ya got me like this, open y'all :)

can't catch lightning !

After the promise of halfway decent music and the intense internal debate on whether or not to spend the day studying and doing homework, Evan finally gave in and decided to go to the music festival in town. Let's be honest, who wouldn't want to go hang out with their friends and listen to some sweet music.

Mind you this decision came after a lecture from his mother about how he needed to go outside and get some sun because you know how easy his Vitamin D deficiency kicks in; his father about how he understands that school work is important, but he needs to have fun; his little sister on how she don't think his friends remember him because it's been that long since he's been out socializing; and his brother studying for the CPA that begged him to go and have fun in his place. When your entire family subtly - or at this point, not so subtly - hints that you need to get out of the library and go do something, one thinks that's about the right time to reevaluate how one spends ones time.

With their chocolate lab, Gibbs - named after Evan's favorite NCIS agent, Leroy Jethro Gibbs - in tow, Evan took the five minute walk into the center of Canterbury. He walked past the stages set up around the edge of the park, at a distance due to the crowd that was already expanding around each. He could hear Boys Like Girls playing in the background as he browsed through the marketplace. After Gibbs tried to eat a pie off the table next to a booth he was looking at, Evan decided it was best to bring the dog to a safer, open place.

Evan eventually made his way out to a big empty lawn far enough away from all the excitement to give Gibbs some running room. The three-year-old pup happily zipped away from Evan after being let off his leash only to stop short at the edge of the grass and come galloping back towards his owner. Pulling a neon green tennis ball out of his pocket, Gibbs jumped up with his paws on Evan's chest trying to reach for the ball just out of his grasp. Evan threw the ball with a quick flip of his wrist that sent the dog bounding down the grassy plane.

After doing a quick glance around the lawn and not finding anyone to sit with, Evan decided on the base of a gigantic tree. Sunburn was the last thing Evan needed to worry about with a big paper coming up for his American War Politics class. With Gibbs running full speed ahead back towards him, Evan smiled and thought that maybe this was going to be a nice day after all.

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this post is for anyone! counted at 468 words long, it's setting is the lawns @ canterbury rocks! evan's wearing this. template made by drew

.downmyface{line-height: 85%; height: 0px; width: 315px; color: transparent; font-family: RALEWAY; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; -webkit-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-moz-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-o-transition: 0.5s ease-out; background-color: ffffff; padding: 15px;} .downmyface:hover {color: #000; font-family:RALEWAY; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; width: 315px; height: 30px; -webkit-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-moz-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-o-transition: 0.5s ease-out; opacity: 1; line-height: 90%; padding: 15px; background-color: e5cdb3; } ♥ time won't let me goAlyx had taken several days off of work. She had practically worked herself into exhaustion, and even though the business was not doing as well as she would have liked, she deserved some time to relax. When Alyx heard about the new music festival that was rolling through town, she was pretty stoked. A reason to get out on the town and do something other than work, drive, or do any of the other equally mundane things she did on a daily basis? Alyx was all for it. She knew better than to drive her car to the festival because there was going to be a ton of people there, which meant very little parking - and, really, what genius would leave a convertible muscle car unattended for a long period of time? Definitely not this one. So instead Alyx found herself walking along the grounds, her hands shoved into her pockets and her eyes shielded from the sun by aviators. Because she had come alone and didn't really expect to see anybody she knew, she tried to find an open spot to park her ass in for the duration of the festivities where she could people watch. As Boys Like Girls blared around her, she stared at the faces of the people she passed, elation evident in their expressions.While she wandered around the open expanse of grass, she spotted a big brown blur of motion out of the corner of her eye and instinctively a grin came over her face as she realized who- or what, rather- it was. Alyx approached slowly as the ball was thrown again, trying to decide whether or not surprising him would be a good idea. As much as she loved scaring Evan, she opted against it today. He seemed like he was in a good enough mood, and she had absolutely no intentions of ruining that. She plopped herself on the grass next to him, an expression of mock horror on her face. "Gasp! I'm amazed that the vampire has emerged from his crypt, but I have to say it's really nice to see you out and about, Evan. I missed you." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully as she reached out to pet the dog who had returned to them. Gibbs was currently trying to french kiss her, and she grimaced visibly. "Yes, Gibbs, I missed you too. But not that much. Never that much." Alyx and Evan had an interesting friendship. Where she was typically always out and about and going to parties and getting stupid, Evan was inside studying and trying to constantly better himself. Alyx wasn't totally opposed to studying and learning things, but there were only so many hours she could take of studying after a long day of managing the shop and working on cars. She tried her best to keep an even field of fun and work in her life. Evan had no shut off switch, at least not as far a she had seen of him for the duration of their friendship. She admired that of him, but it did bewilder her sometimes. He was her study buddy, a confidante, and a friend- even if he didn't see her as a friend, but an irritating, slacker of a girl. Alyx watched the crowds pouring in, the faces all unfamiliar. There were a lot of couples, some children, and a lot of teens or tweens. She suddenly felt a lot older than she probably should, but she knew nobody here but Evan and Gibbs, and that was a new feeling. "I thought I'd see a few more people here than I am.. why does it feel like the population of Canterbury has exploded? I thought I knew everyone while I was growing up, but apparently I was sorely mistaken." She commented conversationally, glancing sideways at him as she did so.erica/evan | 640 words |wearing: this♥

can't catch lightning !

