#sounds dumb but i was really looking forward to getting that stupid certificate | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

honeybunchcalum · 4 years

Text

𝒲𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒩𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉- 𝒥𝑜𝒽𝓃 𝐵 (part of ptersparkers writing challenge)

I’m a 5sos girl at heart, and this song really fit this fic, so I had to

Summary: John B promises to help Winnie learn to let loose, the process of which involves skinny dipping, a bucket list, and some really good advice (and inevitable flirting, of course).

Pairing: John B x OC

Warnings: language for sure, and some nudity

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: HUGE thank you and credit to @alexandracheers for editing this fic and giving me feedback! She also has a fic for @ptersparkers writing challenge that you should check out!

The main character is based a lot on myself, so for all you borderline uptight and academic overachiever readers, this one’s for you to relate to!

I also aged the pogues up a few years, so all the characters are 18/19.

GIF credit: @sharmans

“What would you do if you weren’t afraid of everything?”

The sun grazed over facial features as it set, blurring some and sharpening others. Yet another day of summer gone, but the opportunity for a hot summer night followed the horizon.

“God, I don’t fucking know, everything and anything! Also, I don’t appreciate that generalization, I’m not afraid of everything,” she trailed off.

“I know you know,” John B said while flopping down onto the towel that he had just finished smoothing out on the sand. “There’s never been a time when Winnie doesn’t have the answer to something… especially when it’s about herself,” he mumbled the modifying words as to make sure she didn’t hear, but she did.

A few seconds later there was a handful of sand sprinkled throughout his curls as she laughed.

Winnie was a “conscientious and goal-driven girl” as every professor of hers had described her. As she’d come to realize, those words are just the nice way of saying “uptight over-achiever.”

She wished she could be something outside of that. Outside of a ‘certificate of achievement,’ or a picture perfect transcript. Do something for once and make a decision or mistake for herself. That’s what she had come down here this summer to do after all, right?

“Fine, then I shall rephrase.” John B shook the revenge-filled sand out of his hair and asked, “What are you afraid of?”

Knowing that would be an easy question for his borderline-uptight friend to answer, he quickly added a condition, “and not the standard ‘failing a paper, looking bad, or not being at the top of whatever-the-fuck class you’re in’ fear.”

“Well, you’ve basically got all my bases covered with those,” she replied. John B raised an eyebrow at the mention of covering her bases.

“You’re so annoying,” slipped out of her mouth accompanied by the obligatory eye-roll. She laid down on her own towel not too far from John B (certainly more gracefully than he had) and looked up at the purpling sky.

The beach was beginning to empty as all the vacationers returned to their rental homes. It was her and John B’s favorite part of the day. They basically had the whole beach to themselves aside from the late-night skinny dippers, but they weren’t due for another few hours.

It was peacefully silent for what felt like hours, just the two of them side by side on the towels that John B always kept in the van for spontaneous beach trips like this.

Winnie started to drift into her daydreams of her future--walking down crowded city streets to the subway in a fashionably professional outfit on her way to the courtroom for her breakthrough case. Then she flipped to her daydream of writing in a cozy coffee shop. Writing about anything and everything--even the hazel-eyed boy beside her and how he just lived, nothing more or less (and sometimes without thinking). But that was just John B, and she felt the need to document it beautifully somehow, and make sure she’d remember him just as he is. She knew she couldn’t get it more right than he was then, right next to her, just as he had been all summer.

“So, what’s your answer?”

“What?” Winnie had already forgotten his question, and was definitely startled.

“To my question... I saw ya thinking there,” John B chuckled and looked up at the sky as well, “unless you were off in your lawyer daydreams again.”

“Well maybe I was, but I also have an answer for you. I can think about multiple things at once, y’know?”

“I know a little bit too well, Winnie. You’re always lost in your thoughts about something,” he replied while playfully touching her arm.

She started to feel a weight on her chest and in her throat, first off because John B was now staring directly at her, and more prominently because she knew her answer all too well, but didn’t want to say it. What if John B didn’t understand, or if it sounded dumb?

