A/N: Standard disclaimer. It's all fictional, original characters are
mine...you really want them? Everything else belongs to...well...whatever
they belong to. Don't sue! ^_^;
Chapter Three
Of My Secrets
Hortense lowered her sunglasses over her eyes and proceeded to stare at the umbrella. Lisa was still in the surf, a small group of admiring boys crowded around, hoping for another bathing suit mishap. When one particularly rough wave had caught Lisa, her top had come completely off. By accident...of course. Uncle Willie was still hunting for the perfect wave, and Hortense was languidly soaking up the sun, happily oblivious to the world around her.
She vaguely heard footsteps around her, and was barely aware of a presence near her head. Hortense screeched as sand started pouring over her body and face. Her eyes shot open and she was on her feet in a minute.
"YOU!" she screeched, pointing an accusatory finger at the mohawked stranger.
"Me?" he asked, pointing to himself innocently.
"What are you doing?!" she yelped.
"I'm walking...is that a crime?"
"Yes!"
"What happened to you?" he asked, pointing to the mess on top of her head. Hortense absently tried to run a hand through the tangled, sandy mess of her hair.
"You!" she screeched again.
"Me?! Why do you blame everything on me?!"
"Because it's always your fault!"
"Who *are* you anyway?" he questioned, stepping back.
"Hortense...who're you?"
"Hortense?"
"Yes. Hortense. What's your name?"
He paused a moment.
"Orlando."
"And you were making fun of Hortense?"
"I wasn't making fun of it."
Hortense narrowed her eyes.
He glared back.
"You're making my head hurt," she sighed. Orlando looked back wryly.
"Oh, you're one to speak."
"What's with the mohawk?" she questioned, pointing towards his head. Orlando sighed. The explanation alone would take at least fifteen minutes. Answering the million and two questions everyone always asked would take another fifteen, and at the moment, he did not particularly want to spend half of an hour with this dismal girl.
"I like mohawks," he answered. Hortense muttered something, then shrugged.
Lisa started back for shore as she noticed her friend engaged in a rather heated discussion with a strange looking man. He was tall, and had a weird hairdo, that *almost* looked like a mohawk...had it been green and spiked, she would have sworn he was her ex-boyfriend, Worg. He was amazingly thin, almost skeletal looking, and was all but glaring at her Hortense.
"Hi!" she exclaimed happily joining the two. Hortense forced a smile and turned to her friend.
"Hey Lisa...this is Orlando," she said after a long pause. Hortense watched his eyes follow the sinewy curves of her friend with a frown. He was like every other dog out there. She sighed and turned away.
"So, Orlando, what's with the hair?" Lisa asked with a well placed giggle. He flashed a smile and Hortense felt her shoulders droop slightly.
"It's for a movie," he answered, a strange lilt to his voice.
"Oh really? What's it called?" Lisa asked, her blue eyes alight.
"Well, you probably haven't heard of it...it's the first in a series, you see..." he trailed off long enough to make sure Lisa was hooked on his every movement. Hortense looked generally disinterested as she took a swig from her bottle of water.
"It's the first Lord of the Rings book...Fellowship of the Ring. Maybe you've heard of it?" he asked with another grin, his eyes fastened onto Lisa. Hortense let out a gurgle then fell to the sand choking. Her water bottle fell from her hand and she started clutching at her throat, free arm waving wildly.
"Horty! Are you ok! Oh my-someone help!" Lisa exclaimed, running to her fallen friend. Hortense closed her eyes, feeling someone grab her around the waist. With quick, forceful thrusts, the water dislodged itself from her windpipe and splatered onto the sand. She started gasping immediately, and didn't dare open her eyes for fear of what would be gazing back.
"Thank you," she croaked, opening her eyes to see his smirking visage looking back. He shrugged.
"What happened?"
"I...I...I've read those books," she answered with an embarrassed smile. Not only had she read the books, but she had all but worshiped the books. In her youth she had read them, then reread them, then read them again as she got older. She had visited the web sites when news of an impending movie first surfaced. She had gone to the chat rooms, the message boards, had even thought of making a page for it on her web site (because she had one, you know, a damn good one). And now, she was talking to someone that was actually working on the movie...and he was an asshole!
"And you? Have you read them?" Orlando asked, looking towards Lisa. She shook her head.
"I'm not into that sci-fi junk. But Hortense is...she's a bonafied trekky!" she grinned. Hortense blushed again.
"Trekky?" Orlando asked, trying not to laugh. Hortense sighed.
"Oh, shove off," she muttered bitterly. Of her dorky secrets, she did not need Lisa blabbing them, especially that one.
"What?"
Hortense closed her eyes and frowned. She got to her feet, a bit clumsily, then leveled them both with a glare.
"I'll be someplace else...if you happen to need someone to tease again..." Hortense snipped. She started wandering down the beach, seething. Her fists clenched and unclenched as she trudged. Some days...it was best just to stay in bed. She started to brush the sand off of her legs, doing little good.
***
Lisa absently looked over her shoulder as her friend plodded off. She frowned.
"She doesn't like you very much," she said with a small smile. Orlando shrugged.
"Her loss."
"Rather confident, don't you think?"
"Maybe," he said with a shrug. Lisa giggled and let herself be led away, starting to prattle off something about Everyone Love as Finish Man and Portuguese. Orlando nodded.
