DIEHARD EMOTIONS:
Make an Empty Move

"For once just let me loose myself" –Skylar Grey

Tuesday, March 1st
11:42 AM

"Disappointment has a name"

Alicia silently flipped through the papers she had scrapped, but she still had the consideration to keep in her notebook instead of rip them out, crumple them, and drop them on the library carpet. She bit lightly on her pen cap as she turned to a new page.

Her English teacher had tasked her with the annoying assignment of writing a letter to someone important. She had tried dedicating it to her mom, but there wasn't much emotion in it, and it sort of fell flat after a couple of lines. She was going to try her dad but figured it would go about the same way.

She was close to penning something for one of her friends. Claire wouldn't do because there was nothing exceptional to write to the blonde girl. She didn't care much for Derrick, and she didn't think her teacher would appreciate her profanity filled letter that would be addressed to Cam.

She knew that she was taking the assignment too seriously. She could have just written a simple letter that had nothing of important value, to anybody, because the letter wasn't actually going to these people. Yet every time she thought of writing something, she found herself addressing the letter to that boy with chocolate brown eyes, framed with thick lashes, and that heartwarming smile. She didn't, however, want her English teacher to read her most inner emotions, so she decided to write a quick letter to Josh now, just to get it out of her system.

She was about to title the paper when the noise of someone sitting in the chair across from her made her jump. She looked up to see the boy she had just been day dreaming about.

"Josh, what do you want?" she asked warily.

"I can't sit here?" He leaned forward in his chair and gave her a smile.

"I would rather you didn't, I need to work," she muttered, pointing to her notebook and holding up her pen. She tried to put some snap into her voice but she only sounded tired.

"Sorry, am I distracting you?" Josh raised an eyebrow at her, a knowing smile on his lips.

"No, well, yes, I mean, you're not distracting me like that, it's just you're kind of just there, and I need quiet, that's all," Alicia sputtered out, a blush creeping up ever so slightly. Josh gave a small chuckle.

"I can be quiet." He laid his arms down on the table and then rested his head on them like he was going to fall asleep. Their eyes connected and Alicia huffed in defeat, he gave a broad smile.

"Fine, just, don't talk," Alicia said, looking back at her paper.

"My lips are sealed." Josh ran two fingers across his mouth as if he was zipping them shut.

Alicia held her notebook up so that she was the only one who could see what she was writing. Silently she wrote: Dear Josh, on the top. Her eyes drifted back up to stare into his face. He wasn't looking at her; instead he was tapping his fingers lightly against the wood of the table.

She studied him cautiously, enjoying the way his eyelashes would flutter as if he was falling asleep. Her eyes traced the lines of his jaw as it tucked itself in his arm. She knew she was going to get nothing done if he was sitting within visible distance of her. His closeness was actually making it worse.

"I can't do this," Alicia huffed, slamming her notebook on the table with a light thud. Josh's head turned to her in surprise.

"I'm quiet aren't I?"

"You're just too close," she mumbled, before blushing when she realized what she said.

Josh looked down at her notebook, and Alicia moved her hand rather suspiciously to cover it. It was too late.

"You're writing me a letter?" he asked.

"It's for English class, writing a letter to someone meaningful," Alicia muttered, the color on her cheeks deepening.

"I didn't realize." She didn't like how he sounded so cocky.

"Yes well, having your heartbroken has a meaningful impact on your life," she snapped, then instantly regretted it when Josh frowned sadly at her. Here comes the pity.

"I'm trying to right my wrongs." Josh had such a straight face on that Alicia didn't know what to say.

"And I'm trying to cope with those very wrongs." Alicia clutched the notebook to her chest like it was some lifesaver. She really did not want to have this conversation right now.

"It's hard when you don't even want to talk to me," he replied and she glared at him.

"I figured you were too busy sucking face with Massie," she said flippantly, even though her words scratched at the surface of her overbearing emotions.

"I'm done with Massie," Josh said and Alicia stared at him surprised.

"And I'm done with you, so I guess we're equal," Alicia said, getting up rather hastily. Her chair almost fell backwards with her sudden movement. She was about to make a rapid escape when she felt Josh grab the wrist that wasn't holding onto her notebook. He pulled her to face him.

She wished he would just let her go, because she didn't think she would be able to stand it if he saw her crying.

"Alicia." The way he said her name made her cringe, but it wasn't right. Josh Hotz had no reason to be making her feel bad.

