Bruised and Scarred

Trevor Golwyn. 19. I don't say much, but when I do you should listen. "Confession is always weakness. The grave soul keeps its own secrets, and takes its own punishment in silence." -Dorothy Dix

[mina-roberts]

Of course they do. There’s this conception that the way to impress others is to show off talents, positive traits, or what people believe to be “cool”. Appearing to be smart is one way to do that. Obviously, the person is sizing you up, thinking that the smarter they are the better they’ll be in your book. Or they’re trying to match up to you. Finding your intelligence intimidating. 

You know when a girl is interested in you, they all of sudden like the same things you do. Or they appear to be some fucking “perfect” woman in the first couple of months. Then you know.. the real colors show.

[torturedtrevor]

Are you some kind of magical sociologist sent to teach me the ways of the world?

[misselenalovely]

Pretentious people just believe that acting like that will get them farther in life— take my mother for example. 

[torturedtrevor]

I think it's pretty weird. I mean, I know what the words mean, but I don't use them on a regular basis...when do you need some of these words in normal conversation? I hope you don't have to deal with too many in-depth conversations with her.

[the-daily-funk]

[torturedtrevor]

the-daily-funk:

On ManCrushMonday, there can be NO other! The man, the myth, legend… Nolan Funk!

[mina-roberts]

Everyone wants to appear smarter than what they really are. Most of the time they don’t expect you to know the true definition.

[torturedtrevor]

Do people really care that much about appearing smart? 

[scoutvanhouten]

Blank Tiles|| Scout & Trevor

[scoutvanhouten]

She was getting that ‘first date’ feeling, Scout realized. Her stomach was in fluttery knots, and every nerve in her body was in constant anticipation; perhaps his hand would sweep over hers, or their legs would touch, that sort of thing. She hadn’t felt this way in a long time, having long since given up romantic pursuits for what she considered more lasting and important causes; her dance career. She’d given every single ounce of herself over to the ballet world, to performing. She’d even sold her soul to the Underworld, so to speak, to keep up with everything. Now that she was in this situation, the kind every normal teenage girl dreams about and prepares for,she felt completely out of her element. What if it wasn’t a date? It probably wasn’t a date. But what if it was? It could be. Scout sighed audibly as she pushed her hair back, keeping her eyes trained on the tiles before her. "Hmm?" Scout said, lifting her eyes to see him standing up and retreating. She’d been so caught up in her mental dilemma she hadn’t fully realized what he was saying until this moment. He’d got her something? Her heart rate sped up excitedly as she saw him approaching her with the boxed object. She didn’t know what it could be, but the fact that he’d gotten her something at all clearly meant something, right? Unless she was reading too much into it, of course. Which was a very possible possibility. Shut up, Scout, she thought to herself. Even the voice in her head was annoying. She reached out,a look of intense flattery on her face. When she grabbed the gold box, the skin of their hands briefly touched, and she felt as if she’d been electrified. Instantly blushing, she looked up at him and said, ” You didn’t have to get me anything.”  When she opened it, she read the gold lettering on the powder blue ribbon aloud. ” ‘Honourable Mention’.” She instantly burst out into excited giggles, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear as she looked up at him, sobering enough to shake her head at him. ” Thank you,” she started, unclasping the pin so she could get it on the left side close to her heart. Wryly, she added, “But I am going to be the winner today.” She figured out the word she was going to spell, carefully switching the tiles on the stand so that it was in the right order. “Who starts, me or you?”

[torturedtrevor]

Trevor kept his cool very well, even though his mind was wandering off in about a million different directions. His competitive side tried to keep his attention on the game, but every other part of him was focused on Scout. Except the parts that only focused on...no, he wouldn't let those thoughts invade this date. He'd decided that it was definitely a date, because if it wasn't...he wouldn't care what she was thinking. Of course there was the part that was screaming 'but what if its not a date' in the back of his mind, but he ignored it in favor of the idea that he was on a date with a beautiful ballerina that he'd had his eye on. 

The moment their hands brushed against one another's, he felt it. He didn't know what it was, but he'd felt it...a spark. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and he wondered if she'd felt it, too. "I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to. I know it's no trophy, but hopefully it'll suffice for now." he replied. His gift had gotten the desired effect, she hadn't even opened it and she already seemed pretty happy. It was obvious that her mind was elsewhere also, so he decided to make the first move-- literally. "I'll go." He said, swiftly putting down the tiles that spelled 'beauty' down the middle of the board.

He glanced up at her and smirked, as he pulled new tiles from the bag. "So..." he started, haphazardly running a hand through his hair. He knew that it would nag him all night if he didn't clear the air now. "You now how you said this was a non-date, right?" he asked, gesturing towards her. "Your move." he said, crossing one arm over the other and peeking at his set of new tiles.  

[torturedtrevor]

Why do people even bother to use words that they don't know the definitions of?