_________
R/R please! ^___^
Chapter Three
Of My Secrets
Hortense lowered her sunglasses over her eyes and proceeded to stare at the umbrella. Lisa was still in the surf, a small group of admiring boys crowded around, hoping for another bathing suit mishap. When one particularly rough wave had caught Lisa, her top had come completely off. By accident...of course. Uncle Willie was still hunting for the perfect wave, and Hortense was languidly soaking up the sun, happily oblivious to the world around her.
She vaguely heard footsteps around her, and was barely aware of a presence near her head. Hortense screeched as sand started pouring over her body and face. Her eyes shot open and she was on her feet in a minute.
"YOU!" she screeched, pointing an accusatory finger at the mohawked stranger.
"Me?" he asked, pointing to himself innocently.
"What are you doing?!" she yelped.
"I'm walking...is that a crime?"
"Yes!"
"What happened to you?" he asked, pointing to the mess on top of her head. Hortense absently tried to run a hand through the tangled, sandy mess of her hair.
"You!" she screeched again.
"Me?! Why do you blame everything on me?!"
"Because it's always your fault!"
"Who *are* you anyway?" he questioned, stepping back.
"Hortense...who're you?"
"Hortense?"
"Yes. Hortense. What's your name?"
He paused a moment.
"Orlando."
"And you were making fun of Hortense?"
"I wasn't making fun of it."
Hortense narrowed her eyes.
He glared back.
"You're making my head hurt," she sighed. Orlando looked back wryly.
"Oh, you're one to speak."
"What's with the mohawk?" she questioned, pointing towards his head. Orlando sighed. The explanation alone would take at least fifteen minutes. Answering the million and two questions everyone always asked would take another fifteen, and at the moment, he did not particularly want to spend half of an hour with this dismal girl.
"I like mohawks," he answered. Hortense muttered something, then shrugged.
Lisa started back for shore as she noticed her friend engaged in a rather heated discussion with a strange looking man. He was tall, and had a weird hairdo, that *almost* looked like a mohawk...had it been green and spiked, she would have sworn he was her ex-boyfriend, Worg. He was amazingly thin, almost skeletal looking, and was all but glaring at her Hortense.
"Hi!" she exclaimed happily joining the two. Hortense forced a smile and turned to her friend.
"Hey Lisa...this is Orlando," she said after a long pause. Hortense watched his eyes follow the sinewy curves of her friend with a frown. He was like every other dog out there. She sighed and turned away.
"So, Orlando, what's with the hair?" Lisa asked with a well placed giggle. He flashed a smile and Hortense felt her shoulders droop slightly.
"It's for a movie," he answered, a strange lilt to his voice.
"Oh really? What's it called?" Lisa asked, her blue eyes alight.
"Well, you probably haven't heard of it...it's the first in a series, you see..." he trailed off long enough to make sure Lisa was hooked on his every movement. Hortense looked generally disinterested as she took a swig from her bottle of water.
"It's the first Lord of the Rings book...Fellowship of the Ring. Maybe you've heard of it?" he asked with another grin, his eyes fastened onto Lisa. Hortense let out a gurgle then fell to the sand choking. Her water bottle fell from her hand and she started clutching at her throat, free arm waving wildly.
"Horty! Are you ok! Oh my-someone help!" Lisa exclaimed, running to her fallen friend. Hortense closed her eyes, feeling someone grab her around the waist. With quick, forceful thrusts, the water dislodged itself from her windpipe and splatered onto the sand. She started gasping immediately, and didn't dare open her eyes for fear of what would be gazing back.
"Thank you," she croaked, opening her eyes to see his smirking visage looking back. He shrugged.
"What happened?"
"I...I...I've read those books," she answered with an embarrassed smile. Not only had she read the books, but she had all but worshiped the books. In her youth she had read them, then reread them, then read them again as she got older. She had visited the web sites when news of an impending movie first surfaced. She had gone to the chat rooms, the message boards, had even thought of making a page for it on her web site (because she had one, you know, a damn good one). And now, she was talking to someone that was actually working on the movie...and he was an asshole!
"And you? Have you read them?" Orlando asked, looking towards Lisa. She shook her head.
"I'm not into that sci-fi junk. But Hortense is...she's a bonafied trekky!" she grinned. Hortense blushed again.
"Trekky?" Orlando asked, trying not to laugh. Hortense sighed.
"Oh, shove off," she muttered bitterly. Of her dorky secrets, she did not need Lisa blabbing them, especially that one.
"What?"
Hortense closed her eyes and frowned. She got to her feet, a bit clumsily, then leveled them both with a glare.
"I'll be someplace else...if you happen to need someone to tease again..." Hortense snipped. She started wandering down the beach, seething. Her fists clenched and unclenched as she trudged. Some days...it was best just to stay in bed. She started to brush the sand off of her legs, doing little good.
***
Lisa absently looked over her shoulder as her friend plodded off. She frowned.
"She doesn't like you very much," she said with a small smile. Orlando shrugged.
"Her loss."
"Rather confident, don't you think?"
"Maybe," he said with a shrug. Lisa giggled and let herself be led away, starting to prattle off something about Everyone Love as Finish Man and Portuguese. Orlando nodded.
_________
R/R please! ^___^