Well, here's some actual plot for you... proud of me? =P I wasn't going to start this until tomorrow but I'm on a roll so here you go...
Operation: Awakening
Chapter 3
Sharon's POV
Tapping her hands on the steering wheel along with the beat of the music, Sharon looked over at Alden and grinned to see him burrowing through the take out bag. "Honestly boy, you'd think your mother never feeds you!"
Looking up from his little mission, Alden responded while chewing on the fortune cookies he had found, " Sthe feeds me buth not enoupfh." Swallowing, he added, "Besides, I normally eat dinner at 5:00 and it's already 6:00! I'm dying!"
Rolling her eyes, she grinned and said "Yeah, well I don't want a fat 'boyfriend'. Anyways, put everything back because, ta daaaa, we have arrived!" as she pulled into a parking space next to a large group of teenagers. Hanging her keys around her neck, she checked her reflection in the mirror before reaching for the door handle only to be stopped when Alden put a hand on her arm. Looking over, she met his concerned eyes. "Shar, you sure you're going to be okay around him?"
Smiling at him, she tried to hide her nervousness with false bravado and said "Of course I will be, after all I'm one 'tough little bitch' as you yourself once said." Turning to open the door, she remembered to tell Alden to grab the food and looked over at the passanger side. Seeing the seat empty, she realized he had already gotten out (and grabbed the food) then, hearing her door open, realized he was on her side of the car already.
Looking out the door, she saw the worried look was still on his face and, as she got out, felt his arms wrap around her in a hug. Resting his chin on her head, he whispered "Don't let anything the bastard says tonight get to you and remember anytime you need me I'll be right beside you."
Feeling tears threatening to well up at his concern for her, she hugged him tightly before whispering back "I know I can always count on you... No matter what..." What did I do to deserve this guy as a friend? Whatever it was, it was worth it...
Hearing someone clear their throat, she looked around Alden's shoulder and saw a cute, petite brunette standing about 5 feet away. She immediately recognized her as Sophie, one of the genuinely nice girls she had met while dating Mike. "You okay Sharon? God, I wish I had known Mike would do something like that to you... He had done it before but I thought that with you it would be different..."
Chewing her bottom lip, Sharon smiled softly and saying "So did I, Soph, so did I... But I'm just going to have to learn from my mistakes." Feeling Alden's arms drop, she looked up to meet his warm, caring eyes and smiled in thanks.
Stepping towards Sophie, she received another hug and she gently started pulling Sophie off towards an emptier part of the parking lot. Looking at Alden, she mouthed 'be right back' and smiled with he nodded then gestured towards the food as a way of saying he'd grab the food.
Once they were a safe distance away from any listening ears, she looked at Sophie and saw, to her surprise, that the girl's eyes were filled with tears. "I'm so sorry Sharon... I should have done something to stop him... The chick had been hanging around him more and more recently and I should have stopped it... I should have done something..." The girl once more reached forward and embraced Sharon in a tight hug.
I never knew Sophie cared this much about me... I always thought I was just "Mike's highschool girlfriend." Hugging Sophie back, she said "Hun, there's nothing you could have done... Don't blame yourself... Besides, I'm going to need your help so if you really feel you should have done something then help me do something now..."
Quickly wiping her eyes, Sophie stared at Sharon in puzzlement "What do you mean?"
Smiling bitterly she replied simply "I'm going to make him pay..."
Frowing slightly, Sophie said "I don't know Shar... this might not be a good idea..."
Shaking her head, Sharon answered "Yeah, I know it most likely isn't but it's something I need to do..."
Still puzzled, Sophie asked, "But... how?"
Turning her head, Sharon looked over to see Alden already sitting on the hood of someone's car, drinking a beer and laughing with some of guys. Hearing Sophie question "With him?" Sharon nodded. "Two can play Mike's game, Soph..." Smiling softly to herself as she watched Alden, she felt her smile get even wider when he turned and met her gaze and she saw the warmth in his eyes. Nothing could cheer her up more than Alden could; even when he wasn't trying, he always managed to put a smile on her face.