With Gibbs running back away from him, Evan stretched out a bit to make himself more comfortable. The bark of a tree isn't always the most beautiful feeling on one's back. He adjusted his baseball cap, tilting it a back a bit to allow a little more indirect sunlight to hit his face. "Not enough Vitamin D. Pft. How about skin cancer, Ma?" Evan muttered under his breath. Even with SPF 85, Evan was worried about sunburn. Shocking? Not one bit.

Evan could see someone headed in his general direction out of the corner of his eye, but he highly doubted it was someone coming to see him. He lobbed the ball back out across the field again, his hand now covered with slobber. When Alyx sat down next to him, Evan couldn't help but smile. Him and Alyx went way back to days in the kiddie pool, and though they were on opposite ends of the spectrum, Evan liked to think he had a bit of a good influence on Alyx every once in a while.

"gasp! i'm amazed that the vampire has emerged from his crypt, but i have to say it's really nice to see you out and about, evan. i missed you," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. Evan raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Aww, I missed you too, sweetheart!" he replied, rubbing the hand full of slobber down the thigh of her pants, making sure to get both sides. He smiled innocently and patted her knee, awaiting the wrath of Alyx's response. "yes, gibbs, i missed you too. but not that much. never that much." Evan laughed. "come on, lyx! Gibbs has got to be a better catch the the folk you hang around with. let's be real - he's tall dark and so, so handsome!" He gave Gibbs a good scratch between his ears and sent him off running again.

"i thought i'd see a few more people here than i am.. why does it feel like the population of canterbury has exploded? i thought i knew everyone while i was growing up, but apparently i was sorely mistaken," Alyx noted, looking around the lawns. Evan hadn't really thought of that. He just assumed that the new kids coming into Ellison were just taking over. But, then again, Evan had only been an Ellison graduate for a little over a year. One whole freshman class couldn't have been this big could it? After looking through the crowd, he did notice that most people were rather unfamiliar. A bunch of young newlyweds with small babies, teenagers that could easily be new Ellison kids, but not too many familiar faces. "Yeah, right?" he continued, looking around. "I mean, there are a couple faces, like see? there's the librarian over there. And the junior high principal is with her. Aaaand, that's about all I got for ya." Evan shrugged. "Did you ever think that maybe we're just getting really freakin' old?" he added with a laugh. "We are scholarly college students now."

"And speaking of scholarly college students, how did that final go? you know, the one where I taught you the right way to set up a review sheet? Shit that you should have learned in, oh I don't know, 5th grade?" Evan asked with a smile. Evan was a wearer of many hats, and "occasional tutor" happened to be one of them. And with said hat comes responsibilities - what kind of a help would he be if he didn't check up to make sure all his little ducklings were doing well?

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this post is for kate/alyx! counted at 648 words long, it's setting is the lawns @ canterbury rocks. evan's wearing this. template made by drew

.downmyface{line-height: 85%; height: 0px; width: 315px; color: transparent; font-family: RALEWAY; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; -webkit-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-moz-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-o-transition: 0.5s ease-out; background-color: ffffff; padding: 15px;} .downmyface:hover {color: #000; font-family:RALEWAY; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; width: 315px; height: 30px; -webkit-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-moz-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-o-transition: 0.5s ease-out; opacity: 1; line-height: 90%; padding: 15px; background-color: e5cdb3; } ♥ time won't let me goAlyx had always been proud of the fact that she wasn't squeamish girly girl. She did, however, draw the line at having dog slobber rubbed all the way down her leg- and she made that fact well known. "EVAN! You ass!" she squealed, punching him lightly in the arm. That innocent smile could stop hearts, but she wasn't falling for it. She glared at him, and then shifted her gaze down to the track of slobber that marred her otherwise attractive pantleg. Yes, attractive pants. Deal with it. She had no napkins on hand, and wasn't about to use her own hand to wipe it all off.. so she did what any self-respecting girl would do. Alyx lept on him and rubbed her leg against his rapidly, the slobber somewhat transferring to his pants, but mostly it just soaked in to her own jeans. Worth it. "Take that!" She stuck her tongue out at him again as she rolled away, sitting a few feet away now to avoid further slobber attacks, feeling suddenly like they were back in their sandbox days. "You're right, though. Gibbs is a much better catch than most guys I know. He may drool all over me now and again but at least he's respectful about it. Right, buddy?" She rubbed his ears with a smile, staring at the big drooly face intently. Gibbs was one of those persistently happy dogs, he never changed. Always happy to go out and do things, greet you with the utmost enthusiasm. Probably more so than necessary, but Alyx loved him anyway.At his next words, she scoffed. "We aren't getting old. Are we?" she thought about it, glancing around again, and her eyes widened in mock horror. "Oh my god, we are. I guess it's almost time to settle down, have a boat load of kids, and die now." She put her hand to her chest dramatically, whiping away a fake tear. She couldn't hold the dramatic face very long, though, and quickly found herself rolling on her side in laughter. She sprawled out in the grass, staring up at him. "You're ridiculous, we are so not old. Well, I'm not. You probably just feel like it because you never go out and live life. We're going to have to change that, you and me." She pointed a finger at him, though it was slightly hard being upside down. Alyx grinned at his next question, knowing that the conversation would at one point turn to this as a topic. Evan was forever worried about her, and she found it both adorable and irritating. She wasn't a total dolt, but sometimes he made her feel that way. Never intentionally, thankfully, because if he did they certainly wouldn't have been friends this long."I'm a scholarly college student, you know I aced it. Don't judge me, Brewer, you know school has never been my thing. 5th grade or now, at least I'm making an effort. Right?" She was stilled sprawled in the grass, staring up at him, her limbs all awkwardly positioned around her at random, almost impossible, angles. She probably looked completely ridiculous, but true to Alyx fashion, she genuinely didn't care. She was vaguely aware of Gibbs still wandering around them, but until he stepped on her or sat on her, she wasn't too worried about it. Today was quite a lovely day, even if the heat was a bit much- good music, good company, and surely good food and drink. "My next project for business class is to create a website, so you'll be happy to know I won't be bothering you for that one. It will be a bitch to do, but I think I can manage that one on my own. Maybe." The last part was tacked on with a sheepish grin. She wasn't totally helpless when it came to equipment, but certain websites did confuse her. She had confidence that she'd figure it out though, she always did.. only occasionally with Evan's help."What have you been up to, anyway? I haven't really seen you in the past few weeks. Making yourself scarce hurts my heart." Alyx gave a pout with the words, and although her expression was joking, she was serious. As different as they were, Evan was one of her best friends.. nothing would ever really change that.erica/evan | 877 words |wearing: this♥

