Time to Face the Consequences (Lani.)

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Honestly, this was bound to be a total disaster. The whole situation had come from something that she couldn't possibly find it in herself to regret. The Halloween Dance had been a blast (literally, though she hadn't stayed long enough to see the fireworks). Her costume was a hit and she had fun with her best friend. That being said, she hadn't seen Lani and hadn't tried finding him to just say hi, but she had found Odion. And Odion had seen the moment that was causing her to do this now.

It wasn't like she had been planning all night long to kiss Venn. Sure, she'd thought about it many times before, but knowing that Lani was there, she didn't want him to see and get hurt. At that point it hadn't even been a month since they broke up and her flirting around with another guy was bad enough. Kissing that guy? Well that was just being a bitch. But it had happened, and Odion was the only one who saw. And though she was positive he was going to tell Lani, as far as she knew, he hadn't. It was her job to tell Lani about her and Venn (since they had become an item that night) and she didn't want him to find out from anyone else. Not even Venn because she knew that would cause far too many problems and several injuries.

Today was the day that she'd gained enough courage to go to her current and former boyfriend's dorm room to tell the former about the current. Adrian had made sure that Venn was elsewhere when she did this because she didn't want him intervening. This was something she had to do on her own. She needed her friend to know that despite what she had done, she did care about him and that she wasn't trying to hurt him. That didn't make her feel any less like a bitch, but at least she was trying to sort it out before someone else made it out as something worse.

Stepping up to the door, her shaking hands smoothed down her skirt and she took a deep breath. Hesitantly, she tapped on the door lightly and waited for an answer. Her power had reached out and she knew he was the only one left in the room. All she could do now was hope for the best and expect the worst.

[Lani Hunter]

It had been a long day, a long day in a long week. Several long weeks actually. Lani plastered himself onto his bed and decided he wasn’t moving today. It was comfortable and warm but there was only so long that he could stare at the ceiling before he got bored. Actually it wasn’t that long at all. He flipped on the lights with his mind and dug around in his messy sheets for his book. It was really a wonderful thing when he could read until he was tired and his power could just cut the lights and he’d be out. As he was digging about he found a colorful bear. He rolled his eyes at it before he smiled a little. No matter what he did it always showed up back here right by his side. He set it aside and found his book. It didn’t take him long to get lost in it. It wasn’t that much longer than he thought for his alarm to go off and point out to him that it was now eleven.

Lani stretched contently and set his book aside. Today was a lazy day. He had already decided when he initially didn’t get up. He rolled out of bed and after making himself a cup of hot cocoa he sipped at it before deciding it was too hot and setting it down on his desk. He looked in his fridge for something to eat and decided that he should probably clean it out but didn’t actually find any food. Oh well, he wasn’t really hungry. He sighed, he should probably get changed out of his sweatpants and old concert tee but he was comfortable and not planning on leaving his room today. It was too cold. He checked his phone, he didn’t have any plans today and everyone else was doing something, class or something, he didn’t know. Was it Monday? He shrugged and picked up his hot cocoa again.

He was sipping at it when he heard the door. He groaned a little. His one day alone and he was just going to do nothing but read and maybe do a few physics problems or something. His power recognized the person behind the door and half of him wanted to pretend like he wasn’t home and the other part wanted to welcome her in and kiss her. Lani was willing to try the first but then he realized if his power knew that she was there then her power would also know that he was here. He ran a hand through his hair and caught sight of himself in the mirror. Oops, he hadn’t shaved yet today, or anything… he call out, “Coming.” He quickly ran into the bathroom and brushed his teeth and made himself look not quite as much of a mess. His cheeks were covered in light stubble but it wasn't very bad.

He pulled on a sweatshirt over his shirt so at least it would look like he was relatively put together today. After all, it was near afternoon and he should have been awake hours ago. He made sure the door to his room was closed so she wouldn’t have to bear witness to the mess in there. The mess that Lani had only become conscious of when Odion complained about it. He opened the door and glanced back at his door realizing he had left his half finished hot chocolate in his room. He turned his eyes back to her after the minor distraction. “Adrianna,” he said and a smile grew on his face. Now what? Should he hug her or… what? He stared at her for a moment and blinked looking back into the room. “Um... Do you wanna come in for a bit?” He asked his heart alternatively sinking and soaring from seeing her. He thought he was doing well with getting over her, he and Odion had been hanging out a lot but this was different. He hadn’t seen her since Halloween. But they were friends right?

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Upon seeing him, her heart plummeted to her feet and a knot the size of a baseball seized her throat. How was she supposed to do this? How could she tell him something that would no doubt hurt him? Both of them may have agreed on the mutual break up, but that didn’t mean either of them were completely over it. She sure wasn’t, but for Venn’s sake she was trying to be. After avoiding Lani so much, she’d been so sure she was finally getting better, but that had all vanished at the first sight of him. The boy that had caused her to be kidnapped, who had lied to her so many times and had held her heart for so long. She couldn’t do this. Her courage was slipping away the longer she stood there.

