Motives and Secrets. (Gimme + Mystery Love.)

[gimmethattop]

The path of a traveler is dark and lonely--especially when the weight of your own secrets threatens to shatter you with every step you take.
One woman knows this well.
Armed with only a paintbrush and an uncertain smile, she moves on and on, never willing to settle.
But one man aims to change that.
One day, during a particularly malignant rainstorm, he discovers her huddling away beneath an overhang in an unpopulated edge of town on his way home from work.
After a few exchanged greetings, he dives into her reasons for being in such a place.
"I ran out of cash," she admits.
Unwilling to accept this, he offers his place as shelter, and surprisingly enough... she accepts.
She agrees to stay only until she feels the need to leave for somewhere else.
And only under the condition that she helps out.
Somehow, she ends up as his housekeeper.
His motive and hers remain uncertain.

Speaking of motives...
The brother of the man's questioning his own around this time.
There's this girl at his school that he can't keep his mind off of.
But he can't figure out why.
She's always doodling and never pays attention.
This, however, supplies his reason to get close to her.
He's at the top of his class, and she at the bottom.
Can you say, 'tutor time'?

Template
Name:
Nicknames:
Age:
Job:
Appearance:
Personality:
Other:

[gimmethattop]

Name: Natalie Loren Birk.
Nicknames: 'Nat', 'Lo', or 'Flea'.
Age: Twenty-three.
Job: Traveling painter.
Appearance: Wearing her just-past-shoulder-length silvery blonde hair nearly eternally in a ponytail and whatever she wants to on her lean, tall-for-her-gender body (five feet eight, for your information), Natalie stands out--somewhat. More likely it's the dirty orange and yellow mountain bike she rides everywhere that really catches the attentions of bystanders. Her eyes, a simple gray-blue, certainly don't help. Not to say she's plain; she isn't, by far. Maybe she just needs a solid dose of individuality.
Personality: Enthusiastic and social, Natalie seems like your normal, everyday girl. She enjoys keeping things under control and orderly, as well as biking and painting. When the floor falls out from beneath her, as it ofter does, she wishes for nothing more than a good GPS to get her back on track. This girl is one to shy away from strong relationships, as well. Her reasons, although numerous, haven't been revealed in a long, long time. If ever.
Other: No, her hair color isn't natural. As a teenager, she once over-bleached it, and it turned the current color. Luckily, she liked it, and hasn't gone back to sandy blonde since.

Name: Ralph Logan Johannes.
Nicknames: Just 'Ralph' will do.
Age: Seventeen.
Job: Student.
Appearance: Standing at about six feet tall, Ralph is around average height. That's about the only average thing about him, however. His grades, for one. He's at the top of his class. His looks, for two. He works at them, probably far more than he should. His sports skill, for three. Unexpectedly, he has none. Therefore, he doesn't have the perfect dream body. 'Scrawny' is a pretty decent desciption of it. Not that he he likes it that way. Perhaps his face makes up for it, however. His ginger hair, although short, works for his 'look', as do his green eyes. Basically, he's the type whom looks harmless to the average parent of any girl he chances to date.
Personality: Oh ho. It's a smarty-pants. Well, he may be at the top of his class, but it's rare to see him study. It all just comes to him naturally. Topics understood only take one run-through to be committed to memory. Topics a little over his head...well, they're normally given up on. He's something of a closet perfectionist, so when he's not especially good at something, he shuns it. At times he can be fickle; others, sweet. It all depends on the circumstances.
Other: Lives with his older brother, since his parents died in a car crash not long after his brother moved out.

[Mystery Love]

Name: Jade Brown
Nicknames: Jazz
Age: 16
Job: ahea a studant
Appearance: she has black hair and wears tanktops and hoddies manly and she usally wears her hair up.
Personality: she quiet and ahy and she really dosnt like to talk to boys becuse she gets nevuvous but she will stand up fir her rights and she likes to draw
Other: nope

Name: Jake
Nicknames:
Age: 18
Job: collage
Appearance: he has hair that comes infrount his face he wears baggy close and manly skater.
Personality: nice and skates
Other: nope

[gimmethattop]

Brriiing.

The ringing of the bell jolts Ralph back to his senses. Lazily he blinks, taking a few seconds to adjust. Students of all shapes and sizes file past him, hurrying to escape the confines of classroom 103. Fourth period--English, in his case--is over and done with. The teenager hefts his bookbag over his shoulder as he stands. Wasting no more time, Ralph jaunts out and away.

