Refuge from the Rain? /Open/

[Amberlynn Rogers]

I have to block out thoughts of you, so I don't lose my head.
They crawl in like a cockroach, leaving babies in my bed.
Dropping, little reels of tape. To remind me that I'm alone.
Playing movies in my head, that make a porno feel like home.

Blue October's lyrics drifted noisily from the neighboring store, not upsetting the peace of the individual situated in a corner booth of the Pizza place, in the least. The unmanicured fingernails of her right hand tapped rhytmically against the old-fashioned table, her head swaying in tune. A green-colored pencil was held in her left hand, effortlessly moving across the paper of the artpad, brown eyes flicking upward now and then, settling on the group of individuals and backdrop that was the inspiration for her latest piece of work.

The tapping ceased, the hand used to pick of a slice of pepporoni pizza with extra cheese and guide it to the girl's nude-gloss covered lips. A big bite was taken from the greasy goodness, the pizza dropped back unto the plate that still held a couple slices. It was quite easy to see that she wasn't one of the usual Orange County girls; that she was not one who worried about weight and watched what she ate. If she did, nothing would be safe to eat. Quite logical, eh? Droplets of water slid down the glass of coke settled next to the plate, only a bit of the contents gone. She'd only just gotten her food after all.

Outside was ugly. It was raining 'cats and dogs', and Amber had ducked into "Rio's Pizza Place" to seek refuge from the rain. She hadn't even seen it approaching, having been too caught up in her thoughts to notice the weather. Luckily, she hadn't been drenched, only a sprinkling of water having touched her body. Paint-splotched blue jean coveralls covered her body, a plain black tee shirt beneath it. Her feet were cold, as only black flip flops were present upon them -- today had seemed like it would have been warm.

Stray, dark locks drifted from the messy bun her hair was in, and she blew them away, though ignored them when they fell back where they'd been before. She looked like some girl next-door, and was a look she sported on plenty occasions -- especially on days like these when she had Art Class. Who was she going to get dressed up for? Her seventy year old teacher? Plus, looking good for no one in that class was going to give her a good grade. It didn't seem like she'd be going to her class though, as the rain was being a bitch. A duffel bag sat beside her on the seat of her booth, one which was also covered in paint and chalk dust. It held her art supplies and various other items.

You never doubted my warped opinions on things like suicidal hate.
You made me compliment myself when it was way too hard to take.
So I’ll drive so fucking far away that I never cross your mind.
And do whatever it takes in your heart to leave me behind.

The lyrics broke through her concentration, making her shift her gaze from the artpad and glance through the window. Some people were frolicking out in that downpour, little kids having fun jumping in puddles. Even some adults. A smile flitted across her face, and she paused for a brief moment to watch innocence at its...well, it's most innocent. [/font][/color]

[kris]

Paige Durham paced slowly along the boardwalk, mesmerized by the countless raindrops thudding against the cold, hard ground around her. Out close in the distance, the dreary weather seemed to work in unison with the untamed ocean. In this cold, there were no beachgoers lazing idly on the sand, for the more the rain flowed, the muddier the sand would become. Up above, the dark, puffy rain clouds could be seen covering the sky, they not only served as the source of the rain, but as a barrier between the land and the sun. It was a weather change Paige admired through her own stormy eyed gaze from beneath the hood her of oversized sweatshirt.

It brought about the now seemingly distant memories that Durmie could flash back to about home in Brooklyn. Winters near New York City were splendid, especially the snow. . . oh how she loved the icy feeling of snow. California was so damn hot that her favorite weather seemed ever so nonexistent anymore, but not on mornings like this. No, for this individual it was like a reminder of home. Of course who would have thought that this tomcat could ever feel so poetic anything? Her own brother didn’t even know how much she missed home, and that how she preferred it. She knew he’d feel guilty about it, even when there was absolutely no reason to.

The black and white converse on her feet, and the cuffs of her loose-fit jeans were soaked with the mud- mixture of water and sand. As a result, her toes felt entirely numb and it sent chills up her spine. Paige Durham had always been a wimp when it came to the cold, but that never lessened her love for it. Consequentially, her large black sweater, which neared her knees in length, had also gotten wet during her walk. Her shoulders and the hood that covered her head were the worst and the result caused goose bumps to form all over her arms under the fabric of the sweater. Desperately, her hands clasped within the pocket of her sweater, attempting to generate any amount of warmth.

Paige soon became aware of the sound waves drifting through air from a store, the lyrics providing for a pleasant sound in her opinion. Upon seeing a few other stragglers enjoying the weather as she was, Durmie smiled a bit. While there were some that so stuck up that they couldn’t even see the beauty in anything around them, just in themselves, there were some that could truly just enjoy simple precious moments for what they really were. That didn’t necessarily even mean walking right out in it, as Paige was doing, but even the intelligent observer didn’t take the simple things for granted because they weren’t walking through life blind. And it was at the moment that she concluded to spend a little time as an observer, for the chills were starting to get to her bones.

