Not the Usual (Lark)

[Jacelynn Heron]

Waitressing wasn't a desired job for the blonde, college girl. If anything she'd rather be working as a photographer's assistant or something that pertained to her major. Waitressing was a typical job for her age group though, so she couldn't do much complaining. It supplied her with money to pay for her Beetle and the bike she still had to pay her father back for. Money was money and even if she didn't particularly like carrying around trays of food and flirting with all of the male customers, it was how she got paid.

Cynthia had taken a liking to her, too which made life a whole lot easier. If the boss was happy then things were good. The House was also a great way to meet people, between the performers and the regulars, she had met a lot of people. Being the social butterfly that she was, it made things a lot easier. The downfall was when guys thought that they were allowed to touch her and get away with it. If they drank enough, there was always one guy that felt the need to grope her. She didn't take well to that, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it.

Jace was having one of those days that made working at the House a real pain. Jealous girls going off about how their boyfriends won't even pay attention to them. It was a burlesque club, what did they expect? It was also nice hearing them go on and on about how the waitresses always got a little too friendly with the guys. Funny thing was that the waiters were just as friendly to the girls, it was part of the job description, though it wasn't in the contract. With her shift about to end, she was just finishing up with what she thought was her last table before one more guy walked in and sat in her section.

One of her co-workers offered to take him, but Jacelynn didn't feel like putting her work on others. So, she put on her most charming smile, pulling her platinum hair over her shoulder and strutted over to the table, "Hello, my name's Jacelynn and I'll be your waitress tonight. Can I get you anything to drink hun?"

[Larkein Blackhawk]

It wasn't everyday that Larkein felt trapped. He didn't take care, this time, to appear his best for where he was going. He took the evening bus into town. As he stepped off the bus, he bobbed his head lightly to the slight metal music that screamed in his ears. All he wanted to do was drown out the world. He stepped into a warm, yet lively place. Hot girls passed him with food on trays. Even waitresses appeased the male mind. He chose to sit in the emptiest part of The House.

A pretty blonde came over to take his order. It took him two minutes to full acknowledge his surroundings and see that, yes, there was someone standing there. He didn't bother to hide his roaming eyes, surely she was used to this. Could he pass for twenty-one? He sorely needed a drink, but his parents strongly advised against drinking. And drinking when he had helped people stopped, it would make him a hypocrite. "Just a water please," he said.

How long could he hold out like this? The scars were getting deeper each time he decided it was time to give into the carnal lust of the pain. Right then, at the booth, with the blonde still standing there, he was being called. He needed a distraction. Anything. "So, Jacelynn right? Do you come here often?"

Mental note; Don't try to flirt when the pain is calling...

[Jacelynn Heron]

Roaming eyes didn't bother Jacelynn in the slightest. It was not only to be expected, but also she rather liked having guys look at her. The secret self-esteem issues she had were subsided whenever anyone paid her enough attention, but not many people knew that. Not even her best friends. The guy in front of her didn't look older than her, and she'd be able to tell because she was constantly watching people. But he wasn't younger either, at least not by much. He looked about like either a senior in high school or a freshman in college and she hadn't seen him around U of V, so she couldn't quite figure it out.

Once he ordered a glass of water, she didn't even bother writing it down because he was her last customer and water was easy to remember. That being said, she didn't walk away as soon as he ordered either. Something about him had her lingering. It could have been just the fact that he hadn't tried coaxing her into letting him buy alcohol or maybe it was the modelesque features. Either way, she lingered long enough to offer as a distraction for him.

"You can call me Jace though, it's shorter. And uhm, yeah I sorta work here," She said with a slight laugh. Wasn't that sort of obvious? Maybe he was just too distracted. Or something... she didn't really know, but she wasn't going to be mean about it. He was the first sober customer she'd had all day. "How about you sweetie? You don't seem like one of the regulars."

[Larkein Blackhawk]

Lark had to shake himself out of a trance. "Sorry, I'm pretty distracted today. I'm usually a little smoother..." Now he sounded like an arrogant prick...well... "My name is Larkein, but you can call me Lark. This is my first time here."

