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Post by Paige Owen on Mar 2, 2010 15:45:00 GMT -5
Sometimes a girl needed another girl to talk to, someone who would understand. It wasn’t as if Paige had a lot of female friends to talk to. She didn’t exactly make friends easily. Maybe it was mostly her fault, because she tended to snap at people, especially other women. But Paige needed someone now, to help her understand things a little better. And maybe the one person who would really understand was her sister.
She and Chloe had never got along, but it was never Chloe’s fault. It was all Paige. She had always just been so insanely jealous of her twin that she could never really allow herself to get close to her. And suddenly, Paige was beginning to regret that.
Since the only place she really knew how to find Chloe was at the Hot Panini, she went there the day after her date with Austin in the hopes that her sister would be there that day. She took a seat in a corner of the restaurant and sat there, ripping a napkin to shreds while she looked around for any sign of Chloe.
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Post by Chloe Owen on Mar 2, 2010 23:29:46 GMT -5
Chloe worked almost everyday. She took two days off a week usually. When it was the full moon, she would strategically take her days off during that time. Today wasn't one of those days. Tomorrow would be the day she would take off.
Hearing that someone came in, she glanced up to see who it was. Automatically she knew who it was before her eyes found the person. Chloe watched Paige take a seat, then she reached for her pad to write down whatever Paige wanted. The last time she was in here, Chloe thought she might have gotten her head bitten off.
Taking in a deep breath, Chloe walked over to Paige's table. "Hello Paige," she said greeting her. "What can I get you to drink?"
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Post by Paige Owen on Mar 3, 2010 23:58:23 GMT -5
Paige looked up at her sister guiltily. For a moment, all the old jealousy and bitterness took over, and she wanted to lash out at Chloe. Why did it always seem that Chloe had everything? She had the blonde hair, the perfect smile, the sunny outlook, and now, apparently, a whole new family and a boyfriend. And Paige... she had a busted knee and a pile of shredded napkins sitting in front of her at the table.
Taking a deep breath, she avoided Chloe's eyes for a minute, while her hands continued to tear up the napkin. "Um, just a class of water, actually. And... um, I was kind of hoping we could talk. I... I don't have anyone else to talk to."
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Post by Chloe Owen on Mar 5, 2010 8:39:54 GMT -5
Seeing Paige look at her like that made Chloe know that there was something else that she was wanting because she did notice the tearing of the napkin. That usually meant she was a little nervous about something and the scent she gave off was full of confusion. If Chloe was an extremely mean person, she could have just blown her sister off but she wasn’t like that.
“Okay, glass of water,” she said scribbling it down on the pad in her hand. “And I’m due for a break so I’ll be right back.” It wasn’t every day that Paige came to her and wanted to talk. Actually, Chloe couldn’t recall a time that Paige just wanted to talk. She was her sister and Chloe was going to do whatever she could to help her, even if they hadn’t always seen eye to eye.
Chloe disappeared from the table and grabbed a glass of water before telling the other waitress she was going to take a short break. She walked back over to Paige’s table and sat her glass down in front of her. Sliding into the seat in front of Paige, Chloe looked at her curiously. “How has everything been going? Are you settling in okay?” Maybe it was a little different to start off that way seeing as they hadn’t really talked to each other, but it was a good as a start as any.
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Post by Paige Owen on Mar 5, 2010 16:05:27 GMT -5
Paige avoided her sister’s eyes as she took a drink from her glass. Deep down, she knew she really had no right even asking Chloe for help. Their relationship had never been close and it was all because of Paige. Chloe was a better person than she was. If their situations had been reversed, Paige probably would have told Chloe to get lost. But Chloe would never do that.
“I’m… I’m doing OK. I like my new job. I miss dancing… but I like working for the Prophet.”
She pulled another napkin from the dispenser and began ripping that one, focusing her gaze on this instead of looking at Chloe. “How… how are you doing?”
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Post by Chloe Owen on Mar 6, 2010 22:35:45 GMT -5
"That's great," she replied. "I like reading your articles. They're very well written." Chloe meant what she said. It was really the only reason why she read the Daily Prophet. She liked reading Paige's articles.
Chloe's gaze dropped to Paige's hands which were tearing the napkin apart. She knew her sister well enough to know that she was nervous. Bringing her gaze up, Chloe looked at Piage. "I'm doing okay. Work has been work, that sort of thing." She crossed her arms on the table. "How are you doing outside of work? You know you could always come by the house to visit if you want."
