don't write yourself off yet

[flick lani austin]

little girl, you're in the middle of the ride
everything, everything will be just fine

----- every weekday was the same. It started at 6 in the morning with a cup of tea. Two cream, two sugar. That was followed by something small for breakfast. Usually it was an egg and some fruit, or whatever happened to be laying around the kitchen. That morning it was one sunny side up egg with some pink grapefruit slices. After eating, it was back upstairs to find something to wear. Flick's chocolate eyes scanned her closet briefly. She already had an idea of what she wanted to wear in her head, now she just had to located the items in question. Everything inside the closet was organized by colour, so it wasn't hard to find the light salmon coloured shirt she had been thinking of wearing the night before. Throwing it over the chair by her desk, she moved to the right of the closet to grab a pair of dark jeans and tossed them over the chair as well. Sighing, she looked at herself in the mirror, still in her pajamas. A once over, and she took them off, pulling on her clothes for the day. Thankfully she had showered the night before and didn't need to worry about that.

----- with the clothes on, she looked back at herself in the mirror, tilting her head to the side. Her hair was a mess from sleeping with it in a bun. A small groan escaped from her lips as she reached to pull out the hair tie from the knot of hair. It came out along with a clump of hair, and Flick winced. Tossing it into the trash can, she grabbed a brush and started at the matted mess. It was tangled and knotted but she managed to quickly brush it and then grab her straightener to smooth it all out. Then came make-up, which she applied lightly and naturally with as little as possible. The diamond necklace that flopped against her collarbone as she put it on sparkled in the light. It had been a gift from her Grandmother, the Christmas before last. All straight in a row were the stones, laying out to make a brilliant cross pendant that hung on a silver chain. It was never absent from Flick's neck, minus when she was in water and when she slept.

----- after finishing getting ready, she grabbed her shoes and bookbag and went back down the stairs. "Hey mom," she greeted her mother who was standing in the kitchen in her house robe and pajamas. Flick walked into the kitchen to also spot her father. "Dad," she added with a smile as she grabbed her car keys off the counter. Her father Alex kissed the top of her head, which wasn't hard since he stood at 6'3 and she was only 5'5. "Have a good day," he told her, as her mother came and gave her a hug. Then Flick was out the door and in her car. It wasn't a long drive to school, and when she got there she took her place in her usual parking spot. The door closed after her as she got out and walked into the school. Kids were already buzzing through the halls and she sighed to herself. Another day of work. It didn't bother her all that much really, but she'd rather be at home relaxing. Her first class was math, and she dreaded it. It was something she really didn't understand! But still, she dragged herself through the halls and into her seat in the class.

----- the period seemed to drag by, and Flick was getting tired of not understanding the work. So when the bell rang she practically flew out of her seat. She had english next, which besides vocal, was her favourite subject. She stopped in the hall to greet some friends, and then made her way to the class room. There was still awhile before class, because they had a generous break in between. But she decided to come straight to the room. Her seat was at the side, near the window. It was the best spot in the whole room. In her opinion at least. She was able to look out the window, which sometimes even gave her inspiration. And she could clearly see the board. Not to mention when it was hot, she could have a nice breeze directly beside her. Flick put her bag down and looked around. Even the teacher wasn't in the room yet. Shrugging, she reached over to the window and opened it up, sitting on her desk and looking outside.

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status: complete
tagged: carter hart
word count: 776
outfit: flick says click
banner to:

[/color][/font] myself (ZIP! at caution 2.0)
template to:[/color][/font] KARI BEAR !? of caution 2.0
notes: will be longer next time lol. hope this is okay! (: [/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[carter]

Taking a sip of water from the bottle on his desk, Carter glanced at his class, his dark eyes wide. Pulling the bottle from his lips and clearing his throat he continued to watch the unresponsive class of juniors, many looking like they’d rather be in bed… not that that stopped them from sleeping through class. It was their grade; they could sleep if they wanted to. It didn’t hurt his feelings. “Well, I know you guys must have something to say,” he prompted, seeing Owen Ray, one of the more active participants in class shift. Putting the water back to his lips he waited for her to ask her question, half choking when it came. “So Maya had sex with that guy to prove she wasn’t a lesbian only she really was?” “Um,” Mr. Hart began, his face a shade of red as he tried to think of how to answer the question. This was a Christian school, he had no idea how Now I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings got on the reading list. He coughed a bit from his water, clearly amusing the class, “Yes, societal expectations made her question herself.” Carter really didn’t know what to say other than that. Going any further in depth to the question could get him in trouble and if nothing else make him very, very uncomfortable. Talking about sex with a group of sixteen year olds was incredibly awkward.