“John Booker Routledge,” she spoke strongly, “I am afraid of being ordinary, being stuck and not having the opportunities to do enough fun shit while I’m young, and also worrying too much about all of these things at the same time.”

By the end of her proclamation, Winnie was in tears.

“It sounds...s-so stupid,” she was laughing through some sobs now, “like I’m the one in control of my own life, a-and I can’t get it right. I want to be young and do fun shit, but I-I-just can’t because I feel like-like I know better than to knowingly do something stupid.” Talking through things, even while she was choking out sobs, had always made everything she was feeling make sense.

“Look, you hang out with young and dumb every day,” John B laughingly pointed at himself, “and while I am a bit offended by your ‘ordinary’ fear-”

Winnie cut him off with a sob-filled, “I’m so sorry, John B, I didn’t-”

“I’m kidding, Winnie. I’m getting to my point here…” he reached out and held her shoulders.

“...which is that you don’t know how to let go. And you’re already not ordinary, at least to me. And I can tell ya that JJ, Kie and Pope will tell you the same. I wouldn’t have been hanging out with you every night if you were.”

John B punched her arm to try to clear the seriousness in the air. “C’mon, you don’t really think I’d hang out with someone ordinary and boring, right?”

“Right,” Winnie replied.

“What was that, can you say it again?”

Dripping in sarcasm, Winnie repeated herself, “John B, you’re right.”

“Thank you.”

He turned away from her for a second and glanced at the purple sky that draped over the ocean, seeming to string words together in his mind.

After a few seconds he started, “Coming from me, I feel like you can’t plan everything out. Some shit just happens--shit that you can’t make happen, Winnie, no matter how much of a control freak you are.”

John B was right, she was a bit of a control freak; she’d admit it.

“Like, do you think I was trying to make JJ stealing 25k from a drug dealer happen?”

Now he could chuckle at the memory, and Winnie at the secondhand telling of the story since it seemed so outrageous.

“Everything can’t be picture perfect, Winnie, a lot of things are messy” he was nervously fidgeting, which was very unlike him; John B was always so sure of himself.

“And unexpected, like this--” he raised his hand and flung a clump of sand at Winnie.

She instinctively scoffed, but then laughed. At least it derailed the overly-serious energy that John B created.

“You know, I was really starting to take you seriously, John B.”

“Ouch, Winnie,” he cracked a smile, “Well I’m glad you tried because it was part of my life-changing advice.”

“Which is…?”

“You have to do what you feel is best for you right now. I’ve always told you, you need to be who you are now.”

“And throwing sand at me felt right to you in that moment?”

“Yes. But you have to admit that it’s good advice. My dad would always tell me, and it just stuck with me. So now, I relay it to you.”

Winnie let the words mellow around her mind for a few seconds. It was really great advice, especially for someone like her. She let her eyes scan the beach around her. She had an amazing landscape that was totally memory-worthy right in front of her. And more importantly, she had the time. The time to be here, in the moment, with her best friend.

Although she had only been on the island for a few weeks, Winnie knew there was something special about John B. They were complete opposites in a way--an uptight law student from the city, and an easygoing surfer from the island. But they complemented each other: while she may have read more, he had seen more. And that’s what made them such a good pair.

They could both figure anything out, whether it was Winnie perfecting John B’s college essays and finance records for after his gap year, or the trademark stories of John B escaping trouble on the island.

“Another philosophy I live by is that you should try everything once,” John B started.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that from JJ too,” she smiled, remembering the times in the van that JJ spilled his life philosophies while slightly under the influence.

“Also, at the next kegger, you are definitely hanging with me, I’ll teach you how to have some fun,” John B added, as Winnie agreed, looking forward to it.

-------

After a few seconds, Winnie asked, “So it’s about 8:25, what are we doing right now? And what have you not tried?”

“I see you took my advice to heart. There’s not too much honestly,” he nervously laughed, reminiscing about his countless long nights. “Your wish is my command on this lovely Thursday night. Whatever is on your, what I assume, color-coded bucket list,” he teasingly continued.

