Confrontation, IC: Colette ISO: Annika

[PeachyKeen!]

ONE HOUR AFTER THE FIREFLY FESTIVAL

It was eery feeling, walking home alone after the Firefly festival. Every year before this one she had her family keeping her company, filling the night with conversation and the occasional laugh. Now there was an unnerving silence in the humid summer air. Crickets didn't even seem to chirp this late at night. All she could hear was the sound of her shoes against the dirt road that guided her back to the ranch. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and targeted a small pebble to kick while moving up the winding trail. Her thoughts occupied her, the evening's events replaying in her head.

She recalled talking to Thom and Marle and how she made an ass out herself, wincing at the thought. Ick, best not to dwell on that. There was also Annika talking to that weird kid. A smile creeped across her lips when she remembered their stunned silence when she messed with them. Yeah. Yeah that was pretty fun she admitted a little too pleased with herself. It was nothing she planned on following through with of course, she didn't even know the guy. Still, she wasn't above a good jab every now and then. And first impressions be damned, that was far too good an opportunity to pass up.

The path to her home took less time than she remembered, her pace faster when walking alone. It felt like it came too soon. She was still wide awake, and having her final thoughts of the night being that little prank seemed like an unceremonious way to end such an occasion. So instead of heading into her bedroom Colette turned towards the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine from Bonnie's vineyard. She uncorked the bottle, (no need for glasses,) before shuffling outside again. It was too nice a night to drink indoors. Slipping out of her shoes the woman enjoyed the feel of the fresh grass on her bare feet. She stopped when she made it to the fence post, climbing up on it before taking another swig of her wine. "Cheers." She said to no one in particular. Colette was half-tempted to toast her mother, but something in her throat stopped her. She remained silent. So instead she drank to nothing.

[Surrealrose]

Annika rushed through the dark. She'd long lost Colette's exact trail, but she knew the path well enough to know she was heading home, and after getting a little lost she saw the lights coming from the old farm house of Larocque Ranch and knew her assumption had been correct—which was incredible for not coming this way in years.

She had no idea what she was going to say—she had only spoken to her old friend once before a few days ago in nearly five years. They were completely different people now—kind of, Annika never really changed over than becoming more introverted and self conscious, neither of which were positive things. Besides, Colette really had no reason to blackmail—Okay, maybe she did. Sawyer had been Ian's lackey but it had been years and years... No big deal now right? Yeah, this was going to be a disaster.

She nearly didn't notice Colette as she rounded the gate. Screeching to a halt when she saw a figure on the fence, she choked back a yelp before she got closer, the stench of wine wafting through the air. She'd never get used to that smell.

“C-Colette!” She said hesitantly, trying to summon whatever courage she could. “Why are you being so mean?” Her voice was shaky, sounding like she was nearly on the verge of tears, but she held her ground, trying her best to look confident. It wasn't working. “S-Sawyer is dealing with a lot you can't... can't understand... I-I'm not... I mean... I, ah...” Her momentum dying she looked down at the ground, her mind scrambling to find anything else to say.

[PeachyKeen!]

The moon was fairly large tonight. Huh. Normally she didn't take the time to look at the moon, or anything really. She wasn't the 'stop-and-smell-the-flowers' type of person. So having this brief moment to herself was…kinda nice. No running around, no boredom. Just her and a wine bottle enjoying the little things. The warm summer wind picked up, the rustling of the tall grass masking the sound of approaching footsteps. She swung her feet back and forth and ignored the creaks of protest the fence gave below her. A wave of calm had enveloped her. Maybe it was because of the festival, maybe it was the warm summer night, but something had stirred inside the girl. She admired the night sky and for once in her life appreciated the silence. It was time for reflection, for patience, and for --

“C-Colette!”

HOLYMOTHEROFGOD.

