• This Mess •

[Cole Brandyn Parker]

Cole hated working weekends. Then again, he hated working in general on most occasions. He got enough of it with all the homework the college professors assigned on a daily basis; add being bossed around by Supervisors to that and it didn't make things much better. But, he needed the money, so what could he do? Between the always consistent pity-checks from his mother, he needed something to live on so he wouldn't starve or get his power turned off at his little apartment. Which brought him to keeping the job at Borders. Besides, he got employee discount on all the merchandise and, for the bookworm, that was a reward all in itself. And, he supposed, it was nice to be able to "borrow" a book off the shelves and read during his lunch and break hours, when he'd usually otherwise be studying or doing homework of other sorts. Really, the amounts of homework that had piled up over the last semester had been ridiculous, and the process was already starting once again. Go to class, study, do homework, go to work. That was basically his life. When and if he found time to eat or sleep, those got thrown in there too. But, rarely, did he get enough spare time for either of those.

Today was, surprisingly, one of those blue moon days where Cole had a few extra dollars to spend on lunch in the Borders' mini-cafe. Typically, he'd pack his own and eat in the staff room in back with the rest of the broke college kids on break. Though, most of the time, none of them really ate. They pulled out their text books and paper and did homework together, or just simply goofed off with each other for forty-five minutes. Either way, it was an interesting back room during lunch. But, the older, "richer" Borders employees tended to eat out at the cafe and as far away as possible from the rambuncious bunch in the back.

Partially because he wanted the quiet and partially because he was quite sick of eating sandwiches almost every day of his life, Cole sat down to a delicious lunch in the tiny cafe. He'd gotten a glass of water and a hearty-sized slice of pizza, two things the boy could down in seconds if he'd really wanted to. But he wanted to make it last, at least for today. He had a new book he wanted to start, one that he did in fact own because he was in love with the author, and he planned on enjoying his lunch alongside the pages as he read. He'd never had the issue of getting food on his books because he was always so careful, so that wasn't a fear. His only threat was getting so engrossed in the book, he wouldn't hear his phone go off with the alarm set to remind him he had to get back to what he was in fact being paid to do.

• • •

WORDS: 511!
TAG: Open! :D
LOCATION: Borders Books!
MUSIC: Weightless by All Time Low
OUTFIT: ZAP!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[adora felicity constantinou]

Adora simply loved bookstores. The aroma of new books and the scent of knowledge always seemed to fill the air and the young orange grove girl couldn’t help but feel enthusiastic and inspired by the great works and amazing classics she found there; little diamonds of intellectual treasure found lost on a deep shelf, forgotten by those who thought it lost. Yes, Adora loved bookstores and Borders was another form of heaven to the tiny red head. Usually, she came in here to buy classic novels by some of her favourite authors, but today she actually needed to find a book that was specific to her course and the extra credit assignment her professor had granted to her the previous week.

She was a self confessed geek and loved it when her professors gave her extra projects or essays to do alongside the core work of her course. Plus, being a medical student, there was so much to learn and all of it was totally interesting to Adora, who didn’t know what she wanted to specialise in just yet. Doing the extra work was part of a way to help her make that decision as she got to research deeper into the specific fields of medicine and pick which one really grabbed her attention and managed to hold it.
She had a feeling that she would end up in paediatrics or neonatal, simply because it was something that was personal to the small girl herself. She had been extremely premature and spent most of her life in and out of hospital dealing with the side effects of that. Luckily, nothing had really hindered her experience of life and despite needing to cling desperately to an inhaler on some days, she was a rather healthy eighteen year old with a bright, shining future ahead of her.

Quickly, she located the book in its’ designated section of the vast store and began to move towards the cash registers, but she halted, her foot hovering in the air as another book caught her eye from across the store. She knew that she should really ignore it, keep walking and pretend that her blue eyes never landed on it, but Adora succumbed to temptation; books were her weakness, her kryptonite and she couldn’t say no when she saw one that she liked. The only problem she had now was that when she found one book, she found ten more and then struggled which ones to chose and there had been moments, particularly after she had been paid her wages, in which she had decided not to be logical, but to go insane and by them all.

She had been paid only two days ago.

Once that book was in her hand, she began to look for more; a few new releases popping into her head when she saw reminders of them around the store. She didn’t mind though and the real problem would come when she made it back to her college dorm. It was already filled with books of all shapes and sizes and Adora didn’t really have much room left for anymore, though now she’d have to simply make room.
Within half an hour she had an impressive stack of books piled in her arms, but with that impressive stack came the struggle to make it to the register and to actually remain upright; those hardbacks could get heavy. It was obvious before it even happened and Adora felt her foot kick against the edge of one of the shelves that she thought she was clear of and the next thing that happened was that the books fell from her grasp and crashed to the floor with the fiery haired Adora following suit.
“How embarrassing…” She whispered as she noticed that of all the places to fall, she had fallen right next to the café where everyone was now peering over at her from. Luckily, her hair was loose today and could work to hide the bright blush that filled her usually pale cheeks.