And yet her feet were practically glued to the floor.

When he looked away, she took the time to appraise him. To see what had become of him since they were no longer with each other. It was odd seeing him now. She didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t sure if she could hug him or if that would be deemed inappropriate for the situation. Over all, she was lost because she’d never had this happen before. He looked scruffy, not like a hobo or anything, but it was clear that he hadn’t shaved. As she gave him a once-over she also realized that he was dressed for a lazy day, much like she had been that day he kidnapped her away from the books. The memory had her lower lip trembling and beneath her eyes stinging. Before he even turned around, she straightened up and refused to break again.

Her name passed his lips and she was sure she would start crying at the sound of it. But she didn’t. Instead she forced a smile to her lips, “Hi, Lani. I-it’s nice to see you.” No matter how much it hurt. Adrianna couldn’t bring herself to hug him, she knew if she did it would be hard to let go. She bit down on her lower lip and looked around as he stared at her. This was much harder than she’d expected and she wasn’t sure why. It had never been so painful being around him. His voice broke through her wandering mind and she cleared her throat. “Uhm, well yeah. I mean I won’t have to stay long, I just needed to talk to you.”

She stepped in and once they were both inside she couldn’t stop herself before she did finally hug him. It had been a while since she had the chance to hug him and she missed him more than she wanted to admit. Squeezing him lightly, she pulled back and stepped away. “How have you been? I saw you at the dance, loved your costume,” She said softly with a smile.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani stared at Adrianna and she stared back. The silence stretched on for a while with neither of them knowing what to do or what to say. He thought he was over it. He was wrong. Seeing her made him want to wrap his arms around her and feel the touch of her lips against his. This was much harder than he thought. It only cemented that it was his fault that they hadn’t made it. He had never said that he loved her. But he did. He missed her, missed their late night chats. He loved her as he loved his sister and it was as if he could no longer talk to his sister, or no longer talk to his best friend. He looked at his phone sometimes and wondered if he could just text or call just to ask how she was doing, tell her a funny story he had heard, apologize again for what he had done. Lani hadn’t realized how terribly he had been to her until he had been able to look back at her. What if he had never lied, what if he had told her outright what he was?

His heart sunk as she forced a smile. What happened to the times when he could so easily make her smile? “Y-yeah, you too,” he nodded after a few awkward moments of silence. He looked her over with a glance. She looked good; she had always looked good though. Now he was self-conscious of his unshaven face and sloppy dress. He scratched at his cheek absently as if that would make the stubble go away. Lani opened the door a little wider and moved to make room for her to come in. Shutting the door behind her he nodded a little. “No, it’s fine… I mean stay as long as you like.” He bit his tongue this wasn’t coming out right. “Do you want something to drink?” He asked partially because he was worried about what she needed to talk to him about and partially because he wanted something to do to distract himself.

Lani opened his mouth to start listing off the various drinks they had when she hugged him. He realized habit was making him go in for a kiss and he diverted it quickly and hugged her back. He missed her. She had always fit into the folds of his body so well. He let her go and took a step back himself. They hadn’t seen each other in so long. This was hard. Being friends was hard. But he had made a promise. Besides he missed her just to talk to. She had always been someone who had been easy to talk to. The words would just flow and they would talk for hours about everything. “Good, good, I’ve been good.” He said rubbing his palms on his jeans. He smiled and gave her a little bow. “Thanks. I saw you there, too. You looked… I loved your costume too.” Was he still allowed to say she was beautiful?

“How have you been?” He asked in return. “I…” He cut himself off. No he was not allowed to say that he missed her. “Um…” He looked around the room for inspiration but he found nothing worthy of conversation. “How’s your mom doing?” He asked instead hoping for good news. Praying for good news. Adrianna and her mother, they had a relationship like he had never seen. He wanted her to always have her mother. Besides, Lani loved her mother. Though he was pretty sure that after what her mother probably had heard about him at this point she was cursing him into oblivion. What kind of boyfriend let their girlfriend get kidnapped by the thugs that he worked for?

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Thinking back on the relationship that they had, Adrianna had seen that it had been her doing a lot to make it work. Now that she knew of all the lies he’d been telling her, she realized that it wasn’t a healthy relationship to begin with. Her love had been given blindly to a man that had kept so much from her. But she wasn’t bitter about how it had been. It wasn’t as if at the time she found out that she had been bitter either. So many times people had tried to bring out the side of her that was nasty and mean, but they’d all failed because she couldn’t find it in herself to hate. It may have been easier to hate Lani for what he’d done, but she couldn’t. He was what gave her the strength to become so independent. He helped her deal with her mother’s illness without hurting so much. Lani and Venn had switched places right under her nose and she hadn’t even realized it.

Nor did she want Lani to realize it. But it was only a matter of time before he would know the truth.

