••Another Haunted Past

[Coty Adelaide Cosette Hale]

Hale should have known the second she got that text message that something was going to happen. Things were just going to good for her in New York. And she didn’t want to leave the one city she’d been able to make a fairly crime free life in! She would never stop, she knew that, it was in her blood but in the city, she wasn’t pulling big jobs. And she knew people, they were always asking and she was always turning them down. She was damn good at what she did. She wouldn’t lie, habits die hard but at least this time around, she wasn’t breaking into museums. Usually, it was the filthy rich who didn’t appreciate just what they had hanging on their walls or hidden away in their wall safes. She was good with replications that it often took some time before they realised it was even a forgery and by then, well, she was in the clear. But she didn’t work with a crew, even her family and the one time her cousin’s show up on her doorstep, looking like their heads would be mounted on the wall of the main house if they didn’t finish the job. Of course, their uncles usually put the fear of God into them whenever they were on a job and it went a little skew.

Knowing the job, Hale couldn’t stand by and let her cousins go it alone. They needed her expertise. She didn’t know how things still managed to go wrong, though. This time she planned it all, and she was far from rusty with her skills; all of them. Something was amiss but she wasn’t going to be a part of figuring out who went against the family. She may not have been completely done with the life or the family, but together, she was finished. Sitting in a police station with common criminals had pushed her too far. She was pissed at the cousins; done with them for the foreseeable future. And even after she’d cooled down from this, it was going to take a hell of a lot for her to truly forgive them. A man in his uniform with an easy smile on his face stepped up to the desk she’d been told to sit at. Her completely fabricated excuse of being at the wrong place at the wrong time and having been robbed had worked well. The downside of it had meant she needed to fill out a police report. She had to give the wrong name, there was absolutely no way she was putting her real name on anything at this point. Thankfully she had a few aliases handy. But now she had no money, having claimed her purse was stolen and would no doubt find it on her kitchen counter when she got back.

She knew there were backup plans for a reason and because she wasn’t in the life, meant she was the most obvious choice to stay behind. As good as Candice was at acting, she wasn’t good with cops; they’d learned that the hard way in Rome. The guys were even worse so it was up to Hale. ”You’re free to go and thank you for your time here, Ms. Beaufort.” Hale smiled to hide the cringe at the poorly pronounced fake last name. She pushed her accent extra thick as she’d told him she was fairly new to the city and knew hardly anyone more than her new neighbours and now wasn't even sure if she would be staying in New York. “Cosette, please. May I use your phone to call my neighbour?” She asked, a bigger smile resting on her lips when he agreed and dialed out for her before handing the phone over and letting her finish dialing. “Bonjour JP. Can you pick me up from le poste de police, uh, the police station? I’ll wait outside and explain when you get here. Merci!” She said before thanking him and hanging up before he could yell over the phone. She didn’t trust the police but what could she do except say as little as possible while at the station. Thanking the officer again, she picked up her blazer, slipped it on and walked to the front of the building with the charming officer who had no idea he was being conned. She was the victim after all. She said her goodbyes, taking his card in case she remembered anything she thought useful, which she wouldn't and stepped out into late night air. It was probably closer to two than one but she also knew how much of a night owl JP was and guessed he would be far from sleep yet.

Tag|| JP! <3
Words|| 787
Clothes|| Saintly Sinner
Music|| Lost and Found -- A Rocket to the Moon
Notes|| <3

[John-Paul Calloway]

JP had a lot of things to consider lately. An old director had approached him about returning to the stage, but it would mean giving up his position at the university. JP undoubtedly missed the stage and the thrill he got from performing, but it was nice to pass down his tricks and knowledge to a younger generation of aspiring actors. Plus, returning to the stage would mean returning to the auditions and the rehearsals and the gaps in employment. At least as a professor he had a consistent wage coming in each month and there was no panic about running low financially. In the past he had been part of a couple during those silent pauses in his career and there had always been someone else to temporary carry the burden of bills when he was focusing on finding the role he really wanted. This time it would just be him and while he did have a decent amount saved for such a slump, he wasn’t sure just yet if it would be enough. There was nothing predictable about an acting career and JP was still thinking everything over, although he knew he really needed his final decision before the end of the week.

