opposites attract [natalie]

[Jayce Ardor]

[height]A group of girls sitting a few yards away were giving him nervous looks, but he was used to that kind of attention. People always expected the worst from him -- not that he made any effort for them to think otherwise. He was huge, first of all, and tall -- much taller than the average six feet. His skin was darkly tanned and his hair was always messy, his face never neatly shaved. He always wore shirts with no sleeves -- the tattoos wrapping up his left arm were always visible, and even the tongue piercing seemed to make the people around here uncomfortable. Really, the citizens of this town needed to toughen up -- or lighten up. Back home, he probably wouldn't have handled the shitty looks very well.

The worst thing he had ever done had landed him a weekend in jail...but compared to some of his friends back home, that wasn't much of a track-record. It always surprised administrators, then, when he admitted he was studying for a degree in criminal justice. Here, things were going to be different. He still wouldn't take shit from people, but he wouldn't let himself be caught this time. Especially in front of Natalie; who was currently in class, just inside the C Hall building.

Jayce was sitting just outside the exit of the hall, where he had sat every day since finding out that Natalie was enrolled in that class. There was no other way to get out, so she had to pass by this way everyday to leave. Some days he told himself he was going to look up and wave at her, but mostly he just sat on the bench with his head down, earphones in, burying his face in his sketchbook.

Drawing was the only hobby he had that he kept secret; though he had always been too embarrassed to take art classes in school, a teacher had caught him drawing in the middle of a lesson once, and showed his work to the art teacher -- who had practically begged him to join. But he never would -- his dad would have given him hell if he had. His dad had done it all: served his country in Iraq and Afghanistan, served his community as both a policemen and later as a firefighter. He was a military man, and no son of his was going to take girly art classes.

He had done everything in school his dad had told him to do: wrestling and power-lifting. His dad had wanted him to play football, but at try-outs Jayce had gotten tired of no one every throwing him the ball, and things got a little out of hand with an argument he had with one of the other boys. What could he say? He was never one for team sports.

And now, having graduated (that had been a miracle to everyone), Jayce Ardor was in college, and every day that Natalie had this class he made a point to sit in the quad, a small distance away from the C Hall doors. He was sitting up against a tree, a drawing notebook in his lap, his phone on shuffle in his back pocket. He was wearing a black shirt and jeans, with converse; the girls that had been sitting a few yards away before he had shown up moved away.

Maybe today would be the day he would finally come off as friendly. He would just go up to the poor girl and extend his hand, tell her she was beautiful and they would ride off into the sunset on a white horse.

Or, maybe he would continue to argue with her, say she's a bitch, and call it a day.

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[natalie ray brown,]

[height]They wouldn't leave her alone.

Honestly, all she wanted to do was hurl a book at their faces and call it a day, but she knew that kind of behaviour would get her nowhere, so she kept her mouth shut. Well, for the most part. "You know boys, we're supposed to be studying, so either you stick your nose in your books or I'm gonna shove my foot up your ass." On any other day the girl might have flirted back, even gave them a little glimmer of hope, but she had gone out partying with her friends last night and was now paying the price for it. God, why did they even invent alcohol anyway? All it did was mess with your brain and give you headaches. The girl sitting next to Natalie looked over in fear and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, just calm the hell down, Bambi."

[/font] And with that she returned to her notes, scribbling little doodles on the sides of the pages.

She was dreading the end of class which would be coming in just a few minutes. It wasn't that she liked the class, it was boring, but she hated seeing Jayce everyday after this class. She had no idea why he was always under that stupid tree and just seeing his face infuriated her. You might think that knowing someone your entire life would help you to be their friend, right? Yeah, no. Natalie and Jayce were anything but friends since he caused her to lose her best friend. The loss of the boy still stuck with her, even after all these years. If she didn't know any better she might swear that he freakin' killed him but she knew that wasn't true. No matter how much she hated him she could tell that there was something beating in that chest of his.