It was clear that both of them were once more walking on eggshells around each other. Unsure of what to say, hesitant to do what they were both dying to. The silence was unbearable and yet neither of them could fill it anymore. It wasn’t comfortable like it had once been. The stubble on Lani’s face didn’t take away from his looks by any means. If anything it made him look older, an inside look of what he would look like when he did grow older. It was nice to see because she was sure that she wouldn’t see him at that point in their future. She looked up as he spoke again and she bit her cheek. Adri couldn’t handle staying longer than was necessary. And she was sure he wouldn’t want her around after she told him. But he didn’t need to know that yet. “I-I’m fine. Thank you,” She declined his offer before hugging him.

If they’d still been together, she would have kissed him right then and told him never to let go. But that would only make things worse for both of them. She missed him so much that it hurt to part from him, though she knew he wasn’t hers to hold onto anymore. Adrian rubbed her arm after putting some distance between them and she avoided eye contact. How could being friends turn out to be so difficult. They’d done it before, if only for a short time, but it had happened. Why couldn’t they just go back to that? She looked up when he answered and smiled slightly, “That’s good. I’m glad. And thanks, I put a lot of effort into conjuring that idea up.” Not really, but that was supposed to be a joke. Hadn’t it come out that way? She almost let out a sigh at her wasted effort. This just had to be annoyingly hard didn’t it?

“I’ve been decent I suppose. Ya know just working on the whole mimicking business; I can’t seem to find anyone willing to help me out with it though.” Venn was always worried she’d hurt herself if she mimicked him. He was always worrying about her. His question about her mom had her looking down. The call had come earlier in the week, the call about her mother’s status. Tears started to spring to her eyes again, but she didn’t let any of them fall. Looking up at him she smiled a painful smile filled with sadness, “She’s been given less than a year to live. They can’t pinpoint how long exactly, but she won’t make it past this summer.” Adrianna crossed her arms in front of her to shield herself from any source of pain from the outside world. It had become a habit of hers throughout the years and now it was more habitual. “She misses you though, she keeps asking if you’ll come visit for her birthday. She’s going to be 33 next month.”

[Lani Hunter]

If Lani could go back he knew that right off he would have told her about himself. Or if not said what he was outright let he know that he was dangerous. What if, what if, what if, they kept buzzing in his brain like a million bees. He and Adrianna could have been something so much better than what they had ended as. Lani resisted the urge to clench at his heart and tear it out. He had been so happy when she hadn’t abandoned him but he should have known it couldn’t have lasted. The fact just remained that when his secrets were exposed he wasn’t the man she loved. That was a part of him certainly, but it was the places closer to the heart that really defined a person and he had failed the test. Sometimes Lani wished that Adrianna would hit him or something because that would at least give the internal pain a physical outlet.

It was also this knowledge that he had screwed up so epically that made him hesitate with Odion. What if he fell into the same trap, what if he dragged it out? He shook his head to try to stop them but they were insistent and with Adrianna standing across from him that was only increasing the cacophony of his own thoughts. He nodded and his hands hung by his sides and he ended up finally holding them together for lack of anything better to do with them. He scratched an invisible itch and poked at the calluses he had grown over the years doing what had broken him and eventually had broken him and Adrianna. Lani almost told her that Venn wasn’t here to divert her attention somewhat from what he had become. He felt terribly exposed and he knew that it was this discomfort he was feeling with being exposed that made their relationship a failure from the start.

Lani smiled at her joke. Friends, they were still friends. This could work. Maybe. No, it would work. This was proof of that. He missed her and he wanted to see her more often but it would take a little getting used to for them to not be actually together. But it was indeed a good thing that their touch didn’t linger or something would have happened Lani knew he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself for the feelings he still had for her were fading but they were still strong. “It came out very well,” he said joked back wanting to let her know that he was trying so long as she was trying. No one ever said it was going to be easy. He cocked his head, he didn’t like the sound of ‘decent I suppose’. “Ah,” he nodded, he was working with Odion as well on his power. “I can help you,” Lani said before he could stop himself and he bit his tongue to punish it for its foolishness. “I mean if you’d be ok with that.” Or were desperate, or he was the last person on earth, he thought to himself. This was not going well.

Lani had meant the question to be light. He had no idea that Adrianna’s mother had taken such a deadly turn. An audible gasp came from Lani’s throat and he could feel tears of his own starting to build up. He had been close to that but no one had ever given his sister an expiration date. Lani wrapped his arms around her wanting to give her the comfort of a friend not a boyfriend. Just a friend who had been through something the same and would miss the person as much as she was. “I’m so sorry Adrianna.” He released her slowly and took a step back. Lani shook his head. “You haven’t told her.” He hazarded when he heard the next part. Lani bit his tongue and his eyes went down cast with despair. Someone was dying and there was nothing he could do. “Is there anything I can do?” He asked in desperation. He wanted to see Adrianna’s mother but it just didn’t feel right. Not after what he had done to her daughter. If Ms. Amelia knew she’d never forgive him.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

At least her joke was funny enough to receive a smile. Unless he was just trying to make her feel better at her own failed attempts. But that was just it, at least she was making attempts, it was all they could do at this point until things became less strained. Lani had been one of her closest friends even when they were dating and she’d always found a way to confide in him and share things with him that she didn’t want to share with many others. Of course Venn was also the one that she confided in, but at that time she hadn’t been able to make a choice between them either. She never thought of making a choice between them though because it had never come up and she never thought it would.