His blue-gray eyes followed the women who stepped behind the waitress. He needed a better distraction than that. The need, the calling, everything, it was becoming stronger. He was almost tempted to do in the bathroom. "Could you sit down with me?" he suddenly asked, surprising himself.

Usually when Lark was in a suicidal mood, he distanced himself from people, but the more he cut. The more he gave into the knife, the stronger the urges got. He wanted to relieve the pain of his parents never being there, of growing up with a nanny instead of his mother tucking him away in bed. His nanny who still cared, he thought, while his parents kind of tucked him away, here at the school, for the Metas. It all crashed on him. His usually handsome face fell, his eyebrows furrowing deeply.

"Please," he said, his voice cracking.

[Jacelynn Heron]

Jacelynn understood distraction. She often found her mind wandering because of her ability, or she was thinking of the time when she would finally be able to leave Pilot Ridge and explore the world. It was every photographer's dream, and yet she was stuck here because if she even thought of leaving the state there would be hell to pay when she came back. Not to mention, she couldn't imagine leaving her father alone with the snake for however long she was gone. For now, she wasn't going anywhere.

She smiled and shrugged, "It's alright, we all have off days. It's nice to meet you Lark." Jacelynn didn't mind the whole arrogant thing, it was typical for most guys that came in. They'd put the moves on her and it failed every single time. But she wouldn't describe this guy as arrogant or cocky, he seemed like he was in pain or something. She couldn't quite put her finger on it though.

Then he asked if she would sit with him. Usually waitresses weren't supposed to do that until after their shift was over, but her's had ended a couple minutes ago so she didn't see why she couldn't. "Uhm, yeah sure. Did you want me to get you that water first?" She asked, her mind still on her job. It took a little while before she could change mindsets. Even though her mind was always working, constantly blocking out everyone else's conversations so that she could focus on her own.

But when his expression changed and his voice cracked, she sat down, forgetting the water. "Are you okay? I mean, I'm not trying to intrude, but you seem upset and I'm a great listener," Ha, if only he knew just how good of a listener she was.

[Larkein Blackhawk]

Lark stared at the beautiful stranger. It was amazing how someone could just be so caring. That was something he strived for. Everyday, people went without a care in the world. Others went without being, if it was by friends, family or co-workers. More and more people killed themselves because life was too hard to bear.

He could tell her his secret. Finally get it off his chest. Of course, there had been rumors around the Hammel Institute campus, maybe she had heard about them, maybe not. He was tempted, to be able to talk to anyone except his counselor about the urges he got.

Like a tiger, he shook his whole body, the tremor almost violent. "I... Like you said, it must be an off day. I just would like some company," Lark said, finalizing on the fact that he wasn't going to tell her.

He didn't know her and much more than that, people ran away from the suicidal. He shook his head and gave her a sad smile, "So, did you go to school somewhere.... here?" Smooth, always so smooth.

[Jacelynn Heron]

Jacelynn strived to be a good person, nice to everyone that deserved it, but sometimes it didn't always work. Mostly when she heard someone make a rude comment and then try to play innocent. Things like that bugged her a lot, also when she caught someone in a serious lie that effected people around her, two things she'd never be able to get past. Jace unfortunately had seen the effects of bullying and lying, she was in the process of helping someone with a serious problem right now. It was the only way she knew how to use her power in a helpful way.

Rumors around Hammel got around, but since she wasn't really there anymore, she didn't pay much attention to them. If she'd heard about his secret, she probably overlooked it because she didn't know who to help. Adrianna was already in the process of being mended from what she heard from Lani and at the moment all Jace had to focus on was herself, something that she didn't particularly enjoy.

She watched him, there were signs, things she'd seen before in the people she tried to help and it made her wonder. "Well okay, I can spare some time. My shift just ended anyway," Jace said with a smile, trying to hide the sneaking concern that she felt towards him. People didn't really see her at her finest because as of late, her mother had been pushing her closer and closer to the edge of insanity. But she always tried, and it was easier to do so now.