Upon seeing the sign to the pizza place, Paige didn’t even have to think twice, seeing as her stomach made the decision for her. Reaching the entryway, she ducked the corner sharply and paced into the place, bringing the water in with her as she stepped into the place. She let out a small sigh and gazed around the surroundings briefly, removing her hood to reveal fiery red hair that hung freely around her face that dripped uncontrollably. The saucey aroma of the little parlor reaches her nostrils and immediate led her to the counter to order a slice.

After ordering a piece of pepperoni pizza and paying for it with the few bucks she had in her jeans pocket, she immediately turned around to watch around the room once again while waiting for her meal. For some reason the lone individual in overalls sitting in the corner caught her attention, and it was then that the teenager studied the girl for a moment, simply taking in her presence. Leaning against the counter for a moment, she came to the mental conclusion to go over and introduce herself to the girl once her pizza arrived. This was after all, her usual self, and any person that intriqued her in the slightest way, she would not hesitate to get to know. "Gotta love life and live it up," right?

[Lily Rivera]

Lily walked in to the Pizza Place. Well, more like sprinted. It was raining. No, it was REALLY raining. Like God was having a serious hissy fit and his tears were flying all over the place. Promtly after walking in she brushed o her True Religion jeans and pink Polo shirt and made sure that her brand new Dolce and Gabbana's leather didn't get trashed. Then came the primping. This long task took, erm I don't know, 10 minutes! Just fixing her hair and really over doing it. After a while she noticed that people were staring as if she was a walking three ring circus so she decieded to call it a day and just order. Her eyes glanced up at the old yellowing letters on the menu, trying to find somthing that wasn't totaly fattening. Her eyes darted over to a girl sitting with a artpad and bright green pencil, who, seemed like she was VERY absorbed in whatever the hell she was doing. She started to stare very impolitely. Then she heard her mothers voice screaming in the back of her mind "STOP STARING! YOUR DISCRASING THE NAME OF RIVERA! BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!!!!!!!!" Jesus Christ when will she just get o her crack and stop yelling? The world will never know. She managed to pull herself out o the trance and foucused on the act that she was hungry and in desperate need of sustanence. "Hi, may I have a slice of cheese please?" She questioned the...Oh my.....very scruffy man at the counter. After waiting about five minutes she took the pizza back to a vacant table and sat herslef down at a table. Alone. By herslef. Without anybody. As she ate her pizza the cold feeling of aloneness got to her. She agian, looked over at the tapping-to-the-music-and-pencil-flying-pencil girl. At leats she has something to take up her time with. Lily was alone with nothing to do but consume this pizza. No. Re-phrase. Gaint wad of greese, cheese and calories.

[Amberlynn Rogers]

Tearing her gaze away from the laughing indivuals outside, Amber settled her gaze on the two individuals who'd just entered the parlour. For some weird reason, she felt like she was under a microscope, as each girl was studying her for some weird reason. Immediately looking down at her top, checked to see if she had any pizza sauce on her, but there was none. She therefore placed a hand to her mouth, wondering if cheese was hanging from her mouth -- there was none. So why the hell was she being stared at?

Blinking, she shrugged lightly, picking up her pizza slice once more and taking another bite out of it. Delicious, absolutely delicious. It was better than the pizza served in Name Brand placs, that was for sure. Her mind was on the two girls though, even as she chewed her pizza. One definitely belonged in Orange County, looking like she'd walked out of some magazine or something. The other -- the other seemed sort of out of place. That was a good thing though, as who wanted to look like everyone else with their /actual/ name-brand clothes and accessories? Hell, Amber wore name-brands on occasions, but only when it truly called for it, or when her mind took her to do so. That wasn't frequent though.

Her hand returned to its sketching, placing in the last details before she dropped the pencil on the table, smiling slightly. Maybe she could present this to her teacher and see what he thought. Turning the page, she stared at one of her old drawings. Her cousin Colby was deep at work upon the page, having not even noticed she was busy depicting him on paper. That was all for the good though, as he'd have surely thrown a shoe or something at her. The damn wanker.

She set the artpad on the table, sighing slightly since she had no one to talk to. Clicking her tongue against the inside of her cheek for just a moment, she signalled both girls over to her table, a warm smile accompanying the invite. She might as well get to know two new people. Right? [/color][/font]

[kris]

Upon retrieving her single slice of pizza, Paige’s mind settled greedily on the thought of taking a bit into it. She quickly forgot about it though as she’d seen Amberlynn’s confusion, but nonetheless an eventual wave over. How rude, what could the girl have thought with this stranger just blatantly staring at her? Hell, she’d up and yell, “What the hell are you looking at?” if someone had done the same to her. Frowning to herself slightly, she paced over to where the girl sat, paper plate with pizza in hand.

Wrinkling her face a bit, she apologized for her gesture, “Hi, hey sorry for staring. You just stood out to me was all, that’s not a bad thing though.” Shrugging her shoulders a bit she continued, “Name’s Paige.” With that her stuck her free hand out to Amberlynn in attempt for a proper introduction. It was the least she could do of all things she figured, and was inevitably unsure of how to apologize anymore for acting like an ass. Paige Durham may have been hard headed, but she also often tried to correct herself and be fair.

