- - - HOLDING HER CLOSE

[chichi]

SHE DREAMS SHE’S DANCING AROUND
and around without any cares and her very first love was

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • ALISON DRISCOLL ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

It was always easy to tell when Chi was having an off day. His usual blinding assortment of clothes was nowhere to be seen if Chi was having a bad day. There was no neon sweater that resembled an exploded highlighter and shoes to match. No carefully assembled ensemble with a hundred accessories. Chi was a very expressive person who lived for showing himself off, so naturally he showed his mood through his appearance. Today was most certainly one of those days, a day where he had put no effort into the way that he looked and even sat still while in class. The happiest he had been all day was spending lunch with his boyfriend, which was always something Chi enjoyed. Much to his dismay lunch had to end and they had to part, leaving Chi in an even more down mood for the afternoon. So, what exactly had Chi chosen to reflect his mood? A tight black sweater covered his arms despite his distaste for form fitting clothes, an oversized tee shirt thrown over top. The shirt fell nearly to his knees, pale purple with a gothic face on the front. His petit frame swam in the shirt, which hung over a pair of tight black pants and blue sneakers. Chi’s hair, freshly dyed and cut, had simply been brushed, free of product and even a little dishevelled.

He really wasn’t in the mood to go to class after lunch, too down in the dumps to care if he got in trouble. In his opinion he had every right to not want to attend classes today given the news his mother had sent him this morning. He had woken up earlier than usual, which in itself was warrant for a bad day, to his phone going off. Usually it was Arlen who ended up waking Chi, but this time it was his mother calling to tell him that his sister’s condition had worsened last night and she was being moved to another hospital. No, he definitely didn’t want to go to class. He wanted to hide himself away and cry, and then go find Arlen and curl up in his lap and cry some more. He wanted life to be like the movies where he could wish away his sister’s cancer. Uhg. This sucked, he wasn’t going to his afternoon classes. Where was he going to go instead? He went to the theatre, knowing that in the afternoons it was usually vacated unless there was a school production going on. At the moment there wasn’t, of all people he would know of course, so off he went to skip class.

He sat at the back of the stage for most of the afternoon, listening to show tunes on his iPhone and occasionally singing along. Not even the Wicked soundtrack could cheer him up though, not even singing along to Defying Gravity. He texted people who were in class, he surfed the web on his phone, he moped in the dimly lit theatre. By the time classes were ending he was sitting at the edge of the stage with his legs crossed, his shirt spilling onto the floor around him and his hair even more of a mess than it had been. His iPhone sat in his lap and played songs from the Sound of Music. Hair hung in his eyes and he nibbled his lip ring, staring down at the tiny pink heart tattooed on his wrist. It was tiny, no bigger than his thumb nail, but the sentiment behind it was powerful. With his other hand he rubbed his thumb over it, thinking about his sister and how sick she had looked last time he had seen her, which had been over Christmas break. Seeing her without her gorgeous black hair so pale and exhausted had been heart breaking. It was almost impossible to think that she had gotten worse. A tear escaped him but he quickly wiped it away with his sleeve and instead focused on sending a text to Alison saying where he was.

words: 679
outfit: clicky!
lyrics: rascal flats, skin
notes: - - -

[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

Alison's day, by contrast, hadn't been altogether that bad. Most of her days weren't, as long as she had her friends to spend them with. However, she'd noticed something unusual about one of her friends very early in the day. Lunch, to be exact. The two had no classes together in the morning, but Alison had noted almost instantly the lack of color in Chi's ensemble for the day. She did not bother to go up to him then, as he was with his boyfriend, and she did not want to interfere with this. So, she made plans to talk to him in the English class that the two shared later in the day, and that was that.

Didn't work out so well when Chi didn't show up to English.

In fact, Alison was quite quiet herself in English. Normally she got along pretty well with everyone, but Chi was the one she usually sat by in class, talking with and making jokes with. It made the class period fly by usually, but Chi wasn't there, and Alison was worried. So, as was typical when she was worried, she turned to her diary. One of Alison's faults was that she hated to burden others with her worries. She knew that everyone around her had their own problems to worry about, and that she really didn't need to divulge everything that was going through her mind. Who would believe half of the shit that was going through her mind anyway? Who would believe what was written out on the pages of her diary?

Some entries weren't so bad. Some only depicted the day's events. More often than not, though, they were filled with anecdotes and comparisons to days long passed, with Alison in strange situations and places that one could not possibly fathom a fifteen year old taking part in, or going to. She'd compared one of her middle school teachers to King Edward, for example, and detailed a meeting with him in great detail. Alison's diary was sacred, and her one true refuge. She didn't have her brothers anymore, so what else could she do?

Today was one of the days she wrote out one of her more average journal entries.

3/5/11

Chi has me worried today. I'm not entirely sure what's wrong with him, but am determined to find out. I plan on sending him a text after class to see what he has to say on the issue. I know Orv would say I'm overreacting, but he's not here now, so what does it matter? :/ I'm sure he has some sort of explanation. He always does. I'm just not so sure if I'm going to like the explanation.