"Don't please." Her voice almost broke on the last word.

"I won't, okay, I won't stop trying." Josh pulled her close, and she was pressed into his chest as his two arms circled her in a suffocating hug.

She will not cry.

She leaned into him. Her arms hung loosely at her side, because she felt if she held onto him she won't ever let go.

She will definitely not cry in front of Josh.

It didn't matter though, because silent tears sprung from her eyes and dried off instantly on his shirt. She pushed away from him, without any force. When he let her go, she spun around instantly, not wanting him to see her face as she hurried away.

All the while wiping tears from her cheeks.

Tuesday, March 1st
1:10 PM

"'Cause you're a nice guy but that just won't do"

Massie had already prepared herself for the hard fall. She was lucky it wasn't in the middle of a crowded hallway but instead on a lonely staircase at the back of the school, the staircase that most people overlook, including the janitors who are supposed to mark every spill with a yellow caution cone thingy. Unfortunately, her shoes just missed the step and she went stumbling backwards trying to grab onto something before she tumbled down.

Fortunately, unlike the unlucky cone man, something had caught her fall. Massie turned around and found she was staring into a pair of familiar caramel eyes that spoke mischief.

"That was a close call," Derrick said, flashing a smile that was this close to making her blush.

"That was very cliché of you," she snapped, giving him a glare as she pulled herself from his arms.

"Oh my bad, remind me next time to let you fall," he said with a chuckle earning him another harsh look. He was on a step lower than her, which made them almost equal height. He was still glancing down at her though.

"Why are you on this stairway anyways?" she asked with a slight hint of anger.

"You're not the only one avoiding people," he said leaning against the wall beside him. Massie huffed in response.

"Well you're one of the people I've been avoiding so do me a favor and don't come this way," she said, a cheerfulness coloring her voice.

"And miss my entire knight in shining armor moments? I would never," Derrick replied haughtily.

"So you're going to keep taking this stairway anyways" she grumbled.

"Don't be so disappointed, someone with brains has to point out the obvious sign you seemed to overlook," he said, gesturing to the bottom of the stairs. She searched only a short distance before seeing the painfully obvious caution sign. She cursed at her stupidity before turning to look back at him. Instead of being in front of her like he originally was, he went up a full flight of stairs looking down on her with a grin.

"You-" she was about to string curses together when he saluted her with a mock soldier stance.

"Don't go getting captured, I'm off duty," and with that he disappeared leaving her blushing as she trudged up the stairs.

Tuesday, March 1st
2:20 PM

"You got his heart and my heart and none of the pain"

He can't be with Nikki anymore. Not after this. Cam didn't really know how to handle it. It wasn't as if he's never broken up with a girl before. There was just something about Nikki that he was afraid to break. He didn't want to hurt her, didn't want to change her. He just couldn't be with her now.

Cam found her sitting alone, under an oak tree, just out side of school. She was nibbling on her lunch, a notebook sprawled out in front of her, concentration on her face as she scribbled down on it.

"Hey," he said as sat down next to her. She glanced up and smiled slightly before bending her head again and continuing.

He cleared his throat. "What are you doing?"

"Just writing, I need to get this idea down before I lose it." Her smile was bright and constant as she talked that he couldn't help but smile in return. "Okay, sorry, sorry," she said, turning to look at him.

"Its fine," Cam broke off, struggling for words. "Nikki."

There's something in his tone that made her pause, her gaze turning questioning.

"What?"

"Nic, I, this past months have been great but-"

"Are you breaking up with me?" she interrupted.

A light flush made its way over his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah."

Nikki let out a soft sigh. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"What?"

"Thank you, for breaking up with me. I wanted to do it for like a week now, I just didn't know how." She looked uncomfortable as she talked.

"Are you serious?" Cam asked.

Nikki raised her eyebrows at him as if that was enough of an answer. He felt annoyed, maybe even a little angry; his pride couldn't get over that fact that she's had this thought before. She seemed to recognize this and said, "You already know who you want."

"It was nice while it lasted," Cam replied.

She giggled and leaned over to press her lips gently to his cheek. He took that as the only goodbye he needed.

AN: Ta-da! New chapter, yay! Sorry, we were working on a fiction for the Halloween Exchange which gave us a deadline and alas poor Diehard Emotions was put on hold as we worked duitfully on that which (shameless advertisement right here) you guys should go check it out, :). Anyways, review because have you ever heard the saying "a penny for your thoughts"? ;).