~*Face.To.Face*~(JAMES)

[lena bellwood]

As I strolled into the park, I glanced lazily over at two little kids playing with a dog. I studied them carefully until I got bored with that, so I sat on the nearest bench. I pulled out a book and leafed through the crisp pages, pages that have been folded many times. As I started to read, I got lost in the book. I was considered an "Elite", so I didn't like people thinking I was a nerd at school for liking books.

Maggie shuddered at the thought. "Me?" she stuttered, looking at the woman curiously, fear arising in her, yet some type of anxiety....

I looked up, pulling my blonde hair behind my ear and straightening my hat. I was a prep, I'd admit that, but I was no idiot. I wanted to look good, wherever I went. A few moments later, I was lost in the book once more.

[james owens]

Sitting on a picnic table, a few meters away, bass at hand, James Owens, was strumming away at his little bass, yowling out lines of his Owen Original, "She Loves You". Finnally had gotten a pick, tuned the little bass, and was rather happy to be practicing again. "You think you lost your love, When i saw her yesterday. It's you she's thinking of, And she told me what to say. She says she loves you, And you know that can't be bad. Yes, she loves you, And you know you should be glad. Ooh!" He yowled the high-pitched vocals into the mic he had brought, and, letting his eyes drift over the gathering crowd, and winked at a couple pretty girls. Smiling big, this was what he loved to do.

Letting his eyes sweep to far away, he noticed a girl. Pretty, blonde. She looked somewhat familiar. Maybe she went to Starlight. Finishing the song with a swift, "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah." He shouted, saying, "That's the end of that set. Sorry, folks." His Liverpool accent had a tint of mockery, and the people began to depart. He stepped down, leaving the mic but carrying his bass, he walked over to the girl. "Hey."

[lena bellwood]

I looked up from my book and smiled. "Hey." I echoed.
I glanced at his bass, and back at the picnic table where he had been performing.
"Nice...." I mumbled, pulling my jacket tighter around me.
I fumbled around with my book. I didn't know why I was so nervous with a guy, I had never been. But something about him made me feel kinda warm. He had a nice vibe, I guessed.
I shoved off the thought. "So....you go to Starlight, don't you? I'm a sophomore there.....It's a good school, I guess."
I tried to play it innocent, but memories of me messing around with guys where I shouldn't rushed through my mind.
I also tried being nice. I was working on that.
"So whats your name?" I added sweetly, fakeness dripping off m words.
I twirled a piece of my soft blonde hair and smiled again, showing my perfect white teeth.
I touched the empty space beside me, motioning for him to sit.

[james owens]

James looked at the girl. Sophmore, really? Why havn't I seen you in any of my classes? Maybe he just hadn't noticed her, with his mind on Sabrina all the time. "Yeah, I like Starlight. A lot. It's a lot better than my old school in Liverpool. Despite missing my friends." He said. "My name's James. I'm a Sophmore too." James hated saying Sophmore. It was such a sloppy word, and didn't roll off his Liverpudlian tounge like it did with these American-Accented people.

When the blonde girl was twirling her hair and smiling at him, all he could think was, 'Yeah, cause that's not tottaly desperatly flirting.' He pushed aside his thoughts, sitting down to where she was motaining for him to sit. Now was his choice, play hard to get, or flirt with her like every girl in Liverpool? Hard to get sounded good, excpessially with Sabrina lurking in his thoughts. "So, what's your name?" He said, in the least-bit-of-a-flirt way.

[lena bellwood]

I looked away from his face and lost my smile. "Lena." I said plainly. This guy, sitting next to me, reminded me so much of my brother. I wish I hadn't thought of such a stupid thought, but it just popped into my head.
"James....." I mumbled, my eyes reaching the ground. My brother Jared had gotten into a car accident a couple of months back. I wished I had my plain old annoying brother back. The stupid yet funny thirteen year old boy I missed so much....
I snapped back into reality.
"So yeah." I continued, trying to sound sort of happy in a negative kind of way, "Starlight is pretty cool. It's weird how Iv'e never seen you around....."

[james owens]

To tell in all truth, on this day, James was high. He had been sniffing permanate markers, and now, was silly and high. When James was high, however, he sometimes got pissy. Perhaps that was the reason the innocent-at-first-glance boy had not flirted with Lena Bellwood. "Yeah. It's a nice place. My parents..." James stopped himself dead. Why bother mentioning to her that he was half-way to becoming an orphan? His father was a nice man, but he couldn't pay the bills and keep James and his brother fed when his mother was alive. When he found out about his mothers death, James had wanted to ask his father what they were gonig to do with out her money. But he didn't. He sucked it up and went to the last day of his expensive arts school like a good boy.

Now, with the markers going to his head, flirting did sound like a good idea. "So, luv," He said in his Liverpudlian accent, flaring it rather poshly, "Do lasses do drugs, too, or is it just us lads, hm?" He said flirtily. He knew the markers were going to his head, now. His face held a smirk, nonetheless. Looking into Lena's blue eyes, he wanted to sing like he was high. He was high. He didn't sing.

[lena bellwood]

I grinned.
"Not usually.....luv." I replied, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter. I cupped my hands around the flame so it wouldn't blow out, and lit the cigarette.
"But sometimes...."
I could tell he was flirting. Big time. I laughed inside my head. What a werido.....I thought, staring at him, blowing smoke out of my mouth lightly, trying not to blow it in his direction. My parents told me a billion times not to smoke, but I didn't listen. I didn't really care to be honest. They had no idea that I bought cigarettes from other students though, and I kept it a secret.
"Why?" I asked suddenly with another flash of white teeth.
It suddenly occured to me he wasn't just flirting. He was high. Probably from sniffing glue or something.....there was no way he could buy drugs.

