Detach from the outcome [Marnie]

[Lucas Blacke]

Minutes passed. Hours. Days. What was said to him changed his look on almost everything, past and future, and not to mention present. Despite doing a good bit better than the last time anyone had seen him he still had his side of unresolved issues, and some were even as small as not making his own bed. He plopped down on the unmade mess that was his bed and stared at the ceiling while wondering what to do. He did have a sliver of an idea but going with just a sliver had been proven to be an unwise move before, so that was out of the question.

What she had said before hadn't come as a surprise, it was just sudden. About as sudden as his declaration, he didn't even want to say it in that conversation but it just slid out. Maybe it was the shock of hos sudden it was that got him down as he knew deep down that he had been expecting that very answer. If she was to return any of the feelings she had towards him she'd be in touch too instead of it being a one way street. Something he didn't quite like to realize, but this was turning out to be a one way thing between them. It was always him who made the first move, never her. It saddened him, though it did not keep him from trying to make a normal friend out of her. Salvage what could not be changed.

He threw his arm to the side and tapped around until he felt his phone. He brought it to a center position so he could easily see it and navigated to the texting screen before hovering his finger over a familiar name. Slight hesitance was to be expected but he finally did bring his finger down, selecting the contact.

''Hey.''

He hit send, trying not to think about what could happen.

[Marnie Sullivan]

Marnie, meanwhile, was hoped up in her dorm. The end of break was fast approaching and she still had a bit of holiday homework to keep her occupied.

It had been just over a month since her last conversation with Luke, and she still wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. Mostly in regard to what he had actually wanted or expected to achieve that day - hopefully not much, because that's exactly what he'd gotten. At the time, Marnie couldn't help doubting his sincerity. Oh, she could believe well enough that the boy felt, well, everything as intensely as he let on, and she supposed the same could be true of romantic feelings as well. Whether or not it was actually love, like he'd claimed. But then Karalie had mentioned that he'd approached her about the same thing. It was enough to cast doubt on even the most talented of actors, and enough to convince Marnie that maintaining their distance was the way to go.

When her phone chirped with a new message, Marnie grimaced upon reading the name attached. What now? So far she'd managed to keep Lucas and his feelings on the back burner to get a handle on her schoolwork, but there were only a few days left of break. Was he making another go of it? Perhaps he thought after a month she might've reconsidered. Or maybe he was going the friendship route again. From a single-word text, there was no telling.

After a minute's debate, Marnie tapped out and sent off a simple "Hello." Probably best to find out what he wanted.

[Lucas Blacke]

''How're you doing?''

He had decided to go with a very siimple reaction due to not knowing her mood. He could easily see her being a bit upset with him and he wouldn't be able to blame her. He did throw quite a bomb her way, and while just saying it out loud made him feel a bit better at the time the reaction was depressing to say the least.

But maybe being able to squish him like that was what made her happy, he didn't know.

At least she still responded instead of ignoring him. He wasn't sure about if he should talk to her face to face and risk talking to an upset Marnie or just text her and risk being ignored. Obviously he had gone for the latter, and it turned out that she didn't ignore him, even if this was something she did with everyone texting her. she had the opportunity and she didn't take it, this counted for something.

''You'll be happy to know my life is in shambles right now ''

[Marnie Sullivan]

Marnie was triple-checking her history notes when the next messages arrived. Good grief, what was he talking about this time? Was this about his being dumped? Or was this about Karalie turning down his plea for another try? She doubted Lucas was aware that she knew about that; maybe that's why he was contacting her now. She imagined him caught in a loop, continuously alternating between her and Karalie in the hopes that one of them would change their mind and take him back, but the idea didn't amuse her as much as he apparently thought it might. If anything, it was just sad.

"I'm fine. Maybe you should talk to Dr. Neville about it," Marnie replied, deadpan. She could vaguely recall suggesting as much quite some time ago, but as far as she knew he'd never gone for it. And while it was as much of a brush-off as it sounded, but it was also the most concrete advice she could give. "I know he can seem strict but he's actually really nice.""

[Lucas Blacke]

''Guh.'' He sighed audibly when the message that returned was one he didn't like, no matter how correct it might have been. He knew he needed to talk to that Neville guy but did his utmost to not go there and find someone else to talk to. People in a position like his were just prison guards in his eyes, keeping the peace by locking everyone in their own minds and Luke for one did not want that. Issues enough, he didn't need Neville poking in his mind, forcing him to think about what he didn't want to think about. Maybe all it took was a chance for that guy to prove he was okay but that was something Luke would never do. Maybe out of fear, who knew.

