She's Leaving Home: Chapter One: In Which a Picture Perfect Smiler Smiled
Yes, finally getting my butt around to posting the chapters of She's Leaving Home here.
Title: She’s Leaving Home
Author: Rose With Thorns
Rating: T, for language
Summary: Zoe thought she had her entire college experience planned from her first day, but that was before she made friends with the President’s son…
“Hey.”
Zoe looked up and smiled. “Hi, Jeff.”
He smiled back, albeit with some slight nervousness, and then in a move that probably took quite a bit of courage, yanked out the chair next to her and plopped down his bag. He let out a breath he’d been holding and gave her the nervous smile again.
Jeff was a very sweet guy. He held open doors, pulled out chairs, talked quietly, and dressed cleanly. Everything her mother would probably want in a guy for her to bring home. Unfortunately, he lacked a perfect personality to go along with it. The boy gave cardboard a run for its money in the character department.
She went back to her studying. It turned out once she’d screwed her head on, she was actually ‘pretty damn smart’, as her astounded guidance councilor told her. Two years of intense study behind her, she packed her suitcases and headed south to Georgetown, to study psychology (Lulu had made a snide remark about the fact that most people who went into to study it usually needed it). If her roommate, or any of her classmates had ever met her three years ago, they would not have recognized her.
Jeff was clearing his throat.
“So, I was wondering.”
Uh-oh. Jeff had, as Tessa, her roommate so eloquently phrased it, ‘been following her like a lost puppy dog’ since school began. She’d been bracing herself for this.
Zoe had sworn off dating (except for in extreme situations) the moment she’d gotten her acceptance letter. And Jeff, no matter how blandly perfect he was, was not an extreme situation.
Zoe turned from her tablet PC and gave him her attention.
“I kinda sorta need a date for the ball and…”
This was still not an extreme situation.
He must have sensed her pending refusal, because he bolted forward in his seat. “Well, it really wouldn’t be a date, because Tessa’s going, and Richard from our English class? And it wouldn’t be a double date or anything…”
…But a very conveniently chosen set of companions. Richard and Tessa had been making doe eyes at each other over Arthur Miller discussions for weeks now. But this was a once in every-four years and probably only this once in her lifetime opportunity.
“Um sure,” she smiled. “Okay. I’d love to.”
Jeffrey Tanner, practiced picture perfect smiler-smiled. “Great. Okay. Um, wow.” He was blushing and stuttering and trying to get out of his chair all at the same time. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later, then.”
He hoisted his duffel over his shoulder and staggered. Zoe studied it.
“Aren’t they supposed to be keeping you safe? That bag weighs more than you.”
By ‘they’ she meant the four-at least there were four visible at the moment-Secret-Service men strategically placed about the library. Getting to be friends with Jeff Tanner meant a thorough background search and metal detector swipe the first few time they went out to the college coffee house.
He shrugged, and started towards the exit. She was right, there had been some more guys. Seven, actually.
So this meant she’d need to find a dress. And get an appointment for her hair. And buy shoes. Crap, what an undertaking. She should have thought it out. This wasn’t some schmazzy dance, it was the inauguration ball. Oh, Lordy.
She clicked on the icon for her virtual date book and added the information to a new checklist and got back to work. Dancing at the White House wasn’t an acceptable excuse for flunking.
A.N.
Dedicated to the Cat and the Penguin…no, not from Batman
This is just another plot bunny that’s been bothering me. There’s no promise this will ever be finished. This is partly written because there needs to be a story without Seth as the main character. He holds no appeal to me, nor does a Mary Sue for him, so you won’t find that in this story. Zoe was a character with a lot of potential, but they simply lumped her into the ‘spunky teenage girl with an attitude problem’. That bothered me.
Now, I’m not saying my father was killed by a sniper. Nor am I saying my mother is at a bank in Europe, but I do know what it means to have siblings relying on you. I do know what it’s like to have them be something very precious to you, particularly after repeated ‘bad’ events in your life. I know what it‘s like to put them first, before you, before your wants and needs, and before the idea of a boyfriend crosses your mind. I know what it’s like to simply be content in knowing they’re safe. I guess Zoe’s heart to heart with Shane in the movie may have been enough for some people, but not me. If she was trying to be strong, she should have really tried. I’ll chalk it up to her immaturity…We’re around the same age and I would never say something like that unless I was there with them and visibly trying. I wouldn’t leave it to a complete stranger to be the emotional support for my siblings after a traumatic situation.
Now before you all send me flames for that, let me point out this is fan fiction, thereby implying I am a fan. My comments are simply something I wanted to get off my chest. However, if you are deeply upset by my criticism of the writers of the movie, then flame away; if you agree, leave me a note saying that.