"I don't know Sharon... I think that guy cares about you too much to mess with him like this..."
Turning to look at Sophie, it was her turn to be puzzled. "What do you mean? He's just a really good friend."
Shaking her head, Sophie looked over at Alden "That guy definitely cares for you more than just a friend."
Feeling her heart constrict slightly, Sophie laughed slightly "Yeah, right... How would you know this? This is the first time you've ever seen him. Hell, you haven't even been introduced..."
Turning back to face Sharon, Sophie looked straight into Sharon's eyes and said seriously "It's right there on his face... The smile he has as he watches you, the expression he wore when he was holding you a couple minutes ago, the proctective look in his eyes when he keeps looking over here every once in a while to make certain you are okay... That boy would do anything for you... And I think the feeling is returned... Did you really care for Mike? Because you don't seem as upset as you should be... Maybe Mike was just a barrier between you and Alden that you purposefully maintained... What are you afraid of Sharon? Love?"
Unnerved by what Sophie had said, Sharon tried to brush it off "Oh... well, I'm kind of hungry so I'm going to go back and grab some of the take out we bought... Make sure to save me and Alden a couple seats next to you and Andy... Talk to you later!"
Without waiting for a response, Sharon turned walked quickly towards Alden, trying to ignore what Sophie had just said. It's not true... I'm not afraid of love and I wasn't using Mike! And come on, Alden just thinks of me as a sister... Feeling a twinge of something (a something she didn't want to analyze to closely) at that thought, Sharon cleared her head, put a smile on her face, and tried not to show how confused she was. Focusing on Alden as she walked back, she couldn't help but grin as she watched him try to shovel rice into his mouth and only end up getting the rice all over himself when it feel off the chopsticks halfway to his mouth.
Alden's POV
Leaning back against the car, Alden relaxed and listened to the guys around him discuss past pranks they had played on rival teams before hockey games. He realized now why Sharon had liked hanging out with these people. They were all friendly, open and didn't look down on him because he was just a highschool senior. It was nice.
Looking over to where Sharon and some girl (Sophie, I think) were talking under the shade of a tree, Alden met the eyes of the brunette while she was talking to Sharon. It was rather unnerving since she seemed to look straight through him. Looking back down, he began focusing rather intently on the difficult task of getting the rice from the little cardboard container up to his mouth with two pieces of wood.
Getting frustrated, Alden growled outloud and started complaining "Argh, the Chinese or whoever made chopsticks where fucking insane!! I just want to eat my rice!! I swear the guy who invented them was on opium when he thought these sticks were a good invention!!" Hearing someone protest, he looked up to see an asian guy grin at him. Grinning back he began to attempt to stab the rice with the chopsticks... Which only ended up smushing it...
Frowning, he continued his valiant effort until he heard someone laughing lightly. Preparing to glare at whoever was laughing at his misfortune, Alden looked up to see two dancing pools of emerald staring at him. Caught between embarassment and laughter, Alden just growled at Sharon also and continued to stab his rice.
Laughing in astonishment, Sharon walked up next to Alden, poked him in the side and said "Growl again!!"
Grinning at her, he winked before asking snidly "Since when did I become your bitch?"
Pushing him playfully (causing him to yelp and loose the rice that was almost in his mouth) she stuck her tongue out and said "Since always."
Looking out at the group surrounding them, he realized everyone was enjoying their bantering and was about to retort back at Sharon when he heard loud music and tires screech as a car pulled into the rink parking lot. Thinking nothing of it, Alden turned back to Sharon to continue their banter but stopped when he saw the look on her face. Her face had drained of all it's color and she had wrapped her arms around herself.
Looking once more at the group, and seeing their nervous faces, he realized who must have been in the car. Oh shit, here we go. Glancing at the parking lot, his deductions were confirmed when he saw a smirking Mike walking towards the group with the "blonde bimbo" drapped over his left side. Poor Sharon...
Reaching down, he put an arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her towards him until she sat next to him on the car, with his arm around her. Leaning over, he softly whispered in her ear "This is it Shar... This is what you've been waiting for... Now let's make someone jealous..."
