Secret Revealed...Whoops (kimsim12 x Grace Tesla)

[Rae]

"Where is it?" Elizabeth cried, exasperated and anxious. "Where the hell is it?" Her usually tidy apartment was now anything but. The cushions were over-turned, the chairs were out of place. It actually looked like the average college student's apartment now.

"No, no, no!" she cried some more, falling onto her couch in despair. "It's gone! It's gone forever! What if somebody finds it? Oh hell!" She jumped onto her feet. "WHAT IF SOMEBODY FINDS IT?" That was absolutely, positively unacceptable. Grabbing her keys, she ran to her apartment door.

When she opened it, she jumped and nearly screamed. There was a young man around her age, holding--damn it--her USB flash drive.

Elizabeth really, really wished she hadn't put her address on it.

 

[Grace Tesla]

Ernie didn't mean to find the USB- honestly, it was a complete mistake. He thought it was his. They're both silver, after all, and both have ACER written in big, bright letters on the top. A common accident. But yes, maybe he shouldn't have read the story on it. He should've dug his own USB flash drive out of his pocket and plugged it in, and continued with his biology exam. But, no- the story was too damn good. It was absolutely intriguing, with twists and turns and loops.

And, to Ernest Minow's dismay, it has yet to be finished.

So, maybe driving to this girl Elizabeth's house wasn't the best idea. But the pictures she had on the USB were pretty cute- and he's as far from a serial killer as one can get!

He probably should have called in advance, though, because he thinks he may have just scared the shit out of this girl.

An uncomfortable laugh spills out of his lips. "Uh, hi. I have your USB?"

 

[Rae]

Ezrie swallowed but didn't smile. "Uh, thanks," she replied, her cheeks a rosy pink. If he knew where to find her, he must have read it. Shit. Please tell me he didn't read chapter nine. Please, PLEASE tell me he didn't read that chapter. Her heart thumped inside her chest as she held out her hand for the USB.

"Where did you find it?" she asked, trying not to make it apparent how terrified she was. She was much, much shorter than the guy, and the fact was embarrassing enough. Funny she'd never seen him before since the university wasn't all that huge.

"Actually, never mind, I don't really care. Just tell me that you didn't read it. That's an infringement of my privacy." She was back to her sassy, no-nonsense self as she swiped the USB from him without giving him a chance to actually hand it to her.

 

[Grace Tesla]

Ernie read chapter nine- he definitely read chapter nine, actually. He remembers the warmth spreading across his cheeks, the darted glances towards both the librarian and the children's section. It was well-written. Ernest definitely remembers that. He lets out another light chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I found it at the li-" But before he can finish, he's interrupted once more. The shame returns to his mind; yeah, it was a bit of an invasion of privacy, yes... But... She shouldn't have left the flash drive in the library, correct! "I..." Ernie trails off, running his fingers through his thick, dark hair. This girl is a lot shorter than he pictured. "I'm sorry. But your novel... It's really good. Honestly."

 

[Rae]

"Yeah, you better b-" Ezrie froze. "What'd you just say?" She was back to the embarrassed expression, the rose color spreading over her cheeks like an unforeseen flame. She swallowed nervously, casting her eyes down.

"No, it's not that good. It's just a rough draft, really," she said, kicking her toe at the ground to ease her anxiety. He read it. Damn, he read it. A million curse words flew across her mind; all she wanted to do was run away and hide. Putting the USB in her back pocket, she forced herself to look back up at him.

Wow...he was kinda cute. WHAT? Uh, no, she wasn't going to think like that. He had read her work without permission! He deserved nothing short of a one-way ticket to Hell. Okay, maybe that was a little extreme, but STILL! Privacy, people, privacy!

 

[Grace Tesla]

"No," Ernie shakes his head slightly- he's admitting it's good, and he's not even into reading. That much. He'll read his little brother Inigo a bed time story each night, but... Nope, aside from a few Marvel Comics, that's about it. He sticks to the film area of things. But what this girl Elizabeth wrote... Well, it had some damn good potential, to say the least.