It had been the reason why he was up so late this particular week. Usually there was something that kept JP up into the early hours of the morning, but it was often rehearsals, class planning, or theatre outings to visit old friends in their latest productions. Rarely was it ever his own dilemmas or worries; mainly because he tried to avoid having them. His youth had been riddled with the drama and issues of his parents that JP didn’t want that for his own life. He tried to keep things simple, honest and trouble free. For the most part, he was successful in that endeavour and all of his drama was saved for the stage and the lives of the characters he adopted from time to time.

He was aimlessly flicking through the television, letting late night infomercial switch to late night infomercial. Roxy was asleep on the couch next to him, her paws occasionally pushing at JP’s thigh whenever she moved in her sleep. He knew he ought to do the same soon; retire to his bedroom and hope the thoughts silence themselves long enough for him to slip asleep. JP was getting ready to attempt that when his phone started ringing on the coffee table. The tone woke Roxy up and JP’s eyebrows furrowed when the number wasn’t any he recognised. Answering it, his confusion only worsened. Hale’s accent had never been that strong in the whole time he had known her. And the police station, at this hour? It only brought back memories JP had actually managed to forget about. However, with his mood slightly soured, he agreed to come and collect her and instead of bed he grabbed his shoes and keys.

Despite his own record being squeaky clean, JP had spent his fair share of time in police stations back in Maine. The officers in their small town had started to recognise him by the time he had left for college. His parents had never been reliable and it seemed like the older they got the more they wanted to act like teenagers. JP had only had his licence for a week when his dad had called him at 4am to come and pick him up from the station after a “small disagreement” had gotten out of hand. And his mom was forever just “in the wrong place at the wrong time”; something JP never quite believed. Each time he was the one they called though, despite the estrangement between the whole bunch of them. The memories kept coming back as he drove through the city and not even the music on the radio could block them out. JP kept his history a secret for a very good reason; his parents had been idiots who never should have had a baby. Those had been his thoughts since he was old enough to realise how much of a mess his life was, and that had been at a pretty young age. JP’s innocence had barely made it through school, tattered and torn when he was still losing his baby teeth. Finally, he reached the front of the station, spying Hale there. JP barely stepped out of the car to wave to her before putting himself back into the driver’s seat and strapping in.

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• • •

TAGGED! Hale <3
WORDS! 790!
OUTFIT! Angry Actor!
LYRICS! Up In Flames - - - Icon For Hire
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Coty Adelaide Cosette Hale]

It was always wise to have a contingency plan in place for those rare unforeseen situations. For her it was to play victim a half block away while her cousins finished the job. As good as Candice was in the acting department, she was needed for the job. And Hale hadn’t want to be a part of anything in the first place. She’d been dragged into it so her family wouldn’t suffer the consequences; like jail time. She was good at planning, good and working out the details and putting them into practice. But in this case, she wasn’t a big part of the whole plan which was the reason she chose to play the part of the distraction; if they needed one. Plus, her role in the heist was near the beginning so by the time they’d needed that distraction, she only needed a second to switch it up and run. Those contingency plans also meant that even now, ten years out of the real game, Hale still had most of her aliases in place. So even if one got burned somehow in her absence, she had plenty more, and it was too easy for a person with her skill set to create a new one.

But no one in her new life knew about her old one. And this cop was not letting her out of the station without having someone pick her up. Apparently she’d charmed him a little too well but she knew ways around that. She could have easily called her own house and pretended to talk to someone, she could have called a cousin even though she knew they were just finishing the job and then slipped into the crowd on the street. But it was one of those awkward times in the city when there weren’t actually many people on the streets because the ones out were in the clubs and the ones in were at home or work. Aside from the police officers standing around and the handful of people either being arrested or at the station for another reason, Hale was alone. She hated these awkward times in the city. She was so used to being able to slip in and out of a crowd without anyone noticing her, it was how she lived even now! So being unable to just slip away annoyed her; especially when she really wanted to just escape.

