better things to do. ++OPEN

[gabriel alexander webb]

liar, liar

It was a good day. The sun was shining strong and warm on the school grounds, penetrating the cool October day until it felt almost like spring. The only thing autumn-like about the day were the trees: bright pops of yellow, orange and red against a nearly cloudless blue sky. It wasn't just the weather, though, that was good. The people were good too; kind and pleasant like most are when the sun is warming their backs. Everyone in the courtyard (and there were quite a few) seemed to be getting along: stray frisbees were tossed back amicably, shouts were turned to whispers around those that had decided to read or study outside. All in all it was like a big happy family. Like something out of the movies. It was all a load of hogwash really: no day is ever that perfect, and it's qualities were very possibly exaggerated in Gabriel's mind. None-the-less, he was building this day up in his mind and he wouldn't let anything get in the way, not even a badly aimed football that whizzed dangerously close to his head. No, Gabe instead just smiled nonchalantly at the rather attractive fifth-year boy who ran to recieve it. Yes, it was a good day.

Gabe could not really remember the last time he had a good day. He tended to be overdramatic about the most trivial of things and lately his life had been far from relaxing. But today he had decided to start a new chapter, one where he wouldn't neccessarily let the bad things get him down. It all started this morning when his French class recieved their tests back and Gabe had gotten top marks. Then, on his way to french history, a very cute boy that he had been noticing every day for a while smiled at him, which sent him walking straight on past his class, and he had to backtrack quickly to avoid being late. And during lunch he held a very interesting conversation with a girl he had never met before-- a transfer who didn't know anybody here. Needless to say he came away from that experience feeling quite gratified, as anyone does after they've just recently helped someone out, even if it was only by giving them someone to talk to. So Gabe was in good spirits when he made his way out to the courtyard during his free period to settle down at a familiar picnic table with a brand-new sketchbook. The fact that he was alone didn't seem to bother him.

Actually, Gabriel was usually alone. Most of his friends were in other departments, and his schedule was so filled that he barely had any time out of class. But he didn't mind being alone, he liked it. To say he wasn't lonely all the time would be a lie, but he could definately get by just fine with just a book and some music. Or, like today, with a blank piece of paper. It had become a habit of his to doodle and sketch whenever his hands were free, thus the sketchbook he had bought earlier in the week. When he was alone like this, his desire to design overwhelmed him, and he would draw living rooms and bedrooms and bathrooms, and houses of all kinds. He would painstakenly create these mini-blueprints for rooms and buildings that didn't even exist, and probably never would. He would draw inspiration from anywhere: the color of the leaves, the splendid geomotry of a staircase, the soft curve of a stranger's face. It was a chance for him to design his own little fantasy-world, where he was the supreme ruler, and sometimes he got a little too into it. In fact, he was now completely immersed in his drawings, forgetting all about tests and smiles from strange boys. He was wrapped up in his pencil and paper.

[leon elias gaulen]

»Leon»


i think i'm falling
holding on to all i think is safe
it seems i've found the road to no where
and i'm trying to escape

His breathing was evenly paced as he ran around the outskirts of the school, jogging up and down stairs, around trees, avoiding kids who got in his path, and not slowing down his speed for a second. If he didn't stay moving his body would feel the effects of all the running, which he had almost finished for the day. An hour a day or more, that was his goal. Usually if he planned his schedule carefully it wasn't a problem at all. Sunshine or rain you'd always see Leon running around this time, not into doing this type of exercise playing sports or weightlifting. Jogging, contrary to the other activities, you could easily do alone not needing teammates or a spotter. Lately he had been doing a lot of things alone, with all his friends busy with their homework or intense lives. A frown could be seen on his features, the thought that they would never be able to squeeze any time to see him. Whatever. Just because the beginning of school was easy for him, didn't mean it was so easy for everyone else.