Algebra next, he thinks with distaste while sauntering in the math hallway's direction. This feeling passes quickly, however, as soon enough her face pops into his mind. An involuntary smile presses itself onto his lips. Sure, he has the best grade in that class, but he has no passion for logarithms and equations with more than two variables. The thought of that one quiet brunette in the corner somehow makes it all worthwhile.

...I wonder what she'll be drawing today.

.

Natalie pouts her lips. Clutched in one hand is a very questionable ceareal box. Leese's Wisps--chocolately, peanut buttery, and full of sugar. Once more she wonders who exactly put that on the shopping list, but once more she dismisses it and shoves it to the back of her mind. On top of the fridge the box goes.

Several more groceries pass from hand to shelf. Boredly she rubs her shin against the opposite leg's calf. Rainbow knee-high brushes against rainbow knee-high, a surprisingly comforting habit. The only other to challenge its use is chewing on her thumbnail, but that was--hopefully--dropped a long time ago.

Where'd that trail mix go?... Nat wonders absently, finally letting on to her ulterior motive. She knows it annoys Jake when she nibbles, but if he doesn't know, there's no problem.

[Mystery Love]

Jade sighed walking down the hall way weaving in and out of people going to math class thining about her grades and wondering what to draw during the day.

Jake sat in the park sitting there skateboarding.

[gimmethattop]

Into room 229 Ralph walks, happy with the amount of people inside: not too many to worry about not finding his seat, but not too few to feel like he had enough time to do anything else. His head swivels around, another reflex. No sign of Jade yet.

The ginger-haired boy plops down into his seat and starts pulling things from his bag. First, his pencil; second, an oversized book with a cover shouting 'ALGEBRA II'; third, his notebook, homework safely tucked inside. 'A' for sure. It only took around ten effortless minutes the night before.

.

Aha. Here we go! With a triumphant grin Natalie yanks a small bag out from below a loaf of wheat bread. After fixing the walls with a shifty gaze she snaps it open and plunges her hand inside like a naughty kid with an unattended cookie jar. A pretzel is removed from within and gazed at lovingly. Momentarily, however, it's tossed up and caught in her mouth.

Mm. <3

Before the bag is rolled up and tossed up on a shelf, several candy-coated chocolates, a raisin, and a nicely sized pecan follow suit. The raisin is missed but it bounces off into her hand and is devoured anyway.

Back to work, Lo. You're never going to get done before he gets home if you don't keep at it! Natalie chides herself, then settles on the cans next.

[Mystery Love]

Jade walked in the class and sat bu the window and got her bindder and pencil out then looked and got paper then sat down and looked outside thinking of what she could draw.

Jake sighed and tried to do a olie and looked around knowing he was hurgry but still skatebored.

[gimmethattop]

A certain black haired girl is one of the last few to make it in on time. Semi-successfully Ralph masks his delight. She claims the seat two up and one to the left of him, looking disinterested as ever. Briefly he allows his gaze to rest on her, but fearing being sighted, he places his eyes elsewhere soon after.

Without further ado the fifth period bell rings. Gaggles of girls and boys chattering away clammer to get to their seats. The door only opens three more times. The first two are followed by wide-eyed, windswept girls, and the last the teacher.

Ms. Matthews parades down the aisle, quieting the last few murmurs. Just her presense silences even the most deviant of his classmates. She's the type to always look condescending, even when giving a compliment; he knows this from experience. Her lined face hints at more years than he knows she's lived, as do those stripes of gray in her auburn hair. More than anything else, those stilettos of hers intimidate. The jury's still out on when she'll snap and stab her least favorite student with one of those heels.

"Good afternoon, class," Ms. Matthews says stiffly. She receives no reply, but doesn't appear bothered by it. "Pass in yesterday's assignment, please."

.

Natalie stuffs the last few groceries away in their places before stepping back, satisfied with her work. A hand is placed on her hip as she nods, a confirmation to herself. Cool to the touch as ever, her slender chain belt's curves soothe her worn hands. Immediately after glancing at the clock her mind fills with thoughts of lunch. It's Jake's day off; he'll want something when he arrives.

Hm. What to make, what to make.... Over to the fridge she wanders, giving its insides the look-over. After some contemplation a few choice ingredients are snatched away from their rightful places and tossed onto the counter. Through the cupboards she dives next, gathering the necessary tools.

Turn on the heat. Butter this, butter that. Add cheese here.

Bet he'll enjoy this.~ Or at least, he'd better.

[Mystery Love]

Jade looked up and sighed and thougt ' great know im going to get an F.'' then she said " i dont have it i was busy doing things so sorry.'' she said rolling her eyes and leaned back in her chair waiting for the teacher to dog her out.

