shadowtina (shadowtina) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-06-25 00:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | #october 2017, james, jen, jen x ophelia, ophelia |
Who: Jen and Ophelia (with James cameo)
When: Sunday, morning, Oct 29th
Where: the McCarthy house
Status: Complete
Ophelia had tried to look as sober as possible when she’d asked her mom the night before if Jen Barrett could spend the night. She was fairly certain that surprise had played a big part in Brianna saying yes. Ophelia asking for sleepovers was such a rare occurrence, and she’d never brought a friend home like a stray after a party. Granted, she didn’t really go to many parties in the first place, but whatever. The point was, she’d been okay with it, and she didn’t give Phee any shit (yet) for probably smelling like alcohol, and the two girls had ended up in her room, sharing a bed. It wasn’t weird because it was a queen and there was plenty of room, and it was more comfortable than a sleeping bag on the floor and more personal than sticking Jen in the guest room, which had been the other options.
Ophelia had slept incredibly well once she actually laid down, dozing off almost immediately into extremely pleasant dreams about Greg. Of course. When she woke up, it was slow and gradual, blinking her bleary eyes against the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the curtains and getting a handle on where in time and space she was. There was another breathing person in bed with her, and that was kind of ... nicer than she would’ve guessed. Phee moved carefully as she sat up, trying not to wake Jen up, but needing to stretch. Her head felt kind of full of achy cotton, and her mouth tasted like garbage, but all in all she didn’t feel too hungover yet.
Jen had been lingering in that dreamy state between sleep and wake, half aware of everything around her but too tired to really react to anything. When Ophelia sat up it was enough to wake her up completely as a small panic went through her. What if Ophelia left to have breakfast or something. Jen wasn't sure she could even find her in this big house and she might end up sitting in the room like a scared rabbit until Ophelia returned. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and looked around with a bit of a squint, clearing her throat to let the other girl know she was awake. The problem with not going home after a night like this was that she needed to eat to feel better and she didn't want to impose. Ophelia's mom was a little scary from what she'd seen of her the night before, like rich lady scary. "Morning," she mumbled and it felt like her skull was creaking like an old house when she used her voice.
Phee had a tired smile ready for her when their eyes met. She looked rumpled and there was still some makeup giving her raccoon eyes, but that just made her even more cute. Or maybe Phee was just full of love this morning, in spite of the hangover. “Morning,” she said back, her own voice pretty rusty. Phee leaned back against the pillows and her headboard, stretching her legs out with a tiny groan. Her joints sort of ached, but not in a terrible way. “Sleep okay? You want the bathroom first?” She had her own, so Jen didn’t have to worry about running into anybody else in the family. Ophelia was thinking about food too, maybe going downstairs to get some pop tarts for them or something. Definitely a lot of water.
They'd only just met a few days ago but Jen felt comfortable there in Ophelia's room, like she'd been there before - or had wanted to be there before. She thought about whether she really badly needed to go and then shook her head, lying back down and pulling the comforter up to her chin. Ophelia's bed was really comfortable and the sheets smelled nice and clean. "You can go first," she murmured and she figured she was dehydrated as hell so maybe a glass of water might be smart soon. "Thanks for letting me crash."
She looked kinda cute getting all covered up again, and Ophelia smiled faintly as she got up off of her side of the bed. “Course,” she answered. “Better than you driving home.” And honestly, she had really loved having the company. They’d talked and giggled for a little while before actually passing out, and that felt like an incredible novelty to Phee. She didn’t really have friends like that. At least she didn’t used to. She shuffled toward the bathroom door and disappeared inside to pee and wash her hands and face and brush her teeth. Phee felt a tiny bit more human once all that was done, and she came back out and smiled faintly at Jen. “Hungry? I was gonna go get us something from the kitchen.” She definitely didn’t expect some family breakfast with her parents, they’d probably already eaten anyway and that would be mortifying.
