour. Morgan wouldn’t blame him.

[mutedmorgan]

The Exchange || Dante

It wasn’t that she had been avoiding Dante so much as she’d been detaching from reality itself. Ever since her breakdown in the science lab, things hadn’t really been the same. She was removed from a few honors classes. She was no longer participating in the science fair and really wasn’t too certain about her present involvement in the play. She had gotten a lead, but was that going to be good enough? After her performance as Eponine they knew she was talented, but she had never expected to land yet another lead role. Then again, others seemed to be more confident in her abilities than she was. But to do this right, she needed to know here lines and get off book on time. In order to learn her lines she needed a script. The script that she had so carelessly left behind. The last thing she needed to do was fuck up another Oakvale production.

When Dante said that he had it, she was relieved. When he said he wanted to bring it over, she felt anxious. Not that she had any real reason to be, she just didn’t feel insanely social, well, ever. And with him, he’d seen her fall apart. She wasn’t the same Morgan to him anymore and she just felt so odd around him. It was like something between them was so different. She wasn’t stupid, she knew that she loved him. But had it been all in her head that maybe he liked her too? It didn’t matter. It really didn’t matter because she was crazy and he wanted old Morgan. Nobody wanted crazy.

Still, he was going to head over and it was only a matter of time before he arrived.  She caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror. God, she looked like a mess. She at least pulled her hair back into a quick braid. True, she had been sulking a bit but there was no reason to make it that obvious. Not that there wiould be any reason in trying to look nice for Dante. He had seen her in each and every degree of fucking up. Staring resentfully at the medicine on the counter, and took her afternoon dose. She didn’t know how much she wanted to be around him, a lot, or not at all. Damn, life was confusing right now.

[mutedmorgan]

Anyone seen my script?

[mutedmorgan]

Thanks a lot. I was starting to freak out a little bit, sure. Uh…yeah. that’d be okay. My dad’s out of town on business so you don’t have to park on the street if you don’t want. 

[dante-trainor]

Oh, sweet. Cool. Awesome. Solid. Well, let me just finish up my Gov homework, and I’ll be right over. 

[mutedmorgan]

Yeah... I mean great. I mean...See you soon.

[mutedmorgan]

Anyone seen my script?

I’m stupid and I left it at rehearsal.

[dante-trainor]

I have it, actually. Must have gotten mixed up with mine. I can get it back to you before next rehearsal? Like, I can come over or something. 

[mutedmorgan]

Thanks a lot. I was starting to freak out a little bit, sure. Uh...yeah. that’d be okay. My dad’s out of town on business so you don’t have to park on the street if you don’t want. 

[mutedmorgan]

Anyone seen my script?

I’m stupid and I left it at rehearsal.