Chewing on her lip, she whispered back fiercly "Alden! I don't know if I can go through with this! That bitch is sitting there laughing at me." Glancing over at the blonde, he realized that, sure enough, she was grinning maliciously in Sharon's direction. "Sharon, that chick has nothing on you. You're beautiful, smart, and a wonderful person. PLus you're talented and have class. Add that to the fact that he'll probably contract herpes from her," he grinned as he got a slight giggle from her, "you have nothing to worry about. That guy was stupid to dump you... Now, be the Sharon I know so well and let's put on a show."
Reaching over, he tucked a stray strand of her soft blonde hair behind her ear and smiled down at her. He watched as she took a deep breath to compose herself then put a breathtaking smile on her face. God, she is gorgeous. Come on Shar, let's show him what he's missing...
Turning back to Mike, he nodded once in recognition then moved his free hand over to lace his fingers in Sharon's. Seeing the steel glint in Mike's eyes, Alden began rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand in slowly steady circles. It feels so good to be able to touch her like this... I wish that... I wish... No, don't go there Alden... You're doing this because she's your friend and she needed your help. So stop thinking of how perfectly she fits under your arm, or about how right it feels to be this close to her and put on a good show, for Sharon's sake.
Raising his eyebrow in interest, Alden held back a laugh as the blonde (what was her name? Daffy? Dolly? No, Daisy...) noticed his show of affection, took it as a sign of a competition and wrapped herself ever tighter (if possible) around Mike and began sucking on his neck. Haha, she looks like a pirahna.
Apparently Sharon had the same thought because she turned towards him and buried her face into his shoulder where he could feel her shaking slightly as she laughed. Shifting his arm so it was in a more comfortable position (with his hand was resting on her hip), he angled his arm so he could look at his watch. "Hey people, maybe we should head into the rink... the game's going to start in 20 minutes."
Seeing everyone nod in agreement, he slowly eased his arm from around Sharon and picked up the leftover Chinese. Realizing she hadn't eaten hers, he looked at her questioningly. She understood immediately what he was wondering and shook her head then gestured towards Mike. That bastard is making her so nervous she can't eat... Grr, I want to punch him in the face and break that pretty little nose of his.
Trying to ignore the loss of warmth that had been Sharon, he got up, threw out the Chinese then held a hand out to Sharon and pulled her into a standing position. Feeling her stiffen, he looked out of the corner of his eye to see Daisy shoving her tongue down Mike's throat while Mike was staring directly at Sharon. Asshole.
Trying to decide what to do, Alden had an idea. If that guy is going to practically screw the bitch in front of us, then instead of playing his game... I'll do the opposite... Be the perfect gentlemen and focus all my attention on Sharon in non-sexual ways...
Grinning, he stepped forward and placed his hands on Sharon's arms then leaned over and whispered in her ear. "He's going to play his game, and I'm going to play mine... Just play along..." Feeling her shiver (huh... I hadn't notice it getting cold...), he took the opportunity, slid his coat off, and wrapped it (and his arms) around Sharon from the behind.
Seeing everyone almost packed up, he slid one more glance towards Mike, and almost laughed outloud at how infuriated he looked. The guy even reached around back to grasp Daisy's ass and press her closer against himself while they continued kissing as an attempt to compete.
Smirking in triumph that his plan was working, he leaned forward, rested his chin on Sharon's head (she's the perfect height for this... and her hair smells so good... strawberries...) and closed his eyes for a couple seconds. If only I could stay like this...
Opening his eyes back up, and seeing everyone start for the door, he once again wrapped one arm around Sharon and started walking towards the doors to the rink with Sharon nestled against his side. Too bad tomorrow I'll have to pretend this was all an act... But for now I'm going to enjoy this brief moment in time in which Sharon is mine and only mine...
Alden sighed. and looked down to see Sharon look at him questioningly. Smiling down at her reassuringly, he watched as she smiled back and nestled her head against his shoulder. Closing his eyes again briefly, he swallowed the lump in his throat then opened his eyes, stared up at the night sky and wished with all his heart. All I want is more time... More time to pretend she could ever like me as more than a brother or a friend...
