less than, fuckin' perfect! // Brass!

[AUDREY JOCELYN MADDINGS]

For once, Audrey was mad. It was like a ball of fire that just kept growing inside her, and she just wished it would end. She hated being mad even though she knew everyone got mad. At least once right? Yet she just felt like it was so wrong. Like it made her just like Eric ... who always seemed to be mad... and took his anger out on her. Giving a small sigh, she combed her hands through her hair as she laid on her bed. It was towards the end of the day and she was sure Henry would stop by a little later after he went a few rounds with another girl. He was probably hitting on her this very moment, which... just sent a weird feeling through her. Why did she care what Henry was doing? Why was she mentally tracking him? She didn't want to answer those questions. Once again, the feeling of anger shot through her... making her bolt up.

She used to go to the archery field whenever she got mad or even sad. It calmed her and made her feel like no one could touch her. Yet, she hadn't gone in quite a long time. She was probably really, really rusty but she'd be the only one there right? Stretching her whole body, she eventually got off the bed. Hearing at least five cracks, she sighed. She really did need to stretch more. Swim, yoga, something. She hadn't done those things in so long.

It didn't take too long for her to brush her hair, braid it into two side braids, change into her archery boots, jeans, and a t-shirt with a long sleeved underneath. At last she slipped her hoody on and went to her closet. She had a special place for her bow where it wouldn't get messed up and soon enough she found it. Grabbing the bow and grabbing the container of arrows onto her back... she slipped out of her room.

Finally after being stopped by a random girl in her dorm house, Audrey was on the archery field. It was so flipping cold outside which made her wonder if she should have just slept the anger off. Sadly, she sat her bow on the ground and took the arrows container off her back. Sitting those right beside the bow, she soon followed. Hands propping her up while her legs flailed on the grass. She didn't know what she was doing anymore... she used to love archery and feel like all she could do was improve when it came to it. Though now... she just felt like all she could was fail.

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[jwb]

Tramping across the mercifully snow-free field, the young man ran a hand through his hair, frozen into individual spikes once he had taken a shower and left his dorm.
Today he was in faded blue jeans, wrapped in a charcoal sweater, the hood fitting snuggly around his bare neck, too small to really do much for protecting him from the wind even if he did decide to use it. Still, it was warm enough, and as long as his view wasn't obstructed by a sudden snow Storm,, he had no other complaints.

He seemed to be heading for the archery lanes, veering off at the last moment toward the shed that held all the bows, keeping them safe and dry from the weather. During the day they were all unlocked, and he peered inside the tiny building, moving past the plastic compound bows. Near the back corner he found what he was looking for; the modern recurved bows, and the longbows. He dithered over them for a moment, before drawing out a longbow, testing the weight, and turning for the door. It wasn't until he was within ten feet of the lanes that he noticed the girl sprawled across the ground. Frowning, he slowed, but continued toward her, pulling on weighted finger tabs along with his usual wrist-guards. She didn't seem to be moving, but up close he could see that her eyes were open. Curious, he moved into view, leaning slightly so that she might see him.
"Can I help you with something?" He wasn't impatient to get her off the field, but he did wonder why someone was lying on a cold winter day in the archery lanes.

[AUDREY JOCELYN MADDINGS]

Audrey was staring at thesky when she felt the soft vibration of foot steps. She looked around without really moving but saw no one until guy loomed over her. "Can I help you with something?" he asked and audrey gave a weak smile as she used her elbows to prop her up. It was only slightly awkward that he was standing and she was pratically laying at his feet but she doubted he saw any awkwardness in the positioning. She would have stood up but she really didn't want to. Even if the ground just increased the cold, it was some what soothing. Calming or something. She gave a small sigh, looking around and then back up at the guy. She couldn't see his face quite that well but oh well. She sat up all the way and then spoke. "Life." she answered back with a sense of anger. She then frowned. This guy knew nothing about what was going on in her life so why should she be mad at him. That wasn't fair. She looked up at him and extended a hand so he could help her stand up.

When she was finally standing she looked at him and spoke, "I'm sorry, I'm just sort of down in the dumps. I shouldn't have been so rude. Let me restart." She gave a small smile as she spoke."I'm Audrey, like I said, i'm sorry I was rude." She recognized him from various places. She saw him a lot on the archery field but it was usually after school was done. He wasn't in her class but she knew he was really, really good. She envied the kind of archer he was. She looked around awkwardly, eyeing the place where she had been laying. She probably did look really weird when she was laying down there.She looked back at him and then around again. She knew him, but just didn't remember his name. She did know one thing for sure, he was dating a girl named... Scarlet? She had seen them around a few places and thought they were really cute together. A weird feeling bubbled in her stomach as she remembered Noah. She missed him so much. But their chapter was finished, never to be reopened. She restrained herself from even coming anywhere close to crying and looked up at Jon as she waited for him to reply.