Alison was relieved when the bell that sounded the end of the school day rang, and she was free to hunt down one gay Japanese male. She dug into her purse, taking out her phone (she was wearing a skirt, so she had no options for pockets) and making plans to text Chi. However, she was surprised when she saw that there was already a text message from Chi waiting for her, stating that he was in the theater. Alison headed that way at once, pushing against the crowd of students who were headed to common areas to either hang out with their friends or go to their lockers so that they could head home for the day. Most weren't headed toward class areas, which made her journey difficult at first but easy once she passed by the crowd of people.

When she reached the theater, it was easy to find Chi. Even in his clearly unhappy mood, he still appeared on the stage. Alison's footsteps echoed through the theater as she marched toward the stage, going up the steps and up to Chi. "You had me worried. Tell me, what's up? I'm all ears."[/color]

Word count: 654
To: Dee/Chi
Notes: Poor Chi. :/

[chichi]

SHE DREAMS SHE’S DANCING AROUND
and around without any cares and her very first love was

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • ALISON DRISCOLL ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

There was no denying that Chi was a sensitive kid, sympathetic to others even if he didn’t always come across that way. He easily felt the pain of others and was one of those people who would start crying the second someone near him cried. He couldn’t help it; it was just the way that he was. He had been raised around people who were very expressive and emotive, so naturally he was as well. It came in handy when it came to his acting attempts, since Chi could easily put himself into the role of the character he was being without even trying. He could put his fabulousness and homosexuality aside and play a character who was the exact opposite of himself rather easily, though he still had a lot of room for improvement. Anyways, the point of this was that Chi was finding it hard to deal with what his sister was going through. As expressive as he was, Chi hated showing that he was upset. He hated being anything less than the ray of golden sun everyone saw him as. He didn’t even like when Arlen saw him as anything less than chipper.

Chi couldn’t express how thankful he was there were no productions going on within the school right now, otherwise his hide out would be useless. The theatre was always calming for Chi, since it was what he lived and breathed. He felt safe and secure sitting on the stage with no one else there, though that only did so much for his mood. It didn’t matter how safe he felt, he couldn’t stop thinking about his sister and how much suffering she must be going through. He couldn’t imagine having to go through all of that chemo and pain. For the hundredth time that afternoon Chi wiped stray tears on his sleeve, not caring of he ruined the sweater since he rarely wore it anyways. He could hear people in the hallways talking and shouting and getting ready to go home or to their dorms, glad that he wasn’t out there having to pretend to be happy. His eyes didn’t raise from the heart on his wrist until he heard Alison coming into the theatre, her footsteps echoing.

“Yuki’s condition worsened,”

[/color] he informed his best friend, once again wiping away and tears that threatened to fall. “Mama called me this morning to tell me, but it happened last night and she’s in another hospital now,”[/color] he continued, voice quivering though he had managed to force his tears to stop. He patted the stage beside him, desperate to lay himself down in her lap and get some good feel-better-cuddles. “I wasn’t in the mood to go to class,”[/color] came the obvious statement. “During March break I want to go visit her.”[/color]
[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 467
outfit: clicky!
lyrics: rascal flats, skin
notes: - - -[/blockquote]

[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

When it came to those she cared about, there seemed to be no end to the amount of devotion that she was willing to pour into making them feel better. This level of support and caring didn't come easily, of course. She wasn't like this with everyone, and was as a matter of fact quite picky with who she showed this level of affection toward. It was usually family members and extremely close friends. To the contrary, though, when Alison disliked someone she was just as prone to showing it. She was not a violent girl, oh no, but she could make her disapproval heard. Most of the times this was toward people who were deserving of it, but at times Alison would simply get off on the wrong foot with people and foist her wrath upon them even if they did not entirely deserve it.

Grudges were not below Alison.

Fortunately, Chi was a member of the former group, and when she saw the hint of a tear in his eyes, she took a seat next to him, as he simultaneously gestured for her to do just this. She didn't need to be told to do it, but all the same, it let her know that Chi was completely welcoming of this. She frowned when Chi divulged what was bothering him. "I'm sorry Chi. Is she here in the U.S. or in Japan?"[/color] As Chi discussed his situation with his sister, Alison knew exactly how he felt. She'd been in a similar situation in her past life, even down to feeling trapped at school (though as a teacher rather than a student) while her injured brother recovered at Fort Myers. As soon as she could, she'd made arrangements to take a leave of absence from work to visit her brother. The fact that Chi was devoted enough to insist that he wanted to see his sister over March break, a time where many other students would be making plans to go to Cancun or Florida or even just stick around town and make fools of themselves by engaging in recreational drugs and alcohol, touched her.

"Go for it. If you have to, you should even leave a bit early. I'm sure, given the situation, your teachers will understand, and if they don't? Well, they'll be hearing a word from me."[/color] They likely would too, though what sort of impact a barely fifteen year old girl would have on teachers was questionable. Alison realized this too, but still fully intended to make her opinion be heard.