can't catch lightning !

"Evan! You ass! Alyx said, squealing like a girl. Evan laughed as she llightly punched him in the shoulder. He laughed and leaned over, sprawling himself on the lawn dramatically. "Oh, God! My arm! Help! Abuse!" Evan laughed and sat back up, giving her a "what the heck" glare. "Alyx, you hit like a girl! If you're going to punch me, just frekin' punch me." He shook his head, leaning back on the tree trunk. Evan was caught off guard when Alyx jumped on top of him and attempted to rub the drool on him. "Alyyyyx!! What are you doing?! She jumped off and situated herself further away, almost to make sure he wouldn't attack her with slobber again. "Take that!" she said, sticking her tongue out. "Oh, okay, so now we're 5. I no more slobber, I promise," he said holding his hands out to show her.

"you're right, though. gibbs is a much better catch than most guys i know. he may drool all over me now and again but at least he's respectful about it. right, buddy?" She gave the dog a good ruffle between the ears. "I mean, I'm biased because we're kind of in love, but I think Gibbs is a good catch." Evan smiled. "Actually, they're not all bad," he nodded, thinking back on some of her past boyfriends. Well, not boyfriends, per say. Alyx was no hoochie, but she did kiss a couple boys every once in a while. "When are you going to snag one to settle down with? Don't you want to be whipped like me?" Evan asked with a laugh. He knew that Leigh was high maintenance and he was always more than accommodating to her needs. Evan had fallen into that category of 'whipped', however hard he had tried to avoid it. Not that he was complaining - he loved Leigh and he was loving every minute they were together.

"we aren't getting old. are we? oh my god, we are. i guess it's almost time to settle down, have a boat load of kids, and die now." She feigned distress and rolled around on the ground. "you're ridiculous, we are so not old. well, i'm not. you probably just feel like it because you never go out and live life. we're going to have to change that, you and me." Evan shrugged his shoulders and took off his hat. "you know me. I have my books, I study, I DD on the weekends. Grant does enough partying for the both of us. God knows someone has to be responsible." He ruffled his hair and rubbed his hands over his face. "Whatever, I deal with it. With great power comes great responsibility, right?"

Evan shook his shoulders, scootching him down the trunk of the tree even further. "i'm a scholarly college student, you know i aced it. don't judge me, brewer, you know school has never been my thing. 5th grade or now, at least i'm making an effort. right?" Evan laughed. "I'll give you that much. You do try." Alyx was always at least attempting to follow along when Evan helped her, unlike some of Grant's friends that had just expected him to do their homework for them. "my next project for business class is to create a website, so you'll be happy to know i won't be bothering you for that one. it will be a bitch to do, but i think i can manage that one on my own. maybe." Evan rolled his eyes. "Good, because I haven't had time to master HTML. I know the basics, but don't come to me for anything too crazy. I think I can tell you how to change the font color and then I usually go take a nap or something." Evan patted her on the head like a dog. "I have faith in you, Alyx, doll. You can do a lot when you put your mind to it." Evan laughed, his smile quirking up to the right. He put his hat back on his head.