Colette spat up her wine, as her heart nearly leapt out of her throat. Her balance was lost on the fence post as she barely avoided landing on her back. She straddled the fence post clumsily before landing on one leg, the second hung over the plank of wood clumsily. A symphony of grunts and curses accompanied this process before she finally managed to distance herself from the fence from hell, amazingly the wine bottle still in her grasp. "WHAT THE HELL, ANI?" She cried, recognizing that stammering voice from just hours before. It was past midnight, what in the world was she doing at the ranch? "When I said you could come any time I didn't mean--like. I didn't mean NOW." That was eloquent. What could be so important that she'd wander so far away from her home in the dead of night? This train of thought made her stop complaining to ask, "Is something wrong?" Obviously. "Like an emergency or something?" She lowered her guard and took a step towards the woman, now believing some sort of urgent matter was at hand.

“Why are you being so mean?”

Oh. That.

Colette's mouth twisted into a frown before taking a swig from the bottle. Despite the liquor now coursing through her veins Colette couldn't help but feel a slight annoyance bubble inside of her. Annika disturbed her in the dead of night because of this? "Oh come on, Ani. It was just a joke." A joke that Annika didn't particularly like, it seemed. Pity, Colette thought she was hilarious.

That guy must have been someone important to her old sandbox buddy. Was this so vital it couldn't wait until morning? Her cheeks flushed red out of embarrassment and frustration. He had to be a dear friend to the delicate Annika. A twang of jealousy and another swig. Sure they hadn't talked in years and the two couldn't be considered close, but Colette couldn't help but feel…replaced. In a way. Seeing old friends move on wasn't something she had yet to deal with in her young life. Now she had to deal with friends and family moving on. It was hard to know how to take it. "I wasn't serious. Just wanted to get like. A rise out of you, you know?" She shrugged as she began walking back to her home. This conversation was one she didn't want to continue. And after being called 'mean' she felt like she had taken a dagger to the heart. Colette wasn't mean, was she? Sure she wasn't a saint, but that word 'mean' was just a hop, skip and jump away from the term, 'bully'. And that was a word she would dread being called. Horrified even.

"Look if it means that much to you I'll lay off, okay?" She shuffled towards the entrance of the old home, feeling like a kid getting lectured. Colette just wanted it to stop. "Sorry I upset you. And stuff." A pebble was kicked out of frustration. First time she spoke to Annika in years and the girl seemed to dislike the new and… violent side of her. She was about to turn the door handle and go inside like a pouting child going to their room. No longer interested in the moon or how big it was. Her head bowed in defeat as she opened the door. Annika got what she wan--

“S-Sawyer is dealing with a lot you can't... can't understand... I-I'm not... I mean... I, ah...”

"WOAH. WAIT." Colette spun around in a flash and was in Annika's face in seconds. "That guy was SAWYER? The brat that hung around Ian? That made my childhood a LIVING HELL? THAT SAWYER?" Her voice echoed and her puppy began to bark. Colette didn't seem to care, because her sad expression had been exchanged for a grinch-like smile. She bellowed an evil laugh, slinking inside her door and leaving it open for Annika to follow. Colette rounded into her kitchen and grabbed a finer vintage from the fridge, suddenly in the mood for celebrating.

[Surrealrose]

Annika jumped as well, totally not expecting Colette's reaction to be so violent... Although, it was late. And she kind of snuck up on her like an extremely meek ninja. She should have seen this coming. She tried to stammer out a reply to no avail, all her courage already spent, she just looked at the ground. As her old friend replied to her “onslaught.”

"Look if it means that much to you I'll lay off, okay? Sorry I upset you. And stuff."

She couldn't help but feel guilty, even though what Colette was doing was wrong, she could tell she hurt her. She had so badly wanted to reconnect with her after all these years and she felt like she had chosen one old friend over the other--

"That guy was SAWYER? The brat that hung around Ian? That made my childhood a LIVING HELL? THAT SAWYER?"

“AHHH~” She screamed, nearly falling backward when Colette practically teleported over and yelled in her face. “You... You didn't know?! But why... Nevermind. He wasn't that ba—Well, it's been a long time. People change. H-he's nice.”

