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TEENS IS DUMB
[Things have been getting progressively more rotten since the island fiasco. Most recently, of course, was probably the worst of it that Lars has endured yet. Last month was the last time Sadie stayed at his place, and it was decidedly the least successful—and in other ways, most successful—time had with her yet.
It seemed like things were going to get better, until absolutely fucking nothing made any sense and then everything was worse than before. And now they really weren't friends—they couldn't be, objectively, is what Lars has decided is Sadie's conclusion.
In any case, work has been awful. For the first week after the blizzard, Lars could barely handle looking at Sadie; his chest constantly ached and his heart raced. His stomach was often upset. He was never someone who handled this kind of stress well, and he had no one to really talk to about what was going on—and even if he did, he would be extremely reluctant at best to share it. The result, of course, is that Lars has been extra unpleasant—he's back to unapologetic tardiness; he's extra rude with the customers; he bristles obnoxiously when Ronaldo comes around, or if he thinks he and Sadie are texting; he takes more breaks than usual, and for longer amounts of time.
And tonight, he got in a fight with his mom. She would never do anything like throw Lars out, but he kinda threw himself out until it's late enough that she won't hear him come back. He'd been so useless at home—moreso than usual, than she kind of crawled up his ass about it. And she'd also found a carton of cigarettes, which she didn't take very well. Smoking was kind of an impulsive, stupid decision and a last-ditch effort for a coping mechanism in the face of all the hurt he didn't know what to do with. Even if he kind of dug the romance of self destruction, being a stupid tryhard of a teenaged boy, he was also a little embarrassed about this new habit. It was somewhat low-key, because he knew it was stupid.
Lars taps said carton against the rock he perches on, staring with a glum lack of enthusiasm at the way the sun sets over the ocean. Beautiful, objectively speaking, but Lars can't bother to care. As music blares with obnoxious loudness into his ears from his headphones, Lars's eyes dip to his hands, which shield his lighter as he ignites his cigarette.
He could be doing anything else, but Lars feels he doesn't have anyone to spend time with. His negativity has been clashing with the vibes of Jenny & co; Dewey has a vague idea of what's going on with Lars, but they're overall taking the "healing with distance" approach with him. They aren't very close, after all. He's not really a part of their inner circle.]
It seemed like things were going to get better, until absolutely fucking nothing made any sense and then everything was worse than before. And now they really weren't friends—they couldn't be, objectively, is what Lars has decided is Sadie's conclusion.
In any case, work has been awful. For the first week after the blizzard, Lars could barely handle looking at Sadie; his chest constantly ached and his heart raced. His stomach was often upset. He was never someone who handled this kind of stress well, and he had no one to really talk to about what was going on—and even if he did, he would be extremely reluctant at best to share it. The result, of course, is that Lars has been extra unpleasant—he's back to unapologetic tardiness; he's extra rude with the customers; he bristles obnoxiously when Ronaldo comes around, or if he thinks he and Sadie are texting; he takes more breaks than usual, and for longer amounts of time.
And tonight, he got in a fight with his mom. She would never do anything like throw Lars out, but he kinda threw himself out until it's late enough that she won't hear him come back. He'd been so useless at home—moreso than usual, than she kind of crawled up his ass about it. And she'd also found a carton of cigarettes, which she didn't take very well. Smoking was kind of an impulsive, stupid decision and a last-ditch effort for a coping mechanism in the face of all the hurt he didn't know what to do with. Even if he kind of dug the romance of self destruction, being a stupid tryhard of a teenaged boy, he was also a little embarrassed about this new habit. It was somewhat low-key, because he knew it was stupid.
Lars taps said carton against the rock he perches on, staring with a glum lack of enthusiasm at the way the sun sets over the ocean. Beautiful, objectively speaking, but Lars can't bother to care. As music blares with obnoxious loudness into his ears from his headphones, Lars's eyes dip to his hands, which shield his lighter as he ignites his cigarette.
He could be doing anything else, but Lars feels he doesn't have anyone to spend time with. His negativity has been clashing with the vibes of Jenny & co; Dewey has a vague idea of what's going on with Lars, but they're overall taking the "healing with distance" approach with him. They aren't very close, after all. He's not really a part of their inner circle.]
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Lars doesn't really want to talk about his mom, or smoking—Sadie's unfortunately probably right that it's no longer in their territory. Lars's barriers are back up, but not so much that he can't humor her well intended chit-chat.]
...Yeah. The winters here are always rough, though. Summer never lasts long enough.
Then again, we both work so friggin' much, it's not like we'd see the damn beach at Summer anyway.
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[ because seriously, early mornings and late nights - what was the actual point of putting in a billion hours if she never had any free time to spend the money? ]
I've lived here for years and I've only gone swimming like, twice. Talk about wasted opportunity, right?
[ oh god this is awkward. this is so awkward. but she's sincerely trying, at least. ]
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Aaand now Lars is trying not to think about Sadie in a bathing suit. Really?
wasted opportunity indeed]That's alright. I feel like I've honestly only gone swimming a handful of times, myself—and I've been here forever. I guess that is weird for someone as outdoorsy as you, though.