He joked back and she smiled faintly, “Well that’s a relief.” And she wasn’t just talking about what he said. Lani was trying just as hard as she was and she was glad. If one of them didn’t try as hard as the other their friendship would end just like the relationship had, she was sure of it. Adrian noticed his head tilt to the side and she bit down on her lip. His offer had her eyes snapping up and almost brightened her mood, but seeing the look on his face after he said it made that mood drop back to where it had been. Was she allowed to accept that offer? If it was just helping with power training surely that wasn’t bound to turn into anything more, right? She wanted so badly to accept it, but she was worried about what Venn would think. Maybe if she told him right off the bat he wouldn’t mind it? But that was a long shot. “Uhm, that would be great. I sort of forgot all of the neat tricks I was able to do before…” She trailed off.

The next topic wasn’t one that she’d talked about since she got the call from the nurse. Amelia refused to address it in their conversations and though Venn knew about it, she didn’t like discussing it with him because it made her upset and she didn’t want to be anymore. After months of back and forth results and the recent break up, she just was sick of being so torn up. But Lani had been through something similar and she knew if she was going to talk to someone about it, it would be Lani. His very reaction had her heart squeezing and the tears threatening to spill over. He pulled her into his arms and without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her face in his shoulder. It wasn’t anything more than a friend comforting her and that was what it felt like. Though she had residual feelings for him, it felt better having the friendly connection. It felt right. She looked up at him when they both pulled back, tears having fallen down her cheeks.

Taking a deep breath she attempted to explain why she hadn’t said anything to Amelia about what had really happened. “I couldn’t tell her Lani. I mean, I told her it was a mutual thing and that it would be better for both of us, but she thinks that it is because we just had a falling out. And she gets that, she can handle that,” She sighed. “I don’t think she could handle what really happened. And I didn’t want her to be mad at you. It’s bad enough that Venn isn’t very fond of you now, I didn’t want her to be the same.” Was it the right choice? She wasn’t sure, but it was better than her hating Lani because that would just tear Adrian apart. “Maybe you could come see her for her birthday? I mean I know it may be a little weird, but she really does want to see you. I think it would be good for her, y’know? Having the familiarity there….”

[Lani Hunter]

They were both trying and the more that they realized this the better things would go. Lani wasn’t sure how this whole thing would go in the future especially with Venn. Venn was the wild card. He knew Adrianna and he knew himself but he didn’t know Venn. Lani was pretty sure of his ability to handle Venn but that was going so well with his whole sneaking around the room. It was safe in his room and he was starting to use his window more often than the door. He realized that this was ridiculous. He shouldn’t be skulking around his own room. Lani looked at Adrianna, he still wanted to be there for her and it wasn’t because of some stupid promise. He wanted to be there for her because he wanted to. He didn’t have to. Lani’s care for her had no obligation attached to her and he hoped she knew that.

Lani grinned and chuckled lightly. Things were going well, almost well. Until his tongue got away from him. He watched her brighten and then fall as she realized the same thing that he did. They weren’t together anymore. This was alright? Or was this going too fast? Were they good enough friends now? Or should they wait a while for the feelings to truly fade? And what about Odion? He was working with Odion on their powers getting them to work against and with each other. What would it say to Odion if he turned around and helped Adrianna. Well, he supposed if he was just helping it wouldn’t be too bad… Just because they were broken up didn’t mean that they needed to hate each other. Lani brightened and his smile returned at her acceptance. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a lot of new tricks,” he said with a grin, “I’ve been working with Odion…” He trailed off not really sure why he brought that up.

It dawned on Lani as he hugged her that this was what he was meant to be to her. A confident and friend, not a boyfriend. He could offer his help in other ways. He knew by now what it felt like when she started to cry. The slight tremble in her shoulders. “Shh,” he uttered soothingly at a loss for words. What did one say to a person whose parent was dying? Nothing. There was nothing to be said. It sucked. Plain and simple. No, it didn’t suck, it was like hell. It was hell in the worst sense of it. The hell of isolation. Sure there were friends and there would be lovers but nothing replaced a parent. They were, in most cases, the only people who would be there unconditionally for them, it left a void that was hard to fill. They pulled away and Lani resisted the urge to brush her tears away.

