TR 7
Authors: Marina and Casey
Story: Taking Root
Challenge: Coconut 11 (don’t get me started), Milk Chocolate 2 (diplomacy) [Marina]; Blueberry Yogurt 20 (observation), French Vanilla 11 (laissez-faire), Trail Mix 23 (out in the open) [Casey]
Toppings/Extras: Caramel, Chopped Nuts, Smoothie
Word Count: 1,047
Rating: PG
Summary: Dean hits another obstacle, but this time it just makes him angry.
Notes: Nicole is also from Casey’s universe.
Carrie dumped her book bag against the brick half-wall that surrounded the front entrance and grinned at the friend perched atop it. "We’re just waiting for Dean to get here, then we can go…" She glanced back toward the doors, hoping he was on his way through just at that moment.
Instead, a couple of boys she did not want to see, then or ever, strolled through the opening. Spotting a glint of recognition and a deliberate change of paths, she quickly redirected her attention to the other girl. "Don’t look now. Karl and Richard are on the way over here."
Nicole Solaris did not seem fazed by the statement. "Fine. If they try to pull any of their shit with us, Resh’ll kill them." She gave a lofty toss of her hair as she spoke.
Carrie laughed a little. "I know he will, it’s just irritating."
The gravelly scratch of Karl’s footsteps grew louder, and then abruptly stopped. "Well, hello, Carrie. Nikki."
Carrie turned to him, false pleasantness in her eyes and voice. "Karl," she said. Nicole crossed her arms and stared down both boys without a word.
"Thought we should stop by to chat. It's been a while," Karl drawled.
"Not long enough," Carrie replied.
"Come on, Caroline, that’s not very nice."
"Now you're just going to make her angry," Nicole said calmly.
Carrie straightened. "Okay, first of all, that's not my name. It's not even my real first name, it's my grandmother's. Secondly, if you're just going to be a dick, then you can go now."
"Isn't that what they specialize in?" Nicole lifted her eyebrows in amusement.
"Don't be ridiculous," Karl said, eyes narrowing.
"You're the one who's being ridiculous," Carrie said.
"Look," Karl said, stepping forward, voice dropping ominously, "you don't want trouble from us, girls."
She merely tilted her head at him. "Really, Karl? Are we really going to go there? We're not the ones going out of our way to pick fights here."
"Just thought you need a reminder."
"A reminder of the fact that you're an insensitive jerk who has nothing better to do? I haven't forgotten, thanks."
Richard reached out and shoved Nicole. She yelped in surprise, barely catching herself from falling off the wall. "You know the rules."
"So do you," Carrie said, stepping right up to him. "You know who her brother is. If you piss him off, he will end your life. I'd have thought you would know better by now, Richard."
Richard folded his arms, standing his ground. "We're not afraid of her brother," Karl said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Carrie rolled her eyes and turned to Nicole, who had slipped down to her feet after regaining her balance. "Are you okay?" she asked, noting that her friend looked a little pale.
"Yeah, fine, no thanks to Dick," Nicole said, glaring at Richard, who stared smugly back.
Carrie snickered a little at the nickname and turned back to Karl. "You're not scary, you're just annoying. Leave us alone. If you don't, you're going to wish you had."
"Oh? What are you and Nikki going to do to us?"
"It's like he doesn't know us at all," Carrie said to Nicole.
The other girl now grinned cockily. "Plainly."
"Just remember what we said," Karl said, stepping even closer so that his nose was three inches from Carrie’s.
"If you remember what I said," Carrie replied easily. "Now get out of my personal space."
Nicole stepped up next to her. "Yeah, back off."
Karl and Richard exchanged a look. "We're not afraid of your brother, Nikki," Karl said again.
"Back off now, or you're going to lose an eye," Carrie said calmly.
Both boys glared but turned and swaggered off, as if they had won the encounter. Carrie turned incredulously to Nicole. "Are they really going to start this again?"