After she asked what he'd been up to Evan pursed his lips. What had he been up to? They days all seemed to blend together during the summer. Nice weather, cool library, quiet classroom. Evan was a stereotypical book worm, trading spending time outside with his friends, to his textbooks in the library. He sheepishly laughed before continuing. "I actually haven't been up to much. I work, I study, I go to class, eat, sleep, repeat," he said dully, grabbing the ball from Gibbs' mouth. He tossed the ball as far as his lounging stature would allow and watched the dog run off again. He crossed his legs and put his hands behind his head. "It's a really exciting life. Too crazy for the average human to handle. But, you know I'm basically Captain America, so obviously I can handle it," he added, brushing his shoulder. "How about you? Everything going well with the shop?" [b][/b]

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this post is for kate/alyx! counted at 682 words long, it's setting is the lawns @ canterbury rocks. evan's wearing this. template made by drew

.downmyface{line-height: 85%; height: 0px; width: 315px; color: transparent; font-family: RALEWAY; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; -webkit-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-moz-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-o-transition: 0.5s ease-out; background-color: ffffff; padding: 15px;} .downmyface:hover {color: #000; font-family:RALEWAY; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; width: 315px; height: 30px; -webkit-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-moz-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-o-transition: 0.5s ease-out; opacity: 1; line-height: 90%; padding: 15px; background-color: e5cdb3; } ♥ time won't let me goLeave it to Evan to turn a play situation into abuse. She glared at him playfully at the challenge he issued, almost tempted to take him up on it. "Evan, if I hit you seriously, you'd be in pain. Don't push me. You just might regret it." She quirked an eyebrow at him, as if to dare him to say something more. She wasn't afraid to hit him, she just didn't want to hurt him- she liked Evan far too much to see him in pain. "Yes, we're 5. But when has that ever changed? You bring out the kid in me." She batted her eyelashes innocently, her expression nonetheless serious. It was true. When she was around Evan, she turned into a little kid again, and it was a friendship she'd always love. He may be serious and focused on his work, but when they were together they seemed to forget everything else. At least, she did. He was always the one she turned to when she needed a break from reality.. everything became fun and games where Evan was involved. It was something she'd grown used to.. it had always been that way. But she didn't, for a second, take it for granted. When he professed his love for Gibbs, Alyx simply shook her head at him. When he mentioned that not all the guys she knew were bad, she snorted derisively at him, unwilling to comment. Alyx's "love life" was nonexistent. When she wasn't stuck in the friend zone, guys were too intimidated by her to do anything. She hadn't found a guy yet who actually saw past her rough, sarcastic, mechanic-girl exterior to the girl inside who was dying for somebody to actually be there for her. She may be a tomboy on the outside, but there was still a girl in there dying for somebody to love her. She just never talked about it. And she wasn't about to start talking about it with Evan, as happy as he was in his relationship with Leigh. At his next question, she hesitated for a moment before speaking the truth. "It's definitely not my choice. I've tried. I think there's something wrong with me.. or maybe it's just the fact that I'm not a crazy slut that ruins things." She shrugged lightly, unwilling to meet his eyes now. It was embarassing to admit that she wasn't alone by choice. She was a confident girl, and the fact that she couldn't get a guy did weigh on her sometimes.She'd never lived her life thinking that she needed a guy to make her complete, but at the same time, it would be nice to feel wanted for once. Alyx had moments with a lot of guys in the town where she thought, just maybe, they were worth her time. The only guy who had been a consistent presence in her life was Evan, at least a consistently good presence. She fought with everybody else on plenty of occasions. She let the topic drop. "Yeah, Grant does enough partying for everybody. Not just you two." She commented, and smiled at his next words. "Great power, huh? I'm just going to start calling you my superhero." She knew Leigh probably wouldn't like that, but at the same time, she didn't really care. "But all jokes aside.. you need to get out more. I really do worry about you. There's so much more to life than books and studying.. how do you even maintain a relationship at the same time?" She questioned seriously, her curiosity getting the better of her.She had noticed that every time she saw Evan, he was by himself. It was an interesting thing, since she was under the impression he was in a happy relationship with his girlfriend. As the conversation progressed, she smiled at him for admitting that she at least did make an effort. She really did. She wasn't stupid, but she had so much more to learn than she thought she did. "I'm okay with html, it's the css that's going to kill me. I'll figure it out, though." When Evan admitted he had faith in her, her eyes shifted to his, relief evident. She doubted herself a lot, and Evan always knew the perfect way to squelch those feelings. She appreciated him so much more than he knew. "You're the best friend ever, you know that? I just have to say that, since you're here. You know just how to make me laugh and make me feel better when I'm worried. I really don't know what I'd do without you." She thought about hugging him, but opted against putting either of them through that awkwardness. The autopilot of Evan's life was a little depressing for Alyx. She wanted so much more for her friend than that, he deserved so much more. She didn't comment, though, because he already knew her feelings on that subject. Her eyes drifted off after Gibbs as the dog continued running, happy as could be. When she heard his Captain America comment, a snort of laughter escaped her, and she began to laugh uncontrollably. The comparison was too perfect. His next words sobered her quickly, though, and she ran her fingers through her hair and over her face at the thoght. "Things are.. going. I'm trying my hardest, Ev. It's really hard. We're barely making ends meet, and I just want things to get better. They have to get better, because if we lose the shop, I don't think my dad will handle it well. He might not survive it." It was true. Her dad lived for cars. His shop was his dream, and therefore it had become Alyx's to make him happy. She did want to live her own life, but her father had sacrificed so much for her, and she was still young- she wanted to give back. A lump swelled in her throat at the frustration of it all, and she stopped talking, unsure how to proceed. "I just want it all to work out. Everything." She commented softly, her words muffled slightly by her hands in front of her face. She refused to cry, but she certainly felt like she could right about now.erica/evan | 1194 words |wearing: this♥

can't catch lightning !

