my walls come down ... (zander)

[joelle]

Joelle Caitlin Evans-Shade hated grocery-shopping. Especially when she was hungry. Which, of course, she was. That's why she'd opened the fridge in her dorm and found that there wasn't any food in there. So here she was, in Gordy's Groceries, which was possibly smaller than the grocery store back in Alice Springs, where she'd grown up with her grandparents and her adopted twin sister, Lexy.

The thing was, whenever Joelle went grocery-shopping and she was hungry, she ended up buying a shitload of unhealthy food. This, it seemed, was proved by the fact that the cart she was rolling in front of her had not just the microwave dinners and jug of milk she'd technically come for, but a bag of chips, a pack of chocolate chip cookies, and a dozen donuts. She felt fat, but that was okay. She could go for a run the next day, and everything would be fine.

Wasn't she supposed to be responsible now? She was eighteen, living practically on her own (unless you counted her roommate, which she didn't) at a boarding school in Oregon. Not all that far from California, if you think about it, but that was all right. It was a different state. Therefore, it was far enough away to count as a long way.

Yeah, Joelle was technically supposed to be a responsible young adult. She supposed that grocery shopping and buying chips and cookies and donuts wasn't really fitting that image. Well, that was okay. Right? Like she'd already decided, she would just go for a run tomorrow to work off the fat she was sure to gain from all of this junk food. Joelle added a six-pack of pop cans to her cart as she headed for the cash registers up near the front of the store. Three registers, really.

As she rounded the corner at the end of the aisle, the cart bumped unexpectedly. Crap. Joelle had just run over somebody's toe! She glanced up and saw a guy she was fairly sure she hadn't seen before. Maybe she'd seen him from a distance or something? Because Joelle vaguely recognized him, but she wasn't sure from where or how long ago or any of the other details, actually. He was cute. That was all she had time to think about before she knew she had to say something. She'd just run over his toe, for God's sake!

"Sorry," she said awkwardly. The words spurted from her mouth faster than she would have preferred. "I didn't see you there! Well, I mean, obviously, 'cause you were around the corner..." Trying to stop her mouth from opening again, she patted the box of cereal next to her. "These Cheerios were blocking my vision. Um, yeah. I'm sooo sorry! Are you okay?"

tagged;

[/color] zander remus flynn
word count;[/color] 469
outfit;[/color] here
lyrics;[/color] teenage dream, katy perry
notes;[/color] my name is so totally lux on this site. XD[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[glinda]

My mind is racing but my heart it beats faster. I’m in control, Commander and Master.
Lady Fate – creating disaster! But she ain’t the boss of me!

There’s no way we’re gonna leave it up to chance. There’s no damn way we’re gonna go
without a fight. There’s no way you’re going to see us on our ass.
-----------------------------------

[/font][/color]

It was far too nice outside to be stuck in such a drearily lit store. Zander Flynn sighed, his brown eyes on the shelf. If there was one thing that he was, it was a sucker for tears. Especially from his mother. His brother was out with Sam again on a “play-date” and his mother desperately needed him to get her groceries. When he went to argue because of the drawing he was almost finished, he saw her eyes fill with tears and just couldn’t find the strength to say that she should go herself. And now he was in the store, standing in front of the crackers in a desperate attempt to find the ones on the list. ‘Zander, I need the Ritz crackers. But not the regular ones. Or the multigrain. The other ones. They’re just near the rest of the crackers.’, the note mocked. His mother had insisted upon writing her list out with helpful notes, all addressed to him or Nate. For some reason, Zander was beginning to think that this had been her plan all along. With another sigh and a good-natured head shake, he shoved a box of crackers out of the way. His eyes lit up, falling on the box of REDUCED SODIUM Ritz crackers that sat here. It was almost as if they were mocking him, just sitting there. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed into a glare as he reached out to snag the box and drop it in the basket. Absently, he checked it off, deciding to check out the produce section for the ‘Gala apples. They’re different from the other ones. Your father and brother don’t like any other kind.’ As if he didn’t know that already. The rant that his father could get off on if there were other kinds of apples was insane. It was as if getting any other kind of apple was treason.

He yawned, swinging the basket as he ran through the last time that he’d gone with his mother for groceries. He was pretty sure that Nate had sat in the cart. Ass had probably stolen it from him. He was also fairly certain that they’d been in Canada. Probably about nine. With a chuckle, he remembered the reaction his mother had displayed. It wasn’t Zander’s fault that Nate hadn’t caught the box of Pop-Tarts and let the cardboard container hit him. There was no need to be angry, but Alexandra had abandoned her cart and dragged her sons from the store. Luckily, Marie was running the small store in Kimberley at the time and she’d watched the cart as Zander and Nate were marched to the car and told to not move a muscle unless they wanted it to be cut off. Zander and Nate had nodded solemnly and, as soon as she’d stormed back into the store to finish the shopping, had proceeded to bounce around in the backseat. It was a memory that Zander hadn’t really thought on before, something from home that didn’t have to do with school or hockey. It made him homesick. He didn’t like being down in the States. It wasn’t as normal for him. There was nothing to remind him of home. There were no mountains, nothing that he wanted to have around him. There were none of the landmarks from Kimberley that could instantly cool the insanity that filled his head whenever he got stressed out. It just wasn’t home here.

