LIGHTS OUT // LEIGH

[roman gage hawthorne]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,10,true][atrb=style, background-color: #fff; width: 450px, bTable] [style=background-color: #ffffff; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 9px; height: 50px; opacity: 0.6;] FOR LEIGH 839 WORDS [/style] roman was never one to halfass something. okay, that wasn't the entire truth. roman wasn't one to halfass something he cared about - which, coincidentally, was only a few things. pretty much everything else was flung into this big compiled list in his brain that didn't matter and was eventually forgotten. but when the rare opportunity was a priority in roman's mind, you could count on him to get it done - and get it done well. that was probably why he was pulling up in his black eighty-two classic to this girl's house at exactly eight - twenty at night. and he didn't even really know her. for all roman knew, he could be currently taking up space outside some old man's house, only to go knock on the door and have it be opened to some fat man without a shirt who was too busy smoking a cigarette and watching the stock market channel to give a fuck about roman's silly attempt at being charming. but, nonetheless, he had surely met her criteria. that had made her all the more interesting in roman's eyes - the 'test' she had set up for him, so to speak. or she was really just a crazy bitch and trying to make him look like a fool. in either case, she was the one he was trying to impress, not anyone else, so roman ultimately didn't care if she had set him up for failure or not. he turned off the engine to the firebird trans am, resting his head back on the refurbished leather seating and sighing. if he had any sense, he would have turned back now, but roman had a nagging force begging him to be wanted by this girl. out of the eighty girls that would pay to have the bad-boy dealer on their arm, he wanted this one - the one that begged him to show up at exactly eight twenty-four with name-brand cookies and milk, dressed formally. and he hadn't disappointed in that department, either. roman had indeed dressed well, in black slacks and dress shoes. rather than really making a tool out of himself and renting a tux or something equally silly, roman had left it at a white shirt, buttoned to his throat and accompanied by a slender black tie, sleeves rolled up to expose his forearms. so now, he had gone to hell and back (okay, not quite) for every parameter she had set up for him, and the problem he was having difficulty with was getting out of the car and actually knocking on the door. it wasn't nerves, persay - roman was good at charming girls. he always had been, when he wasn't too lazy to put in the effort. roman wondered why he was so adamant on seeing this girl. after all, she was only a random spectacle on the chat, an article defined by her pretty little icon and name and the sassy sound of her nature. but there was something else about her - he wanted her approval. he craved her acceptance - he wanted her to want him, and it startled roman a bit that he was actually craving acceptance from someone other than holden for once. and that was the thought that finally propelled the man to exit his prized car at exactly eight twenty-four, as she had insisted in a rather silly manner, but roman wasn't about to make this grand experience seem halfway attempted by not showing up at the given time. and he did, indeed, carry a silly pack of oreos and half gallon of milk. roman shook his head, knowing holden would have completely destroyed him had his brother seen him leave the house like this. good thing he had been too busy with something else to give roman shit for once. but it was with good cause - this wasn't typical for the eighteen year old drifter. he made his way up the driveway and path to her front door, finally stopping on front of the rather average looking home and leaning forward to push his thumb into the doorbell. roman righted himself, his gaze slipping across to the side to other houses (he couldn't help but be rather nervous that someone was observing his hysterically odd behavior, though roman always attempted to put off the air that he didn't give a fuck) as he waited for her to come to the door. the thought of someone else answering the door for her hadn't occurred to him, and a slight wave of panic ran through roman as he waited longer yet for her to come and answer the door. he laughed out loud incredulously, trying to talk himself into jogging back to his car and never talking to the girl from the chat again. but he did find himself wondering about her appearance. there wasn't much you could tell from an icon on chat, but from what he could have seen, she was cute. however, roman had been deceived before.

