Burning Down Neverland {Winter, private}

[Haki Leera]

"THEEEYYY LIIIIIEEED! WHEN THEY SAID THE GOOD DIED YOUNG! OHHH-OOHH-HOOO-OOOHHH! THEYYY LIED.... WHEN THEY SAID THE GOOD DIED YOOOUNNNG. STAY WITH ME, STAY WITH ME TONI-"

"GOD, shut the fuck up!" Firmly pushing the pause button on her iPod, Haki sat up, crawled off of the floor and onto her own bed, and held her head, waiting for her ears to stop ringing. "Unnghh. Not how I wanted to wake up," she mumbled, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

She sighed and crawled out of bed. She was half way out of her bedroom door when she looked down and realized she was a little bare. Turning around she pulled on some faded blue jeans and her favorite black t-shirt-- a Skillet Monster shirt.

She grabbed her hair brush, quickly brushed out her hair, stuffed it into her black AFI messager bag, also a stuffed full pencil pouch, her sketchbook, and her digital camera. She also snatched her beloved bi pride hat from her bed post and hurried down the hall. She dug through the fridge, snatched a can of pepsi, and two sticks of string cheese. The blonde teenager strolled to the front door, tied on a pair of all black converse, put on her black and blue striped hoody, and snatched her house keys from the front door. It was a Saturday, she was going out... Oh wait! She whirled around, over her computer, and fired it up, not even bothering to sit down. Once she was at her desk top she double clicked an IM session.

I'll be gone for most of the day, guys. Haki typed into a group chat. I need some fresh air. She didn't bother to wait for replies, if any. It was early in the morning on a Saturday. She wouldn't be surprised if everyone was sleeping in or doing other things. She closed the laptop shut and grabbed her cheap flip-phone that was next to it. She flipped it open, typed in a number on the full keyboard, and said "Hey mom, I'm going out for a bit. Maybe the park or the bridge."

She then stuffed it in her pocket and walked toward the door. With one hand on the doorknob, she looked over her shoulder at the computer desks to her right. Taking up a whole corner of one desk was a cat bed, which was occupied by a curled up black and white blob of fur. "Be nice to Tinker, Felix, she's getting too old to wrestle, y'know." With that, she was out the door.

With her hands stuffed in her jacket pockets, she strolled down the street. Then she felt a vibrate in her pocket. Smirking, she took her phone out. Ok. keep in touch! read the text, from Mom. It seemed that ever since she graduated from middle school that Haki was slowly getting more freedom. All she really had to do was let her parents know where she was, and she could go nearly anywhere... during daylight hours.

Putting her phone in her pocket she made her way downtown. It was about ten in the morning by now, the sun was up with a few clouds in the sky.

She decided to to cut across the park. Walking straight past the play ground equipment, she saw a swing set and became tempted. Hmm... maybe just for a little bit. It took a little self control on her part to not run over there giggling like a little girl. Setting her bag down on the grass next to her, she sat down, not being able to mask the smile that played across her rosy face. She'd always loved swings, she had no idea why, but they were one of her most powerful vices. Once she got on a swing, Haki could be there for hours, God willing. Right now she wished she had remembered her iPod... oh well. She'd provide the music the good ol' fashioned way. She settled herself on one of the swings. It was a little low for her taste, but that wouldn't matter once she was off the ground.

Swerving her head left and right, she checked her surroundings. Deserted. Facing forward, and kicking her legs back, she was airborne as far as she was concerned. As she swung forward she relished the wind in her face, blowing her hair back. "This is the way you left me," she sang softly, "I'm not pretending... No love... no hope... no glory. No happy ending." Slowly she got louder as she grew confident that indeed she wasn't being watched. Paranoia started to settle itself down and rest. "This is the way that we love, like it's forever. And spend the rest of our life... but not together!"



ooc~ I told you it'd be long. x3

[Winter Ichigo]

