I'm Sick of Feeling Cheap [Terrance]

[Ryne Caliban]

This place was deserted, not a soul in sight. Everyone else must have been in class or something, there wasn't anyone here, student or teacher, at least none that he could see. It was a little eerie, but it was Evie's own fault for skipping class. The fish in the pond were still, motionless, seemingly almost frozen in time. Then again, it was winter. They were probably just hibernating. Evie wondered how he got here as he made his way along the pond. Each step made a dull thud as he crossed the grassy knoll. The water was quiet, barely making any sort of sound. The once peaceful aura that the active fish seemed to give, was replaced with a chilling one.

It had been a long time since he left home to come to Hammel. It wasn't he left because he really wanted to, but because there really wasn't any other option. Only memories remained, and they weren't enough to keep him. Instead, he spent his time wandering around the school, or the town, in search a place to be. He needed a place to belong, and nothing he found really came all that close. Right now, he was alone, and it was beginning to take it's toll on him. He needed social interaction. He needed friends, but the problem was that he wasn't really making any. Most of his time with people usually resulted in a fight, or some other type of unnecessary stress. He needed a place he could call home, a place he could feel like his old self.

Evie neared the edge of the water.The sunlight reflected against the seemingly gray water. It was by far the least attractive color he had ever seen water be so far. His shadow hung over the pond, shifting with the very subtle movements of the water. The winter air made everything seem more bleak than it really needed to be.

Sitting down, he felt the cold grass on the palm of his hands. Evie reveled in one of the few peaceful moments he got. Much of the other time, he spent skulking around trying not to get caught for causing mischief. People weren't as friendly with him as they were before. Many of the adults viewed him as a delinquent, plus Evie was an outcast anyway, so the world just seemed to work against him no matter what. Taking his shoes off, he placed his feet into the freezing water, feeling the jolt of iciness spread through his legs. "I'm so weird." He smiled to himself.

[Terrance Asher]

Terrance disliked winter. He hated the cold and having to bundle up all the time. Today was still freezing out; however it was warm than the day before. Terr would take it thought. It was better for him seeing as he did not feeling like going to class today. It gave him a chance to sit outside and enjoy some time to himself. Though Terrance was that into nature, or much of a nature person, for some reason lately he found himself attracted to the tranquil sceneries by water. There was actually a pond on the school grounds that Terr had been going a lot lately. He was heading there now with pencil and sketch book in hand, rather then going to his Microeconomics class. It seemed to be the only place his muse to draw would come to him. Already he had four or five pages sketched out things, people, and the pond itself in his book.

He took his time walking there, earphones in playing Surprise Me by Disco Curtis. He had all the time in the world. Microeconomics was his last class of the day after all. Since he was cutting that class he had nothing else to do for the rest of the day except maybe homework, but that wasn’t something he was dying to get to. Slowly he made his way closer towards his usual spot near the pond. As he grew closer he noticed a figure gradually became clearer in his line of vision. The boy by the pond looked like…no it couldn’t be. That person could not be who he thought it was. Terrance froze a few feet away. Though he did not let his emotion show on his face, he was surprised. Same hair color, same facial structure, same everything. There was not doubt in Terrance’s mind that the boy sitting in front of him was his ex-best friend Ryne. It had been what, about three or was it four years since they had last seen each other. The terms their friendship had ended on were not good ones.

Terrance held the pen between his fingers twirling as he stepped closer.

“I would have to agree with that one.” A smirk played on his face then. “It has been a long time hasn’t it Ry?”

[Ryne Caliban]

Home. Evie's mind was far too busy wondering about it, to remember what a terrible idea it was to stick his legs in a freezing pond. He despised winter, and he despised being cold. But your mind takes you to places that sometimes it doesn't want to go. For example, Evie pondered what his mom was doing. Evie smiled, he knew what exactly what she was doing. She was working, trying to keep her and Sindy under a roof, and to put food on the table. Little Sindy was probably at school, making her own little eight year old friends. But most of all, he wondered if they missed him. Did they miss him as much as Evie missed them? He definitely missed Sindy, she was his little angel. Did she miss him too? Did they even tell her where he went? After all, Evie could be deemed as a menace to society, but would they tell that to her? He hoped they didn't. He didn't need his sister thinking that he was some sort of juvenile delinquent.

As much as he didn't want to think about it, he couldn't stop. He knew he didn't want to, but when there wasn't anything to distract him, that's where his mind goes. He questioned if things were easier for them, now that Evie was gone. It must have been. It was one less mouth to feed, and his mother didn't have to pay a single cent for him to be schooled here. Evie was practically on his own, and it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He wanted it to be easier for them, even though right now, it wasn't easy on himself. He knew his mother loved him, but that didn't make these thoughts any less true.

