Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:59 am Post subject: Catch Me When I Fall [Lizwin fic]
It's at a PG-13/T rating at the most right now, but I'm going to probably bump up the rating later on, so when I do that... I'll just post the link.
Summary:Upon entering High School, Lizzie is sucked into the unpredictable whirlwind of popularity. Popularity that comes at a price. Will Edwin be able to save her before she spirals too far out of control? Or will he too fall victim to the cruel and unforgivable reality that is High School?
WARNING: I should also mention that there's... quite a bit of mature content in there, so...
---
Catch Me When I Fall The Beginning of the End
---
Life… it’s a funny thing.
When you think about it - and really think about it - life is a lot like high school.
It can be good or bad, complicated or simple, predictable or unpredictable, or perhaps even a mix of all of these things thrown together.
There’s an old saying that says that high school can be the best years of someone’s life… or the worst. It all merely boiled down to how one decided to experience it.
For Edwin Venturi and Lizzie McDonald, however… high school was like a roller coaster ride heading straight for a broken track.
---
In a fairly large school just located in the heart of London Ontario, a bell chimed, echoing loudly throughout the area and signaling to everyone that lunch has just begun.
Students of all grades; of all heights, shapes and sizes; of all races and ethnic backgrounds and finally, of all stereotypes, wasted no time as they piled into the crowded halls of Thompson High and started spreading out. Some headed to the cafeteria while others flocked towards the bleachers just out back, or the stairwells. Some even wandered out the side doors, never to be seen again for the remainder of the week.
Five minutes passed, and soon there was only two or three students left in the hallway.
In the distance, a lone male figure stood by his locker with his arms folded across his chest, clad in nothing but black and chains.
Glancing up at the clock, he sighed and swung his book bag over his shoulder before starting down the hall, making his way towards the guidance office where he’d been scheduled an appointment at lunch. When he reached the office door, he knocked only twice before entering, knowing that someone was already in there waiting for him, before casually dropping his bag on the floor and slumping down in chair across from his councilor, who smiled grimly at him and quickly gathered a few papers before clearing his throat to begin the session.
“Hello Edwin. Nice to see you again.”
Edwin fought the urge to roll his eyes. He’d only seen the guy just yesterday, after all.
“Yeah,” he muttered instead, “Good to see you too, Paul.”
Leaning back in his chair, he couldn’t help but smirk - a classic Venturi trait he’d picked up from his legendary older brother growing up - at Paul as he watched the man sort through his notes and try to figure out where he should begin. Finally, he seemed to get fed up with it and pushed the stack of paper aside, before smiling awkwardly at Edwin.
“So, uh, is… is that your latest faze? Lip piercings?” He asked.
‘Are you an idiot?’ Edwin really wanted to ask, but decided against it.
“No,” he eventually settled with, “I’ve had this for about two months. Remember?”
Paul let out a nervous laugh.
“Oh, right. My mistake. Sorry about that.”
A brief silence dawned on them, and though it only lasted for a minute or two, it was so deafening that Edwin could practically hear a pin drop. Finally, Paul spoke once again.
“So… is there anything new going on in your life? Anything you want to talk about?” He asked.
Edwin shrugged, but didn’t say a word.
Paul sighed.
“You know, Edwin, you’re going to have to start talking eventually.” He told him. “You can’t keep things bottled up for too long or else -”
Edwin grimaced.
“Or else what?” He countered, sitting up in his chair and leaning in. “Or else I’ll start doing this again?” He proceeded to roughly roll up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing all of the scars and gashes that had been building up for the past two years.
Paul winced and looked away.
Edwin smirked, pleased with the reaction he got, and pulled his sleeve back down before leaning back in his seat.
When Paul failed to say anything more, he stood up.
“If we’re done here, I’m going to lunch. See you tomor -”
“We’re not finished yet. Sit down, Edwin.” Paul interrupted.
Edwin groaned and reluctantly sat back down, glaring at the older man through lidded eyes.
“You know, you’re pretty lucky. Most people in your position would’ve been sent as far away as possible, but you’re lucky your sister -”
“Step-sister.” Edwin corrected.
Paul nodded in understanding.
“Right.” He said, “You’re lucky that Casey recommended me. Otherwise you wouldn’t even be here right now.”
Edwin rolled his eyes.
Paul sighed.