Hale felt back for calling JP. She was sure he was probably still awake and had been so happy to hear his voice when he picked up the phone but she’d heard the tone before. Not from JP himself, he hadn’t known about her life before New York, so he wouldn’t have had a reason to use that disappointed tone with her. But after this, she wasn’t so sure. Because as clueless as he was about her background, he also wouldn’t believe her mugged story so it would have to be the truth or nothing. And JP wasn’t going to take nothing for an answer either. For once in her life, Hale was royally screwed. She was leaning against the building when a car pulled to the side and JP stepped out of the driver’s side to wave. She had no idea what he drove before now. It was good information to know for future reference and pushed away from the building to slip into the passenger seat and buckled herself in. “Thanks for this JP. I owe you, big time. Can you just take me home, please?” She asked quietly, waiting to see what he had to say on the matter. If he did call her out on it, and she knew he would, she didn’t want to have that conversation in a car or on the street somewhere, they would have to go up to her apartment and chat. She stayed quiet while JP drove through the city streets. It all looked like a blur until they came to the familiar streets of her neighbourhood, and then Hale sat up a little straighter, ready to hop out when JP pulled over, hoping he wouldn't question her but ready with a remark when he did.

Tag|| JP! <3
Words|| 698
Clothes|| Saintly Sinner
Music|| Lost and Found -- A Rocket to the Moon
Notes|| <3

[John-Paul Calloway]

Despite everything in his past and the torment of his childhood, JP still liked to see the good in people. He didn’t believe rumours or think bad of someone until he had the proof in front of him with no way to deny it. He was damaged in other ways, had a tough time letting go of certain things, but at first glance he seemed like the happy and trusting guy people knew him to be. It was the man he tried to be, wanted to be. It was just tough to shake it when something happened in his life that took him spiralling back down that rabbit hole to the memories of his youth. How child protective services had never gotten involved was a mystery to him, but then there were worse cases out there. He had grown up with no choice but to learn how to take care of himself and he could live with that. It was just a life he didn’t wish on anyone else’s kid. It was also the first of many reasons why his parents were so estranged from him.

He didn’t make his past public knowledge though. For him his life really began in college when he could finally live his life without wondering what state someone would crash through the door in, who would be with them, if they’d come home at all. That sort of thing was expected in the dorms and something JP was all too familiar with. However it hadn’t been his responsibility to worry then and it was a nice change to know that he could be the one out until the early hours for a change. Not that he had gone insane with his freedom. He was sensible guy who wanted to prove himself as an actor first and foremost and that was the reason why he had gone to that college on that program. He didn’t want to end up like either of his parents and the car crash lives they led after their promise to sort themselves out once JP was born fizzled out quicker than most New Year resolutions.

JP didn’t know why Hale was with the police and needed a ride, but he knew that there was something fishy about the whole thing. Most people might just be concerned for her wellbeing, but JP’s mind was flooded with memories of that same phone call coming from his parents and it blocked out all other feelings. Instead it dredged up the old feelings of annoyance and disappointment that JP couldn’t shake off as he navigated his car through the city streets, practically glaring at the thin traffic before him that consisted mostly of yellow cabs at this hour of the night. Once Hale was in the car, JP didn’t so much as glance over at her. Instead he just pulled the car back out onto the street. “Sure.”

