..a bad morning

[Cindy Vortex]

{ o o c : My need for roleplaying overtook me. All I ask is that someone reply, lol. I just couldn't bring myself to murder the string in the Candy Bar by posting at the wrong time. So here I am in the park again, with a short-esque and crappy post, skipping forward in time because I can. Wheeee... }


It had not been a good morning for Cindy Vortex. She had been awokened far too early this Saturday by the obnoxious yells of kids down the street. After grumbling profusely about this, she'd tried to slice an English muffin while still only half awake and ended up slicing her finger. After having gotten dressed, she'd realized that she couldn't take the customary Saturday expedition to the mall with Libby because her best friend was on vacation. Therefore, here she was, after her petty annoyances, seated again on the hill above the lake, pondering what to do with the time that would otherwise be wasted doing nothing.

It was days like these that got on Cindy's nerves more than others. If she actually had something to stress over, perhaps it would have been more interesting. But she didn't. All she had to think about was the (lovely) day before. Even that wasn't refreshed enough in her mind. Sighing, she layed back on the grass, her MP3 player headphones stuck in her ears and the volume turned up a considerable amount.

Life was currently boring.

[Betty Quinlan]

(ooc: I've been RPed deprived for quite some time now! *joins in anxiously!*)

Betty Quinlan strolled through the park, humming softly to herself, a bright smile on her face. Bird were chirping, children were playing, the sun was shining - the day, so far, had been perfect. She had awoken to her mother presenting a pile of pancakes, topped with whipped cream, to Betty, a persistent smile on her face. This was usually followed by bad news - her parents only went this far in their spoiling of her when they were attempting to bribe Betty. But the news Mrs. Quinlan wasn't so bad, Betty discovered. Her mother had merely signed her up for dancing lessons - the same dancing lessons Betty had heard were frequented by Argentinian twins. Delicious Argentinian twins.

So Betty had left the house in a wonderful mood, knowing that soon she'd have some hot foreign treat (or two!) wrapped around her finger. She didn't have any real plans for the day, so she simply decided to take a walk in the park. It was a beautiful day, and Betty was feeling generous. She had already smiled at three boys who had no chance with her (one had fallen into the fountain in shock causing Betty's mood to increase!), and an elderly gentlemen blushed as Betty wished him a good morning. Normally Betty didn't treat strangers to these privileges, but since she was in a good mood...

Speaking of good moods, Betty thought to herself, as her eyes fell on the hilltop over looking the lake. There lay none other than Cindy Vortex - who looked as if she was feeling quite the opposite of what Betty was feeling. Strange, Betty thought. Perhaps the scene one of her sources had reported witnessing at the Candy Bar was false?

Her curiosity begged to be satisfied, so Betty sneaked up the hill. Cindy had headphones in her ear - the music blaring, so Betty doubted she could hear her approach. She tiptoed up the hill hurriedly, falling gracefully down on the grass next to the sophomore. She lay on her stomach, chin resting in her hands, smiling at the other girl. She leaned forward, and raised her eyebrows. Skipping over the greetings, she purred, "Cindy, you must tell me! Are the rumors true?"

[Cindy Vortex]

Loud music had the ability to block out the most irritating of frivolties, but obviously Betty Quinlan was one of those annoyances who nothing could possibly block out. Out of habit, Cindy turned the volume of her MP3 player down as the brunette came into sight, her eyes narrowing slightly (though even Betty couldn't ruin her mood of bliss, even if she did appear quite bored. In all truth, what was happening with Jimmy was a complete head trip for here, and it was confusing her as nothing else could.

She sneered at the popular girl's bubbly question distastefully. You must tell me! Why did she think Cindy was going to tell her about ther personal life that was finally happening? "What rumors?" she replied, raising an eyebrow as she lifted her head slightly off the grass before letting it fall back to the ground. She stared up at the blue sky, rolling her eyes in annoyance. Still, though, Betty had reminded her of the day before and she was once again reliving it in excruciating detail. She had a strange urge to find him at this moment, as was becoming a very common tendancy, making it not so strange after all. It felt so nice to finally have him with her, and she barely wanted to be without him at all.

Then again, Cindy had always been independent, so that familiar feeling was telling her that she should stay here and wait for him to come to her, as she'd done yesterday. But then... Betty was here and he perhaps wouldn't find her. But then again, this was one of her more favored spot, many knew, and perhaps Betty would go away if Jimmy came along. Cindy felt she was expecting too much, but this is what she'd been thinking every moment alone for the past twenty-four hours. She couldn't decide if she liked it or not, but she did know that she adored his company... and kisses. Betty didn't have to know that, of course. It was none of her business and Cindy didn't want to make it her business. Something this wonderful didn't deserve to be shared with people such as Betty.