“Fine. You know what? If you don’t want to tell me about how you’ve been feeling lately or how well you’ve been doing in school or how well you’re getting along with your siblings… then tell me about…” He trailed off, motioning to Edwin’s arm before continuing, “… tell me about that. When did you start cutting, Edwin? Why?”
Edwin didn’t reply at first. Instead, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, allowing the last few years to flash before his very eyes like an old black and white movie.
Memories of him wrestling with Derek for fun late at night before the divorce; of his dad re-marrying and he suddenly being forced to share his home with three new strangers; of him befriending Lizzie and of Casey trying to teach him to be the “perfect” gentleman, as well as memories of him and Lizzie spying on and conspiring against their older siblings. Finally, one of the last happier memories he had… of he and Lizzie hanging out the entire summer before high school raced through his mind. They’d stay up hours and hours past their bedtime just talking… the subject never mattered.
A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
He missed those days.
Finally, his eyes fluttered open and he looked at Paul.
“You really want to know?” He asked.
Paul nodded slowly.
Edwin sighed.
“Well, I suppose I could say it all started when the McDonalds moved in with us, but that would be a lie.” He admitted, “At first, I thought it was a curse - I was already pretty much ignored, what with Derek being Derek and Marti being the youngest… and the fact that there was now two more kids in the house… well… you know how it is. Being the middle child and all.” He paused, smirking. “After a while, though… it turned out to be more of a blessing, really. I mean, I was no longer the only middle child. The only one being ignored and taken for granted. I had Lizzie to keep me company.”
He paused briefly to reminisce a little before continuing.
“Things were going by pretty smoothly until we got into high school, I guess you could say.”
Paul’s eyebrows rose in curiosity.
“Oh really?” He asked, “Why’s that?”
Edwin glanced at the clock on the wall before his eyes settled back on his councilor.
“It’s a long story.” He warned him.
Paul shrugged.
“We’ve got time.”
Sighing again, Edwin made himself comfortable in his seat before opening his mouth to begin his tale.
---
End Prologue
---
So far, I haven't gotten ANY reviews on FFN, which makes me quite sad. So I'm hoping you'll guys read it and tell me what you think.
_________________ Soul x Maka: My [anime] OTP -- /Never has an unoffical pairing been so blatantly obvious. They're soulmates, I tell you!/
I'll update as soon as I can! _________________ Soul x Maka: My [anime] OTP -- /Never has an unoffical pairing been so blatantly obvious. They're soulmates, I tell you!/
Thanks to the past three days being snow days, I've finally gotten around to finishing up some chapters, including the second chapter for THIS fic.
So, without further ado...
---
Catch Me When I Fall First Impressions (1)
---
He couldn’t believe it.
It was finally here.
The day he’d been waiting for his entire life… had finally arrived, and he, Edwin Venturi, was now a certified student at J.S Thompson High.
Could life get any better?
“Ed, be honest. Does this outfit make me look trashy?”
Edwin tore his gaze away from his reflection in the mirror and turned to face his step-sister and best friend. Lizzie stood in the doorway of his room sporting a pair of low-cut jeans and a light pink tank top (both of which he assumed belonged to Casey). His eyes lingered momentarily on her choice of top, which irked him for two reasons: one, it showed off her bellybutton and was dangerously close to revealing an eyeful of cleavage, and the thought of hormonal-crazed high school guys ogling his sister, step or not, did not settle well with him at all, and two, being a guy exposed to cleavage… it was very hard to look away.
“Well?”
Lizzie’s voice brought him back to reality. Edwin looked up.
“Well… I’m not gonna lie, Liz… it’s kind of… well… revealing…” He said, “And since when do you wear pink?”
“I know, I know,” Lizzie replied, “But Casey wanted me to wear it, so…”
Ah. Just as he suspected.
He really wasn’t surprised. His elder step-sister’s “feminist” beliefs and ideals were shot the second she started going out with Max Miller - the Captain of Thompson High’s football team - a little over a year ago, and ever since Lizzie had turned fourteen, the older of the two sisters had taken it upon herself to try and transform Lizzie from a tomboy to… well… a mini replica of herself. Edwin couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of two Caseys running around the house whining and being overly dramatic 24/7. Luckily, Lizzie had a mind of her own and usually refused.
Key word: usually.
“Is there a sweater you could wear over it?” He asked.
Lizzie nodded.
“Yeah,” she said. She turned to leave but stopped suddenly and turned back, “What about the hair? Does the hair look alright or should I just tie it back?”