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Post by Paige Owen on Mar 7, 2010 0:11:16 GMT -5
Paige wasn't quite sure how to react. She wasn't used to getting a lot of compliments.... at least, not ones that mattered. Chloe had never seen her dance, and their parents had always put her down for it. Boys gave her compliments, usually empty ones designed to get her into bed. But rarely did she get a genuine compliment from someone whose opinion... mattered. This was one of those occasions, and she felt an unexpected blush creep ino her cheeks.
"Th-thank you," she said, looking up at Chloe with a hesitant smile on her face.
She doubted that she would feel comfortable spending time at Chloe's house with all her werewolf friends, but she didn't say that. It wasn't even really because they were werewolves, anyway... it was the fact that Paige was spoiled and liked to be around pretty, sophisticated things. But the werewolves seemed to live a more... organic lifstyle, not as refined as what she was used to.
But rather than say no outright, she just sort of smiled and nodded, and hoped that Chloe would interpret her words of thanks to refer to her offer as well.
I'm doing... OK," she said at last. "I'm sort of... seeing this guy..."
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Post by Chloe Owen on Mar 7, 2010 10:00:29 GMT -5
Paige's smile was returned. She knew how their parents treated Paige. Chloe didn't get the chance to see Paige dance, but she knew her sister was good anyway. Paige put her heart into dancing. Even though she couldn't dance now, Chloe was glad to see that Paige didn't just fade away. She was a strong girl and now Chloe hoped that they could have a better relationship.
Seeing Paige's nod, Chloe was unsure if Paige would really come visit her. She knew that the others in the house wouldn't mind if she came by for a visit. Although, she wasn't going to push her to come visit if she didn't want to. She would come by when she wanted to.
"Seeing a guy?" Chloe leaned forward a little on the table. This was the sort of thing sisters talked about, or at least this was what she imagined sisters talked about. "Everything going alright with him?"
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Post by Paige Owen on Mar 8, 2010 0:18:29 GMT -5
Paige sighed softly. So much had happened in her life that Chloe had no knowledge of, no connection to. The last time they had really talked had been just before they started at Hogwarts. But at school, they had been in different houses, and had different sets of friends, and whatever bond they mind have had as twins was lost. Now Chloe was a werewolf and Paige was a failed dancer turned reporter who had no idea what it meant to love and be loved.
Chloe never would have done the things that she had done--slept around, starved herself, abused her body.... Chloe had always believed in herself. Paige pushed herself to be perfect and ended up as anything but.
"It's.... I don't know. I like him, and we have fun together.... we flirt a lot, and sometimes I think he really likes me. But... Well, he doesn't want to sleep with me. I don't understand why not."
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Post by Chloe Owen on Mar 8, 2010 10:45:10 GMT -5
A look of confusion crossed Chloe's face. She didn't really understand what Paige was saying. Paige liked the guy, but then she's confused as to why he wouldn't sleep with her? Chloe didn't understand the part where if he liked her then she should sleep with her. If they just started seeing each other, it didn't really make sense to right away. Things took time to build.
"Did you just start seeing each other recently? It could be that he doesn't want to rush things too quickly. If he likes you then he might be waiting or something but not everyone wants to sleep with someone right away just to show they like you."
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Post by Paige Owen on Mar 8, 2010 15:22:34 GMT -5
Chloe might as well have been speaking another language. Paige didn’t understand any of that. Wasn’t sex the whole point of a relationship? Unless he wanted something else from her, but that didn’t seem to be the case, either. So, if he didn’t want sex, and he didn’t seem to want anything else... then why was he with her? She did not understand the concept that he might just want her. Especially since she did not see how she had anything else to offer him.
But as she looked at Chloe, Paige started to understand something. Chloe was a “good” girl. The kind of girl who didn’t even kiss on the first date, and had boys courting her like something out of an old Jane Austen novel. Paige had never been courted. She had been used and she had used others in return.
Her eyes burned and she began twisting her straw wrapper into knots on the table to avoid looking at Chloe.
“I’m not like you, Chloe,” she said softly. “I’ve done things… I’ve been with a lot of guys. No one’s ever waited before… It confuses me. ”
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Post by Chloe Owen on Mar 8, 2010 16:38:09 GMT -5
Hearing Paige's words, Chloe frowned. "You are like me, you're a girl." She wasn't sure of the right words to use. She didn't want to offend Paige. "Just because you've been with a few guys doesn't mean anything. Not all guys are the same, trust me." Chloe did know this. After all, Karl was different from most guys. She wasn't even considering the fact that he was a werewolf.
"There are some out there that are nice and want to be with you no matter what. They don't all just want one thing. Maybe this one is the kind that wants you for you not something else."
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Post by Paige Owen on Mar 8, 2010 23:31:20 GMT -5
Paige squeezed her eyes shut, causing two tears to leak out and roll down her cheeks. It should have been a good thing, finding a guy who wanted her for who she was. The trouble was, she didn't even like herself for who she was, and she couldn't imagine that anyone else would like her that way.
