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       #Post#: 612--------------------------------------------------
       Natalie's Studio
       By: Mascii Date: May 31, 2013, 7:21 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
  HTML https://a2.muscache.com/pictures/5538567/large.jpg
  HTML http://www.eastcityart.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_8847-e1365212435976.jpg
       Since Natalie's parents do not live near the Academy, Dr. Ramsey
       arranged for her to have housing near the campus. She receives a
       monthly allowance in the form of a scholarship, and she has
       become increasingly talented at stretching the pennies out and
       making them dance for her. Natalie found an old, run-down duplex
       apartment and has been working on repairing it into her ideal
       studio/home. The lower half of the house almost feels like it
       used to be a storage unit, with plain cement still visible as a
       floor and ugly, white, heavily-spackled walls. The bicycle
       Natalie takes to school is parked just inside the door, and
       there is an over-stuffed couch she found and a small table with
       folding chairs. The table is supposed to be for eating, but
       nobody ever eats there. They always just move to the couch,
       leaving a trail behind them of crumbs and dirty dishes that she
       lets pile up on the chipped wooden coffee table. The kitchen
       barely exists, a couple of cupboards and a small sink that is
       tucked away beneath the wooden set of stairs that a friend of
       hers made. Being nice to the kids in woodshop certainly paid
       off. Random instruments and props lay around for no apparent
       reason than that Natalie took a liking to them - a bongo drum
       set, a couple of video game consoles Clarence gifted/loaned to
       her, a record player, etc. There is also a big heavy box which
       once contained a set of discarded Encyclopedias, which Natalie
       very cautious turned upside down, and stacked the Encyclopedias
       on top. She had been a little disappointed to note that volume 6
       was missing, but they were free so she couldn't complain.
       There is one little bathroom, mostly a dirty toilet and a tiny
       shower, and it is slipped at the foot of the stairs quite
       inconveniently, so that whenever someone opens the door, no one
       can walk up or down the stairs, but this hasn't been too much of
       an inconvenience for Natalie or her friends thus far.
       Going upstairs, there is cheap flooring laid down, but the walls
       are still a painful looking white. But in this room, there are
       purposes to that. Natalie has combined the only bedroom into a
       photography studio, with a large roll of white paper hung on one
       wall for an instant neutral background, and with tons of lights
       and tripods and props scattered around. The majority of the room
       consists of a large wooden workbench that is absolutely covered
       in her painting supplies, including her current project
  HTML http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/184/9/f/9f6d29c8041120635e75def4a7c331ec-d3kv8xx.png<br
       />for her best friend, Erin. There is a tiny twin bed shoved int
       o
       the corner, with a second-hand comforter, along with a worn out
       and horribly flat pillow from back home, which she keeps for
       sentimental reasons. On the wall just above the bed she keeps
       photos of her sister and her friends, along with several choice
       shots of her boyfriend, who always has to play the model for her
       when she gets bored. Some of the photos are taken with an
       old-fashioned instant camera, the colors slightly warped in a
       way that she likes.
       Just beyond the bed is a doorway into a crawlspace turned
       storage space, which is where she keeps the free furniture she
       collects, and an entire wall of clothing and costumes. She still
       feels that her collections are scanty and it is hard to fill in
       a picture of exactly what she likes, but she has a limited
       budget, so she can't spend too much. Many of the things she buys
       are second-hand at local thrift shops or found on the curb, and
       she spends a lot of time cleaning them up and bringing them back
       to life.
       #Post#: 616--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Natalie's Studio
       By: GGJ5 Date: May 31, 2013, 10:47 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Erin Spenser
       She loved it when she visited Natalie. Her studio home was one
       of the most comfortable, happy, free places she knew. In a lot
       of ways, it felt the exact opposite of Erin's home. Not that her
       home was unhappy or anything... but here she felt much more
       free, much more herself, and much more engaged. There was always
       some cool art project that Natalie was working on, and even
       though Erin wasn't the greatest artist in the world, she always
       loved experimenting with the art things Natalie didn't need or
       didn't mind sharing.