[ANALEIGH YESENIA CARMICHAEL]

C'MON BABY LIGHT MY FIRE

Brushing an escaped strand of hair behind her ear, Analeigh slipped her delicate feet into a pair of some of her favorite pumps. They slid on nicely, as the lace tights she was wearing were smooth. She chanced a glance at herself in her full length mirror, and flashed her signature smile, testing it out. Analeigh knew she was a pretty girl; that much was obvious. But she didn’t really know what she was doing tonight. No, she knew what she had planned: a formal date with someone named Roman, whom she’d never met in person, involving Oreos and milk. But she didn’t know what she was doing. Here she was, dressed to the nines, waiting for a guy she’d never met to arrive at exactly 8:24 p.m. to take her out wherever he pleased, assuming he brought the necessary items. After a second of staring at herself in the mirror, Leigh chirped a little laugh at herself, swiping that pesky piece of hair behind her ear again. She couldn’t help but find the whole thing funny. She’d taken a good amount of time preparing, picking out a pretty dress, and even doing her hair in a fancy updo. But she didn’t even know the guy! For all she knew, he was a jerk. Maybe he wouldn’t even show up at all. Leigh took a peek at the little clock on her bedside table, noting that he had four minutes. She had to admit that he seemed pretty eager to plan this date, so she would be surprised if he didn’t show. Analeigh reapplied a coat of her pink lipgloss, and then took a step away from the mirror. She grabbed her clutch, and then left her room, taking the stairs slowly. Two minutes left.

She was at the base of the stairs, clutch in hand, waiting. She wasn’t sure where this night was going to go, and she was okay with that. Roman was amusing to Leigh; it was almost like he wanted her to like him. The problem with that theory was that he didn’t seem like the kind of guy to need others’ approval. She could have been wrong, of course. He could have been a wannabe for all she knew, although she sincerely doubted that. Analeigh shifted on her feet, glancing at the clock yet again. She felt her aunt’s eyes on her from the living room and turned with a smile. Leigh’s aunt just smiled and shook her head, already having heard the story. Leigh couldn’t stop the little blush that crept up her cheeks. It wasn’t like she liked this guy! She didn’t even know him. Her eyes were dragged to the clock once again, and she watched the hand turn onto 8:24. The second hand clicked, clicked, and clicked until she finally heard the ding dong of her doorbell sound. Leigh let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding, and then straightened her posture, and waited. And waited. He was on time, but no one said she had to be, right? Her aunt gave her a look, but Leigh ignored her. Roman was fun to play with, after all.

Finally, after a good couple of minutes, Leigh answered the door, opening it and letting her eyes take him in. She had thought that he had been attractive from the little icon from the chat, but she hadn’t been expecting him to be this attractive. He was taller than her by what felt like a foot, even with her pumps on, and she couldn’t stop the fluttery feeling she got in her stomach. He had actually dressed up, just like she’d demanded, and he looked damn good, too. A quick glance told Leigh that he was, in fact, carrying what she requested: Oreos and a half gallon of milk. Wow, she thought. He really did it. The corner of her mouth turned up in a smile, and she finally opened her mouth to say, ”Congratulations. You passed.” She didn’t say what he had passed, though that should have been pretty obvious as the whole thing had been a test. Leigh slipped out of the door and passed him, swinging the door shut in the process. She walked right up to what she assumed—and hoped—was his Trans Am, and then spun around to lean on it and look back at him. ”Where are we going?” she asked, a girlish smirk never leaving her face.