A voice called out to break his thoughts. He was grateful for it, however the damage was already done. Evie was already homesick. It was stupid, and Evie couldn't believe that he was getting so emotional over it, but he was homesick, and he needed a familiar face. It was finally hitting him that he was truly alone at this school. However, the familiar face he got wasn't one he had been expecting, or wanting. The voice that interrupted his downward spiraling mind was none other than his ex-best friend Terrance. Startled, Evie quickly stood up facing him, pulling his legs out of the water. But as he tried to stand up, he quickly fell back over...his legs were numb.

Standing before him was Terrance: the same boy that bullied him, the same boy that left without a word, the same boy that Evie spent nights questioning where he went. It was the boy he hated so much. It was Terrance: the same boy that held him at times when he was afraid, when he cried, when he didn't want to be alone; times like this very moment, but he wasn't going to cry, as much as he wanted to. Not this time. "You probably think this is funny don't you Terr?" His voice not holding any happiness or malice. If anything it was a mixture of embarrassment and sadness.

[Terrance Asher]

His ex-best friend had been in a daze. Terr looked down at the younger boy. His eyes looked the younger boy over sitting there legs in the water. It was something he could not help. It had been so long since he had seen his ex-friend. He was still as slim as ever, compared to Terrence’s much more athletic build. But, there was something about Ryne’s slender build that made Terrance just want to stare. He noticed how distanced the blonde seemed. Knowing his old friend the boy was probably thinking about something. And that something most likely would lead to him to have a train of thought that would make him sad.

Terr could not help but to smile wider when Ry hurried himself to stand up. However, the tone of Ry’s voice caught him off guard and made him frown a little. He probably would have been ready for anything that would happen if the blond was mad and spoke with hate. That would have been expected. But, the underlying tone of sadness that was there beneath the embarrassment of talking himself and doing an idiotic thing like putting his feet in a pool of freezing water, Terr could hear it. That made his smile drop a little.

It had been years since they talked or seen each other. Normally that would not stop two old friends, but it did stop them. That was because the way things had been when Terrance left was not the normal situation friends would find themselves in. They had stopped being friends before Ter disappeared. Their friendship had not ended due to them both liking the same girl or them becoming lovers and it not working out. No, it had been something else. They stopped talking to each other because Terrence had push Ryne away before he left for his mother had sent him to Europe for school instead of letting him stay in the States. And during that time Terrance had turned from the younger boy’s friend and into a bully instead.

He thought for a moment maybe to open up to Ryne again, and try to pretend things to be like they use to be. But such a temptation was only fleeting. He let laughter escape his lips. “Just ever so slightly?”

He took a good look at the person in front of him. He pursed his lips together as he thought of how to ask his question. In the end he ended up being as blunt as he usually was. “So, what are you doing here.”

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Notes ;; We both know I cheated on this one. Hehe. However, I think your muse kidnapped mine last night after you wrote your reply because I have no muse right now.

[Ryne Caliban]

Red was never a color that Evie liked, but he tolerated it because it was Terrance's favorite color. Terrance liked deep red's, he was never one for the lighter shades. The color that Evie favored himself was a light blue, something along the lines of cyan. They were truly opposites. It was amazing that they had gotten along so well with how different they were. In some sense, the meaning of the phrase "opposites attract" was cliche-ly true. Terrance grew up in a rich but broken family, and Evie grew up in a broke, but close-knit family. The blond boy was never popular, but his best friend could make friends like it was nothing. Then again, perhaps they hadn't gotten along as well he thought. Whatever they had gone through in the past was now put front and center as Evie looked up at Terrance. He didn't know what to do. He could fight with him, or he could try to reconcile. Or he could just leave things broken.

The first time Evie realized Terrance wasn't ever coming back was one of the worst days of his life. He was angry, but most of all he was empty. Back before Terrance disappeared, Evie didn't have to wonder how the boy was doing. Evie didn't have to wonder where he was, if he was okay, or if he was even alive. He was able to see all of that. Even if the older boy had bullied him, at least he knew that Terrance was alive. The dark-haired male may have been able to hate Evie, but deep down, he knew he couldn't do the same. Time passed, and the numbness that he felt faded, but there was always a part of him questioning where his best friend went.