Lani’s heart fell as Adrianna explained things to him. It made logical sense but Lani frowned. Why was honesty toward the dying so much more important? Perhaps to the dying lies were the best gift that could be given. For the belief that things would go on well for their children and friends. Lani nodded in understanding but glad that she had told her mother about the breakup but not the reasons. Normally Lani would have laughed, Venn not very fond of him? He had a feeling that Venn was to him what he was to Rhett. Lani swallowed. He honestly didn’t know what to say. Lani’s jaw clenched and unclenched. “I’ll come… Adrianna,” he said and hesitated, “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. I wish I had told you, I wish…” Lani stopped himself when he realized he was about to go spouting out everything that was in his heart. He sighed, “Sorry, well, if wishes were fishes we’d walk on the sea.” He quoted taking another subtle step away from her.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Lani may not have known Venn and honestly she expected some tension between the two even if Lani didn’t know the news that she was there to tell him. They were both very protective boys when they cared for someone and Venn was probably the one to snap faster than Lani if the one he cared about was hurt (unless in Lani’s case it was Caroline, then it would be a toss up). Adrian wasn’t so worried about the two of them though because she knew Venn wouldn’t go after Lani if he knew it would hurt her and the same went for Lani. The only reason the telekinetic would start anything would be if Venn pushed him to it. Even then it would be a rare occurrence. After this though, Adrianna wasn’t sure she’d even have to deal with it because she was unaware of just how much Lani was determined to be there for her. She was so sure that he’d never want to see her again.


He brightened again after their moment of uncertainty. Adri hoped this wouldn’t cause problems between any of them. She didn’t necessarily know about Odion, but if she had, she wouldn’t want to give him anymore of a reason to hate her. After what he saw at the dance, she was sure he already did. She couldn’t even try to explain to him that she wasn’t doing it to hurt Lani, Adrian was too afraid to talk to him. She hadn’t talked to him since the kidnapping and even then she hadn’t said much. Of course she should have done more than thank him for her life, but Odion was intimidating and there was always those looming words that Rhett had said to her about Odion and Lani. “New tricks sound great! I’m sorely lacking on practice of any mental powers,” At his mention of Odion she forced a smile again. The words floated back to her from that day that had caused the beginning of the downfall between her and Lani. What if Rhett was going to be proven right?


She wasn’t allowed to be angry and she wasn’t allowed to be hurt if that happened. Not after what she’d done.


Once he pulled back, she was half expecting him to run his thumbs beneath her eyes to catch the tears, but when he didn’t she realized that it was far too intimate for the situation. Maybe once they were truly over each other it wouldn’t be quite as awkward, but for now it was. Adrian was happy he didn’t try and tell her that everything would be okay because of all people he knew that pity was the worst thing he could offer her right now. She didn’t want to be pitied, she wanted her mother to be cured. And she wanted to stop feeling so guilty for her mother’s illness. But it had to be partially her fault. The self-blame had set in shortly after the phone call when she sat in her room staring at a wall. No tears. No words. Silence.


“Yeah well wishing doesn’t work. Trust me. I’ve been wishing everyday that she got worse that I hadn’t abandoned her like my miserable excuse of a father. But I guess it’s in my blood. I left her right as she was diagnosed and I haven’t been back to help her,” Adrian whispered as she looked at the ground. There was a sense of bitterness in her tone. Bitterness that hadn’t been there ever before. The whole thing that had happened between the two of them had changed her and now, she wasn’t the same upbeat, naïve girl that felt no anger towards anyone. Life had taken a turn for the worst and now she saw it as it was. Hell. The saying life wasn’t fair had never made much sense to her because though she had been through a lot, she believed that things would always get better. And after so many things went wrong, she refused to believe that life would give her a break. “When she dies, that’s how she’ll think of me, ya know? Just like my father.”

[Lani Hunter]

Adrianna should rest assured that if Caroline were hurt Lani would win any contest in snapping. No one hurt his sister and got away with it. Adrianna was stronger than she had been, it was clear and he wished he could have seen that earlier. But as far as it came to Venn, Lani had no quarrel with the man and so he was going to try his best to avoid him. Lani wasn’t a person who went looking for fights. He did if he was pushed or cornered but otherwise he would do his best to run away. Lani marveled at Adrianna for a moment. Something had happened to her while they dated and he hadn’t seen it when it was happening. She had grown not only more independent but more sure of herself. He could see the worry in her eyes and that hurt just a tad, he had told her he wouldn’t leave her, hadn’t he?

Lani wasn’t really sure about Odion’s feelings about Adrianna. He certainly had made it known that he didn’t agree that Lani was keeping secrets from her. But Lani was starting to discover that Odion wasn’t really a people person. Odion hadn’t said anything about the kiss at the dance and Lani really wasn’t sure how he would feel about the information being kept from him. Perhaps he would never know. There were a lot of things he was starting to discover that he didn’t know. The more he learned the more he discovered about himself and about the world the less sure he was about anything. Lani smiled a little easier and nodded. “We’ll have to fix that. Is there anyone else with mental powers you could practice with?” He asked trying to keep the conversation moving over the little speed bump they had when he mentioned Odion. He remembered their fight like it was yesterday. He’d been so sure then, but now…

Adrianna seemed like she was breaking slowly from the inside out. Lani remembered a time when she would have completely crumbled but this girl… woman before him had grown herself a spine and thought the tears leaked out she wasn’t dissolving into nothing. She had a fire in her eyes that almost brought Lani to smile. She had so little self confidence in herself but she was starting to learn to stand on her own. Lani frowned wishing that he hadn’t said anything but then wishing doesn’t work. Lani’s brow creased and he looked at her like she had grown a second head. “Hush now,” He said sternly, his face grim. “Not another word like that.” How could she possibly see it like that? He wanted to take her by the shoulders and shaker her until she woke up. “What would your mother say if she heard you saying that, huh?” He asked.