[/color] He said coolly, still not casting his eyes in her direction. The whole drive to her apartment was silent. JP didn’t even have the radio on or clear his throat. He just kept his eyes on the road and the traffic, slowing down and parking up outside of her building eventually. His fingers still curled around the wheel, JP’s eyes didn’t move further than the clock on the dashboard. “Here we are.”[/color] He still couldn’t believe that Hale was the one to make that phone call to him. Of all the people JP knew in the city he thought she might actually be one of the few who wouldn’t bring any of his darker memories back out, but this night seemed to be proving otherwise.
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TAGGED! Hale <3
WORDS! 647!
OUTFIT! Angry Actor!
LYRICS! Up In Flames - - - Icon For Hire
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Coty Adelaide Cosette Hale]

Hale had told herself when she finally got out of the business for good that she would never go back for nothing. But her cousins, her family coming to her, begging and pleading with lives on the line was all it had taken to have the art professor digging out her stealth gear and shining her grappling hook once again. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t missed this. She had, but she’d turned away from it for a good reason. It was too difficult to live a double life; she had no idea how superheroes did it! Here she was one minute, in New York, trying to rise above her past and for the last ten years she was making it work. And the next had her falling back to the old ways. Her family was wrong, family was family, and you just couldn’t escape them. No matter how far you fled; they find you. And Hale had to learn that the hard way.

She didn’t know what to expect from JP when he showed up. She had never needed to ask anyone outside the family to help out in a situation like this. Of course, that would have implied there had ever been a situation like this and there hadn’t been. Not for as long as Hale could remember. And she’d been running her own crew before she was even double digits though back then she did have the adults around to do the big parts of the job. Hale expected questions, any sane person would have demanded answers, or at least worry about if she was okay or not. Most people did not have friends ask for rides from police stations. So it made Hale wonder how he didn’t even ask a single question about the entire situation. Hale could breathe a little easier once she was in the car and speeding away from the precinct which was even now working to come up with some leads for a fake case, involving a nonexistent mugger and a pretty girl with a fake name.

She kept her mouth shut and her eyes out the window, wondering how he wasn’t freaking out on her. At the very least he should have been concerned about her well-being. They were friends after all. She would worry about him if their roles were reversed. Something was up, but she wasn’t about to ask him right then and there. As much as she cared about JP, she had more important things to do; like pour herself a huge glass of wine and call her cousins to make sure they were okay. The drive was too silent for Hale; it gave her way too much time to think about everything that was happening. “Thanks JP. You have no idea how much I owe you for this.” She said quietly because she could practically feel the emotions rolling off JP. She knew she’d already said that but it was all she could think of to say to him. “I suppose you’ll want to go home now, get some sleep?” she asked because it sounded like as good a thing to say as any at this point. She was in some serious trouble.

Tag|| JP! <3
Words|| 539
Clothes|| Saintly Sinner
Music|| Lost and Found -- A Rocket to the Moon
Notes|| <3

[John-Paul Calloway]

There was nothing that could make JP return to Southwest Harbor. It was where the ghosts of his past lingered and that was about it. His parents received phone calls when he felt like they ought to have them, but it would have to be a near death situation to actually make him head back there. It was a place where almost every memory came with a dark cloud and a horrible thought. His parents had been too young, irresponsible and downright crazy to have a kid when they did and JP had been the one to suffer the consequences of that. It had made him cynical, left him bullied by his peers and even now there was a lot of contempt for himself that he masked with a dry wit and the ability to act well. The stage had been the place he really felt at home and it was calling him back with each day that slipped by.

Of all the people that JP knew in New York City, the last person he expected to call him at this hour from a police station was Hale. At least without something terrible happening, but he could tell the instant he answered the phone that this wasn’t one of those moments when he needed to floor it and drive like a mad man to check on his friend and colleague. He had known almost instantly that there was something else happening here and it was something that spelt out trouble; the one thing JP had hoped to spend the rest of his life avoiding. He might not have known what had happened, how or why, but he didn’t need to know. All that mattered was that there had been something, and that something had brought back memories he would have rather forgotten about entirely. He had expected more from Hale, had more trust and faith in her than that. Now, he was a combination of pissed off, annoyed and hurt.

“Forget about it.”