She fell and cut his arm really bad then sighed and walked over to a house // your girl// and knocked on the door to see if she had something to cover it becuse he was tired of going to the hospital and home.

[gimmethattop]

((Wait. they're--meaning Nat and Jake--living together already, yes? She's been referencing him frequently. It'd be odd if she knew him without...knowing him.))

Ralph obediently hands his homework to the girl ahead of him. All around the room the shuffle of papers is echoed. Very few ignore this request. Jade, unfortunately, is one of them. With a grimace he overhears her excuse. Ms. Matthews doesn't look any more pleased.

"Miss Brown," she begins, lips pursed, words curt, "This is the third time this week you've 'done things'." The teacher's cold glare makes even Ralph shiver. "Do you plan on passing this class at all?"

[Mystery Love]

// no he just hirt hiselg and dosnt wont to go hom eto get dogged out by his parents.//

She looked at the teacher and said " well i have more inportant things to do besides home work and if your class wasnt boring then i would probly pass or if you didnt try to bring every one down by being the evilest teacher then maybe i would pay attention.''

[gimmethattop]

((...I'm lost.
Story = he lives on his own with his brother, his parents are dead, and she's his housekeeper.
Maybe there's a little miscommunication going on here.))

Woah there. Ralph's never heard Jade go off like this. But no matter how appealing that defiant look is, that isn't what he should be focusing on. The conflict? That's better. Still, he can't help but be amused by her use of the word 'evilest'.

Ms. Matthews remains silent. Evidently, this is as unexpected to her as it is to him. At last she cracks a smile.

But that's not a happy smile.

"I'm afraid I can't do anything to change this class, Miss Brown, so you'll have to deal with it. Find a tutor if you're so 'bored'." That look of hers says nothing more than, 'but you'll never find one.'

Instinctively Ralph leaps to his feet and cries, "I'll tutor her, Ms. Matthews!" At once his face floods with color. Nervously he clutches at the edges of his desk, feeling splinters of wood slice away at his palm. ...What did I just do?

[Mystery Love]

// ohh ok.//

She smiled and said " and let me quess you were thinking i wouldnt get one hun.'' then she looked at the boy and said '' ok.''

Jake walked in his house looking for his housekeeper.

[gimmethattop]

Ralph kicks his opposite leg underneath his desk, prompting himself to do... something. At last he forces a smile in Jade's direction.

I just said I'd be her tutor, he recaps, as if the last few minutes hadn't quite registered yet, and she agreed! Down into his seat he drops. Both the girl ahead of him and Ms. Matthews fix him with puzzled looks, but of course the teacher's has a darker tone behind it. He glances off to the side, hoping their persistant eyes will give up if he refuses to acknowledge them. ...I'll have to talk to her at lunch. Only fifteen more minutes.

"...Anyway. Ahem. Today, class, we'll be working with the imaginary unit 'i'. The square of any real number is ever negative, so 'i', or the square root of negative one, was created to remedy this problem..."

.

Natalie prods the sizzling bread. Entertainment's in short supply today. All she can do is lean her chin on her hand and her elbow on the counter, watching as the crust begins to crisp. A yawn escapes her mouth, placing the idea of a short nap after lunch in her mind.

The front door swings open from a couple of rooms over. She's been here long enough to recognize that sound it makes; it's like nothing she's ever heard before: a mix between a squished rat, a broken hinge, and a creak of age. How long has he lived here again? Nat thinks absently with a twinge of annoyance. She thought she had asked him to oil up that door a day or two ago.

"I'm back in the kitchen!" is the call yelled out to the one coming in. The timing is too perfect for it to be anyone but Jake.

[Mystery Love]

Jade sighed hearing her talk a hole bunch of boring stuff she wasnt intrested in and pulled out paper and started to dralw and couldnt wait to go to lunch.

Jake sighed and said " do we have any really big baindaids.'' and sat on the couch wacthing the blood flow out.

[gimmethattop]

Almost against his will Ralph begins to space off. Everything already said has been pieced together, forming what he decides is all he needs to know to understand today's lecture. Instead of focusing on the board, his eyes travel down to Ms. Matthew's chalk-holding hand. Really, it's less 'holding' and more 'clutching'--he can tell even from this distance how annoyed she still is.

Hm. Well. Looks like I've just gotten back at her for smacking me with that ruler to wake me up last week. I told her I had a long night.... Stupid jake and his accidents.

.

