Confrontation (AJ)

[Oliver Barnes]

Even though it had just been a week since he last visited The Book Nook, Oliver was back again. No, he hadn't even started reading half of the books he had bought but the book store was comfortable. He didn't plan on buying anything today for pleasure reading, but had a few bills tucked away just in case. The staff were always nice and helpful, always ready to recommend any good books.

He had to track down a book for his history class, and it had been one on America in the 1950's. Oliver could rent it but he had seen it a few times and always put it back. This time, he was going to get it. With a coffee in hand, Oliver entered the book store, sighing with happiness.  Oliver went straight to the section where he had saw it last, frowning when the familiar cover wasn't there. Huh. He dug around for a bit, confused. It didn't seem like it would be that popular of a book... Oliver decided to go ask someone for help, despite his fear of rejection and general social anxiety. He knew most of the people that worked here, and they'd be more than willing to help him out.

He made his way over to the counter, seeing the back of a girl with dark, curly hair. Never seen someone who looked like that (from the back anyway) there before. Well, since she was behind the counter, she had to be an employee, right? "Hey, sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you still had this one book I saw on American culture and history in the 1950's..." he rambled to the worker, with a smile on his face. "I saw it here a week ago and couldn't find it..." Oliver ran a hand through his hair, just as the girl turned around.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

After her rough break-up with Travis and the fits of anxiety she'd been having, AJ decided not only to throw herself into more reading and her homework, but to get a job as another distraction or way of focusing her energy. She'd landed a job at the Book Nook by what she thought was dumb luck. She was sure she didn't come off as extremely intelligent or experienced with her work history of babysitting and working at a fast food restaurant for a year back in Minnesota, but the hiring manager told her that he saw her passion for literature and had seen her in the store quite often buying a stack of books.

And suddenly she had a job.

She'd only been working a few weeks and today she was working the register, checking people out, although from time to time she would shelve books or organize shelves when customers knocked them over or placed books in the wrong places. Right now, she was organizing stacks of books that she was supposed to go stack when the other girl working came back from her break to work cashier. She heard a voice behind her.

"Oh, sorry!" she apologized quickly, a blush rising to her face as she had not been checking the counter as often as she'd thought she was. "I bet it just got misplaced or we moved it. I'd check-" She stopped, watching the boy run his hand through his hair--the familiar awkward action of Oliver Barnes.

She wondered what she looked like at that moment, but she felt sick and panicked.

[Oliver Barnes]

Oliver hadn't been bothered by the short moment it took for the girl to realize that he was there. She had been busy, and it was he who was causing an inconvenience. "Oh, no need to apologize. I'm the one bothering you for help." He said with a laugh, taking a sip of his coffee. As Oliver looked up, his grip on the cup tightened. The lid popped off, some of the bitter liquid sloshing over the edge and spilling all over Oliver's hand and the ground.

No. Way.

He inhaled sharply, staring stupidly at the familiar girl behind the counter. It was like that dumb dorm party all over again. Two scared deer, staring at each other with fear. With anxiety. Oliver's complexion paled at the sight of Amanda Joy Lane. He looked like he was about to faint. Without even thinking about it, he ran a hand through his hair, wanting to rip it out in frustration. He wanted to run.

So why wasn't he?

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ found it easier to stare at Oliver's squished coffee up rather than meet his eyes and so that's what she did. What was she supposed to do? She was at work, she couldn't run away, couldn't leave. He was a customer and she had to help him, although by the looks of it, he didn't look like he wanted help anymore.

It was painful, utterly painful, to have someone who used to be your best friend in front of you. And even more painful when it ended so badly.

She tried to find any sort of words, but nothing came out.

[Oliver Barnes]

Oliver opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. What was he suppose to say in response? "Hey... sorry for almost sexually assaulting you a year ago? I still don't know why I did it?" Wasn't something that could brought up, especially at a store he frequented all the time. Oliver stared at AJ, blinking slowly. Clearly, his luck had run out.

Still pale, Oliver felt his heart begin to race, hammering erratically. The familiar ocean sounds filled his ears, letting Oliver know that if he didn't start breathing soon, he'd be passed out on the floor in a minute. Somehow, he found the strength to muster a "Excuse me..." before turning around.

He felt numb. Absolutely numb. Oliver didn't care about the book as he darted away from AJ, phasing through the first bookshelf, a couple of books falling to the ground afterwards. He.. he just had to move. Oliver wasn't ready to face AJ. And he didn't think he ever would be, forever disgusted by his actions that night.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

He mumbled an 'excuse me' and turned around, moving quickly away from him, she watched as he seemingly disappeared into a bookshelf or went through it and books tumbled over everywhere. As AJ stared after him, another employee came back from break an gave her a strange look. "I'm going to go stalk the shelves," she told her. The girl nodded back hesitantly as AJ grabbed a stack of books and walked around the shelf that he'd went through. Well that answered the question of what his power was.