[/color] He didn’t want paying back for this. JP didn’t want anything at all from Hale right now, or ever again. Their takeout dinners when they were working late on campus, the silly banter during lunches in the staff room…none of it mattered and none of it could repair this. The way he saw it, he didn’t need answers to know that he wanted this friendship to be over. “Not really. Kind of hard to sleep when I’m wondering if there is anyone in the city who I can believe in.”[/color] His voice stayed monotone, but there was definite venom laced in his words. “Everyone just seems to prove that they’re just another problem with messes I have to clean up.”[/color] Gripping the wheel tighter, he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, still not looking at Hale for any reason whatsoever, even though he wanted to scream and shout at her right now. “Go on. Get out.”[/color]
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• • •

TAGGED! Hale <3
WORDS! 529!
OUTFIT! Angry Actor!
LYRICS! Up In Flames - - - Icon For Hire
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Coty Adelaide Cosette Hale]

Hale made sure not to get caught. That had been the number one rule her entire life. Rule two was about taking care of their own. Even now that she was done with the life full time, rule one would always be rule one. Her life before had been all Hale knew and she loved the life. She actually missed it, which really made sense but that was when phone calls came in and Hale ended up spending hours on the phone with all the family that were at the main house. She wouldn’t risk a job by calling the cousins but texts never hurt any. But this week the family and the life were coming to Hale and New York. She had hoped she wouldn’t get stuck in the middle of it but naturally, that was Hale. She was going to help out the family when she could. But she had seriously hoped she wouldn’t have to bullshit the New York police department with false reports. That poor kid had to have been a rookie and stuck with her because she had nothing to give them. She knew they weren’t going to take her claim seriously but she had needed to give the crew enough time to get away, which she had.

“That’s harsh. I didn’t do anything.” Except break into a building that happened to house a big name jewelers. But she could get around that with technicalities since she hadn’t picked the lock, she hadn’t actually carried any equipment in. She had gone in being an extra hand and the decoy if it came to that. “I never asked you to “clean up” my messes. I asked you to pick me up because I had no money for a cab and my apartment is too far away from that police station to walk at this hour!” Hale huffed because it annoyed her to be thought of as needing help in any capacity. She’d basically been living on her own since she was fifteen, running cons and jobs all over the world. Sure, she had to keep in touch with her family while she was out, and call in any money needs that came up though they went out on a job with plenty of cash on hand to get things done. Hale and her cousins had been good at what they did; all of them still were if she were going to be honest with herself. She could easily pack up and return to the life tomorrow if she wanted. And she was honestly thinking about it; she always was.

Hale kept her mouth shut the rest of the drive because it was easier to do that than to put up any fight or argue with him. If there was one person more stubborn than Hale, it was JP. “I thought you of all people would at least let me explain. Instead you assume the worst. Forget that the incident report I just had to go through says I was mugged! Forget it. Goodbye JP.” Hale said darkly, barely keeping her anger and annoyance at bay. She took too long getting the passenger door open and slammed it shut behind her much too hard. It was a wonder the door stayed on its hinges. She never said goodbye. It was one of her more childish mannerisms. Goodbye meant leaving and that meant never coming back. Whenever they were on a job, there was always that chance, so the entire group had a little ritual, if they never said that word, they would make it through perfectly fine.

Tag|| JP! <3
Words|| 600
Clothes|| Saintly Sinner
Music|| Lost and Found -- A Rocket to the Moon
Notes|| <3

[John-Paul Calloway]

JP had seen enough in his life to have a long list of things he would never do. To look at him, even share a conversation with him, no one would think that there was a past full of neglect and abandonment, but it was the truth. No matter what life threw at JP now that past would always be there lingering in the background and reminding him of everything he had turned his back on when he left Maine. The only downside was that he could turn his back, play hundreds of different roles on a stage, but JP would still be left with those same insecurities and peeves that would trigger an uncharacteristic explosion from the actor. Tonight was one of those nights, Hale’s phone call bringing back memories he had done a damn good job of forgetting so far. But now he was there again; the seventeen year old full of anger and disappointment as once again someone proved that no one was reliable in his life. He seemed to be collecting quite a few names on that list of unreliability now and it was all he could focus on now. Each person who had ever let him down was racing through his mind with those pinnacle moments when he realised just how untrustworthy they had been.

