Anchor (lxngdon and MaryGoldRound)

L U C A S
​
Lucas smiled a carefree smile and put his arm back around Claudia, where it belonged, where he belonged, at her side. He glanced to Anders and asked as he stretched a little by standing on his toes for second. "Are you driving?" He raised an eyebrow at the other male. He had brought his car.

"Nope, all of your fat asses are walking. Get some exercise in or something like that." He twirled his finger in the air and shrugged a shoulder. "There's a park near here isn't there? Why the park anyway? What's at the park?"

"Scenery. And just nature in general." Lucas offered, and walked ahead, quickly coming to remember his way around. He had often road his bike around Charmaine. The main reasons being because he didn't own his own car, his mom rarely gave him a ride because of work and he simply liked riding his bicycle around, getting a close look at everything around him.

"Occasionally there's playgrounds." Jenna fell into line, shoving her hands into her pockets.​
 
c l a u d i a
​
"I mainly just want to throw sticks at birds and small children," Eden admitted with a shrug as the small group began to walk.

"Edie, that's mean."

"Yeah, well, I have a lot of built-up resentment towards both birds and small children. A bird and a small child killed my family when I was a young boy."

Claudia chuckled and laced her fingers with Lucas's as they walked the few blocks to the park. She was just glad that they were all having fun, even if Eden had roped them into his malevolent plan.

Once at the playground, Claudia climbed on top of the monkey bars to watch Eden throw twigs at random birds and to watch the others while they went about their activities.​
 
L U C A S
​
Anders stood, leaning against a tree while he chatted with a girl from school who was their babysitting her young siblings. Anyone from afar could tell it was a flirty conversation, though, Anders didn't look all that interest. Jenna was playing with the children on the playground who all seemed to be attracted to her, presumably because of her colorful hair, but she was just naturally good with kids. And Lucas?

Lucas had taken a few photos before joining his girlfriend on the monkey bars. He swung his danging legs back and forth slowly, not saying a word at first. He didn't have to say a word to feel comfortable in her presence. He was always comfortable with Claudia.

"So, what where you talking about with Jenna earlier?" He asked curiously. "Or is it none of business. Girl stuff or whatever."​
 
c l a u d i a
​
"Oh, I asked her to come to the counsellor with me," Claudia said to Lucas. She wasn't going to lie to Lucas anymore, ever, and she wasn't going to keep anything from him, either. Not when she loved and respected him too much to hurt him like that again. And she was trying to love herself more.

"She said she'd think about it." Claudia shrugged. Jenna's illness was a bit more obvious than Claudia's but she wasn't going to disclose all the details Jenna had shared with her in confidence to Lucas. She wasn't going to lie but she wasn't going to hurt Jenna, either.

"Claudia!" called a voice. Claudia flinched at that voice. Ryan.

She looked to her side to see a very battered and bruised young man, walking with his friends and with his arm linked with Crystal's. Claudia wanted to gag. Despite looking completely wrecked he was still trying to look cocky -- most likely because he hadn't seen Eden yet.

"How's your psycho friend? Still in jail?"

Eden stepped out of the shadows and Ryan stepped back a little. "You were saying?" the British boy leered. Crystal visibly moved slightly towards Eden -- she still crushed on him -- but Ryan tugged her back.​
 
L U C A S
​
Lucas rolled his eyes at the sight of Ryan and his posse. There weren't enough words in the English vocabulary to describe his distaste for the male. He was repulsive, but today he was annoying. He couldn't believe he had the mind to bother them again after their last encounter even if he thought Eden was still behind bars.

"Who the hell let you out of the hospital? You look like shit." And he was saying that seriously. It was no duh that he was a shitty person in general.

He stayed in his spot alongside his girlfriend, looking down at Ryan and Crystal down below. "Well, at least you're alive." If he was out of the hospital, it meant he was okay. And if he was okay, they couldn't press any real charges against Eden later.

"Are you kids playing nicely?" Anders asked, stepping onto the playground. He leaned against one of the metal pillars and glared at the newcomers before looking up at both Claudia and Lucas with a much softer look. "Hey, don't panic or anything, but I totally saw an ice cream van and I was wondering if you guys wanted anything? I know, I'm awesome." ​
 
c l a u d i a
​
"Ice cream?" Claudia asked, Ryan and his douchebag posse momentarily forgotten. Claudia loved ice cream. Well ... she had, before she had relapsed. Now she didn't really like any food, it all tasted like cardboard to her and it didn't mean anything until she was leaning over the toilet.