"Have you told Arlen? What has he said on this issue?"[/color] Chi was her best friend, yes, but Arlen was his boyfriend. She would honestly feel guilty if she were the first to learn over Arlen. She hoped that wouldn't be the case, elsewise she might have to turn Chi around and tell him to march up to Arlen and talk to him about what was happening. Probably not the best course of action, but really, Arlen was his boyfriend. He needed to know these things.

Word count: 527
To: Dee/Chi
Notes: I still want to reach through this and give him a hug.

[chichi]

SHE DREAMS SHE’S DANCING AROUND
and around without any cares and her very first love was

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • ALISON DRISCOLL ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

There was no denying that Chi was on the naive side of the spectrum, believing that everything was beautiful and nothing hurt. He had had a very spoiled and privileged upbringing where the worst thing to happen was Yuki being in the hospital. Even then Chi was still rather naive about it. He would get upset if he heard news, but only for a day and then he would move on to being his usual sunshiny self. To him the world was a wonderful and painless place but for Yuki in the hospital. Chi easily got over heartbreak because he neglected to understand the severity of the situation. He didn’t want to understand how bad things were. He wanted to continue to live in his peaceful and always happy little bubble. Chi was refusing to pay attention to the news as far as Japan went because he was afraid to see just how bad it was. Whenever it was brought up he plugged his ears and sang like the immature brat that he was. He was far too afraid to know where everything was going on and what specifically was happening because he didn’t want to think about family and friends being hurt, or worse. He would much rather hide under the pile of coats and live with faint what if’s than accept that something terrible was happening to his home, family and friends. Chi, you’re in for a rude awakening.

“Yuki’s in Washington,”

[/color] he answered in a small voice. “But my two oldest sisters are still in Japan, same with my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins,”[/color] he continued, his voice starting to break and tremble with the tears he could no longer hold back. Two escaped and rolled down his cheeks, which he quickly whipped away with his damp black sleeves. Without even thinking he scooted closer to Alison and laid his head down in her lap, rolling toward her tummy so he could wrap his arms around her. His family had always been affectionate people. They liked to hug and cuddle and shower each other with kisses all over the cheeks and forehead. Chi was used to everyone being like this, so he often forgot that people had personal bubbles that shouldn’t be invaded. Alison was probably used to it by now and besides, if she shoved him away right now he was sure to break down into incoherent sobbing. “I really want to go be with my family, but I’m behind enough already. I’m not smart. School is hard. It’s harder knowing that Yuki is hurting,”[/color] he admitted. This was one of the very rare moments where Chi was without a smile and without a certain brightness to his voice. “And Naru and Amaya...”[/color] he started. “I’m scared that they’re hurt, but I don’t want to listen to the news,”[/color] he continued to admit.

His head shook, dyed hair flying in his face. Under usual circumstances he would fix it right away and make sure he looked nothing short of fabulous, but instead he just left it. “I don’t want to dump all my problems on him,”[/color] he stated in a small voice as tears flowed. They were calm tears though, only obstructing his vision slightly rather than being full sobs. He should probably take his contacts out.
[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 557
outfit: clicky!
lyrics: rascal flats, skin
notes: - - -[/blockquote]

[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

The fact that life sometimes threw hardships one's way was not, on the other hand, a new concept to Alison at all. Death was not something that Alison chose to ignore, but rather something that she knew all too well could happen. Her condition as a reincarnate meant that she'd dealt with death on a first hand basis. She knew simple things could spiral out of control. She'd been fourteen when her mother died in her past life - Younger than she was now in her current life. After her mother's death, she'd been expected to take over the role of 'woman of the house', a role she played expertly, while at the same time seeking out the role of a modern woman with a career. All the same...she was fourteen when all of this was forced upon her in 1889. Fourteen.

This life had not been all sunshine and roses either. Periods of innocence and carefreeness did not last long during the childhoods of reincarnates, who would frequently encounter hardships and odd situations based on the fact that they were not normal children at all. She was happy with her childhood for the most part, but fate decided to deal her the same nasty hand that it had before, and took her mother away at the age of eleven in this life. Once again she was forced to cope with loss firsthand at a young age.

Part of her wanted to hold Chi, to tell him that everything was going to be just fine and dandy in the end. She knew that was what he wanted to hear. Who wouldn't? However, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't bring herself to lie to the boy and have it come to bite her back in the end. "Well that's good. At least she's close."[/color] Alison commented with a small smile when Chi stated that his sister was in Washington. It also meant that his already ailing sister was safe from the situation that had befallen Japan. Her smile quickly changed into a frown, though, when the other freshman indicated that he did, in fact, have two other older sisters who were in Japan, along with plenty of other extended family members.