"Ohmygodyes," Jen blurted out and grinned. "Please." She had sat up while Phee was away and now shuffled off to the bathroom because while she didn't really feel like she needed to pee she probably should and she definitely should use some toothpaste to get the taste of decay from her mouth. Ophelia had lent her a shirt to sleep in and it was far too big for her and ridiculously comfortable to the point where she didn't want to take it off. Hunter had intended to spend the night at Greg's so he'd brought an overnight bag but she'd had every intention of taking a cab home so she only had her costume. Thankfully the car wasn't too far away.
“Okay,” Ophelia said with a little chuckle. “Be back in a few.” Leaving the room would give Jen more privacy in the bathroom anyway; it was always weird to use people’s bathrooms when you knew they could hear you, in Phee’s experience. She headed out, closing her bedroom door quietly behind her, and padded down the hall and stairs to the kitchen. Phee wasn’t sure what Jen wanted to eat, but she scrounged up some pop tarts and fruit, grabbing a couple of bottles of water and two smaller bottles of orange juice. She considered trying to make some bacon or something too, but this would do for a start, she guessed. If Jen wanted real breakfast later, Phee would accommodate. For now, some privacy was best. She started to turn to leave the kitchen, arms full of stuff.
At that moment James came strolling into the kitchen, furrowed brows raising and his serious expression softening into a happy one. "Hey princess," he murmured, closing the distance between them and running his hand over her hair before kissing her forehead. She really had her hands full but he could absolutely understand why she'd want to eat in her room with her friend instead of coming out there to face the scrutiny of her parents. He liked to think that if it was just him she might actually come out and introduce the girl but he was also aware that it was mostly wishful thinking. She might be a daddy's girl but she was still a teenager. "Did you have a good night?" he asked though he wasn't intending on keeping her there.
Nearly running into her father had given Phee a little jolt, but luckily she hadn’t dropped anything. And honestly she was relieved it was him and not her mother. Brianna had met Jen very briefly in passing the night before when they got home, but that didn’t meant she wouldn’t hover and grill the poor girl if the two of them were downstairs to eat. She smiled when her dad kissed her head, glad she’d opted to wash her face to get the vodka smell off. “Hi,” she greeted back. “Yeah, it was ... kinda great actually.” Ophelia smiled brighter and felt a bit of pink come into her cheeks. Her parents knew what an antisocial nerd she was, so maybe this would make them happy. She’d actually gone to a party like a normal kid and had fun. “Victoria’s pretty evil, but she knows how to throw a party.”
She looked happy and it made James feel warm inside. Of course he worried about her and her introverted ways did make her safer in general but it was good to see her this joyful. "I bet you were the belle of the ball, you looked so pretty last night." The vines hadn't escaped his notice and he was willing to bet she'd manipulated them, whether she realized it or not. "Who's your friend?" He gestured vaguely in the direction of her room, sounding casual.
Ophelia beamed. Belle of the ball -- probably not, but damned if she hadn’t felt like it at certain points. Mostly with Greg’s arms around her, and then the rest of the night with the ghost of his lips on hers ... which was not something she needed to be thinking about in front of her father, so Phee tried to squash that down. “Thanks,” she said with a deeper blush, then jumped onto the subject change. “Her name’s Jen. She’s the sheriff’s daughter.” That bit seemed important to put out there, like that made Jen a Safe Friend by parental standards. “Her and her brother moved here full time before school started, she’s really cool.”
"Oh a sheriff's daughter, huh?" James said with some amusement. He knew his opinion mattered to Ophelia so it was hard not to tease her a little. "You know that just makes her more likely to rebel. You're not gonna let her get you in trouble, are you?" He couldn't really keep a straight face and his grin was a clear indicator that he was joking. Maybe Phee could use a little trouble in her life - not too much, obviously, but she was a teenager and James always worried she was a little lonely.
