What it Takes

He noticed her trying too streach out her neck but to no avil and she walked back into the house. Soren followed her and grabbed his wallet off the stand in the living room before going into the kitchen. He watched as she poured a cup of water then smiled a bit.

"Your neck...It looks rather stiff...You sleep on it the wrong way?"
 
"Um...I fell asleep on the couch." Lexi said sheepishly.
She drank the water and felt the cramp in her neck and closed her eyes to let the pain pass.
"Oh I'm sorry. You...um...you can just make yourself comfortable...I'm honestly just tired."
 
He walked across the kitchen to her and gently grabbed her hand, walking her back out to the living room. Soren had her sit back down on the couch and he walked behind it, standing right behind her.

"Hope you don't mind but my mom was a massage therapist. She taught me a lot..."

He reached forward and gently but firmly slowly massaged the kinks out her neck. All the while he didn't notice but a genuine smile crossed his lips.
 
Lexi sighed as the pressure was released from her neck. That was when she realized how gently and soft Soren's hands were and she suddenly felt her heart rate speed up and she could feel the heat on her face. Being busy with work, Lexi never got the time to have much of a social life and it wasn't surprising that she wasn't used to being around young men her age. She used her hair to shield her face from his view.
She leaned back and tried to relax as her heart beat faster and faster.
 
Soren Smiled as she sighed in relief. He was glad that he could help her...She seemed like she worked so hard and with so little time for a social life of her own. Soren had his friends, a girlfriend once before but nothing serious. He continued to Massage her neck and slowly moved to massaging her shoulders, careful not to intrude on any personal bubbles he knew all women had. Soren didn't notice her face go red but he did see that she shielded her face with her hair as she continued to try and relax.

"Your shoulders...your and your neck were so tense...You carry a lot of burden's with you and you work so hard...But there is a time where you need to relax. Or your muscles get tight and cramped up like this...You could hurt yourself..."

His heart fluttered in his chest when he realized how soft her skin was and how clear...how beautiful it was...He smiled. Soren had to try and hide the fact that though he should be used to giving beck, shoulder, and back massages; giving them to his mom verses a very pretty girl...was completely different. He swallowed a lump in his throat and Gently Massaged her shoulders and neck till the tension completly disappeared.
 
Lexi smiled.
"It's not something I'm proud of." She said quietly. "It's a life I chose myself, and it's something that just sort of...happened."

She felt completely relaxed when he stopped and she felt the cushion next to her sink with his weight. His was wearing a suit and she assumed that it was for his mother's funeral. Of course, she remembered her own mother's all too well and she felt a sort of connection with him. It was odd--and definitely new--but it wasn't...bad. Lexi leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling.

"You know," She started slowly. "It seems that at the moment, your life is falling and crumbling around you...but it's more of like you're tearing down the walls of an old house to put up new ones. It's better and improved and it's a statement."

She leaned slightly closer to Soren as she kept looking up at the ceiling.
 
He walked around the couch and sat next to her as he listened to her speak quietly. Soren bit his lip in thought at her words. Perhaps she was right...because right now that is exactly how is felt. It felt like that everything was falling apart, coming apart at the seams. Soren looked down at the ground. But did he want to "rebuild" his walls? He was comfortable with how they were...how easy his old life was. By his mother taking her own life, she took some of his. His mother had raised him on her own and provided him with the best life she knew how. Soren sighed and looked over at the girl as she leaned a bit closer to him. He smiled a bit and to leaned closer to her. It was comfortable. Though they had just met that day she was comforatable to be around..
 
Lexi yawned and stretched her arms over her head. For some reason, she felt like she needed more sleep. As the clock rang, she stood up and walked up the steps. Down the hall, there was a bathroom and Lexi took out her contact lenses and put on her pair of glasses. She yawned again and ran her hand through her hair.
"Like I said," she called. "You can spend the night. I'm tired and I need some sleep. Good night."

