[Not] Belonging ~ Nikki

[Heather May Wilson]

Boring. What was Heather thinking? She hated being away from her dad and brother anyways so why on Earth had she ever left for school? Of course, they thought she would be better off in a place with other girls versus the garage where she actually felt at home. She liked working on cars and playing sports with the guys and watching games on tv with them, it was the only place she fit in. At school, well, most of the girls here hadn't even heard of a carborator. Heather sighed, tucking her blonde hair behind and ear and walking carefully where her feet wanted. Her roommate was...awful. One of those girls who wore nice clothes and perfume and got up to actually do her hair and makeup. Heather found all of this pointless, people were going to eventually find out what you look like without all of it. Plus, Lacey ruled the school.

The sophomore walked with her head bowed to the ground, clutching her sketchpad to her side and her pencil stuck through her messy bun, her blonde hair shining in the sun overhead. It was Friday, after school and the football team was out practicing. She wished she could play, but she didn't dare ask them. She raised her makeup less face to climb the stairs of the stadium to the middle row and off to the left side where she was shaded, but still had enough light to draw. The sun hit a few steps down and to the right, it would eventually move further away and Heather would move along with it in order to keep the lighting. She opened her sketch pad and set it on her bare legs that were quite tanned.

She was wearing jean shorts of a somewhat awkward length. They were above her knees, but not super short like most girls wore these days and they were cut from an old pair of her brother's jeans so they were held up by a brown leather belt, coming in a bit at her tiny waist. Her tee covered those details. It was light gray and stained from being worn in the garage with the bottom hem torn just a bit. It was her favorite shirt, a Phillies shirt that is. She'd worn it since she was four for a pajama top, it used to be her dad's. And now she wore it whenever. She completed her look with beaten brown leather flip flops, probably the only thing girly about her. There was no need for makeup, she had a naturally pretty face, but it was raw and unworked with and it was hard to pick out the pretty features besides her large blue-green eyes. They stood out like a sore thumb from the rest of her being framed by brown eyelashes as well.

Heather opened her sketch pad t a new page and pulled the pencil out of her hair, dating the back of the page first before biting on the end of her pencil and surveying the scenery. She wouldn't ever be able to have the guys come here so she'd promised she'd sketch it all out for them and hang it up in the office with details of where she'd be on campus and when. so far she had her dorm, along with a picture of Lacey, and the cafeteria along with the front steps. She had a lot of places to go plus the map, numbered with each place to correspond to the picture of it. She started drawing the field, including the players in it. She was only part of the way in when she heard a voice and saw a shadow fall across some of the steps that were still in the sun. She looked at the step that was missing jpaint in places before up at the girl, having to squint a bit due to the bright sun.

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[nikki]

Nikki put her earphones in and set out, crossing the street when she could, and taking off for the park. Contrary to normal life, the sophomore didn't trip when she ran. It was one her favorite things too. It gave her time to think, and she always felt great afterward. She looked up at the sky, appreciating the sun - she didn't like the rain, the cold, the snow, etc - and then watched where she was going. Thoughts of Carson took over her thoughts. She was so, so scared for getting to deeply involved. With anything. Even friendship could be tricky for her, especially with a guy. But Carson had tried to kiss her! So...what did she want? The whimsical side of her answered: Carson. The logical side answered too: to stay clear of any entangling relationships; they only let do trouble. She scoffed. She'd learned that at a young age.

Nikki's thoughts remained occupied by Carson until she got back to the gym. She mounted the steps, still jogging, and then pushed through the doors. She went down to the locker room - vacant now - to change. She stuffed her running clothes into her messenger bag. Her school work was already back in her dorm. She picked up her water bottle and headed out the door. She was dressed in dark jeans shorts that were cut to just above her knees. Her shoes were white, rubber flip-flops. Her tone was a light brown, halter top style tank-top what accented her figure. But it wasn't skin tight. Her brown hair was up in a ponytail, and there were stray strands that were now tucked impatiently behind her ears. No make-up enhanced the girls features, and she was wearing no jewelry either.

Nikki pushed open the door and headed towards the stairs. She reached for her cell when it vibrated and, naturally, dropped her water bottle. "You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, running after it as it clattered down the stairs. She caught up with it before it got to far. Only when she straightened did she notice the girl to her right. "Oh, um, sorry," she said with a light blush. As she looked away, she noticed the sketchpad. Her green eyes widened. "Oh. Wow." It took a lot to get a real reaction like that out of Nikki before she knew a person, but she was so startled by how good the drawing was - before it was hardly even started - that she responded to it. "Oh, er, sorry," she said again, realizing she'd said her opinion out loud without meaning to. She hadn't met the blond, she knew that. Not that it was a surprise. She pretty much kept to herself.

