Log: Niki & Quinn
WHO: Niki and Quinn
WHAT: a confrontation between cousins
WHERE: School hallway.
WHEN: Thursday, February 16th, 2012.
Quinn wasn’t quite sure what was going on. Niki hadn’t been coming home. At first, she just simply thought he was staying with a friend Sunday into Monday, but then he didn’t come home Monday. Nor on Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Her father hadn’t noticed, but her mother had and seemed concerned. Usually, their parents let them go off and do pretty much what they wanted without much explanation or permission, but now Quinn was being grilled on Niki’s whereabouts. She wasn’t his keeper. She didn’t know where he was nor care, but now it was Thursday and she actually was starting to get a little curious as to where he was going and she kind of wanted to know so her mother would shut up.
It was right before lunch and Quinn moved through the hallway, heading for Niki’s locker. She hated talking to him where anyone could see them. She didn’t want anyone to know they were related, though she was pretty sure everyone knew. She saw him at his locker and picked up her pace, not wanting him to leave before she got to him.
“Hey, what the hell is up with you?” she asked as she stepped up beside him.
“What?” Niki asked, pretending to be innocent. Really, he was surprised that it had taken her this long to figure out that he wasn’t home, though it had probably taken an extra day or so for her give a damn to kick in. “I’m about to go get lunch.”
In truth, he knew exactly what she was talking about. Ever since her comments the previous Saturday evening, he had been staying over at Sassafras’s house. It wasn’t that hard to figure out where he was, he didn’t have a lot of friends in Lima and even fewer who would let him sleep over. Sass was pretty much it.
"You know what I mean," she replied and planted a hand to her hip. "Why haven't you been coming home? My mother is actually concerned."
Niki pulled out his phone and scrolled through the call log for a moment. “I don’t see a missed call,” he turned the phone so Quinn could see the screen, “therefore, no. If anyone cared, they could have called and asked.” He wasn’t avoiding them or ignoring them, he was going to school and other than sleeping at Sass’s hadn’t altered his routine or anything. “Try again.”
Quinn frowned slightly. Like her mother was actually going to try and call him. She mostly just mentioned. Over and over again as she continued to fill her wine glass. Over and over again. "Look, I don't care what you do, but my mom sets your place at dinner and has been leaving a plate of food in the oven for you. Just because she hasn't called doesn't mean she doesn't care. She just..." Quinn shrugged. Her mother made all her phone calls before two pm. If it didn't happen by then, it wasn't getting done.
Niki’s eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the lockers, “Look...you don’t want me there, my parents don’t want me at home, I get it, okay? You don’t have to pretend to care.” If he didn’t go somewhere soon, he was pretty sure Sass would kick him out. Or her parents would. They were awesome people, but there was a limit to how long they would let him crash there. “I’d think you’d be happy with me gone.”
"I am happy with you gone," she told him. She did enjoy having the bathroom to herself. "But, like, you're supposed to be living with us and, like, what I say really doesn't matter. You have a room at my house and you should use it and not make your friends put up with you."
“Why do you even care? So your mom sets a place at the table. Whoopee. You all sit there quietly and eat, no one talks. No one cares. I hate it there,” he didn’t mention that the food wasn’t what he was used to either, especially in quantity. Half a grapefruit and some yogurt was not breakfast in his world. Eggs, sausage or bacon, and toast, that was a good start to breakfast. “You all put up with me. An obligation. No way. I’ve been accepted to college, I’ll be 18 in a few months. Then no one has to see me again.”
"Fine. You're right. Don't come home," Quinn told him. She wasn't going to beg him if he really didn't want to be there. "I don't even know why I bothered to come talk to you in the first place."
It was nice that she did, in a way. “Why do you hate me?” he asked her, “Don’t you get that I hate being here as much as you hate me being here? Don’t you get that I want to be gone as much as you want me gone? I’m at least trying to make this suck less. You just do your best to make everyone as miserable as you are!”
Quinn was quiet for a moment as she realized he was absolutely right. He didn't want to be there any more than she wanted him there. "I don't hate you, okay?" She paused. "Look, I could, like, be better towards you, I know. I just..." She sighed. "I guess I could try..."