Operation: Awakening
Chapter 3
Sharon's POV
Tapping her hands on the steering wheel along with the beat of the music, Sharon looked over at Alden and grinned to see him burrowing through the take out bag. "Honestly boy, you'd think your mother never feeds you!"
Looking up from his little mission, Alden responded while chewing on the fortune cookies he had found, " Sthe feeds me buth not enoupfh." Swallowing, he added, "Besides, I normally eat dinner at 5:00 and it's already 6:00! I'm dying!"
Rolling her eyes, she grinned and said "Yeah, well I don't want a fat 'boyfriend'. Anyways, put everything back because, ta daaaa, we have arrived!" as she pulled into a parking space next to a large group of teenagers. Hanging her keys around her neck, she checked her reflection in the mirror before reaching for the door handle only to be stopped when Alden put a hand on her arm. Looking over, she met his concerned eyes. "Shar, you sure you're going to be okay around him?"
Smiling at him, she tried to hide her nervousness with false bravado and said "Of course I will be, after all I'm one 'tough little bitch' as you yourself once said." Turning to open the door, she remembered to tell Alden to grab the food and looked over at the passanger side. Seeing the seat empty, she realized he had already gotten out (and grabbed the food) then, hearing her door open, realized he was on her side of the car already.
Looking out the door, she saw the worried look was still on his face and, as she got out, felt his arms wrap around her in a hug. Resting his chin on her head, he whispered "Don't let anything the bastard says tonight get to you and remember anytime you need me I'll be right beside you."
Feeling tears threatening to well up at his concern for her, she hugged him tightly before whispering back "I know I can always count on you... No matter what..." What did I do to deserve this guy as a friend? Whatever it was, it was worth it...
Hearing someone clear their throat, she looked around Alden's shoulder and saw a cute, petite brunette standing about 5 feet away. She immediately recognized her as Sophie, one of the genuinely nice girls she had met while dating Mike. "You okay Sharon? God, I wish I had known Mike would do something like that to you... He had done it before but I thought that with you it would be different..."
Chewing her bottom lip, Sharon smiled softly and saying "So did I, Soph, so did I... But I'm just going to have to learn from my mistakes." Feeling Alden's arms drop, she looked up to meet his warm, caring eyes and smiled in thanks.
Stepping towards Sophie, she received another hug and she gently started pulling Sophie off towards an emptier part of the parking lot. Looking at Alden, she mouthed 'be right back' and smiled with he nodded then gestured towards the food as a way of saying he'd grab the food.
Once they were a safe distance away from any listening ears, she looked at Sophie and saw, to her surprise, that the girl's eyes were filled with tears. "I'm so sorry Sharon... I should have done something to stop him... The chick had been hanging around him more and more recently and I should have stopped it... I should have done something..." The girl once more reached forward and embraced Sharon in a tight hug.
I never knew Sophie cared this much about me... I always thought I was just "Mike's highschool girlfriend." Hugging Sophie back, she said "Hun, there's nothing you could have done... Don't blame yourself... Besides, I'm going to need your help so if you really feel you should have done something then help me do something now..."
Quickly wiping her eyes, Sophie stared at Sharon in puzzlement "What do you mean?"
Smiling bitterly she replied simply "I'm going to make him pay..."
Frowing slightly, Sophie said "I don't know Shar... this might not be a good idea..."
Shaking her head, Sharon answered "Yeah, I know it most likely isn't but it's something I need to do..."
Still puzzled, Sophie asked, "But... how?"
Turning her head, Sharon looked over to see Alden already sitting on the hood of someone's car, drinking a beer and laughing with some of guys. Hearing Sophie question "With him?" Sharon nodded. "Two can play Mike's game, Soph..." Smiling softly to herself as she watched Alden, she felt her smile get even wider when he turned and met her gaze and she saw the warmth in his eyes. Nothing could cheer her up more than Alden could; even when he wasn't trying, he always managed to put a smile on her face.
"I don't know Sharon... I think that guy cares about you too much to mess with him like this..."
