Beginnings Aren't So Simple
Yours?
Roxi hopped helplessly without crutches over to where Nick was standing, looming over her bunk.
"What's going on?!" she asked, slightly freaked out.
Nick held up a small black and blue book, some pages torn out messily and now scattered on the floor. "Sorry, but this seemed kind of urgent... for you, I guess... I know how you are about people looking thr--"
Roxi snatched her book away from him. "Nononono," she mused repeatedly, going to find her last dog-eared page and sitting on her bunk.
It was missing, edges crinkled and torn quickly and messily.
She'd written about something she probably shouldn't have.
Her dream about the boy who was in the next room, probably confused out of his wits by now. Dream diaries were now off her list for anything ever again.
"Nooo... fuck," she spat, quickly limping into Nick's bunk and shutting the curtain.
She let out tears of frustration. If someone found that...
It was silent for a few seconds before Nick answered. "...Roxi?"
"What?" she asked, her quiet crying obvious.
"Can I come up?"
"...Yeah. Just... pick up the papers that fell," she asked, although more like a statement.
"Alright," he said, and she heard the shuffling of spare papers on the ground. Nick came up at last, seeing Roxi's tear-stained face.
"You must be real upset, you never show any emotion... other than when you're angry... usually towards Joe," he tried to make a joke, but Roxi's lips stayed straight.
"It's him, isn't it?"
She looked up. "What do you mean?"
"Why're you so upset?"
She could trust Nick. He wasn't a scheming backstabber like his brother. "Uh, I write about random crap that's happened in my day," she began as Nick nodded in understanding.
"Me too," he threw in. "Sometimes."
"'Kay, then you know how it feels to let all your fuckin' emotions out, and then have them stolen?"
He thought for a few seconds. "Yeah, it's happened once..."
"Yeah," she mused, and began again. "Well, uhm, it's kind of awkward telling you what I wrote about."
"Is that a sign?" he asked.
"...What?" she inquired, confused.
"Using the word 'awkward' in your sentence," Nick suggested, no tone of teasing in his voice.
Roxi said nothing.
"I'll take that as a yes," Nick replied. "So... you like him?"
"I think so..." she said, honestly quite confused. "I mean, Trace is so sweet and shit, and, but... rgh!" she drowned her voice in Nick's pillow.
"Well, it's alright, I won't say anything to Joe. Oh, and," he handed her sheets back to her. "Yours."
"Thanks," she said, but her heart stopped for a millisecond. "Nick... who knows who read this? It could get out, and..." she trailed off.
"We won't know until it happens," he said unhappily. "No one dangerous could'a gotten in here. Nothing that bad should happen."
"Alright, Nick," she smiled gently. "Thank 'joo."
"No problem," he said, climbing out of his bunk. "Adios for now."
After he was out of sight, Roxi re-read her two entries, both containing information about Joe, and mentally slapped herself for even writing them.
"What's going on?!" she asked, slightly freaked out.
Nick held up a small black and blue book, some pages torn out messily and now scattered on the floor. "Sorry, but this seemed kind of urgent... for you, I guess... I know how you are about people looking thr--"
Roxi snatched her book away from him. "Nononono," she mused repeatedly, going to find her last dog-eared page and sitting on her bunk.
It was missing, edges crinkled and torn quickly and messily.
She'd written about something she probably shouldn't have.
Her dream about the boy who was in the next room, probably confused out of his wits by now. Dream diaries were now off her list for anything ever again.
"Nooo... fuck," she spat, quickly limping into Nick's bunk and shutting the curtain.
She let out tears of frustration. If someone found that...
It was silent for a few seconds before Nick answered. "...Roxi?"
"What?" she asked, her quiet crying obvious.
"Can I come up?"
"...Yeah. Just... pick up the papers that fell," she asked, although more like a statement.
"Alright," he said, and she heard the shuffling of spare papers on the ground. Nick came up at last, seeing Roxi's tear-stained face.
"You must be real upset, you never show any emotion... other than when you're angry... usually towards Joe," he tried to make a joke, but Roxi's lips stayed straight.
"It's him, isn't it?"
She looked up. "What do you mean?"
"Why're you so upset?"
She could trust Nick. He wasn't a scheming backstabber like his brother. "Uh, I write about random crap that's happened in my day," she began as Nick nodded in understanding.
"Me too," he threw in. "Sometimes."
"'Kay, then you know how it feels to let all your fuckin' emotions out, and then have them stolen?"
He thought for a few seconds. "Yeah, it's happened once..."
"Yeah," she mused, and began again. "Well, uhm, it's kind of awkward telling you what I wrote about."
"Is that a sign?" he asked.
"...What?" she inquired, confused.
"Using the word 'awkward' in your sentence," Nick suggested, no tone of teasing in his voice.
Roxi said nothing.
"I'll take that as a yes," Nick replied. "So... you like him?"
"I think so..." she said, honestly quite confused. "I mean, Trace is so sweet and shit, and, but... rgh!" she drowned her voice in Nick's pillow.
"Well, it's alright, I won't say anything to Joe. Oh, and," he handed her sheets back to her. "Yours."
"Thanks," she said, but her heart stopped for a millisecond. "Nick... who knows who read this? It could get out, and..." she trailed off.
"We won't know until it happens," he said unhappily. "No one dangerous could'a gotten in here. Nothing that bad should happen."
"Alright, Nick," she smiled gently. "Thank 'joo."
"No problem," he said, climbing out of his bunk. "Adios for now."
After he was out of sight, Roxi re-read her two entries, both containing information about Joe, and mentally slapped herself for even writing them.