Arms swinging back and forth, palms flat to cut through the air, he continued on his route wearing a loose teal jersey designed with white markings and a pair of black gym shorts. Looking fashionable wasn't a big issue for Leon, unlike some of the students that sat around. It was cheap clothing, and he'd rather not wear the nice spandex some of the guys ran with. Actually, he didn't mind watching them wearing spandex, but him? Ew, no way. He had a nice figure and was confident, but it was like his issue with sandals. It would never happen. White gym shoes hitting the ground in an rhythmic beat, the fourth year seemed pretty relaxed. Like drawing or just sitting down did to some people, running was his way to release the pressures of the day and let his mind drift. If he had chosen a more creative career – not that law didn't demand split-second ideas – it would be the best way to get his imagination flowing

Taking a turn, he hopped down some concrete stairs, heading to the path towards the courtyard where he could probably sit under a tree and stretch. Part of him wanted to go there, half-hearted, to maybe see if he would run into any girls he was already acquainted with. Yeah, he did enjoy showing off his arrogant little head. Who could blame him? He liked socializing and being the center of attention. After being deprived of his friends and bottling up his outgoing personality, it would only spill out in the form of flirting or talking to random strangers as it tried to escape. He grinned inwardly, amused at his own thoughts and explanations.

Within the courtyard he was surprised by how busy it was, especially when it wasn't even a passing period. It seemed like everyone was taking the advantage of a nice day before winter came and stole up all the sunshine. Feet crunching on the dead leaves he waved his hand as he heard someone yell, “Hey Leon, we need another man. Want to join?”, remarking on the people they were gathering for a game of football. He didn't like wasting any breath so he quickly shouted back, turning his body so he was running backwards, “Maybe next time! I need to finish.”

[/color] He only had ten more minutes, but he'd rather not do more exercise after already tiring out his muscles jogging.

In the corner of his eye he could see he was approaching the picnic tables, which would be the perfect place to begin slowing down. Even though he enjoyed the challenge of walking backwards, he was pretty sure it would be better if he slowed down the other way. Beginning to turn his body his foot glided a little to harshly on one of the stray leaves, causing him to slip. Instinctively putting his hands out he fell a little harshly to the ground, first feeling his hands skid on the concrete before rolling to his left and skidding on his right shoulder and knee. The pain made him hiss immediately, the feeling only intensifying as he stopped moving and was sitting on the ground. “Second time leaves try to kill me,”[/color] he muttered, pushing himself so he was sitting up and could take a look at his palms. They could be in worst condition, and same for his knees. Just a little bit of brushing and a graze of friction between his palms and cement. Red, but unlike drowning, it wouldn't kill him.

Rubbing his arm, he shook off the embarrassing event and slowly got up from the ground. Unlike some people that would make a scene about the pain and were extreme attention whores, Leon knew the best way to not look like a complete uncoordinated idiot was get up with some dignity. Hiding the pain he was feeling from his face, he slightly shook his arms and than pushed off some leaves that had stuck to his clothes. God, he had hit the ground with a solid thud. Green eyes went glanced towards the kids he had been talking to, surprised they hadn't heard it. “I guess my running ends here,”[/color], a little disappointed he didn't have time to build up his speed again and add another ten minutes. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[gabriel alexander webb]

liar, liar

Gabe was being inspired by nature. There was a great oak tree not ten feet from his table, with a thick trunk and long, slender branches. It's leaves had erupted into a fiery mass of red hues, most still waving and flapping gently in the wind. Across the ground beneath the tree only a few leaves had fallen, though one had made it's way on to the top of Gabriel's picnic table. It was what had driven him to design a treetop retreat like something straight out of Rivendell. At this point the blueprint was still rudimentary: just a bunch of lines and angles and hastily scribbled notes about where windows and doors and furniture would go. He had been working on it for five minutes, almost completely hunched over the table, and with each passing "tick" of the clock his smile widened. It was embarassing, actually, a nearly full-grown man sitting there and smiling ridiculously at a piece of paper. But the thing gave him endless joy and, after all, it was a perfect day.

Gabe had heard the crash and thud of Leon falling to the ground, but the sound did not register in his brain right away. He was caught up in color schemes and mantlepieces, and he did not have time for silly noises. But soon he did look up, after he had decided that a fireplace would be no good at all in a treehouse. He was still in design mode as he sat there, staring at Leon as he picked himself off the ground, and he quite forgot his manners. All at once, though, he remembered, and pushed himself up and away from the table, hurriedly making his way over to the other boy. "Are you alright?" He asked, thought not very seriously. He had a huge grin on his face and the tone in his voice was cheerful and content. It would not have been a wild guess, in fact, that Gabriel was laughing at the boy. Of course, he never would mock someone that had taken a spill, but his present attitude was not one of modesty or politeness. He looked at Leon's hands and knees and grimaced slightly without losing his smile. "Ouch. Looks painful." Gabe looked up at Leon's face when he said this and there seemed to be something extremely familiar about him. It popped into his head in an instant: this was Emmett's roommate.