Usually, she hated being sick. She hated the nausea, the headaches, the body aches, the dizziness, the feverish feeling, vomiting, and the inability to eat a damn thing except saltines and ginger ale.
Today, however, she was rather glad she woke up feeling like shit. That meant, while the rest of her family was out of town and visiting her so-called "step-father" in the nursing home, she got to stay behind and rest. As fate would have it, however, when she woke for the second time she felt fresh as a daisy. She took it as a sign. A sign that she should not waste her Saturday in bed, or going to support the one person who had made her life hell for the last almost seven years. So, she kicked back the covers, and changed out of her PJ's. Her choice in clothing for today was as follows; Her Awake and Alive Skillet shirt, a pair of ripped up skinny jeans, her knee high converse, and some bracelets that she made herself, all of which had beads shaped like eyeballs on them.
Running downstairs, she grabbed a yogurt from the fridge to satisfy the need for breakfast, and a plastic spoon. Heading towards the living room, she grabbed her army green medic bag, which was already full of pencils, crayons, and sketch paper, as well as a couple books from the Series of Unfortunate Events, and dropped the yogurt inside. Then, she pulled her long brunette hair back in a ponytail, and pulled on her hair through the opening in the back.
Two final things was needed before she could leave the house. And that was her phone and iPod.
Her phone because she needed it to know when to be back, she didn't want to still be out when her family returned. That would mean very bad things for her.
Her iPod because she honestly thought she couldn't live without it.
Now having all the necessities for the day, she bolted out the door, slamming it behind her.

-

"Mrr... Next time, think about where you wanna go before you decide to hit the town." The blue-eyed teen muttered to herself as she wandered through the city. There were far less things to do than she'd initially thought. Far less. She was starting to consider going home and playing video games until everyone got home... Until she saw the swings. The next events were as follows.
Winter stopped.
Winter stared.
Winter charged towards the swings crying; "OHMYGAWDSWINGSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!" then jumped on without a second thought, giggling insanely as she made the swing go higher and higher.

~OOC~ Fail post is fail.

[Haki Leera]

Haki had been part way through a Skillet song before a person came out of nowhere and flew onto the swing next to her. A small yelp escaped her throat, which was a very un-Haki-like thing to do. She doesn't scream. Ever. Clinging to one chain that held the swing up with one hand, she covered her mouth with the other. Putting her feet down, she skidded to a halt.

I thought I was alone! she thought. Where the HELL did she come from? It's okay, don't freak out... at least she's not a male young adult... just a teenager like myself. Hell, she's got to be sixteen at the oldest. Her heart hammering, she slowly moved her hand down away from her mouth. What a girly thing to do. "Err..." Haki was never too vocal outside of the computer. In reality, she was a quiet, reserved girl that just liked to be either alone or with people that she knew and trusted. She didn't know this girl... at all. The blonde girl didn't even remember seeing this chica around before. But it wasn't like she was a social butterfly; she didn't know every single person at the high school.

[Winter Ichigo]

At the sound of the yelp, Winter became aware of her surroundings. And the girl next her. "Eh?" escaped her throat as she skidded to a stop. She blinked her blue eyes and looked at the girl, embarrassed. "Er... Hi." She said, weakly waving at the blonde who was looking at her like someone who thought she just escaped from the psych ward. Well, she wasn't the first.
"Um..." Her eyes darted here and there, trying to find something to make the situation less awkward, when she spotted the other girls shirt. "... My God. That puts mine to shame." She said, vaguely gesturing to her shirt.

[Haki Leera]

Haki tried her best to clear her bewildered look off of her face, but she was still a little freaked out that she got ninja'd like that. At the girl's comment, she looked down at her shirt. Oh, it was only her favorite black t-shirt {and she had A LOT of black t-shirts}. "... Th- Thanks," she stammered. "But uh, I think yours is like, an eleven on the awesome scale just for saying Skillet on it." She found herself grinning from ear to ear. No one back at her old school even considered Skillet... the irony of that-- it had been a Catholic school. Psh.