Winnie playfully scoffed. “Actually, it’s just highlighted, Mr. Routledge. Anyway.... I choose skinny dipping.” She spoke with a glow in her eyes and no hesitation, maybe she had planned out this moment for a while, waiting for this exact opportunity. But that’s one thing she wouldn’t admit.

John B’s jaw practically dropped to the ground. His eyes widened; she’d managed to pick the one thing he didn’t have experience with, which is impressive.

The two had always poked fun at the nightly ocean skinny dippers; he never thought Winnie had the desire to partake in it.

He ran his hand through his curls in an attempt to conceal his jitters. He would do anything for Winnie, and this is what she wanted. He couldn’t lie to himself--he would only consider something like this with her. As much as she trusted him, John B trusted Winnie.

“No prob, sure, let’s do it,” the brunette slightly rambled.

Winnie undoubtedly picked up on his fault of confidence. “Are you sure? We definitely don’t have to… I mean driving with the windows down is also pretty high up on my list.”

“Yeah,” he flashed a reassuring smile. One full of serenity and comfort. He pulled his t-shirt off as Winnie did the same, along with her shorts. The two awkwardly looked at each other, as if searching for each other’s cue to continue. Winnie gave John B an up-and-down glance, to which he knowingly turned around with an, “oh, yeah,” so she could further undress.

It was dark enough on the shore now for the teens to be unrecognizable, but Winnie ensured that the towels they were currently wrapped in would be waiting for them right in front of the tide lines, in case the need for a quick escape dawned.

There was an unspoken promise between them that lustful stares would not be exchanged, but quick glimpses would be inevitable. With that, towels were dropped, and John B started the countdown to rush into the water. Before “one,” Winnie already took off running towards the calm waves.

By the time she was up to her knees, she was yelling, “Holy shit! That’s cold! Oh my God!”

Seconds later John B was yelling the same before they both had dipped underwater to get used to the temperature. They came up from underwater with their faces almost inches apart. Their eyes locked for a moment. Nervous laughter followed as Winnie moved backwards, not remembering to keep her arm over her chest.

“Shit, uh, sorry,” John B looked away from Winnie.

“It’s okay,” she giggled, “I don’t really care. I also don’t think there’s really a way to prevent that.”

Within a second, John B had started a splash war, and the rare serious energy dissipated.

Ten minutes in the cold night ocean was more than enough. Luckily, no late-night walkers stumbled upon their antics. Now they sat on the sand peacefully wrapped in their towels. Winnie cuddled into John B’s chest. It felt as though time had stopped in her mind, yet the ocean continued, as did the waves and the heartbeat of her best friend both pounding in her ears. John B was warm, sweet, and wise. Especially now, with his curls a perfectly-laid sopping mess and his chest so comforting, the warmth took over. Winnie sought to ingrain this feeling into her mind.

John B admired Winnie as the towel adorned her chest and the dull glow of the night slightly illuminated her face. He couldn’t deny it--she was very pretty.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked down towards the girl on his chest. “I knew you could let go, and not give a fuck, you don’t need me, Winnie.”

“No you did not know that,” she protested, “you’d told me I didn’t know how to let go like, 10 minutes ago.”

“Ok, yeah I did say that. But… would an uptight Winnie suggest skinny dipping, get me to do it with her, and also play it cool when I accidentally saw her boob?”

Winnie thought about it: John B was right. In the moment, without overthinking, she did know how to let go and do whatever felt right to her at the time.

“No…” she responded.

“So you’re not uptight! I proved it to you, and I didn’t even have to argue with you about it-- HA!” John B retorted, pulling away from Winnie so he could now look her directly in the eye.

“I guess, yeah. But you did go in the ocean with me, naked, for me to get to this realization.”

“Were you just trying to get me naked?” John B jokingly gasped.

Doubled down in laughter, Winnie managed to respond, “No, definitely not, but you did it willingly, which was a win.”