"I'm a freshman in college actually, U of V. I used to go to the institute, Hammel for the meta-humans," She didn't even bother trying to hide it anymore. If people had a problem with her and her ability, they could get over it. "How about you? Are you one of the 'normal' people or a bad ass meta?" She laughed.

[Larkein Blackhawk]

Lark laughed, his eyes crinkling around the corners. "I'd make a bad ass normal person any day of the week, but no, I'm a meta. I'm a senior," he said with a grin. Where did the time go? Last he remembered, he was being made fun of for cutting and the rumors flew like crazy around the campus. "This means you are only a year older than I am."

Pointing out the obvious... Sure way to get a girl to like you. Stay tuned, he might pick his nose, let's see how she reacts to that! He shook his head, clearing it of the announcer's voice.

The urge became too strong. His hand twitched for the razor he had hidden in his bag. He suddenly grabbed his notebook, writing furiously in it. After two minutes of writing, he turned to the back of the page.

"Hey, wanna play Hangman?" he asked, drawing lines on the paper. _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _. "Take a guess!" Lark drew the gallows to hang the man on. It was in the upper right corner.

[Jacelynn Heron]

Hearing his laugh made her smile and she tuck a strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear. He was kinda cute, she had to admit to herself. The only reason she could even admit it now was knowing that he was a meta. She didn't much like the normal people, thanks in large part to her mother as well. "That's awesome! You looked older, I'm not gonna lie," Jace said with a smile. Not that she was opposed to younger guys, after all Carter was about the same age as this guy and she clearly hadn't minded doing anything with him.

It was a wonder that Jacelynn hadn't heard anything about him before. After all, they were only a year, maybe less, apart. She thought back for a moment, her mind wandering aimlessly like it often did. Maybe she had heard of him. Larkein...hmm. The brief few moments her mind wandered, she could only think of one person who had that name and it was from a few years back when she'd heard of this kid who had a serious lust for self-inflicted pain.

No...that couldn't be him.

Her mind centered back on her conversation and she watched him a little closer now. Having been so good at helping others with their problems, she had picked up signs. Some signs were more obvious than others, like the constant fidgeting hands. Her eyes drifted to his hands and she saw them twitching a bit. Another sign would have been the marks, but she saw no scars on his wrists.

Jace internally shook her head, it wasn't him. He'd have scars if it was. But even she knew that there were ways of hiding the marks. As soon as he had himself distracted, she thought more about what she'd heard back then. His last name was something she couldn't quite remember. It started with a B and was unique in its own way. She couldn't figure it out though.

His question snapped her focus back to him and she smiled, "Sure, uhmmm B?" Jace asked since it had been the only letter in her mind at the time.

[Larkein Blackhawk]

Was it him or did she seem distracted? Yep, she was distracted. He stretched his arms over his head, clearly waiting for her to give him a letter. While he waited, which was a good few minutes, his mind wandered.

How many girls had he dated? Was Jace going to be another to add to the numbers? The heart he had broken? Not purposely, of course. He felt like he was too much of a nice person to ever break someone's heart...unless they pissed him off.

He scratched his arm, his eyes kept flickering to the black bag on the booth beside him. Was he going to do it? Dash out of the booth and lock himself in the bathroom to relieve the lust for self-harm? The letter she blurted out sent him out of his thoughts. "Nope," he said grinning. Lark drew the B in the corner and drew a circle for the head. "Guess again."

[Jacelynn Heron]

Once he got to know her, Lark would realize that she got distracted rather easily. She was like the dog from Up whenever something caught her attention it held all of her focus. Jace didn't particularly know why she was so spacey at times, but it was nice getting distracted every once in a while because she wasn't too pleased with her reality. To say the least, things could be better.

If he ever did end up dating her, which would be a long shot considering she didn't do a lot of dating, he would see just how damaged she was. Lark had more baggage than she did, but she had her fair share. She'd gotten past the point of where he was, the whole self-harm thing only lasted about a month or so and that had been years ago. But she still remembered it.

"Darn, how about a J?" She asked tilting her head to the side as she looked at him. Jacelynn couldn't help but watch him. She was the type of person who observed everyone and just looking at him was fascinating. He was really really cute.