       Erin arrived with her booksack in tow, filled with a bunch of
       random crap like DVDs and her computer and CDs she'd made to
       give to Natalie but kept forgetting at home and a massive
       blanket they could both hide under if they wanted. Or make a
       blanket fort. Natalie's place was perfect for blanket forts,
       definitely.
       Really, though, as much as she wanted to have fun with Natalie,
       Erin couldn't shake off the reason she was feeling so down.
       She'd made a whole list in her journal of all the things that
       were going wrong, and she wanted more than anything for it to be
       all better.
       She opened the door to the warehouse-like building and set her
       bag down by it once she stepped inside. "Hey, Natalie, I'm
       here!"
       #Post#: 657--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Natalie's Studio
       By: Mascii Date: June 2, 2013, 3:01 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Natalie Aldis
       She was still wearing her pajamas - actually an over-sized shirt
       she had stolen from Clarence - and was sitting at her desk
       painting and eating a half-stale sandwich when she heard Erin
       come in. Typically speaking, Clarence would nag her for leaving
       the front door unlocked, and she wasn't exactly happy with the
       idea, either, but she knew that she may not hear Erin knocking
       downstairs, and it was only for a few minutes, really. Motley
       Crue was playing through her crummy little speaker she had
       rigged up to her laptop downstairs, and she was humming along to
       them singing about sex, drugs, and rock & roll while completely
       in her own art world.
       Sure, some people had apparently said lately that, "Natalie, for
       an artist, you don't talk about art that much." But what was the
       point of talking about something when you could show it to them?
       Sure, she could ramble about 'Painter Problems' or 'How Much I
       Love And Hate Charcoal Simultaneously', but that was nothing
       compared to the pride she felt at being able to show her
       finished work to her friends.
       "Hey, Natalie, I'm here!" came a distant voice, and Natalie
       jumped up from her table and thundered her way down the stairs,
       wrapping her friend in a hug.
       "I think you needed a hug!" she said over the music, bouncing
       her way over to the grocery bags she'd left still unpacked "I
       have snacks! There's gummy worms, Cheese-Itz, popcorn, I ordered
       a pizza, and there's always soda, of course. Let's eat, drink,
       and be merry! What movie are you in the mood for? And do you
       want to play Mousetrap?"
       #Post#: 660--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Natalie's Studio
       By: GGJ5 Date: June 2, 2013, 9:39 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Erin Spenser
       "Hey, Natalie, I'm here!" Erin called. She didn't have to wait
       long, thankfully, to see Natalie's face and to be enveloped in
       her frenzied hug. "I think you needed a hug!" Natalie declared,
       and Erin nodded, holding onto the hug a little longer before
       letting Natalie go. It was definitely what she needed... at
       least one of the things she needed.
       Natalie rushed over to some grocery bags she hadn't unpacked
       yet. Aw, she went shopping for this? For me? Erin followed in
       her wake to see what she'd chosen to spend money on.
       "I have snacks! There's gummy worms, Cheese-Itz, popcorn, I
       ordered a pizza, and there's always soda, of course. Let's eat,
       drink, and be merry! What movie are you in the mood for? And do
       you want to play Mousetrap?"
       Despite herself, a smile formed on Erin's face. Natalie was
       contagious, and she loved it. "Dang, girl, you went all out."
       She quickly hugged Natalie again, trying to let her know through
       the simple action that she was so, so grateful for her. "I want
       to watch something stupid and mindless and funny, like Easy A or
       The Mummy!" Erin did her best to sound cheery, hoping that would
       make her stop feeling so mopey for a while. It didn't really
       work so well.
       She dug a bit through Natalie's snacks, mostly for a way to
       occupy her hands for a minute. "I can't believe you still have
       all the pieces to Mousetrap... My parents had to buy me like
       three different ones when I was little, because I kept loosing
       half the pieces but I thought it was the coolest thing..."