His friend did not look to have changed to drastically in the years he was gone. He had the same brown hair, the same blue eyes, the same fucking smile. For a second, if only for a second, Evie thought he was dreaming. There was no way Terrance could be here now. He disappeared years ago. If anything, he was dead. Maybe he was just an illusion, or maybe he was getting delirious from the cold.

Gaining feeling back in his cold legs, Evie stood up. Terrance stood just a few inches taller than the young blond, meaning that Evie still had to look up slightly to meet the older boy's eyes. "It doesn't take a mind-reader to know what I'm doing here." The gray-eyed male retorted matter-of-factly. "I think the real question is what are you doing here? And I don't mean as far as your powers are concerned. I've been here for four years already, if you were here, I would have noticed." His face reflected no more than slight questioning.

[Terrance Asher]

“What no going straight to reconnecting with me?” Terrance forged hurt and disappointment in his voice. He moved himself to be closer to the blond. “So, blunt. I always thought I was the one that got straight to the point when I spoke. Is that really how you greet an old friend?”

Continuing closer, he kept checking Ryne out. Yes, the womanizer was circling, checking out the boy and his former friend at that. He took a good look at the person in front of him as he circled around him. The back of his hand touch the side of Ry’s face. It was his way of buying time from answering the question. And it was his way of making up for not seeing the shorter boy these last four years.

The dark haired boy stood behind Ryne thinking for a moment, lost in the thought of everything that had happened before he left. His father’s sneaking around with the bimbo, Ashley Hilton, a woman only old enough to be his older sister. The bitch that didn’t actually had the guts to talk down to him in front of his father. The one that had managed to convince his father that Terr need to be gone. So, that was how he was stuck with his mother, who did not turn out to be a much better parental unit. If it hadn’t been for the fact that her chain of stores could practically run themselves now, his mother probably would have no money left from the simple fact of how much alcohol she bought. It was probably her that he learned how to drink away his sorrows from.

Terrance moved so that he was standing back in front of Ryne and let out a sigh. “Simply because my mother decided she didn’t want to have to deal with me and sent me across the ocean away from her for school,” he finally answered. “But, you’ve been here for four years.” His statement was somewhere between a statement and a question.

It was an obvious fact that the majority of boys developed their powers around puberty. The fact that Ryne had started to discover his around the same time as Terr and that Terr did not know annoyed him. Probably back then it wouldn’t have matter much to the teen, but finding out now it just irked him for some reason.

[Ryne Caliban]

Reconnect? A loud scoff emanated from Evie's mouth, as he watched Terrance scoot closer, then circle around him. "Old friend? You're more like a ghost of my past. One that I'd rather forget." It was partly true, partly false. They left each other on horrible terms. He didn't want to forget Terrance as a whole, just the bad parts between them. The good parts were something he would honestly give the world for. The older boy moved to touch Evie's face with his hand, and Evie could see it out of the corner of his eye. The young blond flinched for a second. He closed his eyes, awaiting pain that never came. It was a reaction he couldn't really help. Usually when someone's hand is reaching toward gray-eyed boys face, it meant that he was about to get punched. To his surprise, Terrance's hand only lightly rested against Evie's cheek.

The warmth of the older boy's hand made the skin where it rested tingle. It was comforting. He really didn't want to push Terrance's hand away. It provided a nice relief to the cold weather he hated so much. It was only then that Evie realized how cold he truly was, but sacrifices must be made. Lifting the brunette's hand from his cheek, Evie already missed the heat, but he carried on. Unconsciously, the young summoner began to shiver in the chilly air. He hoped they would be done talking soon. He really wanted to go inside now.

The younger boy didn't feel any sympathy for Terrance. Yeah, his home life was shit, and Evie knew it. Before Terrance left, Evie wouldn't have minded sending the older male away either.. After all who would want such an asshole to be around. There really wasn't an excuse for the way the brunette treated Evie, fucked-up home life or not.

"Yeah. I've been here for four years. Not that it's really any of your business." His voice wasn't harsh, but it was still a little bitter. His emotions were more so mixed than anything. Yes, Evie carried an undeniable dislike for the older boy. But in the past Terrance was someone he depended on, someone he absolutely needed. Evie used to be a cry baby, and Terrance accepted that. The boy even held him when he needed to cry. He was there when Evie didn't want to be alone. He fought off Evie's nightmares. Whether or not that was the same Terrance standing before him was yet to be determined.

