[right][sub][color=crimson]LOCATION[/color] ⤑ [color=hotpink]Brady Household[/color]
[color=crimson]TIME[/color] ⤑ [color=hotpink]Late Afternoon[/color]
[color=crimson]INTERACTING WITH[/color] ⤑ Arthur [Boyfriend], Alyssa [Friend]
[color=crimson]FEELING[/color] ⤑ [color=hotpink]Neutral. Although...[/color]
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Eva concluded that maybe she was getting a little too attached to Arthur. This thought came because after he had told her he had something to do in the evening, her mind went to a very sad place where all she could think about was holding his hand and playing with his hair and other silly things. She felt like a puppy watching its owner leave the house for the first time, and she knew it wasn't healthy. Some time apart was for the better, although she still watched him as he left. Alyssa nodded at Arthur's words, though she stuck her tongue out at him as he drove off. "[color=orange]Come along, then, if you get so much as a paper cut he'll flip out,[/color]" She said, beckoning for Eva to follow her. "[color=orange]Honestly...he's just a little too serious, don't you think?[/color]"

"[color=pink]Is he?[/color]" Eva asked as they walked into Alyssa's house. Following Alyssa up to her room, she sat at Alyssa's desk, pulling out her homework. "[color=pink]I guess you have a point, but I really like it. He's so mature and cool...[/color]" 

"[color=orange]And 'mysterious' and 'handsome', we've all heard the Evangeline Chronicles on Arthur Myles,[/color]" She joked, jumping on her bed, grinning. "[color=orange]Helene mentioned that she thought you liked him because he looked like someone named Julius, but I didn't know what she was talking about,[/color]" Alyssa didn't notice Eva tense up immensely at the other name. "[color=orange]Who's Julius?[/color]"

Keeping her eyes on her paper, she figured she may as well answer. "[color=pink]Julius is...my ex-boyfriend from the last school we went to,[/color]" She admitted quietly, letting out a sigh. "[color=pink]I guess I can see where she's coming from. The first time I saw Arthur, he reminded me a lot of him, so maybe she's on to something.[/color]"

"[color=orange]So he was tall, blonde, and scary, too?[/color]" Alyssa asked.

She shook her head. "[color=pink]No. Julius was more light hearted and jovial.[/color]"

"[color=orange]See, I can see you with someone like that,[/color]" She admitted, although something occurred to her. "[color=orange]So, what, you guys broke up when you moved here?[/color]" To her surprise, Eva didn't respond, although she could see her writing something down. "[color=orange]...is that something I shouldn't ask?[/color]"

The blonde finally looked at Alyssa, her expression relatively neutral. "[color=pink]It's a long story. I'll tell you someday, but right now...I'd rather not talk about him. I can tell you at least that he dumped me, so there's that,[/color]" She admitted that much as she looked back at the desk. "[color=pink]You know, that reminds me, does that mean you and Helene are talking again? I feel like you two are fighting about more than just Jacob.[/color]"

Crap, Eva being astute as always. But despite their disagreements, both Helene and Alyssa had compromised that Eva not get involved. Alyssa tapped her notebook with her pen as Eva looked back at her curiously, and Alyssa shook her head. "[color=orange]She just thinks Jacob is bad for me. If I'm being completely honest, she's right, but...I can't stay away,[/color]" She cheerfully admitted.

Eva relaxed, returning her smile. "[color=pink]Then you two should make up soon, okay?[/color]"

[hr]

[i]It was snowing that day, a surprise for everyone. It fell at least once a year, though it never did stick to the ground. Either way, Helene always liked to sit by the window and watch it fall. But as she walked, her little hands tried to grasp the falling snowflakes, but when she opened her hands to look at them, they were gone. She could hear a gentle laugh, and she looked up at its source. The beautiful eyes that looked down at her were so warm and full of love that she felt that she could never match that love herself. Her mother smiled down at her, her long, red hair quietly gathering snowflakes. Helene dropped her arms to her sides, though raised her hand as her mother offered hers, and together they continued walking along the streets. As she looked up at her mother, she looked like she was thinking of something. Maybe she missed Papa, it had been some time since he had come home. 

