A Jar Of Hearts

[Angela Marion]

Angela had walked so quickly that she almost broke her heel on her shoe. Finally she had taken them off and walked on the wet ground barefoot. She didn't know what to do anymore. She really had cared for teddy, and he cared for her. She knew he did. But, she always lost out to her prettier blond cousin. She should have seen it coming, it was why she never introduced her to Teddy. Her black eye-liner was smudged down her cheeks, and the whites of her eyes were bloodshot and she was scared.

Angela noticed where she was, and the tears almost came down as a flood. There was the tree where her and Adam's initials were carved. She traced the tiny heart and the hit it with as much force as she could. She heard a crack, and saw some of the bark fall from the tree. this time, it wasn't her hand, it was the bark of the tree that had broken. She turned around and saw how much darker it was getting, she would stay there. Maybe even stay the night. She couldn't move. She leaned against the tree, sobbing uncontrollably. She had let herself get vulnerable, what would Sarah say. If she was there?

"Don't cry Ange, he's not worth it." The echo of Sarah's voice in her head made her even sadder then before, and she let the black tears slip into her mouth. She hated herself.

 

[Ryker Henrick]

Ryker hadn't gone to the yule ball. He found them boring, besides, he didn't have anyone to go with. Shaylah didn't do that stuff, he hadn't spoken to anyone else in ages and Anika didn't attend this school. There was really no one else free. So, instead, he wondered the grounds for a bit before climbing and settling in a tree.

Ryker made him self comfortable, surprisingly easy to do in a tree, and let himself doze off. He didn't know how long he slept but when he woke up it was darker. He was considering climbing down when he felt the tree shake a little and heard a crack as some bark flew off. Ryker looked down and saw fiery red hair, familiar hair, hair that belonged to a girl who amused him. "If you wanted me out of the tree you could've just asked you know." He yelled down to her before jumping as gracefully as he could out of the tree. Luckily he landed on his feet.

It was then Ryker noticed the smudged eye make up and the tear stained face. "Woah, hey, what happened? What'd wrong?" He may be an outrageous flirt and a d!ck at times but he was a good listener and comforter, not to mention he hated to see people in pain if they didn't deserve it in his eyes.

 

[Angela Marion]

She heard his voice and frowned a little bit. She knew that voice from the boy who had been making nasty comments to her. Frankly, Angela didn't care. As soon as he was down by her, Angela flung herself to him. She needed a hug too badly to care who she was getting it from. She sobbed into the guys shirt, glad it wasn't formal wear. She wasn't able to speak, her breath to short. So she kept quiet and stay there, hugging his waist because she was too short to do much else.

 

[Ryker Henrick]

Ryker was shocked by the small girl hugging her but he didn't object or complain. He held the girl close to him and stroked her hair. It seemed that always calmed girls who hugged people for comfort. He made a few shushing noises and waited for her to release him slightly.

"Hey, come and sit down." Ryker sat down by the tree and signalled for her to sit next to him. He was worried about her, sure she wasn't very nice to him in the beginning but you couldn't expect all girls to respond to flirting.

"Not that I mind but do you mind telling me why you've killed my shirt?" Ryker looked at the small girl. She was obviously distraught about something. Ryker moved so she could lean on him again if she wished too. Sometimes it could take all night for someone to stop crying and he was willing to sit here for just as long.

 

[Angela Marion]

She felt his hand in her fake red locks, and it made her feel better. She felt so stupid for changing herself, compromising her methods for anyone like Teddy. She wished that she had stayed away, he was a jerk, how could he be any less. what else could she expect from a boy who was so mean, from a boy whose father was that way too. She still needed to breathe a bit. She wiped her tears. Her dress was stained with the wet ground and tree bark, but it didn't matter. "I.. I'm sorry." She said about his shirt. she looked at him, her aqua eyes a fading blue color. When she was happy, they were bright and gleaming, now they were dull and bloodshot. "I'm just... a little up-upset." She was still sobbing, her voice cracking. "My d-date wasn't a date at all." She said, not really knowing how to explain it to him. Angela didn't really even want to talk.