“That’d be preferable,” Niki had to agree. “I’m not trying to make your life any more miserable than it already is. So you do the same to mine and we’ll call it even, yeah?” Because really, his life sucked pretty badly most of the time. “Your family is not what I’m used to, you know? My parents aren’t perfect, by far, but they at least had conversation at dinner and asked about my day.”
Quinn leaned her back against the lockers, watching as most of the kids went off to lunch or some other activity. "To be honest, I don't really want you around, mostly because of my sister. I was... really looking forward to having the place sort of to myself." Her father was gone enough that she mostly would only have to put up with her mother. And she should have had a bathroom all to herself. She looked over at Niki. "Welcome to the Fabray house." She sighed. "Dad's preoccupied with work. He probably should just eat in his office if he's gonna ignore everything. Mom's... not her best self by dinner." Her mother was drunk by dinner. Or tipsy, at least.
“I noticed,” Niki assured her dryly, “Yeah, well, I didn’t much want to come here. Only child. Never been in a city practically. Don’t know what to do with myself really...ain’t got no ranch to take care of. Football season’s over. College is figured out. What’s left?” Video games didn’t much interest him.
Quinn listened to him and gave a shrug. "Horses? I dunno. You like to go do that. Maybe you should get a job at the stables or something. I mean, if you want to." Quinn was really trying to be nice.
He did like horses, oftentimes more than people. “Maybe,” he agreed, it was something he was familiar with at least, “Ain’t the same working for someone instead of being the boss,” well, the bosses son. It had put him under some, but above others. It was an idea though.
"I guess." But it would be something for him to do at least. Especially if he didn't have much going on otherwise. Quinn frowned slightly. “But it’s something. And if you like horses, well, then, it’s something you like in this stupid ass town.”
“I’m gonna go get lunch,” he replied with a sigh. “I’ll see you later, yeah?” At home was implied.
Quinn nodded a little. Maybe things were fixed? "Yeah, sure. See you later."
WHAT: a confrontation between cousins
WHERE: School hallway.
WHEN: Thursday, February 16th, 2012.
Quinn wasn’t quite sure what was going on. Niki hadn’t been coming home. At first, she just simply thought he was staying with a friend Sunday into Monday, but then he didn’t come home Monday. Nor on Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Her father hadn’t noticed, but her mother had and seemed concerned. Usually, their parents let them go off and do pretty much what they wanted without much explanation or permission, but now Quinn was being grilled on Niki’s whereabouts. She wasn’t his keeper. She didn’t know where he was nor care, but now it was Thursday and she actually was starting to get a little curious as to where he was going and she kind of wanted to know so her mother would shut up.
It was right before lunch and Quinn moved through the hallway, heading for Niki’s locker. She hated talking to him where anyone could see them. She didn’t want anyone to know they were related, though she was pretty sure everyone knew. She saw him at his locker and picked up her pace, not wanting him to leave before she got to him.
“Hey, what the hell is up with you?” she asked as she stepped up beside him.
“What?” Niki asked, pretending to be innocent. Really, he was surprised that it had taken her this long to figure out that he wasn’t home, though it had probably taken an extra day or so for her give a damn to kick in. “I’m about to go get lunch.”
In truth, he knew exactly what she was talking about. Ever since her comments the previous Saturday evening, he had been staying over at Sassafras’s house. It wasn’t that hard to figure out where he was, he didn’t have a lot of friends in Lima and even fewer who would let him sleep over. Sass was pretty much it.
"You know what I mean," she replied and planted a hand to her hip. "Why haven't you been coming home? My mother is actually concerned."
Niki pulled out his phone and scrolled through the call log for a moment. “I don’t see a missed call,” he turned the phone so Quinn could see the screen, “therefore, no. If anyone cared, they could have called and asked.” He wasn’t avoiding them or ignoring them, he was going to school and other than sleeping at Sass’s hadn’t altered his routine or anything. “Try again.”
