What Real Life's Like (AU,CC,MATURE) Thread #1

[Sternbetrachter]

great, funny parts!


ALEX

Oh GREAT! She wants the pretty boy to come too! This will be sooo ... great! Her and him at a romantic spot and ... Grrr, I could kill Kyle for this idea. That is, after I'm done with sulking and pouting like a 3 year old.

Suddenly, I feel a foot against my leg and I look up in surprise. Looking from one person to the next, i catch Liz looking at me in understanding. I guess she knows how I must feel ... after all, she can watch Tess and Max the whole time. If she can stand that, I can stand Isabel and Jakey.

Giving Liz a small smile, I say while standing up. "As nice as your company is, I have to go back to work." Liz just raises her eyebrows in an "Oh really?" fashion. I shrug at her helplessy. As if I want to listen to Isabel talk with Jake. God, she might even flirt with him!

I just had to think so negative, didn't I?

"Liz, don't forget to ask Maria if it is even allowed to start a fire on the beach, not that we land in jail for that." I tell her. Hm, Jake and jail and some mean big buddies who didn't have contact with "fresh meat" in a long time. Maybe I'll hold on to that fantasy for a while.

"Till later." I tell them and then, for some reason turn to Isabel. "Hope you have fun shopping." which earns me a surprised look from her. I just don't know if it is a positive surprised look or a "what's wrong with the idiot now?" look

Smiling at them all again, I leave them. Maybe I can find Maria before Liz does, so I can ask her about Liz's birthday party, that will keep my mind off Isabel.

[isabelle]

*MICHAEL*

Liz and I ride up the elevator in silence at first. I need to talk to her, but we're not alone. When we get to the fourth floor, the rest of the elevator clears out and I try to figure out how to start as we continue up to the broadcast floors.

"Liz?..." I start.

"Yes, Michael?" she answers, bright and interested.

"Um. Well, over coffee this morning, Alex said something-- I mean, last night when I was out with Maria, I was getting these strange feelings. Like, first she was interested in me, and then she wasn't, and then I thought she was again. I wasn't really even sure if she thought we were together, or something," I start to stumble over my words and I hope to hell I'm not turning red. What is it about Liz that lets me even say these things? I never talk this way!

With an effort, I turn to face her, trying to recover myself. "Do you think it's possible that I'm 'not her type'? I thought that everyone - every girl, I mean -" I break off as the elevator doors open onto the right floor. There's nobody there, but I still can't finish. I hope she understands what I'm trying to say. I'm not even sure that I understand what I'm trying to say.

.

[Sugarplum7]

Fly-by posting.

Okay. So this is a lot on the blah side. I apologize in advance.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Liz ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>

I could tell that Michael was struggling for words. He kept fumbling around, trying to find the correct term that would explain what he was trying to say. I knew that he was attempting to give me as clear a picture as he could. I almost resented the elevator doors opening because as soon as they did, Michael trailed off. As cute as it was to see Michael be inarticulate for once, it left me in a hard place. I didn’t have a clear picture of what he was trying to tell me, but I think I have an idea.

Someone put it in his head that some girls, namely Maria, wouldn’t particularly find his act attractive. And I say act because I am hoping that this person beside me is the real Michael: someone who feels insecure at times just like everyone else, a person who is just as vulnerable to hurt feelings as any other person.

He cuts off when the elevator doors open on the floor that we were supposed to get off on. I smile at him as I get out and he follows. We start walking down a hallway and I stop outside an empty conference room. No one appears to be heading down the hallway so I turn to him.

“I think I have an idea of what you’re telling me,” I say to him and he just nods. “And it’s true that some people have a certain “type” of person that they are attracted to, but sometimes it isn’t how a person looks. It’s more about how they are, their actions, their personality.” He rolls his eyes at that and I laugh.

“You can believe whatever you want to believe, but if you want to get along with the other people in the house, the girls included, you’re going to have to change a little. Drop the facades and be real with us.”

He raises an eyebrow and gives me this pouty lip look that just exudes recklessness and a “devil may care” attitude, but he doesn’t say anything to me and I can only hope that he’s at least thinking about what I’m saying.

“I am hoping,” I continue, “that that cocky exterior is just a cocky exterior, and the real Michael is in there somewhere, hiding from us because he doesn’t want to be hurt or rejected.”

His previous look disappeared and I took that as progress. “Michael?”

“Hmm?” he says, the most he’s said verbally, but the least he’s said at the same time while we’ve been out here. I hope he’s not closing up again.