But ... she was truly trying to recover. Really. She wanted to get better.

"Sure." Claudia dropped from the monkey bars and held Lucas's camera for him while he got down. She was pointedly ignoring Ryan and the others, who were talking quietly among themselves as if they were plotting some grand scheme to take down Claudia and her friends. Claudia didn't give a shit about Ryan anymore. She just handed Lucas's camera back to him and happily laced her fingers with her boyfriend's.

"I want ice cream," Eden announced too, linking his arm with Jenna's playfully and steering her in the direction of the ice cream truck. Claudia followed, though they had to pass Ryan and Crystal to do so. Crystal reached out and grabbed Claudia's arm.

"Try not to throw up your ice cream if you're getting your boyfriends to buy it for you." Implying that Claudia was sleeping with both Lucas and Anderson.​
 
L U C A S
​
Lucas scoffed, repulsed by Crystal's comment. Her insinuation was so ridiculous he didn;t know what to say. How dare she even talk about Claudia like that, yet alone touch her after all the horrible things she had inflicted on her. Crystal and Ryan had hurt her so much that she became sick, literally.

"You have a lot of nerve," He spat bitterly.

Ander's clenched his jaw, clearly just as upset. He did still like her, but he was feeling more guilty than anything that his own feelings were the part of the reason she had received such a comment. Lucas knew he wasn't against shoving Crystal, but he was smart enough not to, especially after the previous incident with Eden and Ryan.

Jenna unhooked her arm from Eden's to march over and smack Crystal's hand from Claudia's arm with enough force to leave a stinging sensation and a mark. "Unlike you, Claudia doesn't have to spread her legs to every guy just sp they'll like her and be her friend. You're pathetic and I pity you more than I don't you."

"And Ryan, you're just a failed abortion who's birth certificate is an apology from the condom factory. Fuck off." ​
 
c l a u d i a
​
Crystal made a whimpering noise when Jenna slapped her hand and cradled her limb to her chest as she scowled at the girl. Ryan's other friends had taken the hint and left, which just left Claudia's ex-boyfriend and -best friend, clearly outnumbered by the small group of friends.

Crystal's remark had left a deep red flush on Claudia's cheeks. She wasn't a slut, she had never been one. She had only slept with two or three guys other than Ryan and Lucas, where Crystal had slept with most of the football team so she couldn't talk at all. Still, Claudia was mortified because Crystal just so easily and flippantly implied that she was sleeping with her friends, with Anders, which Lucas wouldn't like to hear at all.

"Oh, and, princess?" Eden said, the complimentary-sounding pet name coming out a lot more patronising than it would if he had said it to someone he liked. "I'm never going to shack up with you, so stop flirting. Please, for everyone's sake."

Ryan scowled at this and hooked an arm around Crystal's shoulders. "Let's go, babe," he said, walking her away and Claudia didn't breathe until they were gone.

"I'm sorry," she said Lucas and Anderson both, before hugging herself and walking in the direction of the ice cream truck. She ruined everything.​
 
L U C A S
​
Lucas huffed and swiftly went after her until he was by her side. He reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it tenderly, but firmly so his message would be conveyed clearly. He looked her in the face and shook his head.

"Claudia, don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." And she didn't. No one did except for Ryan and Crystal. They were just assholes and everyone knew it, especially their friends. "I'm not mad at you and neither is Anders." He added, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Yeah, don't apologize for something you're not at fault for." Anders shrugged his shoulders, "The one's who should be apologizing were those assholes, but since they are assholes that's not going to happen." He grumbled, strolling ahead of them and up to the truck to take orders.

"Don't hang yourself up over it." Jenna contributed.​
 
c l a u d i a
​
It was in Claudia's very nature to blame herself, like she had done with everything for as long as she could remember. It was her natural instinct to apologise to her friend and her boyfriend for her exes' words and actions and all the pain they had caused, even though she had had nothing to do with it. She couldn't help but feel that she was in the wrong.

But she had promised Lucas.

She had promised Lucas that she would stop blaming herself and start loving herself like he loved her. Like he, Anders, Jenna, Eden, her brothers and all the people who cared about her did. She had promised and she was going to try her damn best to keep that promise.

"I know." She kissed Lucas on the cheek and smiled to the others. Eden pressed a chocolate ice cream into her hands and she made a conscious effort to eat it. "Thank you all."
 
L U C A S
​
"I am afraid this is where we part," Anderson announced with a hint of jitter to his voice.