[scoutvanhouten]

Blank Tiles|| Scout & Trevor

Scout wondered if she was reading into things. Maybe the guy really did just…like Scrabble. It was a good game, and didn’t take as much time as Monopoly or as much skill as chess. All in all, it could’ve very easily been the game that he was interested in. Nevertheless, Scout changed her outfit three times before finally settling on a black, graphic T-shirt with cut-off sleeves and gold writing that read “Summertime Sadness”. She’d tossed a light denim jacket over it, and a white A-line mini skirt with a pair of gladiator sandals. Her hair had just enough wave to it that she could get away with it, so she left it.Sneaking past her mom and sister since she didn’t want to answer any questions, she waited outside for five minutes prior to their meet time. "No cheating," she told him when they’d gotten to his place and started to set up the game. It was a warning that kind of went without saying but, she still felt that voicing it would prove that she was a worthy adversary in the games of moving wooden tiles to get points. She’d played with Patch a lot growing up, and her elder sister was an English teacher so it probably had trained in the fine art of spelling. Scout looked at the set of letters she had received, biting her bottom lip as she tried to figure out what word she should spell first.

[torturedtrevor]

Trevor had been going on dates more often in the past weeks, but something about this one seemed different-- even though it had been specified that it wasn't actually a date. He couldn't figure out if that made him feel relieved or disappointed, but who was to say hat doesn't start out as a date can't end as one? Maybe he was over-analyzing it before it even started, he had a tendency to do that. What did one wear to play Scrabble? He put on a blue and white striped polo and a pair of khaki cargo shorts with all white sneakers. After giving himself a quick lookover in the mirror he went to pick her up at the address that she'd text him earlier.

"I don't need to cheat, don't worry." he assured her, glancing over the small wooden tiles in front of him. He rearranged them a few times, trying to find the perfect word to play first-- then he saw it. But before the game started, he had to give her the small gift that he'd gotten her as a peace offering. "So, I got you something, that way you can be proud no matter which way the game goes." he started, walking over and picking up a tiny box from his coffee table, containing the Honorable Mention ribbon that he'd gotten her. He would have actually gotten her the Girl Scout trophy, but he decided this was a far better decision. "Hope you like it." he said, holding out the gold box. 

[scoutvanhouten]

Yes, cow udders are gone, but let’s make it forever. That would be great. [She raises a brow at him.] Mrs. Peterson doesn’t really let strange boys come and watch us dance. No matter how cute or charming, so you’re kind of out of luck. But, you could probably come to our summer recital. If you bought a ticket. [She laughs.] Shameless advertising.

No, no! It wasn’t you, it was me. I just…I don’t understand compliments very well. They make my brain all mushy. Even though my brain is mostly mushy as it is. So yeah, don’t shut up, I’ll shut up. Or we can both shut up. Or neither of us can shut up. It’ll probably be that last one since I can’t seem to stop talking.[She pauses to catch her breath.] So Scrabble. Um, tomorrow night? Wherever you want.

[torturedtrevor]

So, basically you think that I'm cute and charming? You sure know how to sell tickets, don't you? [He smirks and raises an eyebrow] I'll definitely have to check that out. Shameless advertising gets the job done, though. 

In that case, I'll be sure to compliment you on a pretty frequent basis, since it's pretty cute when you ramble. I'll happily shut up if it meant you'd keep talking. Tomorrow night sounds good, how about you come to my place? I could pick you up. 

[nolangerardfunknews]

End of a challenging first day on location in Victoria. The crew pulled through… And the rain felt so good.

[misselenalovely]

I’m pretty sure girls are from Mars, and guys are from Jupiter?

[torturedtrevor]

And I'm pretty sure it's Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.

But I digress, are you gonna tell me about this Buried Life? And why that's the life you've chosen. 

[scoutvanhouten]

Yeah, I know the cow’s getting milked is not ideal, and people are seriously fucked up for the way they use animals. But, there is the whole counter point that cow’s enjoy being milked because having like…udders full of milk is painful. It’s really awful though, and I think there has to be a better system that humans should figure out, because I love cheese and milk, and not eating meat is already difficult enough for my health since I have to find protein substitutes and all that jazz.[She shook her head at his comment regarding her dreams.] It’s not cool. It’s terrifying. I mean, I’m still just a kid, you know? And I’ve decided I want to dance for the rest of my life, and I’ve picked this thing and I’m following it to the ends of the earth but…what if it doesn’t work out? What if I stop loving it or if I, God forbid, get injured?I think the future’s always scary and uncertain, no matter what.

Oh…I….[Scout flushes a little, unable to hide her smile.] Sorry. I mean, thank you? I mean, I don’t know what I mean. I often don’t know what I mean.[She shakes her head and mutters to herself] Shut up, Scout. [She giggles, covering her face with her hands for a moment, before nodding.] Yes, I think that might be all my ego can take. So, we’re on for scrabble?