 

[Ryker Henrick]

Ryker sighed. He knew that explanation. It meant that the guy she liked and thought liked her back in actual fact, didn't. In situations like this the guy wanted someone close to her or she had something of value. If she had something of value to him then she wouldn't have found out. "Let me guess, the jerk took you to the dance then revealed he thought you were going as friends and he actually liked your best friend or someone like that?"

Ryker knew the tactic all too well. He had used it loads in Durmstrang. The girls back there liked the jerk, Merlin knew why but they did. He and the guys practically ran the school, apart from Markov of course. Markov spent to much time pining over Shaylah to help rule the school.

 

[Angela Marion]

She nodded and looked at her hands, picking at the silver nail polish. She was too sad to say much more. "She's my cousin." She said with a small sob again. She hated herself so much. Why wasn't she good enough for him. She looked back up, but her face pointed forward. She didn't want to look at Ryker, she was too ashamed of herself.

 

[Ryker Henrick]

Ryker nodded in understanding. "Hey, it ain't you fault. He's obviously stupid and doesn't realise what he's missing out on." Ryker took a stab in the dark and guessed about the girl. "Let me guess, your cousin is blonde?" Guys who used the tactic usually went for looks, either blonde or busty and, looking at Angelas' form, the girl would be too small to be busty. This guy was obviously stupid, every one knew red heads were way better than blondes.

 

[Angela Marion]

She looked down at the ground and shook your head. "No, it's me. I mean look at me, i used to be so tiny, and flexible and I was a dancer!" She said with a heavy sob, she leaned on his shoulder and cried more. "My hair is so fake, I'm a dark haired idiot." she said. She nodded at his blond comment. Skyle was a natural blond, it was true. She looked at her feet. And then she looked up at him. "thank you..."

 

[Ryker Henrick]

Ryker snorted. "Seriously, you're going to let that jerk do this to you?" He spat out, he had decided to go for the tough approach on this one, she had proved to him she was tough and he knew she could take it. "You know, I thought you were cool when I met you. You didn't seem to care what people thought. But, now look at you."

Ryker moved his hand to her face and made her look at him. "Don't let him have so much power over you. You are stunning and you need to start believing it." Ryker had always had a thing for girls who knew they were gorgeous but never used it against people. He also had a thing for girls who didn't care if they were gorgeous or not, they got what they wanted. That's why he had dated Anika for so long. Ryker kept his eye contact with the smaller girl.

 

[Angela Marion]

Angela looked at this boy with the way that spoke how surprised she was. He was trying to be tough with her, trying to make her think that she was beautiful. She pointed her face in the opposite direction, trying to keep herself from crying anymore. She held her jaw tight and shook her head no before he pulled her face to look at him. "who would really believe that. Guys just use me. I'm never gonna be good enough for anyone." She looked at her hands. "I just wish someone would prove to me or really show me how beautiful i was, because everyone keeps saying it, and I can't see it." she let another tear slide.

 

[Ryker Henrick]

Ryker moved his hand and brought her face back to look at his. He snorted. "They use you because you're gorgeous enough to be used. No one ever uses an ugger." He used the slang he had been brought up using, the slang that no one around here understood it seemed. It was easy to figure out what he meant though.

"You want proof?" Ryker asked. He leant in, keeping his thumb under her chin, and placed his lips on hers. They stayed for a minute, softly kissing the red head, before he pulled away. "Did I mention I am shallow? I don't go near any girl that doesn't look nice." It was true, Ryker liked the looks. He was quite shallow, if she looked good and they had fun he was satisfied.

 

[Angela Marion]

She looked down at the ground still, not pointing her pupils anywhere near this boy. She felt herself breaking over and over again. She hated herself for letting a guy she didn't know be so close to her. She knew she was just going to end up getting hurt. That was the worst part, she was getting hurt without even starting to get hurt.