“Adrianna,” He said reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder only to this better of it and let it drop back to his side. “You’re not to blame for this. You didn’t make her sick. And you didn’t leave her. You’ve been with her the entire time. Her entire fight through this.” Lani sighed and looked at her, his eyes soft and reflecting sadness that she though so lowly of herself. “You know what I think?” He asked then before she had a chance to answer he hunched a little so he was directly level with her eyes. He pointed a finger at her chest trying to make what he was saying stick. “I think you’re looking for someone to blame and you keep blaming yourself because there’s no one to blame.” Harsh, but the truth. “You’re here she’s there, so what? I know how much you call her and I know how much you love her. I’d be surprised if there was a second you didn’t think about her. So don’t tell me that you abandoned her.” He shook his head and honestly at this point he wouldn’t be surprised if she slapped him but hey he wasn’t going to stand here and let her blame herself for an illness that no one could control. He was here as a friend and as much as he wanted her to feel better he knew that telling someone what they wanted to hear was not even close to helpful.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna shook her head at his question and frowned. Nope, no mental powers except for his and she was a little hesitant about spending so much time with him. That could turn into a major disaster if unresolved feelings came out. Not that she thought they would, but it was possible because she wasn’t completely over him. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Venn by not getting over Lani. But she wasn’t going to let that happen. Venn actually cared about her the way that Lani didn’t and that was what she needed. “I only really know people with physical powers. They’re the more common ones I guess,” She said with a shrug.

If only Lani knew how much she was crumbling. It was slower than it would have been a couple months ago, but it was only a matter of time before she lost herself. She was going to stand on her own but only because she was sick of dragging people into her problems. She was stronger, but only strong enough when she was around someone. On her own it would be a different story. His expression changed and she looked up at him solemnly, the light that used to be in her eyes gone. Lani’s question sparked another harsh reaction from her and she laughed bitterly, “What would she say? She’d probably agree with me. You don’t get it, Lani. After everyone else left her, so did I. Maybe not by choice, but I didn’t exactly go kicking and screaming like I should have!”

As he reached out to her she cringed away and she was glad that he let his hand drop to his side. She didn’t deserve his comfort. His words had her gritting her teeth and shaking her head. No, she didn’t believe him, how could she? If it wasn’t for her having to leave, her mother could have made it through this. She could have helped more and Amelia wouldn’t have had so much pressure on her to do things. Of course in the back of her mind, Adrian knew Amelia wouldn’t have just sat there making her do everything. Amelia was a fighter and she would have been just as stubborn as always, trying to do things all on her own. Before Adrianna could say anything in rebuttal, Lani cut her off. He bent down to look straight in her eyes and she turned away. He began speaking again and she looked at him. Every word was a slap in the face.

Adrian’s lip trembled and she bit down on it hard, tears sliding down her cheeks more. He was right, and she hated admitting it to herself. Shaking her head, she wiped her tears away in frustration. She wanted to say something mean and brutal just to make him hurt because his words had hurt her, but this was Lani and she couldn’t do something like that to him. “Why do you have to be right all the time? It’s not fair,” She hugged him, her whole body shaking. Wrapping her arms around his torso, Adri buried her face in his shoulder and kept close. This was why she couldn’t just let him go, he was one of the few people that understood what she was going through and he knew how to help her. Pulling away, she rubbed her eyes, her makeup smearing.

“Lani….this isn’t why I came here. I-I have to tell you something and I’m pretty sure you’ll hate me afterwards, b-but you have to know…” She took a deep breath, turning her eyes away from him, “At the Halloween Dance…Venn and I, we kissed and he told me th-that he liked me and we’re dating now.” There it was, out in the open and it wouldn’t have surprised her if he made her leave.

[Lani Hunter]

It was good that Lani’s mental power didn’t have to do with feelings or thoughts of else it could get very sticky very fast. But he wasn’t thinking that there could be problems with unresolved feelings. He was thinking about the problem of them spending more time together. Would it be weird for exes to slip so easily into friendship? Would it bother Venn that Lani was stubbornly sticking around? Part of Lani sincerely hoped it would. Since the Halloween dance Lani had just been waiting for it to be made official in the Hammel grapevine that Adrianna and Venn were an item. He didn’t know what he would do. He knew they were broken up and he knew that he had feeling for Odion but he hadn’t done anything about it yet. Lani shrugged at her statement. “I guess so, maybe there are some other people you can ask,” he hesitated not wanting it to sound like he was retracting his offer added, “So you can practice the different types, I mean. I think my power really is just in the mental range by default.” It really was a little more of a physical thing but resided in the mind so it was mental. It was a strange strange power indeed.