She asked a question, though whether it was relevant or not, she couldn't remember, although she did recall the large building they stood in front of. The stones were all different shades of gray at first, but she her attention went to the voice yelling at them from above. It was Oncle Gaspard! She loved visiting him, but his face was one of fear, shouting something at them. Her mother's face changed from its calm to match his fear, though she looked towards the street, taking Helene in her arms. The stones were no longer gray, instead they gained specks of red, and together they fell on the concrete. Her mother's embrace was still tight, using her body to protect her daughter, and the one thing Helene remembered was her wondering where Papa was and why he wasn't there to protect Mama.[/I]

Waking up startled, Helene looked around as she sat up. Her room looked so unfamiliar to her that it took her a moment to realize where she was, and she was breathing heavily. She hadn't thought about her mother in a while, so it was to be expected, but she felt like that same little girl all over again. Evan had made the right call; she was wide awake and her hangover came and gone. Running her hands through her hair, she was dismayed at how sticky it was. Smelling like pure vodka, Helene shook her head in disgust, going to the bathroom and running a hot shower. The warmth of the water felt good, and after washing her hair, she sat back in her room and ran a blow dryer over it. Running a brush through her hair, she temporarily flashed back to Isaac holding her locks between his fingers and let out a sigh. Right, she was going over to the Patrone's later. Staring at her reflection, she didn't like how Evan was so disappointed in her. But at the very least, he was going to let her go and defend herself. Her hand went to her cheek, and she found herself wondering if Terrance was alright. Taking on someone like that, especially after disappearing into the ocean with two other girls...what was he thinking? Helene couldn't figure it out for the life of her, although as she finished, she put her chin in her hands. Her phone beeped, and as she glanced at the time, she realized she needed to get ready.

She was unfocused, but by sheer force of habit, she pulled a more casual red dress out of the closet, finding matching shoes shortly afterwards, and as she searched her vanity for a pair of earrings, she caught herself looking into the mirror. If her mother was alive, would she have comforted her, or would she have scolded her as Evan did? There were a lot of times Helene felt lost, and despite Evan and Ariadne doing their best to have an influence over her upbringing, it wasn't the same. She threw herself into expensive clothes and jewels, having comfort in enhancing her beauty, but it was never enough. Letting out another sigh, she went for a pair of dangling earrings that she had first bought because they looked like a pair her mother had many years ago, and she stared at herself again. Her expression was still miserable, and she let out a groan, covering her face with her hands. Why was she feeling this way? She needed to get ready, she needed to make herself beautiful, but it felt so empty. What was the point of it? So she could have more men fight over her? That thought made her feel sick, and suddenly her line of makeup and accessories looked so shallow to her.

A knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts, and she cleared her throat. "[color=lightsalmon]Come in,[/color]" She called, watching Gigi poke her head inside cautiously. A pang of guilt hit her, and she looked down. "[color=lightsalmon]About last night...[/color]"

Seeing her sorry expression told Gigi it was safe to come into the bedroom. "[color=orangered]Feel better?[/color]" She asked.

No. But she wasn't sure why. "[color=lightsalmon]I'm sorry,[/color]" She apologized.

"[color=orangered]It's fine. Whenever you finish, we can go,[/color]" Gigi said, though she was surprised when Helene would stand. "[color=orangered]What is it?[/color]"

"[color=lightsalmon]Why do you think the fight happened?[/color]" She asked, surprising Gigi.

"[color=orangered]General male horniness,[/color]" Came Gigi's blunt answer, and Helene couldn't help but laugh at it. "[color=orangered]Well, you have two guys fighting over a hot girl with daddy issues...seems like another day in the life of Helene. Didn't Connor Trotsky and Dylan Cole get into a fight over you back in freshman year, too?[/color]"

Helene shook her head as she smiled, though she took out a shimmery lip gloss, coating her lips until she was satisfied. "[color=lightsalmon]True, but I didn't love--[/color]" She caught herself, earning her a look from Gigi. "[color=lightsalmon]...things were easier back then.[/color]" She continued quietly, putting the lip gloss away.

