And the band played on... [len]

[braeden ryan baker]

You can’t always get what you want. Everyone knew it; both Brey and Len knew it very well. But life wasn’t about getting what you wanted or not wanted. It’s about getting whatever comes at you, good or bad, and learning to deal with it. In reality, what you might have thought was a bad thing or something you didn’t want, could have actually been better than the original thing you wanted. So how do you know unless you give it a try… learning to deal with something new or unknown can be scary at first but eventually it won’t seem that bad anymore and the fear will subside and sometimes give way to happiness. Life’s funny that way though. You never really know until you take that first leap and even if you do, each time would be different. So judging on past experiences wasn’t a good idea since it would be completely irrelevant. Sure one could learn something from the first time but if you’re too cautious each sequential time, you’re not really doing what you set out to do. Instead, you’re living in a padded world because you’re too afraid that you might fall. But it’s okay, because after every fall you get up and move on. It’s just that some people take longer than others to recover, pending the severity of the fall. His thoughts were deep, as they always were he supposed. The perfect little analogy he had cooked up in his brain could work with everything but he thought that it was inappropriate to share at this time. Brey didn’t want to make her feel any more awkward than she probably already felt. Plus, he didn’t want her to think ill of him or that he was getting ahead of himself when he in fact was not. All he was trying to say that Len shouldn’t punish the rest of mankind just because she had a bad breakup.

He raised his eyes skeptically as she calculated shoe size. Wow, she made herself sound a little uppity but he let it slide; it was her first time in such a dingy place that it was bound to happen. If he had his way, soon she would be walking and talking the way the rest lived and her disguise would be seamless. He took his shoes and waited for her and then she threw a mini tantrum. Brey simply waited until she was finished, smirked, and motioned for the right way. He wasn’t going to sit there and argue with her because she wasn’t going to get her way. Selecting a lane towards one of the ends, he sat down to change his shoes before putting their names into the computer. It’s not going to kill you, you know. He stated, a frown gracing his lips as he looked through the balls under the counter. It’s okay to have fun. Selecting a lighter ball for her and a heavier one for him, he put his down and handed hers to her. This should be good for you. Let me know if you need another one. He was about to sit down and enjoy the show when an obvious question came to his mind. Have you ever bowled before, Len? It would probably help to know but then missy prissy pants knew everything there was to know about the world and probably would take offense if he put on the bumpers. Oh well.

[/blockquote][/justify]

[marlene helen hamilton]

Frowning further, she couldn't help but find his silence annoying; he could have at least said something, instead of looking at her like a father would at his three year old child who's been screaming and yelling to get the Ice Skater Barbie she wants. Or Bratz, or whatever other doll was 'in' now; Barbies were at least pretty looking, sure, unattainable kind of pretty, but cute nonetheless, while a Bratz looked more like a trainwreck with huge Pamela Anderson lips to her than anything...Trying to focus on the present instead of toys, the brunette unhappily followed the guy to the lane he had picked; there sure were a lot there. "Wearing old used shoes? Sure, it could kill me as well. Or at least cause me a skin infection." Plopping down, she carefully removed her oh so pretty heels, putting them to the side neatly and then stared at the shoes, doing her best not to think about who else had worn them. Takin a deep breath, she put them on quickly, trying to touch them as little as she could, a tortured look on her face all the while. "Maybe we have a different concept of 'fun', ever thought about that?"

Avoiding to look at her feet to try and forget which shoes she was wearing, Len stood up slowly and reached him, watching as he seemed to be choosing the balls as well. "Yeah, sure." Nodding as though she understood what difference could a ball or another make, she went to take hers, only to find she could barely lift it up. "The...finger holes are too big for my fingers." She said, putting it down heavily before glaring at it; as if a stupid ball could defeat her. "Alright then." Looking as though she had just declared war against it, the girl went to grab it with both hands, smirking as she pulled that off successfully. "No, didn't the fact I don't know how any of these...things are called give it away?" Nodding at the lanes, she kept the ball near her knee and shrugged slightly before throwing it towards the pins, with as much grace as though she was aiming for a man's groin. "...Not that bad for a first attempt." She muttered, watching as only three pins went down; turning toward him, an unsatisfied look on her face, she put the ball aside and places her hands on her hips. "I suppose you're a champion at this and that you're going to...strike them all down or whatever the technical term for that it." Here it was, her competitive side coming out; she hated losing and anything she wasn't good at, she avoided it for as much as she possibly could. There was no trying in her vocabulary, but only succeding; afterall, she had been quite an overachiever in the past. Before giving up on everything, that was.