“Well, I can say I did it.” John B seemed content, and he truly meant it. You should try everything once, right?

“I’ve got the van radio and windows rolled down and ready for us, if you so desire.”

“Why of course, Mr. Routledge, my prince charming, please fire up our carriage.” Winnie smiled, which was a repeated pattern throughout the whole night. The tears from earlier were forgotten, with aches from smiling too much replacing them.

They practically jumped into John B’s van, scantily clad, with Winnie’s hand already on the radio knob. She turned it to a station playing a summer song that would eventually become overplayed within the next few months, but that was ok. Maybe better, even, since each inevitable time this song was on, it would remind her of tonight.

Tonight. He’d truly seen her as a person, physically and emotionally now, with ease. He saw her as someone more than just an uptight student, and she realized that maybe she wasn’t always uptight, after all. He was willing to put aside his apprehensions and trust her, just as she’d come to trust him.

With the windows rolled down, and the radio almost unbearably loud, Winnie felt bliss. True and uninhibited, like this is what she was meant to be doing with John B, at this moment in time.

Winnie’s eyes couldn’t resist scanning John B’s frame next to her. The way his calloused hands gripped the steering wheel, the flex of his arms, his wet caramel hair regaining its curl, and most notably, the smooth and tanned skin of his chest. He was damn gorgeous. And now gazing over at her.

“Shit, he noticed me staring,” she thought. But he didn’t seem fazed or embarrassed by her gaze at all. He flicked her the trademark John B smile. “Like what ya see?” He gave an eyebrow raise.

“Oh, shut up,” she spit back and turned the radio up even further, starting to scream the lyrics to the catchy song. She felt the wind blow in her hair as the roads she drove down each day gained a newfound beauty.

-------

“I’m beat,” Winnie exasperatedly stated once John B pulled the van up to the Chateau.

“Yeah me too, that’s enough ‘young and dumb’ for tonight. You don’t mind sharing the pull-out with Kie, right? I kinda forgot she was staying over tonight...”

“Yeah, no prob,” Winnie responded. She really didn’t mind sharing with Kie, but secretly wished John B would invite her to his bed for the night.

She opened the screen door of the house, and after she got ready for bed, practically flopped on the pull-out couch.

Kie groggily groaned, “Ugh, Winnie don’t do that, I’m tryna sleep. Why are you back so late anyway?”

“Sorry, beach night with JB,” Winnie whispered, only to realize that the girl beside her was already asleep again. Winnie was practically shaking from her excitement as she looked back on her night, especially after John B threw a “g’night Winnie” her way.

------

Winnie knew she had slept too late when she’d woken up without Kie next to her, probably already at the Wreck for the breakfast shift. She stood up and made her way to the bathroom, peeking around to make sure that only John B was in the house and Pope or JJ hadn’t made a surprise visit.

She’d wanted to make a move last night. Especially when he’d caught her staring. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror to psych herself up: it was now or never.

She rounded the corner to John B’s room and knocked on the doorframe, since he always left the door open. John B sat up and gave a raspy, “hey, Winnie.”

She cut to the chase, as she sat down next to him on his bed. “I think I overthought something I shouldn’t have last night.”

“Yeah, yeah, shoot, what is-”

Winnie cut him off with a kiss that was well-received. His lips molded to hers as his hand moved to her cheek and then to her hair. He pulled away.

“Funny enough, that’s something that’s actually been on my bucket list, too.”

“Well, I’m happy we’re efficient in crossing things off our list,” Winnie smiled into another kiss, now being the one to pull away.

She was on her way to living the life she wanted.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tagging some of my mutuals: @noshamenion @darkrosekuwonu @cccatz @poguelifesurfshop @maybankiara @tothemoonmikey @singledadharrington @kindapinkskies @outerbanqs

#pp writing challenge #John B Routledge x OC #John B x OC #John B #John B Outer Banks #John B Outer Banks fanfic #Outer Banks #outer banks netflix #outer banks fic #OBX #obx fics #obx john b #obx john b x oc #john b x original character

33 notes · View notes

thirteenisles · 5 years

Text

Can’t Say We’re Friends | 1

A/N: ok here is my first fic, I honest to god haven’t written fic in ages (I mean I write papers but I’m in school that’s different) so please be gentle on me. Thank you to @matbaezal for being my beta for this and reading it over for me, you’re the best! I am really excited about this though, I really hope you all like it and send me feedback! Thank you and enjoy!