Normally, she would avoid him too, she would let him run away, but maybe facing him would make her feel better about what happened. Just maybe.

She set the pile of books down on the floor momentarily. "Oliver, please..." she mumbled. Somehow it hurt more that he was running away from her. It hadn't been his fault.

[Oliver Barnes]

His hands were shaking so bad that Oliver hadn't even realized he had dropped the remaining coffee on the ground. There wasn't that much store to maneuveur around, so his options were limited. Right now, Oliver's plan was to continue phasing through the bookshelves and either reach a blank wall or the door and escape.

Her face. Horrible memories flooded Oliver's head, making him feel nauseous. He was vile, a disgusting pig. The dizziness returned, and he paused to collect himself. Breathe.... breathe. Oliver pressed his back to the bookcase, his anxiety going through the roof. The pictures of that night flashed through his mind, the overwhelming heat he had felt, the taste... the taste of that kiss, his hands roaming in places that he hadn't had consent to touch.

His eyes filled to the brim with tears, and Oliver turned around at the sound of her voice. Some things never changed. He hastily wiped at the unshed tears, blinking. Oliver looked between the bookcase and AJ, shaking his head. "I.. I can't." His soft voice pleaded, as he went through the second bookcase, more books falling behind him.

Then, Oliver collapsed to the ground in pain. He wasn't in the right mindset to continue doing this. That was one thing Everett always stressed. Clutching at his leading left arm, he sat on the ground, like a lost boy.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

She finally found him on the other side of the bookcase, catching his breath, the same way he'd been doing so after they'd made their way out of the auditorium at the school dance, although somehow more terrified. It seemed like their anxiety had collectively gotten worse and she hated that she'd been the reason why his anxiety was through the roof, why he couldn't even look at her. He finally spoke to her. Two words. He couldn't do it. Couldn't look at her. Couldn't speak to her. It was a desperate plea for her to leave him alone and she stood here for a moment, watching books fall to her feet as he phased through another bookcase. This for sure had to be causing a scene, but she just needed to get to him. To tell him.

Tears brimmed in her eyes, matching the ones in his as she moved around the next bookcase, expecting him to be long gone, but what she found was Oliver sitting up sgainst the bookcase, holding his arm. She didn't move. She stood there, a good distance away. "Oliver." She was shaking her head, tears falling down her face. "It wasn't your fault."

[Oliver Barnes]

Oliver winced as he grabbed his arm, the familiar ache in his bones. It was careless of him to use his power without thinking of the consequences, such as this. He shook his head, mentally scolding himself as AJ came around the corner. Of course. There was nowhere else Oliver could hide. Nowhere he could run. Nowhere he could phase through.

A whole year of avoiding AJ had come to a close. It was all over.

He couldn't take the guilt eating away at his insides. Reliving the night inside of his head was torture enough for Oliver, let alone facing AJ. Oliver looked up, feeling raw and exposed as the tears fell down his hot cheeks. "AJ..." The name tasted funny on his lips. "Don't... don't defend what I did... it was wrong." He couldn't face the girl yet, staring straight ahead at the bookcase.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

She knew he would run if he was able to and so AJ knew that something was wrong, but she didn't dare step close to him because she didn't know what he would do and honestly she wasn't so sure how close she could get to him without the memories of the struggle resurfacing, hands with a tight grip on her wrist, vulgar words coming from his mouth. At the time she thought everything she'd ever thought she'd known about Oliver was a lie, but it turned out that those actions weren't his own. There was a tiny seed of lust in his brain just beginning to bloom and her power had manifested precisely just as Oliver's hormones had kicked in. AJ didn't even know she was doing it. And when the recruiters came for her, she cried all over again when she found out it was her, her power, her malfunction.

He wouldn't look at her, not even remotely in her direction. "No," she found herself saying quite sternly. "I'm going to defend what you did, because you weren't aware of what you were doing, Oliver." She looked around, noticing they were getting some strange looks, but they were the only one in this aisle. She lowered her voice to its soft, usual tone. "It was me. I didn't know, but I manipulated you." She hated that word. "It was my power manifesting." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Pheromone manipulation."

[Oliver Barnes]

Tears continued to pour down his face, as Oliver looked up to the ceiling. He tried to stop the crying, but his attempt was futile. The repressed memories... the remorse he immediately felt afterwards... the way AJ looked at him like he was the most vile human being on the planet... all of it. He clutched at his skull, wanting all of the pain and anxiety to end. Even after seeing the school's psychiatrist Dr. Neville, Oliver still had issues surrounding that night.

Her tone of voice caught Oliver off guard. He quizzically looked over, almost laughing. He opened his mouth to interrupt AJ, but decided it against it as she continued on. What could she possibly say that would change his mind?

Then she mentioned a power. Pheromone manipulation. Oliver had never heard of of that ability, with her explanation, had a vague idea. His eyebrows narrowed together in confusion. "M.. manipulated me? AJ.. I.. god. You?" He stammered incoherently, unable to form understandable sentences. Oliver fidgeted with his fingers, before running a hand through his hair. "Me... I... did.. to you."