For a second she had to wonder if that was what it meant, and Ophelia looked briefly horrified, then she grinned back at her dad. “Oh totally, that was the plan all along,” she joked back, shifting the burden in her arms a little. “We like, already burned down a few buildings, joined a cult, you know ... regular Saturday night stuff!” Her mother probably would’ve gotten pissed at her for being a smart mouth or something, but Phee knew her dad was way more laid back. He actually had a sense of humor. It was part of why they were closer. She wasn’t really worried about Jen being a delinquent or anything though -- she might be a bit offbeat, but she didn’t seem like a bad kid.
James chuckled at that. "That's my girl," he teased back and cupped the back of her head to give her another little kiss on the forehead. "I won't keep you, you got your hands full," he said as he let her go again. "Have you heard from your brother at all?" Sebastian had spent the night at Greg's and James wasn't really worried about him but Brianna had been fretting so his son was on his mind.
Ophelia felt that warm little glow inside again at the head-smooch, then shook her head. “Nope, he’s probably still sleeping,” she said. That was probably true, whether Hunter was with him or not. Just a minor detail to be left off, no big deal. Sebastian was at Greg’s, he just had a little extra company, that was all. As much of a daddy’s girl as she was, neither parent needed to know everything about them. Phee started to continue on her way toward the stairs so she could get back to Jen. “See ya!” she chirped at her father.
Jen was a little more awake by the time Ophelia returned. She'd explored the room a little and was browsing through a book when the door opened. "Hey," she said with a smile. "I did my best not to snoop but-" She held the book up for Ophelia to see. "I love this book. You've got good taste in stuff." She put the book back and moved over to take some of the things from Ophelia since she was carrying a lot and could probably do with the help.
Ordinarily, Ophelia would’ve been bristling all over that someone left in her room touched her stuff. There were diaries everywhere. But there was just something about Jen that made Phee not really care. Or maybe she was still floating from the night before. Whatever it was, it didn’t bother her. “Hey thanks! I like to think so,” she said with a grin as she pushed her door shut with her foot. Phee happily handed over some of the food, then led the way to sit on the carpet at the foot of her bed so they could eat without getting crumbs in her sheets.
Jen sat down opposite her with crossed legs, pulling the t-shirt over her knees before she started eating. "Thanks for letting me stay," she said with a smile though it went so much deeper than that. She liked Ophelia and she hoped they'd stay friends; she, Ophelia and Liam. It was like she'd finally found her place, finally found her people. "We should hang out again." Normally it felt daring to suggest that but it felt easy this time, like it was already decided.
“Duh, totally,” Ophelia said around a mouthful of pop tart, one hand up near her mouth so it wasn’t gross. She smiled and chewed at the same time. It was probably pretty pathetic that she was just now really finding a circle friends and not just bandmates in her junior year, but that was what seemed to be happening. Maybe she was a late bloomer or however that phrase went. “And no problem, anytime. My parents don’t mind, Greg pretty much lives over here. Mom was totally shocked I wanted to have somebody over though.” She shrugged a shoulder and bit into some fruit.
"'Cause you're such a loner," Jen said with a little grin of her own. They'd talked some about that last night, though it was a bit hazy now in the morning after. "I thought I was, I mean I like being alone. Just not all the time, it was getting hard." She had already decided Ophelia was her new best friend but only time would tell if it stuck. "So I'm really glad I met Liam or I probably never would have talked to you." She beamed at Ophelia before eating more poptart. She hadn't really realized how lonely and depressed she was getting until she found herself socializing again - with someone other than her brother.
Even though she had her mouth full, Ophelia more or less glowed at that. She was glad Liam wasn’t around to hear it, since she knew he liked Jen, but that was okay, he didn’t have to know. There could be multiple good things that came from meeting somebody! “I’m really glad too,” she said once she’d swallowed, giving Jen a warm smile. A lot of people didn’t just come out and say nice stuff like that, she was glad Jen was one of those people. “I like being alone too, but yeah, it gets old,” she agreed as she picked at some more food. “I mean, I have some band friends, but nobody really close. And Sebastian’s friends kinda really aren’t ... my kinda people, most of them.” Phee shrugged, then gave Jen a sideways little glance. “Liam’s cool too,” she offered. “We’ve been pretty good friends since last year.”