Tagged- Cole!
Words- 712
Lyrics- Pots and Pans by The Kills
Clothes- [url=http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=37012524
] Over here

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Notes- When our paths cross, I do have a plot idea to run by you for these two ^^
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[Cole Brandyn Parker]

Cole was a nerd at heart, as his tiny, cluttered apartment proved. He had books from every which way and year scattered everywhere, and even more stacked up in boxes in his closet. That was what his relatives sent him - books. Always books. His mother, especially, would always be sure to get him any fiction books she thought he'd enjoy. And, yes, though he was technically an "adult" now, Cole still loved fiction as much as any high school kid did. That's what the majority of his collection was, though many nonfiction and biographies were thrown in as well. Most of the biographies had been gifts, some of which he hadn't even read because they looked plain out boring. Besides, his aunts, uncles, cousins, and pretty much anyone related to him had army blood drilled into them. He was like some sort of ugly duckling in that multi-uniformed world he still occasionally called home.

It was why he escaped into books most days and nights. Cole didn't like to think too much and being left alone usully left to his mind running wild. But he couldn't be that social butterfly lots of the other college kids were. It just wasn't him. He wasn't that guy who could charm any female within ten miles. He wasn't the person that could catch and hold an entire room's attention. He was just plain, little old Cole who'd rather be holed up with a mystery novel and a bowl of popcorn than be partying the night away like some sort of animal. Right now, if he could've been, Cole would be curled up on his second-hand sofa with Kipper asleep close by. The book would be propped up on his knees, maybe one of those Classical music CD's from his mom softly playing in the background. The point was, Cole would be by himself without any distractions or the anticipation of his phone going off. Usually, that was the way he preferred to be, but this book was eating at him in the way he loved. He needed to read it to be able to correctly focus on the rest of his daily life.

He was decently submerged in the pages spread before him when a color caught his eye. New York didn't hold many redheads and, where he was from, everyone was usually almost bald or had short-as-eff haircuts. His curiousity caused him to look up, just as the mentioned redhead decided to attack the floor, bringing her army of books down with her. Cole didn't chuckle like many of the other people surrounding him, having done things like that himself. Instead, he got up, leaving his book and lunch on his table, and quickly hurried over to her. Kneeling down, he gave her a small, understanding smile before speaking. "Planning on starting a library anytime soon?" he grinned, offering her a hand to help her up.

• • •

WORDS: 507!
TAG: Miss Adora! :D
LOCATION: Borders Books!
MUSIC: Weightless by All Time Low
OUTFIT: ZAP!
NOTES: You must PM me with this epicness!!!!

[adora felicity constantinou]

If Adora hadn’t been a premature baby, hadn’t experienced hospitals and doctors up close and personal and if she hadn’t been exposed to such mature ways of thinking at such a young age because of her circumstances then she knew that she would have been studying literature. Without a doubt, her heart belonged in a work of fiction, but her passion and determination existed only in the field of medicine. She wanted to help those who were like her, who didn’t have a choice in the matter, but who were forced to face the fact that they were ill, sick or as Addy used to say ‘health challenged’. Still, her secret dream to write children’s novels still existed and she was determined that, one day, she would fulfil that dream, but college education and getting to be on the other side of the medical clipboard came first.

She could be a social butterfly and not many people seemed to be as friendly at Lakeview born and bred Adora. It was the one thing she was determined to hold onto when she moved to the city and the one thing she believed was of great importance to anyone who wished to be a doctor. Too many of the doctors who had walked around her curtain had been short, to the point and didn’t even crack a smile once and Adora hated them for it. No child - no person - liked being in a hospital to start with, so they’re going to hate a grouchy doctor even more. When she was younger and in hospital for check up examinations constantly, Adora loved the doctors who could make her laugh, who would make shadow puppets with her before she went to sleep, who would tell her jokes when they were taking blood from her skinny arms…they were the ones who made the trips bearable and what drove her to be just like them when she grew up.
She knew there was more to life than books, but there was more than partying every night. Addy liked to think she had a balance in her life that could topple neither way. Maybe not many people in New York would enjoy laying in an orange grove for hours on end, but then she didn’t enjoy the tall skyscrapers that made her fear for the window cleaners scaling up the outside of them on devices that didn’t look at all safe for their job. Everyone was different and everyone was unique and that was something she embraced.