       After a moment, Erin looked up at Natalie, feeling totally
       pathetic for letting herself get so upset in the first place.
       One hand twisted her hair around her finger. "I don't wanna be
       such a downer, Nats, I'm sorry..." Her face fell into a frown as
       she chewed on the inside of her cheek. Her eyes drifted down to
       the floor, and her thoughts drifted somewhere else. It was
       really starting to feel as though she was doomed when it came to
       all her guy friends, whether she was interested in them or not.
       Everything she said or did just seemed to get people frantic,
       hurt, upset, or pushed them away in general. And she hated that
       last one more than anything else. But as much as she wanted to
       fix it, Erin couldn't figure out what she was doing wrong.
       #Post#: 668--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Natalie's Studio
       By: Mascii Date: June 4, 2013, 1:46 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Natalie Aldis
  HTML http://www.denimology.com/2009/04/Avril-Lavigne-in-Abbey-Dawn-Denim-Jean-Mini-skirt-JT-4.jpg
       "I have snacks! There's gummy worms, Cheese-Itz, popcorn, I
       ordered a pizza, and there's always soda, of course. Let's eat,
       drink, and be merry! What movie are you in the mood for? And do
       you want to play Mousetrap?" She was prepared and fully ready
       for 'girl-time' mode, whatever it was that Erin needed for that
       time. Whether it was to angrily rant and muse about how
       distrusting and confusing boys were, or to mope and encourage
       her into believing she would find the right guy, or just
       distracting her from thinking about it at all, Natalie was good
       to go.
       A smile crept onto Erin's face, but it didn't quite reach her
       huge, chocolate eyes. "Dang, girl, you went all out." She
       quickly hugged Natalie again, the enthusiasm still not there,
       but the thankfulness there despite how upset she was. "I want to
       watch something stupid and mindless and funny, like Easy A or
       The Mummy!"
       "Gotcha covered," Natalie declared, sending her friend a thumbs
       up and a wink. "I've got your stupid, your extra-stupid, and
       your extra-stupid-with-a-side-of-stupid."
       They started to dig through their snacks, and Natalie couldn't
       resist ripping open a bag of Cheetos. "I can never buy these
       when Clarence is coming over, the man inhales them, I swear,"
       she rolled her eyes as she spoke, eagerly shoving half a handful
       into her mouth and chewing noisily. Wiping her hands off on her
       jean skirt, she started to dig in her cupboard for the board
       games.
       "I can't believe you still have all the pieces to Mousetrap...
       My parents had to buy me like three different ones when I was
       little, because I kept loosing half the pieces but I thought it
       was the coolest thing..."
       "Well, I only bought it this year from that second-hand store,
       so I haven't had time to lose it. That, and Clarence usually
       just wants to play 'decent games' when he comes over. He's just
       a sore-loser, and he sucks at it." She laughed. "I was super
       surprised when I found it had all the pieces!"
       Natalie looked up at Erin, who was kind of staring a bit oddly
       and twisting her hair around a single finger, proof that she was
       trying not to get lost in thought. "I don't wanna be such a
       downer, Nats, I'm sorry..." The girl frowned, staring down at
       the ground, and Natalie went back up for another long hug.
       "Oh, honey-cakes...it's alright. If you want to veg, eat ice
       cream and do nothing, that's A-OK with me. But I figured,
       knowing you, that you would rather spend the time having fun."
       She paused a moment, drawing back far enough to take Erin's
       hands and give her a long look. "Hey, would you rather talk
       about it instead? You know me, I'm willing to listen anytime."
       #Post#: 709--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Natalie's Studio
       By: GGJ5 Date: June 12, 2013, 4:49 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Erin Spenser
       "I can't believe you still have all the pieces to Mousetrap...
