This could be heaven or this could be hell |Tempy|

Erin had just arrived maybe two days ago and she hadn't even taken a moment to unpack. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Erin walked into the auditorium- a little delighted that no one was there at the moment. Holding her cat, Alexandra to her chest she stroked it's head while walking toward the stage curious as to what this new school had to offer. She paused though as she got to the stairs, and almost tripped as an unwanted to memory assaulted her senses. Not wanting to be buried in the past she shook her head roughly for a moment and then sighed. Her emotions were sort of mixed when her thoughts lingered on the past, oh how she wanted to forget everything... but the fact that she had gotten a cat and named it Alex had proved that she wouldn't be forgetting anything anytime soon.

Stepping onto the stage she sat down and let her legs dangle over the edge while setting Alexandra down next to her. The elegant looking cat purred as Erin idly let her fingers run over it's body.

[ooc; photobucket.com/image/white%20cat/singingwarrior78531/WhiteCat.jpg?o=4 <-- The pretty kitty. ^_^]

"This must be the auditorium... this pamphlet says something about recitals and musicals... How exciting!"
"Oh, stop gushing Therese. It's almost exactly like where the boy used to go. You yourself have seen what good came of that."

A tall man wearing a suit entered the auditorium, his eyes locked on his ex-wife's face. A derisive sneer marred his otherwise handsome features. "There's nothing that will help him, Therese. I don't understand why you continue to harbor hopes for our child, the delinquent."

A woman with lines of care on her face was at his side, protesting, "You proposed we send him to a reform school! How much progress could he possibly make amongst other boys who behave the same way? Not only do we have to contend with his fists, James, but with this water-thing."

Following them with a sullen look on his face was the object of their conversation. Alexander was looking at his father with an expression that would have melted steel. Hate radiated from his person far more strongly now than it ever had.

"Yes, about that... I'm sure there's a way to curve it. IF you would only let the specialists take a look..."
"I WILL NOT HAVE MY CHILD EXPERIMENTED ON!" the woman yelled, her curly brown hair slipping out of its ponytail.
The man shrugged. "It might be our only recourse if he continues this downward spiral. He was expelled again- he was going to cross the border, for heaven's sake. You contin- oh." He'd noticed the girl sitting on the stage and an indignant look came on his face.
Obviously, he didn't like the fact that he was airing the family's dirty laundry in public. He took his wife's elbow and ushered her outside, making no move to invite his son.

But it wasn't like he would have been heeded if he had. Alexander's teal eyes were locked on the girl sitting on the stage.
It couldn't be. A look of shock crossed his face before another scowl settled in. He moved close enough to ask, "What are you doing here?"

As an older couple walked in, Erin looked up curiously and frowned. They argued for a few minutes, but as she spotted the one person she thought she would never see for the rest of her life- time paused for a moment and so did her breathing. Everything came crashing down though, as he walked over to her and spoke. Her hand itched to slap that scowl off his face, it was amazing how she could go from mellow in one moment and then seething mad the next. Taking Alexandra and holding her protectively against her chest, Erin glared at Alex "I," she said emphasizing I "go to school here now," she then gave him a sort of cold but coy expression "What are you doing here?"

Alexander answered with a derisive glare and an angry, "This is my new prison."

A dangerous smile came to his face. "But they don't understand that I just don't care enough to follow orders and stay here like some kind of..." he glanced at her cat and finished, "pet."

Meanwhile, he was having the same issues he'd had back at his old school. He'd loved Erin once. Then she'd pushed him away and he saw himself as he truly was: weak.

He was reaffirmed of his former beliefs that people were all the more easily broken if they opened up to others.

His arms folded across his chest, obscuring the logo on the otherwise plain black shirt he was wearing.

"So... you happy here?"

Erin sighed as he spoke, his voice caressing her skin even if it was angry at one moment and then curious the next. Assuming it was safe enough, Erin set her cat down and responded "I just got here like... two days ago," she said simply trying her best to be emotionless but failing miserably. She was about to speak again, but the moment her attention was away from Alexandra though, with a little tingle of the bell on it's collar it jumped down from stage and started to head toward the door. Erin gasped and jumped down also, colliding with Alex for only a split second before going after her cat. "Alexandra! Come back!" she yelled quickly catching it. A second passed though when Erin had realized what she had did, pausing she looked back at the real Alex seeming kind of surprised.

Alex just stood there for a moment, a half-pained look on his face. Just her touch had opened up a part of his mind that he'd locked off a while ago.

He recovered, though, and scowled. "You named your cat after me?" Alex leaned against the stage. "I must have meant nothing to you. A pet, at most."

The boy ran a hand through his strange hair and said derisively, "Good. I never looked back. I would be in Mexico now, if my license hadn't been revoked." A lie had been slipped in there, but she wouldn't know.