[braeden ryan baker]

Brey could only roll his eyes at her. Len was being a tad uncooperative about the whole shoe ordeal. She didn’t understand that overcoming the fear of wearing bowling shoes was symbolic and absolutely necessary for their outing. If he had let her buy a brand new pair of shoes, what would it have taught her? That she’s better than everyone else because she has money to buy her own version rather than use what was available. He chuckled to himself as a thought crossed his mind. He wondered if she bought her own textbooks in school just so she didn’t have to use the old ones. There was nothing wrong with something that was old or used as long as it was still in good working order. If it worked, then there was nothing wrong with it. She had to get over it and be somewhat normal. Did she buy a new taxi every time she was stranded in New York City? Or was she too good for public transportation altogether? His head was beginning to feel the onset of a headache, a rather large one, just thinking about what she was able to do because she was “privileged.” Massaging his right temple, he ignored it and tried to be pleasant the best he could. Maybe you just don’t know my fun yet.

He watched from his seat as she struggled with the ball. You would think that a rich girl would have a personal trainer and be able to support a nine pound ball but he wasn’t one to judge. Holding a bowling ball was always awkward even if it was your millionth time. She was adorable in that she didn’t know anything pertaining to bowling and probably didn’t care either, she was just doing this to appease him so she could have her day. Braeden wondered if she was going to purposely make him feel even more like a low life just based on a day in the life of Len. Ignorance was bliss so did he really want to find out what he was missing? Whoever said money can’t buy happiness was a complete moron. He shook his head lightly at her accusation. No, I’m not a champion by any means. I’m probably as good as you are. Pointing towards the lane he watched as her ball dropped. You get another shot. Waiting for her to go again, he refrained from coaching her… it would have seemed too much like a date and this definitely was not a date. It was a mere agreement and after each held up their side, he doubted he’d ever see her again. At least he would be forever be remembered as that boy who made me wear used shoes. He couldn’t really put his finger on what he was doing here, the purpose was lost because he really was embarrassed that he couldn’t go out and party with his friends every night and that sometimes he had to skip meals just to save money. Braeden didn’t want her to treat him any differently than she would anyone else but he was afraid that he had already messed up those chances by opening his mouth. Taking his first shot, he knocked down seven pins, which was about his average for the rest of the game. He wasn’t that great of a player and was, by no means, interested in beating her savagely at the game.

[/blockquote][/justify]

[marlene helen hamilton]

Arching a brow, she turned around to stare at him, a look of disbelief on her face. "Your kind of fun? Oh, you mean standing somewhere provate and sheltered, observing people and judging them?" The expression on her features changed drastically, softening a bit in a sly smile as she lowered her voice. "You should invite me sometimes if that's what you do, it sounds more fun than my life right now." Sighing as she looked at the pin again, the brunette shifted uncomfortably in the ugly shoes, her hands pulling up her hair in a loose ponytail. "Surely more fun than bowling. This is too similar to a sport for me to like." Her eyes went back to him, a smirk now playing with the edges of her lips."I know what you're thinking. 'Oh, she's a rich kid, she probably spends all her time in a gym to keep herself in shape.'" At that the brunette nodded slowly, messing with her hair some more; at times having it so long was a bother indeed, especially if she kept it straight. "I've tried scheduling crunches for my abs. I lasted a whole lot of ten days. I hate running, unless I'm late and I have to. I tried taking up dancing." At that she made a small piroette in front of him. "Despite my feet apparently being perfect for ballet, I hated it and only lasted 9 months. That's the longest I've ever lasted with a sport."

He wasn't a champion at bowling? Right, as if she would have believed it; why else bringing her there? Maybe it had been just to show her the way 'real' people lived, sure, but still..."Not as good as me, unless you have awful sense of balance, considering you seem all fit and stuff. You probably are one to go the gym everyday." She added, head lowering as soon as he said she had another shot. "Yay. Can I...pass or something? I thought my turn - and humiliating myself - was over for the moment." She did take her new shot and, just as she predicted, it didn't go any better; actually, this time she knocked down just two pins. Watching him as he played next, she could tell he was fairly good, but not that great either; maybe he was restraining himself not to make her look too bad in comparison? Somehow, he seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn't have want to hurt a girl's pride by showing her just how hard she failed at a game he had chosen to play. "Well, I suppose that first shot was the beginner's luck or something." Len said, after yet another shot that was even worse than the initial one; her average at the end of the game turned out to be of 1.5 pins knocked down. "In case my family goes bankrupt, I surely have a career ahead of me as a bowling player, sure thing." Nevertheless, she was smiling while talking, as she finally got to take off those ugly shoes and put her lovely ones back home. "After all, today wasn't that bad. I take it your day's over and we have mine coming up."