After Evan's cry of abuse, Alyx retorted with a not-so-empty threat, he knew. Alyx was the kind of girl that would follow through on any kind of threat. He wasn't ready to test her out, considering they were already having such a lovely afternoon. But Evan couldn't help himself. "Oh, yeah, sure. Whatever you say. Serious regret right here." Evan nodded, his eyebrows bunched and a 'yeah right' smirk on his face. He had always liked to see how far he could go before Alyx hit her breaking point. He'd gotten close a couple of times, but some how she had always managed to keep her cool.

Evan shook his head. "I bring out the kid. Ha. How does that happen? I'm one of the most responsible teenagers in Canterbury. Do I remind you of a fatherly figure where it's socially acceptable for you to act out since you know I will ultimately chastise you for being so immature?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Evan was such a strange old soul. He often found conversation more intriguing with professors than classmates; he used to talk with his friends' parents instead of playing with their children. How Evan still managed to keep friends his age was still beyond him.

When Alyx snorted about how all her 'man friends' weren't that bad, Evan looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What? They're not!" he said, defending the boys Alyx occasionally found drunk in the back of bars. "I mean there was..." He looked from side to side, trying to come up with a name of a boy Alyx had introduced to him at one point or another. "You know who I'm talking about. You find nice boys." Evan laughed at the idea that there was something wrong with Alyx. "Aly-girl, there is definitely nothing wrong with you. And not all guys are dying to date the town whore. You will find those girls have much trouble finding nice boys to marry later on in life due to the reputation that proceeds them." Evan smiled. He knew that Alyx didn't always give off the 'dateable' vibe to guys. She was a little rough around the edges and gave off a tough persona, but Evan knew she had a heart of gold with the best intentions under that tough facade. He knew better than to pry any deeper into this conversation, not wanting to get into topics that Alyx would close up about. They were good friends, but there were somethings people didnt want to talk about with even their closest confidants.

Evan rolled his eyes. "Grant and his crew might party enough for the entirety of Canterbury and then some," he added with a laugh. He took in a deep breath and scrunched up his face in thought. How did he manage to do it? Especially with a girlfriend that required so much attention? "That's actually a great question," he said, adjusting his hat. "She's usually the one to make plans, I guess. From there I just work my schedule around when we have something going on." He shrugged. "I just... I have no idea. But it works. It's like magic. It just happens."

He nodded in regards to the HTML vs CSS battle. "Use Dreamweaver. It'll let you do it visually and you can look at the HTML later. There you go, my one helpful tip," Evan said, very proud of himself. He smiled at her next comment. "That's part of the job description. I'm basically obligated to be fantastic and amazing moral support." He quirked an eyebrow. "But you know I'll always be here for you. You're my girl, Alyx. You're probably the only girl I don't get interrogated about hanging out with, which is also a plus." Whistling Gibbs back over, he pulled the ball out of his mouth, the dog trying to pull it back. They played this little tug-of-war until Evan gave a quick snatch and got it back. He taunted Gibbs waving the ball all over the place, then finally throwing it back.

Evan nodded as the topic took a more serious tone. He hadn't realized the kind of trouble their auto shop had been in. There always seemed to be someone in Canterbury with a broken engine, needing their oil changed or their brakes replaced. He sat quietly for a few seconds and listened to her last whisper. "It's all going to work out, Alyx. Everything's going to turn out okay. You'll see." With her face covered by her hands, Evan scooched over and put his arm around her shoulder and rubbed the side of her arm. "If anyone can keep that shop going, it's you."

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this post is for kate/alyx! counted at 785 words long, it's setting is the lawns @ canterbury rocks. evan's wearing this. template made by drew