[torturedtrevor]

I think this conversation has crossed into a strange territory, even though I kinda brought it here. I say we drop cow udders from our conversation until at least the...tenth one. Yeah, that sounds about right. Well, I'd hardly call you a kid, but I get what you mean. I guess the grass really is always greener on the other side. From this side it looks great to have something you're passionate about...but I can see how it would be a little more scary to put your all into something you might not make it in But I'm sure you're great, I'd like to see you dance sometime, if you wouldn't mind me peeking into your class on day, that is. 

Oh, right, you're welcome. Sorry if that made you uncomfortable, my filter kinda slipped. [He looks down and rubs his cheek] You don't have to shut up, I think that was a 'Shut up, Trevor' moment. Yeah, we're on for Scrabble, just name the time and place. 

[dancing-stolzenberg]

Is it really necessary for people to walk in front of people’s cars? I could have killed the guy, but instead I have thousands of dollars worth of bills to pay for the damn car to get fixed. 

I should have hit him.

[torturedtrevor]

But then you'd have court, and prison, and parole. I think you made the right choice.

[scoutvanhouten]

Well, I wouldn’t go as far as to say bad, but, it’s not really good either. I mean, nothing we do makes a huge difference, but every single act, I like to believe, has an impact in some way, no matter how small. If not, what would be the point of…well, anything? [She shakes her head.] But I’m not vegan! No way! Chocolate milk is all that sustains me. And mountains are totally cool! I like hiking, just not as much as dancing, and they are pretty because of, you know, stuff. [Scout furrows her brows.] Why do you think you’d be stuck here?

What part of me is intimidating, if not my mega-smart brain? And I don’t want to hang out with you. I just want to prove a point. You’re actually kind of a know-it-all, I’d much prefer to hang out with someone else. [She bites her lip and raises her brows to hide a smirk.] But, if you want to hang out with me, well…

[torturedtrevor]

I guess it's just a matter of how you look at things. You're probably just more of the glass-half-full type. But have you heard what they do to the cows to milk them? It's like bondage without a safe word. Or...safe moo? I'm not a big fan of hiking. Maybe it's all of the bugs trying to devour my face, or maybe it's the humidity, or maybe it's just all of the strenuous effort. [He looks down slightly before looking back up] I don't know, I haven't even chosen a major in school yet. I have no idea what I want to do, I just know that I want to be good at it. You're lucky-- to already know what you want to do with your life. You've picked on thing that you love to do and you're going for it. That's pretty cool. 

You've kinda got this intimidating beauty, you know, the kind that turns men into babbling idiots. Me, a know-it-all? Well, I never. So you're using me to prove a point, that's what you're going with? I'll bite. [He grins] Oh, yeah, you've totally got me figured out, I would love nothing more than to hang out with you. Has your ego been stroked enough now?

[misselenalovely]

The Buried Life.. you’ve never heard of the Buried Life?! What planet did you come from?

[torturedtrevor]

Nope, I haven't. Well, men are from Mars so....Mars?

[aryana-monroe]

Well, yes. But I have more ground to stand on, a reason to be demanding. 

[torturedtrevor]

I think that's up for debate, but if you really don't want me to have my trophy, I'll live. Granted, it'll be a sad life, but I'll live it. 

[scoutvanhouten]

Nope, it’s a personal vendetta. I watched this thing when I was thirteen and ever since then I can’t look at meat the same. But not everyone feels the same way, and that’s totally cool. Burgers are great. Well, I only have veggie burgers, but yeah. [She looked down for a second, wondering if she was rambling. It was such a Scout thing to do. She laughed at his next comment] Well, I mean, now that you mention it, it`s not a bad thing. But I think I just love the way Colorado looks geographically, y’know? All those mountains and the pretty water. [She crosses her arms, shifting her weight from foot to foot, tilting her head to one side slightly flirtatiously] Well, what is the deal with airline food?

Afraid to admit that I’m the smartest person here? That’s okay, I understand. It can be very intimidating to meet a certified genius.But, I challenge you to a duel…of sorts. We see who’s the smartest person using the only tool that we have in this modern world to do so: we play Scrabble.

[torturedtrevor]

I don't know, I saw a lot of videos, too. But I figured me not eating mean wouldn't stop it from happening and I kinda just moved on. Is that bad? Well, of course you'd probably think so more than someone else. But if I knew that like me stopping would make a difference, I'd totally go vegan. [He ran a hand through his hair nervously] Mountains are overrated. It's not like you're going to climb them, that would be a risk to your dancing career. You just wanna stare at them? But, I support your aspirations, mountains or big city. I think I might be stuck here. [He shrugs] I think it's the ton of preservatives they put in it. Who knows, it could be one of many unsolved mysteries. 

Afraid? Who said anything about being afraid? I'm just not big on embellishing. [He winks] I will admit that you're mildly intimidating, but not because of your genius. Did you really just challenge me to a Scrabble duel? If you wanted to hang out, you could ask me the conventional way. But, I try not to back down from challenges, so you're on. 

[aryana-monroe]

You’re extremely demanding, did you know that?

[torturedtrevor]

Aren't you the pot calling the kettle black?