Unspoken [Simon]

[Bailey Jenssen]

"don't worry if you don't fit in. the original is always worth more than the copy."

Why did everything the she touched have to go bad? It was like the world had turned against her, always waiting around the next corner to strike out with some new trial. First there was her mother leaving, then her boyfriend hitting her, and just when she was starting to be content with her new life another slap in the face had to come along.

Simon Foxx.

It was not that he was bad himself. No, it was just that he was so good that made it hard for her. He had been nice and inquisitive about her life, and then all Bailey could do was screw it up by running off crying. And to top it all off she had told him more than she had told anyone since that night. She had tried to keep these memories in the farthest recesses of her mind, but he had made them come out again. Burning her, branding her, marking her weak and unable to defend herself. At the same time he was just what she wanted. He had the potential to be a friend.

It was all like one big backhanded compliment rolled into a very handsome package then set on her doorstep. Why it had come to her she would never know, and why she had ventured to open it was a mystery. She had been hurt, but it was all she could think about. He was all she could think about, especially at times like these where she was alone and doing nothing that required her full attention. Go figure.

So now here she sat in an old ice cream shop doing nothing but eating the delicious treat. She had nothing special, just a waffle cone with two scoops of vanilla ice cream in it, and a small glass of water. It was what she got every time she ate ice cream. It was constant, good, and non-alcoholic so she had no chance of shaming herself publicly by eating a lot of it. It was about the only thing in her life that fit that description.

Leaning back in the little metal chair Bailey let out a sigh. It wasn't every day that she had the chance to just relax and be normal. In fact, she probably did not look normal even now at her little table in the back corner all alone, but it was the closest she was going to get for now. She let her eyes drift close for a moment, and in the warmness of the shop she felt safe. As safe as she had felt in a long time.

But then the pictures in her head started forming. Bruises, fists, bats, belts, anger, violence, and too many others to count popped up and her eyes flew open once again. She blinked several times to readjust her eyes to the brightness of the place, but now after those images she was back to being afraid of life. This is how it all happened, every time. One moment of security followed by a month of fear.

Trying to distract her mind for a moment, Bailey bent and picked up her dark leather purse. Unzipping the top she pulled out her mirror. As she peered at her reflection she almost gasped at what she saw. Bailey looked awful, dark bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, her hair just quickly braided down her back. Her make up was quickly done, almost a reflex, and her clothes were a bit frumpy. Her oversized hoodie covered any figure she had and her jeans were nothing special. It was not a pretty sight, and instead of helping her mood she had just brought it down more. Just typical.

Finally she pulled out a book and flipped open to the page she was on. The cover was worn and torn, the pages crinkled and marked upon. It was a book from her childhood, a good memory. It was always kept close, always ready to be read, and it was what she always did at times like these. She could just jump into the familiar story of Pride and Prejudice and sail off to a different world. Soon her attention would be totally engrossed by the words on the pages and she would be oblivious to the rest of the world.

Status: Finished
Words: 745
Notes: SOOOO random. sorry bout that.

[Simon Foxx]

Ice cream. It was something Simon hadn't tasted since the day he had arrived in the states, which seemed so long ago already. He had heard about the Old Fashioned Soda Shoppe thorough the polite conversations he hated so much. He didn't like to admit it, but he was excited over the idea of going there. If he could use anything, it was a nice little pick-me-up. What was better than mint chocolate chip ice cream? Damn, have I already decided on my order? He laughed at himself as he pulled up in front of the ice cream shop, yawning. It felt like too long since he had laughed at his own expense.

He hadn't gotten any sleep the past few nights. Nightmares were a constant problem that had resurfaced after meeting a charming girl at Pinewood Stables, where he was boarding his horse, Radio Flyer. Bailey. She was more than charming. She seemed genuine and sweet, someone who could be a real friend. From the moment they started talking, Simon knew that there was something strange about her. He assumed that it was him. At least, until the awful truth had come out. She had been horribly beaten by her ex-boyfriend back in North Carolina. Had it been North Carolina? Simon honestly couldn't remember for the life of him, and that made him feel awful. It didn't matter if he could remember the state or not. He remembered the ex's name, clear as day. Kevin. The story hung between them like an ugly sheet before she took off, running and crying.

The nightmares all had the same theme. A shadowy figure beating and hurting Bailey as she cried. Nightmares were worse for Simon than real danger. At least something could be done in the face of real danger. The only thing he knew to do for dreams was A) recognize it was a dream and then B) wake up and hope that it didn't happen again.

Simon took a breath, trying to get thoughts out of his head before entering the shop. How awful would it be to walk in, already shaken up? People already had an anxiety-producing effect as it was, at a pretty powerful one at that, he didn't need his own thoughts making him anxious. Lord knew that happened enough. "Get it together, Foxx." He mumbled. I'm being so ridiculous. It's just an ice cream shop. Completely harmless.

He opened the door, and the little bell above the door rang cheerfully. He found himself smiling at the sound before quickly wiping the look off of his face. No need to look too happy. There weren't a lot of people there, so Simon quickly thanked all of the higher powers he could think of. Mint chocolate chip ice to a timely rescue.

His eyes fell on a girl bent over a worn-out book, and his stomach dropped at the same time. No, it couldn't possibly be. The seconds passed, and the longer he stared, the surer he was. He was near the door, he could always turn around and leave. Turn around and leave without buying anything? Don't be stupid, you little thingy. She'll see you and then think you hate her or something. Don't screw something else up. "B-b-bailey?" Taking a small breath and smiling, he gripped the fabric of his jeans to keep his hands from shaking. He wasn't going to screw this up. He moved to the metal seat across from her, hoping it wasn't going too far.

She had dark circles under her eyes, and was dressed in normal clothes, nothing fancy. Simon was still glad to see her. His mind was always coming up with horrible things to happen to her in his dreams, so to see her alive and well was a bit of a relief. He spoke the first words that came to mind, "You look like hell." Realizing how insensitive it sounded, he clapped a hand over his mouth, an old habit that hadn't yet died, "Tired I mean...you know...still beautiful but tired." He laughed quickly, trying to cover up the shaking voice and the shaking hands. No use. Anyone could see how nervous he was. Maybe Bailey could just dismiss it as "awkward", which was true to some extent.

Growing more serious, he stuffed his shaky hands in his pockets, leaning forward just slightly, "How have you been Bailey? To be honest with you, I've been a bit worried."

Understatement of the year.

Status: Finished!
Words: A lot!
Notes: DON'T BE APOLOGIZIN' FOR YOUR POSTS! ES BUENO! tehehehe, mine are random anyway.

[Bailey Jenssen]

I am sooooooooooo incredibly sorry that I have not gotten a reply up. My internet has been out for the past 10 days or so and I feel so bad for not getting this done. I PROMISE that I will get something up by Saturday!