.downmyface{line-height: 85%; height: 0px; width: 315px; color: transparent; font-family: RALEWAY; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; -webkit-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-moz-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-o-transition: 0.5s ease-out; background-color: ffffff; padding: 15px;} .downmyface:hover {color: #000; font-family:RALEWAY; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; width: 315px; height: 30px; -webkit-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-moz-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-o-transition: 0.5s ease-out; opacity: 1; line-height: 90%; padding: 15px; background-color: e5cdb3; } ♥ time won't let me goShe didn't want to be sad today, she wanted to be happy, upbeat, and enjoy her time with her best friend while she had it- while he wasn't holed up in his room studying, and while she wasn't busy. But it was so hard to pretend that everything was okay when it really wasn't, especially when Evan always knew exactly how to ask questions she couldn't avoid. She sighed heavily, but couldn't help but grin at his response to her earlier statements. "Maybe that's just part of your charm. Every time we're together we wrestle, bicker and shove each other like five year olds, and you can't tell me that's a lie, because we've both experienced it." she had always loved that, though. It was something to look forward to when she had had a long day and knew that she'd be seeing Evan later. They always laughed, played, made life interesting. Even if he pretended to only be interested in his books, Evan was funny, interesting, and definitely seemed to get along with everybody he came into contact with. Not what you'd expect from a guy who was constantly stuck in the books. He still surprised her sometimes to this day.She wanted desperately to ignore his words about her love life, but knew there was no point in that. Evan already knew what she was thinking, anyway. He always did. "Of course you have to say that. You're my best friend. You wouldn't be friends with me if you thought I was defective. Maybe that means there's something wrong with you, too." she snorted derisively, smacking him lightly on the shoulder again. "And I'm definitely not talking about marriage here. Do you realize I'm 18 and I've never been on a date? Not a formal, official date anyway. And I've actually never been kissed, now that I think about it. I'm a failure of a teenage girl." She thought about it, trying to decide if she was actually worried about that or not. She was still fine with being a virgin, but the rest of it did bother her to some degree. She wasn't even really sure why she was mentioning it to Evan, because normal girls didn't talk about things like that with guy friends.. but she was never a normal girl, either. Changing the subject quickly, she grinned at his magic relationship. Leave it to Evan. She had to admit that comment troubled her a bit, though; Evan was in for a rude awakening if he thought making the girl do all of the effort was going to end well.She debated saying something, but figured Evan knew exactly what he was doing. He'd never had issues with relationships, so she really didn't have much room to talk. She opted to remain quiet about that bit of information. And she chose to ignore what he said about dreamweaver also, because she really wasn't feeling the joking at this point. She couldn't resist a smile as he called her his girl, wondering briefly what it would be like if that were true in every sense of the words. She decided not to even go there, shaking the thought away as quickly as it came. No sense dwelling on the impossible. "Yeah, probably because all of Canterbury thinks I'm either a freak, a lesbian, or a man." She joked half-heartedly. The tone of the conversation had gone serious, and she leaned in to him when he slid his arm around her. His words comforted more than his embrace, though. She didn't have any confidence in saying them herself, but to know somebody she highly respected thought she could turn things around made her feel just a little bit better. "I hope so. It's not really easy for me, you know? I don't think I always wanted to be 'that mechanic girl.' I've just never really had much of a choice in it. Dad didn't push me or anything, but I just want to make him happy." She mulled that over for a few minutes, letting the silence hang in the air like a suffocating cloud.She leaned her head against his shoulder, staring at the people walking around, at Gibbs still frantically trying to get Evan to play with his tennis ball, down at Evan's hand on her arm. She was way too comfortable here. "Well, this got depressing really quickly. I want to talk about happier things. I'm not used to depressed Alyx. I don't think I like her. She has too many real concerns about life and where it's going." She joked, but the words were in part serious. She always tried to downplay the serious issues in her life. She didn't like other people knowing that she was struggling, it made her feel weak, and it only gave other people another reason to judge her. It wasn't exactly a secret that she and her father were poor; it would be news to Canterbury to know he was very close to losing the shop altogether, though. "Promise me you won't talk about this, right? I really don't need more people pointing out our misfortunes. I'm already pretty sick of being looked at with sympathy by all of the rich people around here. I just want to succeed, do something right in my life for once." She still leaned in to him, still refusing to cry the tears that threatened to fall.erica/evan | 1057 words | ugh this got a little depressing, i'm sorry! lol♥

can't catch lightning !

Evan rolled his eyes. "I'm not so sure about all that. Bickering, yes, but if I'm going to be compared to a 5-year-old, I'm definitely a 5-year-old with an old soul. A mature 5-year-old if you will." Evan knew that Alyx was one of the reasons that he had even the slightest hint of a social-life. She was one of those people that has hunted him down and dragged him away from his precious books just to eat. He had to admit, it was nice to see people so concerned about him and his human interaction.

he laughed and rolled over on to his side. "Oh, there's definitely something wrong with me. Have you met me?" His lack of impressive social skills, or at minimum skills that would allow him to function like a normal 19-year-old college student, was more than noted by a majority of Canterbury's residents. But this was nothing that really bothered Evan. He didn't need to be out partying or getting drunk off his ass to be entertained. He came to find his friends didn't seem to care either way - they just wanted to spend time with him He cocked his head to the side and scrutinized Alyx. There's no way she had never been kissed. Evan may be socially awkward, but he knew a pretty girl when he saw one. She may have grown up as one of the boys, but Alyx definitely matured into a lovely young woman. "Are you pulling my leg? Not even a little peck in the back of a bar sotymewhere? Not that I'm trying to undermine your social morality or your integrity, I'm just, you know, a little surprised. Even I've been kissed, and let's be real, that's a miracle in itself." Evan laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "in all honesty, I wouldn't be too concerned about it, Ally. Your time will come and some incredibly awesome guy is going to sweep you off your feet and it's going to be amazing." Evan really did have the best intentions in his heart for Alyx. He hated seeing her so down-and-out about the whole thing, even if she wasn't really showing it to its full extent.