Lexi walked back to her room and shut the door behind her. The room was dark now and the only light was from the moon outside her window. She flopped onto her bed and pulled the covers to her neck. Although she only met Soren today, she felt...oddly comfortable around him. There wasn't any pressure and no one knew...it was great to know something the rest of the world din't know. With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes and drifted asleep.
 
Soren laid back on the couch and closed his eyes, a slight smile on his face. It would be a relief to his mother he wouldn't be spending the night alone in the old appartment. He slid his the jacket part of his suit off before drifting off to sleep. He slept soundly despite his long, trying day.
 
Lexi woke up around ten in the morning and the sun was streaming through the small crack under the curtains. Sitting up she yawned and stretched her arms. Her neck didn't feel so stiff anymore, thanks to Soren. That's when she realized--did he ever go home?

Forgetting about her messy bed head, Lexi walked down the stairs and realized that she wasn't wearing glasses the moment she tripped on the last one and tumbled to the ground in front of her.

"Oww." She said quietly and stood up, ruffling her hair.

Lexi rubbed her face and tried to wake up. She stopped dead in her tracks suddenly remembering something.

"I had school today." She mumbled, thinking out loud. Groaning inwardly, she shuffled over to the kitchen...completely missing Soren sleeping on the couch.
 
Soren snuggled against the couch. It wasn't the most comfortable but he was greatful for the place to sleep. He heard some commotion, like somebody tripping and falling. Soren listened and waited until the noise faded into the kitchen. He opened his eyes and yawned, streaching as he sat up. The teen fixed his hair and stood up. Light streamed in though the windows and he smiled a bit, wondering to the kitchen. He peeked into the kitchen and saw Lexi there. She must have woken up because she had bed head but, it didn't matter because so must he. He stepped into the kitchen and quietly stood there for a few moments.

"Good Morning."
 
Lexi nearly jumped out of her skin and gently set down the glass.
"Good morning." She quietly answered.
Without her glasses or contacts, it was difficult to see where he exactly was other than an outline of his body.
"Why didn't you just use one of the other rooms upstairs? The couch isn't exactly a place of comfort."
Lexi walked towards him carefully, trying not to run into him
 
Soren smiled and walked over to meet her, reaching out and taking her hand. His other hand landed on her waist but he didn't seem to notice.

"I don't make a habit of going and rummaging through people's houses. I know you said I was welcome here but you have so much stuff I don't want to touch anything I'm not supposed to so I slept on the couch, Perhaps we can find a room for me later on. Anyways…what you up to in here…?"

He smiled a bit looking around the kitchen.
 
Lexi looked at him and shrugged. "I don't have much to hide." She cleared her throat and walked around him, slightly flustered at Soren's movements.
"I was just getting a glass of water. I figured since I've already missed two periods, there isn't any point in going to school now. I might have to do some things, but other than that, it should be fine. Also, if you want to sleep more, there's a room upstairs the first door on the right is a spare room, you can go in there."

Lexi yawned and walked over to the stairs, making sure she stepped on the first step.

"As for me, I'm going to get more sleep. I don't get much...excuse me."

Yawning again, she walked up the stairs and went through the first door on the left.
 
Soren stood up and streached before slipping out of the house and walking down the street to the gas station. As he walked in the smell of the drink he was after surrounded him. He went over and poured himself some Coffee in a medium sized cup, then sweetened it a bit with his favorite creamer and a bit of sugar. Afterwards he picked up some breakfast and went back to his own house. He went in as people went around, collecting his mother's belongings; leaving very little for him. He sighed and grabbed his backpack, quickly taking off back to the other house. Once there he ate his breakfast in the kitchen before taking his Coffee and homework back out into the living room.

He sat on the couch, sipping at his drink, careful not to spill any. Soren worked on his homework, studying dilligently as she slept. He didn't feel up to school but doing work he had wasn't going to be a problem. After all, it was just homework for his advanced classes. Classes Juniors in Collage would have issues and problems with. But since Soren was little he had always been a prodigy. An excellent student who was and always had been in Advanced classes. He would still be studying and finnishing up homework when she woke up.
 