Natalie twirls the spatula around in her hand. Any moment now. Ever since that first flip the smell has been taunting her, sending her salivary glands into overdrive. Buttery, crispy bread--it certainly gives off a more appetizing scent than one would expect.

"Do we have any really big band-aids?" Jake questions from the main room. Natalie frowns. Not only is that quite the welcome, but it's a sign that something's gone wrong.

Again.

A couple more seconds are spent stove-side before she figures she can't wait any longer. Both sandwiches are scooped up and dropped onto a nearby plate. Once the heat is turned off, several miscellaneous things are tossed into the sink for later washing. Immediately afterward she gently wets a portion of a clean washcloth and exits the kitchen.

The sight beheld once in the same room as the resident skater makes her cringe. She crosses over to him with some haste, drops to the floor on her knees, and pulls his injured arm toward her. As she sets on removing enough of the blood to see exactly what she's dealing with, she asks, "What'd you do this time?" There is a little more worry present than she's letting on. She's had adequate experience in wounds and medical ways, but this still doesn't look so good.

[Mystery Love]

" i tried to do a trick landed wrong like always.'' he said smiling looking at her smeeling the food.

[gimmethattop]

Oddly compliant, Jake makes no sound or unneccessary movement as she cleans off his wound, making her job that much easier. It isn't long before the true villain is exposed. Thankfully, it's not as bad as the blood flow had hinted at. She sighs with relief and returns his smile.

"Well, you're lucky you have nothing to worry about. No hospital trip this time." The good news is spouted off easily and brightly. After last week's fiasco, there's no other way it could have been spoken. "Now, press this on it until I get back," Nat says as she places a cleaner edge of the washcloth on his arm. To her feet she jumps and strolls away.

[Mystery Love]

He sighed and said " thank you.'' and turned the t.v on pressing the washcloth to his arm.

Jade sighed and smilled as the bell ringed and she got her stuff together and went to leave.

[gimmethattop]

"So if you get a problem like this--"

Briiing. The lunch bell interrupts Ms. Matthew's continuing lecture on the uses of 'i'. She pauses, looking anything but amused, before turning and facing the class.

"Of you go, then," she says, which starts the usual stampede toward the door.

Ralph waits until half of the class is already gone to get to his feet. The second lunch rush, especially the one from Ms. Matthews's room, is always viscious--there have been rumors of collisions and concussions resulting from them. The docile second half, at least, is much less worrying.

His stuff remaining out on the desk (really, who would steal a math textbook?), he strolls out of the room, eyes peeled for a sighting of Jade. Exactly what to start off with is beyond him. A simple introduction sounds best, but... how should he approach it?

.

Momentarily, Natalie returns with an oversized band-aid and a bottle of disinfectant. The more extreme measures, although possibly better in this situation, are starting to run out. She knew she had forgotten something at the store. Note to self: add bandages and whatever else to the list this time, she thinks adamantly.

Beside Jake she sits. His arm is taken into her hands again, which is promptly sprayed with the disinfectant and then slapped with the band-aid before he can protest against either step. The washcloth is taken with her as she heads off into the kitchen once again, grinning victoriously.

"All done. Now, if you want lunch while it's still warm, you'd better forget the TV and wash up soon.~" What better time than now to talk like a parent? Once what was said and how occurs to her, she's amused by the similarity. Ah well. I'm not gonna watch him put those bloody fingers all over the food. Nope. To make it a little better, she washes her hands first.

[Mystery Love]

Jade sighed stopping at her locker and looked trough it putting her text books up and getting some for the next class.

Jake sighed and said " thank you and yes i like lunch what did you cook.'' he said looking at her wacthing what she was doing.

[gimmethattop]

Into the lunch room proceeds Ralph's group. A few of the non-eaters split immediately, but a good portion continues on to the line--including him. After grabbing a tray they all rhythmically move on down the line, retrieving this food item and that.

...Sloppy joe day. Yay, he thinks, unenthused. That apple's starting to look really good right now.

.

Natalie grabs a paper towel from the holder to the side of the sink and wipes her hands dry. A brief smile goes in the direction of her 'employer'. "Grilled cheese. One for both of us." She steps aside, launches the wad in the direction of the trash can, and then gestures him toward where she was just standing. As she does so, the paper towel ball bounces off of the rim and falls nicely inside. Yesssss.

[Mystery Love]

Jade yawns and finish putting her books up then thought ' lunch time im starving.' and she walked to the cafteria and looked around and sighed not really seeing any of her friends.

'' that sounds good.'' he said looking at her then said " well thank you for cooking it tho.'' and he changed the channels on t.v