{ o o c : Ahh, crappy post with too much filler... oh, well, still bound to be interesting! Welcome back! }

[Betty Quinlan]

Betty's semi-permanent smile almost fell into a frown at Cindy's reply, but she quickly plastered it back on. It was quite obvious Vortex was annoyed by her presence, but Betty stayed where she was and inched closer to the other girl. Betty Quinlan was a hard girl to get rid of - one would think Cindy would have picked that up somewhere along the years of knowing her.

Betty tilted her head and raised her eyebrows back at Cindy, knowingly. "You know - about you and Jimmy!" Her eyes lit up enthusiastically - she could already see herself taking credit for this hookup. See - I had this plan for years to help those poor children figure out how madly in love they were with each other! Just make Cindy jealous, I said to myself, and flirt with Jimmy every chance you get! One day Cindy'll get so angry, she'll just blurt out her feelings! She wondered if anyone would believe that story - it had never been Betty's intent to play matchmaker. She had only first starting paying attention to Neutron because...well, she paid attention to everybody! And she kept it up throughout the years because, well, wasn't Cindy just hilarious when she was angry?

But nobody needed to know that. Thinking Betty was the catalyst in getting them together - yes, that was people ought to hear.

"My sources say you two are finally together!" Betty continued, "Is it true?" She leaned toward Cindy, craning forward for information in a typical gossip monger way. "You can tell me," She said, throwing in a wink.

[Cindy Vortex]

Cindy's lips were pursed. None. Of. Your. Business. she thought nastily, wrinkling her nose slightly at the girl before her as her green eyes sized her up. Would it hurt? Everyone else would know by the end of the week with Sheen's knowledge. That, and it seemed neither Cindy nor Jimmy had particular issues with Public Displays of Affection (making-out in the dance studio parking lot being exhibit A, though she didn't think anyone'd seen that).

"Maybe." she replied, propping herself up on her elbows and looking suspiciously at Betty. "What concern is it of yours if we are, especially after that scene at the mall the other day?"

Yes, Cindy was still feeling a bit nasty about that ordeal. It had been dirty to put her greatest weakness at dispense. Now, though, she didn't have to worry about her greatest weakness, seeing as he was now her greatest asset. Her boy genius, her man, her Jimmy... though he hadn't officially asked her to be his girlfriend, which was irking her to some extent. It would come soon, she thought comfortingly.

No, they weren't together. Yet. But they would be... maybe... sometime... perhaps... she hoped. She was sure she was getting far too jumpy about it, but she found that if the question hadn't been officially asked, she couldn't be totally sure.

In comfort, she assured herself that he was planning something special. Or at least here's hoping... she thought wistfully, sitting up completely.

[Betty Quinlan]

Betty had to pause and think a second before she remembered what Cindy was talking about. Ah - yes, the mall. She smiled, amused, as she remembered their banter, Jimmy's appearance, and thrusting the green blouse at Cindy. Was Cindy still sore about that? "Oh, you mustn't take that seriously, Cindy, dear! You know I was just teasing you!" She smiled sweetly and sat up completely to join the other girl. She widened her eyes, trying to appear completely innocent. "Really, though, I was just trying to get Jimmy to admit he liked you." She poked at Cindy's shoulder, "And he did, didn't he? Admit it," She leaned closer to get a better look at Cindy's face. "You look like a girl who's been kissed lately."

She sat back and crossed her arms, grinning widely at Cindy. She was hoping her source was right - that the two of them had been spotted kissing the day before. Cindy's scowl was weakening Betty's belief in her source - either Jimmy had screwed up yet again, or Cindy was really, REALLY bothered by Betty. She chose to go along with the latter, though less flattering to her. She waited for Cindy's response eagerly, dying to shoot more questions at her!

[Cindy Vortex]

If looks could kill, Cindy was quite sure Betty would be very dead at the moment, seeing as Cindy's face was twisted into a snarl of pure loathing. She thought she was so clever, didn't she, going on like this? She thought she was so clever. It was annoying Cindy out of her mind. She did not discuss anything personal with Betty Quinlan, especially when it came to Jimmy. In fact, it made her blush to discuss this with Libby even!