It was then that she became more interested in what Amberlynn was doing, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that she was some sort of artist. Though she didn’t take her eyes off the girl to examine her project more thoroughly yet because she didn’t want to seem any nosier than she’d already had. Plus for some people, artwork could be a very personal thing, at least that’s how Paige felt about her own music.

[Amberlynn Rogers]

Once the girl with the red hair had approached her, Amber straightened up in her seat, accepting the hand and shaking it with a semi-firm grip. "Don't worry about it," she said with a grin, setting her left hand back down atop her lap. "Nice to meet you Paige. I'm Amberlynn. Call me Amber though," she informed, following up her introduction by taking another bite of her pizza. Amber ate alot, that was for sure. There was no way she could eat just a singular piece of pizza and feel anything remotely close to full, and she never hid the fact that salads and small portions were not for her.

"Have a seat if you want," she added once her food was swallowed, waving an airy hand towards the empty side of the booth. "Where you from Paige? You don't strike me as someone whose originally from Orange County," she stated matter-of-factly, tilting her head to the side. "That's good though, as too many fakes roaming about this place. Anyone who doesn't try to fit in is cool in my books." The other girl didn't fit the mold of a follower to her, but Amber had never actually been a good judge of character, so who knew? [/color][/font]

[kris]

After releasing Amber’s hand, Paige replied honestly, “Pleasure to meet you Amber.” She was already liking the girl as she seemed to have a kind, outgoing demeanor really rather similar to her own. It was one thing to only talk when questioned and another to put on a fake covering in all arrogance and pretend to be kind to someone who you thought of as lower class than yourself. Amberlynn seemed neither, but the type that would actually make the conversation herself and someone who was genuinely herself. Gratefully, Paige slid into the empty seat “Why thank you, you are to kind,” she said as she’d done so.

She’d placed her pizza on vacant space of the table surface before running both of her hands through her hair a bit. Naturally it was only making a tangled mess of the still sopping wet strands however, but still she was making a valiant effort to pull the stubborn bangs from her face. Upon hearing Amber’s question, she was a bit surprised, because those were her thoughts about this girl as well. If Amber placed that kind of acknowledgement of the facts, she must have not lived in Orange County for the entirety of her life either.

Directing her gaze toward the girl once again, Paige responded proudly, thinking fondly of her home city, “Yeah your right. . . I’m from Brooklyn, I’ve just lived around here the last year or so with my brother.” She wasn’t ashamed their family story by any means, because she simply thought of her family as a lot of survivors, but she didn’t feel the need to go into overly extensive details unless asked. “And thanks, I must ask you the same though. You must not be originally from here to make such a damn good statement, either that or your just an intelligent observer who hasn’t fallen for the stereotypes. Which is an excellent thing in either respect,” she stated thoughtfully. Amber seemed cool, it had only been a few moments and she was beginning to wonder if she’d met anyone like this at all since her stay in the OC. Some individuality was definitely a nice change.

It was then that she finally took the opportunity to sink her teeth into that slice of pizza that she'd so craved. Mmm, and it was worth it too and she nearly moaned in its' sure wonderous taste. Whoever said pizza from a little place on the boardwalk on a rainy day wasn’t a gourmet meal could just kiss her ass, because it was damn delicious to this simplistic chick.

[Lily Rivera]

Lily watched as the other two girls talked and talked and talked and well, she wasn't feeling too good about herself right then. She was still alone. I might as well go over and see whats going on. She left her warm pizza and chair behind and approached the with the pencil. It was odd. She felt like she had made better friends here in Orange County but now, thinking that she was alone at the pizza place and that she had to make the first move when she wanted to talk to someone then yeah I think that we all know that she didn't had many, if any at all, good friends.
"Hi, I'm Lily. I saw you over here with your art pad and I thought you were pretty busy so I didn't come over." She said in her quiet voice. Lily had many 'dialects'. Thats what her family would call them. She had her quiet voice and the I-really-really-really-really-want-you-to-buy-me-this-daddy voice and the list continues on and on and on but I think you get what I was saying.
Lily glanced at the art pad. She saw figures. People. And after studying it she realized that the setting was here. It was good. She tried to do something that good and it ended up looking like a bunch of dark lines.
"I like your drawing! I see that your an artist!" She says. She laughs. She gets the funny feeling that she was being watched. Realizing how loud she was just laughing she glanced up. The whole room was staring at her, finally looking away after noticing that she was looking right at them and continued in their wn business.

[Amberlynn Rogers]

Watching Paige take a seat, Amber smiled slightly. "Not kind really," she said modestly, shrugging. "Just someone who loves company." Listening to Paige relay where she was from, Amber nodded slowly. "The Big Apple. Your accent did sort of sound familiar. I've always wanted to go there -- well, I say that about everywhere," she chuckled. "But, can you fault a girl for wanting to explore the world?" she asked. "I mean, everywhere has something different, and unique. The artist in me wants to try and capture at least a part of everywhere in the world on paper ya know? No two things are alike, so no two places are alike. Pity I haven't really been anywhere out of California."