Lani didn’t like that look in her eyes. It was the look of someone without any hope. Despair and depression had taken the place where happiness and innocence had been. She was independent now, but she was taking it too far. Even Lani had had to swallow his pride and admit that he needed help sometimes even if he might not want it. Adrianna was taking independence to mean shutting out everyone. “Bull,” Lani protested, “She’d tell you that you’re being an idiot. So what if you hadn’t gone kicking and screaming! That doesn’t change that you love her, Adrianna.” His voice softened and he looked into her eyes. “Adrianna, you don’t have to do this alone.” He was really struggling resisting the urge to take her shoulders and shake her. Lani wasn’t done yet. “What would you have done if you were there? Put your life on hold and watched her deteriorate? Adrianna, she wanted you to be here, getting an education getting your power under control.”

Tears started to fall from her eyes and it took all of his self control to not take her in his arms and kiss the pain away. He stood rigid and feeling like a terrible person for making Adrianna cry like that. He knew it had hurt and as much as Lani hated himself that had been the intension. Adrianna needed to hear the truth she didn’t want to hear. She needed to know that this wasn’t her fault. And if she hated him for it, so be it. He was surprised when she hugged him. He had been expecting something a little more painful than that for his attack on her. He folded his arms around her shoulders and let her cry into his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, not because of what he said but because of how it made her feet. He held her in his strong arms and hummed a soothing tune in the back of his throat trying to make her feel a little bit better. How were they going to do this and be broken up? Lani bit his lip and his heart felt like it was cut in half. He wanted to be there for her, and he wanted her to know he was here but how could he keep holding her like this and get over her?

When she pulled away he released her and his brow creased together. How was it that she could still look so beautiful even in sadness? Lani frowned as she spoke and he had a feeling that he wasn’t going to like what she had to tell him. He shook his head when she said he would hate her. He didn’t think he could ever hate her. If anyone had a right to hate anyone it was the other way around. He stayed where he was and he closed his eyes as she told him what happened. He couldn’t be hearing this. He thought they had gone as friends to the Halloween dance. He thought he had been prepared for this. Thought he had prepared himself mentally for something like this. Part of him couldn’t believe she had told him now. After talking about her mother. He needed to sit down. He forced a smile on his face. “I’m happy for you.” He heard himself say in a cheery voice but inside he was screaming. Already? It stung, he knew it wasn’t true but his thoughts were demanding: Did I mean anything to you? But that wasn’t fair. He hadn’t been taking any steps back from Odion. He hoped the pain didn’t show in his eyes and the smile stretched over his face. “I’m sure you’ll be happy together…” He wanted out.

He pulled out his phone his eyes meeting a blank screen and nodded as if he had just gotten a text message. “Adrianna, I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta go…” He wasn’t asking her to get out but he wanted to be alone. He gave her a hug letting her know that he wasn’t angry. Upset and confused definitely but not angry. “I’m so happy for you two.” He released her and smiled giving her a little laugh. “Just let Venn know he’ll have me to answer to if he hurts you,” he winked at her. This was perhaps his best act ever. He waved her a goodbye. “Let me know when you’re going to see your mother. I’d like to see her.” With that he made a hasty retreat back into his own room not really even waiting for her to leave the suite. Alone Lani sat one his bed and covered his face with his hands and cried. He guessed it hadn’t really hit Lani that they had broken up until she was with someone else. He really truly had lost her.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna hadn’t wanted to get into this with him. She didn’t want him to tell her what her mother would think if she knew half of what Adrian thought. She didn’t want him to feel like he had to help her. She just wanted to deal with this on her own. He had always pushed her to be so independent and she was thankful for that, but now that she was trying to be independent he was telling her not to do it on her own. Adri just didn’t know what she was supposed to do anymore. She just wanted to go home and be with her mother while she was still alive. Her throat was tight and she couldn’t even say anything as he continued talking to her about the situation.

And then it all started crumbling down around her, just as she knew it would.

The smile on his face had been the same smile he wore when he was putting on one of his many masks. After being around him for so long, and now knowing how he had once had to wear many masks around her to hide who he really was. She saw the strain in his eyes when he smiled at her and it continued to break her heart further. It was one thing not being with Lani anymore, but then for him to take it so hard that she was with someone else? How was she supposed to do this? Her lower lip was trembling with each lie he told her. It wasn’t just his words, it was how he kept trying to come off like he was really happy that she and Venn were together. But she knew, she knew that he wasn’t okay with this. “Lani, stop,” She whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks still.

The casual way he checked his phone, it was like they were still together and he was trying to get out like he had before. This wasn’t the first time he had tried getting away from her and it hurt that he felt like he couldn’t talk to her. Her stomach twisted in knots when he hugged her. She just wanted him to stop saying that he was happy for them! And just like that he was gone. Adrian didn’t move, she couldn’t. Lani was hurting and it wasn’t in her to just let him hurt all alone. Whenever she’d been upset and wanting to be alone, he never let her. This was one of those times that she had to show him that she could be there for him as well. She took a deep breath and headed towards the closed door, her hand shaking slightly as she opened it.