I think about what I’m about to ask and I lean back against the wall and cross my arms across my chest. Suddenly I’m the one feeling a little defensive. Maybe it’s because I’m the one opening myself up a little this time. It’s only fair, I guess. He stepped out on a limb for me. I should for him, and just maybe this will get him to drop the act once more because he’ll see that we’ve switched places.

“Why did you ask me about this and not Tess?”

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ End Liz ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>

[isabelle]

*MICHAEL*

As I follow Liz out of the elevator, I manage to get myself back together. I know that Alex has to be wrong, and I hope that Liz can help me sort it out.

But as she starts to talk to me, I'm not so sure that she's getting it. Some people like more than looks, they like attitude? Baby I got the looks, I know I do. And I got the attitude, too. There's nobody who wouldn't like this.

My smile fades as she starts to talk about being rejected. That's not going to happen. Well, actually she turned me down herself. That, somehow, isn't a problem, but thinking about Maria or even Tess ...

“Why did you ask me about this and not Tess?” she asks.

The question surprises me and I'm not sure how to answer it. "I guess, because you and I talked about this sort of stuff on Sunday night. You're like a, like a ..." I trail off for a moment, not sure what the right word is. Not like a guy. I would never talk to a guy like this, either.

"Like a friend?" she suggests.

"Yeah. A friend," I tell her. That seems to cover it perfectly. "Do you really think Ma- um, that some girls might not like me?"

[Sternbetrachter]

great part!


ALEX

I should really get over this Isabel infatuation ... I have 10 minutes of my lunch break left and all I think about is her ... that can't be healthy. Especially when I think of unpleasent things involving her and Jake ... god, I almost feel sick when I think about him and her. At least no one knows about my inner problems.

"ALex, you okay? You seem down?" one of my collegues asks.

"I'm fine." I reply after a moment of shock. "Just a bit tired." I smile when he leaves my side again.

Great, now even people who only know me for three days can work out how I feel! So much for tall dark and mysterious!


*****
sorry that it's short and strange but I'm tired

[Sugarplum7]

I was hit with inspiration. Don't worry. My crazy mind wasn't hurt. I just hope that it's okay. Let me know if you mind, Iz.

~Sugarplum

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Liz ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>

“Like a friend?” I supply for him and it takes a few seconds before he agrees.

“Yeah,” he says. He looks around us before he speaks up again. “Do you really think Ma- um, that some girls might not like me?”

I think about that a little, keeping my arms crossed where they were. I don’t know if it was my overactive imagination, but I think he almost said Maria instead of “some girls.” I look at him and the hopeful look that’s shrouded behind his cool exterior was enough to seal it for me.

“When you’re being like this, and not completely obnoxious, objectifying and misogynistic, you’re quite nice to be around. The way you are now, with me, this Michael, this is someone girls would be idiots to not like.”

He gets this smug look on his face and I roll my eyes. I shove him lightly and laugh. “Don’t let it get to your head, Mister Guerin. Come on.”

“Quite nice?” he says, jokingly and I laugh again.

“See, this is that obnoxious thing I was talking about,” I say teasing back to him.

“You know you like it,” he says as he starts walking down the hall.

“It’s not one of your more charming moments,” I say as I come up beside him.

“I’m all charm. You must have me confused with someone else,” he supplies and all I can do is laugh.

When Michael’s not objectifying women, he’s really great. I just wonder how long it’s going to take before he lets all that “armor” he surrounds himself with to melt away.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ End Liz ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>

[isabelle]

*MICHAEL*

Liz's advice is a bit confusing as always. She says I should be like I was with her, if I want a girl to like me more. But I wasn't coming onto Liz. I need Maria to know that I'm interested, don't I?

And what's "misogynistic" mean, anyway? Not all of us are graduates of Harvard, afterall. Who says the kind of things she says? "Quite nice?" I laugh.

After some more teasing, we're suddenly at the door to the studio. Of course, Maria and Tess are on the air so we can't just walk in.

Liz and I walk around to the window and try to mime that we want to talk to them. I start by waving and putting my hand to my ear, like listening. Liz tries using a telephone sign, her thumb at her ear and pinky by her mouth, but we don't want to call...

I can see the three of them laughing and talking to each other as they try to guess what we want. I mime a megaphone, but that doesn't work. Then Liz pretends to be writing a note on her hand. I try guesturing for one of them to come out, but it seems hopeless. They're just laughing harder and harder.

I turn to Liz and suggest, "Maybe we should just write them a note and hold it up to the glass."