Taking a sip from her glass of coke, she set it back upon the table with a slight clink before answering Paige. "I've been in Orange County for the last fifteen years. The first three I spent in Los Angeles. My family didn't have much money back then, and wouldn't accept any type of monetary loans from my rich cousin's parents. They wanted to do it on their own. Nothing gave my parents more pride than knowing they could survive on what little they had. My mom's a /very/ proud individual. She's the type who would say, 'If we don't have the money for it, and it doesn't go under our basic human needs, then we don't truly need it'," she began, telling her the story even though she didn't ask. It would help explain alot. "When I was three she got a job offer this side, and accepted it. Hopes of a better life ya know? Well, whilst she was working, she was going to school at night too. Didn't stop until she got her Masters in Business. She's working on a P.H.D. right now and is an entrepeneur," she said with an affectionate smile. "My dad's a stay at home dad," she added with a small laugh. "He's the one who raised me. Never let me forget that some nights we lived on Ramen noodles. Some days we went without hot water. That we don't need to have everything material, to /have/ everything in life. If you have your family and their love, you have more than someone else with an unlimited credit card limit." She paused, swirling her index finger in a droplet of water from her glass, staring at it as she talked. "Now don't get me wrong. My closet includes designer brands. I just don't flaunt it or feel the need to throw dollar bills in people's faces or bark at other people just because I'm more affluent. It isn't even money I worked for. My mom's funding me. These people," she said, waving her hand at the waitors and cashier. "Are /real/ people. These people are the ones who are to be looked up at. Not daddy's precious little girl whose never got her hands dirty." It was the one thing she hated about school life. They had the rich kids who everyone followed around, and she made sure not to bow down and kiss those girls asses. She had her own circle of friends, and some people probably didn't even know she had money. "Anyway. I'm wanting my own Art Gallery someday, showcasing my work and others as well. And I don't want my mom to fund it...I ramble," she finished, shaking her head. "What do you plan to do with your life?"

Studying Paige's face and identifying her enjoyment of the slice of pizza, she chuckled. "Good huhn? Rio's is the best. Pizza Hut and Dominoes seriously lack when compared to this place."

Looking up when Lily made her appearance, Amber smiled at her too. "Naw, I aint busy. Didn't have anything to do so I just...decided to do a couple sketches," she replied. "Thanks," she added, noting that she was in the presence of a rather loud individual, or was that laugh sort of fake? She wasn't quite sure. "Have a seat Lily. This is Paige, and I'm Amber," she introduced. [/color][/font]

[kris]

Paige listened to Amber with an amused expression on her face and finally replied with a slight shrug, “Haha, I guess I may have been driven out of Brooklyn, but you sure as hell can’t drive Brooklyn out of me.” Amber’s comment about her accent she inherited from her East Coast roots made her feel quite proud to tell the truth, for it confirmed the fact that she certainly wasn’t letting Orange County make a Barbie out of her. She really didn’t mind living away from home because it had been her choice to come with her brother anyway, but it was still strengthening to know that part of her wasn’t disappearing much as the time dragged on that she spent away from it.

Her mind also grew with continued admiration for the girl that was sitting across from her, for despite the lightheartedness of the conversation, Amberlynn seemed to be an individual with a very deep soul. “Damn straight you can’t fault someone for wanting to see the world. I think that’s absolutely inspiring,” Paige murmured meaningfully.

Listening intently, Paige occasionally shifted her gray-eyed gaze between Amberlynn and her pizza. This gave her a moment to enjoy another bite or two of the slice while her mind worked out the details of everything her new acquaintance was sharing. Quite frankly she was in a state of shock, what a story this girl had. Now she did know for certain that she hadn’t ever gotten the privilege of listening to such a spectacular story from a very fine person. Truly Amberlynn’s parent’s had proven the value of hard work, and there was no doubt in her mind at this point that they’d definitely instilled the same intuition in there daughter. In fact, she was even a bit disappointed when Amber had stopped sharing these details about herself and asked her a question in return. Again, Paige Durham wasn’t ashamed of who she was by any means, but she didn’t find the facts of her own life very interesting. But then who wasn’t bored with the things about themselves that they already knew?

As Amber had commented on her obvious enjoyment in the pizza, that’s when she set the remaining portion of the slice back down on the plate after another bite. Then Paige reached to grab a napkin from the holder on one end of the table and used it on her face and hands. Nodding in agreement she said, “True that, this sure is damn better than that other crap. I can’t believe I haven’t eaten here before. Dominoes is my usual stop if I’m craving pizza on the way home.” When Lily arrived, she wasn’t sure what to think, of course she always reminded herself not judge. Paige figured the philosophy would spark others to give her the same treatment. You know, “what goes around, comes around,” they always say.

“Hey Lily,” Paige smiled and gave a small wave of her hand as she slid further into the seat to make room for the newcomer. Abruptly she returned her gaze toward Amber for a moment and commented a small bit of the thoughts running through her head, “I like your point of view Amberlynn, it really makes you a pretty cool person in my books.” Honestly, Durmie wasn’t one that was particularly good at giving compliments. . .however when she gave them, she meant them. And there was no reason anyone needed ever doubt that. “At the moment, my fantastic career endeavors consist of working at the video store, not far from here really. I’d really like to achieve something in the field of music, not that I sing and dance or anything, but I do write music and play the guitar. Ultimately, I’m looking into journalism though, I want to get to the core of things, you know? Get inside people’s heads. I want to expose the truth and break down the power of today’s stereotypes and imaginary media crap so that we all have to face the facts. I don’t know, I just want to make a substantial difference in the world or something. As the popular saying goes, ‘hit ‘em where it hurts’,” she spoke passionately though laughing at herself a bit towards the end. She really wasn’t a fantastic writer, but she would work towards it. So more accurately put--she wasn’t a fantastic writer. . .yet.

