feel you looking `open

[Gavin Harlow]

Gavin closed his locker door slowly, tucking his books into his side for a better grip. It wasn't like he was unfamiliar with the people around here, but there was the occasional dick who was willing to try and tempt Gavin to do something he would regret by trying to knock Gavin's books out of his hands. His brown eyes searched the hallway expectantly. It was almost all the same students, except for the new ninth graders. His sister fell into that category. Although a complete hard-ass and known for being a jerk, he wasn't going to let his sister be initiated. He assumed that no one would try. Many knew what Gavin Harlow's impulse was, and if he desired to hurt someone - oh, they would be hurt. Even if he got injured in the process, it was like he couldn't control himself.

Although a jerk, he was also well-known among the ladies. Apparently they thought they could change him, make him fall in love. Of course, many high school girls thought that causing a guy to fall in love with them just meant having sex with him. Oh, that definitely wasn't the case. If Gavin got his eye on a girl, he'd treat them like gold, turning on the charm. After the actual act, however, things changed. He had only one girl friend that he had never slept with - although it wasn't like he wasn't willing. He had known her all of his life, however, and it was awkward. He was a hard ass, but there were three girls in his life he could never betray or hurt - his mother, his sister and his friend. No one really knew about his friend, though, and that was the way he preferred it.

Gavin got a fair amount of greetings, some of which he returned, many of which he did not. He didn't understand why so many people liked him anyways. It wasn't like he wanted to be popular, he just wanted to enjoy his money and enjoy partying until he lost himself. Perhaps that was what people liked though? A party guy who didn't take anything seriously? Whatever it was, it didn't matter. He kept his eyes sharp, keeping an eye out for his little sister. However, at that exact moment, a window blew out next to him and a rock flew through, knocking down a girl standing only feet away from him.

[Emily Harlow]

[[OOC: Hope it's okay if that rock hits Emily. xD]]

Emily fumbled with her new locker, gasping with frustration as she messed with the combination. Seniors and juniors (12th and 11th graders) who didn't recognize her snickered as they passed - they enjoyed themselves watching the little ninth grader struggle with her new surroundings. The joys of a public school, Emily thought sourly as she finally managed to thrust open her locker. All the textbooks her parents had loaded her with were stuffed into the tiny back-pack she had brought to school, and her back was killing her. With as much grace as she could muster, Emily put her pack on the ground and began unloading her textbooks into her locker. She then pulled out the two she needed for her next classes and placed them in her pack dutifully, doing her best to ignore the gloating older kids.

She would survive her first day here - Emily was going to make sure of it. The fifteen-year old girl pulled her pack over her shoulders and shut her locker closed. In her hands she carried a notebook and a pen - you never knew when those crazy impulses were going to come. And just as she had that thought, her hands began to itch and without thinking as she walked down the hallway, Emily opened her notebook and began scribbling down a song that was in her head. Her body seemed to go into Auto-Pilot mode as she automatically dodged and ducked through the halls. As the words flowed out onto the page, the itch lessened in her hands and Emily was finally able to focus...

"Ow!" she exclaimed, just as a rock flew through the window and crashed into her. Her notebook and pen went scattering to the floor almost at the same time she did. Emily's arm throbbed where the rock hit her as she went tumbling to the floor. Her back hit the wall as she fell, and she felt the wind get knocked out of her. She wasn't hurt, the only thing bruised was her arm and her pride. As her face turned bright red in embarassment, she gathered up her notebook and didn't feel like searching for her pen. Emily tried to focus on the floor, but that didn't mean she didn't hear whispers and snickers. Oh, laugh it off, she thought angrily. Let everyone laugh at the funny ninth grader. Emily sighed and looked up, finding herself staring at her oldest brother, Gavin.

[Gavin Harlow]

It truly didn't take long for Gavin to recognize that long, brown hair as his own sister's. She gathered up her notebook, and he could tell she had been writing in it again. However, it wasn't as if her being distracted within it was the reason for her being struck - someone who was very paranoid would have been, as well. It's hard to exactly miss a rock when it's coming straight at you. Many laughed, but the corner's of Gavin's mouth didn't even twitch. He had a hard time imagining laughing at a girl for getting hurt. If it was a guy, yes, but look at her. Perhaps it was because it was his little and only sister, or perhaps it was because she really was fragile, but she looked that way to him.

Some comments really got through, and Gavin heard. If they were girls, he gave them threatening glares making them either giggle or look at the floor embarassed. If they were guys, Gavin told them to fuck off without being ashamed. He walked over to her, and he knew some eyes were watching. Although Gavin and Emily did look somewhat alike, they didn't look so alike that people automatically knew they were siblings. So, as rule would have it, people were wondering what was so special about this girl that Gavin went out of his way to make sure she was okay.