The group was standing in the ballroom of Severance Hall Located in Cleveland, Ohio for the Cleveland Internationa Pian Competition for Young Artist. And the junior divisions first round had ended the other day. Starting today would be the Senior division which meant Anders would get to perform.

"Are you nervous?" Lucas inquired, gently pulling on the collar of his dress shirt and fixing his blazer. It had been a while since he was so formally dressed, but his mind was more focused on other things.

He knew he was slightly nervous despite performing himself. There were many people from different countries here to participate in the competition. And in the end, only three would make it to the finals and that was even if they made it through the semi-finals.

Anders huffed,"Am I nervous? Do you know the last time an American won this competition was over a decade ago? So, yes, I'm fucking nervous."

"Anderson, stop swearing." Nina Hickory, the twins adoptive mother, and guardian of them all for the entirety of the trip, demanded. She was about the same height as Jenna and though she was entering her fifties, she looked more to be in her mid-thirties. "And you'll be magnificent. I know it."

Jenna patted her brother's shoulder soothingly with a sweet and confident grin. She too, like the others, was dressed formally, wearing a gorgeous black long-sleeved flared dress with matching thick tights to hide the scars underneath that marred her skin. And, for the occasion, she had rinsed the dye of her long hair, showing off her natural light brown hair that brought out the blue in her eyes.

She and Anders had never looked more alike. "So, don't be a pussy." She glanced at her mother. "I mean wussy. I said wussies."​
 
c l a u d i a
​
Claudia was excited to see Anderson perform in such a formal and prestigious setting. She knew he would do wonderfully, and of course she was happy to be there, she loved and cherished the piano though her skill, in no way whatsoever, matched his. "You wouldn't have been selected to come if you didn't have the potential to win, Anders," she told him softly, smiling up at the tall boy.

"Yeah, so stop worrying." Eden nudged his friend's shoulder with his own. Eden was dressed resplendently in a dark gray suit jacket, black pants and a crisp white shirt with a teal tie. Claudia herself looked stunning in a pale purple cocktail dress that clung to her upper figure but flaired out in floaty tulle skirts. Her hair was its normal blonde but was fastened away from her face in an elaborate, curly updo.

"We're all here to cheer you on," Claudia added. She patted Anders' arm reassuringly before the audience was instructed to take their seats before the performers began. They all gave Anders more words of comfort before taking their seats and settling to watch the show.
 
L U C A S
​
The show was marvelous. Virtuosic étude of Chopin, Liszt, Rachiminoff, and Debussy was played as well as classical sonata's by Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart. The room was echoing with the beautiful sound of the piano by exceptionally skilled pianists. Anders, himself played near the end, a classical sonata by Mozart, he did love Mozart.

Lucas could completely understand his nervousness, but he always looked confident when at the piano. And he played just as good, if not better, than the others. He didn't have to think to know that he would be passing on to the next round, and out of the six that was chosen, he was number two.

By the time it was over, the crowd was standing and clapping vigorously. Filing out was slightly difficult with so many people, but the others made it near the back where Anders would be leaving. Just as they arrived, he walked down the steps after saying his goodbye to one or two other contestants who had made it to the semi-finals.

"When Claudia said you'd guys be cheering me on, I thought you'd be yelling through the crowd. You know 'Whooo Anders!' type of thing." He grinned.

Lucas snorted a laugh."I've never been to a concert hall until today, but even I know that's not proper ettiquite."

"Yeah, but it would have made one hell of a scene."​
 
c l a u d i a
​
"We didn't need to make a scene, you already had all the attention on you," Eden assured his best friend. He pulled Anderson into a small but tight hug and clapped him on the back. "You did great, mate. Haha, that rhymed."

"Really, you were amazing," Claudia said earnestly. She was in total and complete awe of her friend's abilities. He was very talented and very impressive and absolutely deserved whatever attention and commendation he received from his performance, because it had been marvellous.

She tentatively stepped in and hugged Anderson lightly around the middle. She wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do, since they were still coming off the tension of the drama with Lucas, but friends could hug their friends, right? Nevertheless, she stepped back almost immediately and linked her fingers with her boyfriend's.

"Right, I'm hungry," Eden said, clapping his hands together. "What are we having for dinner?"​
 
L U C A S
​
Anders smiled softly and appreciatively at Claudia and shrugged his shoulders at Eden's inquiry. He unbuttoned the top button to his dress shirt and sighed, breathing in a fresh breath of air. "That's a good question." The Hickory boy looked to his sister. "Where's mom?"