Gabriel did not know much about "the roommate" besides what Emmett had ranted to him when they hung out. He knew that Em did not like the boy, which made Gabriel's smile turn slightly downwards and his eyes squint up as he peered at the boy. They had never really been introduced before but they had seen each other in passing, when Gabriel dropped in to Em's room. Gabe had always stood by Emmett's belief that the law student was inherently evil, without actually knowing him himself. That's the thing about best friends: blind faith. This faith made Gabe instantly wary, but could not damper his high spirits. If today wasn't the day to give in and be pleasant to your enemies, then there would be no other day. He applied his big, warm smile once more to his face, trying to look friendly and kind, which was not a hard look for Gabriel to pull off.

"Hey, aren't you Emmett's roommate? Leon, right?" He asked, in a happy, albeit slightly fake, voice. He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned all his weight on his left foot, and then on his right one. "I'm Gabriel. Webb. A friend of Emmett's." He added, just in case Leon forgot, which, what with the long list of horrible things Leon had committed, wouldn't really surprise Gabriel. Actually, this was fun, having an opinion of someone based solely on someone elses. It always is, incidentally; gossip and rumors and talking behind backs will always be amusing and intriguing. So Gabe was amused and intrigues, mostly by the idea of finding out if any of the things Emmett had said were true. Of course, he did not know of the true extent to Leon and Emmett's relationship, nor of Emmett's own feelings for him, so he was actually rather out of the loop. He was blissfully ignorant of that though, and kept on smiling like a fool.

ooc; i say 'quite' and 'rather' way too much. my apoologies. i'm re-reading the hobbit and the language he uses is getting stuck in my fingers, i guess.

[leon elias gaulen]

»Leon»


i think i'm falling
holding on to all i think is safe
it seems i've found the road to no where
and i'm trying to escape

As he stood up he easily caught sight of another figure coming towards his direction in the corner of his eye. Brow raised, he frowned slightly at the smile so easily plastered on the younger boy's face. Extremely happy people always somewhat ticked him off, for an unknown reason. Maybe because he envied their optimism or their good luck of having everything in the world absolutely splendid for them. What infuriated him more, which he easily hid behind a rather blank expression, was how the boy almost looked like he was laughing at him! When he wanted to be, he'd allow himself to lose some dignity and make a joke out at his expense. This wasn't one of the occasions, and he was it a little more pain than he'd like to be to make into one. Still he didn't rant or complain, acting nonchalant about the whole thing.

“I'm alright, I've had worse falls,”

[/color] he said with a shrug, looking the boy over and sudden memories being triggered. He knew this boy. Not well, but his face was very familiar. Had they past each other in the halls? No. Leon had the weird feeling that he had seen him in a more sensible environment than he usually was in. The name was on the tip of his tongue when the boy began to speak again. Listening, he couldn't help but smile a little unconsciously at Emmett's name and the light bulb of who this kid was finally glowing. “Oh yeah, I remember you! Well it's nice to finally meet you Gabriel. I'm actually surprised we haven't run into each other sooner.”[/color] The sincerity in his voice appeared to be truthful, but hiding beneath it was the same irritated attitude towards Gabe's happy-go-lucky mood. If he wasn't distracted by his stinging hands, he might of teared it down.

Before the introduction Leon had noticed a change in the boy's expression, even if it had been brief. He must of realized who he was in that second in time, almost looking... well unsure about him. It wouldn't be unlikely that Gabe heard bad stuff about him, like many people he seemed to run into all were aware about. Yes, he didn't have the greatest reputation, but you'd think other students would judge him themselves. Well that's what he gets from going to a school full of teenagers. Gossip and rumors were what made the little society go round. Without it, the campus would probably be a boring place, but at least he wouldn't run into people that looked at him like Gabriel just did.

The thought did flicker in his mind that he could have heard some crude stuff from Emmett. After all, the two seemed to be as close as he was to Evans. In the world of best friends, you could tell them all your feelings, secrets, and vent your hatred without a worry of them spreading it. A sneer wanted to replace his crooked smile at the thought of the French boy possibly despising him more than expected, but he held it back. He wouldn't act any differently because he was his crushes best friend, yet he would definitely listen closely for any double meanings in his words. Interrogation was an excellent quality in any lawyer, especially when looking for vital clues in a case. He'd surely use the lessons he learned from class on Gabriel today. Almost like a little experiment.