Natalie reached down to pull on her skirt; she loved cheerleading, but she hated the outfits. The skirts were too short, the tops were too tight and they were probably only made so lusty teen boys could ogle the girls. She didn't normally wear her cheer uniform, but Coach told the girls to wear it every day for a week in order to pump up school spirit. Natalie had half a mind to quit right then and there, but cheerleading was a passion for her and she was sure that she'd always be doing it. Of course, when she did that the boys who were flirting with her at the beginning of class started up again, saying some crude things that Natalie would no doubt use against them in a sexual harassment charge. "I hope your parents have enough money to send you to a different school you sick freaks. Oh, but don't worry, you can still look, just don't touch me or you'll never be able to have children."[/font]

She was up the second the bell rang, her things already packed into her backpack. Natalie almost ran out of class, forgetting the sight that would soon greet her. She welcomed the sun as it warmed her. As she turned to go to her next class she frowned at what she saw next; there he was, sitting under that stupid little tree like a creeper. On any other day she would have just walked away, but she was just tired and she wanted some answers, even if they had nothing to do with her. With her hand on her hip she strolled over to the man and glared. When she looked down she almost laughed at what she saw. "Oh, how cute. Mr. Creepy likes to draw."[/font]

Let's ignore the fact that what she saw was good.[/height][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

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[Jayce Ardor]

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Today had not been the day, so he had kept his eyes down, earphones in, keeping himself completely focused in sketching in the final details on the young girl's face. People were his favorite thing to draw, and today he had chosen the group of girls picnicking a few yards away -- the same ones that were giving him those nervous looks. He had only finished the outline of their bodies, sitting cross-legged on the grass, and one of the girl's deep scowl. He couldn't really get her eyes right; if only she would look over at him once in awhile.

Suddenly, he felt a presence approaching him, and he glanced up; Natalie was storming over his direction, looking completely pissed off. He acted cool, as if he came here every day just because he wanted to draw the scenery, and he continued to sketch up until she was within talking distance. He couldn't help but let the corner of his mouth twitch into a grin; he always liked her more when she was angry. It was the only emotion in people he knew how to deal with.

She snapped something at him, but he couldn't hear over the roar of the music; it sounded insulting though, so he pulled out the earphones and replied, "Well you're not going to get me in bed with that kind of tone." He stuffed the notebook in his bag and stood up, leaning against the tree with his hands in his pockets. He liked to be standing when they argued; he was taller, hopefully it annoyed her.

"It's good to see you too, by the way. And maybe if you ask nicely this time, I'll give you that steamy kiss you've always dream of." He grinned, slinging his bag over his shoulder. She was wearing that cheerleading uniform -- perfect. More material to insult her with. "Why are you so pissed? One of the girls at practice mess up the dance?" He said in a mocking tone. He always made fun of her for being in cheerleading, but he actually didn't think it was a girly sport; he knew it took intense skill to be a flyer, years of gymnastic training to do the stunts. Fact about their conversations: Jayce said a lot of things he didn't mean to Natalie.

"Seriously though, Nat, who has rubbed you the wrong way today? I can have a word with him, if you'd like." His eyes were intense, and he never took them off her when they talked. "You may not like me much, but I don't think we're at that stage yet where the sight of my face pisses you off. Not yet, anyway. If we get to that point, please let me know -- our lives are both better when we're on the same page." He grinned at her.
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[natalie ray brown,]

[height]"Please. Keep it in your pants, Jayce."

[/color] As soon as he stood up she rolled her eyes; she hated that he was taller than her. Ever since they were kids he was always the taller person. She's perfectly happy with her current height, it just makes her think that he has some advantage over her. "The only way that you and I would ever get together is in your dreams, freak."[/color] Her insults were getting more and more tired but... Natalie was tired. She opened her mouth to excuse herself - all the anger she had had suddenly depleted...

but then he spoke about cheerleading.