Fortunately, Alison did not have much of a personal bubble when it came to those she cared about, so she had no qualms about Chi laying down on her lap and pulling her into a hug. In fact, she returned the hug, wishing that there was something more that she could do for Chi. It hurt to listen to him frantic like this, when he was normally such a chipper young man. When Chi stated that he couldn't leave school to be with his family, Alison shook her head firmly. "No. You need to be with your family right now, Chi. School can wait. Even if you fail, it'll be waiting for you next year. Your family needs you right now."[/color] She did not care how much Chi protested at this, if he did. That was one of the things that she happened to be steadfast on. Family was more important than anything, and she knew how close Chi's family was. They needed him there. He needed to be there.

But for now, she would keep him company. It was the least she could do, especially as Chi could not just up and leave without making a few preparations.

"The best you can do is keep hoping for a call from them, saying that they're alright. Things are still pretty crazy over there, it's hard to tell what happened to who..."[/color] Again, Alison wasn't going to offer false reassurance. She wasn't going to say for certain that Amaya and Naru were alive, because for all she knew, they might not be.

Alison shook her head and even smiled a little at Chi's last statement. That was quite noble of him, but she was sure that Arlen wouldn't mind listening to Chi on this subject any more than she would. "He's your boyfriend. I'm sure it wouldn't be a burden to him at all."

Word count: 708
To: Dee/Chi
Notes: Well this took an unexpected turn...

[chichi]

SHE DREAMS SHE’S DANCING AROUND
and around without any cares and her very first love was

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • ALISON DRISCOLL ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

For someone who saw the world as sunshine and rainbows and daisies and lollipops, all of this was a little too much for him to handle. Life had been good for him so far. He had been born into a family with money, so there were no debts to worry about. He had a family who was close and scarcely fought, though common bickering would happen since no one is perfect. He was loved by his sisters and his parents and he loved them all just as much. He had had everything handed to him on a silver platter until now, so naturally Chi was having a hard time accepting what was going on. He was having a hard time understanding everything in his scattered little mind of his. It wasn’t that he was in denial, he was in shock. Complete and utter shock. He didn’t know what to think and believe or how to feel. He just wanted to crawl under his bed and hide until everything got better. He wanted the silver platter that he had everything handed to him on back. He wanted the sun to shine and the birds to sing and magic to be in the air. He wanted the world to be fluffy like the kitten he had back in Washington. This wasn’t fair.

He couldn’t help but make himself a comfortable little home in Alison’s lap, pulling her into a hug and clinging to her like a dryer sheet to a sweater. He didn’t want to let her go and he didn’t want her to let him go either. His face buried in her stomach and messed up his hair, biting down on his lip so he wouldn’t start sobbing uncontrollably again. “What if she can’t handle the news about Naru and Amaya?”

[/color] he asked in a choked voice. “What if she finds out that they are still missing and gives up? What if she gets depressed and stops fighting?”[/color] he continued, a tear falling and then another and then a few more. He really should have worn his glasses today. “I can’t lose her or them,”[/color] he admitted. Chi was clingy. Chi was needy. Chi had never experienced death before in his life. He still had all of his grandparents and even a great grandmother. “I don’t want to fail though, then I’ll be even more behind Arlen and he will leave for college without me,”[/color] he whined, completely confident that between now and graduation they would still be together. He went quiet for a moment to wipe his tears on his dark and damp sleeves once more, feeling bad for getting Alison’s shirt soggy with his tears.

“Maybe I’ll talk to Principal Hanston,”[/color] Chi finally said once his face was temporarily dry. “Mom said that they have the CNN 24 hour coverage playing at all times in case they are on the news or something, because Naru and Amaya are both idols back home,”[/color] he explained, repeating what he had been told. It wasn’t very comforting though. “I just...I don’t know what to do,”[/color] the broken boy admitted in a choked and trembling voice.
[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 525
outfit: clicky!
lyrics: rascal flats, skin
notes: - - -[/blockquote]

[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

Alison knew that Chi was scared and confused. Why wouldn't he be? His entire world was falling apart, thanks to a malignant growth in the breasts of one of his sisters, and an earthquake and tsunami wrecking and possibly even taking the lives of two more sisters. Despite being far less naive than Chi, and knowing that the world wasn't always sunshine and rainbows, she couldn't help but be a bit angry at the way this unfolded. Wasn't it bad enough that Chi was already rattled with one family tragedy? Why did he have to cope with another?

She wrapped her arms around Chi to the best of her ability. Most of the time she thought of Chi as an equal, but there were times where she was fully aware that she'd lived on Earth once before as an adult, and therefore had more experience than most teens her age. At these points, Alison felt more like an older sister or even a mother, and this happened to be one of those times. Still, even despite her instinct to protect him from everything bad that was happening around him, she still couldn't do it. She wasn't going to lie to him.

Chi's next words caused Alison to bite her lip. "Why would she give up? I can understand being depressed, but she has more than just Naru and Amaya to fight for. She has your other sisters. She has your parents. She has you."[/color] This wasn't to say that she wouldn't just up and give up. Alison wasn't even going to address that part, for fear that again, she'd assuage Chi's fears only for the worst to happen. Still, she wanted to remind Chi that Yuki had other things to fight for. She also had an ulterior motive in this case - Reminding Chi that he had a support network who was hoping and worrying along with him. She figured he knew this, but it was her best way of providing comfort without outright giving him false hope.