"You alright, Em?" he asked, grabbing her elbow lightly to lead her away from the main crowd. The school was always crowded, it was absolutely ridiculous. "Let me see your arm."

It was more of a command than anything else. However, people who knew him well always knew that he had a habit of acting like a parent to Emily instead of a brother. It was a bit controlling, and a lot of over protection. It was just that Gavin knew guys. Well, he knew himself. One thing he did know was that he didn't want his baby sister meeting a guy like himself. Being a cripple may get her away from guys like him, but on the other hand would just open her up to a bunch of screwed up guys who got off controlling helpless women.

Gavin went to roll up his sister's sleeve to see what the matter was, but then stopped and looked at her as if asking permission. He knew he had a bit of controlling issue - so thank God that wasn't his particular impulse.

[[Quite alright, I actually expected you to be the one who replied. ]]

[Emily Harlow]

[[OOC: Haha, I thought you might have been, but I wasn't sure. Just wanted to check. ^^]]

Oh, great, Emily thought to herself almost in shame. Though she loved Gavin more than anyone else in her family, it still made her embarassed that on her first day here she was already in trouble. And he was helping her out of said trouble. As Gavin bent down to pick her up, Emily could tell that some people - namely jealous older girls - were baffled by his actions. Why help some stupid little ninth grader that fell down? Emily was grateful that nobody recognized them as siblings, though. That was all she needed - to have people saying she couldn't take care of herself, so her big brother had to step in. Emily sighed. She knew her brother cared about her, and that he was only trying to help. Being rotten to him wasn't going to help the situation.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she told her brother, knowing very well that he was going to take a look at her anyway. Gavin led her away from the main crowd, and then they were in a slightly more secluded area. Emily frowned. Her brother moved to lift up her sleeve to look at her arm, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It wasn't like her arm was broken or anything. It just throbbed a bit. She knew her brother was protective over her, and saw her as his baby sister - even though she had no idea why. She could take care of herself, for the most part, and she was sure that at some point in her life she practically annoyed him to death.

"Go ahead," she told her brother softly when he looked up. Sometimes Gavin was really sweet, and Emily supposed that she'd have to recognize his efforts every once in a while. She'd heard rumors, about what a dick he was to some people, but she didn't understand any of them. Then again, she had been living at home too long. But her brother was still one of the sweetest guys she knew. In fact, he was one of the only guys she knew, but that was besides the point. "And thanks." Alright, so it wasn't too bad to admit to her brother that she was thankful. In her own initiative, Emily gently rolled up her own sleeve so her brother could take a look at her arm.

"See? No harm done. Just a bruise. No blood, no foul, right?" Emily attempted a smile, trying to lighten the mood just a tad.

[Gavin Harlow]

Gavin merely smiled to himself at her thanks. He wasn't sure if she saw, but he found himself not caring. He wasn't even sure if his smile came off as being an arrogant smirk or anything of the like. Sure enough, looking at her arm, she was completely fine. He watched as she pulled her sleeve back down. He was relieved that she wasn't harmed. What would people think if he couldn't even protect his only sister? Gavin was never really worried about Oliver - Oliver was a big boy. It's just... no matter how old Emily got, she was still the baby of the family. Not to mention a woman, so also the weakest. Ah yes, Gavin was somewhat sexist. Well, depending on who he was talking to. A girl with big blonde hair and skanky outfit? Yes, he was sexist against her. But even still, he still believed that most women couldn't fill the duties of the average man. On the other hand, however, he did realize that women were better at men with certain things as well. Dealing with being injured was not typically one of them.

"Yeah, I guess you're fine," he said, stepping back from her slightly. Gavin had the habit of not really looking at people, and staring at the ground. Along with his impulse of desire meant that if he saw a girl that he desired, he wouldn't be able to help himself. When that first started, embarassment after embarassment hit him. However, he didn't fail often, so he did get the reputation of a ladies' man. Gavin really didn't want his little sister watch him be a horndog after some girl. But it was also embarassing because it wasn't just women that he would desire. No, not men, but say he saw someone wearing a really nice watch he was envious of. He would try to steal it. At least he got to the point where his brian realized that he could try to buy the watch off of said person, but it didn't always work, and that was when Gavin would occasionally get into fights. Gavin began walking down the hallway, assuming his sister would follow. "So," he said, without looking back, "How's school going for you so far?" he asked, knowing that it had only really just started up. "Make any new friends - enemies?"

Yes, he was prodding, but what else were big brothers good for?

[Emily Harlow]

Emily smiled when her brother finally stepped back and admitted that she was okay. He was so overprotective, but over the years she had simply grown used to it. Though she would admit that here in public, where other people could see it and make fun of her, it was embarassing - she didn't like showing other people that she needed other people to help her along. After all, in life you had to rely on yourself. Emily told herself that often, but no matter what she tried she was always vulnerable. It pretty much blowed. As had been proven just a moment ago when that rock flying through the window had hit her pretty hard. She sighed and ran her fingers through her tangled brown hair. School definitely wasn't the fun she had thought it would be.