       My parents had to buy me like three different ones when I was
       little, because I kept loosing half the pieces but I thought it
       was the coolest thing..." Erin tried to put more energy into her
       voice, but she really just didn't feel like it.
       "Well, I only bought it this year from that second-hand store,
       so I haven't had time to lose it. That, and Clarence usually
       just wants to play 'decent games' when he comes over. He's just
       a sore-loser, and he sucks at it." Natalie laughed, and Erin
       gave a smile in response. "I was super surprised when I found it
       had all the pieces!"
       "The board-game gods were with you that day," Erin replied,
       giving a little half-smile. "What makes a game 'decent' to
       Clarence, though?" she asked, genuinely curious. She drifted
       off, looking at nothing in particular as she twisted her hair
       absentmindedly around one finger. Once she realized what she was
       doing, Erin tried to apologize: "I don't wanna be such a downer,
       Nats, I'm sorry..." She frowned, staring down at the ground, and
       Natalie went back up for another long hug.
       "Oh, honey-cakes...it's alright. If you want to veg, eat ice
       cream and do nothing, that's A-OK with me. But I figured,
       knowing you, that you would rather spend the time having fun."
       Erin hugged back, tightly, grateful for Natalie's comfort. It
       was good to know Natalie was a safe place for her-- she wouldn't
       judge her, or shut her out when things weren't going well.
       Natalie was so good about listening, about being there, about
       distracting her when she wanted that instead, and about knowing
       exactly how to make Erin feel better. "I dunno what I want,
       Nats," she said, letting go of her hug and tucking a loose
       strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm just glad you're here for
       me."
       Natalie seemed to think for a moment, taking in Erin's
       expression. "Hey, would you rather talk about it instead? You
       know me, I'm willing to listen anytime."
       Erin did smile this time, though it was still a sad one. "I
       know, thanks, Nats. It's just..." She tugged at the collar of
       her shirt, working her lip. How much should she share?  Why
       shouldn't she share everything? Why was she even asking herself
       those questions? "It's just... I'm getting SO tired of messing
       everything up, and I really don't mean to, but-- First, there
       was the whole Amane thing, and I really was just trying to look
       out for Yukito, and that didn't go well... then I really upset
       Corzen, since I got so excited about those letters, and now
       Yukito's furious with me because of the whole Starbucks Girl
       thing, and I snapped at Chevy and he said I was ignorant and
       delusional, and--" The pace of her words had quickened as she
       spoke, her worries tumbling out like an avalanche. She wrapped
       her arms around herself, knowing how childish she looked but not
       caring, and sat down heavily. "And on top of all that, I ran
       into Amane at school today... literally..."
       #Post#: 714--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Natalie's Studio
       By: Mascii Date: June 15, 2013, 4:16 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Natalie Aldis
       She watched Erin's face, knowing that if she didn't find a way
       over this little hurdle, that Erin would be down in the dumps
       all day. And maybe she'd chipper up for Natalie's sake, but as
       soon as she went home, she would get on her computer, see
       everyone's comments, and be down again. She knew - she'd been
       there. But Natalie was sick of seeing fights between her friends
       every afternoon. "Hey, would you rather talk about it instead?
       You know me, I'm willing to listen anytime."
       Erin did smile this time, though it was still a sad one. "I
       know, thanks, Nats. It's just..." The younger girl hesitated for
       a moment, her expression a little torn, tugging at her collar.
       Natalie sent her a knowing look. Just tell me, why don't you?
       And then the words just tumbled out in a big heap of sounds.
       "It's just... I'm getting SO tired of messing everything up, and
       I really don't mean to, but-- First, there was the whole Amane
       thing, and I really was just trying to look out for Yukito, and
       that didn't go well... then I really upset Corzen, since I got
       so excited about those letters, and now Yukito's furious with me
       because of the whole Starbucks Girl thing, and I snapped at
       Chevy and he said I was ignorant and delusional, and--" She sat
       down, her arms wrapped around herself. Natalie slipped onto the
       arm of the couch, her lips pursed together in interest, trying
       to soften that knowing look. "And on top of all that, I ran into
       Amane at school today... literally..."