Turning to look at Sophie, it was her turn to be puzzled. "What do you mean? He's just a really good friend."
Shaking her head, Sophie looked over at Alden "That guy definitely cares for you more than just a friend."
Feeling her heart constrict slightly, Sophie laughed slightly "Yeah, right... How would you know this? This is the first time you've ever seen him. Hell, you haven't even been introduced..."
Turning back to face Sharon, Sophie looked straight into Sharon's eyes and said seriously "It's right there on his face... The smile he has as he watches you, the expression he wore when he was holding you a couple minutes ago, the proctective look in his eyes when he keeps looking over here every once in a while to make certain you are okay... That boy would do anything for you... And I think the feeling is returned... Did you really care for Mike? Because you don't seem as upset as you should be... Maybe Mike was just a barrier between you and Alden that you purposefully maintained... What are you afraid of Sharon? Love?"
Unnerved by what Sophie had said, Sharon tried to brush it off "Oh... well, I'm kind of hungry so I'm going to go back and grab some of the take out we bought... Make sure to save me and Alden a couple seats next to you and Andy... Talk to you later!"
Without waiting for a response, Sharon turned walked quickly towards Alden, trying to ignore what Sophie had just said. It's not true... I'm not afraid of love and I wasn't using Mike! And come on, Alden just thinks of me as a sister... Feeling a twinge of something (a something she didn't want to analyze to closely) at that thought, Sharon cleared her head, put a smile on her face, and tried not to show how confused she was. Focusing on Alden as she walked back, she couldn't help but grin as she watched him try to shovel rice into his mouth and only end up getting the rice all over himself when it feel off the chopsticks halfway to his mouth.
Alden's POV
Leaning back against the car, Alden relaxed and listened to the guys around him discuss past pranks they had played on rival teams before hockey games. He realized now why Sharon had liked hanging out with these people. They were all friendly, open and didn't look down on him because he was just a highschool senior. It was nice.
Looking over to where Sharon and some girl (Sophie, I think) were talking under the shade of a tree, Alden met the eyes of the brunette while she was talking to Sharon. It was rather unnerving since she seemed to look straight through him. Looking back down, he began focusing rather intently on the difficult task of getting the rice from the little cardboard container up to his mouth with two pieces of wood.
Getting frustrated, Alden growled outloud and started complaining "Argh, the Chinese or whoever made chopsticks where fucking insane!! I just want to eat my rice!! I swear the guy who invented them was on opium when he thought these sticks were a good invention!!" Hearing someone protest, he looked up to see an asian guy grin at him. Grinning back he began to attempt to stab the rice with the chopsticks... Which only ended up smushing it...
Frowning, he continued his valiant effort until he heard someone laughing lightly. Preparing to glare at whoever was laughing at his misfortune, Alden looked up to see two dancing pools of emerald staring at him. Caught between embarassment and laughter, Alden just growled at Sharon also and continued to stab his rice.
Laughing in astonishment, Sharon walked up next to Alden, poked him in the side and said "Growl again!!"
Grinning at her, he winked before asking snidly "Since when did I become your bitch?"
Pushing him playfully (causing him to yelp and loose the rice that was almost in his mouth) she stuck her tongue out and said "Since always."
Looking out at the group surrounding them, he realized everyone was enjoying their bantering and was about to retort back at Sharon when he heard loud music and tires screech as a car pulled into the rink parking lot. Thinking nothing of it, Alden turned back to Sharon to continue their banter but stopped when he saw the look on her face. Her face had drained of all it's color and she had wrapped her arms around herself.
Looking once more at the group, and seeing their nervous faces, he realized who must have been in the car. Oh shit, here we go. Glancing at the parking lot, his deductions were confirmed when he saw a smirking Mike walking towards the group with the "blonde bimbo" drapped over his left side. Poor Sharon...
Reaching down, he put an arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her towards him until she sat next to him on the car, with his arm around her. Leaning over, he softly whispered in her ear "This is it Shar... This is what you've been waiting for... Now let's make someone jealous..."