[james owens]

"Oh, goodie. Now I won't feel bad about it." James said, pulling a pack of ciggies out of his pocket. He glanced over to her, a smile pulling at his lips, and he looked down, shoving them back into his pocket. "You wouldn't tell if I was naughty, would you luv?" He said, smirking and pulling out some of the illegal substance that kept him happy through the longer, more painful rehearsals. LSD. He was sure the acid wouldn't look like much to a passerby. It was on small bits of paper, and was colourless, oderless, and as undetectable as possible. He popped one into his mouth, sweet bitterness of the drug seeming into his tounge.

Chewing on the bit of paper, he shoved the acid back into his trouser pocket. He looked over to Lena, who had witnessed it all. His already-droopy looking eyes looked at her in a daze. He wanted to burst out laughing, for no random reason. Lena, as it seems, was the one thing that looked normal. The picnic tables and benches that surrounded them looked like submarines the colour of Lena's hair. He saw dancing flowers, taller than the tallest man there, who was forty feet high, according to James' allusion. The clouds looked like giant diamonds, and the grass looked like shallow water. He looked at every thing in a new light, except Lena. She was the only normal thing, or perhaps, the only odd thing, in a large region of odd things.

James had yet to have a bad hallucination. His were always of strange shapes and yellow submarines and diamonds floating through the sky. The drugs had taken to James quite quickly. "Look, luv, it's Lucy." He said. Lucy was a friend of his from back in Liverpool. There she was, floating amongst the diamond-clouds. "Would you like one?" He said, taking out the bits of paper in a small mint-container. Even when high and hallucinating, James was well mannered.

[lena bellwood]

I laughed and took one from him, my hand brushing against his. My eyes widened at his awkward apearence as I sniffed it. It smelled like my brother's old room. Ew. But I ate it anyway, and things started to haze up on me.
This is so not like you......The voice of reason said to me.
I giggled and looked around, everything a blur of colors. James' face was smeared and disfigured, and I gave a cheeky smile. I stood up, dropped my book, and ran off, screaming at the top of my lungs.
"Can't catch me luv!" I yelled, a hint of giddyness. (Sp?)
As I ran, the cold sharp winds blew through my blonde hair and I stopped, panting from the run. My head spun as I looked back at the boy.

[james owens]

James' hallucination sugested that fireworks went off inbetween her rather tanned hand and his pale, British one. Fireworks, exploding and blurring around the two hands as they brushed. It was like slow motian to him. It always happened when he was high. The acid made ever single little touch slow motian. The clouds were overly puffy and neon yellow. She stood up and began running around screaming. He stood up when she called to him, although he was quite content with sitting there, his hands on his knees and look at his musefull hallucination.

Standing up, stretching, and setting his bass down, he ran after her, laughing and high. As he caught up to her, he flung his arms around her waist. Such little exposer to it, and she smokes, too. He thought. "I caught you luv, now I get a kiss!" He said, resting his forhead against hers. He looked into her eyes, a high little smirk playing on his face. Ruddy Charmer. he could hear his father's voice echoing in his head.

[lena bellwood]

I grunted happily. This was fun. I jerked away a bit when he grabbed me, but relaxed as he put his forehead against mine. I caught you, and now I get a kiss!
I smiled, and put my arms around his neck, my body failing to do anything else. I could feel his warm breath against my cheek, as a chill went through me, sending shivers down my spine. What was I doing? I didn't pull away though. Suddenly my body reacted to my brain, and I pressed my lips up against his. It made me sway a little, but I kept where I was. I felt like making the kiss deeper, so I stuck my tongue in his mouth. I hoped he didn't react to this like I thought he would...

[james owens]

James smiled a bit through the kiss. Putting his hands around her hips, James closed his eyes. Before too long, he noticed, her tounge was in his mouth. He did the same, happy to turn it into a snog. Snogging came easy to the Liverpudlian, he did it quite often back at home, but had no steady girlfriend.

He opened his eyes, close to her's, looking around at the flowers. A couple little kids were staring, who cares, let them stare. But just as he looked at them, their mother yanked them away from the two snogging teens. A few other people looked, but then carried on their busness. His heart was pounding and he couldn't help leaning his shoulders into her's.

[lena bellwood]

He was actually kissing me back. I noticed the little kids and others staring, but who gave a damn? It felt good to kiss him, and I leaned in more, focusing on the kiss, as not to screw it up. I had no control over myself. The voice of reason inside me was screaming, Stop it! You don't even know this bloody guy!
But as usual, I ignored it, and finally pulled away.
"Was that good enough for you?" I asked with a smile.

[james owens]

James still wanted to kiss her when she pulled away. Grinning, he said, "I suppose." James raised an eye-brow, looking at her with acid-tripping eyes that didn't flaw her appreance. He still had his arms around her, though, not willing enough to let her go.

Finnaly stepping back, James still had his hands on her hips, trying to steady himself as well. When he found his balence, he just stood there, gazing into her eyes.

[lena bellwood]

My perfectly shaped lips curved into a smile as I narrowed my eyes playfully. "What, was it not good enough for ya luv? You want more?"
I slid my hands over his on my hips seductively, intertwining my slim fingers in his. I still felt a little high, so I giggled like some gay weirdo.