Word Count: 1.3k

There is a distinct humming noise coming from the air conditioner, it’s enough to irritate her throbbing head, not to mention, the dead weight of her best friend whose half on top of her, snoring.

Squeezing her eyes, Evelyn is almost afraid to get up, not wanting to deal with this hangover that is already causing havoc on her body. God, she should not have drank so much last night, because she was certainly paying for it now.

Feeling courageous, she finally opens her eyes, grunting as the light is a wake-up call to her still drunken body. She snorts, looking down at her best friend, Tito, who has drool on the side of his face, knocked out cold.

Yeah, they both definitely drank too much.

It took a good couple of moments before Evelyn is able to roll him off of her, holding back another laugh as he pouts in his sleep, grabbing a pillow to cuddle, before letting out a particularly loud snore.

Shower first, then order breakfast. Something nice and greasy to soak up the lingering alcohol.

“Hello gorgeous,” Evelyn mutters to herself catching her reflection in the mirror, as she steps into the bathroom, the lights flickering on.

She looked like a drowned disco raccoon. Smudged eyeliner, greasy hair, and leftover glitter on her skin.

Flipping on the shower, she strips down, jumping in and letting the hot water wake her up and soothe her aching muscles. As she finishes up, rinsing out her hair one final time, her finger gets caught in what she assumes is a bad knot. Grunting, she finally untangles it, but it wasn’t something in her hair nor was it a knot, it’s a piece of thin metal, wrapped around her fourth finger.

Evelyn doesn’t wear a ring on that finger and she most certainly wasn’t wearing anything other than earrings and her favorite necklace last night.

Maybe she got it at one of the clubs they went to. Yeah, they give out free things at the club all the time, especially here in Vegas. It was a plausible explanation, she thought.

She towels off after exiting the shower, brushing her teeth, and doing her usual skincare routine, till she finally somewhat feels like a human again, and tiptoes out into the bedroom to get dressed.

Now wearing an old hockey shirt of Tito’s and fresh underwear, she quietly closes the bedroom door behind her and makes her way into the kitchen.

Because coffee sounds fucking amazing.

After turning it on and no so patiently waiting, Evelyn starts to clean up from their pre-game last night. Clothes scattered over the floor, their solo cups, glitter, stupid souvenirs, and crumbled Lady Gaga tickets, but that’s not what catches her eye.

Evelyn picks up the folded piece of paper, which was neatly tucked in the back pocket of Tito’s jeans. At first, thinks that maybe some girl gave Tito her number, it wasn’t uncommon, he was an attractive guy, but that’s quite ridiculous to do so on a piece of paper this large.

The last thing she expected when she opened it was a marriage certificate.

A marriage certificate with her and Tito’s name, signed by both of them.

On the thirty-fourth floor, in a messy hotel room in Las Vegas, and a thin band of metal wrapped around her fourth finger on her left hand, the memory hits her like an eighteen-wheeler.

She wasn’t Evelyn Caron anymore, she was Evelyn Beauvillier.

“Holy shit....Tito!”

Three Weeks Earlier....

Evelyn is already picturing herself, lounging on on a beach chair, sipping some fruity cocktail. The idea of a vacation is something she has been craving for months and now that her best friend is finished with his season, sadly, after getting swept, she eagerly looks forward to booking a dreamy beach getaway.

“Honey, I’m home!” Tito jokingly calls out, shutting the door behind him and makes his way into the living room, “Stopped by that coffee shop you go on about, got you that banana oat milk latte you like.”

“Aw, you’re the best, thank you.” She coos, taking it from him and takes a sip.