Chi's next words bothered Alison too. She still thought his family was of utmost importance, and everything else be damned, but she could understand his point to some extent too. Again, he was being a little too idealistic, but she could cope with that. At this point, the world was already throwing too many reality checks his way. He didn't need another one to send his world of rainbows and butterflies tumbling down. "I can help you with any work you miss."[/color] This she was certain she could do. She'd been a teacher for several years in her past life. She could teach Chi no problem, at least when it came to English and history. Math and science...well, maybe she could try to recruit her brothers? She didn't want him to get too far behind, but March break was coming soon anyway. He wouldn't be missing out on too much.

Alison smiled when Chi mentioned talking to Principal Hanston. "That's a fantastic idea. I could even go with you, if you'd like."[/color] She felt like adding Arlen to the mixture, but recalled that Arlen didn't even know about what was going on yet. It hit home to Alison that she was the first person Chi had told about this, and she was honestly quite flattered that she was the first person Chi thought to talk to. It must have meant that he considered her to be a good friend. Soon after this subsided, Alison remembered her vow earlier, and her eyebrow went up at once. "You still haven't told Arlen about this, have you? You better tell him after this. He deserves to know. I'm sure he'll do everything in his power to make you feel better too."[/color] Alison's tone was a bit bossy, but she didn't care. Arlen was his boyfriend. Arlen needed to know when something was up just as much as Alison did, if not more.

When the subject turned back to what was going on in Chi's home country, Alison a lump starting to form in her own throat as she watched Chi and listened to his explanation. A tear even snuck out from her eye and slipped down her cheek, though she hastily wiped it away. She knew all too well the scared, unsure, and helpless feeling that Chi was going through. "There's not much you can do but hope and pray. Hope and pray, and let your family know that you're there for them in this time of crisis."[/color]

Word count: 760
To: Dee/Chi
Notes: Aww

[chichi]

SHE DREAMS SHE’S DANCING AROUND
and around without any cares and her very first love was

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • ALISON DRISCOLL ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

Hiding and avoiding was so much easier than confrontation, at least to the teenager it was. Since this was his first, and most likely only, lifetime on this earth he had yet to learn the valuable lessons that most of Riverdale’s teens had learned a long time ago. He had yet to learn that avoiding everything like he tended to do wouldn’t really get him anywhere. Alison, wise beyond her physical years, could advise him all she wanted but it wouldn’t do much. Chi was a hands on learner, which meant that lessons like these would have to be learned the hard way. If this was anyone else Chi would be trying desperately to find the good in the situation, but since it was himself he couldn’t even be bothered to make a half attempt. All he could think about was cursing every higher power known to mankind for doing this to him. He wouldn’t be surprised if his parents were embracing Japanese culture and doing rituals and prayers to help, though Chi didn’t really think he would do that. He was instantly comforted when he felt Alison’s arms around him, calming down the slightest bit knowing that someone was here for him. Cuddles and hugs always make Chi feel so much better if he was in a down mood. His family had all been very affectionate growing up, showering each other with hugs and kisses whenever they saw each other. He was feeling soothed already though he still had quite a bit of crying to do before the day was over.

“I don’t know,”

[/color] he admitted in a small and shaky voice. “I’m just scared,”[/color] he continued. “ ‘Cause there’s just so much happening at once.”[/color] Chi shifted a little to make sure his bony limbs weren’t bothering Alison at all, wanting her comfortable if she was going to be acting as a chair for him. “I’ve never even had a pet die. Well, my hamster did but I was really little and Mama told me that it went into the wild,”[/color] the hysterical boy continued, not really aware of what he was saying. Then again, was Chi ever aware of what he was saying? He just kind of spoke most of the time, well, more like he yelled. Chi didn’t really have much of an indoor voice, which helped when he was on stage. Chi was so conflicted right now. He was desperate to be with his parents, but he was just as desperate to not lose any more of the school year than he already had. It was a lose-lose situation and he hated it. “You have your own work though,”[/color] came a whine. He was kind of making excuses now, but for what reason he wasn’t sure. There was no doubt in Chi’s mind that Alison could help him, she had been since the first day, he was just too scatter brained to think logically.

