Hey guys! (And girls. I swear, I'm not sexist. Although, whomever came up with that phrase certainly was.)
Anyway, a couple of days ago, I was going to write this ridiculously funny entry about the Russian government, and it was going to have some really funny pictures of Vlad Putin and Medvedev on it, but.... Well, you see... Here's what happened:
The Russian government, who is already familiar with my witty--overly witty?--banter and opinionated free speech decided that enough was enough, and hired the mafia--the Russian one, of course. What would the Italian Mafia be doing in Russia?--to kid nap me and delete all of the funny pictures of the Prime Minister from my hard drive. After they had done that, they stuck this weird metal tube thing that was attached to a vacuum cleaner in my ear and sucked out all of the funny phrases I was planning on writing. So you see, I really wasn't able to write an entry. And it took me days to recover from this ordeal, and that's why I haven't been writing here lately.
So...How many of you believed that? Anyone???
(*chirp, chirp*)
Oh jeez. I can hear crickets.
Okay, okay. Here's what really happened. Although I like the kidnapped-by-the-Russian-Mafia story better:
Finals are coming up next week, and I was too busy balancing studying for all of those tests, doing homework, and keeping my head from cumbusting from all of the cranial pressure.
There. Are you happy?
But in my absence, which I'm sure was greatly missed, I wrote the next installment in the Story Corner thingy. (Yayayayayay!!!!!!)
(*chirp, chirp*)
Wow. Don't wet yourself from excitement.
So, if you even care, here you go:
.................................
Ivan was trying very hard not to panic.
But it was proving difficult, seeing the way Charli's father was looking at him right now. If she had had any notion in her head that her dad didn't care about her, then he was going to tell her that she was sorely wrong. He should, know; he was the one receiving all of the hostility from the parental unit, standing in the center of the room, glaring.
He gulped. Maybe it would be better if he removed himself from the situation. Now. He tried to un-loop his arms from around her waist, but she held him in place. Turning her head so that she could see him, but resulting in their faces ending up very close together, she pleaded with her eyes and said, "No, please. Stay."
Oh. Okay. When she was giving him that look, it was hard not to agree with whatever she said.
So he concentrated on breathing. Just the slow in and out motion that his lungs were controlling. Inhale, exhale. He could feel his chest rising and falling. Could feel how it pressed against her back, pressed him closer to her. They were so close already...Did she have any idea how difficult this was for him? No, don't think, especially about that. Just breath, in and out...
Even though he knew that she had noticed her dad the minute he had walked into the room, she was now officially acknowledging his presence. "Oh, hey Jim. What's up?"
Ivan marveled at how collected she sounded, even though he knew she wasn't. He could feel her heart beat jerking around.
Her dad--Jim--just repeated, "What are you doing?"
Charli looked around Ivan's head to get a peek at her father. "What does it look like I'm doing? I have a friend over."
Jim frowned. "A friend?"
She shifted her eyes back to the TV. "Yeah. A friend." Placing her hand on top of his, she laced their fingers together. Ivan closed his eyes, trying to shut out the lethal anger of Jim, while simultaneously focusing on breathing. Thoughts of their touching skin infiltrated his head, no matter how hard he tried to keep them out, and he found himself stroking the tips of her fingers with his thumb, even though he knew it would only aggravate her father.
Slowly, Jim walked toward them, until he was standing in front of the TV. Until they were both forced to look up at him. A dark look on his face, he opened his mouth and said, "I think it's time for your...friend...to leave."
Ivan didn't hesitate. You did not patronize that face. He started to get up, trying to push Charli from his lap. She stopped him with her hand, though, before he could even plant both feet firmly on the ground. "No. I don't think it is."
She glared at the figure looming above them.
Jim narrowed his eyes. "What." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. A very powerful one. Ivan froze in his seat, terrified. Anyone would be in his place.
Setting her jaw, Charli persisted. "I said that it isn't time for him to go yet. Do you have a problem with that?"
Ivan wondered where she got all of this bravado from. For as long as he had known her--which admittedly wasn't very lengthy--she had seemed... well, not wimpy. Saying that would just be mean. She had been brave, but unsure. Undecided. But now, she was so sure that she wanted to do this. She was defiant, and she was standing up to her father, gaining his attention. Her plan was working.