Title: She’s Leaving Home
Author: Rose With Thorns
Rating: T, for language
Summary: Zoe thought she had her entire college experience planned from her first day, but that was before she made friends with the President’s son…
“Hey.”
Zoe looked up and smiled. “Hi, Jeff.”
He smiled back, albeit with some slight nervousness, and then in a move that probably took quite a bit of courage, yanked out the chair next to her and plopped down his bag. He let out a breath he’d been holding and gave her the nervous smile again.
Jeff was a very sweet guy. He held open doors, pulled out chairs, talked quietly, and dressed cleanly. Everything her mother would probably want in a guy for her to bring home. Unfortunately, he lacked a perfect personality to go along with it. The boy gave cardboard a run for its money in the character department.
She went back to her studying. It turned out once she’d screwed her head on, she was actually ‘pretty damn smart’, as her astounded guidance councilor told her. Two years of intense study behind her, she packed her suitcases and headed south to Georgetown, to study psychology (Lulu had made a snide remark about the fact that most people who went into to study it usually needed it). If her roommate, or any of her classmates had ever met her three years ago, they would not have recognized her.
Jeff was clearing his throat.
“So, I was wondering.”
Uh-oh. Jeff had, as Tessa, her roommate so eloquently phrased it, ‘been following her like a lost puppy dog’ since school began. She’d been bracing herself for this.
Zoe had sworn off dating (except for in extreme situations) the moment she’d gotten her acceptance letter. And Jeff, no matter how blandly perfect he was, was not an extreme situation.
Zoe turned from her tablet PC and gave him her attention.
“I kinda sorta need a date for the ball and…”
This was still not an extreme situation.
He must have sensed her pending refusal, because he bolted forward in his seat. “Well, it really wouldn’t be a date, because Tessa’s going, and Richard from our English class? And it wouldn’t be a double date or anything…”
…But a very conveniently chosen set of companions. Richard and Tessa had been making doe eyes at each other over Arthur Miller discussions for weeks now. But this was a once in every-four years and probably only this once in her lifetime opportunity.
“Um sure,” she smiled. “Okay. I’d love to.”
Jeffrey Tanner, practiced picture perfect smiler-smiled. “Great. Okay. Um, wow.” He was blushing and stuttering and trying to get out of his chair all at the same time. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later, then.”
He hoisted his duffel over his shoulder and staggered. Zoe studied it.
“Aren’t they supposed to be keeping you safe? That bag weighs more than you.”
By ‘they’ she meant the four-at least there were four visible at the moment-Secret-Service men strategically placed about the library. Getting to be friends with Jeff Tanner meant a thorough background search and metal detector swipe the first few time they went out to the college coffee house.
He shrugged, and started towards the exit. She was right, there had been some more guys. Seven, actually.
So this meant she’d need to find a dress. And get an appointment for her hair. And buy shoes. Crap, what an undertaking. She should have thought it out. This wasn’t some schmazzy dance, it was the inauguration ball. Oh, Lordy.
She clicked on the icon for her virtual date book and added the information to a new checklist and got back to work. Dancing at the White House wasn’t an acceptable excuse for flunking.
A.N.
Dedicated to the Cat and the Penguin…no, not from Batman
This is just another plot bunny that’s been bothering me. There’s no promise this will ever be finished. This is partly written because there needs to be a story without Seth as the main character. He holds no appeal to me, nor does a Mary Sue for him, so you won’t find that in this story. Zoe was a character with a lot of potential, but they simply lumped her into the ‘spunky teenage girl with an attitude problem’. That bothered me.
Now, I’m not saying my father was killed by a sniper. Nor am I saying my mother is at a bank in Europe, but I do know what it means to have siblings relying on you. I do know what it’s like to have them be something very precious to you, particularly after repeated ‘bad’ events in your life. I know what it‘s like to put them first, before you, before your wants and needs, and before the idea of a boyfriend crosses your mind. I know what it’s like to simply be content in knowing they’re safe. I guess Zoe’s heart to heart with Shane in the movie may have been enough for some people, but not me. If she was trying to be strong, she should have really tried. I’ll chalk it up to her immaturity…We’re around the same age and I would never say something like that unless I was there with them and visibly trying. I wouldn’t leave it to a complete stranger to be the emotional support for my siblings after a traumatic situation.
Now before you all send me flames for that, let me point out this is fan fiction, thereby implying I am a fan. My comments are simply something I wanted to get off my chest. However, if you are deeply upset by my criticism of the writers of the movie, then flame away; if you agree, leave me a note saying that.