Changing the topic back towards Amber’s dream, simply because her thoughts still lingered there, Paige rubbed her chin absently and asked, “So an art gallery? That really would be pretty spectacular.” Continuing she said, “So I’m no expert in the art world, but I have done a bit of sketching in my free-time--which has been shit might I add--I do rather like occasionally though. What’s your favorite artistic weapon of choice?” A devilish grin crossed her face as if she were speaking of something lethal rather than just an art utensil, though it made question turn out more comical than inquisitive.

[Amberlynn Rogers]

Picking up her pizza slice, Amberlynn finished off the one, leaving a bit of burnt crust behind. She wiped off her hand and then closed her artpad, not wanting to get any grease on the sketch she had previously finished. Setting it atop her duffel bag, she replaced her feet on the ground, smiling across at Paige's comment. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Some people just try too hard to fit in over here, that they even change the way they talk. Stupid really, as most of these people only smile at you to your face then talk about you behind your back. Bunch of sorry bastards if you ask me. But you didn't huhn?" she chuckled.

Taking a big bite out of her second slice of pizza, Amberlynn nodded and swallowed the contents of her mouth. "Mother Nature is the inspiring one. She deserves the praise. I mean hell, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have anywhere to explore huhn?" she asked reasonably. "Plus, exploration gives me an insight into other people's cultures as well. I want to see how different people live, and I want to start at Australia. The Land Down Under is calling my name for some reason," she mused. "As long as it aint a crocodile named Fred whose been sending me telepathic messages to get me to visit the place so I can be his next meal, then I'm all good to go," she laughed.

"I only like Dominoes pizza for one reason," she began interjecting. "Its cinnasticks. Boy are those thing great, and they sure go straight to my sweet tooth. Mmm. If Rio's started serving something similar, I may never leave this place. My parents would have to send out a search warrant or something. Or maybe I'll just apply for a job at the place so I can get free pizza," she lightly joked, smirking. "I was thinking about looking for a job as it was," she nodded thoughtfully. "But then again, a pizza place mayn't be the smartest place. I'd get fired for eating the customer's orders. Naw, I aint such a pig. I just rather something that'd let me use the only talent I have. I aint book-smart, and I can't cook anything but noodles," she admitted, not afraid to tell anyone that she wasn't the smartest cookie in the batch. The only reason she'd scraped out a 3.0 the past school year was because she had tutors and her Art average had been rather high.

She shook her head, gazing at the final slice of pizza on her plate but not really seeing it. "My point of view is a direct result of my parents' teaching," she murmured, though appreciated the comment nonetheless. "Thanks though. They'd be glad to know that someone likes their teaching," she smiled. As she listened to Paige share her future plans, Amber nodded in genuine appreciation. "Music? Life I tell you. I can't sing but I do dance. And boy do I listen to it alot. Its great that you have musical talent. Truly it is. Who knows, maybe you can play the music at my gallery?" she offered, shrugging. "That's far from now, but I'm booking you from now. Hey, I'm sure you're going to be famous someday, so I might as well slip in before your schedule gets filled up," she teased. "Journalism. An even better career. I like that you know what you want to do with your life Paige. That's better than most youths these days, and I like /your/ point of view even more. Its time people faced the cold hard facts about everything in this day and age. And exposal sounds like just the thing to do it. I wish you luck in that, and I'll be looking out for whichever magazine you land yourself working for."

Not even needing to think over Paige's next question, Amber pointed to her paint-splotched overalls and then her equally paint covered duffel bag. "Paintbrushes," she smirked. "I sketch quite often, but I paint even more than that. I even dabble in charcoal and chalks on occasion. To tell the truth, I like them mostly the same, but something about painting gives me a sort of high. And no, I don't mean off the fumes," she chuckled. "I can't explain it, but it puts me in a place where I feel no one can touch me. I don't hear anything, only /feel/ my work." Pausing, she gazed at Paige for a few moments. "I want to see your sketches sometime, if you wanna show me that is," she shrugged. "I'm sure they aint shit like you call them. Have confidence in what you doing, and it'll shine through your work."

Glancing at Lily, she picked up her coke glass and took a hearty swig. "So what's your story Paige? What brought you from Brooklyn to Orange County?" she questioned, now quite interested in this stranger she was slowly getting to know. [/color][/font]

[kris]

Upon hearing what Amber said, Paige banged her fist lightly on the table and then pointed a finger at the girl saying, “Yes! That’s exactly what it is, a lot of sorry, stereotypical wannabe-perfect bastards.” With that she rested her right elbow on the table and leaned her chin against her wrist, which bent down towards her in a rather uncomfortable position that probably wouldn’t last long. “Yeah, and you didn’t either,” she acknowledged matter-of-factly. Continuing she smiled gingerly, “I really couldn’t be anyone else but myself even if I tried anyway. There’s no sugar coating me, I’m just too damn bitter.” Of course she wasn’t one of those people that many deep grudges that she let control her life, it just wasn’t in her character, but she meant the statement in more of a metaphorical manner.