"Excuse me?!"[/color] she shouted, glaring up at the taller man. "Do you know how physically demanding cheerleading is? Do you know what a d--- my coach is? No, you don't, because even after all these years you just don't give a crap about me or what I do. And, for your information, I'm the best damn cheerleader at this school. Don't you dare forget that."[/color] By the end of her rant her eyes had narrowed into slits, but at his next words she ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "What, like you did to ----? I don't need you to scare anyone away again, I can do that on my own."[/color] At the thought of her old boyfriend her heart seemed to freeze in her chest and she had to use all of her willpower to keep from crying again.

"Look. All I wanted to know was why-"[/color] Natalie let herself be cut off by Jayce and she let out an offended squeak at what he said. "Please. The only emotion you feel when you look at my face stems from your pants so please, don't try to lie to me."[/color] A smirk grew on her face as she put her hands on her hips. "Who knows? Maybe one day you'll get to touch. Come on, J, you know you want to."[/color] She hadn't meant to turn "flirt mode" on, honestly, it just came out sometimes, even when she was talking to someone who made her blood boil.

"Unless you wanna make me play hooky, I gotta go. But I'm giving you the best gift of all; watching me walk away."[/color] The smirk never left her face as she turned around. She secretly wanted him to stop her and to make her feel something other than anger toward him. They used to actually get along... but everything changed when he drove her ex-boyfriend off. That was a betrayal she would never be able to forgive.
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[Jayce Ardor]

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They had gotten together in his dreams, actually, but he wasn't going to admit that to her. Keep it in your pants? Not likely. He didn't flirt with many other girls -- in fact, he didn't talk to any other girls -- but there was something about talking (or arguing) with Natalie where he just couldn't keep his mouth shut. He said things he didn't mean, or if he did mean them, he said them as a joke, or as an insult.

She started yelling at him, which made him grin; his day was always perfect when he got her mad. Especially about cheerleading, which was a touchy subject for her. "Hey, don't blame me because you picked the most cliche sport to get involved in. You're making fun of me for being into art, but you're the one who chose damn cheerleading. Cheer-leading. Really, you were just setting yourself up for my insults." And to think she believed he had never cared? I've been to all your games, even the far-away ones. I watched you practicing the entire time I was at tryouts for football freshmen year. I know you're the best -- I've seen you on the field. But there was no way he would ever admit that to her. It would make him too weak, too vulnerable.

At first this had been fun, this stupid flirting. But now she was getting serious...digging into the past that he was not proud of. His expression changed; while talking about cheerleading he was teasing and grinning, now he was frowning. His eyes and his entire face darkened, and it was easy to see the anger beginning to boil beneath his skin. What like you did to him? I don't need you to scare anyone away again. God -- why didn't the damn girl understand!

"Watch your mouth. What I did had to be done; he was going to hurt you, I know he was. He didn't love you as much as you thought he did." He didn't love you enough -- I could love you, could protect you so much more than that coward ever could.

She was calming down, though, which was good; this wasn't the time or the place to get into this argument again. He could feel the anger wash away -- this was good. They both knew what he was capable of when he was angry. "You're underestimating me, Nat -- I am a man capable of many emotions." Who knows, maybe one day you'll get to touch. I know you want it, J. He liked the sound of that -- she could probably tell how his face lit up, a bit surprised. Natalie was always surprising him, one of the reasons he loved messing with her so much.

Much too soon, she was leaving. Though he did enjoy the sight of her backside, it didn't compare to talking to her face-to-face. "Hold on there," He objected, reaching out just as she turned around. He snagged one large arm around her waist, pulling her back. "We weren't done talking yet, were we? This is the most we've talked in...in a long time. Even Miss Cheer Captain needs a break once in awhile -- come take a walk on the wild side, on my side. Skip class with me?" He had English in a few minutes, but that class was a joke; he usually just stayed in the back and caught up on his sleep. The assignments were easy, and the professor never seemed to care who showed up and who didn't. "We could go right now and make-out behind the football field like high-schoolers, or grab some coffee at the Cafe and then make-out at my apartment like adults. I'm fine with either, really." He grinned down at her, letting go of her. If she wanted to say he was a dick and storm off, he was going to let her -- but he really hoped she would call him an ass and then agree to the coffee.