       "Well..." she said, drawing up one knee to her chest and resting
       her temple against her, both hands wrapped around her leg with
       fingers interlaced. She looked at Erin with eyes that sparkled
       with amusement, but she tried to be serious. "Tell me one thing
       first.. why do you keep trying to 'look out for Yukito'? Every
       time you try and be nice to him, he ends up whining like a baby
       and running off to pout. Why keep trying to be nice to him,
       after all the crap he's tried to pull?"
       "Secondly, Corzen. I think he's a whole category on his own. Did
       he really get that jealous over some stupid letters?" She
       frowned. Personally, she thought that the letters had come at a
       pretty good time for Erin. She had been feeling really down that
       day, and getting the letters seemed to be giving her a bit more
       bounce back in her step. Like the real Erin. But of
       course...shouldn't her boyfriend be doing that? She wasn't sure
       what to think of that. But how much did it matter, now that they
       had decided to break up? It was difficult, without having the
       full story from their lips directly.
       "And what exactly happened with Amane, anyways?" Natalie still
       had a hard time accepting Amane. She knew she'd been kind of
       cat-like, jumping on her before like an angry tiger as soon as
       the news came out that Amane had been the girl stalking and
       badgering Yukito. But even if she and Yukito didn't get along,
       it still wasn't fair to sit by and watch someone else get
       harassed.
       #Post#: 721--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Natalie's Studio
       By: GGJ5 Date: June 16, 2013, 3:59 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Erin Spenser
       It was almost too easy to spill out everything to Natalie: how
       she'd gotten too involved, how she'd ruined whatever she'd had
       with Corzen, and then Amane, whatever that meant.... Natalie was
       a safe place, and Erin couldn't keep it all in for every long,
       anyway. It was like a bad stomach bug-- better out than in, she
       thought dryly. But it did feel a little bit better, getting it
       out. Even if in some ways it made her feel sad again, being able
       to just get it all out there and share it with Natalie was like
       slicing it in half. She still felt pretty awful, but only half
       as awful.
       "Well..."  Natalie said, nestling into a comfy pillow-talk
       position. "Tell me one thing first.. why do you keep trying to
       'look out for Yukito'? Every time you try and be nice to him, he
       ends up whining like a baby and running off to pout. Why keep
       trying to be nice to him, after all the crap he's tried to
       pull?"
       Erin's expression faltered. That hadn't been what she was
       expecting at all. And for a moment, she didn't know how to
       answer. She just felt like she had to do those things. She had
       to keep trying. Right? Even as she opened her mouth to say it,
       though, Erin felt that tugging inside of her, the kind that
       shouted that it wasn't true... at least, not entirely. And it
       wasn't what Natalie probably meant, either. Erin fidgeted,
       working her lip as she tugged at her shirt hem, rubbing the
       cloth between her fingers nervously. "Well... I dunno,
       Natalie... I mean, don't you ever feel like you need to look out
       for someone? To make sure they know you care, a lot, even if
       they don't want to think about you caring?" She shifted in her
       chair, crossing one leg over the other, then just deciding to
       sit cross-legged, elbows on her knees.
       "I... I really... care about how he feels, I guess. I... I know
       if somehow someone can get through to him, things could be
       better for him. He's alone. He doesn't think he's worth much of
       anything, since Dr. Ramsey only treats him like an experiment,
       and not a person.... and since his wings don't work the way he
       thinks they should, he always gets down on himself about that,
       trying to make himself 'good enough' for him." She paused,
       frowning. "No one needs to be trapped like that.... " Erin
       looked out of the corner of her eye, giving a little shrug with
       one shoulder. "He doesn't know how to feel when someone treats
       him like a person instead of just a science experiment, I
       guess."