The younger girl scowled. "Better not. Resh'll do worse than just beat Karl up this time." She watched them go for a second. "Don't tell him. Let's see if they leave it at that."
"I won't. Hopefully they will." Carrie cast a glance into the building, shoulders relaxing in relief. "There's Dean, finally. Come on."
Nicole scooped up her bag and now grinned. "Yeah, he's not just quiet but he's late too, go figure."
"He probably just got out of class late." Carrie waved to Dean and shouldered her book bag
***
Dean, still watching the girls as Nicole brushed herself off, did not notice Karl and Richard approaching until a large hand shot out and grabbed his collar. He started back down to earth and blinked up at them.
“So you saw it,” Karl said.
“Yes,” Dean said cautiously, not sure what exactly had happened.
“The more time you spend with them, the more time we spend with them. Does this make sense?”
“You wouldn’t dare hurt them,” Dean said, with more confidence than he felt. “Resh would have your head.”
“Resh doesn’t scare us. There’s one of him and a lot of us,” Richard said dismissively. “So what if his little sister tells on us? Oooh, I’m so scared.”
Karl pushed him back into the wall. “Listen, pipsqueak, you don’t want us to do this, do you understand? It’ll be bad for all your little so-called friends.”
Dean felt his cheeks heat up and his instinct was to draw back his fist and take the smug look off Karl’s face with it, but he knew he had no real way of following up on that move. Making a mental note to ask his dad about karate lessons, if he could ever catch Sorin at a moment when he wouldn’t panic, he only nodded. “I understand,” he muttered, hating himself for it at that moment.
“Good,” Karl said. “Now get out of my sight,” he added, shoving Dean towards the doorway.
Dean shot them a glare over his shoulder and headed for the door. Carrie and Nicole spotted him and started waving him over. He worked his way to them, smiling despite himself as he approached.
“Hey, are you ready to go?” Carrie asked.
“Yeah, definitely,” Dean said fervently.
“Awesome.” With that, she bounced down the steps, Nicole grinning at her back and trotting after, leaving Dean to bring up the rear.
Story: Taking Root
Challenge: Coconut 11 (don’t get me started), Milk Chocolate 2 (diplomacy) [Marina]; Blueberry Yogurt 20 (observation), French Vanilla 11 (laissez-faire), Trail Mix 23 (out in the open) [Casey]
Toppings/Extras: Caramel, Chopped Nuts, Smoothie
Word Count: 1,047
Rating: PG
Summary: Dean hits another obstacle, but this time it just makes him angry.
Notes: Nicole is also from Casey’s universe.
Carrie dumped her book bag against the brick half-wall that surrounded the front entrance and grinned at the friend perched atop it. "We’re just waiting for Dean to get here, then we can go…" She glanced back toward the doors, hoping he was on his way through just at that moment.
Instead, a couple of boys she did not want to see, then or ever, strolled through the opening. Spotting a glint of recognition and a deliberate change of paths, she quickly redirected her attention to the other girl. "Don’t look now. Karl and Richard are on the way over here."
Nicole Solaris did not seem fazed by the statement. "Fine. If they try to pull any of their shit with us, Resh’ll kill them." She gave a lofty toss of her hair as she spoke.
Carrie laughed a little. "I know he will, it’s just irritating."
The gravelly scratch of Karl’s footsteps grew louder, and then abruptly stopped. "Well, hello, Carrie. Nikki."
Carrie turned to him, false pleasantness in her eyes and voice. "Karl," she said. Nicole crossed her arms and stared down both boys without a word.
"Thought we should stop by to chat. It's been a while," Karl drawled.
"Not long enough," Carrie replied.
"Come on, Caroline, that’s not very nice."
"Now you're just going to make her angry," Nicole said calmly.
Carrie straightened. "Okay, first of all, that's not my name. It's not even my real first name, it's my grandmother's. Secondly, if you're just going to be a dick, then you can go now."
"Isn't that what they specialize in?" Nicole lifted her eyebrows in amusement.