There was a slight spark on her lips and she pulled away. "Are you mad, you a$$!" She yelled at him. She was still crying and still upset. "You just think you can take advantage of me like that?" She asked, her eyes holding pain and confusion. it was Darian all very again. What if he had a girlfriend?

 

[Ryker Henrick]

Ryker held up his hand. "I'm not using you. If I wanted to use someone I'd go to my ex girlfriend, it's basically her job." Anika enjoyed being used, as long as she got fun out of it she was fine with anything. He moved his hand away from her and sat very calm. He had experience with girls, he knew this would turn out fine. "All I'm saying is someone can like you without an agenda. You just have to be able to see which ones." The truth was, he did like er.

Angela was feisty and not afraid to show herself. He knew a lot of people who weren't like that and a change from them was always welcome. "I kissed you for one reason. You're worth it. I'm not forcing myself on you, I'm not leading you on. It's completely up to you how you deal with it." It annoyed him slightly that she couldn't see how pretty she was. She was a real girl, not an airhead or a bag of bones. She had flaws and they made her better, she wasn't size zero and that just made her look healthy.

 

[Angela Marion]

She leaned back a little bit, still trying to keep her face away from him. She didn't want him to touch her, no one was allowed to touch her. She hated men, the way they seemed to treat women like their property. And the comment he made caused her to be shocked, and even more angry. "Name one person who could. You don't even know me, or who I am. All you see is what you've seen now!" She said with a bit of an attitude.

"what do you mean? How am i supposed to deal with a complete strange placing his soft... lips on mine." She snapped out of her state of funk and looked at him with acid eyes. She wasn't going to let go of that.

 

[Ryker Henrick]

Ryker laughed. "You know who I think you are? I think you're a girl who doesn't care how people see her unless they're close to her and people have to work hard to get close to you. I think you've been through troubles because people who've been through those sorts of things build a defence. Yours is anger by the looks of things, mine just happens to be flirting. You're feisty, willing to stand up for what you believe and what you want and you throw your all into what you stand behind, even if there's chance of heartbreak." Ryker managed to say this calmly. Even the bit about himself that just brought up memories he wanted buried.

Ryker waited for her reaction. He had purposefully left out the word death. He had no idea how she would take it but he still wasn't comfortable with that word. It brought up memories that should've been nice but were just salt in a wound now. He didn't answer her second question, he knew if he kept talking the conversation would lead to places he didn't want to go. Ryker had built up his barrier and he wasn't going to break it, not even for someone who had gone through it themselves.

 

[Angela Marion]

Angela raised her eyebrow at the older boy. He really made no sense, how could he have guessed so much about her. There was no way he was a legiment, not yet anyways. She looked at a tree, there were a few things he forgot. Like how she was the girl who found it hard to look in the mirror, or at herself at all. That she had troubles with everything she did, and hated herself for things that people told her weren't her fault. Or maybe he had covered that in a general way. "Well, then a guy like you can't be trusted." She said looking back at him. "I'm not much to hang around with a guy who will flirt or kiss a girl just because of her looks or what he assumes he knows. I don't hang out with guys like you anymore, not for a while. All they do is hurt people, even if they can't see it."

 

[Ryker Henrick]

Ryker shrugged and nodded. "Okay, if you don't want me here I'm going to go and see if I can salvage my shirt." He stood up and brushed down his jeans. Yeah, he liked her, but there was only so much he would take from people. She was on the borderline of pushing it, on the level that only his mates could get too before he walked off. So, as would be expected, he began to leave.

The red head was obviously comparing him to the jerk that made her cry and that was something he wouldn't stand for. Anyone he got with knew from the beginning exactly what their relationship was and he made sure there were no hard feelings at the end. He was still friends with all of his ex's. It was obvious that the red head wasn't as good with judgement as he was.

