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

[isabelle]

Hmm... Still no response from Tess. I guess I should post Max and Tess coming back to the group, too. Which cars are heading back to the house? I'd really wanted Max to have a chance to talk to Liz alone this night, but I guess it'll be another time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*Michael*

Liz says she accepts my apology but then she runs away again. Doesn't really sound like we're okay again. What did I do? I mean, she liked me. She really did. And she said she was my friend. She did say she wanted swimming lessons. I just don't know how to do this. I've never had a girl friend who wasn't a girlfriend. Now, I'm not so sure what she's thinking, but it's pretty clear she doesn't want me running after her just yet.

So, I stand here for a couple minutes watching her. Should I walk after her and rejoin the group, letting her calm down in that time? Or should I wait longer? Maybe go to the bar and grab a drink?

Ya know? That sounds like a great idea, seeing as I'm right here and all. Maybe I can meet someone, too.

I start to grin, jogging towards the large brown building. I'm just stepping up onto the deck when suddenly I realize that I don't have my wallet. I'd been swimming and I'd left my stuff with the group. Damn.

With a sigh, I trudge down to the beach again, looking over the ladies. The sun is going down, so they're not so much sunbathing anymore as just hanging out. And, it seems, they're all hanging out with guys or in groups of four or more girls. But I could do that. Charm all four and then take my pick of the ladies. I've always been good at that. Well, until this week. Why won't the four ladies at the house respond to me? I just don't get it.

I guess Liz has had enough of a headstart by now, I think, and I start up the beach towards the rest of the group. I'm less than halfway there and I see Jake trudging in this direction, alone. Actually, he seems to be walking a little funny.

"Hey man," I say as he gets near.

The guy just growls at me. It's not like we've been all that friendly, but hey, you could at least say 'hey'.

In a few more minutes, I spot the group at our site. They're all standing up, gathering things. Kyle's putting out the fire. I pick up my pace a little. Afterall, I still need a ride. I don't want to get left behind here.

"Hey everyone. Leaving so soon?" I ask.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*Max*

Tess and I are having a real pleasant time together, just chatting and enjoying the night. A few nice sweet kisses top it all of perfectly.

"Maybe we should get back to the others," she says after a while.

I nod, not releasing my arm from around her shoulders. "I guess so. I suppose we've been anti-social long enough."

With that, I get to my feet and hold out my hand for Tess. She takes it and I help her up, replacing my arm around her shoulder as we walk back to the group. Her arm snakes around my waist as we travel the short distance back to the rest of the group. What we find is rather surprising. It looks like everyone's leaving.

[Sternbetrachter]

KYLE

Since neither Maria nor I think it would be good to be on the beach and all gloomy about what happened with Isabel and Jake, we decided to pack our stuff too and wait for the others to drive back.

Michael soon comes to join us again, clearly surprised about us packing.

"That asshole is married!" Maria says angrily when Michael asks why we are already leaving.

"She means Jake." I tell MIchael since he obviously had no idea who Maria meant.

"Oh." Is all he says, while Maria just continues to rant about men being jerks with no respect of women and that Jake really should be castrated. I shrug helplessly when Michael turns to me, quietly telling him, "She's been like this for the last few minutes."

Then the last two missing members of our group are also coming and Maria is filling them in on what happened. Both Max and Tess are shocked and want to leave too, to check how Isabel's doing. Michael doesn't seem too happy about leaving though.

"Maybe she wants to be alone and won't be happy when we are all crowding her." he says.

"We can't just be partying while she has her heart broken." Maria replies, gathering the last of her stuff.

"I don't know." I say, coming to Michael's help, "I wouldn't know what to say to Isabel anyway or what to do, I'd be pretty much useless there."

But then, even if the others agree that Michael and I don't have to be present, we are both here without cars, so I guess we do have to drive back to the house anyway.

[isabelle]

*Max*

Tess and I pitch in and start to pack everything up. Not that there's much after we gather our own personal belongings. There's just a little food and the cookware left over.

Isabel isn't here, she's already waiting at the car so I can't offer any words at this time. Alex and Maria have gathered her things for her.

"Same cars back then?" I ask. Isabel had rode in with Jake and Alex. With Jake gone, that'll give her time alone with our prospective Romeo...