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[natalie ray brown,]

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Her eyerolls came one after another. It was like everything that came out of his mouth was meant to annoy her. "Whatever."

[/color][/font] She watched as his expression shifted and his voice got angrier. Natalie took a step back and frowned, "That was for me to decide, Jayce. It's my life, not yours. Even if you thought it was the best thing for me at the time, you could have handled it better. He wasn't just my boyfriend. He was my best friend, too. Think about that the next time you decide to scare someone away."[/color][/font] But just like that the mood shifed and they were back to their old selves - well, kind of. They were in flirt mode, anyway.

Natalie snorted the moment she saw his face light up. "I knew it!"[/color][/font] she laughed a little before shaking her head. Before she knew it he was spinning her around and holding her close. Without meaning to she let out a gasp. She recollected herself a moment later, embarrassed that she had let herself be startled. At his suggestion her eyebrow popped up. History was her next class, but she was aceing it and would it really hurt to miss one class? "I don't know. You're taking time away in my important schedule to hang around and flirt with the football players."[/color][/font] Pause. "But I'll bite. Don't think for a second that we're gonna end up making out; save that for your dreams."[/color][/font]

"You're gonna pay, 'kay? Come on, loser, let's get going."[/color][/font] She scooted away from him and started walking in the opposite direction of her class. From a few feet away she saw her "friend" give her a look of confusion and then nod at Jayce. Natalie mouthed 'none of your buisness' and looked the other way. She was forever plagued by her fellow cheerleaders. Some of them were okay, but she couldn't stand most of them. In fact, if it wouldn't get her kicked off the team, she probably would have gotten in a fight by now.

"First off, this isn't a date. Second, there is no way in hell we're going to my coffee shop. I have a reputation to uphold."[/color][/font]
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[Jayce Ardor]

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He wasn't just my boyfriend. He was my best friend. That was what Jayce was scared of the most -- that he wasn't just a boyfriend, a fling. He had been something real, someone that she had cried about. Still hadn't really gotten over. He had truly meant something to her, and that scared him, because he wanted to be the only one that struck her so deeply.

But he wouldn't fight; this wasn't the time, or the place. It was nice and sunny outside, and they were at school -- this was harmless arguing, stupid flirting. He needed to keep the conversation light -- they hadn't talked in awhile, and he missed her company. Not that he was ever going to admit that.

The comment about the football players was just a joke, but it did make him a bit nervous; he didn't want Natalie flirting with other guys. She was gorgeous -- he knew other guys tried to get her attention. Hell, he didn't really understand why she had even stayed long enough to have this conversation with him. But she was agreeing to his proposal -- this couldn't be happening? In a minute, Jayce was going to wake up in his underwear in his small apartment.

It didn't happen, though, so he let himself enjoy the dream. "You thought I was going to make you pay? You don't know me very well, Nat; you'll be surprised to know that I'm actually quite the gentleman." He laughed, letting her go. Maybe he wasn't into that romantic, lovely-dovey stuff, but if she wanted that from him, then he would more than willing. He would set himself down, watch Pride and Prejudice, and take notes.

She set off, and he pulled his bag strap across his chest and followed. The girls picnicking gave the two of them weird looks, and Natalie got a questioning look from a fellow cheerleader. They were quite the odd couple: the leader and the loner. But he didn't care -- Jayce had never cared what other people thought of him.

He kept his hands in his pockets as they walked, and she gave him the rules. "Your coffee shop? It's called Cafe Nervosa, not Cafe Natalie. I have as much right to be there as you do." He spend time there a lot, at his favorite table in the back, doodling. He sometimes drew the people sipping coffee; he drew Natalie whenever she stopped by. "But, alright. If you're not into foreplay, that's fine: we can head straight to my apartment, then." He grinned down at her. "If you don't want to be seen with me, we could head to the park -- there aren't many college students there in the afternoon. Mostly just old folks feeding the birds. Or we could catch a 3:00 movie; there, we would be surrounded only by stay-at-home mothers and their bratty children." There were other things they could do: go the mall, get fast food. Anything, really -- the only thing Jayce cared about was keeping her close.