 

[Angela Marion]

Angela watched him. She wasn't going to fall for it. She wasn't until she heard other things in the woods. Maybe it was the wind, maybe she was crazy. Or maybe she just hated being alone. She stood up and got next to him. "I don't want you to think this means I like you or anything. I just don't member how to get out." She lied, looking down slightly embarrassed. Angela used to have one fear, and now she had one too many to count. She shuffled her feet and saw the grass stains on her legs. She pulled on the back of her skirt and could feel the mud.

 

[Ryker Henrick]

Ryker turned back when he heard her voice. "Just follow me then." He shrugged and turned back. He began to walk again, listening for her foot steps behind him. He would honestly walk away from her right now, especially as he saw straight through her lost excuse. Ryker shoved his hands deep into his jeans pocket.

 

[Angela Marion]

Angela was quiet, and she nodded just the slightest. She was such a bad liar, it really wasn't funny. "I'm sorry for snapping at you." She said. "I mean..." Angela didn't know what she meant. She furrowed her brow. "Kissing got me into a lot of trouble last year, I don't really do that..." That was the only explanation she could offer.

 

[Ryker Henrick]

"Pssshh." Ryker rolled his eyes and 'Psshhh'd' under his breath. He had a change of heart and was becoming bored with Angela. She seemed adamant to keep him out of her little bubble even though he was there for her when she cried and he did his best to help her. Along with plastic girls, Ryker wasn't fond of girls who were stubborn to stay sad and alone, whether they did it consciously or not.

"Maybe you should start?" Ryker felt that she would have a fun side beneath the surface, way beneath the surface. He knew people who were good at dragging out the fun side in people and giving them the make overs they want and, more importantly, needed. Ryker continued his walk, not even turning back to her when he spoke to her.

 

[Angela Marion]

Angela heard his small 'Pshhh' and rolled her eyes. He was a jerk, she knew it, but she wanted a way out without being alone. What if Adam was stil out there. Her body tingled with Anger thinking about the boys that had crossed her, including Ryker. He had made her list, why would he think she wanted to be kissed. She looked at him shocked. "Start kissing? N-no." She said with a slight blush. Part of Angela was just scared she'd be bad at it, where as the other part was worried about what people would think or what diseases she might catch.

"If you knew me, then you'd understand." She said looking at him. There was a good implication there, and maybe he would get why she was scared if she told him. Angela couldn't though, she was much to scared. After she told Teddy, he used it against her.

 

[Ryker Henrick]

Ryker laughed and finally turned to look at her. "I meant start letting yourself go, have a bit of fun. Sure, there's always someone who wants to use you or hurt you but there's also people in the world that don't want to hurt you." He sighed. Ryker knew tat if, somehow, he could get her out in a night club or a party with himself, maybe Anika or Kenny with them, she would eventually be able to relax. He knew Anika would most probably adopt her, she had a habit of taking in little people under her wing and protecting them. It was one of the things he loved about that girl.

Ryker sighed. "Look, from experience I've found that people who shut people out and don't trust get hurt more than people who do trust. I know you don't trust me, probably because I flirt, but I'm the sort of person who is there for someone in any situation unless they've shown me they don't deserve it and I can see you do." He shook his head and turned away, continuing his walk. He knew when he got back to the castle, away from Angela, he would end up writing to Anika.

 

[Angela Marion]

Angela glanced over Ryker for a moment. She looked from the top of his dark hair, down to his shoes and though. then she thought some more. Angela could remember a time when she used to do that, just go nuts. Water fights with Skyle, bringing friends over for no good reason. Staying up late to have sweets with Kala. A paint fight with Sarah. All of these things, Angela missed. She missed having fun, so she didn’t understand why she couldn't do it anymore. "It's difficult to have fun when no one's there with you." She looked back on her memories, all of them had to do with someone. Angela hadn't even spoken to Skyle in months, because she was too Angry to do that.

She listened to what he had to say, and it was kind of hard to believe. if no one can get in how can they hurt you. Angela had answered her own question, if no one could get in, how could they help her either? They were near the exit, Angela could see it now. She smiled at him. "Thanks." She said, before giving him a small surprise hug again, this time without tears. she then went to the exit and ran off.