[isabelle]

okay then,
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*Max*

In short order, everything is packed up and we're ready to head for the cars. "Where's Liz?" I ask. Last I saw she was with Michael but I haven't seen her since my return with Tess. I'd hate for her to be left behind.

"She went ahead with Alex and Isabel," Maria tells me.

I start to frown at that but quickly hide it. It's not just that if Liz went ahead she won't be riding with me on the way back, but if she's with Alex, then he won't have that private time with Isabel. Then again, concidering his track record, it might be good to have another voice in the conversation. Someone to help ease the awkwardness if he puts his foot in his mouth again.

"Well, Okay then. I guess it's just Tess and Kyle in my car then?" I ask as we all start walking towards the parking lot. Kyle could ride with Maria and Michael, if he choses. He's welcome with me, but I don't want to presume or press.

[Sugarplum7]

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

As Alex drove down the street headed back to the house, a quiet silence filled the car. After hearing the news about Isabel and Jake, I didn’t want to broach the issue. If she felt like talking about it, she would. Until then, I wouldn’t speak to her about it.

I thought that Alex might have been a little more quiet than normal for fear of saying the wrong thing. Not that I blame him because on normal circumstances it’s hard to walk around Isabel and carry on a conversation. You never really knew what provoked her into saying some sort of disparaging remark towards him.

I rolled my window down and leaned into the rushing wind. The cool air washing over my face was soothing in the heat of Florida’s evening. I took a deep breath and asked them both a question when we were stopped at an intersection, effectively ending the soft silence among us. “I was wondering something,” I said softly.

“Yeah?” Alex asked. I could hear the smile in his tone. I didn’t even need to look over to him.

“Could we maybe stop somewhere?”

“Where? And why?” This time it was Isabel’s voice that I heard. I couldn’t quite tell what her tone said. It wasn’t particularly harsh. It was almost curious, I suppose. Had I even heard Isabel when she was curious?

“Ice cream. After today, ice cream sounds really good.”

I hear Isabel quietly repeat “ice cream” to herself, as though she’s thinking it over. I couldn’t tell her feelings towards the idea exactly. “We can go to a grocery store and get some other things like ice cream cones, sprinkles, caramel, or chocolate, whatever we want?” I ended that in a question more to show my proposal of the idea. It was more of a suggestion than anything else. I didn’t want them to feel like they had to do so. If they didn’t want to, I was more than happy to accommodate them.

[morpheus awakened]

TESS

"Well, Okay then. I guess it's just Tess and Kyle in my car then?" Max asks.

“Yep, I guess so. Kyle? You comin’ back with us?”

“Um, sure. Why not.” Kyle answers kind of flatly. Well, I guess his good mood kind of evaporated along with the other half of the group. I look at Max, who just shrugs his shoulders, and we all head off to the parking lot.

Maria says “meet you guys at the house” and walks over to her car with Michael in tow.

I open the flap for the back of the Jeep and Kyle and Max put the remaining items of bonfire equipment in the back, and then we all climb in and start on our way home. Kyle is silent in the back seat, staring out the plastic window that had appeared when Max unfolded the roof of the car.

Max was absorbed in his driving, and I was thinking about well, everything. My mind was whirling a million miles an hour, but not sticking on any one thing for more than a few seconds. I thought about the kisses Max and I shared, which were lovely, and the water fight that Kyle and I had had, which was hilarious and still made me smile in spite of the subdued mood inside the car.

Then there was Alex. “Poor Alex. He finally gets Jake out of the picture, but Isabel’s too distraught and angry for anything that Alex has to say to make a positive impact.” I lament out loud.

“I know,” Max replies, not taking his eyes off the road. “The guy is really having it rough. But it just goes to show that he must really like her or he would have given up back at the fourth or fifth insult, you know.”

“All I know is that I never want to be on Isabel’s bad side, no sir. You didn’t see how hard she kneed him in the groin, Max; it was not a pretty sight.”

I hear both men suck in their breath at the thought of being humbled in that spot and I can’t keep from snickering a little bit.

“What are you snickering at, Harding? That is not a nice thing to do to a man. Especially if you want his children some day, or some fun that night.” Kyle retorts. I turn around in my seat to stick my tongue out at him.