"Your book is really good." The dark-haired boy is just as embarrassed as she is, he thinks. It probably wasn't the best idea to read her story, but after the first chapter, he was kind of hooked. "Only a rough draft?" His lightly tanned hand rolls and unrolls his sleeve. He maintained a solid C in his high school Creative Writing class- if that was simply a rough draft, he can't imagine what the final draft will look like. A hesitant, white smile glimmers across his features. "I thought that was a final draft or something." After a short pause, he slowly holds out his hand. "My name's Ernie Minow."

 

[Rae]

He can't be serious. This has to be a prank or something. After a moment's hesitation, she shook his hand. "Elizabeth Smith," she replied, barely realizing how hilarious his name was. Like Ernie from Sesame Street, right? No? Well, good thing she was too embarrassed to laugh.

"You...you really liked it?" Ezrie asked, suddenly hopeful. If he was actually telling the truth, then maybe she didn't have to be so embarrassed. "I thought it was too dry. The plot was falling apart towards the end." At least, she thought it was. Maybe she was being too over-critical.

Of course not! This was all a sick prank. She wasn't good at all. She couldn't be. Elizabeth Smith would never let her work see the light of day.

 

[Grace Tesla]

A more certain smile replaces the one before it. "I know," Ernie says- and he does. Her name was on each of her manuscripts, though he'd only gotten enough time to read one. And yeah, even he can admit that his name's kind of... Different. He was named after his grandfather on his mother's side, who had died weeks before he was born. He'd prefer Ernie to Ernest, that's for sure.

"I did, yeah." The Microbiology major tucks his hand back into his pocket. "I really enjoyed it." Her next sentence catches him off guard- it was over? He raises a slightly bushy eyebrow. "I, ah, actually thought it was incomplete. Wanted to know how it ends up."

 

[Rae]

"That's why there's a manuscript on here labeled as the sequel," Ezrie smiled. "It's supposed to be a cliff-hanger, though I still need to add a chapter or two. You might have noticed the huge plot hole surrounding the main character's..." She stopped. What was she doing? She shouldn't be telling him all this! She hardly even knows the guy.

Crossing her arms, she made sure to look quite serious. "Look, if you want to know more or even have the slightest chance at reading more, we're going to have to get to know each other a little better. Got it?" It wasn't an invitation to go on a date, but it almost sounded like it was. Her tone made it clear that it wasn't, though.

 

[Grace Tesla]

Green eyes wide, Ernie catches himself leaning forward ever so slightly. Even after just a few hours, he was attached to these characters- he wants to know what happens- no, he needs to know what happens. The smile lingers on his face; yes, there's more, thank god. Elizabeth really needs to publish these.

But as she continues to talk, the smile is wiped off his face. That's what he calls a mood swing. Goddamn. He takes a few steps back, exhaling slowly. "Well..." He had just went food shopping, and Inigo was at a friend's for the night. "You could come over to my place? For dinner? We can discuss." If she didn't sound so pissed off, he'd think she was asking him on a date.

 

[Rae]

Over to his place? For dinner? It really did sound like a date. Her cheeks turned red once again, and there was no use in trying to hide it. "Uh, okay," she said, smiling slightly. Her insecurities were shoved to the back of her mind, making it easier to come off less...well, angry. That was her way of covering up all her embarrassment. When she actually let it show, people found she was a genuinely kind person.

"You better not be a serial killer," she then remarked, laughing slightly. "Be back here in one hour." One hour? Was that even enough time to get ready? She wasn't even dressed appropriately now, she realized in embarrassment. She was wearing a tank top and pajama shorts! Crap. To think she would have gone running about the town in those clothes looking for her stupid USB.

She was suddenly very glad that Ernie had found it and brought it to her front door.