Adora’s plan was to get up with the books and then dash to the register before leaving the store and not returning until she had a bigger hat that could hide her identity from anyone who might remember her. She wasn’t usually the kind of person to make a spectacle of herself, and her youth had taught her to be much more cautious since moving to the bustling city. No, this was definitely the most embarrassing thing to happen to the young freshman so far.
The sound of a voice distracted her and she snapped her head up, pale blue eyes wide, to see who had spoken to her. She was a little surprised to see a rather cute guy crouching near her, picking up some of the fallen books. Adora pulled herself together and flashed him a nervous smile. “I already have one. Just adding to it,” she confessed playfully. Back home, a spare room had been converted into a mini library purely because the teenage bedroom simply couldn’t hold anymore books without pulling the walls down under the weight.

Tagged- Cole!
Words- 630
Lyrics- Pots and Pans by The Kills
Clothes- [url=http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=37012524
] Over here

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Notes- - - -
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[Cole Brandyn Parker]

As the English Major that he was, Cole could proudly say he did have his own library. Really, his entire apartment was some form of a library. Books were everywhere, from on top of his fridge to stacked on his coffee table. His ferret often had a blast playing hide and seek in the maze of novels and biographies. But, Cole liked it that way. He loved being surrounded by the one thing he was most passionate about, even if he slaved away with it at school all the time, too. There was just no "enough" for him when it came to literature, books, and English in general. What could he say? He was a first class nerd right down to the core.

Cole grinned at the adorable red head, chuckling softly in return. "That sounds exactly like me," he smirked, scooping up a few more of the books scattered on the floor. "You alright? No papercuts or anything?" He couldn't resist asking, though he kept the smirk on his lips to prove he was just teasing her. Like he very well knew, the same thing would've happened to him had he been carry that many books around, especially if his mind was as distracted as usual. Actually, this was probably the lightest of what could've happened to him. With his luck, he would've ended up doing it in front of the entire staff, which would result in at least a week of teasing and jokes.

After he'd picked up another book or two, Cole stood up and offered a free hand to her. "I'll check you out, if you want. I know nobody'll want to wait in line behind the future librarian," he joked, smiling wider and balacing the books carefully under one arm. Even though he was supposed to be on his lunch break, Cole wouldn't mind sacrificing a few minutes for this beautiful girl. Anyone with an obvious love of books like this was worth it in his mind, especially if the person happened to be as cute as her.

"I'm Cole, by the way. Employee, English Major, and owner of a tiny library called My Apartment," he grinned, introducing himself in as few words as possible. He still had his tags on for work, but he felt like he should state his name somehow, even if it was practically tattooed across his chest.

• • •

WORDS: 430!
TAG: The lovely Adora! :D
LOCATION: Borders Books!
MUSIC: Weightless by All Time Low
OUTFIT: ZAP!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[adora felicity constantinou]

The orange grove that Adora called home was often the perfect place to curl up with her favourite novel or any other good book and during her teenage years, the redhead loved nothing more than to sit under one of the old sycamore trees out back and read from the first page until ‘The End’ appeared. Even her mother couldn’t break her out of the trance of a good book and some days she would spend lazing out there with an impressive collection of fiction and casually make her way through each one before begging her dad to run her to the bookstore to buy some more with the allowance she earned from doing chores around the homestead.

There was a lot more room back home than there was in the freshman dorm she occupied - a thought that only struck Adora when she saw just how many books she had opted to buy in such a short space of time. Her roommate was going to hate her unless she found some way to store all of these neatly without invading her part of the room too. “I think my dignity may be a little scattered, but no physical harm done.” She answered with a soft friendly smile. She still felt a little shy considering her embarrassing accident, but she wasn’t the type of girl who would run from the store or her problem. Her pale eyes met his and she laughed softly, “glad I’m not the only one, then.” She was always the kid who got teased for having so many books in her bag during school and for sitting alone during lunch sometimes when she had one that she simply couldn’t put down. Her friends always used to joke that she was worse than Alice in Wonderland for vanishing into the realm the story provided her with.

Adora smiled, taking the free hand and hauling herself back to her feet, taking a few seconds to make sure that she had a good grip on the books she was holding this time. It was a little easier now that he was carrying some and she realised that he made a perfectly valid point; she was carrying so many books that she had no hope of being able to see where the line was, when it moved forward and there was every chance that she would fall again and seriously hurt someone with a collapsing tower of novels that would see her through the following week once her extra assignments were complete. “That would be incredible, thank you! I’m probably a hazard alone with these anyway,” Adora couldn’t have chosen to put any of them back; they had already wormed their way into her heart after reading the simple blurb on the back of so many of them.

She smiled warmly at the cute guy and then tucked a strand of her vibrant hair behind her ear, “I’m Adora. Tour guide, medical student and my library lives precariously in student dorms.” She said, mimicking his introduction as they moved closer to the registers.