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she still cares about him. a lot. and maybe they don't hang out constantly anymore, but she can still be worried about him. especially when he's hurting as clearly as he is right now. ]
The water's pretty safe here, you know. I don't think I've heard of any smiling fish attacks in the area recently, at least. [ she's half-smiling, though it's more to herself than him as she absently rubs her arm. kind of a stupid joke, but at least it's an attempt. ]
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But, of course, that was all fucked up for a lot of reasons. Lars realizes in hindsight he kinda fucked some things up, and of course, Sadie did too. Both things he also thinks about.
And man, those fish were creepy (but delicious).]
Yeah, well, who knows if you'll get in the fray of miscellaneous gem nonsense. I'm amazed there hasn't been any Beach City casualties with how inopportune those can be.
[Wow, Lars, that was grim. But also, is anyone surprised]
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[ the wind feels colder now that she's sat down, stopped moving, and she tries very hard not to think about warming up on the couch next to him at his house. she sighs and pulls her phone out of her pocket, toying around with the lockscreen just to have something to do with her hands. this was impossibly uncomfortable, but she didn't want to leave him yet. ]
I really worry about Steven sometimes, you know? Kind of feels like he's in the thick of that stuff a lot these days.
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I kinda worry too, sometimes. I guess.
[Lars winces. Opening up to Sadie never has any good consequences, but she wore him down to a point where it wasn't as difficult to admit little things like that. You know, normal things that honestly weren't such a big deal.
But hey, this is something he can actually talk about and has thoughts on.]
Like when he headed back during the evacuation. I mean, I guess it turned out things were fine, but it was kinda spooky to see the state the city was in after that—knowin' Steven was involved.
Like—he's saved us before, he's obviously not just some kid, but... Some of that stuff is kinda next level. I always kinda assumed that things would always be kinda at the same pace with that junk, so I never even thought of what could happen.
laughs a thousand years
[ sadie trails off, shrugging one shoulder. her phone vibrates with a text message, and then another one almost immediately after. she hesitates for a moment, nearly opening them up, before she drops the phone in her lap and sort of just starts playing with the sand instead.
she was talking with lars. he deserved her full attention. ]
And the way the power went out, too. I dunno. The things I've just gotten used to seeing since I moved here are pretty weird.
STOP OMG
[Lars notices, but by some miracle doesn't really care. Maybe because Ronaldo can suck it and Sadie is spending time with him right now. Eat it, nerd.
Assuming those messages were Ronaldo, anyway. But Lars has a paranoid hunch.]
I guess it makes sense things would be especially weird the closer you are to the temple.
cant stop...
[ aaaand sadie's phone goes off again. she makes a face then, a little frustrated, before finally giving in and flipping the switching on the side to change it from vibrate to totally silent. something seems to give in her expression, then, and she knows she shouldn't be talking about him to lars, but - ]
Oh my god, Ronaldo is about to drive me insane.
[ it's said with a little sigh, as if just admitting that is enough to lift some weight off her shoulders. ]
1/2
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Lars rolls his eyes, exuding his usual agitation regarding Ronaldo. But it's also a great opportunity to rag on Ronaldo. Especially with their recent kerfuffle...]
Yeah, real shocker. What's he doin', trying to update you on his latest findings? Did he finally find an answer to the paranormal origins of packing peanuts? Or see a suspicious sea gull?
[Lars hopes it's something like that, since...... you know... that's decidedly platonic...
Man, does Lars ever hate that he has Sadie's number at all.]
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ronaldo has it pretty bad for her, and she has no idea. her eyes had been set on Just Lars for so long that it still felt kind of weird to even consider dating someone else. she knew that she and lars didn't owe each other anything, but still. it just means that it hasn't even occurred to her that ronaldo's feelings could possibly be anything but platonic. ]
Ughhh. I don't know. He's been trying to get me to let him test some of the donuts from the store for mind-control chemicals, but I can't tell if he actually thinks we're trying to enslave Beach City or if he's just wanting free donuts.
[ her tone suggests that she's leaning toward the second. sure, she considers him a pretty good friend, but she doesn't have the same loyalty toward him that she did with lars: with a resigned sort of sigh, she kind of shrugs in his direction. ] Don't get me wrong, he's a really great guy, but being friends with him is kind of exhausting sometimes, you know?
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Man. [Lars makes a face like he just tasted something disgusting.]
Anyway, yeah: Ronaldo's really high maintenance company.
[SO DON'T DATE HIM. As if Lars himself isn't really exhausting to be close to...
Lars is definitely trying to discreetly tip the scales, since... he's an asshole. Lars is more than positive Ronaldo is interested in Sadie—maybe because Lars actually knows Ronaldo, even if they've both changed a little since their platonic breakup, but it's mostly because Lars is so paranoid and so afraid of losing Sadie completely. Sure, as a romantic prospect, but he's also still afraid of her just phasing out of his life completely once she realizes completely how worthless Lars is.