Raising her brow slightly, Paige questioned Amber suspiciously, “You’re a nature nut aren’t you?” Her smile though, returned instantaneously, “Well I’m sure if you drew Fred a particularly slimming portrait of himself, then he’d reconsider making you his meal.” Finished with her feeble attempt at a sarcastic joke, she added more seriously, “I think that’s a terrific ambition. Australia would be a hell of a bloody fascinating place to visit.”

Durmie’s eyes widened immediately at the mentioning of the treat Amber brought up. Lifting her head from the place it had rested against her hand, she remarked fondly, “Oh man, those cinnasticks are to die for.” She herself had an unquenchable sweet tooth at times the surely took complete control of her being. It also didn’t help that she worked in a video store with sweets displayed enticingly around the check out area, because not only did it prove to be a successful gimmick to reel in the customers’ taste buds, but hers too. And despite her seemingly discreet single slice of pizza on this occasion, this redhead could really pack down the junk food if in the right mood. “Psh, well if it makes you feel any better, I couldn’t work at a pizza joint either. . .I just couldn’t work in the food industry, because I’d probably just snack my way through it.”

“I’m in all agreement with that though, it is a good idea to put your area of expertise to good use,” Paige said with a small nod. What she really appreciated was Amber’s positive feedback about after hearing her own future career endeavors. Of course it was fact and not fiction that Durmie would let just next to no one bog her down with negativity, but it was uplifting to get some encouragement. “Well thank you, I’d be honored to play at your art gallery, and in that case you’ll be the first gig on my list,” she smiled, “You just don’t forget about me when your collection is so well known and widely admired that it’s the world class musicians you’ve got adding a soft accent to the high class atmosphere instead of big-mouthed Brooklyn girls, ok?” Chuckling a little she continued, “And by the way, I’m not book smart either, so it’s gonna take me a little more than raw passion to get into the field of journalism. . .but it’s a start. I also sincerely believe that artwork can be as, if not more, influential than literary works. So judging solely from what I’ve gotten to know about you since the beginning of our conversation, I genuinely believe that you’ll accomplish something spectacular with your dream that will leave the world in awe.” Damn was it nice actually have a real conversation with someone other than her brother for once in a long time. While some may have willingly gone so far as deeming Paige Durham the queen of idle chatter back at home, it definitely wasn’t her favorite means of discussion /all/ the time. So to talk about something worthwhile was most certainly a nice change in light of her recent lifestyle, dealing with the blinding mist of fakeness and lies that dwelled within the realms of the OC.

Noting the paint splotches that Amber was pointing at on her clothes duffel bag, she felt like she should have already guessed. “Well damn, that’s exactly the sort of passion that will definitely get you where you want to go. At least that’s what my dad has always led me to believe. There’s nothing better than doing what you love to do.” Smirking slightly as the images of some of her own drawing went through her head, Paige muttered approvingly, “Sure, that’s cool with me.” She frowned a bit as she continued, “Well when I say that they’re shit, its not because I’m self-loathing or anything, but the statement is really visibly true. I’ve mostly done people, and while they’re not stick figures or anything, the proportions are way off. Not to mention the fact that I start out ok and then end up rushing the finish because I get impatient with the project.” Although quite unsure of the reason why she went into such detail with her drawing problems, she was by now certain that Amber probably didn’t mind chatting about art, considering it was something that she loved. Maybe the girl would even have some advice or recommendations about how to fix these problems even, after all improvement could never hurt anyone.

At the mention of her own life story, Paige’s expression turned thoughtful. Leaning back so that she was now sitting straight, posture slouching a little, she placed both her hands on the table and began absently entwining her fingers together. “Well, let’s see. . .my mom kicked the bucket when I was little because she couldn't control her drug addictions, so that left my dad, my brother, and I,” she began, not showing much remorse for her mother and simply stating what had happened. “Mmm, things haven’t been very easy for my dad because for as long as I can remember, he worked two jobs just our heads above water. So I pretty much grew up with my brother, Joel, as my full-time babysitter, and the city life, both enough to kinda mold me. There isn’t much fascinating through that, but a few years ago my dad managed to create enough of a cushion so that he could cut down some of his hours and spend more time at home,” she paused for a moment, attempting to recall if there was anything substantial in the middle of her story really worth telling. Shaking her head lightly and concluding that there wasn’t, Paige continued, “So as things got better, my brother got a real chance to get serious about school and do what he really wanted to do. Low and behold, he ended up with a scholarship to this CSU campus in California, why he just /had/ to come to California I still don’t know and still don’t bother to ask. But I talked to Joel, and then bitched and bitched. . .and bitched, to my dad until he let me make the car trip over here with my brother.” Sighing lightly she concluded, “And it’s been a year since.”