“Don’t know how you drink it, the ingredients itself disgusts me.”

“You don’t have the taste for something this refined, Tito. Your senses are bland.”

He rolls his eyes, sitting on the couch with her, lifting her legs so they’re draped over his lap. Tito sighs contently, rolling his neck till it cracks, trying to relax. Evelyn notices the dark circles under his eyes and how tense he looks. She sits up and rubs the back of his neck, trying to help soothe his pain.

“So I’m thinking the Florida Keys. Nice and reclusive, where we can just spend the week not doing anything but drink, eat, and lay on the beach.” She starts, showing him what she was looking at on her phone.

“Yeah, about that...I was thinking of something else.”

She raises her eyebrows, waiting for him to explain.

“Vegas? Really? Tito, that’s not a relaxing vacation in the slightest.” Evelyn says after Tito proposes his idea to her.

“Come on, it’d be so much fun! We can go to all the cool restaurants, go clubbing, and Lady Gaga has a show there, and I know you wanna see her.”

Rolling her eyes, she smacks the side of his head. “So what if I do? Come on, we both originally agreed on a beach getaway.” She whines.

“Hm...but someone’s birthday is coming up...”

“Anthony Beauvillier, don’t you dare try to turn this around and use your birthday as a way to try and guilt trip me into this.”

He just grins and bats his eyelashes at her.

She gives him a pointed look, “No.”

“Pleaaaaaase. Pretty please?” He begs.

“Tito no! Oh my god, you’re like a child. No!”

“What if I told you I already bought the Lady Gaga tickets? You can’t disappoint Gaga...”

Evelyn narrows her eyes, “....you asshole.”

He throws his head back laughing and Evelyn reaches over and smacks him with a throw pillow, which he grabs from her, and reaches down and grabs her side. She squeals and tries to wriggle away.

“Can’t say no now!”

“Oh fuck you!” She screeches.

And by the next day, Vegas was booked.

The last time Tito and Evelyn sat in silence was the great dress fiasco of 2015. A whole three days of not talking to him after he ruined her prom dress that she had spent months saving up for.

This is a whole different level of silence.

It felt like the five stages of grief.

Denial.

They’re both staring at the marriage certificate like it’s a foreign object. It has to be fake, even if there is something that resembles an official stamp on it. They probably thought it would be funny to get one as a joke and bring it back and be like “haha we got married...sike!”

Anger.

Whose dumb drunk idea was this? Who even allowed two people, completely drunk out of their minds, to get married? Evelyn would have never suggested something like this even as a joke because god forbid it would turn out to be real.

Bargaining.

Ok so, they might have gotten married. At least it’s not a stranger. Could be worse, she could have married some random guy she met last night. It’s her best friend, it’s Tito, it’s ok, nothing worth freaking out over.

Depression.

She’s legally married. Sure, it’s a Vegas wedding, something a lot of people get just so they have a certificate so they can get married elsewhere or don’t really care about the whole marriage thing, but Evelyn does. She pictured the whole white dress, planning the entire thing, choosing between cream and eggshell place cards, etc.

Acceptance.

They googled it. It’s definitely official, it’s on the public record. They’re married.

Evelyn married her best friend.

What the fuck are they going to do?

#tito beauvillier #anthony beauvillier #nhl imagine #nhl fic #hockey imagine #new york islanders #nyi #mine #ko writes

142 notes · View notes

caroline-min-max · 6 years

Text

Broken Dreams

Caroline and the twins each share the optimism their younger selves once had for their futures.

The twins realized they hadn’t seen Caroline around the house much that day. There was still some awkwardness with adjusting to living with her. Min and Max hated to be alone, usually always at one another’s side, but weren’t sure if it was bothering Caroline how they were extending that to her as well. They’d begun craving her company, enjoying the chance to spend more time with their friend Caroline White rather than their boss the White Rabbit.

It was her house. If she wanted some time herself they shouldn’t bother her. She was a bit of a recluse, only going out more since they made it enjoyable for her. Being an introvert meant that she had moments when she got burned out too. In unison they crossed their arms in silent pondering at the end of the hallway.