Which is an anxiety he's been carrying for a while. It disappeared for a night, Lars messed things up by kissing Sadie, and now he was afraid again. It was a Wild Ride to be Lars.]
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she will do what she can to try to cheer lars up, though. so maybe they're not on the closest of terms lately, but he was out here, smoking, after a fight with his mom... things weren't okay. ]
And... at least he's nice. I just wish he didn't text so much.
[ because he treats her like a blog sometimes, ok. her phone might be on silent, but she can see its face glowing with a new notification from where it's lying face-down on the sand next to her. ]
*ronaldo face*
...I mean, he's nice enough, but he's kinda clueless. It's hard to be close to someone who—[doesn't understand people. Lars kind of trails off, not finishing that thought. Not everyone would run into that specific trouble with Ronaldo, probably—but Lars really thought that Ronaldo understood him. A consistent fact in Lars's life has been that people in leads to pain.]
Er... Anyway, can you blame him? I don't think anyone tolerates the trash that falls outta his mouth. He must be thrilled you put up with it.
lars what were u even doing there...
I guess... I'm trying to help him make some more friends.
[ she's trying to be encouraging. to help him grow, etc etc, because part of sadie will apparently always think it's her obligation to help fix people. ]
But- you probably don't really care about any of this, huh.
who even knows
Yeah. I don't really care about him.
[Lars puts his chin on his knees, looking back at the ocean. Despite hurt, awkward feelings in general about Ronaldo, coupled with jealousy, Lars does think Ronaldo needs friends, but he won't say as much. He's quiet for a bit. Lars finds that he can't look at Sadie as new thoughts roll into his head.]
What're you gonna do if you can't help him?
[What is she invested in? Who he is, or who he'd be better off being? This question probably isn't actually about Ronaldo...]
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sadie looks down at her phone again, before she slowly picks it up, flipping the face back to her. she doesn't quite unlock it yet, though. ]
... I don't know. Be there for him however I can, I guess.
[ she also has the uncomfortable, prickly feeling that she isn't talking about ronaldo anymore. ]
Everyone deserves at least one shot, right? And as long as he's trying. Helping himself, too... I really don't know, Lars. That's a hard question to ask. [ she finally opens her phone to her text messages, wincing a little when she does. ] Because who even knows if I'm any good for him? Maybe I'll end up pushing him in the wrong direction. People are just... hard, sometimes.
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...Yeah.
—No, you know what, people are always hard. I hate people.
[Lars tilts his head against his knees again, kind of angrily squishing his cheek. He's only half serious... He loves (some) people, he just sucks at getting close to them.]
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People are... really, really difficult.
[ she hesitates, before reaching out, sort of ghosting her fingers against his wrist. she's just trying to make sure she has his attention. ]
But they're worth it. Honest. I've never regretted any friendship I've ever had.
[ and still so weird - she doesn't know what tense she should be speaking in. present? past? she doesn't do well with vague dancing-around-the-real-topic stuff. ]
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Yeah, well. We're different people.
[It's not that Sadie's doing anything wrong—Lars is just kind of guarded. Not wanting to snub Sadie, especially when he's honestly been feeling desperate inside for some iota of closeness to anyone, he puts his hand on hers—but he doesn't look at her. He gives her an affectionate, affirming little rub, and then puts that arm back around his bony legs.]
You've just got a real good disposition.
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has lars always looked this lonely? did it take stepping back and taking space to actually see it? or is this just a recent development?
she pulls her own hand back, idly considering her own fingers. ]
Yeah, we are... but it takes all kinds, you know? The world'd be pretty boring if we were all too much alike. [ she gives him another little nudge, desperate to get him to unwind slightly. ] Maybe some people like you when you're a sourpuss.
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He thinks about what she says, though—because Lars doesn't think that's necessarily true. For someone who's so lonely and insecure, Lars doesn't do a lot to make his personality inviting or endearing—all he relies on his humor and his image to get people to like him, which, surprise, hasn't gotten him very far. But it's easier to be prickly than to be...
Well, like Sadie.
Lars gives a weak shrug, not sure if he agrees. But he smiles. He kind of hates that she's so good at this, because it just makes his ache go deeper.]
Yeah? Well... Be sure to point them out to me.
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[ she's... relieved when he doesn't escalate. not that a selfish part of her doesn't want him to: even after a month with minimal non-work contact, she still wants him. wants him to be okay, wants him to be happy, wants him to want her. but they're not at a point right now where that could ever work, and so when he doesn't reciprocate, doesn't escalate - maybe it means something good.
(or it could mean something bad, mean something terrible - she just isn't going to dwell on that for now.) ]
Hey... are you hungry? Have you eaten dinner? I'll buy you a slice of pizza if you want to get off the beach. Getting pretty chilly without the sunshine.
[ it's just a friendly offer, and it's definitely a tentative one. but maybe they can try to be friends without it being weird. wouldn't that be awesome? ]
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