The boy perked up a bit though, a combination of the cuddling and Alison’s reassurance helping. At least he was an easy boy to please and cheer up otherwise they might be there all night trying to get him to stop crying. “Please?”[/color] he pleaded, the tears slowing down. He whipped them with his sleeve again, which was soggy and felt gross. Also, Alison should be thankful that Chi wasn’t a slobbery cryer; he would be getting snot and tears all over Alison’s pretty shirt if that was the case. “If I go I’m going tomorrow,”[/color] Chi stated with a nod. That way he could tell Arlen and have him come too. The more support Chi had the less likely it was for him to shatter into a paranoid and hysterical mess. “No. I will tell him when I get back to my dorm,”[/color] he promised, sounding a bit ashamed that he hadn’t told his own boyfriend yet. “I’m gunna’ ask him if I can sleep in his bunk with him tonight,”[/color] he thought out loud, staring off into space. He meant that in an innocent way of course, though Chi and Arlen were far from innocent teenage boys. He wasn’t in the mood for anything mature right now. Just cuddles from his boyfriend’s safe and protective arms. “I’ll call them too. After I talk to Arlen, because by then they won’t have much work to do,”[/color] Chi explained, much like a child telling his mother the chores he would do for her.
[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 743
outfit: clicky!
lyrics: rascal flats, skin
notes: - - -[/blockquote]

[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

The bespectacled freshman might have been wise beyond her physical years, but she was still human. If she could wave a magic wand and make everything better, she would. Of course, she wouldn't just fix up Chi's life. She'd fix up a few aspects of her own as well. While it was a nice thought, Alison knew better than to get caught up within it. Sometimes it seemed as though Chi lived within this fantasy world, but it certainly didn't seem like right now. In fact, it seemed as though someone had ripped him out of his world and placed him in a new one that he was not entirely ready for. Alison could relate to this in a different way, which only caused her to hug her friend harder.

Alison let out an almost strangled sounding laugh at when Chi mentioned that he was scared. She didn't need him to tell her, though if it made him feel better, then really, that was all that matters. With this thought, Alison instantly wished that she could take back the life, even though it did not express much as far as amusement was concerned. "It's alright to be scared. How do you think I felt after my mother died?"[/color] This was a sore subject, and one that she did not bring up very often. She might have accepted that this was the fate dealt to her for two lives in a row, but that didn't mean that she had to like it. Still, she wanted to show Chi that she knew how he felt, and this seemed like the best way to do it - at least, while staying away from the reincarnate aspect that could not be mentioned around him.

"Well, you never know what happens when you die until you die. Most people don't believe that death is the end, and that there's something afterwards."[/color] She was skating around the subject, but hinting at it nonetheless. She was fairly certain that Chi wouldn't know any better. It wasn't as though she'd mentioned that she knew from experience that death wasn't it. Another way that she could comfort Chi without outright giving him false hope. There was something after death, RSOR members were proof. All the while, she couldn't help but be a little annoyed that Chi's mother told him that his hamster had gone into the wild. "She should have been more upfront with you, though."[/color] She didn't believe in glossing things over too much for children. In fact, part of her wondered if Chi's mother (and possibly father?) had anything to do with his naive nature in the present. If they couldn't even tell him what truly happened to his hamster...how could they expect him to hold it together during this? In reality she was just frustrated at the situation and wanted a target to throw her emotions at. She didn't know Chi's parents at all, and therefore they were an easy target.

Alison scoffed when he mentioned that she had her own work to do. "You don't think I know that?"[/color] She raised an eyebrow at Chi, then sighed. "I do have my own work, but it'll be easy. Besides, we should have the same work...it'll just be extra review for me."[/color] Extra review because most of what she was learning was already review as it is. About the only thing that had changed were science and history classes. For science she could get help from her brothers, and with history she could get help from pretty much anyone in RSOR.

Alison's gaze softened again at Chi's pitiful 'please'.
"Don't worry, I will. Hanston's really understanding about most things."[/color] At least she figured Hanston would be understanding about this. The woman could be strict at times. Why wouldn't she be? Not only was she a high school principal, but she was a former Queen of England who presided over a student body of which 40% consisted of reincarnates. She had to be tough at times, but Alison could admire the way that she balanced it all out.

"Well, do you think Arlen's there now?"[/color] She was curious, and also a bit nosy. She was tempted to follow Chi back to his dorm to make sure that he would do what he said. She realized that it was a bit bossy in nature, but Alison was also a former teacher who was well aware that sometimes kids didn't do what they said they were going to do. She trusted Chi for the most part, but she just wanted to make sure that he was okay. She didn't want to release him from her sights and leave him alone. She wanted to make sure he was safe with someone else.

Word count: 829
To: Dee/Chi
Notes: IT'S A BIGGIN'

[chichi]

SHE DREAMS SHE’S DANCING AROUND
and around without any cares and her very first love was

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • ALISON DRISCOLL ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

Chi was, admittedly, a bit on the ignorant side. He was often far too caught up in his own world to remember that others went through tragedy and heartbreak. Admittedly, it had slipped his mind that Alison had lost her mother. Hearing her words of encouragement he couldn’t help but feel horrible for forgetting this important fact about someone so close to him. “I’m sorry,”

[/color] he muttered. It was the only thing he could really think of saying which was a big deal given that Chi was rarely ever rendered speechless. He also very rarely sat still for this long. Honestly though, Chi couldn’t imagine not having his mother. She was such a beautiful and strong woman in his eyes. Even though she had had to be away for extended periods of time to shoot a film, or something similar, he still thought of her as the most amazing woman in the world. “We can share my mom,”[/color] he suggested in an uneasy voice that was still shaky from his crying. His mother definitely had more than enough love to go around and he knew from watching his sisters that teenage girls definitely needed their mothers.