“I’ve heard that before.”

[/color] JP mumbled, not caring about any excuse she threw at him. He had heard them all before, heard the apologies and the promises that it’ll never happen again. JP had tired of them when he was just eighteen and since then had ran out of chances to give people. He gave the appearance of a patient man, and in many cases he was, but JP had a line that sometimes was leapt over and tonight was one of those times. Hale could give him a very legitimate truth but he wouldn’t sit around to hear it or believe it. The phone call had been enough to make him think that he couldn’t trust her. “Oh yeah, but being at the police station on this side of the city is a completely normal activity.”[/color] JP responded sarcastically. He knew something had happened, but he knew from the false accent during Hale’s call to him that it wasn’t something that should have him racing to her rescue, concerned and paranoid about what had happened. If he had thought for a moment that she was the victim then he wouldn’t have been acting like this, but not one single part of him had Hale cast in the innocent role this time. That alone was enough to have him hating himself, this night, and questioning his relationship with the art professor.

JP had limits and tonight had seriously pushed them all with just one short phone call. Now he was furious, making impulse decisions and trying to focus on the stretch of road ahead of them. It all made for a frustrating combination and he was alternating between being pissed at Hale, the ghosts of his past, and himself. The sooner he could get home, down a bottle of something and get to bed, the better everything would be. It was that train of thought that had him pushing the speed limit through the slightly quieter streets too. “Mugged? Hale, I know you. If you were mugged then tonight is not how you would have acted. Don’t try to play me for a fool, Hale. People have made that mistake before and it didn’t work then so it won’t work when you try it either.”[/color] He warned her before she climbed from his car. The door was barely shut before JP pushed his foot down and sped away from the apartment building.

It was only when he was a couple of blocks away and on route home that he glanced across and spotted the small set of fob keys on the passenger seat. Groaning, knowing they were Hale’s for the university art rooms, he turned the car around in an illegal manoeuvre on the deserted street and headed back to her apartment. If he gave them back to her now then he wouldn’t have to see her again and JP could just go on living out his life with another blackened name and disappointment. Navigating his way to her apartment, he banged on the door loudly and then basically threw the keys at her when she opened it. “There. We wouldn’t want you having to give more lies to the university now, would we?”[/color] Another bout of sarcasm and JP was already turning on his heel to leave.
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• • •

TAGGED! Hale <3
WORDS! 808!
OUTFIT! Angry Actor!
LYRICS! Up In Flames - - - Icon For Hire
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Coty Adelaide Cosette Hale]

Coty Adelaide Cosette Hale was by no means an angel or a saint. She could easily try the patience of a saint, and if Saint Nicholas really was watching out for her, she was probably on her twelfth last warning. Either way, she was a far cry from one herself. And Hale was perfectly okay with this. She knew the minute she was old enough to realise, she was a thief and she always would be. Even if she shed the family career and found something else; she was her father’s daughter and her uncle’s niece, there was no denying parentage and hers spoke like Interpol’s most wanted; Art division. The twenty nine year old was honestly impressed none of her crew were on that list, but her family was good and they were more thought of as ghosts and whispers that someone told than actual people. There may have been millions in art and gold scattered around her own apartment that she couldn’t properly display, but Hale was quite proud of how she’d collected those things and wouldn’t change a damn second of any of it.