WORDS 7 4 3 TAGGED ROMAN NOTES outfit <3

TEMPLATE BY WE WERE INFINITE ! OF CAUTION 2.0

[roman gage hawthorne]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,10,true][atrb=style, background-color: #fff; width: 450px, bTable] [style=background-color: #ffffff; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 9px; height: 50px; opacity: 0.6;] FOR LEIGH 785 WORDS [/style] he had been standing there, attempting for his brain to come up with some charmingly witty comment for if and when she opened the door, and was just about actually prepared for her when the door swung open what felt like hours after he had rung and revealed her. the witty comment dropped off his lips temporarily, and he couldn't help but stare for a moment. there was a fair share of average looking girls at manchester, and roman was the first to say it to their faces - they all had this massive ego that they were the hottest shit, but over half of them roman honestly could have rather gone without. and so, meeting leigh on the chat, he had practically assumed that she was no different than the rest - perhaps a bit more attractive, if he was lucky. but everything seemed to be blown out of the water now. his system was temporarily overwhelmed by the series of feelings brought on, and roman struggled to keep his eyes on her face as she eyed him as well, and then began to speak. "congratulations. you passed." roman was thankful to himself for being able to maintain the sheepishly resentful 'i really wish i wasn't doing this' look, with his chin tilted slightly back, holding the articles of food low as a boyish smirk curled half of his mouth up. "well, yeah. i won't comment on the fact that this is probably the most embarrassing thing a girl has asked me to do, ever." what exactly was so embarrassing about it? not so much the fact that he was standing outside with cookies and milk, dressed to impress, but more the fact that he himself had actually done it, typically being the lazy asshole who picks a girl up at the bar. she slipped out the door and past him, closing the door with her motion, and roman turned to follow her, letting his eyes fully absorb her for the first time (he hadn't thought she was the type to let him get away with elevator eyes - for all he knew, she would have slammed the door on his face because of it). the male couldn't decide what to focus on first - the sweet colored dress, the long, lithe legs, the thin shoulders, the gorgeous smile across her full lips. or perhaps the fact that she was tiny - at least a head shorter than him, even in her fancy high heels, but roman had always preferred smaller girls. he'd have no problem taking her to whatever restaurant he wanted, however - she was small enough that he could throw her over his shoulder and get his way. "where are we going?" she had seemingly bounced down to where his car sat, turning around and leaning on the buffed paint (roman had to admit it was quite a nice sight - his prized possession plus a beautiful girl). roman grinned, following her over and stopping in front of her with a pondering look on his face as he shifted the milk and cookies to the same hand. "well, considering you had me get all dressed up, it would be silly to go anywhere but lighthouse sound." he leaned in to her a bit, reaching just to her side and pulling the door handle to the passenger side open for her with a begrudgingly charming smile, leaving the door propped open and making his way around the front of the car before sliding in himself. "so. what is it about eight twenty four that qualifies me?" roman's tone was light and teasing, and he didn't expect an answer with anything of particular substance, as all of the criteria she had set for his arrival was rather random. after setting down the cookies and milk in the area between their seats, roman started the beloved engine (another thing he spent most of his time on - his damn car was his pride and honor. everyone asked how much it had cost him, and it honestly hadn't cost him that much to buy it in the first place - refurbishing was a different story, but he was prided in being able to say that he had brought it from a garaged hunk of metal to a beautiful classic), which responded with its typical throaty growl as he eased off the clutch and into the gas, pulling away from the side of the house. roman was pleased to say he actually had more on the agenda for the night than the typical fancy dinner. he had decided to match her playful attitude towards the date and was eagerly anticipating the end of the dinner already.

[ANALEIGH YESENIA CARMICHAEL]

C'MON BABY LIGHT MY FIRE

As a cheerleader at Manchester Prep, a girl like Analeigh definitely got a lot of attention. She was the total package: beautiful, smart, classy, well-rounded. The list of her attributes went on and on. Leigh didn’t think of herself as anything other than a girl trying to get through high school so she could return to SoCal and be with her mother again. She was blissfully comfortable with herself, and she didn’t often see a need for a male counterpart. Even when guys were tripping over themselves to get a chance to talk to her, Leigh didn’t think dating was a necessary thing. All she had to worry about was her grades, graduating, and attending a college in SoCal so she could give back to her mother and provide a stable household for the little ones. Besides, the boys that Manchester had to offer, while usually stunningly attractive, were low-grade assholes, mostly. You only had to glance into the “Royals” to see what kind of guys ruled the school, and they were all jerks, basically. Leigh didn’t associate with a lot of people she felt would hurt her in the end, and that was a majority of the boys in Manchester. Roman was an exception to the rule; she didn’t know him at all, and therefore didn’t want to put any judgments on him that she couldn’t back up with actual proof. She didn’t have a clue about him other than he was laid-back enough to deal with her random test, and man enough to meet her despite not knowing her either, and that he was definitely a sight for sore eyes. Of course, you could be all those things and a jerk in the end, anyway. That was just life. Leigh considered this night a sort of test drive to see how smooth the engine ran, how far she could push it, and how long she could keep control of the steering wheel.