[Amberlynn Rogers]

Laughing lightly, Amber settled Paige with an 'I hear you. Preach it love!' expression. It was quite easy to see that her new acquaintance was a very passionate individual. Amber would be lying if she said she didn't like it. "Finally someone who sees it the way I do," she said, a slightly affectionate look upon her face. "Well, I guess lots of people do, but they don't exactly say anything about it. Hell, I don't. I just don't usually congregate with people like that. On the odd occasion I'll go to one of their parties, mingle with the hostess, and just have myself a good time. Never know when you might actually meet a real person at one of those," she said with a small shrug, just before her last slice of pizza made its way to her lips. A generous portion now in her mouth, she set the rest down, and nodded at the individual sitting opposite herself. "Mmmhmm, I believe I get what you're saying. And I'm just excessively hyper," she chuckled, sipping some coke.

Holding her hands up, Amber smirked. "Yeah yeah, you caught me. I spent /too/ much of it outside as a kid, and still do as a matter of fact," she admitted. "There's just much more out there to capture. You know how boring it would get to just draw my bedroom everyday?" she shook her head, just before using a hand to move some errant locks from her forehead. It was tucked behind her ears, thankfully staying right there. Laughing at Paige's mini joke, Amber said, "I could always try that, I'm not so sure he'd go for it though. Ya know, the whole male bravado thing?" Nodding, she picked a pepporoni off the pizza, watching the cheese stretch with it. "Of course it'd be great to visit. I've done my research, and that'll be my first stop. Then maybe Africa, Canada and South America. I'm saving the Caribbean for last. You ever thought about travelling?" she questioned.

"It makes me feel slightly better," she mused, grinning. "I'd eat my way through it as well. They'd ask me to pay /them/ for all the food I ate, as the last paycheck they were supposed to give me didn't cover it." Pursing her lips, she continued to watch the cheese stretch on the pizza, though giving Paige her full attention as she did.

She chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm more sure /you're/ going to be too well known to play at my gallery," she retorted lightly, flicking her gaze upward to Paige's face. "What type of music do you play anyway?" she asked, just realizing she didn't know. "And by the way, I believe that you're going to do yourself good in journalism. I personally believe that it has nothing to do with book smarts, but with what angle you give the piece, or your own personal style. The way you bring the article, could haul in the millions who don't usually read, because you're doing it in a way they listen and take in information daily. Instead of all the big words they can't understand, you're giving them the street talk, the usual talk, the 'Hey, this girl was one of us. This girl actually /knows/ where we're coming from. Hell yeah I'm going to read what she has to say'."

Pizza done, Amber wiped off her hands, swallowing before agreeing with Paige. "True that. Especially with all them subjects I do in school that I don't give a damn about. Seriously. Will we /ever/ really need to draw a triangle and plot its angles in real life?" she asked, lightly rolling her eyes. "Math is a waste of time. All I need to know is how to count, please and thank you. Sometimes, I believe they only add subjects to make up a full school day. Most of them useless." Rubbing her chin lightly, she added, "Well, I can tell you rushing is definitely not a good thing. Though, if you do it right, it could make a rather interesting Art style," she conceded. "I'll look them over though. Tell you what I think and give you some possible tips. I'm no Art teacher, but I believe I've listened to Mr. Wilson enough to know at least basic instruction. Whenever you want. I'm free every other day and weekends."

Frowning, Amber lightly stirred the contents of her glass. "Aww, I'm sorry," she said sincerely upon hearing that Paige's mother died. Drugs was really such a destructive agent. She was surprised it was still so mass produced after all the harm its done. To tell the truth, Amber was quite sure her cigarette addiction by do something to her in the long run, but she couldn't quite get off it. "Hmmm, you guys been back to visit your dad since?" she asked, hoping she wasn't sounding interfering. She was just curious whenever it came to families and the like, because she loved hers so deeply. "Ya know Paige, I like you," she chuckled. "In the friendly way that is," she grinned. "Not met many people like you here in Orange County. Where the hell you been hiding this last year?" she asked lightly jokingly, wondering why they hadn't met before now. [/color][/font]

[kris]

Nodding in agreement, Paige stated, “That’s damn right, and myself included, I don’t either. And there’s nothing wrong with occasionally taking part in the good time, this is Orange County after all.” She shrugged, “And appearances can be deceiving at times, it’s the reason I don’t hesitate to attempt to make conversation with anyone. . .today for example I could say that I met a hell of a cool individual at a pizza place I’ve never been to.” Upon saying those words she smiled at Amberlynn, a genuinely meant expression on her face, for she‘d believed that fact to be true. It need not be repeated exactly how many times she’d plainly walked up and spoke to someone, they turned around and studied her appearance from head to toe, and then blatantly snubbed her off. Sometimes it did irritate her slightly, but other than that whose feelings could really be hurt by a complete and total stranger? At least that was how she saw it.

Laughing lightly as Amber held her hand ups, Paige shook her head ruefully, “Psh, that doesn’t make it a bad thing. Computer geek or nature nut, it’s all good right?” Of course, she still didn’t know what category she’d fit under, not that it was incredibly important or anything. Sure, she knew what she wanted to do with her future, but who Paige Durham /really/ was? Well she was almost as lost in that mystery as she was in what to do with her new large gap of free time. At school during the last year, she obviously wasn’t a prep, a celebrity wannabe, a geek (at least not a huge one), a freshmen, or a graduating senior. . .but then again Paige didn’t fit the whole goth scene or classification of a total tomboy either. At least, these were her conclusions. She’d been to busy to get involved in any extracurricular activities or to even pay attention to some sort of social status. Now that she had the time of day to think it over, she was just at a total loss.