Tagged- Cole!
Words- 539
Lyrics- Pots and Pans by The Kills
Clothes- [url=http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=37012524
] Over here

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Notes-
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[Cole Brandyn Parker]

No matter how many books he bought, Cole always found some way to fit more into the nooks and crannies of his tiny apartment. Sometimes, he'd just wander around re-discovering all the titles he'd collected whether at home, from work, or just in the city together. He loved it though because it was like meeting an old friend once again. Especially with his books from high school, Cole loved to go through and look at notes he'd made or pages that looked more worn than others from re-reading. It was an entire adventure in itself.

He grinned and shrugged, "It happens all the time around here, don't worry." The little lie couldn't do too much harm. Besides, it did happen on occasion, and some people made her trip look like a visit to Disney World. They'd had people knock shelves or displays over, spill food from the cafe all over another innocent employee or customer, and the list went on. Her fall really wasn't too horrible at all.

Cole didn't think twice about helping her up, taking a few more books from her once she was steady on her feet again. His mother had truly raised him to be a gentleman, honest. Plus, with all the classic literature full of men helping ladies out of carriages or pulling out their chairs, it was a wonder he wasn't speaking with a British accent and tipping his hat to pretty girls on the street. "Nah, it'd be the people in your way who'd be hazardous," he joked with another big grin. Normally, he didn't smile so much in front of girls. Okay, he turned into a stumbling, stuttering mess most times. But, the pretty red head in front of him seemed so much like himself, that Cole couldn't help acting normal. Fellow book collectors were always easy for him to get along with, even if they were girls.

Walking up to one of the closed registers, and recieving more than one odd look from the other cashiers, Cole set down his half of her pile. He logged onto the computer, typing in his emlpoyee I.D. before beginning to scan the books he'd held. He turned back to her, Adora as she'd said her name was, and smiled once more. "Now I know who to tell the employees to watch out for," he smirked, scanning more of her books and listening to the computer beep as they rang up.

• • •

WORDS: 441!
TAG: The lovely Adora! :D
LOCATION: Borders Books!
MUSIC: Weightless by All Time Low
OUTFIT: ZAP!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[adora felicity constantinou]

One of the best things in the world, in Adora’s opinion, was the feel of a well read book. The crease of the spine, the yellow tint of the pages that were thick in the corners thanks to thumb print over thumb print, the old smell of the paper tantalising her senses as she opened the semi creased cover from being stuffed in a bag for long journeys. She loved rediscovering the worlds hidden in her favourite novels and she simply loved the touch of a book she had owned for years and could remember reading several times in different places, each thought igniting another dormant memory that only ever played out when that particular book was in her hand. Each reading brought new love for the story and the characters and a good book had Adora living it through the eyes of the heroine, whether it was a damsel in distress or an independent Wonder Woman.

She threw the cute employee a shy smile and tucked some more of her copper hair behind her ear. “Still doesn’t make it any less embarrassing though, I’m positive,” she replied, a memorable twinkle in her light eyes. There was definitely not a snowball’s chance in hell that she would be forgetting this day in a hurry. The memory was already embedded in her mind, replaying over and over and they made their way towards the registers, only paused for a few seconds whenever he spoke to her. Oh well, at least she hadn’t managed to injure herself; her parents would be racing to New York in the next possible moment if their ‘Dozy Dora’ did something to end up in the hospital. Even though she was soon to be nineteen and all of the complications were far behind her, they still liked to fuss over their ‘premature miracle’ as much as they possibly could and just a small yelp of finding a spider in her bedroom was enough to bring them running up the stairs with 911 already typed into the phone, their fingers hovering over the ‘call’ button.

Even back in Lakeview, the guys were never always this helpful, and it just made Adora blush that little bit more. She was capable of looking after herself and carrying her own books, but Addy wasn’t the kind of girl to turn down a gentlemanly gesture like this one. It was the little things that really touched her heart and something like this was all she needed to keep a smile on her face for the rest of the day ahead. “Other people usually do seem hazardous to me.” She joked, smiling brightly. She was only small in height and tackling the busy streets of New York often meant that she got jostled in the crowd and bumped into more times than she cared to count in one day.

Placing the books on the counter and began to fish out her money from the tight jeans pocket. Eurgh, she’d forgotten to bring her bag with her, only intending to get one book after all. Luckily, she had plenty of cash on her to cover the books, but would have to make do with getting them back to the dorms in a less comfortable fashion that her trusty backpack. Laughing loudly, Adora tilted her head back slightly, before shaking her head, her smile fixed in place. “I’m surprised there already isn’t a wanted poster up for me.” She said playfully, as she took a second to rest her arms.

Tagged- Cole!
Words- 658
Lyrics- Pots and Pans by The Kills
Clothes- [url=http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=37012524
] Over here

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Notes-
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