Not to say she wasn't currently very pink in the face. One might even say she was crimson... very crimson. Perhaps the phrase "blushing furiously" would explain it best. She could barely keep eye contact with the girl beside her as Betty pushed further at the already sensitive subject. "Umm..." she stuttered, her eyes darting down to the grass as she picked nervously at it. "Yeah." She finished her pathetic statement rather awkwardly, shifting her position slightly.

"What's your point?" she spat, wrinkling her nose and tensing. She wanted to just leave... go somewhere... where she could feel like a person instead of a project, which is how she currently felt. "Why did you feel the need to intrude upon my private life?" Her voice was entirely bitter, a distasteful tone fully present in every word. If it was one thing Cindy didn't have the mood for, it was Betty.

[Betty Quinlan]

Cindy's not-so-sunny countenance seemingly had no effect on Betty, who chose to ignore the blonde's questions for now and throw her arms around her in a congratulatory hug. Though she mainly did it to annoy the heck out of Cindy, the friendly embrace was partly sincere. The many benefits of this potential hookup flashed through Betty's mind. Helping along the relationship between Cindy and Jimmy - which perhaps the entire world was waiting for all these years - would score Betty some major social points (not that she needed them). Another hopeless admirer was taken off Betty's back (though she did enjoy toying with them every so often...), making room for a real love interest to seep in...

Which lead to the most important thought in Betty's mind. Nick Dean. Cindy was taken (or, you know, close enough) - and wasn't she the last girl Nick had shown interest in? Maybe finally she would be able to catch the popular sophomore in her net - they'd make the most beautiful, popular, not to mention powerful couple in the school! Betty was already getting dreamy...

She quickly snapped out of it and pulled back from Cindy. "Congratulations!" She gushed, "I always knew you and Neutron would get together eventually! You guys were made for each other!" She barely knew what she was talking about - Nick Dean thoughts were still swirling around in her head. "Is he taking you to the Back-To-School dance?" Please say yes, she thought, dizzily, Then Nick won't ask you!

[Cindy Vortex]

Cindy snorted, quite tempted to answer with a blunt "No shit, Sherlock", but refrained, chewing the inside of her cheek to keep from blowing up at the brainless girl before her. As she'd thought many times before, she was certainly not in the mood. She had much too much to think about to have her IQ lowered by at least a few points just by talking to Betty.

"Yeah." she replied curtly, balancing her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand. She was still burning unpleasantly from that vile hug. Sure she might be a bit happy for them, but she didn't have to show it in that absolutely disgusting way. "I'm sure you already have a date, so I won't even ask." Her voice was sickeningly pleasant and a sneer remained forebodingly on her lips.

Right now, she couldn't worry about whether or not Betty had a date, even if she did care. Right now, she was wondering when and if Neutron was going to ask her out. That is so old school... she thought to herself, rolling her eyes, yet hope still remained somewhere upon her face and in her thoughts. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply, then opening them again. She had to stop stressing. It wasn't good for her. She had to simply clear her mind.

If Neutron didn't exist, perhaps that would have been possible. But somehow, she was all too happy he did.

[Betty Quinlan]

Betty blushed a little at Cindy's last comment. A rare feat, as Betty Quinlan was not easily embarrassed. Her cheeks grew a tint pinker, and she lowered her eyes to the ground. Truthfully, Betty had been holding out for Nick to ask her to the dance - she had already turned down twelve brave souls who had gathered up the courage to ask her. Consequently - Betty had no date. But there was no reason Cindy needed to know that. Besides, now that the Vortex-Neutron hookup had finally happened, Nick was bound to ask her.

"Of course I have a date," She said, rather curtly - a bit more so than she had intended. Quickly, however, in hopes that Cindy had not notice her sudden change to a sour disposition, she regathered her senses, letting out a tiny laugh that - despite her best efforts - came out a bit nervous. She attempted to recollect herself a second time, this time successfully.

"So," She said, inspecting her fingernails, then casually glancing up to the blond girl, "Are you and Neutron official, or is this a friends with benefits type of deal?" She rolled her eyes. "Please tell me it's the first - making out without going out is so...tacky at your age."

[Cindy Vortex]

Cindy had most definitely caught Betty's nervousness as she'd informed Cindy that she did indeed have a date. It almost made Cindy doubt the statement's truthfulness, but she didn't really care if Betty had a date or not, so she didn't bother to do anything but give the brunette a skeptical look. She couldn't help but grit her teeth at the next question. Tacky... it had been unplanned! Their "make-out" had been a total coincidence! Alright, so it was a nice coincidence, but still it was a coincidence.