 

[Grace Tesla]

Based off the ruby red blush on Elizabeth's face, Ernie realizes he definitely sounded like he was asking her out on a date. Damn. He can feel his cheeks turning a sharp crimson as well, but he grins crookedly, crossing down the hall of the apartment and out onto the street below. He wanders for an hour or so- his home is thirty minutes away, so leaving and coming back would be no use. He squints at himself in the window of a corner store, tugging at the collar of his sky blue flannel button-up.

He could look worse, honestly. He runs his fingers through his dark hair a few times- why does he care so much about looking good, he wonders. She's cute, yes, and can write like a Dickinson, but... He shakes his head, heading out of a store forty minutes later with a bag of cold cuts. Sandwiches aren't bad, are they? What does it matter, it's not a date?

He bounds up the stairs, knocking on the door. That didn't sound too eager, did it?

 

[Rae]

Ezrie had been listening for him intently, hardly able to contain her excitement. She opened the door as soon as he knocked. She almost felt embarrassed now, seeing that he was wearing the same thing he had been wearing. She'd changed into skinny jeans and a black blouse. Her hair was in a side ponytail, and she was even wearing high-heeled black sandals.

"Hello again," she said nervously, hoping her mascara hadn't smeared. Or her lip gloss. Or her eyeliner. Or her...wait, blush doesn't really smear.

 

[Grace Tesla]

A smile, though wobbily, appears on his face as she opens the door. He felt like a bit of a fool, now- she looks, well, nice to say the least. He looks like he literally just rolled out of bed. Why is he so self-conscious? "Yeah, hi, again." Another one of those awkward laughs. She's really short, Ernie just notices. And she looks really, really, really nice.

"I, uh..." Ernie raises the bag in his hand slightly. "Cold cuts. You like sandwiches?"

 

[Rae]

"Sure," Ezrie replied with a shrug. "Shall we?" She motioned for him to lead the way. "Did you even go home?" She highly doubted he had.

Even though he was a little unkempt, he looked...cute. She couldn't help but cast a glance at him every few seconds. Part of her wanted to run away, but she forced herself to ignore that part.

 

[Grace Tesla]

Ernie starts walking down the halls, twisting his mouth into a line. "My house is about thirty minutes away, so..." He shrugs lightly. "I didn't think I had enough time."

"When'd you start writing?" He turns around a bit at her, grinning slightly.

 

[Rae]

"In middle school," Elizabeth replied. "I've always loved reading, so I decided to try my hand at writing. I fell in love with it." It was nice to openly talk about her passion for once. She rarely ever did, even back home.

"What about you? What are you doing with your life?" He better not end up being some homeless creep, she thought.

 

[Grace Tesla]

The pair approach the parking lot- Ernie has to admit his car isn't the most... Extravagant. He refers to the lime green, 1981 BMW as his 'humble abode'. He grins sheepishly, opening the passenger door for her. "That's really cool."

Ernie himself slides in the driver's seat, praying the engine will start. "I'm a microbiology major at UPenn."

 

[Rae]

"Nice," Ezrie said, laughing at the fact that she was riding in 1981 lime green BMW. She balked a little when he said he attended UPenn.

And just when she thought she was lucky enough to get into the private Arcadia University. "So, you're an Ivy League, huh?" she said, suddenly holding a little more respect for the man driving the lime green car. Hey, anyone that could get into an Ivy League deserved a little respect, no? "Geez." She'd actually tried applying for UPenn. She got accepted (barely), but it ended up being far too expensive for her family.

 

[Grace Tesla]

She didn't expect Ernie to have a bright, ugly-ass car and be an Ivy League, eh?

The dark-haired man shrugs modestly, wrapping his fingers around the leather wheel and pulling out of the parking lot. "I suppose I am." He can't help a small grin that creeps on his face. He's not the richest, though, far from it. His parents weren't the most... Suitable people? That's a kind way to put it. Instead of sending his little brother Inigo to foster care, though, Ernie took him in himself. "I'm a scholarship kid."