Evan nodded his head from side to side. "Ya know, I think you'd make your dad happy regardless of what you did. See what happened with my brother? He's taking his accounting exams because he thought being an accountant would make my dad happy. He is now officially the most miserable human being in the entirety of the eastern hemisphere. Quite possibly the free world." Evan would not lie if provoked if his career choice wasn't to earn his parents' approval, but evan didn't really have to do much to leave his parents in awe - his determination and work ethic was enough to make his little sister do circles in her sleep. But, it was also something that Evan could be really passionate about and really wound up loving, so it worked out in the end. "And you are definitely not a lesbian. If anything, guys are probably just intimidated by your knowledge. Let's just say I'm really pleased that I now know how to change my oil. You could change my oil, rotate my tires, take apart and put back together my entire engine in the time it takes me to realize I'm out of windshield wiper fluid." Evan shrugged. He really couldn't think of anything else to say. Alyx was an auto genius and 95% of guys couldn't handle girls knowing more about a manly subject than they did.

With her head on his shoulder, he immediately knew that something was going to show up in next month's show update, but you know? He really didn't care. Alyx was his friend and let the world speculate. He figured they'd love this for the ratings, not that Alyx nor Evan were hot commodities within this little TV world audience they lived in. He shrugged as best he could without bothering Alyx. "Sometimes you have to face the real world with its real problems and shit. Believe me, I've been worrying about retirement since my first part-time job when I was 16. It's something we all kind of think about from time to time. It is what it is." Gibbs kept nudging his hand. He dug into his other pocket and found a Milkbone. He teased it in front of the big puppy and Gibbs happily took the bait. "The only person that will ever know is me and this princess right here," he said, rubbing the dog's big drooling muzzle. "The rich kids will be none the wiser."

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this post is for kate/alyx! counted at 772 words long, it's setting is the lawns @ canterbury rocks. evan's wearing this. template made by drew

.downmyface{line-height: 85%; height: 0px; width: 315px; color: transparent; font-family: RALEWAY; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; -webkit-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-moz-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-o-transition: 0.5s ease-out; background-color: ffffff; padding: 15px;} .downmyface:hover {color: #000; font-family:RALEWAY; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; width: 315px; height: 30px; -webkit-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-moz-transition: 0.5s ease-out;-o-transition: 0.5s ease-out; opacity: 1; line-height: 90%; padding: 15px; background-color: e5cdb3; } ♥ time won't let me goShe had no words to say to respond to calling himself a mature five year old, because it was technically true. He was a 5-year-old around her, but a 5-year-old with the best damn vocabulary you could imagine, and a nerdy sense of humor. Did 5 year olds even have senses of humor? She wasn't entirely sure, because she hadn't ever really been around kids- she assumed so. "I know there are a lot of things wrong with you, Evan, m'dear. I think the main thing would be your boyfriend, though," she chuckled, referencing Grant. She loved both boys, but Grant was definitely the troublemaker of the bunch, even if he didn't always want to admit it. She listened to him speak again, her frustration rising again. Of course he would think that, because she never talked about herself. She listened to everybody else go on about their sexual escapades, but they never thought to ask her either. They really didn't know, and it wasn't because she was secretive about it. But when your friends are all talking about their amazing hookups, you can't exactly say 'Oh, that's really cool, I spent the night with my hand.' Not nearly as charming."No, Evan, I'm not pulling your leg. Not even a kiss." She didn't really say much more, but it did suck to know that Evan had been kissed before her. He was supposed to be the shy awkward one of their group, but she definitely wasn't seeing that these days. He had a girlfriend, he went out and partied with Grant, which probably meant he got women all over him just by association. She couldn't even find somebody to kiss her. Her eyes narrowed as he spoke, noting that he'd returned to calling her by her childhood nickname, Ally. He hadn't called her that in forever, and it sent her back to their sandbox days. "You just called me Ally. Stop calling me Ally." She poked him in the side playfully, irritated but knowing he wouldn't stop. "I don't even really think about it anymore, honestly. I know what I want and I haven't found it, I don't know if I will. I have high expectations, probably too high considering who and what I am." She thought about that for a moment, and shook her head. "I mean, I'm not bad or anything- I just. You know. I'm a mechanic. But I still want to be Cinderella. It makes no sense." She spoke the words with a bitter laugh, because it was so screwed up. She really did want a fairytale love story, but that simply wasn't going to happen any time soon.Alyx nodded in his direction as he asked if she remembered what happened with his brother, and she listened patiently. "I guess I know deep down that I really do want to be a mechanic. And it kind of scares me, because again, it's just not normal. But I guess I've never really been normal, so why start now?" She laughed, a real laugh this time. It was true. She wasn't really sure why she was worried, because everything in Alyx's life had been pretty abnormal. "I guess I just need to stop worrying about everything. It will all work out, I just have to do what I want. It's so hard to figure out what I want versus what I'm expected to do, though." She shrugged, sighing to express her frustration. Even if she decided that being a mechanic wasn't for her, she had no other real skills to get her by in life. But she did know that as frustrating as the job got at times, she didn't hate it. But she wanted to travel and live life, not be stuck in a shop. Maybe she'd be able to get the shop off the ground and solvent, and then she could actually do that. That would be amazing."Just because you're a complete idiot when it comes to cars doesn't mean all guys are. What's their excuse?" She stuck her tongue out at him, moving away from him now. She really didn't need to cause any more drama for Evan, because he was finally happy. The cameras were always watching, and like any hollywood production they loved to skew conversations, images and video to gain ratings. She scooted away, laying down in the grass again, her hair splayed out beside her head. She stared up at the sky and listened to him talk, the sound of the music drifting towards them still. Eventually she would actually make it to the concert, but she wasn't feeling particularly interested at this point. Nothing like a serious conversation to kill your desire for a good concert. "Fuck the real world, I want to live in Candyland and ride a unicorn to school, have millions of dollars, my fairytale prince, and world peace." She said the words mock vehemence, wishing life were really that simple all the while. "It's too bad that really isn't possible, because things would be so much easier. I wouldn't even have to fix cars, I'd just get to ride a unicorn everywhere. And we all know unicorns don't break down on the side of a highway." She grinned, shaking her head, and she turned to stare at him now as he promised not to mention her money problems to anyone. "Thanks, Ev. I really do appreciate you letting me be a downer. I really needed to talk, I guess." She said, watching him as he rubbed Gibbs' face."Anyway, aren't we here for a concert? Or are you just here to play with Gibbs?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. erica/evan | 1099 words |wearing: this♥