"So uh.... how long have you been here?" She was referring to the park. Haki's cheeks burned with embarrassment at the thought of someone hearing her sing. A stranger no less!

[Winter Ichigo]

"Then yours is a freaking twenty." Winter said with a crooked grin. "But now I gotta know... Do you like Hollywood Undead?" Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes~! Don't blame her for hoping for a yes, nearly everyone she'd ever spoken to has never heard of them.

"... Here as in the playground or here as in Konoha? Not to answer a question with a question or anything."

[Haki Leera]

Haki felt her eyes widen once more. "Hollywood Undead? How could I NOT like them!" She exclaimed. "'Let's watch this city burn!' Am I right?" She snickered a little bit. Man, now she really wished she had brought her iPod.

"And yeah.... the park, especially within.... earshot..." She was back to reserved again. This girl could switch emotions quicker than a flip could flop. She figited with her hair, bringing it in front of her face, hiding her crimson cheeks.

[Winter Ichigo]

"Oh my God yes!" Winter practically squealed. She was seriously starting to like this girl. Her taste in both music and clothing were something that they apparently had in common. A like minded person! Winter never thought she'd meet one of them. It made her happy.

"Not long." She replied, shrugging. "Just got here, actually. I had a bit of a spazz attack when I saw the swings. The set I have at home sucks." After a moment, she said; "My name is Winter Ichigo, what's yours?"

[Haki Leera]

Haki let out a sigh of relief. Good, this girl hadn't heard her. However... how odd that they had similar interests. Sure, she could relate to some of her classmates back home, but not like this!

"Haki Leera," she said softly. She never really liked her name that much, but there were worse out there, she supposed. "I used to swing back home all the time before we moved." The blonde saw her mistake too quickly. She hadn't meant to call her hellish pit of an island home... but isn't that what it was? Sure, there was nothing cool there and it was crowded as fuck even for a small town, but... it was all she really knew before she moved to Konoha. Stop complaining, she thought this place is better. It's a fresh start. No homophobic classmates, no awful rumors, and no more shitty Alaska weather. This is a new beginning. A good thing.

[Winter Ichigo]

Winter grinned. "Nice to meet cha', Haki." Winter said, in a slightly cartoon-y voice. Something she had a habit of doing when she was happy. "So, what other bands do you like?" She asked, tilting her head slightly as she gently swung the swing. Using no where NEAR the force she'd previously been swinging at.
While she waited for an answer, she took the opportunity studied the girl more, only to notice something that nearly made her heart explode. "Oh... My God... Is that a bi-pride hat?!" She practically squealed.

[Haki Leera]

Haki chuckled, "Nice to meet you." At her question, she exclaimed "Aw geeze..."[/b] Asking Haki how many other bands she liked was like asking a whore the names of all the people she- or even he, heehee- had sex with. She counted on her fingers, "Let's see... there's Linkin Park, Three Days Grace, Red, All Time Low, AFI, Lady Gaga... I know she's tecnically not a band, but she is a singer nonetheless-" She was cut off short by Winter's squeal. Haki felt her blood run cold.

Yes... it was a bi pride hat. Her bi pride hat. If I say yes it's like saying I'm bisexual, Haki thought, which... yeah, I am. But what if she.... What if she's like Autumn? They had gotten along so perfectly. Haki would hate for that to be ruined because she liked both genders. But then again... Winter seemed to have a positive reaction to it. But Haki would admit, her sexuality caused her a lot of problems at times. Often it was tempting to run into the closet and hide away amongst the abandoned clothes, shoes, and hangers forever. Closets are for clothes, closets are for clothes, closets are for CLOTHES! She chanted in head. Balling up her hands into fists, she fixated her green and blue eyes onto her lap, and nodded slowly. "Yeah... I got it at a local store a few months before I moved," she mumbled. Please don't be homophobic, she silently prayed.