Chewing on her lip, she whispered back fiercly "Alden! I don't know if I can go through with this! That bitch is sitting there laughing at me." Glancing over at the blonde, he realized that, sure enough, she was grinning maliciously in Sharon's direction. "Sharon, that chick has nothing on you. You're beautiful, smart, and a wonderful person. PLus you're talented and have class. Add that to the fact that he'll probably contract herpes from her," he grinned as he got a slight giggle from her, "you have nothing to worry about. That guy was stupid to dump you... Now, be the Sharon I know so well and let's put on a show."
Reaching over, he tucked a stray strand of her soft blonde hair behind her ear and smiled down at her. He watched as she took a deep breath to compose herself then put a breathtaking smile on her face. God, she is gorgeous. Come on Shar, let's show him what he's missing...
Turning back to Mike, he nodded once in recognition then moved his free hand over to lace his fingers in Sharon's. Seeing the steel glint in Mike's eyes, Alden began rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand in slowly steady circles. It feels so good to be able to touch her like this... I wish that... I wish... No, don't go there Alden... You're doing this because she's your friend and she needed your help. So stop thinking of how perfectly she fits under your arm, or about how right it feels to be this close to her and put on a good show, for Sharon's sake.
Raising his eyebrow in interest, Alden held back a laugh as the blonde (what was her name? Daffy? Dolly? No, Daisy...) noticed his show of affection, took it as a sign of a competition and wrapped herself ever tighter (if possible) around Mike and began sucking on his neck. Haha, she looks like a pirahna.
Apparently Sharon had the same thought because she turned towards him and buried her face into his shoulder where he could feel her shaking slightly as she laughed. Shifting his arm so it was in a more comfortable position (with his hand was resting on her hip), he angled his arm so he could look at his watch. "Hey people, maybe we should head into the rink... the game's going to start in 20 minutes."
Seeing everyone nod in agreement, he slowly eased his arm from around Sharon and picked up the leftover Chinese. Realizing she hadn't eaten hers, he looked at her questioningly. She understood immediately what he was wondering and shook her head then gestured towards Mike. That bastard is making her so nervous she can't eat... Grr, I want to punch him in the face and break that pretty little nose of his.
Trying to ignore the loss of warmth that had been Sharon, he got up, threw out the Chinese then held a hand out to Sharon and pulled her into a standing position. Feeling her stiffen, he looked out of the corner of his eye to see Daisy shoving her tongue down Mike's throat while Mike was staring directly at Sharon. Asshole.
Trying to decide what to do, Alden had an idea. If that guy is going to practically screw the bitch in front of us, then instead of playing his game... I'll do the opposite... Be the perfect gentlemen and focus all my attention on Sharon in non-sexual ways...
Grinning, he stepped forward and placed his hands on Sharon's arms then leaned over and whispered in her ear. "He's going to play his game, and I'm going to play mine... Just play along..." Feeling her shiver (huh... I hadn't notice it getting cold...), he took the opportunity, slid his coat off, and wrapped it (and his arms) around Sharon from the behind.
Seeing everyone almost packed up, he slid one more glance towards Mike, and almost laughed outloud at how infuriated he looked. The guy even reached around back to grasp Daisy's ass and press her closer against himself while they continued kissing as an attempt to compete.
Smirking in triumph that his plan was working, he leaned forward, rested his chin on Sharon's head (she's the perfect height for this... and her hair smells so good... strawberries...) and closed his eyes for a couple seconds. If only I could stay like this...
Opening his eyes back up, and seeing everyone start for the door, he once again wrapped one arm around Sharon and started walking towards the doors to the rink with Sharon nestled against his side. Too bad tomorrow I'll have to pretend this was all an act... But for now I'm going to enjoy this brief moment in time in which Sharon is mine and only mine...
Alden sighed. and looked down to see Sharon look at him questioningly. Smiling down at her reassuringly, he watched as she smiled back and nestled her head against his shoulder. Closing his eyes again briefly, he swallowed the lump in his throat then opened his eyes, stared up at the night sky and wished with all his heart. All I want is more time... More time to pretend she could ever like me as more than a brother or a friend...