As they were mulling it over their thoughts were broken when they heard the creaking of Caroline’s bedroom door opening. They heard her grunt before she exited, coming their way with a box. They started to greet her, stopping in the middle of it when they noticed her eyes seemed puffy and red. Had she been crying?

“Are you OK, Miss White?” Max asked, he and Min both concerned.

“Yes!” Caroline assured, although her smile seemed forced. “I was just doing some house cleaning and my eyes got a little irritated. It’s nothing!”

“Can we help?” Min asked. “You can ask us anytime!”

“I appreciate that but I’ve always preferred to at least try and do things for myself.” Besides, they did more than enough for her already. She was starting to feel like a spoiled princess. “All I have to do is take this out to the trash and I’m done.”

“I’ll do that!” Min reached forward to grab the box.

“No!” Caroline answered harshly, twisting her body away from his outstretched hands. “I can handle it!”

“That box looks heavy,” Max noticed. Caroline seemed to be taking the weight of it with her legs, her knees buckling under the weight while her thin arms seemed to be straining.

With the time she spent conversing with them the weight became far too much. Caroline couldn’t help dropping the box with a grimace. It landed on its side, the contents spilling out onto the floor for the twins to see.

“We’ll pick it up!” both twins said as they knelt down on the ground.

“You dunderheads have done enough!” Caroline shouted angrily as she got down on her knees, startling them. She’d never once insulted or yelled at them like that before.

The twins froze, looking at each other in alarm while Caroline hurriedly tried to scoop the box’s contents and put them back in the box. While Caroline was silently scolding herself for not making two trips to the trash like she should have their eyes wandered down to look at what had wound up in front of them.

“This is an award?” Max knew he should keep his mouth shut but couldn’t help picking up a framed certificate that praised Caroline for her excellent grades. Nearby he also saw a framed golden tassel for maintaining a high GPA.

“And textbooks…” Min picked up one that was titled Animal Health and Nutrition.

“Did it even occur to you two that there was a reason I didn’t want either of you touching this box?” Caroline snapped, her eyes narrowed, before snatching the items out of the twins’ hands. “The two of you are so nosy I knew you’d peek if I gave it to you and now look what you made me do!”

“We’re sorry, Miss White…” Max apologized timidly as he sat back, his voice soft.

“Real sorry,” Min added, shrinking away from Caroline.

Guilt tore at the twins’ insides. They’d only wanted to help, to find ways to earn their keep everyday. They didn’t want Caroline to regret her decision to keep them around for even a moment but in the end they’d made a major blunder. They could only hope she wouldn’t react as violently as Two Face.

Caroline looked up at the twins and realized they mean it; remorse was plain as day on their identical faces. They could barely hold eye contact because they felt so ashamed and to see such sad frowns instead of their usually toothy smiles made her heart ache.

“It’s… It’s alright,” Caroline replied calmly after a deep breath. They hadn’t meant her any harm. “I apologize for getting so angry with you. I absolutely shouldn’t have called you a name.”“We’ve been called worse,” Min replied with a smile, getting a small one out of Caroline in return.

“Why do you want to throw all this away?” Max dared to ask, confused. These seemed like things to be proud of.

Nosey as ever… Caroline couldn’t help but find some comfort in the familiarity.

“It’s all just a painful reminder of how all my hard work never meant a thing.” She’d clung onto them long enough; now the sight of them only stung. “I studied so hard… I did everything I could… Do you think anyone would give me a scholarship, though?” She didn’t wait for the twins to answer. “No! Those dumb jocks who got straight Ds got a free ride for throwing a ball around but no one was interested in helping me because, as a woman, I’d ‘eventually get married, have children, and stay at home’,” she deepened her voice in an attempt to imitate the man who’d said it to her. “They thought it was a wasted investment.”

“That isn’t right!” Min exclaimed, both he and Max outraged.