[Terrance Asher]

It didn't really hurt the sarcastic tone that could be heard in Ryne's voice, what hurt was how Ryne winced when Terrance reached out to touch him. The boy knew that he had many a times before he disappeared from the younger boys life had been the on throwing all the punches and kicks that Ry would be at the receiving end of. If it was instinctual for the shorter one to react in such a way than after four years it meant that he had been bullied long after Terrance left. Which when one thought about it was not much of a surprise. Others had always picked on the blond whether Terrance had been there or not. It was just before everything had change Terr had been the there to protect the younger boy. The brunette felt a ting of pain pull on a corner of his heart. He was regretting he had changed so much in the boys eyes and had not been there to protect him because no matter what his actions showed, he still cared deeply for the blond. How deeply was a different matter that he probably would never admit to anyone?

The touch of Ryne's hand was ice cold as the shorter teen removed Terr's hand from his face. Terr inferred that the male standing in front of him had to be freezing. The fact that the grey eyed boy had had his feet in the water in this weather earlier did not surprise Terr that he would now be cold. His blue eyes watch the shorter one more closely now. He saw how Ryne shivered when the wind blew.

Silence fell between them. Terrance really did not know what to say after Ryne spoke. The conversation though not a truly hostile, the dislike, at least, was still there and it was all aimed at him. Really there was no way going about a conversation on good terms with someone you use to bully.

He let out a sigh as he saw Ry shiver again. Terrance took off his own scarf and put it on Ryne. “What would you do with out me?” There was still a slight cheeky tone in his voice, but it was mostly soft and caring. It was a tone of voice that he rarely ever spoke with to anyone anymore. “Take it as a peace offering for all the time I spent bullying you before I left.”

Notes ;; Edited? Make sense now love?

[Ryne Caliban]

The silence was not so much awkward as it was tense. There were just too many words that needed to be said that just weren't coming out. Evie had a lot to say, yet he was holding himself back. He could have yelled, he could have screamed, he could have even cried, but that would have been too easy. Terrance was probably expecting Evie to react that way. The older boy could almost always tell what Evie was thinking or feeling. He hated how Terrance seemed to know how to push his buttons back when they had drifted apart. Whatever emotion Evie was feeling, the brunette could easily detect it. It was a side effect of the young blond opening his heart to the older boy. But years have passed, and it was impossible to tell if Terrance still had that ability. With the older brunette, it was safer to be cautious than sorry.

The only noise that really filled the air were Evie's chattering teeth, but that was soon fixed by a scarf being wrapped around his neck. His mind told him to be careful, the older boy might have strangled him with it. Of course it was hate-filled paranoia. Terrance pondered the question of what Evie would have done without him. The young blond couldn't help but roll his eyes. "What would I have done without you? Did you seriously just ask that?" His tone became sharper. So much for holding back on emotions. "For four fucking years I've gone without you. Obviously I can do a lot." Evie hated the caring tone is Terrance's voice. He knew that he was being sincere, but that didn't make up for the time that was lost, or the time that he wasted.

Evie's voice softened. "You can't just come into my life and expect things to automatically be better. You can't just give me your scarf and call it good. It's not that simple." The gray-eyed boy was back to wanting to cry again. "It's going to take more a hell of a lot more than that to earn my trust again. Right now, I hate you. I hate everything you've put me through. It would have been easier if you never came back." His voice cracked on that last sentence. It would have been easier if Terrance weren't here, because the boy moved on. The older male was in the past. With Terrance standing there, here and now, he wasn't just a forgotten figment anymore. He was real, and he was reopening old wounds. He was here, and Evie didn't want to let him go again.

"Comprendre, c'est pardoner." Evie spoke fluently, his voice becoming steady and strong again. "If you can understand me. If you can understand how much hell you put me through. If you can show me that you actually regret it, then maybe, just maybe, I can forgive you."

translation;; To understand is to forgive

[Terrance Asher]

The action was a spur of the moment one. He did not think of how the other would percieved it. Knowing Ryne he probably would have either a.) break down crying or b.) yell at Terrance. But with how much had changed these last few years he doubted that he could the younger boy as well as he use to. When they were younger Terr had been able to tell exactly what Ryne was feeling all most always. Granted back then the crybaby wore a lot of his emotions on his sleeves, but it still took a great degree of knowing the younger boy to accurately assess how the younger boy would react to any number of situations while he was feeling that specific emotion.

It came to no surprise that Ryne took his words the wrong way. The older boy hadn't been serious about his actions pardoning all his past actions. Okay maybe he had been slightly serious. Terrance was never the one to apologize or feel sorry for his actions. When he was the blue-eyed rich kid did not know how to go about expressing he was sorry. His actions always came across as arrogant which he didn't doubt was exactly how Ry had just interpreted it.