And as soon as she had been in face she was in the house, leaving the door open for her to follow. Swallowing hard, trying o get her heart rate back to normal, she did exactly that and hope she could fix the situation. It was jarring to see her friend pull out a bottle of wine, she had to admit, and she stood in the door way afraid to step in further lest Colette get all up in her face once again.

[PeachyKeen!]

Annika seemed thrown. She stammered behind Colette, apparently picking up on the fact that she royally blew it. Sure Colette was good enough to lay off a stranger, but getting revenge on an old bully? No one was THAT nice. "Of COURSE I had no idea. I was just screwing with you!" She repeated herself, using stronger phrasing this time. She grabbed her glass and began humming as she unscrewed the cork to the wine. "A prank. You know those? Like the ones that they used to pull on me ALL THE TIME?" She poured her beverage and set the wine bottle on the table before mentioning, "Except their pranks use to shatter my soul. So there's that." A sip of wine.

"You want some?" Colette gestured to her glass, not aware of Annika's aversion to alcohol. Of course, this question was quickly forgotten when she realized what her old friend was doing. Nervously Annika muttered out the boy's praises. She was defending him. Not Robert, but Sawyer. The brunette knew it was the same asshole who made Colette's life miserable before she even came up here. And she called the rancher mean all the while standing up for the boy who laughed when she got pushed around. Laughed when she cried. Her annoyance with Ani began to grow into frustration.

"I don't care if it's been a long time." She said a little tersely, rapping her fingers against the table in annoyance. "He never faced what he did." In her opinion the ultimate judge in character. "In fact it LOOKS like he's running away from his problems. Why the hell does he want to pretend his name is Robert??" She went to giddy to angry: now determined to get some answers. "And people don't change." She muttered, taking a gulp of her wine.

[Surrealrose]

"A prank. You know those? Like the ones that they used to pull on me ALL THE TIME?"

Annika winced. Her memories of that time were fuzzy, at best, but for her old friend they seemed to be fresh and painful wounds. She never did get much teasing, aside from jabs at the godawful dresses her mother made her wear, which she wholeheartedly agreed with so nothing really stung deep within her soul. Colette on the other hand was a completely different story...

"You want some?"

She waved off the offering. “I... don't drink, but thank you.” She said, still standing awkwardly in the doorway. The silence that followed was painful. She hated this, she didn't want to be in the middle of it. She had wanted to get to know Colette again, after their chance meeting the day before. She had a lot of catching up to do with both of them.

"In fact it LOOKS like he's running away from his problems. Why the hell does he want to pretend his name is Robert??"

Now, THAT, she had to admit, was a great question. She'd only gotten a hurried half-explanation that didn't really explain anything at all. She assumed it was that he wanted to avoid Ian, or maybe he didn't want to talk about why he'd left. She didn't know, she honestly hadn't thought it through, just jumped into the fray to help out, like she always did.

“I... I don't know, Letty. I just. I think he wants a fresh start, without Ian... Maybe.” She said, taking a small step forward slowly, like she was afraid Colette would bite if she got too close.

"And people don't change."

“You... You've changed.” She quipped, almost involuntarily. She wasn't sure if it was for the better or not. The Letty she knew wouldn't have picked on anyone. “People constantly change. Ten years is very long time, too...”

[PeachyKeen!]

This whole thing was hard to swallow. Even now Ani was stumbling around trying to defend Sawyer. The worst part was she couldn't fathom why, and the lack of answers made her mind numb with frustration. When did Annika become friends with that asshole? When did she have enough of a backbone to stand up for him-- for anyone? And why did she feel the need to barge into Colette's home and insult her immediately after a harmless joke? This was why she came by? This? It wasn't like it was hurtful, what hurt more was that Annika didn't feel the need to come visit Colette for years until she had a problem with her. It's not like she struck him or called him names. Why was Annika here?