"Don't be ridiculous," Karl said, eyes narrowing.
"You're the one who's being ridiculous," Carrie said.
"Look," Karl said, stepping forward, voice dropping ominously, "you don't want trouble from us, girls."
She merely tilted her head at him. "Really, Karl? Are we really going to go there? We're not the ones going out of our way to pick fights here."
"Just thought you need a reminder."
"A reminder of the fact that you're an insensitive jerk who has nothing better to do? I haven't forgotten, thanks."
Richard reached out and shoved Nicole. She yelped in surprise, barely catching herself from falling off the wall. "You know the rules."
"So do you," Carrie said, stepping right up to him. "You know who her brother is. If you piss him off, he will end your life. I'd have thought you would know better by now, Richard."
Richard folded his arms, standing his ground. "We're not afraid of her brother," Karl said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Carrie rolled her eyes and turned to Nicole, who had slipped down to her feet after regaining her balance. "Are you okay?" she asked, noting that her friend looked a little pale.
"Yeah, fine, no thanks to Dick," Nicole said, glaring at Richard, who stared smugly back.
Carrie snickered a little at the nickname and turned back to Karl. "You're not scary, you're just annoying. Leave us alone. If you don't, you're going to wish you had."
"Oh? What are you and Nikki going to do to us?"
"It's like he doesn't know us at all," Carrie said to Nicole.
The other girl now grinned cockily. "Plainly."
"Just remember what we said," Karl said, stepping even closer so that his nose was three inches from Carrie’s.
"If you remember what I said," Carrie replied easily. "Now get out of my personal space."
Nicole stepped up next to her. "Yeah, back off."
Karl and Richard exchanged a look. "We're not afraid of your brother, Nikki," Karl said again.
"Back off now, or you're going to lose an eye," Carrie said calmly.
Both boys glared but turned and swaggered off, as if they had won the encounter. Carrie turned incredulously to Nicole. "Are they really going to start this again?"
The younger girl scowled. "Better not. Resh'll do worse than just beat Karl up this time." She watched them go for a second. "Don't tell him. Let's see if they leave it at that."
"I won't. Hopefully they will." Carrie cast a glance into the building, shoulders relaxing in relief. "There's Dean, finally. Come on."
Nicole scooped up her bag and now grinned. "Yeah, he's not just quiet but he's late too, go figure."
"He probably just got out of class late." Carrie waved to Dean and shouldered her book bag
***
Dean, still watching the girls as Nicole brushed herself off, did not notice Karl and Richard approaching until a large hand shot out and grabbed his collar. He started back down to earth and blinked up at them.
“So you saw it,” Karl said.
“Yes,” Dean said cautiously, not sure what exactly had happened.
“The more time you spend with them, the more time we spend with them. Does this make sense?”
“You wouldn’t dare hurt them,” Dean said, with more confidence than he felt. “Resh would have your head.”
“Resh doesn’t scare us. There’s one of him and a lot of us,” Richard said dismissively. “So what if his little sister tells on us? Oooh, I’m so scared.”
Karl pushed him back into the wall. “Listen, pipsqueak, you don’t want us to do this, do you understand? It’ll be bad for all your little so-called friends.”
Dean felt his cheeks heat up and his instinct was to draw back his fist and take the smug look off Karl’s face with it, but he knew he had no real way of following up on that move. Making a mental note to ask his dad about karate lessons, if he could ever catch Sorin at a moment when he wouldn’t panic, he only nodded. “I understand,” he muttered, hating himself for it at that moment.
“Good,” Karl said. “Now get out of my sight,” he added, shoving Dean towards the doorway.
Dean shot them a glare over his shoulder and headed for the door. Carrie and Nicole spotted him and started waving him over. He worked his way to them, smiling despite himself as he approached.
“Hey, are you ready to go?” Carrie asked.
“Yeah, definitely,” Dean said fervently.
“Awesome.” With that, she bounced down the steps, Nicole grinning at her back and trotting after, leaving Dean to bring up the rear.