Bringing his arms behind him he gently pulled, trying to stretch out some his muscles. He had once went jogging and was in such a rush that he forgot to stretch, that the next day his entire body was sore. Sitting down, walking up stairs, and even standing in the lunch lines had been incredibly painful throughout the day. After that experience, Leon always remembered to stretch, even if he was talking to another person during it. Releasing his arms, he grabbed one of his feet behind his back, before talking again. “You seem to be in a bright mood, win the lottery or something?”[/color] He smirked lightly, hearing the slight sarcasm in his tone. Later he might regret doing this, mostly because it would more than likely get back to Emmett, yet he could be acting worse. He could have said something that could have been degrading or humiliating to the cute boy.


[it's cool. =P when I read the vocabulary in the books always slides onto my writing somehow.][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[gabriel alexander webb]

liar, liar

Injuries caused by clumsiness always appealed to Gabriel's better nature, so, looking at Leon's scarped hands and knees, it was hard for him to think anything too bad about him. He almost winced at the thought of his own skin scraping the ground below them (he never did have a very high tolerance for pain) and somewhat pitied the guy. Pity, of course, is one of the easiest human emotions to feel, and gratifying to say the least. It might sound stupid or vain, but pitying someone also made Gabriel feel kind of like a saint, or at least a very nice philanthropist. "Are you sure?" He asked, dropping the fake attitude and actually being sincere. Gabe could never be fake for too long anyway, it just wasn't in his makeup. He was a naturally honest person. "Don't you want to wash off the blood and dirt? That could get infected you know." Besides being honest, Gabe was a true worrywart. His father being a surgeon, he had many very frightening diseases explained to him, and it made him very aware that sickness was lurking around every corner. Just thinking about it made him take a micro-step back, away from Leon.

Soon, though, his thoughts of pity and infections were erased, at least for the time being. At the mention of his own name he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to hate this person, for some grievances that were unknown to him. "Oh, yeah." He said, shaking his head slightly and laughing. "Yeah, I'm surprised Em didn't introduce us himself. He's usually so polite, you know." He added, looking inquisitively at Leon, and trying to figure out what Emmett hated about him. It definately couldn't be anything physical, because, besides the wounds he was currently sporting, Leon was very attractive, in Gabriel's opinion. Maybe it was the fact that Leon was so attractive, and for some reason, Emmett couldn't have him? This thought tied Gabriel's stomach in a knot for some reason. He was very protective of his best friend, naturally, and had gotten "jealous" once or twice before when Emmett has pointed out the appealing qualities in another boy. However, Gabe just boiled it down to the idea that he didn't like sharing his time with Em, and while this was rather a selfish thought, it was at least better than thinking he had actual feelings for him, which would be incredibly complicated and confusing. As if Gabe wasn't confused enough as it was!

Blushing slightly at these thoughts, Gabe again tried to focus on hating Leon. There was something about him, a je ne sais quoi kind of quality, that made it obvious that he was all together a charismatic sort of person, and a leader at that. Of course, he had just slipped and fallen on his face, but something in his stance told Gabe that that was not a regular occurance for this boy. Actaully, Leon seemed to be normal and even pleasant in general, if not a little sarcastic. But that was no matter, Gabe could always appreciate a bit of sarcasm, even when it was directed his way. "No, I didn't win the lottery, unfortunately." He replied with a laugh. "It's just a nice day, don't you think?" He asked, watching slightly curiously as Leon continued to stretch. It made him feel slightly awkward, just standing there, looking on at the display of good physical shape. It made him aware that he was pretty scrawny and unfit himself. He crossed his arms again insecurely.

Gabriel's last statement had reminded him that it was a nice day, and that he had decided to turn over new leaf. So why not be nice to Leon? Yes he was supposed to be supportive of his friend, but one kind conversation wouldn't really hurt, would it? He smiled again at Leon, less bright than before, but more genuine. Actaully, he was always going to be nice to Leon, it wasn't in his nature to be anything but nice. But now he could have nice thoughts about him, which made him feel better. He just hoped that, if Leon's feelings mirrored Emmett's, that Leon wouldn't take it out on him.