[Heather May Wilson]

Heather bit her lip, looking down at the sketch pad when the girl spoke. "It's ok." She stated passively, pressing her lips together, her hair falling over her face, what wasn't tucked away anyways. "I'm Heather, by the way." She shrugged, setting her apd aside and pulling her knees up to her chest, her eyes on the field below. She noted that the girl was prone to say 'sorry' in any situation, she bit back her thoughts on that. Those type of people could get annoying after a few run ins with them. Over politeness was almost as bad as no politeness at all. The blonde absently tapped her pencil on the bench beside her.

"So, um, are you a runner or something?" She didn't recognize the girl from any of the sports she'd seen so far. Heather's mind drifted off slightly to her brother. She missed Tyler and she hadn't heard from him in a few days and last she'd heard of her dad he'd been knocked out by something. She was worried, but they wouldn't let her come home because they insisted on her staying at school and making friends. That brought her here today. And this girl looked her age and possibly like she'd be a person Heather could get along with, unlike her roommate and her roommate's cousin. Those two happened to be the most annoying people to Heather. Her lips pulled up into a small smile, eyes open and friendly for the first time in forever.

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[nikki]

Nikki was still standing, feeling a little awkward. She hated meeting new people. It went against every single part of her. Or, at least close to it. "I'm Nikki," she said with a tentative, small smile. Inwardly she was trying to place that. Heather, Heather...oh. Madame Sweet Tooth. Nikki generally avoided MST at all cost, but she'd been pulled into reading it by one of her friends. "You're roomed with Lacey," she smiled enough to part her lips. "Sucks for you." She could tell just by looking at the blonde that she wasn't with Lacey and co. Lacey wouldn't tolerate a friend dressing how Heather was dressed. Too casual. Nikki had, at one point, been an object of interest to Lacey in terms of recruiting. But Nikki had been careful to make sure that fell through - and quickly.

"I wouldn't call myself a runner...I just run." The brunette rolled her eyes at herself, smiling without parting her lips. She hesitated, then sat down on the steps. She had nothing better to do. There was a good distance between herself and Heather, but no so much that it was awkward to talk. "You new?" she asked, one eyebrow lifting just a fraction of an inch. She was fiddling with her water bottle, but now she set it down before she could drop it again. She didn't think it was safe either way, but...well, nothing was ever safe with her around. She'd find someway to do the impossible and make a fool of herself. Nikki didn't really mind what people thought of her, so she didn't care. And with friends, it always made for something to laugh at.

[Heather May Wilson]

Heather nodded with a small smile. The name sounded somewhat familiar, she'd probably heard in somewhere around campus. It wasn't a name you heard in every conversation though like Lacey or Chrystina. She got annoyed with those names. And so, of course, enter the name. "Err, yeah. Unfortunatly I got stuck with her." 'And her cousin joins us all the time. Or her stupid not-boyfriend boyfriend.' Heather added mentally. Counting Erik on her hit list as well. She just wasn't a people person. She nodded when Nikki said it sucked for her. That much was obvious. Nikki had probably gone through it was well, everyone who hadn't worshiped the cousins.

"Hm. More than I do. I'd rather be down there." She nodded in the direction of the football field. She was longing to go back to the garage and play some football or basketball with the guys and then cook for her brother and dad, like old times. then she wanted to get up the next morning and cook breakfast before going into the garage and repairing someone's car. She hated being at shool and away from what was left of her family. "Yeah. I moved here from California..." She trailed off before she started explaining everything. She didn't like talking about it, even with Tyler or her dad. No one wanted to talk about it either, but they all prayed everynight for the three lost members of the once happy family. She missed the garage so bad. Heather pisked up the pad again, adding details. "So, you've been here a while then?" She asked, glancing up for a fleeting second before she looked to the field, tilting her head and studying it before she looked back to her paper, adding in some more details to make it an actual outline of the field before them.

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[nikki]

Nikki smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it. Lacey had it in for me at one point. Just don't let her get to you and she'll get bored." She looked down, still smiling softly. She assumed Heather was probably seeing plenty of Chrys as well. Not to mention, apparently, Erik. Or, at least, he was with Lacey a lot these days. She idly wondered if that meant the old boyfriend was out. She pushed the thoughts away. She just didn't care. Her eyebrows pulled together. "Football? Ugh. Really? You must be more coordinated than me." Nikki's smile broadened enough to part her lips, laughing briefly. She'd tried football once with her younger 'siblings'. That had been a major failure on her part.

"Hm. Long distance," she mused. California. Sunshine. Lots of it. That would be amazing. Almost as good as somewhere like Arizona or Hawaii. Nikki didn't ask anymore questions. She was never one to pry. Partly because she hated when people did it to her, and partly because she just wasn't a bold enough of person to keep asking questions. "I was here for freshman year as well," she responded to Heather's question, green-eyed gaze focused a distance away, on the football field. Her expression was calm, unreadable, tranquil. Nikki had never been good with showing her emotions, even when she wanted to. Like when there was something she was super excited about, and someone asked if she was excited, it would be typical for her to respond "uh-huh" even though, inside, she was bursting with excitement.