New Beginnings. -open-

[Robert Hobbes]

www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=31933878

Letting the door slam behind him, he twirled his keys around his finger and hopped up onto the curb. The awning provided protection from the rain, and so he took a second to smooth out his hair before opening the door to the small cafe. Everything about this town was small. Small library, small parking lots, small school, small streets; why should the cafe be any different?

Robert Hobbes wasn't from around here; and it probably couldn't be more obvious. He had, in fact, only visited this town eight times in his whole life. His first steps, his first kiss, his first fight; that had all happened in Spokane. Spokane; a population 70 times the size of this hole on the map, where his parents and siblings were probably sitting down to dinner and enjoying the extra elbow room at the table.

See, he had five siblings ranging in age from 5 years to 16. Some therapist had told his parents that that was probably the reason he had acted out so. The number of siblings and the feeling of being lost in the crowd had led to his rebellious streak. Whatever. If that were halfway true he could have thought of a million more creative ways to get back at his parents for adopting the two new mouths and having the four originals.

Get him out. Send him somewhere to shape up. Unload the burden onto someone more capable.

His parents had finally cracked under the pressure of all of that horrid advice. And so here he was in Forks. He had gotten to town much earlier than he had anticipated (speeding the whole way, of course) and had yet to check in with the new guardians. His aunt and uncle were the sweetest people he knew, but apparently they had a knack for keeping their children in line. Robert was not their child, though. This little social experiment would be funny, at least. Let them try and reign him in.

Giving his hair one swift shake as he walked through the door, not bothering to acknowledge the chime above the door, he approached the counter and took out his wallet. One quick glance around the room and he knew his suspicions were correct; everyone in this town fit the small town description to a t. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the letter-man jacket wearing high school table as he ordered a coke and a greasy burger and then found a seat at the counter.

Give me one person in this hole that isn't a small-town junkie. Just one, he silently begged as the too-friendly woman behind the counter put his order in.

That's when the door opened behind him.

[Coralissa Leaser]

www.polyvore.com/lissa/set?id=31716131

Today was not a good day to be Coralissa Leaser. Today, she was dropped off at her cousin's house with her measly one suitcase until the rest of her things came in the stupid moving truck her parents insisted on sending a whole day after her. She couldn't even remember saying goodbye to her parents or her sister, but here she was. Lost In Forks, Washington. The town that was sure to be the end of her.

She couldn't stop thinking about how these shoes were not meant for the rain, this coat wasn't nearly warm enough, and her hair couldn't handle this mess of a rainy town. She clung to her umbrella as she tried to make it down the side walk with out being blown over by the wind. The umbrella wasn't helping much, but it was the only thing keeping her semi-dry.

Anne had said this cafe place was only a few blocks but the more Lissa walked, the more lost she felt. This town couldn't be more than two square miles and yet there she was, lost. Yet, she really wasn't. As she dared a peek from under her umbrella, she could see the cafe right ahead. The sidewalk had taken her straight to it, just as Anne had said. So maybe she wasn't the worst cousin in the world.

She tried jogging the rest of the way but stopped as soon as she realized that the water splashed and got her tights wet. That was never a pleasant feeling. She she walked slowly, yanking open the door as soon as she made it. She struggled in the doorway for a good two minutes trying to get her umbrella to close properly. She shook it of and looked up, holding her head high instead of looking embarrassed at drawing attention to herself.

She took a deep breath, flattened out her skirt and pushed right up to the counter next to a guy she hadn't bothered to look over. "Please tell me you have a veggie burger." She said. She was used to her ways in New York. If you weren't assertive, you could bet you'd never get what you wanted. "Sorry. I hope I didn't just cut or anything, you were just kind of standing there so I assumed you'd already ordered." She said quickly, finally sparing him a glance. She cleared her throat slightly, trying not to take in his attractive features or how here, her behavior was probably ridiculously rude. Instead, she held her head high once again, putting on her best show-biz smile.

[Robert Hobbes]

Whoever had come in was certainly taking their time to close the door. The cool draft was coming in and hitting the nape of his neck. About the time he considered turning around to tell them to shut the door it was closed and the little person had all but ran over him to get to the counter. He took a step out of the way to let them closer to the counter. They looked like they might need a step stool to see the menu board, anyway.

What he didn't expect was for this person to address him. At first, he wasn't even sure she was talking to him. She wasn't looking at him and it wasn't until she mentioned cutting that he pieced it together. It only took him half a second, when he finally looked at her, to realize she had gorgeous big brown eyes. The girl looked away and smiled at the woman behind the counter, who had finally gotten around to getting his soda. He took it and finally the chuckle he had been suppressing since she had bustled by him came out.

"You're not sorry. But, you know, there's not much of a line. You don't have to be in such a hurry to get you're boca-burger." He smiled and took a swig of his drink, then leaned an elbow on the counter and turned to look at her. "You're not from around here, are you?" When the woman behind the counter told him his order would be up in five he nodded and looked back to the girl for an answer. "Not that it's that obvious, or anything."

[Coralissa Leaser]

Lissa quickly put her order in with the friendly woman from behind the counter, trying her best not to look back over at the stranger. All she wanted to do was pay for her meal and let her tights dry off. She handed the woman a credit card and quickly scrawled a tip onto the receipt. She might be a little forceful, but she would always tip well and try her best to be polite. She knew she'd have a lot to learn about this small town. She stepped away from the counter so that if anyone else came in, they'd have easy access to the register. This put her slightly behind the brunette stranger.