[jwb]

She sounded upset, but it wasn't long until her expression smoothed, and she propped herself up, holding out a hand. He just barely resisted rolling his eyes, extending his own to help her up. Once she was on her feet, he let go of her quickly, shoving his hands into his pockets, looking surly. Just because he seemed to be meeting an increasing number of people lately, didn't mean he was becoming some sort of social butterfly. There were those rare occasions when he found a way to come across as somewhat friendly, but most of the time he simply retreated back into his surly ways.

He smirked, waving away her apology. It was about time someone greeted him with something other than cheery smiles. It made him feel like less of a dick when he gave them nothing but a dark glare.

"I'm Audrey, like I said, I'm sorry I was rude."

"I'm Jon." Audrey. That sounded just a little bit familiar. He couldn't help his eyes widening slightly when he remembered where he had heard of her. Rumors spread like wildfire at this school, and if this was the same girl that he had heard of, then she had quite the reputation. And not in a particularly good way. His gaze flickered over her, silently assessing what so many guys apparently brought home at night. She was pretty, with long curls that waved gently past her shoulders, but he couldn't understand what all the hype was about. Maybe it was just the archery gear, but she didn't strike him as the slutty type. Not that he was interested in knowing if the rumors were true, anyway. Scarlet would definitely have something to say- that, and he was more than okay with what he already had. Still, he couldn't help being somewhat judgmental. It was only when he turned away, looking to the nearest target, busily stringing the longbow that he let a grin twitch at the corners of his mouth. He was imagining how a conversation with his girlfriend might go, were she to be let in on what he knew of this girl standing next to him. Fairly well, he thought, considering how juicy the gossip was.

Lifting the bow, he notched the arrow, drawing the string back to his ear.
"So you ordinarily lie in a frozen field-" He loosed, the arrow point buried just off to the side of the bullseye. Still a little rusty. "-just thinking about life?" He smirked, brows raised as he looked over at the girl.

[AUDREY JOCELYN MADDINGS]

Audrey nodded casually when he told her his name. That was right. His name was Jonathan Brass if she remembered right anyways. She usually knew people from just gossip. Who did this, who said this, what all happened with that, and so on. In high school, gossip spread and she begun to think it spread faster when you went to a boarding school. It made her think of how many people knew about what she was doing. Sleeping with different guys every night. Heck, the only guy she slept with more then twice was Henry. She sighed, and wondered whether Jon knew about her reputation. God, she hated calling it that but that was what it was. She had the reputation of a slut. It was sad because, before Noah died.. she had been called a saint and now.. she was a slut. Oh how quickly things changed. How quickly the opinions of someone, changed.

She perked her head back up at Jon when he began to speak."So you ordinarily lie in a frozen field-" she gave a small grin which quickly turned into a frown. Awkwardly, fiddling with her hands behind her back she watched as he shot an arrow. She stared at the arrow that had landed to the side of the target and sighed when he spoke again, looking back at him. "-just thinking about life?" She gave a smirk and picked up her bow and an arrow. Adjusted it, setting it all up before shooting one off herself. She figured it would have been weird if she just stood there like an idiot while he sat there shooting at the target. So she'd join in, except.. on a different target. Her shot missed completely and she gave a small frown before laughing.. "I'm a little rusty." she whispered, unsure if he heard her. Looking up at Jon, who was rather tall, she spoke again. "Life, on my end, sucks right now." she sighed. "My, um, boyfriend died not too long ago and I think the gods just -really- enjoy messing with my head." She didn't want to bug him by spilling her guts out so, if he wanted to know more then she'd tell him but if he just didn't then that was fine too. Either way, she was really glad someone had come out here instead of her being out here.. in the freezing cold, alone. She probably would have just broke down again. For like, the 73847393 time.

[jwb]

He held his bow down, watching as she took her shot. Glancing over, he watched as her face fell, before she laughed. Something about it seemed forced, as if she were trying to be brave, but he just didn't see what she needed to hide. Turning back to his target, he thought she spoke, but it was only a soft murmur, as if it were nothing more than the wind whispering through their clothes.

"My, um, boyfriend died not too long ago and I think the gods just -really- enjoy messing with my head."

He hid his shock in a stony stare at the target, only his brows twitching down over narrowed eyes. It made him doubt the rumors for a moment- surely someone grieving didn't have it in them to uphold the sort of reputation that she had. It just didn't feel fair to judge her by the same standard as everyone else.

"That's got to be...rough." His voice softened slightly, though there was a note of uncertainty, as if he weren't sure how it might feel. And it was true; he'd never physically lost anyone before. He didn't have anyone to lose. He supposed that his family was somehow gone, if they still counted as such. If the absence of any sort of communication was any indication, then they didn't want to see him again. That in turn only intensified his sense of betrayal. He was the outcast for something he'd never meant to do, something he wished he could have avoided.

He sighed, steam billowing from his mouth as he continued to stare off into the distance, bow held limply in his right hand. He seemed to be warring with his desire to pretend that the conversation had never happened, and that he wasn't standing next to what was clearly a damsel in distress. But finally he gave, shoulders slumping slightly.