The denial was strong. "[color=orangered]What's stopping you now?[/color]"

Taking her phone in her hand, she looked at Gigi seriously. "[color=lightsalmon]I don't want to get attached to anyone...just in case. Ariadne is keeping me in the dark, but I'm not stupid. I know Bastien's closing in...the only question is who will die first, me or him?[/color]" She sighed, following Gigi out to her car. To her surprise, Gigi opened up the passenger's side for her, letting Helene ride along and not have to drive. "[color=lightsalmon]I don't want anyone else to get hurt if it can be helped.[/color]"

"[color=orangered]I won't let anything happen to you,[/color]" Gigi replied rather firmly as she turned the car on and backed out of the driveway. "[color=orangered]My mission is to protect you at any cost.[/color]"

And that was what Helene was afraid of. The rest of the drive was quiet, though they arrived rather quickly at the Patrone residence, and she felt her stomach knot up again. She noticed Gigi wearing her jacket again, and wondered if she was armed. She seemed to have noticed, and patted it down, showing she was unarmed. Somehow that relaxed her immensely, although she figured Gigi missed the point when she pointed towards the trunk. What the heck was she carrying back there? As Gigi rang the door bell, Helene forced herself to be as calm as possible. She was slightly surprised when Jacob opened the door, though she quietly followed him into the house. Gigi chose to hang back, standing but relaxing as she went on her phone, and Helene stared at her lap. It took Gigi prodding her to realize she needed to go into Mr. Carbone's office.

"[color=lightsalmon]Bonsoir,[/color]" The French greeting came out automatically as she took her seat, properly sitting up. Mr. Patrone raised an eyebrow at her, and she found herself meekly looking away for a moment. Now that she was here, she had no idea what to say. "[color=lightsalmon]I wanted to apologize. I can't help but feel I'm as much to blame as Terrance and Isaac.[/color]"

"[b]And this is because...?[/b]" When Helene couldn't find a proper response, he waved her concerns away. "[b]You blame yourself for being powerless to stop it when in fact my son and Terrance should have known better than to disrespect themselves in front of a lady, much less one of your stature.[/b]" Damn, he hit the nail on the head with that, though as she dared herself to look at him, she didn't find scolding eyes, only understanding ones. "[b]It must be difficult for someone of your standing to have men fight over you, though I would think you would be used to it.[/b]"

Shit, he sounded just like Gigi. "[color=lightsalmon]Not like that,[/color]" She said.

He watched her for a moment, and it almost felt like he was trying to read her mind. Of course, as soon as that thought crossed her mind, he decided to say, "[b]The two seem to be very fond of you. What do you think about that?[/b]"

The bluntness of the question caught her off guard, and she found herself fiddling with her hair. "[color=lightsalmon]It's...flattering, I admit. Isaac sort of came in and charmed his way since we met. And Terrance...[/color]" Her voice trailed off as her expression softened, though she frowned. "[color=lightsalmon]I don't know what he's thinking. On the beach we were all together. He went off on his own for a bit with...other girls...[/color]" The last part seemed to come off as a mumble, but Mr. Patrone still understood. "[color=lightsalmon]I thought that he ended what we were. So when Isaac showed up, I just figured it was time to move on.[/color]"

"[b]To move on?[/b]" He caught her words, and she flushed red and she placed her face in her hands. "[b]You seem uncertain about that. Is it that you still want him?[/b]"

"[color=lightsalmon]No,[/color]" It came out a lot faster than she had intended. "[color=lightsalmon]I think...it's best if I was just alone.[/color]"

Mr. Patrone didn't seem convinced by the slightest, and Helene couldn't tell what he was thinking. Still, he seemed to have gathered something from what she said, understanding something she didn't, and let out a chuckle. "[b]I have to offer my sincerest apologies. I'm more than certain that if your uncle caught wind of this, he would be most displeased. What is it that I can do to solve this situation?[/b]"

"[color=lightsalmon]I really don't think it's needed, I promise,[/color]" She tried to reassure him.

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