As said multiple times before, Chi’s family had never been very traditional. They didn’t believe in Buddhism or Shinto, they were a Christian family. They weren’t very devoted Christians either, though Chi most certainly believed that if any of his sisters were to, dare he say it, die then they would be going to heaven. It was incredibly comforting reminding himself that they were good people and good people went to heaven, where they would be waiting for him when his time came. “We used to go to church when Mama and Dad weren’t busy,”[/color] he admitted. Fame had gotten in the way, which had never really bothered the boy. “I believe in heaven, like Isa does,”[/color] he explained with the smallest of shrugs. He didn’t really want to go into detail about religion and life after death and such, because that meant accepting that his sisters might die in the first place. “I was really little at the time, I probably wouldn’t have understood anyways,”[/color] he defended. Though, Chi wasn’t exactly the brightest kid around. There was quite a lot he didn’t understand simply because he couldn’t be bothered to sit and listen.

He nearly winced when she scoffed, instantly feeling like he was being scolded though he knew it wasn’t like that. “I just...I don’t want to be a bother,”[/color] he said in a near whine. “I mean...I guess Arlen could help me a bit, or at least try but we’d probably get distracted.”[/color] He was just sort of rambling now because he could, and because it was just what Chi did. He shifted uncomfortably in Alison’s lap, his body’s need to get up and move around starting to build. Pretty soon Chi would need to go romp around the stage or something of the sort. “but I guess extra review for you wouldn’t be so bad...”[/color] This wasn’t helping how conflicted he was. He gave a nod at her reassurance about Hanston, agreeing given what he had seen of her so far. He didn’t think that people could be heartless enough to not let him go at a time like this. Naive and innocent Chi was unaware that he was in a school with Jack the Ripper and Elizabeth Bathory. “He’s probably getting food,”[/color] came his reply. “Or getting distracted.”[/color].
[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 579
outfit: clicky!
lyrics: rascal flats, skin
notes: - - -[/blockquote]

[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

When Chi apologized for the loss of Alison's mother, all Alison could do was shrug. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes, but wasn't much that she could do about it, was there? Besides, her mother's death happened four years before. Chi was dealing with a crisis now. To her, that was more important than wallowing in her own self pity. She also considered the fact that both times she'd lost a mother, a long period of illness preceded it. While it was terrible to watch her mother suffer both times, the fact that the suffering occurred in the first place made it easier to accept death when it finally came. In fact, in some ways it was almost a relief, knowing that your loved one wasn't suffering in pain any longer.

If Alison were pressured for details, she'd have to admit that she'd coped far better with the situation in this life than she had in the past. Before, she was fairly certain that her mother would go to heaven, yes, but it wasn't so much of a positive. In this life, Alison herself was a reincarnate. She was living proof that what goes around comes around. While Carrie Andrews-Driscoll didn't exactly fit the mold of historical figure, that didn't necessarily mean that she wouldn't get reincarnated. The point was, Alison could say with certainty that death was not all that there was. It was an amazing comfort that she wished that she could truly share with Chi. She smiled a little when Chi told her that she could share his mom. "Why, thank you. Not sure if she's my father's type, though."[/color] It made her feel guilty for aiming her anger and frustration and Chi's parents a few minutes before, but again, not much she could do about it.

Alison smiled when Chi stated that he believed in heaven. Despite dying once before, Alison wasn't entirely sure if the place existed. Where had their souls gone in the intermittent years between lives? Was that 'heaven'? Or did their souls simply float around, searching for a new home until they found one? Why couldn't they recall what happened during the intermittent years? Did a soul need a body to make it complete? Ironic that such deep thoughts were going through Alison's head as Chi recounted his youth and experiences in the church. This served to bring Alison back to reality. She looked at Chi with a frown. There they were, talking about that hamster again. "You never know. Children can be smarter than adults give them credit for."[/color]

She could tell that Chi was hesitant. "You won't be a bother at all."[/color] She smiled when Chi mentioned that extra review for her wouldn't be so bad. "Exactly! Extra review could only help."[/color] Alison merely nodded as Chi explained Arlen's probably whereabouts. "Should probably go find him soon..."[/color] She was still tempted to go with Chi, to make sure that he was with Arlen before she said her 'see ya laters'. Chi's mood seemed to have improved, but Alison was still wary.