But JP and most of New York knew Hale as the quiet art professor who couldn’t go a day without managing to get paint all over her clothes and routinely showed up to class in jeans and an already paint splattered t-shirt carrying the biggest coffee she could find and chasing after the two Yorkie’s she called her own. Hale wasn’t ashamed of her past, her childhood or her upbringing but just the same, she couldn’t tell a damn soul she learned to pick pockets when she was four, she couldn’t tell them she robbed her first museum at ten, by herself with just her own crew. She couldn’t tell them anything she was proud of doing. She couldn’t and wouldn’t put her friends in a position where they really had no choice but to call the cops on her and quite honestly; orange just wasn’t her colour. “Not from me you haven’t.” She muttered back with a glare that could freeze Hell. Hale didn’t get pissed off often, but she was absolutely past that now. Thankfully, she knew how to hide it and she hid it well by keeping quiet, only saying what she really had to and not putting any heat behind her words. JP was an incredible actor, one of Hale’s favourites to watch, but Hale was just that little bit better because she’d had to been growing up. It wasn’t a part of her life she had enjoyed but she could do it easily enough. “It could be. You don’t know what I get up to while we’re not at work.” She said, shrugging. There was no way of playing this off like it was no big deal. She’d thrown herself into no man’s land to save her crew.

It was just a damn good thing she hadn’t actually been needed, nor did she really need to do what she did in the first place. Things had seemed to be going well, but the police scanner had said a routine check of the neighbourhood and the flashlights they had been using would have definitely been seen on street level. There had really been only one thing to do, and Hale did it. She bit the bullet so to speak and claimed the role as victim for herself. In that moment, with that rant, Hale gave up trying to talk to JP. It was obvious something happened in his past that wouldn’t quite let him get over what she’d done now. It was probably a good thing she saw this now. It was always best to cut ties early; even though Hale was pretty sure it was too late for that. Narrowing her eyes at JP all the same, she gave him her very best glare. She couldn't get anything past him and she knew it but she didn't have to like it at the moment either. JP had been one of the first people Hale had met outside the family and the life. She'd known him too long and he knew her too well. He was good at figuring her out, though she was better at hiding her past; until now. "I never said I was mugged. I said that's what the police report says. I didn't lie to you JP. I honestly don't know if I can." She muttered after turning away from those disappointed eyes. She could only imagine what he would say to her or how he would look at her when he found out the truth. She was going to lose her closest friend by the time the sun came up again.

Despite all she said and thought, Hale wasn’t finished with JP and as she forced herself out of his car, she dropped the keys she needed for the campus, making sure to slam the car door extra hard so he wouldn’t notice the keys immediately and just call her back. She needed him to get away just far enough that she would already be upstairs in her nice cosy, stupidly expensive apartment. She smiled at the security guard behind the desk as she approached, asking for the spare key she left there just in case she got into a situation like this, without her keys. She thanked the guard, accepting her keys and just telling him she’d most likely drop it again when she left in the morning. It wasn’t like she was going to need to get into her apartment a second time that night. And she wouldn’t have even asked for the key in the first place if she’d been able to bring her bag; that bottomless pit had her kit in it! And there wasn’t a lock that could keep Hale out. She’d been in her apartment long enough to pour herself a glass of wine when someone, being JP knocked on the door. She had hoped she would have time to check the messages on her phone, which she’d left on the kitchen counter, right next to her purse; the one she’d claimed was stolen but that hadn’t been the case so with a sigh she left the glass of wine on the counter next to it all and went to answer the door. “Telling the university I left my keys in your car wouldn’t be lying. Come in JP.” Hale said, stepping out the door and down the hall just enough to grab onto his shirt sleeve. She didn’t look strong but even the slight could be mighty and her grip was good enough that she could make him spring back towards her. “I can’t in good conscience let you leave here this mad at me. God knows what could happen in the time it takes for you to get home from here and I think you need an explanation, a real one. It’s about time someone knew the truth.” Though she muttered that last part because until then, she hadn’t been quite sure she’d wanted to tell JP about that part of her life. It was a big one, always would been since she could quite give it up.

Tag|| JP! <3
Words|| 1202
Clothes|| Saintly Sinner
Music|| Lost and Found -- A Rocket to the Moon
Notes|| <3