Edwin tilted his head to the side and couldn’t help but roll his eyes when he noticed that a few strands of Lizzie’s hair were curled. She was going to school, not out on a date, so he really couldn’t fathom why Casey would insist on dolling her up. It was completely unnecessary in his opinion. Still… she looked nice. Pretty, even - not that she wasn’t pretty every day, but well…
He shook his head. He was starting to confuse himself.
“It’s fine,” he assured her.
Lizzie smiled weakly at him and nodded before making her way out of his room. Edwin sighed and collapsed at his desk chair.
He didn’t know why Lizzie insisted on consulting with him for fashion advice, but he supposed he was better than her own ex-feminist sister or their parents… though there was still Marti, who was slowly developing an interesting and unique style of her own…
He sighed.
It was the honesty. It had to be.
That, and the fact that he was probably the only one in the house who wasn’t trying to corrupt her in some way, shape or form.
“EDWIN! THE BUS IS GOING TO BE HERE IN TWO MINUTES!”
Nora’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Coming!” He yelled back, standing up and grabbing his backpack.
He spared one last look at himself in the mirror before making a mad dash out the door and down the stairs.
*
“Wait, wait, wait,” Paul interrupted, bringing Edwin back to the present, “So… you’re saying that Casey was trying to corrupt Lizzie?”
The dark-haired teen nodded slowly.
“Pretty much,” he replied, “It was really subtle, though, so my dad and Nora didn’t really notice… they were blind like that… but Lizzie noticed, and I noticed… Derek probably did too, but he never said anything,” Edwin paused briefly before adding, “Actually, it wasn’t so much that Casey was trying to corrupt her… just change her into something she wasn’t.”
“I see,” said Paul, “Well… do you think there was a particular reason behind it?”
Edwin shrugged.
“There might’ve been,” he said, “Maybe she didn’t want Lizzie to get picked on like she was or something; I really wouldn’t know. Can I continue now?”
Paul nodded and took a sip of his coffee.
“Of course,” he said, “Please, go on.”
And so, he did.
*
“Here we are,” Edwin announced, as he and Lizzie stepped off the bus and looked on at the large building in front of them, watching with interest and curiosity as students - much older than them - trickled in and out of the doors, “Thompson High.”
Derek and Casey had driven to school, so he doubted that he would see them until later that day.
“I’m so nervous,” said Lizzie, biting her lip, “I think I’m gonna be sick or something.”
“Just relax, Liz,” he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close, “Everything will be fine.”
Lizzie smiled weakly up at him, but before she could open her mouth to say something, a familiar voice interrupted her.
“Hey Edwin! Lizzie!” The two step-siblings turned to see Jamie waving frantically as he jogged towards them.
Jamie was Lizzie’s ex-boyfriend from back when they were mere seventh graders. They’d gone out for a few weeks - a month at the most - but eventually decided it was too awkward and broke up. It’d been a mutual break up, though, so they still remained good friends afterwards.
“Hey Jamie,” Edwin chorused with Lizzie when said teen finally reached them, “How was your summer?”
“Great,” replied Jamie, grinning from ear-to-ear, “I visited some family in England, which was pretty cool. What about you two?”
“Oh, you know us,” said Lizzie, “We pretty much just sat around and played video games all day.”
“Sounds exciting,” Jamie laughed, “Wish I could’ve been there.”
“Dude, you went to England,” Edwin countered, “That’s like… ten times better than video games.”
Before Jamie could respond, Lizzie gasped.
“We only have ten minutes before the bell rings and we still need to get our schedules!”
“Then let’s make like banana and split!” Edwin suggested, grabbing her elbow and pulling her towards the school’s entrance with Jamie following closely behind.
*
“Ugh, that secretary is such a bitch!” Lizzie fumed, as she and Edwin exited the Principal’s office with their schedules and began making their way towards their shared locker, “Did you see the way she looked at me? I mean, I ask one simple question and she - ugh!”
“Calm down Liz or you’ll bust an artery.”
Lizzie rolled her eyes.
“That’s easy for you to say; she didn’t look at you like you were the scum of the earth.” She muttered, folding her arms.
“Maybe Casey did something and she recognized your last name?” asked Edwin.
“Probably.” She said as they came to a stop in front of their respective locker and looked down at her schedule for the combination. She unlocked the lock and pulled the door open before unzipping her book bag, taking out her binder and pencil case and hanging up her bag on one of the hooks.