[Winter Ichigo]

Winter stared at the hat in awe. Screw the whole 'staring is impolite' thing! She couldn't help but grin. "Maaaaan, that is freaking awesome! I wish I had a hat like that... Then again, I'd probably never get to wear it. Stupid homophobic grandmother." She said, mumbling the last bit. With a sigh, she shook her head and smiled again. "I think I'm starting to really like you." She told her, blushing lightly, though she hadn't a clue why.

[Haki Leera]

Homophobic family members? Haki knew that all too well. She felt a rush of relief hearing that Winter liked it. No 'eww, what's wrong with you?' No 'So you're bi... wow, what a slut.' Nothing like that at all... Thank God. But Haki had to make sure. "So you... know the bi pride flag?" Not many people did. Haki remembered she had to explain it countless times to the few friends that she had back in Alaska.

She looked up, blinking. "I like you too," she said. Aww man, I hope that didn't come out weird, she thought. "And... You could always say you just liked the colors. Plausible deniability. I've been doing it to my dad since I've come out of the closet." Heh, that old man never learned.

[Winter Ichigo]

Winter smiled. "Yes, yes I do. Kinda comes with the territory, doesn't it?" She said, well aware of what she was implying. Hey, this girl was wearing the flag, that had to mean she wouldn't freak out on her for being bi.
She stopped swinging for a moment and blinked. "That... Might actually work." She said, grinning at the prospect of showing her pride without coming out of the closet.

~OOC~ Fail post is fail.

[Haki Leera]

Haki tilted her head. Was this girl saying she was bisexual too? It would be a funny coincidence, that's for sure. She grinned. "A fellow seether? ... It's about fucking time!" She jumped up from the swing. "You... have NO idea how alone I felt. I mean, sure, I knew others in chatrooms that are bi... but it's not really the same, y'know?" She shook her head. "Winter... I think this is the beginning a beautiful friendship." Thumbs up.

[Winter Ichigo]

Winter blinked. "... I thought I was the only one who used the term, 'seether'." She said, grinning. Heh, if she kept this up her face might be permanently stuck like this. "I agree, Haki my dear. So, what else do we have in common?" Winter adopted a thoughtful expression. "I love to draw, listen to music, read, and play video games until my fingers fall of. You?"

[Haki Leera]

Haki started to open her mouth when she was asked what else they had in common, but shut her trap immediately when Winter started talking again. She listened intently, geniunely interested. Usually Haki was a good listener- back on that little island she was the unofficial shrink for most of the girls in her class. She didn't know why, but they always came back, saying she gave good advice, and "got it." That was a good thing, she supposed. But she didn't think her advice was all that great. Hell, half the time she was just telling them what the right thing to do would be, or just made things up as she went along.

Usually she only listened because she felt obligated to. This was the first conversation in forever that she actually held interest in. "That... pretty much covers it, haha. That and..." She blushed, "I admit that I spend a lot of time on the computer." People say that I have no life, she added in her head, but that place is my life... wait, don't say that! That sounds stupid.

[Winter Ichigo]

Winter smiled. "Yes, the internet is quite addicting, isn't it?" She said, swinging the wing lightly, "Especially when your like me and addicted to literate role play.... And I said that out loud, didn't I? Damn." Winter winced slightly. She really didn't care that much what people thought of her habits, but that one... Well, she had to admit, it was pretty damn dorky. Just like her Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles obsession.

[Haki Leera]

Wait... ROLE-PLAY? Get out! Haki coughed a little, fighting back a snicker. "Role-play, eh? I prefer cats or humans. Dogs are alright, but there's only so many synonyms to 'woof'". She beamed. Wow, what awesome luck! She didn't know anyone outside of the internet that liked role-playing. Back in Alaska she kept it to herself, since it was a "geeky" thing to do. But hey, she was the only literature person in her class anyway, so go figure.

Ooc; Surprise? :3