Gavin then asked if she had made any friends or enemies. Emily made a face. "Are you kidding me? I haven't even gotten to my first class yet. Nobody talks to me... but I don't mind. I'm just a ninth grader, and I don't know anyone around here," she answered casually. She knew that her brother really cared, and in return she really cared about him. Emily knew just how much his impulse caused trouble, and she felt sorry for him - even though she knew he wasn't one who was a big fan of pity.

Emily's impulse, thankfully, just caused her grades to drop occasionally. Whenever her impulse came, there was no possible way she could concentrate in class until the urge to write down what was on her mind passed. Sometimes she ran into people too, but by now after fifteen years of having it, Emily had learned to control her body during that time. At home, there were at least three notebooks filled with her scribblings, songs, poems, and short stories. She didn't let many people read them - the only people she let look them over were her parents, Gavin, and Oliver. "How about you? Are you doing okay?" she asked worriedly, scrambling after her brother as she almost stumbled over her own feet.

[Gavin Harlow]

It was a relief to hear no one was giving her a hard time, other than the obvious part where she was hit by a rock. People at this school were very hard on others. Gavin was one of them. It was like everyone was trying to impress everyone else. Even those on the top of the pecking order tried. It was like no one was the best, but yet no one was the worst. It also came down to impulses, Gavin knew. Some people had impulses such as popularity, or talking, or things of that nature that wouldn't allow them to stop.

"No one talks to you?" he repeated, looking at her as if trying to see something obviously wrong with her. What about those kids who couldn't help talking, or lying, or... anything of that nature? Emily hadn't come across anyone like that yet? However, Gavin felt it come on him in that instant - the desire for Emily to make friends. He tried to fight against it, but it was useless. It was like he was addicted to some sort of drug that he just had to have. "Come on, Em, I'll introduce you to some people."

As hard as he tried to resist what he was doing, Gavin couldn't help himself. He stopped in his tracks and his eyes scanned the crowd as he continued with, "Being in ninth grade has nothing to do with anything. Ninth grade is the grade where other ninth graders need to make new friends. It's an alien world in here, you know. Hey! Michelle!"

He called out a girl at random. He hardly even knew this girl, he had only had a couple of classes with her. She was a bit intimidating, even to him. She always acted like she owned the place, and she was known for having the impulse of beauty. She was constantly dolling herself up, re-touching her lipstick and such. It was quite unneeded, however, for she was already naturally beautiful. Gavin was lucky, however, for he felt no desire for her. Although she was beautiful, he never felt the impulse to jump her bones.

Michelle gave him a strange look before walking over. Of Asian descent, she was tiny by nature, but her stiletto shoes certainly helped her out. She wore a proper outfit of a frilly green blouse and knee-length skirt. Her long, straight, silky raven hair fell to the middle of her back, and her make-up was done extraordinarily. However, she was only in the tenth grade, a level up from Emily, although she certainly didn't look it. In fact, she occasionally looked older than everyone else in the school due to her impeccable style.

"Can I help you?" she asked, looking behind her to catch her reflection in the mirror of a near-by locker.

[Emily Harlow]

Gavin's little sister didn't miss how he didn't answer her own question, about how he was doing. She loved her brother, but she didn't want him to get into any sort of trouble. If he were in some type of trouble or involved with a scandal, Emily wanted to help him. In any way she could. If that meant fighting off some greedy girl or guy, she would do it - though she sourly had to admit to herself that she would more than likely lose said fight. But she would still go for it. He was her brother, and she was going to stand by his side no matter what. It seemed like he was the one person on earth who loved her most. And in return, he was the one person she looked up to on a daly basis.

As soon as Gavin stopped, Emily almost ran into him. She stopped herself at the last minute. Confused as to why he stopped, she looked around anxiously. Had he spotted someone? Was something bad about to happen? Nevertheless, she practically hid herself behind him and prayed that whatever it was would pass. But suddenly Gavin was moving again, and Emily scrambled to catch up with him. What was going on? That was when she heard him call out to a girl that was at her locker, going through her things.

Emily's eyes widened. This girl was not only a tenth grader, but she also looked exceedingly intimidating. The only way Gavin might approach her was if... well, if he had gotten his impulse. Desire. Emily stopped instantly, and gently grabbed her brother's arm. "Gavin, please," she begged, her hazel-green eyes wide. Emily couldn't quell the terror she felt when she looked at the older girl, and this girl, who Gavin called Michelle, actually responded. Emily resisted the urge to whimper, not wanting to look entirely too weak, but she tried pleading again. "I'm okay, really. I... I don't need to talk to anyone right away. I'm alright. Gavin, please don't do this," she begged desperately.