Quinn frowned slightly. Like her mother was actually going to try and call him. She mostly just mentioned. Over and over again as she continued to fill her wine glass. Over and over again. "Look, I don't care what you do, but my mom sets your place at dinner and has been leaving a plate of food in the oven for you. Just because she hasn't called doesn't mean she doesn't care. She just..." Quinn shrugged. Her mother made all her phone calls before two pm. If it didn't happen by then, it wasn't getting done.
Niki’s eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the lockers, “Look...you don’t want me there, my parents don’t want me at home, I get it, okay? You don’t have to pretend to care.” If he didn’t go somewhere soon, he was pretty sure Sass would kick him out. Or her parents would. They were awesome people, but there was a limit to how long they would let him crash there. “I’d think you’d be happy with me gone.”
"I am happy with you gone," she told him. She did enjoy having the bathroom to herself. "But, like, you're supposed to be living with us and, like, what I say really doesn't matter. You have a room at my house and you should use it and not make your friends put up with you."
“Why do you even care? So your mom sets a place at the table. Whoopee. You all sit there quietly and eat, no one talks. No one cares. I hate it there,” he didn’t mention that the food wasn’t what he was used to either, especially in quantity. Half a grapefruit and some yogurt was not breakfast in his world. Eggs, sausage or bacon, and toast, that was a good start to breakfast. “You all put up with me. An obligation. No way. I’ve been accepted to college, I’ll be 18 in a few months. Then no one has to see me again.”
"Fine. You're right. Don't come home," Quinn told him. She wasn't going to beg him if he really didn't want to be there. "I don't even know why I bothered to come talk to you in the first place."
It was nice that she did, in a way. “Why do you hate me?” he asked her, “Don’t you get that I hate being here as much as you hate me being here? Don’t you get that I want to be gone as much as you want me gone? I’m at least trying to make this suck less. You just do your best to make everyone as miserable as you are!”
Quinn was quiet for a moment as she realized he was absolutely right. He didn't want to be there any more than she wanted him there. "I don't hate you, okay?" She paused. "Look, I could, like, be better towards you, I know. I just..." She sighed. "I guess I could try..."
“That’d be preferable,” Niki had to agree. “I’m not trying to make your life any more miserable than it already is. So you do the same to mine and we’ll call it even, yeah?” Because really, his life sucked pretty badly most of the time. “Your family is not what I’m used to, you know? My parents aren’t perfect, by far, but they at least had conversation at dinner and asked about my day.”
Quinn leaned her back against the lockers, watching as most of the kids went off to lunch or some other activity. "To be honest, I don't really want you around, mostly because of my sister. I was... really looking forward to having the place sort of to myself." Her father was gone enough that she mostly would only have to put up with her mother. And she should have had a bathroom all to herself. She looked over at Niki. "Welcome to the Fabray house." She sighed. "Dad's preoccupied with work. He probably should just eat in his office if he's gonna ignore everything. Mom's... not her best self by dinner." Her mother was drunk by dinner. Or tipsy, at least.
“I noticed,” Niki assured her dryly, “Yeah, well, I didn’t much want to come here. Only child. Never been in a city practically. Don’t know what to do with myself really...ain’t got no ranch to take care of. Football season’s over. College is figured out. What’s left?” Video games didn’t much interest him.
Quinn listened to him and gave a shrug. "Horses? I dunno. You like to go do that. Maybe you should get a job at the stables or something. I mean, if you want to." Quinn was really trying to be nice.
He did like horses, oftentimes more than people. “Maybe,” he agreed, it was something he was familiar with at least, “Ain’t the same working for someone instead of being the boss,” well, the bosses son. It had put him under some, but above others. It was an idea though.
"I guess." But it would be something for him to do at least. Especially if he didn't have much going on otherwise. Quinn frowned slightly. “But it’s something. And if you like horses, well, then, it’s something you like in this stupid ass town.”
“I’m gonna go get lunch,” he replied with a sigh. “I’ll see you later, yeah?” At home was implied.
Quinn nodded a little. Maybe things were fixed? "Yeah, sure. See you later."