”Lighthouse Sound? Sounds great for a formal dinner." she replied with a smile. As Roman leaned closer to her, Leigh took that opportunity to get a whiff of him, literally. It sounded odd, but you could learn a lot from a guy’s smell. If he didn’t have a smell other than a normal, human smell, he was at least neat, although he didn’t put in any extra effort. If he had an unpleasant smell like that of someone who never showered, then that was a sign that he might be one of those people. If he had a scent of a high-end cologne or aftershave, he was a well-dressed sort of guy who took care of himself. Of course there were the normal, run-of-the-mill Axe wearing high school guys, and they got an A for effort, but that was about it. Roman’s smell was very pleasant indeed, and she pegged him as a well-dressed sort of guy. You could tell he was at least well off from his car, too, as it may not have cost a lot to buy, but would have put a hole in his wallet to refurbish like he had. Analeigh’s father crossed her mind for a second, and she felt an involuntary pang of loneliness at the thought of him. He had also been a well-dressed, rich and powerful man, and even though Roman looked nothing like him, and probably didn’t have much in his name as a senior in high school, he did remind her of her father for just a second. The second passed, and she pushed the thought away, sliding into the car through the door Roman had just opened with a quiet thanks. As he walked around the front, she took a moment to admire the inside of the car with her fingertips, feeling the smoothness of the leather seats and spotless dashboard. Yes, Roman was definitely well off. Many people who attended Manchester Prep were, after all.

Roman got into the car himself, releasing the Oreos and milk to the space between their seats, and she absentmindedly opened the Oreo pack, slipping an Oreo out and splitting it in half. As he questioned the time she chose, she licked the cream inside the Oreo, pretending to be pensive. Finally, she answered, ”8:24. I like the number eight, and two times four is eight.” Of course, she was joking, and there wasn’t any rhyme to her reason at all besides that it was the first time that came to mind. As they peeled away from her curb, she gave him a sideways glance, admiring his profile. My, he was a pretty specimen. After a beat, Analeigh added, ”So, what else have you got planned, Mr. Big Shot? Besides the romantic candlelit dinner, I mean.” She suspected there was something else as he didn’t seem like a boring kind of person. A myriad of things floated in her mind, but she wasn’t interested in what her imagination could come up with; only his.