"Pick up any more pets, Erin? I bet you like it that way- you can tell them what to do all you want. You won't even have to worry about them trying to butt in and interfere in your business."

Erin's eyes went wide at his words, and for a moment her face cleared of all colour but in the next second it all came back as her eyes went from surprised to anger. "Are you stupid or something?" she got up holding Alexandra to her chest with one hand and flexing the other. Walking over to him Erin slapped him straight in the face, and then the waterworks began. "You must be stupid to not realize the difference between wanting a connection and just owning a animal!" clutching the cat desperately to her chest she stared at him defiantly for a moment tempted to stretch her arms out wide, hug him and hold on forever... she knew she couldn't though. Erin chewed on her lip instead, a nervous habit she had gotten maybe a year ago.

Alex's cheek stung, but he remained as cold as ever. "Keep your connections," he spat. "You severed ours yourself. You can't possibly think that a name is going to make any sort of difference in that regard."

Her anger, the fire in her stance... it all reminded him of times where he'd been fooled into thinking he was happy. But he wasn't going to fall for it twice.

But the tears... Jeebus, he felt something twitch in his heart at that and he got absolutely furious. "I know what you're trying to do, he shouted, "You're going to make me return to the way I was... I was weak then, and I refuse to let you in!" He was no longer cool in demeanor. He was drawing away from her, as though distance could lessen this revitalized whatever he was feeling. "You hear me? I am no longer willing to be your pet, Erin! You can try to get me to cave with tears and explanations, but I'm not falling for you again."

Somehow, it sounded like he was saying that too adamantly...

Erin stared at him helplessly, it was pretty much impossible for her to control the tears now that they had started. "You were never my pet!" she said intent on invading his personal space. As he moved away she just followed, setting her cat down on a chair near them she then turned her full attention to Alex. She attempted to wipe some of her tears away, but to no avail they just kept on coming. "You were never supposed to go away! Yell, refuse... anything but walk away!" though she continued to cry she stared at him angrily. Erin couldn't refuse her feeling, she could never really dodge the emotion she got when she looked at him. In need of some contact she pushed him roughly, "I didn't want you to go away!" she sobbed.

Alex started stuttering. She was relentless. He ended up stuttering as he backed up, "Y-you pushed me away! Hey! Stop t-turning this on me, I'm n-not responsi-"

When she pushed him, he stumbled and ended up sitting in one of the audience chairs. He looked stunned for a moment, but came back in full force.

"Then what was I, Erin?!?" he finally yelled, rising to his feet so that he was standing, even if it was very close to the girl. "If I wasn't your pet, what was I? I was not going to stand by while you were in danger! There was no equality in that! You MADE me your subordinate! Why should I stick around if that's what I have to look forward to?"

D***, it was not supposed to be this hard to hate a person.

She was just about to continue as he yelled at her, and for a moment Erin stared at him almost clueless as to what to say. "You were...," she looked away from him still with tears running down her face. "We belonged to each other," she said quietly. Almost desperate for some hope she lightly touched his chest and looked down, now a little afraid to look him in the eye. "I was wrong...," she mumbled "I'm sorry...," she didn't know what else to say or what else she could do.

Alex closed his eyes. An apology wasn't really what he was looking for. Once again, Erin had established her innate ability to confuse the hell outta him.

He cupped his left hand under her chin, lifting it up so he could look at her face. "No," he replied, "I belonged to you and, when it came down to it, you belonged to nobody."

A strange glint came to his eyes as he added, "Your apology is not accepted."
A mischievous grin curved his lips when he suddenly got a brilliant idea. "But you can make it up to me if you come out to the meadow tomorrow. Wear something comfortable."

He put up his walls directly afterwards and stepped around Erin. The scowl returned and his arms folded over his chest again. Still, it was not quite as bad as before...

Erin stared at him curiously for a moment, not really understanding his thoughts but nodding nonetheless. "Okay," she said finally managed to stop crying, but as she spotted his personality change Erin frowned and took Alexandra from the seat she had been resting peacefully on- totally ignorant to the fighting that had been going on. "I'll be there then," she suddenly said heading toward the door she left without saying goodbye. She wanted to, but just couldn't muster up the courage as her feet lead her out the door.

|ooc; end board?|

Alex's eyes surreptitiously followed Erin out of the room, but he made no move to go after her or say anything more. It would all be apparent as soon as-

Wait a minute... what have I done?!?

D***, I'm weak again! She did it again!

He punched a nearby chair as his parents walked in. His mother was livid, but his father still carried the self-important smugness of a person who knew he was going to win all arguments.

Alexander had a feeling that his mother had reluctantly agreed to whatever his father had planned for Alex if this school didn't work out. It didn't matter. Alexander would not be here for very long if he had his way about it.

He'd escaped before, it would be simple enough to do so again.

He sullenly followed his parents out of the room.

||Yep!||