Word count: 539
To: Dee/Chi
Notes: *Hugs Chi*

[chichi]

SHE DREAMS SHE’S DANCING AROUND
and around without any cares and her very first love was

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • ALISON DRISCOLL ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

Chi allowed himself one sad day in a month, so this counted as his one sad day for the next year. He didn’t like being upset. No one did. He also didn’t like burdening his friends with his silly little problems. It made him feel like he was weak on top of feeling like he was an idiot all of the time. Chi wasn’t the smartest or strongest or manliest or athletic guy in the world and he knew that. He was definitely one of the happiest guys around though, there was no denying that. Chi would much rather live in his happy little bubble than in reality. He would much rather live a happy white lie. After all, he did want to act. Was acting not lying for the sake of entertainment? You could bet that by tomorrow and the days following Chi would be putting on his best fake smile using all of the techniques he had learned on being convincing. He didn’t want people to worry about him, since everyone had their own problems to face. He felt horrible for dumping this on Alison knowing that she most likely had her own issues to face. “Well then,”

[/color] he said as if offended, though that ghost of a smile proved he was just playing. “I’ll keep my mommy to myself then.”[/color] He needed a little bit of light humour right now.

“I’m dumber than you give me credit for,”[/color] he reminded her. As much as people denied it, it was true. Chi was far from a genius. He wasn’t street smart by any means, and he had always just barely passed. Mind you, school was a lot easier here in America, but he still barely got by with passing grades. School just wasn’t his thing. Reading was something that put him to sleep and sitting through lectures was even more boring. It was a damn good thing he wanted to act where he wouldn’t need degrees and PhDs and dozens of diplomas. He could walk right out of high school and into a major film if he was lucky enough. Or if he talked to the connections of his family. It was safe to say that Chi was feeling better, and it was also safe to say that he was a tad bit fidgety. He remained lying on Alison’s lap his he twirled the end of his t shirt, stretching it something fierce. “You promise?”[/color] he asked when she said he wouldn’t be a bother.

So he wasn’t the most self aware person in the world, but he knew that his energy wasn’t something that everyone could handle. Even Plunkett had problems keeping up with him, mind you in Chi’s eyes Plunkett was an old man. Anyone older than Chi was an “old man,” unless it was a woman of course. “He’s easy to find,”[/color] Chi shrugged, still fidgeting absent mindedly. “Food, friends, practicing gymnastics.”[/color] As Arlen’s boyfriend it was pretty easy to predict where he would be, especially since they had similar hyperactive mind sets. “And if he’s not on campus he will have to come back to our dorm anyways,”[/color] he offered. Finally Chi sat up and off of Alison’s lap, fixing his hair. “So maybe I’ll just go to my dorm. It will be easier for him to find me there and I can distract myself with practising guitar or something.”[/color]

[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 567
outfit: clicky!
lyrics: rascal flats, skin
notes: - - -[/blockquote]

[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

Alison was happy that Chi showed a bit of humor. She felt that it was needed at this point in time as well. She just didn't want to force it upon him, so the fact that he was taking the initiative himself was kind of a relief. Now she wouldn't feel so awkward if she let some sort of sarcastic comment slip. "Well, fine then. Besides, I think your mom's busy enough with you and your sisters. I don't know that she'd have room for another person. Plus, what on Earth would your father think?"[/color] Alison let out an exaggerated gasp, then smiled slightly as well.

The girl rolled her eyes at Chi's next words, and did not even try to hide it. "And you're smarter than you give yourself credit for. Guess we're going to have to meet somewhere in the middle."[/color] She hated to see others (well, at least others that she cared about) putting themselves down. Will had done this before giving a speech 'before', and Alison had pushed him to give the speech anyway, no matter how many times he insisted that it was silly, and that he would come across as pathetic. If Chi continued to argue with Alison, she was ready to fight back. No, Chi wasn't the most intelligent student at Riverdale High. But he wasn't a complete idiot either. The fact of the matter was that he was, in some ways, establishing a self-fulfilling prophecy for himself. She felt that he could do more if he tried, but that he simply wasn't trying in avenues such as school because he was busy with other things.

Alison grinned as Chi asked for her confirmation that he would not be a bother. "I'm sure. It's not like this'll be my first time tutoring."[/color] Alison gave a light shrug. She saw no problem with making this statement. In reality, she'd done far more than tutoring - She'd taught high school classes! While she couldn't mention that much, she could always pass it off as tutoring fellow students in middle school in Tennessee.

The bespectacled freshman noted that Chi was fidgeting, and she knew Chi well enough to know that soon this fidgeting would turn into active movement. In other words, he wouldn't be in Alison's lap much longer. Sure enough, as Chi began to speak about Arlen and where he might find his boyfriend, Chi pulled himself off of Alison's lap and began to fix his hair. She let out a snort. "Chi, it doesn't look that bad."[/color] He could be such a girl sometimes. Alison nodded and bit her lip as Chi mentioned going up to his dorm. She was so tempted to go with him, but then, something didn't feel quite right about that. So instead she nodded, with a contemplative look on her face. It might not feel right following Chi to his dorm, but she did want to cast out a lifeline to make sure that he was alright. "You know, you can feel free to text me if he's not there and you still need to talk, alright?"[/color] Knowing her she'd probably be checking her phone obsessively for the next hour or two, until she heard back from Chi or someone else 'in the know'. She'd just have to make due though.


Word count: 579
To: Dee/Chi
Notes: Booyah