[braeden ryan baker]

It was weird to see this new pleasant mood coming to the surface. Maybe she was more relaxed than she had been before but he couldn’t exactly be sure. You sure do enjoy poking fun at me. He frowned, not at all serious about it. She could tease him all she wanted; he had a thick skin so it didn’t bother him. And I don’t judge people. Braeden felt the need to defend himself even if she was telling the truth. How’d she know that? Was she the one that was stalking him? Absolutely not but he supposed that he did come off as the quiet silent type that someday snapped and brought tragedy to an entire town. Luckily for her and others in the Hamptons, that Brey had an immense amount of patience and a level temper so the chances of him “snapping” were slim to none. Plus, he was a lover not a fighter, unless the issue was about love then he would fight for it. You’re reading my thoughts, that’s not fair. What he wouldn’t give to spend a minute inside her mind and here she was having him all figured out already. It was an uneven playing field. I’m sorry that didn’t work out for you, sports don’t work out for me either. Some people just weren’t cut out for sports and Brey was included in one of those people. Never having enough time to settle down and actually learn the sport and the lack of social skills always prevented him from playing while he was a kid.

Oh yes. You have unprecedented talent and a bright future in bowling. He smirked and exchanged the worn shoes for his own. His day was over. It had been interesting and quite the experience to say the least. Audibly, he groaned. How come I get the feeling that you’re going to kill me with your money? He winced as if in physical pain as he got up and headed towards the door. You sure it’s a good idea to invite me into your world? What if I like it too much? I mean, I’ll only have a time limit just like Cinderella and then I’ll go back to living my life in squalor. Okay, so maybe he was exaggerating a little but it was a valid concern. Stepping into her world was much more dangerous than his own. At least he could protect her in his world but in hers he would be incredibly weak and vulnerable. How would he save her then? This wasn’t something that he was looking forward to. After paying for the game, he smirked. Well, I had fun. Common let’s get you home so you can disinfect properly.

[/blockquote][/justify]

[marlene helen hamilton]

Flashing him a sly smirk, the brunette tried putting on an innocent look, knowing all too well it would have looked fake and enjoying it nonetheless. "Me? Poking fun at you? No way. That's just not me, I'm a kind and nice girl, caring too. Ask anyone." At that, she paused, remembering Trevy. "Well, almost anyone." Adijusting her hair back to the flawlessly straight look it had before, she couldn't help but hope for the presence of a mirror in the place; quite obviously, though there was none. Inwardly cursing at the lack of not only style, but also comforts of his choice for their deal, she let out a small sigh, which didn't last long, since his next words had her laughing in no time. "Oh, you do judge people. You've pegged me as a rich, spoiled and insufferable brat after a 20 or so minutes conversation in a chat room." That surey had been quite a quick way of labelling someone; she was wondering if people usually took such a small amount of time in judging him either. Was she guilty of that too? Though that was what their deal was all about; knowing before making inaccurate and untrue guesses. "Oh, sure, I read minds a lot. That's what I do all day long, and also why my next destination after the Hamptons is back to NY, Wallstreet, to make good money out of this skill of mine."

Giving him a look of disbelief after his words about him not digging sports, she put her jacket back on and shook her head again. "I wouldn't waste money on hiring someone to kill you, you're overestimating yourself. Plus, a deal is a deal." Glancing at him as they got outside and the now cold air hit them, the girl wetted her lips and turned to look at him, a serious look on her face. "If it makes you feel better, I think seeing what really lies beneath the glamour and the gold will do you good. You will probably envy us for the money, sure, but you'll see it doesn't come without consequences. Nothing ever does. At least, that's the way I feel, you can feel free to prove me wrong." Getting inside the car, Marlene enjoyed the sweet warmth of it even more, head leaning against her forearm as she looked outside the window; everything always looked more beautiful at night, probably because the darkness covered up all the flaws. "Bring a tuxedo or you best formal jacket and trousers outfit. Also, a change of a white outfit. your less expensive, old one, that you wouldn't mind ruined." Watching as the mansion finally appeared at the end of the street, the brunette flashed him a brief smile and nodded at him. "Four pm, here. Be punctual." She ordered him as she got out of the car, not waiting for him to open the door for her this time.