Jim was furious. First he probably had a terrible hang-over and he hadn't had much sleep. Now his daughter was causing trouble. It wasn't turning out to be a very good day for him. And now he was focusing all of his frustration into his words. "You are not allowed to have boys over without having told me or your mother!"
With a steely glint in her eyes, she said, "Really? You weren't around to tell me that last night."
Ivan's mouth actually dropped open, and he shifted uncomfortably beneath her. His expression wasn't that far off from Jim's, who was spluttering, completely devoid of speech.
But Charli was just getting started. "In fact, you're never around, so how am I supposed to ask permission?"
This was met by more spluttering.
"No. It's too late for you to make the rules around here. That opportunity is gone. It has been gone ever since I've started raising myself."
Words finally stopped availing him, and her father yelled, "This is crazy!"
"What's crazy is your behavior. What kind of example are you setting for me?"
All of the anger drained out of his face, and suddenly, Jim looked indescribably tired. "Yeah. I'm going back to bed." With that, he turned around, and shuffled back to his room.
Ivan was shocked, and he could tell that Charli was surprised to, because she was sitting forward with a straight back, looking after her father as he went. Once he had disappeared down the hall, she slumped back into him. They sat there for a minute, both stunned.
He wanted to say something, he had to say something. Anything to fill the silence. "I can't believe that's it."
She nodded. "Me either. I thought...." she paused, looking down at her lap. "I guess I thought he wouldn't give up so easily. That he would actually want to have a say in raising me."
Ivan didn't know what to say. He had thought the same thing, but he wasn't going to tell her that. It would just make her feel worse. She didn't need reminding of how unbelievably apathetic her father was when an example had so recently been brought to her attention.
"Oh, well. It was a stupid plan anyway."
She looked so sad, he had to say something. "No, it wasn't stupid. I can't believe you said those things; I wouldn't have been that brave. I thought for sure I was going to get thrown out the door. Did you see how he was eyeing me? It was frightening, truly frightening."
A corner of her mouth lifted, and she turned her head to look at him. "Yeah. He was kind of scary."
He widened his eyes for affect. "Scary? Yeah, about as scary as a volcano eruption."
She truly smiled now, showing her teeth. Lifting a hand, she lightly touched his shoulder. "Thanks."
He frowned. "For what?"
She rolled her eyes. "Don't act like you don't know. For making me feel better."
He looked down, blushing. "Sure. My pleasure." Did he really just say that? It sounded so stupid.
She was still looking at him. "Besides, who cares what he thinks anyway?"
Ivan looked up at her, into her eyes. "Yeah. Who cares?" Their faces were really close. Really, really close. Just inches apart, and this fact wasn't waisted on him. He kept wanting to let his gaze travel freely, taking in every detail of her face, because he might not ever be this close to her again. But he restrain, focusing only on her eyes, on how deep of a blue they were. Such a dark blue, like looking into the night sky right before twilight. Like the night he had first seen her, and the dusky light fell on her skin and her hair, and it made her look silver and mysterious. For one second, his control over his eyes lapsed, and they flicked down to her lips. Quickly, he brought them back, but not before an impression had been made.
One second, one look, but it changed the whole feeling of the moment. Something so insignificant held so much weight. He saw her eyes shift colors, darken slightly. Slowly, her eyes traveled down to his mouth and then back. It made him catch his breath. Did she want him to kiss her? How was he supposed to tell? Hesitantly, he leaned forward slightly, and he felt her breathing stop. Freezing, he leaned back a little. What did that mean, that she had stopped breathing? Didn't she want him to kiss her, after all? He closed his eyes, trying to think.
A loud popping made them both jump, bursting the moment. They looked around to see what the source of the noise had been, and realized it had come from the TV. Charli sat up, and feeling the strain of his arms still around her, blushed and babbled. "Oh. Oh, I should probably... You're still hurt. I shouldn't be sitting on you. Here, just let me..." She hoisted herself up, and stood awkwardly looking down, clutching one arm and rubbing it frantically. Finally, she turned to the kitchen, mumbling something about cleaning up. Then she left.