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

At least she'd gotten his attention finally. He was listening to her, finally somewaht invested in the conversation. She should have known he wouldn't know what it is, it wasn't extremely common and if you didn't know what pheromones were you were kind of lost. "Yes, me. I manipulated you, Oliver." She hated saying those words. She hated knowing she was capable of doing such a thing. She hadn't manipulated someone in a while, she was getting things under control, but that didn't change what had happened between her and Oliver, a rift in their friendship that could probably never be mended. "It's kind of like manipulating emotions..." she explained through tears. "But chemical. I can pick up on chemicals that people release to get a response in return...it's hard to explain." She was shaking her head, curls shrouding her face. "Whatever you were feeling....I amplified it by a ten fold." Her power had ruined their friendship, spiked anxiety and made everyone in Minnesota look at them differently. "I'm so sorry for the guilt I've caused you. I should have emailed you or something....and told you it wasn't your fault. I should have told you." She just hadn't been able to deal with herself.

[Oliver Barnes]

Even if it was called pheromone manipulation, Oliver didn't like AJ using the term to describe what she had done to him. He had that initial dirty thought, near the beginning of the night. If he didn't have a stupid crush... none of that would have happened. There would have been nothing for AJ to manipulate. "I don't even know what pheromones are..." He mumbled, a bit embarrassed. Even after listening to her explanation, it was still difficult to understand. "It's... it's okay." He tried to reassure her as she cried. Oliver tried wiping at his own tears. The old Oliver would have hugged her... but he couldn't bring himself to do that now. He was still too numb.

Slumping back against the bookcase, Oliver stayed quiet for a few minutes, pensively. Finally, his eyes locked with hers, seeing the pain and sorrow in her eyes. Oliver was sure his eyes spoke of the same thing. Shoulders shaking, Oliver silent sobs continued. He didn't say anything for a moment, caught up in AJ's eyes. "I..." Could he forgive her? Of course... Oliver had to. "It's... it's okay." Swallowing hard, Oliver ran a hand through his hair, able to compose himself. "I... God, AJ, I'm so sorry for what I did... I'm so sorry." His voice cracked, and the broken boy cried.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

Her power was incredibly hard to explain. She'd had it for over a year and yet she couldn't accurately explain it to somebody without stumbling over her words. Besides, she didn't want to understand it. She wanted it to go away. She wanted to be a normal girl, living in Minnesota and finishing up her junior year with Oliver. Without her power their friendship wouldn't be unsalvagable. "It's not okay," she mumbled with another shake of her head. Explaining it too much more would become awkward.

She'd learned more about her ability when she'd came to Hammel, that she could only manipualte what was there to begin with and so she knew that lust had been there...in that exact moment his teenage horomones went off and her power manifested. Talk about poor luck. And she didn't know how to talk about that with him, about how he'd felt at that time. It was hard to talk about what happened at all, how could she ask him about that? He was obviously blaming himself and had been running in circles for over a year wondering why he'd done such a thing.

It became quiet, and Oliver was only staring at the bookcase in front of him. She felt the tense silence in the air, making the atmosphere of the book store she loved so much seem suffocating. "It's not okay..." she repeated. "I know what I did I couldn't control at the time...it was bad timing for my power to manifest." It couldn't have been worse, she was convinced. "But it's not your fault." He was running his hands through his hair again, that nervous habit and it made her all the more aware that she'd missed what they'd had. "Things should have never gotten that out of hand." She couldn't imagine what it'd been like for him, to go back and roam those halls after that day, to go to school for a few more months before he manifested with everyone knowing what he'd did.

[Oliver Barnes]

Oliver used the back of his hand to wipe at his eyes, feebly. The emotion and guilt from that night was all coming back, reminding him of how much pain he inflicted on AJ. His five senses from that night was burnt in the back of his skull. For awhile after the dance, it had haunted Oliver. He shut down completely, leading him into his depression. The only person he bothered talking to was Ace, as rumours circulated around the school. It was the worst time of his life.

Then, when Oliver was sure his anxiety and depression would lead to his demise, he manifested a power. Phasing. Then, after moving to Vermont, he found AJ here, leading to the year long game of cat and mouse. Part of him felt bad for avoiding her for so long. He just... just couldn't deal with the memories, as proven right here in his favourite book shop. Oliver wanted to dunk the repressed memories in bleach, anything to rid himself of the overwhelming guilt.

AJ was insisting that it wasn't okay. Then what was it? A fact they had to accept and move on with? The silence that surrounded them killed Oliver; leaving him vulnerable. She did have a point, though. It was something that clearly got out of hand, but he still couldn't help but to blame himself for what had happened.

"Still." Oliver licked his lips, before looking over at AJ. "I... I shouldn't have kept running away from you... I'm sorry for that."