Without so much as a word, she went to his bed and sat beside him, pulling him close. Adrian stroked his hair and hugged him, “Talk to me, Lani. Tell me the truth because I’m sick of you putting on these masks. Haven’t you learned yet that you can be honest with me and that I’m not going anywhere?” Her voice was soft, but it wasn’t hesitant, she was going to be stern with him now because she couldn’t keep letting them drift. This was the first step to them falling apart and never talking again.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani successfully ignored her when she tried to get him to stop talking. He was being supportive. That was what friends were supposed to do right? But did she really have to date not only his roommate but the roommate that hated his guts? They had only broken up… how long? Three weeks? Four? The dance had been hard and now two weeks following Halloween she was here to tell him that she was over him. But why did she ask him to come see her mother? Wouldn’t that be insanely awkward? Especially since she was dating someone else now. Was it the place of the ex to be there with the mother daughter and the new boyfriend? Well he’d swallow his pride and do it, if not for Adrianna then more Amelia. His smile was flawless, at least it would have been if she hadn’t seen beyond his mask.

He hadn’t anticipated her calling his bluff. He didn’t even understand why he was so upset. It really shouldn’t have bothered him so much. They were broken up and they had both agreed it was for the best. And Lani knew it was. They had gotten along well but he had known that they weren’t going to end up together the moment she said ‘I love you’ and he hadn’t been able to say it back. It wasn’t even the words it was the fact that he couldn’t even lie to her to make it so. It meant he cared for her and her feelings but he was still looking out for himself and the commitment held in those three words had been too great. And it just so happened that he met someone else around the same time and his heart had started to become more and more confused. He knew then that if he could love her he wouldn’t have been so confused.

He looked up startled as the door opened. He had expected her to leave after that and perhaps that would have been it and they wouldn’t have been able to be friends. But she was there at the door. He covered his face again ashamed. She had seen him break down once and he had planned on that being the only time he ever let that happen. Something in her had changed as well. She wasn’t going to be pushed around and lied to anymore. She was strong. When he had said it at the beginning it had been to encourage her to build her strength but now she had it and Lani wasn’t sure what to do. He had half a mind to shut her out but it was too late. She sat down on the bed and he felt like a child being consoled. He felt so terrible about making her feel like she needed to come check on him but also that he was upset and he didn’t know why.

He hated to admit that it soothed him. He didn’t look up but did lift the collar of his shirt to dry his eyes. “I’m sorry, Adrianna,” he said and as much as his words had stung when he called her out when she said she left her mother her words stung him right back. How could he explain this? “It’s so soon…” He finally said then immediately looked up at her, “This is all my fault. Adrianna I’m so sorry.”

[Adrianna Carstyn]

The first time Adrian had seen Lani cry, she’d been too shocked to really do a whole lot. It still shocked her to see him cry now, but it hurt more than anything because she was the reason behind it. The only reason she felt like she needed to check on him was because she had caused him to hurt. He wouldn’t even look at her and it only made her feel worse. Here she was trying to keep him from finding out from someone else, thinking that this way it would be better and yet she still managed to hurt him. Lani wiped his eyes and she slid her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. He may not have been hers anymore, but he was still important to her and she would always comfort him.

The things she was saying weren’t meant to make him feel bad or to sting, she just wanted him to understand that things were different now. He didn’t need to keep hiding things from her for her own safety because she wasn’t nearly as weak anymore. Adrian didn’t mean to be so harsh about it, but he had to realize that she was stronger now, that she could handle anything he had to say to her. Sure, it may hurt, but she’d been hurt enough over the years to be able to cope. As long as she got to keep him in her life, she would be just fine with coping with the pain. It was almost worth coping rather than just hurting and showing him how hard it was. This was one of those times that she was coping with her pain because she didn’t want to add to his.

He spoke again and she bit her lip, keeping the pain back. It was soon. It was only a month after they broke up and she was with another guy. What did that make her? How was she any different than the girls that she scolded for doing the same thing? The only thing she had to justify her situation was that she’d always secretly had feelings for Venn in the back of her mind and in her heart, but she was too afraid to speak them. Now that she was single, she was afraid of waiting any longer and losing her chance with him. It didn’t make it right by any means, but it was better than just moving from one guy to the next without a good reason.

As soon as he apologized she shook her head, “No Lani it isn’t your fault. We had a mutual break up because both of us knew it wasn’t going to work out the moment you couldn’t say you loved me back. And honestly, I shouldn’t have even said it because I knew it was too soon anyway. This isn’t your fault, it’s both of us.” Adrianna placed her hands on his cheeks and brushed her thumbs under his eyes, “I’m sorry that it’s so soon. I didn’t mean for things to happen like this, but they did and there isn’t anything either of us can do about it now. You and I were supposed to be friends all along and now we can be honest with each other about everything without having to worry so much about walking on eggshells. Isn’t that better than what our relationship was like?” To her it was. This was how things were supposed to be.