"Okay," she says, looking up and down the hallway. "Where could we find paper?"

But before we can look for the nearest office, Tess comes to the door and opens it up. "What ARE you two doing?" she laughs.

[Sugarplum7]

I'm leaving this open for a Max or Michael post since Maria and Tess are MIA.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Liz ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>

Michael and I were trying to get their attention and understand what we wanted to do, but it didn’t work out as planned. I was never that good at charades anyway. We decide to write it on a piece of paper so they can read it, and I’m already looking for an office that looks open. But from behind me I hear, “What are you two doing?” with a laugh in her tone.

I turn around and see Tess, barely controlling her laughter, standing at the door.

“Tess!” I exclaim happily. At least *someone* was able to get the message and come out to talk to us. “We aren’t interrupting, are we?”

“Don’t worry,” she says, casually dismissing whatever it was that we might have interrupted. “What’s up?”

“Do you have plans after work?” Michael asks bluntly.

“Smooth, Michael, really smooth,” I say before adding onto what he asked and explaining a little more. “We want to know because a few of us are planning on heading out to the beach, and we have the idea for a small bonfire, if the laws permit.”

“S’mores?” she asks, eyes glinting happily.

“Of course,” I say with a smile.

“We just put on a set of commercials,” she says as she moves back into the room. “Come in and ask the others. I think it’s a great idea!”

I share a look with Michael and he shrugs casually. I walk in hesitantly and I can hear Michael coming in behind me.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ End Liz ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>

[Sternbetrachter]

ALEX

Okay, I can do this. I can be charming, cute, funny and I also can be a damn sexy beast!

Now, if only I could make myself believe that.

Before you wonder if I have completly lost it, let me tell you the answer is yes .. erh, NO! It's just ... I'm on my way to Isabel! But before you go all "Puppy in heat" on me, it wasn't my idea! My boss forced me to!

Okay okay, he said that somebody should take our music request to the new secretary (Isabel) so she can send it to Jive Records and I kinda ... voluntered. I mean, jumping up immediately and grabbing the envelop and being out the door in a flash can be called voluntering, right?

Anyway, here comes her office. I smile at some of her co workers who nod back at me, two are even pointing at the camera man behind me - Tom - and are whispering about something.

Arriving at her desk, Isabel doesn't notice me at first. She looks very cute when she's concentrating on work. Okay, you can officially call me "puppy in heat" now. I clear my throat, getting her attention.

"Oh, it's you." she says.

"Nice to see you too." I smile back, not wanting to get annoyed or anything again.
She just raises an eyebrow. "Any reason why you are here?" she asks after a moment.

"Uh yeah, Bob my boss wants this letter to get to Jive Records as soon as possible. We need some new cds from them." I explain, handing her the envelop. She looks at it critically for a moment before taking out some items from her desk. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she looks up again. "Was there anything else?"

"I'm supposed to wait till it's out - there obviously were some problems with the secretary before you and I shall ask if anything from Mute Records arrived." I say with a smile, hoping that she didn't notice that I stared at her.

[isabelle]

*MAX*

The day is going along very quickly as Tess, Maria and I manage to get through our first shift on the air. It's a bit more complicated than I expected, but nothing more than we can handle. Soon, we have things working well.

The Alex/Isabel problem is going to be very interesting, too. Tess and I haven't actually mentioned it to Maria, but we've been talking about how to help someone get noticed. This project makes hanging out with Tess a lot more fun. It's less awkward when we have something else to think about than just ourselves.

Then, suddenly Liz and Michael appear at our window. They're making strange gestures and Maria rolls her eyes. "Doesn't he have better things to do than come and make faces at us?" she asks, placing all the blame on Michael.

My attention is on Liz. She's so amazingly cute that I can hardly even think about what her gestures might mean, I'm just watching her as we laugh and pretend to decipher their message. Eventually, Tess gets up, "I'll go find out what's going on," she says, just as we put on a three minute set of commercials.

"I guess we'll find out soon," I tell Maria.

She rolls her eyes. "I could care less what he wants," she says.

Sure enough, Tess arrives back in less than a minute with Liz and Michael following. "They want to know if we're interested in going to the beach for a cook-out after work," she says, moving behind me and putting her hands on my shoulders. "I think it'll be a lot of fun."

"Sounds good to me," I tell her. This will solve the hanging out with Alex question from on our way to work. "Everyone will be there?"

"That's the idea," Liz smiles, and I try not to get lost in it. It's not an easy thing to avoid.

"Not me," Maria states. "I have plans with Isabel. We're going shopping."