''That walking ripple is getting nothing from me. I'm doing fine without him. I'm not the problem anyway.'' He sent back despite wanting to send some harsher words about Neville. He didn't know why, but he hated the guy with a passion. Something about having a power that told you everything about everyone scared him, all he would hear was how much he hated him really. ''I don't handle authority figures all that well.''

[Marnie Sullivan]

"Walking ripple?" What did that even mean? It was such a bizarre thing to say that it nearly distracted Marnie from the rest of the message - and perhaps would have, if she weren't already on high alert for nonsense. Nonsense like claiming not to be the reason his life was going pear-shaped. Sure, there were probably issues he'd managed to keep under wraps, unlike his girl problems, but so far it seemed to her like a pattern of him getting dumped. Maybe some girl broke his heart before he came to Hammel and it was bleeding into his other relationships.

You don't seem to handle a lot of things well tbh

"So are you doing fine or is your life in shambles?" she typed back. Had he been exaggerating his situation so she'd talk to him, or was he just backtracking so she wouldn't push him on it? Either way, something was fishy.

[Lucas Blacke]

He'd do shit like this so often. Forget what he had said until someone pointed it out to him, luckily he often enough found himself able to talk himself out of it in a way that was acceptable to him. That and the times people were able to point shit like that out to him it was mostly in a pretty dark period in his life so he'd likely stop caring, but this one was over the phone so he could backtrack his own messages and see if that was really what he said. If it was he'd apologize, and if it wasn't he'd return the favor of pointing it out and explaining what he meant by it.

So was he doing fine or was his life in shambles, she asked. And he wanted to know this too as his mind was going back and forth between notions. Luckily looking back on sent messages provided a way to right the wrong for him.

''Correct. I did say this.'' He sent back, and instantly set up a second message to send her was to explain how he had meant it. ''Both, actually. I'm doing fine enough. Sorry for the misconception.''

[Marnie Sullivan]

Marnie's lips pursed and her brow furrowed. A "misconception," he called it. Sounded more like backpedaling to her - but why? His life sucked, he wanted to complain, and talking to Dr. Neville would get him farther than she ever could. Was he really so averse to the idea that he would pretend to be okay just to avoid it?

"So that's a no on the shambles? Well shoot, thanks for getting my hopes up." She sent it off, wondering vaguely if he would detect the sarcasm or if Lucas would assume she actually did want to see him suffer. Unless he'd been sarcastic, which she supposed was possible even if she didn't think so.

But why would he think so in the first place? Did he think Marnie was just so angry, just hated him so much, that she was sitting around waiting for him to ruin his life? This was perhaps what needled her most - it was like he'd forgotten that she had enough on her plate already.

[Lucas Blacke]

Hopes? She wanted him to be in shambles? Well obviously she would, and he deserved to be for what he dragged her through even if it was just a memory by now. They could talk without nervosity so he figured they were like friends. But were they? Would they ever be friends again? In his eyes they already were but did she see it the same way? They talked, texted and even conversed on the phone like regular people -where exactly where they at?

''Sorry about that. I'll try to be a bit more down for you.'' He didn't really keep the stings out of that one. Maybe he'd be able to guilt her into something or other, though maybe she wasn't sarcastic like his original thought told him and what he said would just up her mood. Well, even then it'd be a good thing even if it did mean a sad Luke.

''I hate humanity and such, I'm such a wreck. Blah blah.''

[Marnie Sullivan]

Well, that sure didn't sound like a real appeal for support. Maybe he'd understood she was messing with him after all.

"That's more like it," Marnie typed. "Now that you're properly miserable I have some homework to get back to."

It occurred to her that Marnie still didn't know what exactly he'd been after, starting off with a message like that. Not help, that she felt comfortable guessing. At this point either her'd be out with it or he'd leave her alone.

[Lucas Blacke]

His phone chirped and the next message was read, and maybe it was because of the text but he didn't know if she was being sarcastic or for real. But Marnie and homework? Big chance it was the real deal.

''Okay.''

A single word he sent to her with a sigh. He didn't want it to go like this at all, but if she had stuff to do he would just have to give her time. At this point, to him, it was beginning to look a little like a one way street with most of the girls in his life. He thought it had healed properly.

He figured he thought wrong.