“You just watch it, Valenti. I have two knees and I know how to use them. Besides, that seems to be the only way to get through to you men, is through some kind of bodily harm, so Isabel was just sending the most direct message to Jake that she had available.” Max is snickering himself now, but doesn’t say anything. I turn back around and we drive in a little bit more comfortable silence this time around.


***************************
K, I hope everyone's okay with the driving arrangements. If not, just let me know and I'll change it.

[Sternbetrachter]

ALEX

I was quietly humming along with the radio, when Liz - who is riding shotgun since the camera guy is in the back with Isabel - asks if we'd like some ice cream. Or caramel, chocolate and other goodies.

I'm glad she was the one to break the silence. It was not an uncomfortable silence but it was obvious that Isabel was really shaken by what had happened even though she didn't want to show it.

"Ice cream and caramel sounds like a good idea." I reply after thinking about it. We really didn't get any dessert earlier. "What about you Isabel? Should I get us something from the store over there?"

"You don't have to get it for us, Alex." Liz tells me immediately. "We are strong independent women in the 21st century, we can get our chocolate ourselves. Besides, you'd probably get the wrong stuff anyway."

"True." I admit with a grin before turning a bit more serious again and asking Isabel, "And? You feeling up for some chocolate and sweets goodness?"

I think I read once that chocolate is making you feel better so I guess chocolate and ice cream would be kinda "good" for Isabel right now. Not to mention that it would surely be fun to shop with her and Liz, maybe Isabel and I even share the same taste for ice cream and chocolate. That would be a sign then, I guess.

"Yeah, why not. I think." she answers slowly, as if she isn't really sure that that's the right choice and she just doesn't want to spoil our fun.


sorry, I had no time for a Kyle part

[Sternbetrachter]

KYLE

I pout a bit after Tess' comment. I know that she is right because some guys really don't seem to know the meaning of "NO" but just mentioning that she might be willig to hurt me like that makes me pout. To no avail too since she's not looking in my direction.

Then I think back to what they talked about seconds ago. "Wait a minute,
Whitman likes Isabel?"

Tess cringes a bit before admitting, "Uh, yeah. Just ... don't tell Isabel, okay?"

I immediately hold my hands up, "Believe me, after that incident earlier, I'm not too keen to be anywhere near her and say something that might upset her. Your, eh, Whitman's secret is safe with me."

Whitman and Isabel? Interesting ... he doesn't seem like the type women like Isabel go for but who knows, maybe he likes to punish himself with such not returned crushes.

"Do we still have something planned for tonight? Or any plans for the driving to work tomorrow that still need to be cleared?" I ask Tess. And Max too I guess, but I kinda hope that Tess answers and not Evans.

[baby_bre]

((So... does this mean Michael and Maria are driving home? Cause I'm assuming Kyle went ahead with Max and Tess?... I'll edit if I'm wrong.))

Maria

It was fun or at least I had a lot of fun. The games we played and the water fight was really cool. I felt like for once we all made up a neat little group or at least us girls did. But now sitting here in the car with Michael I don't know what to say. This doesn't happen to me often but what do you say to someone you have sorta been out with and hardly know? Someone who always seems to flirt with you but never really seems that interested? I'm really no good at this sort of thing.

[isabelle]

*Michael*

I lean back in the passenger seat of Maria's car, wondering what I can say to Liz. I hope that when she calms down, she'll let me talk to her again so we can be friends, still.

But for now, I'm back with Maria. Now Liz seems to know how to go off in a huff, but Maria has a lot of fire of her own. I've had my eye on her from the start but it's been a bit strange. Not really sure how to make her interested in me again. I saved her life and I kinda went out with her. But the most interest she showed was when Max was talking me up for her.

Max. I growl deep in my throat at that thought. Where did he get off thinking he had to help me get a girl? I've got everything I need.

"Nice beach party," I tell her, tapping my knees with my hands. "That was a pretty good idea you had." It ended kinda suddenly, but I'm not gonna mention that just now. I stretch my arms over my head and almost stretch out before I realize I'm about to put my arm over the back of her seat. I hesitate for a moment and go for it, not touching Maria, but still close enough to do so if the moment happens, while I hook my other elbow out the open window.

"Yeah, great night," I add, with a wide smile.