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[natalie ray brown,]

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"Um, no. If you look closely, it does indeed say Cafe Natalie. And barf, this isn't foreplay, you weirdo."

[/font][/i] Natalie playfully nudged Jayce with her elbow before she realized what she was doing; she was getting familiar with him and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Of course, she couldn't deny that she did feel something around him. It was nice to be pushed back for once; nobody at this damn school pushed her like Jayce and to be honest, she liked it. Instead of focusing on how weird it felt to be so close to him, she focused on straightening out her uniform every once in a while and listening to the sound of her footsteps. She always had a light step and the only noise coming from the duo was the soft thud of her shoe as it hit the pavement. If only Jayce could be so graceful. "Let's make a deal. I'll stop being a bitch for the afternoon if you stop acting like an arrogant prick." Ignoring the fact that her statement was completely rude, Natalie tilted her head and smiled. She was tired and if they at least acted like they had some sort of friendship it would make her not happy, but better. Nobody knew it yet, but the brunette was getting so burnt out from the irregular cheer practices that she had to force herself to not pass out. It had been going on for quite some time and Natalie was getting fed up with it. Some of the other girls agreed but there was no point in trying to talk to the coach; Coach Anderson was high up in loonyville.

"I'll tell you what. Let's go to your apartment. I'm feeling uncharacteristically generous today so maybe you'll win the grand prize, but really I'm just curious to see where the big bad wolf lives."[/i][/font] Really, this new attitude of hers was literally making her nauseous, but it was only a matter of time before he said something and she snapped; then it would be back to their old ways with Natalie leaving him pissed off. "So lead the way, Mr. Ardor."[/i] She waved her hand dramatically and smirked, waiting for him to lead her to where ever he called home.

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[Jayce Ardor]

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Jayce smiled. "Seems like a sound deal -- I'll accept. Though, I didn't think you were being a bitch." While most people were turned off by Natalie's attitudes, he was quite the opposite; he loved her the most when they were angry and they acting like asses. But, he was being quite the arrogant prick, he had to agree with her; it was only because it was the easiest form of emotion to hold onto, and there was nothing worse than appearing weak. She smiled up at him, and he smiled back; and quite frankly he was surprised when she agreed to go to his apartment. She agreed? It's official: this is a dream. He probably looked surprised, too, but he tried to quickly cover it up, as if he had girls over at his place every night. But who was he kidding -- he didn't even have people, much less girls, over at his place. The last guest he had at his apartment had been...Stevie, his cousin, and that had been months ago.

"You sure you want to do this? You know, in the real story, the big bad wolf wins. Little Red doesn't leave the dark forest." He took the lead, as she suggested, leading her across the school courtyard and through the parking lot, heading towards the apartment building. It was a few blocks away from NHU, about a three minute walk down Main Street and then his shortcut through a back-alley. He thought about just taking her the long way -- he didn't want to give her the wrong impression, leading her into a back-alley -- but Natalie was a big girl, and she had agreed to this, a walk in his shoes.

"So Miss Brown, you never answered my question: why such a sudden change of heart? Usually you curse the ground I walk on. And today we're...talking, like civil human beings. That isn't us; something has to be up. Are you drunk? Hungover? High?" He looked her over closely, checking for the signs he had learned to recognize from his friends back in LA. He didn't want her to think he was truly concerned, though, so he made a stupid joke. "Some other guy reject you, and I'm your rebound? If that's the case, I'm fine with it -- I would just rather be informed than clueless." He grinned down at her.

Once they had walked the way down Main Street, they had reached the turnoff for his shortcut. It was a small fit between an old restaurant and a closed bookstore; it looked pretty sketchy, but Jayce had never had problems before. He had walked upon a few occasions of stupid highschoolers dealing before, but one look at the fighter's huge body, and they knew not to mess with him. "You're not scared, are you, Nat? To get to the wolf's lair, you have to go through the forest.." He waited for her to make the decision. If she was too scared, he would take her around the long way -- but she had better expect endless teasing.

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