calm before a STORM {open}

[Adam Komatsu]

....beep.... ....beep.... ....beep....

"Yoh! It's Adam! Sorry to say that I can't pick up the phone at the moment, yet you can leave a message after the beep or call later! So, here we go; beep!" ....BEEP....


"Adam? If you're there, just pick up. If not... Well, just listen to this once you get back. It's Kaoru! Just wanted you to know that me and mum are coming tonight! It's a business trip, but we'll stop by you. Call me when you get home! Madaashta!

---

No, Adam didn't pick up the phone. Nor did he call Kaoru back, there just seemed to be no point in doing so. They knew where his apartment was, they knew how he was doing, and they probably didn't really care either! ...Ok, to go that far wasn't fair, but it seemed reasonable enough for Adam! When he had said he wanted to go to high school in the states, they hadn't said anything but "when do you want to leave?", as if they were happy to see him go! Stupid...!

Ten minutes later he had written a quick note and folded it, which he hang on the door to his apartment, grabbed his iPod and his jacket and headed down, away from "his" building. Just where he wanted to go, he didn't care, all he knew was that he didn't want to be the one to greet them! For all he cared, they could just lock themselves into his apratment and stay there until they got sick of it and found some sort of expensive hotel. Which would be best for all of them.

Just why he had gone down to the beach, he wasn't really sure of. It was usually crowded and loud, something that spoke against his nature, but still; there he was. But it wasn't crowded, it wasn't loud, simply peaceful and... dull. The clouds that seemed heavy with rain loomed over him and a cold wind made him pull up the zipper of his leather-jacket and dig his hands deep into his pockets. Call when he got home...? No. Call when he wanted to? Most likely not, as he doubted he'd ever want to. But who really wanted to be lectured for several minutes without end?

[Katharine Russoe]

Katharine came home from her shift at Obsessions and tried to hide her bag with her stripper clothes inside her coat. Her mom's car wasn't in the parking lot outside the apartment, but Bennie could be home. She was heading to her room like usual when she noticed a little note from her darling mother on the fridge. It had KASEY written on the top and Kate assumed it was meant for her. Stupid mother couldn't remember her own name. After the wrong name it was a grocery list and at the end it read: "Really busy at work. Need you to pick up groceries. Love Joyce." She didn't even sign it as "your mother," or "Mom" if she was really in a hurry. Katharine scoffed and looked around for some money left on the counter for groceries. Zip. So now she had to pay for her own food too. This irked Kate to a certain degree. She headed to her room to get some money when she saw Bennie already in there...

...And she had trashed Kate's room and was putting on Kate's favorite eyeliner. "BENICE HOLLY RUSSOE!" Katharine screamed dropping her bag at the site of her stupid freshman sister. Bennie just glared at her and retorted, "It's not like you don't steal it from me!" Katharine screamed in frustration and ran out of the room without any money. She just walked down out of the hotel not even bothering to get her keys. She just started walking to the only place where her stupid family wouldn't find her. The Kingston beach was always crowded. They couldn't find her there.

To her dismay, Kate reached the beach to find it dead. There were few other people there and it was quite still. The silence soon began to calm Kate, and she just clutched at the zipper on her jacket. She sat down on a near-by bench and let out a large sigh, as if all her problems went away with that sigh. She closed her eyes not ever wanting to open them again.

[Adam Komatsu]

Putting on his headset, Adam continued walking down the beach. It seemed so glum, so... dank. Why did people even come out here now? It wasn't particulary hot, it was not that early anymore and most people should stay indoors now! But perhaps it was simply more than just him who were drawn to it, because of that certain gloominess. Took his iPod out of his pocket now and... ------ ....nothing. Nothing?! What the hell?!

Stopped in his track, not even noticing the bench and the girl that was about right next to him, when he started to curse. Great! So this just ended up like a sucky day, all in all, didn't it? No music, no privacy due to his mother and no relaxation at home, reading some sort of book. Damn! Putting his iPod back into his pocket, he was about to pick up his phace again when he actually noticed the girl. Yeah, she probably had been sitting there all along, hadn't she? Seemed slightly familiar too, but he sucked with recognizing people, plust the memory was vague.