"She's on a phone call with dad." She answered and hooked arms with him. With a cheeky smile, she pulled out a credit card, presumably Mrs. Hickory's. "She said we can get whatever you want."

"We could just go get a pizza, we could even order it from our hotel room." Lucas contributed, stuffing his and Claudia's linked hand in his pocket. "It's also quick."

"Good idea, let's go."​
 
c l a u d i a​

Claudia was just happy that they were all getting along reasonably well and that Anders had performed well. That was all she had wanted and now it was happening, she was actually happy for the first time in forever. Just happy.

Back at the hotel, they sat in the boys' room and ordered their pizza. Claudia's mother had only agreed to pay for the trip if Lucas was not to share a room with her, so Claudia shared a room with Nina and Jenna while the boys shared a room. She didn't mind. She was just happy everyone else was happy.

"You did amazingly, Anders," Claudia told her friend as she sat on the end of Lucas's bed and pulled a slice of garlic pizza from the box. She tentatively bit into it -- she had been eating a lot better since speaking with Lucas but it was still rather difficult for her to have big meals.

"Yeah, dude, you were great," Eden contributed. He had five slices of four different pizzas on his own plate.
 
L U C A S
​
"It was grand. You're best performance, I believe it was your best yet." Lucas said, sprinkling red pepper flakes and parmesan onto his slice of cheese pizza. And he meant what he said, he had looked so chill playing, but he could tell he was giving it his all. And it played off.

"You guys are seriously not helping his ego issue." Jenna laid on top of a bed, sketching in her sketchbook. To even her own surprise she had managed to swallow down half a plain slice for the occasion.

"I do have to agree with her on that," Laughed Anders with a shake of his head. Jenna smile. Lucas chuckled.

They were feeling good, happy, elated. And they had every reason and right to feel that way. There was no bullshit surrounding them in that moment and it was a refreshing and delectable feeling.​
 
c l a u d i a​

It was the end of the competition and Claudia was sitting with Lucas, Jenna, Eden and the twins' mother as they anxiously awaited the results. Anders and the other competitors stood on stage while an ancient-looking man presented the ceremony.

Claudia gave Anderson a thumbs-up with the hand that wasn't holding Lucas's. Eden had called out 'go Anders!' when they had come on stage and had almost been thrown out so he was sitting quietly and watching with avid interest.

Anders had performed brilliantly and Claudia knew he knew that, but she also knew it was impossible to shake that anxiety even if you know you had done well. She prayed Anders scored well on the final results. He would be shattered if he had not done so.
 
L U C A S
​
Only three could win and one could be number one. And with the five people on the stage, it was definitely a moment in which everyone could feel anxious. Especially the contestants, the ones standing on the stage wearing neutral faced, though, on the inside they were clearly sweating bullets. Who's name would be called out, what it be their's? And what place would they have?

Lucas found it annoying that the announcer was an old man who just happened to be slow as turtle. The blonde was almost sitting at the edge of his seat as the announcer began opening the fancy envelope he had been given by the judges. He adjusted his glasses and read the paper.

"Third place ... Yumi Orihime."

The audience clapped as the Japanese girl gladly took her plaque and trophy.

That only meant their were two more spots to left. And when the man called out the second place winner and it wasn't Anders, Lucas could see he started to falter a bit, not too noticeably, only those who knee and were watching him could tell. So, it was all or nothing.

"And first place goes to ... "

His pause was excruciatingly painful. Lucas clenched his fist and bit the inside of his lip.

"Anderson Hickory."

Before the audience even stood up and applause, before even Lucas and the others, Jenna hopped from her seat and shrieked of joy. There was really no booting her at this point considering it was the end. The crowd applauded and Anders modestly took his material prizes from the announcer, knowing he would receive his others later.

He grinned and winked at his friends.
 
c l a u d i a
​
Not two seconds after Anderson had been announced as the winner, Claudia and Eden both leaped to their feet and clapped and cheered along with Jenna. They were getting filthy looks from snobby old people but the actually important people were smiling at the teens' enthusiasm so they didn't stop.

Anders had won. Claudia was so proud.

When he came down from the stage, Eden was the first to practically tackle him and wrap him in a hug. Claudia did the same right after, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek and give him a broad and bright smile.'

"Congratulations. You deserve it."

Claudia's friends deserved the entire world. Lucas deserved the universe.

Claudia returned to her boyfriend and kissed him on the lips. She was delighted for Anderson and just happy for all of them. Everything was going wonderfully.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back