"You know, friends with benefits is such a crude term," Cindy commented derisively, raising her eyebrows and shaking her head, though attempting to show no signs of nervousness. "I really don't think what's happening between me and Neutron is anyone's business, especially yours." She wrinkled her nose distastefully, leveling her chin in a superior fashion. She wouldn't be brought down by Betty Quinlan. It wasn't Cindy's style.


{ o o c : Ick... writer's block... eh, sorry! }

[Betty Quinlan]

Betty began to expect this battle with Cindy would go on forever - just as Cindy refused to be taken down, nothing would stop Betty from being her annoyingly intrusive (albeit perfect) self. Betty Quinlan was queen of the world (or at least her world) and no one was going to be throwing her off her throne. Especially not Miss Cindy Vortex.

Throwing her eyes into puppy-dog mode, she rested her hand on top of Cindy's, doing her best to look innocent and amiable. Placing a perfect pout on her lips - a pout that had never failed her - she looked up at Cindy. "But you can tell me, can't you, Cindy? We've known each other for such a long time! We're friends aren't we?"

Oh, Betty knew they were far from friends. But truthfully, it wasn't as if Betty hated the other girl. Cindy was one of the few people who had ever stood up to Betty - who didn't crumble when Betty slung hidden insults, who didn't fall at Betty's fee - dying to be a friend. She fought back, and Betty could definitely admire that.

Already calculating her not-so-friendly response, Betty stared at Cindy, awaiting her reply.

[Cindy Vortex]

Cindy sniffed and rolled her eyes obviously, shaking her head. "Yeah, whatever."

It was the truth that Cindy honestly did hate Betty. She supposed her hate could begin to simmer down now that she had (probably) snagged Neutron. There was almost no reason for her to hate the "perfect" senior, besides the fact that she was still a stuck-up bitch and always would be. But still, she was a little edgy, seeing as she wasn't actually with Neutron.

"I'm not entirely at the liberty to disclose that information right now." Cindy's voice was quite dull and casual as she leaned back on her elbows, jerking her hand away from Betty. "Try back later." She was getting rather tired of being ragged on. The rumors were obviously already surfing about the high-school web, obviously, and had already reached the bottom of the chain, also obviously, seeing as Betty knew. Considering, Betty was top of the social ladder, but not in Cindy's eyes. She much rather would have had the real bottom know first. That wasn't going to happen, considering what was going on right now. She wanted to just... wait until she got sure confirmation, in a manner of speaking.

[Betty Quinlan]

Betty laughed out loud the second the words "Yeah, whatever." left Cindy's lips. She had honestly expected Cindy to deny it, to admit that they were far from friends, that she hated the older girl. But here she was with her roll of the eyes, and her whatever, seeming very indifferent to the question. Betty couldn't help but laugh. She could capitalize on this "friendship" for ages!

"Well if we're friends," Betty said, linking on of her arms with Cindy's, "Why can't you tell me?" Suddenly, a grin appeared on her face, but she quickly hid it behind a mask of sympathy and questioned, "Is Jimmy being jerky about it?" She patted Cindy's shoulder with free hand, consoling her. "Boys do tend to be very dense about things. Especially Jimmy!" She laughed again, this time more of a girly giggle than a sarcastic Ha! "I don't think he ever caught on that I wasn't really interested in him."

She stopped short and wondered if there was anyway she could reword what she had just said so it didn't seem so...whorrible.

(ooc: Yes, "whorrible" is a word. And it means what it sounds like it means.)

[Cindy Vortex]

Cindy sniffed impudently. "Did I say we were friends?" She jerked her arm away, shaking her head and wrinkling her nose. This certainly wasn't the best morning for Cindy and Betty was making it a million times worse than it already was.

Cindy attempted to tone out the rest of Betty's speech... but the last thing she said caught her interest. I don't think he caught on that I wasn't really interested in him. She thought for a moment in an attempt to come up with something vaugely resembling what she was currently thinking. "So you were just feigning interest in him, huh?"

Cindy pretended to look partially interested for a brief stanch of time, as if she really were one of Betty's girlfriends eager for gossip. Her look then turned to one of complete disgust as she looked the other girl up and down, shaking her head. "Why the hell would you do that?"

Inside, Cindy was boiling in anger. She'd always knew Betty had been toying with Jimmy all these years... but she wouldn't have thought the senior would have admitted it in front of his girlfriend (or "special friend", as the case was at the moment).

Once again, Cindy was pissed off.

{ o o c : Writer's block! Ahhh! Well at least I got Hostage Situation's eighth chapter up. Sorry for the horrid post! Haha, whorrible... I get it!! That's quite funny, actually. }