Lexi woke up to the familiar "ping" from her computer and she groggily walked over to her laptop. Reading the e-mail quickly, she walked to her door and picked up her cell-phone. Looking at the missed call she recognized the number and took a breath in. Trying to keep calm, Lexi walked down the stairs and found Soren working on some homework and passed him into the kitchen. Grabbing a glass of water, her phone started buzzing--notifying a new call. Swallowing, she answered the call.

"...Hello?"

"Hello, Alexandria." Her brother's voice was different than before. Of course he was at least fourteen by now, but she didn't care. She cut off all connections.

"You have no right to call me by my name, Andrew."

"Oh? But last time I remembered, you aren't part of the family."

"Mentally, no. Technically? Yes. So why don't you get off your high horse and tell me what my father wants?"

Her brother sighed over the phone.

"Fine, he wants to know who you hired to change the records."

"I didn't hire anyone, nor did I do anything." Lexi lied.

"You're a liar, dear sister."

"You can't prove that I did anything."

Lexi hung up and ran a hand through her hair. Just because her brother was almost as smart as her doesn't mean he can flaunt it around like a trophy. OF ourse, she was raised with morals.
 
Soren heard her pass him and go into the kitchen. He was about to say something but heard her start talking over the phone to someone. He stood up and walked into the kitchen, peeking in. The teen watched as she ran her fingers through her hair. She looked rather flustered.

"Lexi...? You alright...?"

Unconciously a look of worry came across his face.
 
Lexi looked up and sighed. "Um...In all honesty, no. But it's not something I want to get you into so, you shouldn't worry." The sun was streaming through the windows and she walked back into the living room and looked over at what was strewn out onto the small coffee table. She lightly rifled through the papers and she saw some things that were quite similar to things she's seen herself."I've seen this before...around..three years ago? What classes are you taking?"
 
Soren sighed, a look of worry crossed his face. But he was worried...someone as young as she was deserved to live life like a normal teenager. Soren had always taken advanced classes but somehow managed to find time to enjoy life while he was still young. There would be plenty of time for that when he was older. He followed her back out to the living room and watched as she looked through his advanced but easier homework. Then she asked him about his classes. Soren walked over to her side and looked down at the papers.

"These are my old log books from 4 years ago auctually...I've always been a highly academic child, core classes like English, Math, History, and Science have always come very naturally to me. My more advanced classes homework is in my back pack...But my Favorite is Biology...."

He went over to his backpack and pulled out a notebook and handed it to her. It was filled with procedures and equasion's far beyond her understanding.

"I work part time as a tech at a Bio-technology Company on the outskirts of town. Once I graduate they are going to move me to a full-time posistion. After seeing my grades and academic history in science they hierd me. I'm stuck in High School because I'm only 17 but all of my classes, core classes are at the level of a collage senior. "

Soren went back to the couch and sat back down, reaching for his coffee. He took it into his hands, thankful it was still warm. Carefully he sipped it before setting it back down and looking back at her.
 
Lexi nodded.

"I remember seeing this stuff when I was....13--I think. I don't even have to go to school. It's just a ploy. The name on the roster isn't even me."

She shrugged and riffled through the papers. Something caught her attention and she looked at it closely.

"You got the Chemistry problem wrong." She said. "You flipped the chemicals."

Looking at Soren, she felt a small smile playing on her lips. For five years, she wasn't able to have any friends or any life outside of schol and business. It was her life. Sometimes, she would wonder if her life would have been different if she didn't do all those things. To go against the rules. TO make friends. To go to a regular high school. Of course it wasn't something that she dwelled upon much....but it was still something. In a way, she felt envious of Soren. He was able to live his life and have time to go out and have fun. He was able to do so many things that Lexi couldn't.
 
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