can't catch lightning !

"Oh heeaaallllllll nawww!" Evan responded, getting his sassy face on. "Don't you be talkin' shite about mah boyfran!" Evan laughed and rolled his eyes. "Imagine if I actually talked like that? I'd have no friends." But that was the joke around Canterbury. The Grevan Bromance, they called it. Well, what did you expect from two kids that have been best friends since birth? Without Evan, Grant would be even more unruly and crazy with no morality, and without Grant, Evan would have locked himself up in his room with his books permanently a long time ago. "I can't help that we're so in love. But seriously, Grant is the yin to my yang. Without him I'd be a sad recluse sitting in my basement playing World of Warcraft. And let's not pretend that it wouldn't happen." He laughed at the thought.

Evan's eyebrows raised after being told that Alyx had never been kissed. "I mean, I am a bit surprised, but then again, my first kiss was Leigh so that's really not saying much for my romantic life." He shrugged his shoulders. "All I have to say is wait to find someone worth kissing because you're going to remember it for the rest of your life. And you don't want to say that your first kiss was with some random hockey player at a bar in college." Evan thought that this was sound advice, because let's face it - he didn't want Alyx to remember her first kiss as the shittiest thing in her love life.

He laughed when she got testy about him calling her Ally. "Oh wait, you don't like being called Ally, Ally? What if I call you Ally Ally Bo Bally Banana Banna Bo Bally Fee Fi Fo Fally Ally? Does that make it better?" he sang in the appropriate sing-songy voice that comes with the name tune.

At her next comment, Evan punched her in the arm. "Stop saying that! You keep putting yourself down and I'm not okay with it. You have to understand that boys in college suck. Just look at Grant and all his friends. They're womanizers. Now, boys are not going to be polite and charming until they graduate and get themselves settled in real life, and even that's a stretch. Basically, you're going to have to wait it out to find gold. But, don't settle for any less." Evan didn't like hearing his friend put herself down like that. She didn't realize that she was really an awesome girl, she just had to wait for the rest of the world to realize it, and they weren't going to if she didn't believe it herself.

"Why is it not normal? Can we remember Megan Fox ala Transformers? Guys find girls that can fix cars hot. You're just assuming they don't so you down play it and make it seem like a bad thing. I'm telling you, you don't give yourself enough credit." Evan shook his head. It was really frustrating to hear this all coming from her mouth because she actually thought it all true. Evan nodded at her next comment "What's expected of you isn't always what's going to make you happy. You are a people pleaser and you don't like letting other people down. However, if in the long run your people pleasing makes you unhappy, then what the hell good is it for the rest of us having to live with a miserable Alyx?"

Evan laughed. "Their excuse is they have these people called mechanics that they can bring their car to when it needs to be fixed, ya goof." he replied. She scooched away, laying down in the grass. At the mention of unicorns, an eyebrow went up. "Unicorns, yeah? Well that's a new one. I suppose you would have to worry about your unicorn spearing someone through if you got too close to them, though. That horn could be dangerous." he said with concern and a smile. Leave it to Evan to be logical about a fantasy situation.

He waved her off. "Who the hell would I tell? I've got like 5 friends in Canterbury. You need to start thinking someday. And besides, everyone needs to talk and get everything out once in a while. It's not good to bottle everything up. You get stressed." At the mention of his name, the chocolate lab pup came bounding over with the slobber covered tennis ball, dropping it kindly into Evan's lap. He walked over to Alyx on the floor and started sniffing her face. "Well, I think Gibbs here wants to stay and play. He loves people, but not crowds. He doesn't like feeling trapped. Or at least that's what I imagine." Gibbs continued to sniff her face and her hair for no real reason other than curiosity. "But, I'm just hanging out for now. I promised Leigh I'd meet her later." He checked his phone and noted that he still had another two hours before he went to go meet her. "But I've still got a while. I figured I'd get Gibbs out of the house to stop bothering Dec while he's studying and my parents were just lolling around the house like they didn't see him. My poor baby." Evan smiled and made a kissy face at the dog.

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this post is for kate/alyx! counted at 884 words long, it's setting is the lawns @ canterbury rocks. evan's wearing this. notes: i am the worsttttttt! forgive me <3 template made by drew