[Larkein Blackhawk]

Was she watching him...? Lark gave her a winning smile, writing the J in the corner, adding a straight line to the head. "Nope."

His legs started tingling. The pain was ceasing to exist. Abruptly, he grabbed his bag by the handle and excused himself. The bag was hugged to his chest as he pushed into the men's private bathroom. He thanked his lucky stars that it didn't have any stalls. There was a hook on the back of the door where he had hung the bag.

In one of the front pockets, he hid the razor he was currently using to cut himself. He held the razor in his hand delicately, watching the silver metal gleam in the bright lights. How could something so small, so destructive bring so much joy? Joy. Joy starts with a J. His mind wandered back to the blonde-haired beauty sitting out in the booth, probably wondering why he left in such a hurry.

Lark stared at the razor, wondering when he was going to crack his addiction. With trembling hands, he placed the razor back in the secret pocket and slowly, dejectedly with his head down, walked back to the booth. "Sorry. Had to really....go do something," he mumbled.

[Jacelynn Heron]

He smiled at her and Jacelynn just blushed. Any guy could get her to blush with just a simple flash of a smile, but it took real effort to make Jace get flustered and feel butterflies. He was close, but it would take a little more coaxing. “Darn it, I’m terrible at this game,” She giggled.

His hand flashed to his bag and she watched him walk to the bathroom with a concerned expression on her face. It didn’t make any sense, one minute they were playing a game, she was distracted further and the next minute he was up and leaving? Jace knew there just had to be something going on, something more but it wasn’t her business to push. She was bold, but she wasn’t inconsiderate or disrespectful when it came to privacy, well she tried not to be even with a power like hers.

Speaking of powers like hers, even when she tried not to hear things, she still did. It was a part of her body, the sensitivity of her hearing. She heard him unzip a pocket of his bag and pull something out, but she couldn’t make out just what it was. She wasn’t trying to really, but when she heard him put it back and re-zip the pocket, Jacelynn turned her attention to the table, her fingers yanking at the skirt she was wearing.

Biting her lip when he came back out, she glanced up and tried shooting him a smile while shrugging it off. “Is everything okay?” Of course she already knew what he’d say; ‘everything is just fine, nothing’s wrong at all’ but she knew it was a lie. And that was when the last name of the boy she’d been thinking of before struck her.

Blackhawk. But she didn’t know his last name, so maybe it wasn’t the same person?

[Larkein Blackhawk]

If you looked close enough to the right strap of his black backpack, you could see his full name in caps in silver sharpie. LARKEIN BLACKHAWK. Of course, this didn't stop people from stealing his bag if they so choose, but, it was bright and anyone who knew him and saw his bag with someone else could tell him.

Lark waved off her question, not bothering to answer it. It felt better for him to be mute than to actually answer it, because that would be lying and Lark hated to lie. He could usually dodge questions like that because he usually did his cutting in the privacy of his bathroom or his room, but the urge had gotten strong.

"Would you like some hints?" he asked, his smile tight.

[Jacelynn Heron]

Jacelynn pulled her hair over her shoulder and tried distracting herself again from the thoughts that came with the last name. Larkein Blackhawk was one of the people who she hadn't known to help. It was like the situation Adrian had, but Jace didn't know any of his friends in order to tell them and help him stop. Besides, she couldn't know if the rumors were true, so she hadn't thought to do anything about it.

If something would have happened to him though, she'd have felt just as guilty as if it was her holding the razor.

Her eyes wandered a bit over to the group of waitresses that watched her and smirked in her direction, it made her roll her eyes and smile, but the smile was short lived when she looked at his bag. There on the strap of his bag was his full name. Larkein Blackhawk. Jacelynn stared at it for a while, waiting for the words to disappear, but the remained and her throat ran dry.

"You're h-him," Jacelynn whispered. He was the boy who had been found cutting and was bullied for it as if that made things any better. It was the first time she'd ever seen the boy before, and it shocked her that he was really sitting here. Maybe he got better? But she knew there was no way. Otherwise he wouldn't have excused himself so hastily.