       "Secondly, Corzen. I think he's a whole category on his own. Did
       he really get that jealous over some stupid letters?" Natalie
       frowned, confusing Erin a little. Did she really doubt that?
       "Well... yeah. I mean, he also told me something about--" She
       paused, shifting uncomfortably again. "He was like, 'I don't
       want to stand between you and Yukito.' But there isn't a me and
       Yukito....There's a Yukito and Starbucks Girl, and that was
       after Corzen ended it, so... I guess that just confirms what we
       already knew, you know?" Erin's face bunched up, the feeling of
       frustration welling up inside her. "I don't get it-- he'd told
       me that he couldn't be with me, but that he liked me, or at
       least he used to... But he can be with her instead? I don't know
       how to feel about that at all, Natalie....
       "But Corzen..." She sighed. "He didn't like the letters. He
       didn't like me being excited about them. I mean, I guess that
       makes sense, though, right? I gave more attention to the letters
       than I did to him, so..." Again, she shrugged.
       "And what exactly happened with Amane, anyways?"
       Erin couldn't hold back the groan. "Eugh.... we just... talked
       today. It wasn't fun.... she cried, and I yelled, and it was
       stupid and sucky, but... I mean, everyone was harping on me
       about how I was treating her and all..." Erin let her words
       trail off, chewing on the inside of her cheek nervously.
       #Post#: 762--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Natalie's Studio
       By: Mascii Date: August 17, 2013, 4:06 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Natalie Aldis
       She was obviously unprepared for the straightforwardness of
       Natalie's queries, though she had totally meant them to be
       helpful, not discomfiting. Erin's fidgeting only proved her
       nervousness even more, and Natalie tilted her head to the side,
       curiously peering at her friend with a distinct side angle as
       she waited for an answer.
       "Well... I dunno, Natalie... I mean, don't you ever feel like
       you need to look out for someone? To make sure they know you
       care, a lot, even if they don't want to think about you caring?"
       She shifted in her chair, crossing one leg over the other, then
       just deciding to sit cross-legged, elbows on her knees.  Natalie
       had an answer, but she felt like what Erin needed more was to
       express her own opinion aloud. Natalie's view really didn't
       matter, anyways. Not with this.
       "I... I really... care about how he feels, I guess. I... I know
       if somehow someone can get through to him, things could be
       better for him. He's alone. He doesn't think he's worth much of
       anything, since Dr. Ramsey only treats him like an experiment,
       and not a person.... and since his wings don't work the way he
       thinks they should, he always gets down on himself about that,
       trying to make himself 'good enough' for him." She paused,
       frowning. "No one needs to be trapped like that.... " Erin
       looked out of the corner of her eye, giving a little shrug with
       one shoulder. "He doesn't know how to feel when someone treats
       him like a person instead of just a science experiment, I
       guess."
       "Hmm," Was all Natalie said, giving a nod to show that she was
       seriously considering Erin's words, but wouldn't be adding her
       own thoughts. At least, not yet. "Secondly, Corzen. I think he's
       a whole category on his own. Did he really get that jealous over
       some stupid letters?" Natalie frowned, disliking the additive
       complications of Corzen's reactions to all this.
       "Well... yeah. I mean, he also told me something about--" She
       paused, shifting uncomfortably again. "He was like, 'I don't
       want to stand between you and Yukito.' But there isn't a me and
       Yukito....There's a Yukito and Starbucks Girl, and that was
       after Corzen ended it, so... I guess that just confirms what we
       already knew, you know?" Erin's face scrunched up in a way that
       would have been adorable, if Natalie wasn't trying to focus on
       the problems at hand. "I don't get it-- he'd told me that he
       couldn't be with me, but that he liked me, or at least he used
       to... But he can be with her instead? I don't know how to feel
       about that at all, Natalie....  But Corzen..." She sighed. "He
       didn't like the letters. He didn't like me being excited about
       them. I mean, I guess that makes sense, though, right? I gave
       more attention to the letters than I did to him, so..." Again,
       she shrugged.