Mind off on a tangent, he didn’t notice the silver end of a cart starting to emerge from the end of an aisle near him. However, when it rolled over his foot, he couldn’t help but let out a disgruntled, “That was my foot!” to the newly panicked face of the brunette at the other end of the cart. His eyes shot open at her rushed apology, corners of his mouth pulling up at her ramblings. When she mentioned the Cheerios, he stepped in to save her from herself. “It’s okay. I should be sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going. As for whether or not I’m alright,” he paused, smirking before dramatically dropping his facial expression and the basket while clutching his leg. “Oh, the pain! I was just hit by a cart! Driven by a mad woman! I don’t think I’ll ever recover!” As soon as he finished, he let the smile return, scooping up the basket before standing tall. “But, really, I am fine. You just grazed my foot. I’ve had a lot worse happen.” He smiled, waving a hand as if to dismiss the topic as unimportant. “Anyway, I hope that running over my foot didn’t traumatize you,” he stated, turning his head to grab a box of Cheerios. If he was doing this for his mother, it was only fair that he got something that he and Nate would eat as well.

[/justify]

-----------------------------------
|| Notes: I'm sorry it's late! D: || Tagged: Joelle. ||
|| Words: 813 || Listening to: No Way - AVPS ||

[/font][/color]

[joelle]

"That was my foot!" he said somewhat angrily. Then he seemed to calm himself down. He smiled at her. "It's okay. I should be sorry -- I wasn't watching where I was going. As for whether or not I'm alright..." Very suddenly, he dropped his grocery basket and grabbed his leg. "Oh, the pain! I was just hit by a cart! Driven by a mad woman! I don't think I'll ever recover!" Joelle stared at him, praying that there weren't too many people going past who would be watching this little encounter. She was a little bit afraid to look.

The guy was picking up the basket now. "But really, I'm fine. You just grazed my foot. I've had a lot worse happen... Anyway, I hope that running over my foot didn't traumatize you." He grabbed a box of Cheerios from the very same display that had blocked Joelle's view before.

Joelle laughed a little, running her hand through her long, dark hair. "It didn't," she assured him, "don't worry about it. My mind remains pure and innocent... And I hope you realize that I ran over your foot, not your entire leg." She grinned, remembering how just a moment before, the guy had been holding his leg just under his knee. Definitely not where his foot was located.

She looked at him intently, trying to figure out where she recognized him from. And failed. Miserably. All she knew was that she had seen him before. She had no idea where or when. She probably hadn't talked to him before, though. All she wanted to know was where she knew him from! Maybe knowing his name would help.

"I'm Joelle, by the way," she added, hoping that he wasn't freaked out by the way she was staring at him. "And you are...?"

tagged;

[/color] zander remus flynn
word count;[/color] 315
outfit;[/color] here
lyrics;[/color] teenage dream, katy perry
notes;[/color] sorry, that took a while. :/[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[glinda]

My mind is racing but my heart it beats faster. I’m in control, Commander and Master.
Lady Fate – creating disaster! But she ain’t the boss of me!

There’s no way we’re gonna leave it up to chance. There’s no damn way we’re gonna go
without a fight. There’s no way you’re going to see us on our ass.
-----------------------------------

[/font][/color]

He couldn’t help but laugh at the shocked and fearful expression that had covered her face at his reaction as he grabbed the Cheerios. He remembered when he’d been that kid who couldn’t help but be totally appalled at doing anything outside of the social norm. Since he’d been old enough to be involved in any of his twin’s schemes, he’d lost that fearful approach to life. He certainly hoped that she wasn’t this shy. Or, maybe it would be alright if she was. He could get out of the store quickly, get home, beg for food and finish his drawing. On the other hand, this encounter could be very amusing, distracting his mind until he figured out what to DO when he went home. It wasn’t as if there was much to do. He could take Calvin for a walk. The husky would probably like that. Unless, of course, the dog had managed to destroy the house in the hour that Zander had been out in the town. That would ruin his plans. Alexandra would make him clean everything. And if there was one thing that was more boring than grocery shopping, it was cleaning.