She looked him in the eye as he spoke to her. She couldn't help but feel guilty about the way the she stormed in there. She also felt a little guilty about so rudely pushing past him. But she wasn't about to admit any of that to him. She was a great actress. She could pull this off. She could charm him with her New York smile. She stayed quiet, though, hoping that maybe he'd just leave it at his criticism and they could leave each other as simply strangers.

She sighed softly, but playfully, as he continued. "Oh, you caught me." She said looking up at him again. "Here I was, thinking I'd blend in with all you other small-townies but I was wrong, obviously." She said with a small touch of sarcasm. She swallowed it back and tried for an air of natural instead of defensive. "Okay, I am sorry this time." She said honestly. She hadn't meant to bite him with sarcasm.

"No, I'm really not from around here. I don't want to be here either. I mean, no offense if small towns are your thing, but they definitely aren't mine." She explained, shrugging slightly. She hoped that maybe her honesty would make up for her earlier actions. "I've just been forcefully moved here, so I'm not exactly the happiest right now." She said, giving him a half smile. "I'll be sure to aim for polite next time, though, so don't worry."

[Robert Hobbes]

This girl... She was cute (in an adorable sort of way.) She seemed so lost here; ridiculously out of her element to the point where he almost felt sorry for her. One thing he prided himself on was the chameleon-like ability to blend in any environment - to adapt to any situation. So he couldn't blame her when she thought he was just another small town junkie. He simply shook his head and let her continue. When she said she was sorry he gave her a nod and a smile that said she was okay. "I'm sure it's just how you do things wherever you're from."

To her next statement he responded with a simple "none taken." He chuckled lightly and set his drink on the counter for a waitress to refill, taking his lid off his to-go cup. He appreciated this girls honesty. Brutal honesty was his thing: but any honesty made you okay in his book. He smiles again at her and her request that he not worry. "You had me completely worried. Imagine if you had barged in to the wrong place; say, the bar across the way or... Or that bike shop." He took his drink and put the top back on the to go cup. "See I was worried for your personal safety. I'm pretty forgiving but these other small town folks, who can be sure?"

He glanced at his phone to check the time. 7:30. His new guardians wouldn't be expecting him for another hour and who was he to force his company on him any earlier than that? He tucked his phone away and scouted the place for a secluded booth. The key to surviving being a loner in a small town was confidence. Portraying that you didn't need friends. An he didn't. He was out of here the day he graduated. He only had to play nice for a year and a half and he was New York bound; leaving all of Washington state behind him. The hate for the mediocre state was what fueled him and his many talents. He didn't need anyone but himself.

But, truth be told, he could see himself befriending this girl. She reminded him of those girls he left behind in the bigger city. Maybe a little feistier. But he wasn't going to beg for friends; it just wasn't his style. "Tell you what," he said after a solid minute of silence passed between them. "You grab your food and meet me in the back corner booth, yeah? If you'd rather not, I understand. No foul. But you could tell me all about how you've been forcefully uprooted and just how unfair it all is. Your call." He grabbed his order and drink, thanked the waitress and headed off without a glance back at her.

[Coralissa Leaser]

Lissa worked hard not to look as embarrassed as she felt. She forgot how different things were in place that weren't New York. Especially places like tiny Forks, Washington. She wasn't prepared for this. It was only her second day in the town and already she was making a terrible impression.

Lissa kind of froze up as he spoke. What if it was someone else that she had acted so rude about? She really couldn't tell if this was his idea of a joke or if he was being serious. She was already terrified to be in a new place, especially one so small. She was already and outsider. She could imagine one wrong little move could push her farther on the outside. She tried not to, but she looked like a dear caught in headlights. She responded with quiet.

She tried to be a brave person. She tried not to be shaken up about this move. She tried not to think about how her parents were having such a rough time. She tried not to think about how that rough time had caused them to pawn her off on family to watch over her. It was easy to pretend like it didn't hurt. But it was even easier to watch yourself fall into a downward spiral in a town that wanted nothing more than to avoid change.

She cleared her throat slightly, deciding her silence wouldn't do. "Well, I'm a big girl." She said. "I can take care of myself, I'm sure. I can't imagine the people in the town can be all that bad." The last part came out as more of a question than she had anticipated as she looked up at him with wide eyes. She quickly looked away. Strength, Lissa.

Lissa stood planted in her spot, waiting for her food as she was watched him walk away to the corner booth. A million thoughts went through her mind. What if he was a psychopath? What if he was actually really nice? She juggled the thoughts back and forth a good few minutes after her food came.

Finally, she sucked in a breath, picked up her food, and sauntered to the back corner booth she had watched him disappear to. She set her food down, slowly unbuttoned her coat, set it down and slid into the empty side. She looked across at him and gave him her dazzling stage smile.

"Your offer was just a little impossible for me to pass up." She said with a firm nod. "You've offered me the first bit of companionship since setting foot in this town and I really appreciate it." She was honest. She extended her hand across the table. "I'm Lissa. It's nice to meet you." She said.

It was nice. It was nice to feel like despite all the stares and glances her way, there was at least one person who had the decency to actually get to know her. She felt hopeful, a little excited even. Most of all, she felt a little less alone.