He winced as such a strong negative word fell from Ryne's lips. He knew he deserve that, the hate, however subconsciously knowing it and hearing it out loud were two different things. Because when Ryne actually told him to his face that he hated Terrance that made the situation all in a sense more realistic. It wasn't just another thing he could brush off.

“I can walk away if you want me too. You won’t ever have to speak to me again.” His words wore quiet. Ryne was probably the only person who could have put him in a position where he would practically be silent and accept almost anything with much fuss. His conceited personality was none existent. He stood there staring at the ground debating whether or not he should walk away now. He himself did not want to, but if it appeased Ryne he would. It was not like they would be losing anything if that happened, Terrance had already pushed Ry away all those years ago. Yep, nothing left to lose from walking away, except if things would turnout for the better; which Terrance very much doubted it would from the fact that the shorter male having already stated he hated him.

He looked back up at Ryne. His blue eyes gazing straight into Ryne’s graphite gray ones. His hand reached out pulling the younger one into his embrace. His arms snaked around Ry’s waste holding onto him tight, head resting on Ryne’s shoulder. Such actions were out of character for the older male, but it was just a spur of the moment action that he felt the need to act on. “Alors, dites-le pécheur ce qu'il doit faire pour être pardonné.*” The words came out as mere whispers.

Translation ;; *So, tell the sinner what he must do to be forgiven."

[Ryne Caliban]

There was a lot of anger, pain, and hate in his words, but it was good that they were being said. Four years of it building up was harmful to Evie, and it was good that it was being released. He felt better being able to these words that needed to be said. He felt relieved at this situation that needed to be dealt with. He hated that he had to deal with it. but at least some good came out of it. At the least, if their friendship couldn't be fixed, and if they remained enemies after this, he would at least have some type of closure. The young blond saw Terrance wince at his words. Good. Now you know I mean it. Every word.

"Don't you dare walk away. You're here now, and letting you walk away would be too easy for you. If you left with things like this, it wouldn't solve anything, and we'd both be running away from it. And you being as selfish as you can be sometimes, would come out of this unscathed, while I would lie awake at night thinking about this meeting." The boy's tone was very serious. "We're not kids anymore Terr. If we fought when we were little, we just had to give it a day or two, and then we'd go back to being friends as if nothing happened." He felt like he was scolding a child. "We're not kids." He repeated once again for added emphasis.

Pretty soon they were just staring at each other. Evie felt a hand wrap around his waist, and pull him closer. If it were anyone else. Evie might have punched them, but Terrance wasn't just anyone. The warmth of Terrance's body was just as comforting as his hand. Evie in all honesty missed it. There was nobody who could ever replace Terrance. The young blond laid his head into Terrance's chest, while he leaned his over Evie's shoulder. The other boy had always been the taller of the two, although they had both grown considerably since Evie's freshman year. Up close, he noticed how much more broad and defined Terrance's chest had become. The older boy was always the more athletic of the two also. He could feel Terrance's heart beating, which only reinforced the fact that he wasn't alone anymore. They stood like that for a few seconds, and for the first time in a long time, everything felt like it should be. Things felt normal.

"Ne me quitte pas." His voice reflecting the same softness that Terrance had spoke with.

translation;; "Don't leave me."

[Terrance Asher]

If anyone that knew him from Europe saw him act like this they would be truly puzzled. His actions were so out of character for those who only knew him these last four years.

“Running away never left anyone unscathed. If you think I would walk away willingly and not be hurt than you really never knew me Ry. There is always someone there staring at the same night sky not being able sleep because too many things are on their mind.” Terr knew he definitely did not sleep at first when he so abruptly stopped being friends with the shorter male. He stayed up wondering if he would regret the choice of keeping Ryne away from all the drama that was going on with his family at the time later. And as the years past, as much as he pretended that he did not regret his choice, he did.

Holding Ryne so close to him felt so right, even after so long. He remembered all those times that he stayed over and he always ended up hold Ry because of his nightmares. Those moments always felt so right to him. This moment felt so right with him. Terrance knew the moment the blond laid his head on Terr’s shoulder that this was possibly the first step in things slowly going back to the way they use to be, if they ever could that is.

“Bien sûr que non. Pas cette fois.*” He pulled Ryne closer to him, not wanting to let go. After a few minutes more he took a step back. “So, is that the only condition for me to be back in your good graces?” His conceited tone of voice started to slowly drip back into his speech. No one ever said because he softened up with Ryne around that he would abandon his arrogance for good.

Translation ;; *Of course not. Not this time.