When she laughed suddenly at him, he let loose a smile. Thank God. From what he could tell, she wasn’t that kid who would shy away and just book it back down the aisle, escaping out the fire exit. “At least I didn’t actually scar you,” he said, almost gravely after hearing the first half of her comment, raising a brow with a slight smirk to belie the seriousness. It was true. The idea of scarring an innocent bystander in the grocery store of all places would have made him feel awful. Not that he would have said anything, because that would have made him sound like an idiot. But he would have thought it and it would have tormented his mind. There was a small issue with guilt that Zander seemed to have, taking simple matters to heart instead of just waving them off like a normal person. Then again, his mother always teased that he was the dreamer of her boys, eyes on the skies. It could have fit. Would he ask her? No. Of course not. He still had his dignity. At the second half of her comment, Zander couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He’d actually wondered if she would notice that he’d grabbed his leg instead of cradling his foot and chancing a sideways fall of comical standards. “How do you know that you didn’t hit my leg as well? It could have been another victim to you and your reckless cart driving,” he said as soon as he’d stopped laughing, raising a brow with a smirk.

The smirk stayed on even through the intense stare down that he was currently involved with. For some reason, this girl before him insisted upon almost creepily gawking that was underway. He didn’t feel like joining that train, so he stared off to the produce department, just on the other end of the store. He could see the scales, even catch sight of the meat department which, for some weird reason, was at the front of the store. Vaguely, he wondered if there was any need for meat on the list. Maybe Alexandra would make her homemade pizza. That would be nice. It would draw anyone to the Flynn household. He prided himself on not jumping when she spoke again, turning back to face her and offering his hand at the introduction. “Joelle, eh? Nice to meet you. Name’s Zander,” he said, wondering how a small run in with the cart had managed to lead to a full out introduction. Whenever it happened to someone else, it seemed that everyone just kind of said Sorry! and returned to the shopping motions. What was he to say, though? Besides, for all he knew, a stop for conversation could be entertaining.

[/justify]

-----------------------------------
|| Notes: It's kind of sucky. >.> || Tagged: Joelle. ||
|| Words: 657 || Listening to: No Way - AVPS ||

[/font][/color]

[joelle]

She wasn't usually this shy. She was an outgoing person; it came from having a crazy adopted "twin" sister. Joelle hoped that this guy didn't think she was that shy girl who stood on the sidelines and kept quiet.

"At least I didn't actually scar you," he told her, smiling a little and raising one eyebrow. Then he burst out laughing, glancing down at his leg quickly. "How do you know that you didn't hit my leg as well? It could have been another victim to you and your reckless cart driving." Crap. Maybe she had hit his leg. She'd thought it was just simply running over the guy's toe, but maybe... "Joelle, eh? Nice to meet you," he added, holding out his hand for her to shake. "Name's Zander."

Zander. Probably short for Alexander. Joelle and Lexy used to have a friend with a brother named Zander. He'd been cute, too. She was sure that the both of them had crushes on him the whole time they'd been friends with the girl. They'd been little; maybe eleven? Joelle couldn't even remember the girl's name. She smiled at Zander, giving this nervous little laugh and then refraining from slapping herself for sounding like that. Her nervous laughs always sounded strange. She didn't like to laugh like that.

"Did I actually hit your leg, too?" she asked anxiously as she shook his hand. His hand was warm and kind of soft. It felt nice. She tried not to think about that, because she'd just met him and she didn't usually get like this right away. "I didn't mean to, I swear. And my cart driving isn't reckless!" she added jokingly, grinning. "Maybe we should sue Gordy's for their display of Cheerios." She lost the smile as she looked at him. "Are you absolutely sure you're okay?"

tagged;

[/color] zander remus flynn
word count;[/color] 309
outfit;[/color] here
lyrics;[/color] teenage dream, katy perry
notes;[/color] i totally did have a friend with a brother named zander. but i didn't have a crush on him... and i remember her name. liz. :)[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[glinda]

My mind is racing but my heart it beats faster. I’m in control, Commander and Master.
Lady Fate – creating disaster! But she ain’t the boss of me!

There’s no way we’re gonna leave it up to chance. There’s no damn way we’re gonna go
without a fight. There’s no way you’re going to see us on our ass.
-----------------------------------

[/font][/color]

When she gave a nervous laugh, Zander instantly thought that he’d done something wrong. Was there etiquette to meeting people in the grocery store that he missed? Were you supposed to swap something? Recipes or something like that? Because if she wanted a creative recipe from him, the best she was going to get was First, you grab the box of Cheerios and a bowl. Combine and add milk. Great with spoons. or something equally as stupid. Were they supposed to know an interesting handshake? Was there anything that was supposed to happen? Or what was going on? There was no reason to think that he was forgetting something. No reason at all to believe that there was something else to do here. None at all. However, his arm was getting a little tired of hanging in the air, waiting patiently for her to shake it. When she did, and asked her question he laughed once more.