Ivan sat there, too stunned to get up, or even move. What had almost happened? He knew perfectly well, but he didn't want to admit to himself that he had let an opportunity like that slip past him. He would never get another chance like that again.
He lifted a hand and ran it through his hair, stopping to rub the back of his neck. He closed his eyes and brought his legs up toward him. The cold air rushed into the empty space she had been just a second ago. He acutely felt her absence. Silently--because she was just in the kitchen, and would hear him if he said it out loud--he promised himself that if ever a situation like that happened again, he would cease the chance without thinking twice about it. Unless he to afraid, or unless she didn't want him to... How was he supposed to know anyway?
He was so confused. Mind whirling, he stood up and headed back to her room, where he would lie down and just think.
But it was proving difficult, seeing the way Charli's father was looking at him right now. If she had had any notion in her head that her dad didn't care about her, then he was going to tell her that she was sorely wrong. He should, know; he was the one receiving all of the hostility from the parental unit, standing in the center of the room, glaring.
He gulped. Maybe it would be better if he removed himself from the situation. Now. He tried to un-loop his arms from around her waist, but she held him in place. Turning her head so that she could see him, but resulting in their faces ending up very close together, she pleaded with her eyes and said, "No, please. Stay."
Oh. Okay. When she was giving him that look, it was hard not to agree with whatever she said.
So he concentrated on breathing. Just the slow in and out motion that his lungs were controlling. Inhale, exhale. He could feel his chest rising and falling. Could feel how it pressed against her back, pressed him closer to her. They were so close already...Did she have any idea how difficult this was for him? No, don't think, especially about that. Just breath, in and out...
Even though he knew that she had noticed her dad the minute he had walked into the room, she was now officially acknowledging his presence. "Oh, hey Jim. What's up?"
Ivan marveled at how collected she sounded, even though he knew she wasn't. He could feel her heart beat jerking around.
Her dad--Jim--just repeated, "What are you doing?"
Charli looked around Ivan's head to get a peek at her father. "What does it look like I'm doing? I have a friend over."
Jim frowned. "A friend?"
She shifted her eyes back to the TV. "Yeah. A friend." Placing her hand on top of his, she laced their fingers together. Ivan closed his eyes, trying to shut out the lethal anger of Jim, while simultaneously focusing on breathing. Thoughts of their touching skin infiltrated his head, no matter how hard he tried to keep them out, and he found himself stroking the tips of her fingers with his thumb, even though he knew it would only aggravate her father.
Slowly, Jim walked toward them, until he was standing in front of the TV. Until they were both forced to look up at him. A dark look on his face, he opened his mouth and said, "I think it's time for your...friend...to leave."
Ivan didn't hesitate. You did not patronize that face. He started to get up, trying to push Charli from his lap. She stopped him with her hand, though, before he could even plant both feet firmly on the ground. "No. I don't think it is."
She glared at the figure looming above them.
Jim narrowed his eyes. "What." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. A very powerful one. Ivan froze in his seat, terrified. Anyone would be in his place.
Setting her jaw, Charli persisted. "I said that it isn't time for him to go yet. Do you have a problem with that?"
Ivan wondered where she got all of this bravado from. For as long as he had known her--which admittedly wasn't very lengthy--she had seemed... well, not wimpy. Saying that would just be mean. She had been brave, but unsure. Undecided. But now, she was so sure that she wanted to do this. She was defiant, and she was standing up to her father, gaining his attention. Her plan was working.
Jim was furious. First he probably had a terrible hang-over and he hadn't had much sleep. Now his daughter was causing trouble. It wasn't turning out to be a very good day for him. And now he was focusing all of his frustration into his words. "You are not allowed to have boys over without having told me or your mother!"
With a steely glint in her eyes, she said, "Really? You weren't around to tell me that last night."
Ivan's mouth actually dropped open, and he shifted uncomfortably beneath her. His expression wasn't that far off from Jim's, who was spluttering, completely devoid of speech.
But Charli was just getting started. "In fact, you're never around, so how am I supposed to ask permission?"
This was met by more spluttering.
"No. It's too late for you to make the rules around here. That opportunity is gone. It has been gone ever since I've started raising myself."