"And I just feel like I've shared my oppinion with the entire beach," he offered, giving her a faint smile before he scratched the back of his head. For some reason she seemed to look in about the same mood as he felt he was in, but... A little possibility there. Most of those who came down here were rich brats with too little to do. And himself, of course, yet he mainly came because it reminded him slightly of Osaka, back in Japan. It was close to the sea too... And sometimes those waves seemed too tempting. He had even done some surfing back there, yet here? No way! To join up with a bunch of frat-boys on Sunday afternoons? No thank you!

[Katharine Russoe]

Katharine snapped out of her trance as the boy near her started to curse. She knew it was petty, but the feeling of some other person being in the same mood as she was kind of comforted her. She tried to hide a smirk as he noticed her. She did chuckle lightly at his remark.

"Oy," Kate answered in a very unattatched, distant voice. "I know what you're feeling. My day has been far from perfect, and I'm assuming yours has too. Look at the brightside," she paused. She looked around at the almost empty beach and a certain grin came back to her face, "not many where here to hear your opinion."

(sorry that was bad)

[Adam Komatsu]

Brightside? Letting his eyes sweap over the beach and back to the girl, Adam nodded slightly. "I guess! I bet some parents would have gone rather protective-mode if their kids had been around," he said, trying to sound cheery, but not really managing. Parents? Yeah, cause they were such a big help! They were crap. Annoying and neglecting. Not that some parents weren't great, surely there were a handful, but those he knew, or had known, weren't really the rolemodels one should hope for. His father always worked and travelled between Tokyo and L.A, his mother had spent most of her nights at the hospital and as for Kaoru... Well, he hadn't really filled the big brother role either.

Tugging slightly at his jacket, Adam offered one of his lopsided grins before he nodded towards the bench. "Since we're both in such a shitty mood, why don't we let it go out on eachother, not someone else?" he asked while popping a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. Well, at least that hadn't failed him! If there had been no cigarettes there then... Well, hell now if he'd go back! There could already be people there and he planned to stay out late enough to get tired enough to simply go to bed the second he got back. And, of course, ignore the lectures from his mother about how "teenagers needs their sleep!".

(it's ok! mine ain't the greatest either )

[Katharine Russoe]

"Parentals fucking suck when they go into their evil little over-protective mode," Katharine smirked lightly. That comment had been somewhat hypocritical. Joyce was never around enough to be all over protective. Hell, she didn't have the slightest idea where Kate was actually working. Even if she did, she probably wouldn't give a damn as long as the cash kept rolling in. The closest thing Kate had to a parental was Bennie, who was just an annoying preppy snitch. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of how Bennie was so much like her as a freshman.

"Sorry babe, you don't want me taking anything out on you," Kate muttered and allowed her eyes to wander back over toward the boy. Her face resumed a cold, expressionless look. He pulled out a cigarette pack and Kate's nicotine craving started to shoot up. "Oy, can I get a light? If I don't I might just take someone's head off," she commented honestly. The only thing better right now would be a nice long toke of Jesus, as her friends had assumed to call weed. She sighed and started to lightly twirl a strand of hair. It was an old habit of hers whenever she was stressed or tired to twirl her hair, and right now, Kate was both.

[Adam Komatsu]

"Evil? Permay... Yet there are some who are absolutley not like that at all. Which can be.... Well, it's not the greatest either. Everyone should just have a normal amount of over-protective-ness. Not too much, not too little, end of story," Adam said slowly, reaplying to her smirk. Yeah, too little wasn't good either. When all that over-protectiveness had been directed at someone else... It made it unfair, no matter how he thought about it. But, he wouldn't really contradict what she had said, as he had no idea how her situation really was.

"Won't I?" came the teasing reply from Adam who balanced the cigarette in his mouth while speaking. "Alright, so maybe I really won't, but as I don't know just how you'd be then, things might come to the point where I'd want it. Or something like that, nee?" Ah, there he was again, not even now getting rid of his habit of saying "nee?". Most people probably didn't catch what it meant either, but... Obviously he wouldn't get rid of the habit either. End of story. "Well, since your need is that big, course yah can," Adam said, putting up his trademarked crooked grin. A grin that seemed flirting, teasing and happy all at once. (Yes, it is possible!) And with that he found his cigarette box, popped it open towards the girl, all the while finding his lighter with the other.