It made her stomach twist in knots when the brunette looked down on her, and not understanding why made it worse. She didn't understand, she couldn't understand. And that made her angry. The girl stared at the wine in her glass. The scarlet liquid now looked dull in color and the smell too sweet. Her thirst was gone and Colette rashly dumped expensive vintage in the sink. She needed time to think this through, but Annika wasn't giving her that luxury.

“I... I don't know, Letty. I just. I think he wants a fresh start, without Ian... Maybe.”

Colette slammed the glass on the table and snapped at Annika. "Wait--So Sawyer changed but. What. Ian just-- can't??" Colette couldn't articulate her statement as her temper began to flare. "This whole thing is dumb! Ian is dumb, but. Not THAT dumb. He'll FIND OUT." Her voice cut and caused her puppy to start barking again. Any remnant of a smile was gone, instead Colette was now having trouble reigning in her temper. Cheeks flushed and glaring at her old friend the rancher felt her heart and mind teeming with frustration. "I just. I don't. I don't get any of this Annika." She grabbed the wine and shoved it in the fridge, flinging the door shut in her rage. "Why is this such a big deal? What did I DO?" She wanted her to go away. Colette was hurt and couldn't even articulate how or why. It was a special kind of pain, one that someone feels when you are disliked for just being yourself. When a friend places you below her other friends. She felt a childish pit in her stomach, and this visceral pang of inadequacy. Even though Annika was in the room with her, she felt lonely.

“You… You've changed.”

"Guess I had to." Colette's rage superseded her sadness, a default reaction. Even so her eyes looked as red as her cheeks as she faced the girl with arms crossed. What had happened? They used to be so close. Now they were rendered to this. Her body was trembling, though it was hard to tell if from anger or anguish. "Good to see you have someone's back." Colette's tone was flat, her emotions spent. She wanted to muster up some more energy to say something else, but would have probably just pushed her down. Instead she said the most sensible thing she could. "You need to go." Before her patience was spent as well. "Nice seeing you Annika." the nickname, 'Ani' seemed so inappropriate now.

[Surrealrose]

Colette's look changed in an instant from triumph to rage, making Annika discomfort skyrocket. She brought up so many good points that she couldn't deny. Her reasoning was flimsy, at best, but she felt justified. The trust Sawyer had put in her was special, it had to be protected, whether her old friend understood it or not.

"Wait--So Sawyer changed but. What. Ian just-- can't??"
Annika opened her mouth, wanting to argue back but not a sound escaped, her voice held hostage by her fear. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, trying to focus on the point she wanted to make. “Wh-why... I ne-never... I never said he couldn't.” She squeaked out, her eyes still closed, not wanting to look at Colette. She was a lot... scarier than she remembered.

"This whole thing is dumb! Ian is dumb, but. Not THAT dumb. He'll FIND OUT."

“M-maybe.” She said, forming her hands into fists, her body shaking. “But... but it won't be from me. Or... or you.” She just wanted to run away, have things return to normal. “P-promise me that. That's... all I want.”

”Good to see you have someone's back.”

Those words stung, making Annika's eyes well with tears. It wasn't like that! She shouldn't have to choose one friend over the other, and yet, here she was, forced into that horrible corner. She should have waited, she was so foolish to charge off like she did. She wouldn't be in this situation if she hadn't chosen wrong. This was all her fault. “I-I'm sorry...” She said, barely above a whisper, voice shaky. Slowly the tears slid down her face, dripping onto the floor. “I didn't mean... I didn't want...”

"You need to go. Nice seeing you Annika."

This wasn't her Letty anymore... This was a stranger.

Sniffling, she nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes, she took a few steps toward the door, glancing over her shoulder, wanting to say anything to make things right. Nothing came to mind. The feeling in her chest was heavy. Sinking. Black. She continued on, shutting the front door behind her softly. That's when the true tears came, and she leaned against the door, her sobs jagged and rough, shaking her whole body. Knowing she couldn't stay here long, she moved on, heading back to her home, the sense of loss her only companion.

Guess you can never go back to happier times.