       "Well, I think it's healthy for a guy to be a bit jealous,
       especially if you're getting love notes left in your locker all
       the time," she acquiesced, worked her lip for a moment before
       adding, "But I don't think he should have decided for you what
       you should do about you and Yukito. I mean, that's assuming, and
       you know what happens when you assume and all." She shifted,
       smiling a little, "So..you really have no idea who sent them?
       Shouldn't you recognize the handwriting or style or something?!"
       "And what exactly happened with Amane, anyways?"
       Erin couldn't hold back the groan. "Eugh.... we just... talked
       today. It wasn't fun.... she cried, and I yelled, and it was
       stupid and sucky, but... I mean, everyone was harping on me
       about how I was treating her and all..." Erin let her words
       trail off, looking conflicted.
       "What." Natalie said, her voice deep in shock.
       #Post#: 767--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Natalie's Studio
       By: GGJ5 Date: August 17, 2013, 10:13 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Erin Spenser
       "He didn't like the letters," Erin said, thinking of how quickly
       Corzen had gotten upset. And she honestly hadn't thought he'd
       get upset. She honestly hadn't thought it was that important to
       him. Now, it seemed to her a really, really stupid thing to
       think. She frowned. "He didn't like me being excited about them.
       I mean, I guess that makes sense, though, right? I gave more
       attention to the letters than I did to him, so..." Again, she
       shrugged. Erin was starting to feel a bit grumpy. She didn't
       come over to relive why today sucked. She came over to have her
       friend with her, to hopefully be distracted, but if she couldn't
       be, at least Nats would be there for her to cry like a baby. She
       really did hate crying, but for some reason when it came to
       boys, it kept happening...
       "Well, I think it's healthy for a guy to be a bit jealous,
       especially if you're getting love notes left in your locker all
       the time," Natalie commented.
       Erin gave a little shrug. "Yeah, but it wasn't a lot, really.
       Just two or three or whatever... I did get too excited about
       them though, I guess... But who wouldn't get excited about that?
       Who doesn't want a sweet secret admirer like that?"
       "But I don't think he should have decided for you what you
       should do about you and Yukito. I mean, that's assuming, and you
       know what happens when you assume and all."  They both smiled at
       that, Erin unable to feel totally miserable around Natalie.
       "I don't think he should've tried to decide either, but..." She
       leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees. "Really, what was I
       supposed to do? I couldn't change his mind, and he's convinced
       that he wouldn't have cared about getting letters like that. Not
       the way I reacted. But it's not like we're married! Can't I be
       happy about those things? He's acting like I cheated on him or
       something.... I don't even know who I'd've cheated with, even if
       I'd wanted to do that. Which I didn't."
       "So..you really have no idea who sent them? Shouldn't you
       recognize the handwriting or style or something?!"
       Erin made a face at that. "What? I don't know guys' handwriting.
       I barely know your handwriting. And the style sounds like
       someone who likes books by dead guys, which kind of doesn't
       narrow it down if you look around at most of the guys in our
       years...." She paused, then observed, "We have a weird group of
       guys, Nats. Hot, but weird."
       "And what exactly happened with Amane, anyways?"
       Erin couldn't hold back the groan. "Eugh.... we just... talked
       today. It wasn't fun.... she cried, and I yelled, and it was
       stupid and sucky, but... I mean, everyone was harping on me
       about how I was treating her and all..." Erin let her words
       trail off, looking conflicted.
       "What."  It wasn't a question, more of Natalie letting Erin know
       in one little word just how nuts she thought she must be.
       Erin rolled her eyes, standing to her feet. "Nataliiiie," she
       drawled out, taking her friend by her hands and pulling on her.
       "I didn't come here to rehash all the crappy things that
       happened! I came here for you to distract me with your
       awesomeness, so doo iiiit!"
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