WORDS 8 2 5 TAGGED ROMAN NOTES outfit <3

TEMPLATE BY WE WERE INFINITE ! OF CAUTION 2.0

[roman gage hawthorne]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,10,true][atrb=style, background-color: #fff; width: 450px, bTable] [style=background-color: #ffffff; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 9px; height: 50px; opacity: 0.6;] FOR LEIGH 1006 WORDS [/style] things were underway; the car lurched in response to each change of shift, and the pair was soon cruising along at a good speed throughout the busy streets of maryland. roman had to admit he enjoyed maryland. his parents' involvement in the area and therefore, anything political, pissed him off to no end, but the homey feel of the boardwalk and all the old shops and the beach had a certain quality that roman was pretty sure nowhere else could recreate. roman didn't see himself moving from the old wooden place he had now - it was comfortable for him, decorated fairly modern with a very lived-in feel. not like roman was planning his future out. he had made a specific point of doing exactly the opposite after his parents had so eagerly began to do it for him. he brought his thoughts back to the beautiful girl in the car beside him as he heard the rustling of the plastic on the cookie container. he glanced over, giving a small smile as she seemed to ponder his question seriously and licked out the filling of a cookie, before finally making up her mind. "eight twenty-four. i like the number eight, and two times four is eight." roman shook his head with a short laugh, keeping his eyes trained on the road and pushing one palm into the top of the wheel casually. "so, what else have you got planned, mr. big shot? besides the romantic candlelit dinner, i mean." roman rolled his eyes. he should have expected her to ask, but it wasn't as if he was going to tell her right away. that was the fun of the night. "i was hoping we could have some engaging discussions about the physics of washing machines over dinner, and then pay a visit to the laundromat to prove our theories." roman snorted sarcastically, pausing as a song he liked quite a bit came on quietly from the cd of pirated music that was playing on the stereo. "translation: if you think i'm going to tell you, you're crazy." his tone was curt and rather stubborn - a familiar groove of a personality for him to fit into, though there was a playful undertone to everything he said to her. and even further under that, there was the smallest hint of insecurity that hoped she didn't think it was completely silly. he wasn't good at this romantic, dating kind of stuff, so he was going rather grandeur in an impersonation of what their obnoxiously formal conversations had held in hopes that it would impress her enough. he was confused by why exactly he wanted to impress her so much. eventually, they had pulled into the parking lot and made their way into the restaurant, and had been seated immediately (thanks to the reservation he had made), and had a very nice dinner over comfortable banter. roman had a history of not having the best communication skills, just because he tended to be rather reclusive and hate what anyone else had to say. in fact, most of these conversations would end up with him threatening and that wasn't something he wanted. but leigh made it more relaxed, and roman felt himself sinking into a calm and teasing manner more every minute he spent with her. finally, roman had paid the bill and they were up and out of lighthouse sound. it had to be around ten at night; it was officially dark, and traffic was beginning to die down around the streets, leaving only the few sorts of situations that people went out in at this time of night. laughing at a comment she had made, roman unlocked the classic car and went around to the driver's side, slipping into the seat and waiting for her to do the same before they were off again. the drive then was quiet, but not too quiet - they mostly listened to the quiet acoustics playing in the background (mainly beach music, things that roman preferred) as roman maneuvered through the streets and eventually was parked in the parking lot of none other than manchester preparatory academy. he had parked in the back teacher lot, and turned his gaze over to where leigh was with a playful smile. he hoped that she was as surprised as he intended for her to be. "ready to do something illegal?" on that note, he grabbed the cookies and slipped out of the car, jogging around to open the door for her with a flourish, hoping that he got some silly idea lodged in her brain that would scare her. such as, he was finishing their date with an enjoyable round of spray painting manchester, or breaking in to steal something. however, what roman had planned was something that actually meant something to him - a place that him and holden used to go when their parents had driven them absolutely crazy. it was a place that meant nothing but goodness to roman. it was quiet around the school, empty of any staff at this hour of the night, and all the lights in the school were off. feeling almost childishly excited, roman rather boldly slipped his fingers into hers and tugged her forward quickly the last few steps and around a corner near a secluded, rarely visited area of the academy. "come on." the command was in his deep tone, though it held notes of mysterious excitement, wondering how she would react to all this and hoping that it wouldn't end in some bizarrely fucked up way. around the corner, he stopped in front of a ladder that extended perhaps some twenty feet up into the air, turned around, and swept his arm towards it. "after you, my lady. you might want to leave your shoes down here. they're really sexy and everything, but i'd rather you not break your pretty little ankle." his sarcastic tone matched the excitement in his dark eyes as he leaned up against the cement wall of the school.