"Here," He turned to her, voice grudging, tugging her bow away from her. He set it down on the benches beneath the overhang, striding off across the field, back to the shed. After rummaging around for awhile, he returned with a smaller bow, two pulleys at either end. It was a more modern version of a compound bow, lightweight and precise.

He handed her the bow, standing off to the side with his hands in his pockets. After a moment of cold silence, he glanced over at her.
"I'm sorry about your boyfriend." He then gestured to the archery lanes, trying an uneasy smile. "At least the gods won't interfere with your aim."

[AUDREY JOCELYN MADDINGS]

"That's got to be...rough."

She nodded, mechanically. Audrey had never lost anyone before Noah. Maybe a few cousins she'd never even met but that wasn't the same. It hurts when the person is a huge part and then one day that big part is ripped away, never to return. It hurts, a lot. Noah was not only her boyfriend but her best friend. She'd known him for three years and to be honest, she had hoped he'd be apart of the rest of her life. But that dream was gone. Forever alone. Her hands dropped to her side, one reaching up to wipe the small tear off her face. Why was she such a wimp? Cried at every possible thing. She let out a small cough and then looked at Jon. "It's, well, it's not easy." By looking at his face she could tell something was off. He was confused, in a strange way. Sighing she went to shoot again, but ended up missing again. God, so she was an emotional wreck and couldn't shoot for the life of her. How much better could life get? "Here," he said roughly and grabbed her bow, setting it down on the benches and then going to the shed to get her a new one. Audrey stood there waiting rather awkwardly. Then a little while later she watched him as he trudged back with a different bow in his hands. He handed it to her and she arranged it to test it out. Once everything was set, she shot and the arrow landed directly on the target.

Giving a small smile, she looked back at him. "Thanks." she said, turning back towards the target when he spoke again."I'm sorry about your boyfriend.".... "At least the gods won't interfere with your aim." She frowned and then gave a small laugh. He had a point there. Still, she could sense something was off. Even after just meeting Jon, she could tell he was confused. Trying to decide what it was she frowned. There were to options, 1) hes confused about something else 2) hes confused about her. If anything, she knew what he'd be confused about. Looking up at him once again, she sighed and spoke. "You look confused... did, like, I did do something wrong?" God, she was such an idiot. Such an idiot. She wished someone at this school would just slap her, maybe then she'd have some sense. Maybe she could ask Jade...

NOTES: this post is a fail. an epic fail of a big bowl of fail.

[jwb]

He had turned back to his own target, bow raised, until she spoke again. Slowly he lowered the weapon back to his side, releasing the string so he would make no mistakes. One corner of his mouth twitched up in a surprised smile as he glanced over at her.

"No, not at all, I was just thinking..." He shook his head slightly, frowning again, blinking slowly as he looked away again. Toying with the bow, he suddenly brought his aim up, smiling fiercely as he stared down the target. "Actually, you just reminded me of something." He loosed, and this time the arrow shot through the canvas, punching a hole near the center. He stared at it for a moment, as if debating his next move.

"How did you feel? Back when it happened?" His voice was light, conversational, and he stepped away from the lane, attentively awaiting an answer. Eyes oddly intense, he watched her, aware that he was coming across with more of an interrogative tone than he wanted. He wasn't here to be her psychologist; maybe if he was the helpful type, the one that always knew what to say, he might have actually tried to get to know her. But the thought never entered his mind, that she was a potential friend, and there was only personal gain in his questions. As if he was compiling a little list of what it was appropriate to feel when he eventually had to face the death of someone close. Now that was a disturbing thought. Scarlet was the most important element in his life. What would it be like to lose her? Even if they simply went their separate ways?

[AUDREY JOCELYN MADDINGS]

"How did you feel? Back when it happened?"

Silence entered the air when he was done talking. No one had even considered asking her that before but she wasn't mad. No, in fact it was more effort in trying to understand then many had shown. Which was a sad, sad amount. She bit the bottom of her lip and looked at the ground, thinking back to when the school told her what had happened. All the feelings swarmed together that day, starting the beginning of her emotional break down. She remembered the strongest feeling being the idea of never seeing Noah again. For all their normal, daily things to do to pass by without being done. Like going to the stables or the archery field where noah would let her practice a tiny bit before they'd start making out. No matter what they did to try to change it, they usually always did that sometime during the week. Looking at her hands, she felt sick to her stomach. How they used to hold hands every second of every moment, mainly because of Audrey being a bit clingy. Shaking her head only slightly, she looked at Jon who was waiting on an answer.

"The worst feeling was the idea of never getting to see him again. Never to hold his hand or kiss him. But I felt hopeless, like there was no tomorrow. Like... I didn't believe it at first until everything started settling in. How all the things we did normally, would just pass by. I felt like everything was my fault and I still do...." She could go on but it was more lovey dovey, i miss you stuff and he didn't look like the type to really wanna hear about that. She hoped she had said the right thing, not that there really was a right thing to have been said. What Audrey had felt really was complicated. Which was the same thing the gods had been throwing at her ever since. "It's hard to explain, but I'll claim it as one of the worst feelings in the world."

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