“Oh, I was just kidding. You barely hit me. Don’t worry about it,” he reassured her, still laughing a little as he spoke. For some reason, his mind kept coming back to the previous laugh. Was that what the laugh was for? Thinking that she hurt his leg? Oh, there was something weird about the idea of nervous laughter on the account of running into a limb. For some reason, his mind suddenly wandered off at moment, straying to other worse reasons for the nervous laughter. Was she really worried for hitting his leg? Was there a joke or something that she felt like he was fitting the punch line of? Did he do something? Was he missing something? Now, that could actually have been it. See, Zander wasn’t the brightest bulb in the house, probably because he never paid much attention. This was one of those instances, perhaps. Maybe she’d said something to him and he hadn’t heard it. That might explain the laugh. However, he just smiled and kept the confusion off his face.

As soon as she said that her driving wasn’t reckless, he had to laugh once more, shaking his head with amusement. “ Don’t worry, I was just kidding you. I’m sure that you were just distracted. I wasn’t paying attention, so that could have been the cause.” he said, trying to assure her once more. He wondered if she would ever accept that she hadn’t hurt him. Accidents happened all the time, it wasn’t her fault and it wasn’t his. They hadn’t been paying attention. Besides, it wasn’t as if she’d been driving her car and had hit him. That would probably have ended way worse. This was a common incident, it was nothing to get too worked up over. At her comment toward Gordy’s and their vibrant display of Cheerios, he had to smile again, raising a brow as he thought the idea over. It seemed as if it was a bit of an exaggeration, which was probably how she’d meant it based on the shit-eating grin that covered her face. “Perhaps suing them for the distracting display is going too far. Why not just have them provide free food for us for the duration of our time here? That seems to be a good idea as well,” he stated, the smile brightening into a smirk. “My parents would love that. Free food. Great idea, huh?”

He raised both brows at her final comment, wondering just how many times in a conversation someone could ask if he was okay. It was just a cart. Again, worse things had happened. It was crossing his mind that she wouldn’t rest until he really convinced her that he wasn’t about to die from a cart injury. There was no logical way to do it that he could think of, so he just placed his basket on the ground and picked his foot up. “You can check if you want, but I promise that I am fine. The cart didn’t do anything. It rolled over my toe. I did worse this summer when I dropped a weight on my foot. There is nothing wrong with my foot. You did not hurt me. You’ve got to relax. It’s not like you deliberately drove the cart out and rolled over my foot.” He paused for a second, then smirked and lowered both brows into a mock glare. “Unless, of course, it was on purpose, and then I shall have to take my revenge on you, Joelle.” Smirk growing, he just crossed his arms lightly and waited for a reaction.

[/justify]

-----------------------------------
|| Notes: I am so sorry this is late! D: || Tagged: Joelle. ||
|| Words: 757 || Listening to: No Way - AVPS ||

[/font][/color]

[joelle]

"Oh, I was just kidding," he said quickly. "You barely hit me. Don't worry about it." He laughed, shaking his head a little. "Don't worry," he told her again. "I was just kidding you. I'm sure that you were just distracted. I wasn't paying attention... So that could have been the cause." She smiled back at him as he added, "Perhaps suing them for the distracting display is going too far... Why not just have them provide free food for us for the duration of our time here?" God, he was really formal, wasn't he? "That seems to be a good idea, as well. My parents would love that. Free food. Great idea, huh?"

She nodded, laughing along with him. She probably looked like an idiot. She couldn't stop staring at him! It wasn't her fault, though. He was cute. Joelle wondered if he'd noticed the way she was looking at him or not. He lifted his foot, holding it out towards her. "You can check, if you want. But I promise that I am fine. The cart didn't do anything, it rolled over my toe," he explained patiently. And now Joelle felt like an idiot, too!

"I did worse this summer when I dropped a weight on my foot," he continued. So he worked out... She smiled a little wider. "There is nothing wrong with my foot. You did not hurt me. You've got to relzx. it's not like you deliberately drove the cart out and rolled over my foot." Well, that was true. Oh, imagine if she had done that! How horrible would that be? Joelle would never do that to anyone. "Unless, of course," he said, sending an extremely fake glare in her direction, "it was on purpose. And then I shall have to take my revenge on you, Joelle." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her, waiting, eyebrows raised.

How had he come up with that? And what kind of revenge would he be taking on her, anyways? Joelle smiled at him, blushing a little bit, she was sure. Damn it! She probably looked even more stupid than she had before now. God, she wasn't usually this self-conscious... If Lexy was here, she'd be perfectly fine, and she knew it. "So what if I did?" she asked innocently, shrugging and keeping the smile on her face so he would know she was joking. "Maybe I wanted to talk to you..." She laughed again. Why couldn't that stupid, embarrassing nervous, high-pitched laugh just stop?

tagged;

[/color] zander remus flynn
word count;[/color] 421
outfit;[/color] here
lyrics;[/color] teenage dream, katy perry
notes;[/color] sorry, that took a while. :P[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]