Open Mind Filled with Blame and Guilt

[Nolan Burke]

There were a few things circled around Nolan's mind. Career-wise and amongst other things. But mainly the thought of his parent's divorce had been boggling his mind. He couldn't help but blame himself for it. He knew the arguments between his parents had gotten worse from the events from a couple of years back. The whole atmosphere of their home which used to be filled with joy and laughter had changed with sadness and disappointment. He knew that his dad had moved out long ago but Nolan and his siblings didn't know about the divorce until the break. Nolan didn't know what to feel, he had too many emotions going on in his head. He didn't even know what his siblings were thinking, they didn't really wanna talk about it, but he was worried about them.

Nolan however, was glad to be back at school, to hopefully forget about what happened. But while he was happy to see his friends and be back at school, the feeling of blame and guilt still clouded his mind. Nolan made his way to the lakefront and sat down on a log under a tree, hoping that maybe being near the lake would somewhat help clear his mind.

 

[Ivelisse Burleigh]

Ivelisse was quite sure she'd be spending most of her time this year in places where she couldn't be easily find. Likely, her dad's office would be the place to go. She was confident he wouldn't mind her being there and it was a place that wasn't easily accessible to others. Especially not with the door closed. However, she knew she couldn't just be cooped up there all of the time. She needed something that would help her get rid of her frustration. So, for the first time in a long while she had put on her running shoes and had headed outside. Running laps around the grounds until her legs started aching. Again. And again. When she was just about to let herself drop down to catch her breath Ive noticed Nolan nearby, making her way over before dropping onto the log he was sitting on. She didn't know her classmate well, but he had never been unkind to her. "Hey," She greeted with a heavy breath out while she stretched her legs in an attempt to stop her muscles from aching. "Good spot for thinking, aye?" Ive asked, glancing at the water. "Or do you just generally like staring at the water?"

 

[Nolan Burke]

Nolan immediately looked up from watching over the water when someone sat beside him. He smiled at Ivelisse. He didn't really know the girl too well, but Nolan did like talking to the girl whenever they did interact. "Hey," Nolan says with a nod and a small smile. He nodded at the girl's question, though he chuckled a little at the next statement she said. "I guess the water is just fun to look at," Nolan says with a chuckle, while that wasn't entirely true. "But yeah, a good spot just to think and clear the mind I guess," Nolan says with a small smile. "What do you do if you got so much on your mind?" Nolan asked the girl curiously. Maybe he could get different suggestions to help him. While he liked the peacefulness of the lake, it didn't always help.

 

[Ivelisse Burleigh]

Ivelisse was glad Nolan didn't immediately dismiss her as soon as she had sat down. She wasn't close enough with him to know or even try to guess what was bothering him, but something clearly was. His words only confirmed that. "Right now? Run until I get so tired that there's not much else to think about but the ache in my muscles." She replied with a chuckle. If anything, it did help her clear her mind. Grant her a moment of peace before the thoughts came rushing back. "Although I guess any form of distraction would be good. I mean you're into music right? Wouldn't that help?"

 

[Nolan Burke]

Nolan nodded as Ivelisse had spoken about how running helps her clear her mind. "Does playing Quidditch help you too?" Nolan asked curiously. Nolan knew the girl was on the quidditch team, even though he wasn't always quite to date with the school games and whatnot. Though he didn't even know why he was asking the girl all these questions. Nolan shrugged a little at the girl's question. "I guess, but it does kinda get boring after doing it repeatedly," Nolan says with a chuckle and shrug. As much as he loved music with a passion, sometimes making music to keep him distracted made him overwhelmed as there was so many thought running in his head.

 

[Ivelisse Burleigh]

Ivelisse thought about Nolan's question for a second, simultaneously wondering what was behind it and secretely being glad she wasn't the only one with problems. "Honestly? It used to." She replied with a small nod. "Just nowadays quidditch seems to be one of my problems, so that doesn't really help." Ive added with a short laugh. "I get that." She answered when he spoke about music, although she wasn't sure if she really got it. Running never got boring for her. Neither did quidditch. But she could comprehend that doing something you like as a distraction everytime you feel bad might make that thing a little less likeable each time. "So maybe you should try something new..?" She offered.

 

[Nolan Burke]

Nolan nodded as Ivelisse spoke. He became confused as she mentioned that quidditch became one of her problems. "How so?" Nolan decided to ask, but he got it if she didn't want to answer that question. To be honest, he was sorta relieved talking about it a little, even if he wasn't really addressing the real reason as to why he wanted to find different solutions as distractions. Nolan nodded a little at Ivelisse's suggestion. "I guess trying something new is a good starting point. Just gotta figure out what it is first" Nolan says with a chuckle and shrug.