Amberlynn on the other hand seemed very poised and upbeat, she also seemed to have a genuinely whole character. This was just another fact that Paige liked about the girl. It was hard to explain, but even though Paige always was and acted like herself, she still didn’t know who herself was. Well maybe it wasn’t important to categorize oneself anyway, because the individual sitting before her definitely would not fit into only a single one. Drifting away from her thoughts, Paige blinked in a bit of surprise at all of the places that Amber had just mentioned. “Well, I’d say your ready for a world tour. . .plenty of time at one destination and then moving straight onto the next. That’s something the artist in you would adore isn’t it?” she remarked believingly. In response to the girl’s question, she continued, “I kinda figure that I’m going to be drifting around the states in a few years, though I’ll probably mostly end up back around the New York area. I’m not sure if I’ll have the opportunity to venture afar, but there is some Scottish blood in my family. . .so Scotland would make for an educational trip.” Thoughtfully, she asked, “Any research that’s led you to have any inclination to travel there? Aye, and the Caribbean would make for an exciting journey from what little I’ve heard about it, so that’s a hell of a good idea to save that for last .”

Picking up the remnants of her pizza slice, which consisted only of the crust, Paige studied it for a moment. Then she took a bite from it, noting that this place even baked the crust just the way she liked it, before grinning once again. “You flatter me, but I hardly think that’ll be true. How about we settle for becoming equally well-known and keep it all damn real along the way?” she smirked devilishly, “And whoever doesn’t like that can just kiss our asses.” Using her finger to interject with her nod, she responded to Amber's journalism feedback in absolute approval, “And I like the way you think, that definitely encourages me to believe that I have a bigger shot than I previously thought. Thanks.”

“As far as my music genre of choice goes, my favorite is oldies. Honestly I think I was born in the wrong decade, I’m in love with the sixties, seventies, and eighties. And this is total obsession, both music and movies alike,” Paige murmured fondly, some of her favorite riffs flashing through her mind. “Though I do have the ultimate goal of trying to get some classical stuff to sound good on an acoustic guitar,” she chuckled as she began running a free hand through the longer layers of her flaming red hair, which was still wet from her stroll in the rain.

Listening to Amber’s thoughts on school, Paige couldn’t help but smirk a bit. That was kind of what she thought of it, though Amber’s viewpoint had more of an intellectual approach. Paige didn’t really have a reason to dislike it, in all simplicity. . .she just did. Disregarding the fact that she’d just gotten really good grades during her junior year and raised her GPA considerably, she hadn’t gained a humongous sense of self-satisfaction from it. However, Paige knew better than to bitch about school to her brother, because Joel would just say, “Quit being such a complainer. I don’t like it either but hell, everyone says it’ll be worth it some day.” Well it would be something along those lines. “I’m in all agreement with you there Amber, I never thought of the school day that way, but that theory fits damn good. What a bunch of asses we have running the system.”

Shaking her head a little, she considered her art another moment. “Mmm, no I don’t think my rushing creates interesting art, just crap,” she finally said with a corky smile. “And thanks, I’d love your feedback, you’d be a very noteworthy art teacher in my eyes. Especially consider that I’ve never had one,” she rambled, “By the way what got you started in art? I know you’ve already said that your captivated by nature, but what inspired you to put it on paper?”

Peering at Amber intently as she’d apologized about her mom, Paige quickly reacted to reassure that it really was nothing. Shrugging she said, “It’s no biggy, it was her own damned fault. It beats me why her family wasn’t enough for her, but I don’t sweat it.” There were times off and on that she was semi-angry about it, but for the most part she just settled for thinking of her mom as just dumb and dead as dirt. How the woman could hurt her dad by doing what she did was beyond her, but hell it wasn’t Paige to hold grudges, so she didn’t dwell in it. Upon the change of topic to her father, she again gave another small shrug, though this was actually something she was hurting over because she really did miss home. “Nah, I haven't been back to see him, Joel and I were gonna try to make the trip over during Christmas. . .but he just had too much to do. So I did have the option to go alone, but I knew my dad would be alright because we have a few close friends around the neighborhood at home, and I didn’t want my brother to spend the holiday alone. Things have really just been kinda crazy so that hasn’t happened yet, though we keep in contact via weekly phone calls.”

Grinning upon hearing what Amber said next, Paige chuckled as well, “Well ya know Amber, I like you in a friendly way too.” She didn’t mind at all having an acquaintance that she’d hopefully get to know better and talk to. The two of them weren’t exactly alike or anything, but the fact that their personalities made them both outgoing was nice. It didn’t hurt to have a friend who was unique and easy to converse with. “I’ve been hiding in the ghetto,” Paige laughed, “I assure you that I’ve been in the midst though. I think the question is, where have /you/ been hiding?” Her question came out in the same joking manner though with a slightly accusing tone.