"He is," Jen agreed, then smirked. "I can name one of your brother's friends who's totally your people though." She couldn't help the teasing since she knew all about Ophelia's crush on Greg Wheeler and the oh so sweet kiss that had happened after her brother left. She couldn't help but feel a tiny bit responsible for it since she'd pushed Ophelia to go after him so she really hoped he wouldn't be an asshole about it.
The response about Liam wasn’t as enthused as Ophelia had been hoping, but maybe Jen was just staying on topic or something. Or was more reserved in general when it came to people she liked. Or just didn’t know how she felt yet. Whatever, Phee was going to retain optimism on Liam’s behalf! Even an indirect mention of Greg had her grinning stupidly all over again, and she beamed and let out a tiny squee-sound before she got a handle on herself again. “Well I mean ... yeah,” she said, blushing happily. “I just dunno if he’ll end up being like, my person, you know? Drunk and party-vibes and ugh, just ... yeah.”
Jen was avoiding the topic of Liam because she really didn't know how she felt about him. She was sure she'd break his heart if they became more than friends, her feelings were weird sometimes but he was definitely interesting and ridiculously cute and she really liked spending time with him. She was far more interested in Ophelia's feelings right now because they were so pure and not complicated it seemed. She just really liked Greg and she got giggly and adorable whenever Jen mentioned him. "I wouldn't have ever guessed he was your type of person to begin with," she said with a little laugh. "But I had no idea what he was really like either so... Guess the joke's on me."
Ophelia shook her head as she chewed some more of her breakfast. Having food in her belly was making her feel better, not even a little hungover. And talking about Greg perked her up, obviously. Stupidly. “No, I get that,” she said. “He comes off as like ... kind of a dumb meathead. But he’s really so sweet, I’ve never seen him be mean to or about anybody. And he’s smarter than he lets on.” She didn’t really feel defensive about him, and she hoped she didn’t sound that way either. It was just true. “But I know we totally don’t look like we go together. And maybe we don’t? I mean, I’m not like, gonna marry him or anything. But ohmygod I want him so bad.” That last bit came out as a giggly whine, and Phee rolled her eyes at herself.
Jen laughed too since Ophelia's giggle was pretty contagious. She didn't need to defend Greg, he'd gained a lot of points in Jen's book for his behavior lately. "I think you'd look cute together," she said with a shake of her head. “And he's sweet and not an ass about our brothers being gay so that's kinda huge. Also? He kissed you." She laughed again and leaned in a little closer. "If he's got eyes in his head I bet he's crazy about you too."
Her cheeks got pinker again and Ophelia beamed. It was probably so shallow and dumb, but it made her feel all fluttery-good to keep being called attractive. It wasn’t something she’d ever really felt, much less had other people tell her she was. Greg had been sweet about Sebastian being gay. And a witch. Which had definitely made him even more attractive to her, so Jen definitely had a point there. “I dunno about crazy,” Phee said, though it was obvious that she really wanted him to be. “We’ll see. It’s all gotta stay quiet for now anyway.” She shrugged.
Jen rolled her eyes. They'd talked about this the night before, about how Sebastian would probably feel weird about it and they were trying to protect him or something, blah blah blah. It was dumb. If Greg wanted to be with Ophelia and Ophelia wanted to be with Greg then that was really not something Sebastian had any right to be an ass about. She respected it though so she mimed zipping her lips shut and locking them that way, then gave Ophelia a sweet smile. She'd keep her secret for as long as she needed her to.
Ophelia smiled back, getting a warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest. She actually had a friend to keep those kinds of secrets, and that felt pretty amazing. Liam was her friend, yeah, but there was something different about having a female friend. There was a kinship there that boys just wouldn’t understand. It made her want to hug Jen a bunch, but maybe that was a bit much at the moment, but she was definitely getting good snugs before she left. In the meantime, Phee was more than happy to just sit and hang out and girl-talk for a while.