Edwin quickly did the same before he closed the locker and locked it. As they made their way down the hall - just as the bell rang - he peered over her shoulder and grinned.
“Looks like we’ve got most of the same classes.”
Lizzie smirked.
“You know, normally, I’d probably complain about that… but not today. Do you know why?” She asked.
“No, why?”
“Because at least I’ll know somebody.” She said, sticking out her tongue in a playful manner.
Edwin immediately feigned shock.
“Are you saying you’re just using me?” He asked.
“Pretty much.” Lizzie replied.
Edwin clutched the front of his shirt, nearest his heart.
“Ouch. That hurt.” He said, “You have no idea how cruel you can be sometimes… Elizabeth.”
Lizzie glared at him.
“Shut up.”
“Yes dear.”
“Do you have a death wish?”
“Of course not.”
“Then keep your trap zipped or I guarantee you won’t see your fifteenth birthday.”
Edwin nodded obediently, but was unable to hide his grin as they continued on to their first class.
*
Before Edwin and Lizzie knew it, it was lunch time, and as they made their way down the hall and towards the cafeteria, Edwin couldn’t help but watch in sheer amusement as his step-sister seethed and cursed and muttered incoherent threats to herself. He didn’t know what exactly she was mad about, since he hadn’t been in her last class; all he knew was that she was perfectly fine when he walked her there, but as soon as she came out… she looked ready to punch someone in the face.
“This is seriously the worst day of my life!” Lizzie growled, as they entered the cafeteria, “First Casey, then that stupid secretary and now Jessica Smith!”
“Who’s -”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Lizzie muttered dangerously as they sat down at a table near the back of the cafeteria - across from Jamie and Teddy who, as soon as they saw Lizzie, sensed the anger radiating from her in waves and shifted as far away from her as possible.
It wasn’t long before Michelle eventually joined them, sending the youngest McDonald a sympathetic look as she sat down directly across from her.
Edwin glanced at his former crush and motioned to Lizzie.
“So… who’s this Jessica chick?” He asked.
Michelle sighed.
“She’s a girl in our French class,” she said, “Apparently she’s the younger sister of Courtney Smith, who was one of the girls that Casey took with her when she fell down that flight of stairs on her first day. Well, after she found out that Lizzie was Casey’s sister, she made some comments about her… so Liz tried to defend her and ended up tripping over the cord connected to the projector and wiping out on the floor.” She bit her lip as she watched Lizzie groan and slump over the table before turning back to Edwin and continuing, “So for the rest of the class, all Jessica and her friends did was make fun of Lizzie and call her ‘Klutzilla II’.”
Teddy burst into laughter, but immediately shut up when he realized he was the only one laughing.
“She’s also friends with Tanya.” Lizzie muttered, lifting her head from the table briefly.
Teddy made a face.
“The Queen of Mean? That’s not good.” He sighed. “Jeez Liz, we’re not even done the first day and you’ve already made two enemies.”
Lizzie glared venomously at him and he coward away.
“Not helping,” said Edwin, also glaring at his friend, “At all.” He turned to face his step-sister, “At least I’m in the rest of your classes… so if she starts anything, I’ll -”
“No you won’t.”
“I won’t stick up for you?” He finished, “Like hell I won’t.”
“And what if it’s Tanya?” asked Lizzie, “Are you telling me you won’t turn into a pile of incoherent mush the second she glances your way?”
“Well, I -” Edwin started, but Lizzie suddenly stood up.
“I’m going to get a drink.” She said, “Do you want anything?”
“Sure,” said Edwin, dropping the previous subject as he dug through his pockets and pulled out two gold coins, “Get me a chocolate milk.”
Lizzie nodded and took the change from him before making her way towards the lunch line.
Meanwhile, Edwin sighed and turned back to face the rest of their friends.
“Smooth,” said Teddy, rolling his eyes.
“Shut up,” he snapped.
Jamie looked very uncomfortable as his gaze bounced back and forth between their glaring fest. He quickly turned away and looked at Michelle, opening his mouth to say something - but he was cut off when a loud shriek echoed throughout the cafeteria.
Lizzie’s shriek.
---
Yep... so... that's the end of chapter 2. Gotta love cliffhangers. _________________ Soul x Maka: My [anime] OTP -- /Never has an unoffical pairing been so blatantly obvious. They're soulmates, I tell you!/
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