[ANALEIGH YESENIA CARMICHAEL]

C'MON BABY LIGHT MY FIRE

Although Roman wouldn’t tell her what his plans for their date were, she wasn’t ruffled. She figured that he wouldn’t have it in his mind to fill her in; most guys thought surprises equaled romance, and maybe they did. Leigh didn’t date often, so she didn’t know exactly what she liked. She did know that she liked how it was going so far, and she had faith in him that the rest of it would be just as good, if not better. She smiled at his sarcasm but otherwise didn’t say anything, turning her eyes to her window to take in the busy night streets of Ocean City. They arrived quickly to Lighthouse Sound, a restaurant she’d never been to before. It was the crème de la crème of the restaurant business here in Ocean City, after all, and Analeigh wasn’t exactly capable of paying for whatever meals they offered. At least, not without the help of her aunt or uncle, which she was loathe to ask for. On a date, though, she wasn’t feeling bothersome. He had asked her out, and he seemed more than prepared to pay for whatever she wanted tonight. They were seated efficiently, and the night moved on over a wonderful dinner. Leigh had to say that he seemed comfortable with her, and she felt the same. She was a very open person, and a lot of people liked to talk to her, but she was a little bit pickier with her conversation partners. If Roman had been boring, she might have responded by being very stoic with her replies, very ‘going through the motions.’ Luckily, Roman was able to match her playful nature with his own sarcastic flow, and she enjoyed talking to him. Dinner passed quickly, as time often did when it was spent having a good time. Soon, they were in the car again, off to the surprise part of the night.

It was a quiet drive. The music from his speakers was soft, and they didn’t talk a lot. It was a good thing that they were able to spend time in each other’s company without feeling the need to fill the silence. She was very comfortable by now, and found herself pondering her opinion on Roman so far. Overall, he was managing to score a pretty high grade. He got points for being attractive, for being funny, for being accepting and going with the flow. The points were adding up very quickly, too. Analeigh watched the buildings pass by her window, and she soon found herself recognizing the drive to the school. As she realized where they were going, her eyebrows creased in confusion. She wasn’t aware that her face often betrayed her thoughts, and her thoughts were circling around why they could possibly be going to the school. They pulled into the parking lot of the deserted school, and Leigh turned her attention to Roman as he cut the engine. He looked over at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. ”Ready to do something illegal?” Leigh’s eyebrows went up, but it wasn’t the only outward sign of her surprise. Something illegal? Were they going to break into the school? Steal something? Had she somehow missed the cans of paint they were going to use to graffiti the sleek school? Leigh watched him cross around the car and when he opened her door, she managed to get out a bewildered “What is that supposed to mean?” before they took off around the school. Leigh was a little bit more shocked when he grasped her hand, not that she was complaining. She quickened her pace when he asked, finding that the self-assuredness of his command was quite the turn on (although if he thought commanding her all the time was okay, he had another thing coming.)

When they reached the ladder to the roof, Analeigh was still pretty confused. Her confusion grew a little when he talked about climbing up it. She blinked at him and then at the place the ladder ended, swallowing involuntarily. It wasn’t that she was scared, exactly, but she did have some reservations. After a moment of internal battle, Leigh finally smirked at Roman, leaning over gracefully to unclasp her shoes and slip out of them. She kicked them to the side and stepped over to the ladder, taking a ready place at the bottom. She turned back to him and said, a hint of a tease in her tone, ”If you look up my skirt, I’ll kill you.” Leigh fixed him with a tempting smile (ever the tease) and then set on her way, picking carefully along the rungs of the ladder. She glanced down, hoping that he was at least holding it for her, and then continued, reaching the top with more ease then she had expected. The air was much cooler here, much to the dismay of Leigh and her flimsy little dress and naked feet. The tights she’d chosen to wear were little defense against the wind, which kicked up her dress and the ringlets of her hair that remained unclasped. Leigh turned back to the ladder and waited for Roman’s head to appear, calling out over the ledge. “What are we doing up here?” Leigh didn’t give her surroundings much of a glance, worried that a feeling of vertigo would overtake her. For the few seconds that Leigh was alone on the roof, she did feel a sliver of fear dance down her spine. It was dark, with only the moon to light the area, and although it was bright, it wasn’t enough for Leigh. She danced her weight from foot to foot, waiting for Roman to arrive.

WORDS 9 4 9 TAGGED ROMAN NOTES outfit <3

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