Caroline shrugged. “It’s just the way the world is… It seemed like men were always in control of my success or failure. A man stole my tuition money. A man lied to me about what I was getting myself into when I started working at that club. a man turned me into a rabbit. Then after that it was Mr. Dent and his friend Mr. Wayne who tried to help me before yet another man tried to take advantage of me when he found out about my condition. I got so damn sick of it…” She rested her clenched fists on her knees. “I decided that I’d become independent anyway I could, even if it stealing and killing.” It was surprisingly easy to commit such crimes when you were disconnected from the world and everyone in it. She sighed before looking back and forth between the twins. “What did you two want to be when you grew up? I can’t imagine you wanted this life either.”

Now Caroline had been the one to hit a raw nerve. Min and Max winced like they were in pain. They tended to speak and ask questions without thinking so they didn’t realize there was a chance that Caroline would flip the situation around on them. They supposed it wouldn’t be right not to answer…

“We wanted to be performers,” Min answered after a long pause. “A stage show where we sang, danced, and told a joke here and there.”

“We thought maybe we could even get a part in a movie…” Max laughed, dejected. They were so young and stupid… “We were told we had faces for radio,” he admitted bitterly.

“But you listen to the… Oh!” Caroline placed her hand over her mouth, her eyes radiating pity. “That’s awful!”

The twins frowned. There was nothing they could do about it. Their voices had generated interest they weren’t the complete ‘Teen Heartthrob’ package talent agents were looking for. While they may have matured and developed muscles from working out, back then they were fairly scrawny and unappealing. They didn’t have enough land a contract and had to find another way to live once their funds started running out.

“I had no idea…” Now Caroline felt badly. “Well, I…” She hesitated. She thought about abandoning what she was about to say but the twins seemed they were expecting, HOPING, for her to say something comforting. “This isn’t much consolation, but…” Why was this so hard? Was it because she couldn’t think of a way to not sound silly? That she was worried the twins wouldn’t think it was good enough? “I’d like to be your biggest fan. Happiness usually doesn’t last long for me but I always am whenever I hear the two of you sing. Having both of you around has really brightened up my days. I think if you’d been given a chance people would’ve loved to come see you and I’m not just saying that.” She felt her heart speed up.

Those radiant smiles Caroline adored so much spread across Min and Max’s faces. They cheered up instantly. If this was the route their lives had to take in order to meet someone like her than maybe things hadn’t turned out that bad for them.

“That means a lot to us, Miss White,” Max replied, Min nodding in agreement.

“We’ve always thought you’re a really swell gal,” Min added.

“You’re stronger than you think you are. I couldn’t have gone on without Min but you went through everything all alone. We think you deserve a break so can’t you let us pitch in more? It doesn’t mean you’re weak to have us help you around the house.”

Max’s words resonated with Caroline. He had a point and couldn’t have worded it more perfectly. It erased the resentment of depending on two men yet again and made her realize that this time around it was completely different.

“Well… Then I will leave this to you two after all,” Caroline decided. There was no harm now that they’d seen everything and heard her thoughts on it. Before she got up she shocked both twins when she quickly gave each of them a quick kiss on the forehead. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks. You’re both adorable.” With that she was on her feet and walking away, planning on taking a long relaxing bath.

The twins blushed, bashful grins on their faces. With how giddy they both felt they took a moment before gathering up the mess on the floor and returning it into the box.

“Are we really gonna throw this stuff away?” Max asked. He wasn’t sure if he had it in him to discard what Caroline had worked so hard for.

“We’re keeping it,” Min decided in an instant.

“Huh?” Max hadn’t quite expected that. “But if Caroline finds out…”

She‘d likely be pretty upset with them. Min knew that. “We’ll hide it in our room awhile,” he decided after a bit of thinking.

Caroline respected their privacy so she stayed out of the room she’d let them have. It was a safe bet that she’d never find out they hadn’t disposed of her things. Should the day ever come where voiced regret upon thinking these items were long gone they’d gladly return the box to her. Until then it had a safe place in the back of their closet.

7 notes · View notes