Room 324, Monday Afternoon

[vanillajello]

After the arrest and everything, yesterday had continued to be just as moodswingy a day as many of the others before it. On one hand, her video had gained more than 250,000 hits in a single day, and Lynda had invited her to the Crossroads art shindig this Friday. On the other, she and her brother had had to listen to their parents fighting for like two hours in the evening. That always made her feel like an orphan. It sucked.

As did having to leave Marshall alone with the mess she could escape, especially when it was going to be his sixteenth birthday tomorrow. But Kate was still insanely glad when she finally managed to convince her parents to unground her so she could come back to Fandom.

She flew back, her parents paid for the tickets. She was too late for her classes, and probably would've skipped them anyway, so once she made it into her room, she just dropped her bags on the floor and fell over onto her bed, burying her face in her pillows.

Home sweet home, or something.

[ooc: Door is cracked, post is open, girl is... a lot of things.]

Comments

[therewaslife]

Nodding again, Bod really realized how busy her few days home had been. No wonder she was so tired. It sounded like she hadn't even had time to sleep. Poor stressed Kate.

[vanillajello]

Kate wouldn't have argued with that assessment.

"And, like I said, when he came back, we had to listen to him and Mom yelling at each other," she said dryly, looking at the ceiling. "Best Sunday ever."

[therewaslife]

Bod didn't really know how to convey that he was sorry so he just kept moving his fingers through her hair and sighed a little. He wanted to tell her he was sorry and that he wished she hadn't had to hear that but he kept his word and kept silent.

[vanillajello]

Kate knew he was sorry, or at least she was pretty sure he was. She didn't need to hear it, that would've made no difference to the fact that it had still happened.

She reached a hand up to his cheek, just for a light touch of her fingertips there while her expression softened a little, her voice got a little quieter. "I missed you."

[therewaslife]

Bod nodded. He'd missed her too and tried to convey that by leaning into her hand a little. He'd missed her even more knowing what she'd been going through. His week had been easy compared to hers.

[vanillajello]

Kate was sure there was no one else on the island who had had a week as shitty as hers. Even though hers had also had some very, very good moments, pretty much all of them at Lynda's loft.

She let her hand stay where it was, genty pressed against his cheek, and just looked up at him. Not quite as intensely as he sometimes did to her, but still.

[I GOOD YOU BID NIGHT. Or something.]

[therewaslife]

He smiled down at her a little sadly, wishing there was something more he could do to help her but he knew that not talking and letting her have her quiet and inane conversation was probably helping for now. So, he did that.

[AND A SIMILAR BID TO YOU! NIGHT!

[vanillajello]

It was actually helping a lot more than she would've thought, rambling at a silent listener. Maybe it was good to just talk.

"I got to drive Hubbard's Cadillac," she shared next. "A little weird. But it's a cool car."

[therewaslife]

Bod nodded again because there was little else he could do right now. He remembered the car from when he'd been there and wondered if it'd be put to use or just junked.

Apparently it was the former so at least there was some good use coming of it.

[vanillajello]

"Had to kind of check it for ghosts though," Kate added as an idle afterthought. These things stuck with her. If Hubbard was in there, she probably wouldn't have seen him, anyway.

"And Dad's saying I'm done driving it, but he also says I'm done with hanging out with Lynda, and that isn't happening, so..."

[therewaslife]

Bod half smiled but it didn't last long before he was back to neutrality and quiet thoughtfulness. No, it probably wouldn't happen if she was insistent on something.

He said nothing, of course.

[vanillajello]

Kate stayed quiet for another longer moment, too. Her hand had stayed brushing against his cheek, but it moved now, so she could trace the edges of his lips with a single fingertip.

"Y'know, I would've cracked by now."

That could've meant a lot of things, and she knew it.

[therewaslife]

Bod shrugged a shoulder then, not really knowing why he'd chosen to stay quiet and committed. He didn't think it really mattered since he had and that was the important part.

[vanillajello]

"I couldn't shut up for long," she said, her hand trailing down to his neck before she let it drop, settled it on her stomach. "Sorry if I made you feel bad."

[therewaslife]

Well, she had so he was glad to hear that. He shrugged but added a nod to say it was fine, he wasn't going to hold a grudge. He was pretty sure he'd done the same to her so it wasn't one sided.

He just couldn't express apologies without talking and he wasn't talking.

[vanillajello]

"And thanks for staying," she added, after chewing on her lip for a bit. "You didn't have to."

Even though she didn't want to think about how shitty she would've felt if he actually had gone away.

[therewaslife]

Bod nodded at her. If she hadn't said anything, he would have left without a word. If she hadn't asked, that is. It would have hurt but he wasn't going to stay when he didn't think he was wanted.

So, he nodded again and smiled a little.

[vanillajello]

Kate smiled even less, but at least she smiled that much. And then she looked down.

"And, y'know, for next time?" Because there was going to be one. There was always a next time. "If I come back with this much crap all around me, just... Just see my side, okay? Like, I know Mom didn't do it on purpose. I know that. But everyone expects me to just understand. And I don't always want to have to understand."

She just wanted someone to tell her it was okay to be upset and hurt.

[therewaslife]

Bod pursed his lips at that and, for the first time, really struggled with not talking because he had a response to that. He kept quiet though even if it was difficult and managed a small nod.

[vanillajello]

"And I know you couldn't have known that," she added, in case it sounded like she was blaming him. She wasn't really looking at him. "That's why I'm telling you now. Don't get logical when I'm just... irrationally angry."

[therewaslife]

Bod got a little stiff at the instructions mostly because he really did want to talk or defend himself or say something and that want went right into his body.

He bit down on the inside of his cheek and kept quiet though, breathing slowly.

[vanillajello]

"You're going tense."

She couldn't help noticing. She also wasn't all that surprised.

[therewaslife]

When his tension got noticed, he shook his head and forced himself to calm down. The tension ebbed away slowly and he shook his head again.

He'd get over it.

[vanillajello]

"Okay," she said to that, a little sceptical but letting it go anyway. Today was not the the day for pushing things more than they already had.

So she stared up at the ceiling some more, just thinking for the moment.

[therewaslife]

And since he couldn't stare at the ceiling without hurting his neck, Bod found himself glancing around her room idly. He wasn't really looking for anything specific. Just looking to look.