Words finally stopped availing him, and her father yelled, "This is crazy!"
"What's crazy is your behavior. What kind of example are you setting for me?"
All of the anger drained out of his face, and suddenly, Jim looked indescribably tired. "Yeah. I'm going back to bed." With that, he turned around, and shuffled back to his room.
Ivan was shocked, and he could tell that Charli was surprised to, because she was sitting forward with a straight back, looking after her father as he went. Once he had disappeared down the hall, she slumped back into him. They sat there for a minute, both stunned.
He wanted to say something, he had to say something. Anything to fill the silence. "I can't believe that's it."
She nodded. "Me either. I thought...." she paused, looking down at her lap. "I guess I thought he wouldn't give up so easily. That he would actually want to have a say in raising me."
Ivan didn't know what to say. He had thought the same thing, but he wasn't going to tell her that. It would just make her feel worse. She didn't need reminding of how unbelievably apathetic her father was when an example had so recently been brought to her attention.
"Oh, well. It was a stupid plan anyway."
She looked so sad, he had to say something. "No, it wasn't stupid. I can't believe you said those things; I wouldn't have been that brave. I thought for sure I was going to get thrown out the door. Did you see how he was eyeing me? It was frightening, truly frightening."
A corner of her mouth lifted, and she turned her head to look at him. "Yeah. He was kind of scary."
He widened his eyes for affect. "Scary? Yeah, about as scary as a volcano eruption."
She truly smiled now, showing her teeth. Lifting a hand, she lightly touched his shoulder. "Thanks."
He frowned. "For what?"
She rolled her eyes. "Don't act like you don't know. For making me feel better."
He looked down, blushing. "Sure. My pleasure." Did he really just say that? It sounded so stupid.
She was still looking at him. "Besides, who cares what he thinks anyway?"
Ivan looked up at her, into her eyes. "Yeah. Who cares?" Their faces were really close. Really, really close. Just inches apart, and this fact wasn't waisted on him. He kept wanting to let his gaze travel freely, taking in every detail of her face, because he might not ever be this close to her again. But he restrain, focusing only on her eyes, on how deep of a blue they were. Such a dark blue, like looking into the night sky right before twilight. Like the night he had first seen her, and the dusky light fell on her skin and her hair, and it made her look silver and mysterious. For one second, his control over his eyes lapsed, and they flicked down to her lips. Quickly, he brought them back, but not before an impression had been made.
One second, one look, but it changed the whole feeling of the moment. Something so insignificant held so much weight. He saw her eyes shift colors, darken slightly. Slowly, her eyes traveled down to his mouth and then back. It made him catch his breath. Did she want him to kiss her? How was he supposed to tell? Hesitantly, he leaned forward slightly, and he felt her breathing stop. Freezing, he leaned back a little. What did that mean, that she had stopped breathing? Didn't she want him to kiss her, after all? He closed his eyes, trying to think.
A loud popping made them both jump, bursting the moment. They looked around to see what the source of the noise had been, and realized it had come from the TV. Charli sat up, and feeling the strain of his arms still around her, blushed and babbled. "Oh. Oh, I should probably... You're still hurt. I shouldn't be sitting on you. Here, just let me..." She hoisted herself up, and stood awkwardly looking down, clutching one arm and rubbing it frantically. Finally, she turned to the kitchen, mumbling something about cleaning up. Then she left.
Ivan sat there, too stunned to get up, or even move. What had almost happened? He knew perfectly well, but he didn't want to admit to himself that he had let an opportunity like that slip past him. He would never get another chance like that again.
He lifted a hand and ran it through his hair, stopping to rub the back of his neck. He closed his eyes and brought his legs up toward him. The cold air rushed into the empty space she had been just a second ago. He acutely felt her absence. Silently--because she was just in the kitchen, and would hear him if he said it out loud--he promised himself that if ever a situation like that happened again, he would cease the chance without thinking twice about it. Unless he to afraid, or unless she didn't want him to... How was he supposed to know anyway?
He was so confused. Mind whirling, he stood up and headed back to her room, where he would lie down and just think.
......................................
Thanks for reading!
(P.S. Google images is a wonderful thing, so, for your enjoyment, Vladddeeee! (at the top of the page))
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