"But what if I have nothing else?" she whispered. "I'm not a good person, Chloe. You remember how nasty I was to you the last time I saw you, and now I'm here asking for your help.... I'm selfish and shallow and I can never be satisfied with anything. All I ever wanted was to be perfect--like you--but I'm not, I'm a mess...."
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Post by Chloe Owen on Mar 9, 2010 10:32:10 GMT -5
Chloe reached out and took Paige's hand. It didn't matter how nasty things could get, she was going to be always be there for Paige. It was what sisters did. If Paige was willing to come to her and talk about these kinds of things then there was hope that things could change.
"You do have something else Paige," she found herself saying. "And no one is perfect. We can't be anyone but ourselves. And about your last visit, it's alright. You're my sister. Maybe this guy is what will help you be the person you want to be. You just have to give it a chance and be open to the fact that maybe he does like you for you."
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Post by Paige Owen on Mar 9, 2010 16:49:36 GMT -5
Paige knew that she was on the edge of something here, and it felt rather like she was clinging to the edge of a steep cliff. If she let herself go, she could very possibly fall for Austin. But she was so afraid to let go. What if she let herself fall for him, and when he learned more about her, he decided that she wasn’t worth it? What if he only thought he liked her because he didn’t know her?
She had never actually been in love before, but she had been close once. At the time, she had thought it was really love—it was only with time and wisdom that she realized it was not. But it came close. And when he left her, she had been devastated. How could she let herself go through that again? There was no such thing as forever, was there? He would get tired of her eventually, and she’d be alone again.
“This guy you were seeing… you’re still with him, right? Tell me what it’s like, Chloe. Being in love. Is it always so scary?”
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Post by Chloe Owen on Mar 9, 2010 17:06:16 GMT -5
"I am," she said quietly. Every time Karl was brought up in a conversation she brightened a little, even though she didn't realize it. "Quite honestly? It is scary, but only at first. At first you're trying to figure out how you feel toward the person and it can be quite confusing. You're unsure if the person cares about you as much as you care about them but then something happens. That something is hard to define. It's just a moment you have and then you know that the feeling is mutal."
There was a light smile on her face. "Then after that, it's easy. You're happy with the person and you feel like they'll do anything for you and you'll do anything for them. You feel safe with the person. Other than that I don't really know how to describe it."
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Post by Paige Owen on Mar 9, 2010 23:23:55 GMT -5
Paige didn't miss the way Chloe's face lit up as she talked about her man. It made Paige jealous. She wanted to light up like that when Austin's name was mentioned. Right now, talking of him just brought up so much confusion and uncertainty, and Paige didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. She did know, however, when Austin was paying her a compliment, she felt warm inside, even if a part of her believed she didn't deserve it.
"How do you know if it's really mutual?" she asked. "And how do you know if it's right? That he won't just... fall out of love with you? Or that he won't change his mind once he gets to know you for real?"
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Post by Chloe Owen on Mar 10, 2010 11:34:22 GMT -5
"It's hard to describe. If he keeps coming back to you or finds excuses to talk to you or just to see you. Or maybe he does something for you extremely sweet but its nothing really cliche, or it could be something completely cliche but he does it in some sort of way." Chloe paused for a moment. "It's really hard to say how you really know. It's just something you feel. As for falling out of love, if he truly does love you, I don't think he could really fall out of love with you." She never understood the whole falling out of love with someone.
"And if he does care enough about you, he won't care who you really are. He must see something in you already that he likes."
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Post by Paige Owen on Mar 10, 2010 17:04:19 GMT -5
It all sounded so scary to Paige, like she was preparing to jump out of a muggle airplane without a broom. But Chloe seemed happy, and if Chloe could do it, Paige needed to try. Maybe it would be worth it. Paige was very pessimistic at heart, but she wanted to believe in the things that Chloe was saying.
“I appreciate your help, Chloe,” she said quietly, as she went back to twisting the straw wrapper around her fingers. “I just wish it was as easy for me as it is for you. I’ve been through a lot, and I just keep being afraid that if he finds out about it all… He won’t like me anymore.”
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Post by Chloe Owen on Mar 10, 2010 20:34:54 GMT -5
"It's what sisters are for," Chloe responded. "I'm going to be honest, it's not that easy but it does get easy with time. However, you're going to get through this. If this guy is making you really confused and all of that, I have a feeling that he's going to like you no matter what. Not everyone looks at you for what you've done, they look at who you are. The things you've done do not make you who you are."
She gave Paige a small smile. "I could always talk to him if you wanted me too," she added in a light teasing tone.
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