Tossing a glance at the clock on the wall he realized class was almost over, a rather nice relief. Walking to the whiteboard he picked up an eraser and began to wipe away the colorful writing he done to explain the literary elements better. “Don’t forget your essays. I know it's prom weekend, but make sure you finish them up.” Half the class groaned at the mention of the essays, the other half seemed happy to be reminded of Prom. Carter planned on being there as he’d signed up as a chaperone. He actually wasn’t doing it because he had especially enjoyed his prom and wanted to relive his high school years or because he thought chaperoning a dance with rowdy upperclassmen would be fun. It had actually been Leah mentioning that she’d missed her prom babysitting her little sister. It was supposed to be a surprise for her. She had plenty of dresses that would work for the affair and as cheesy as it was Carter had even reserved a hotel room. She was getting her prom night experience, even if it was four years late.

The bell for the end of class rang and Carter returned to his desk to grab the quiz he needed to copy for his senior English class, following the juniors out of the room and gliding down the hall. He’d never thought that he would be back in a high school after his graduation. His original plan had been to ride horses and then he’d turned to journalism before realizing how unstable it was and choosing to teach instead. It didn’t matter how bad the economy was, people still sent their kids to school, maybe not fancy schools like Rowland Hall-St. Mark’s, but he could just as easily teach at a public school. Entering the language teacher’s work room he found the copier free. It was his lucky day he thought to himself happily, setting the paper beneath the plastic lid and set the copy to twelve copies. His senior English class was small. Well, really they were all small classes. That was the point of private school he guessed. His junior class and his journalism class had fourteen each. Even the track team that he coached only had twenty-two members.

He watched the papers shoot out, just waiting for the machine to malfunction and ruin his good fortune, listening to a few of the Spanish teachers laugh and chatter in a language he didn’t really remember much of. Suddenly he felt something vibrating in his pants and he squirmed for a moment before remembering he’d put his cell phone in his pocket and had it on vibrate. Usually he just left it on his desk with the ringer on. That way he could tell who was calling and whether or not to stop class to answer it, though no one really called him during the day that didn’t need him for some reason. He pulled the phone out and looked at front screen picture ID of his wife with his lips on her cheek. The full picture was the two of them at a luau in Hawaii on their honeymoon. He’d never thought of himself as a Hawaii kind of person, only choosing Hawaii to avoid waiting for passports, but it had been really nice. The whole eloping idea had really worked out well.

Flicking the phone open and putting it to his ear he answered, “Hey, Babe,” balancing the phone between his head and his shoulder as he gathered the papers and turned to leave the room, giving a little nod and a smile to one of his teacher friends that was waiting on the copier. “Really, already? Um, well, what time,” he asked, his eyebrows raised as he walked into the classroom, at first not noticing Flick sitting on her desk. He was so caught up in his conversation with Leah he wasn’t really paying attention to anything else. “Uh, yeah, I can cancel. It’s going to rain anyway. So Dr. Cooke’s then, at four,” he confirmed, only then realizing he had a student in the room right after mentioning the most popular obstetrician in Salt Lake. Then again, what was the chance she would actually know who the guy was? Flick wasn’t the kind of girl to be pregnant or anything; he knew that much about her from her essays and whatnot. He shrugged to himself and went back to his conversation, “Alright. I love you,” he told her before shutting the phone. He wasn’t afraid of saying those words, even in front of a student. He was weird about not saying it. What if he never spoke to her again? He didn’t want to take that chance.

Setting the phone on his desk he turned to Flick with a smile, “Hey, Flick. Ready for a pop quiz? Wuthering Heights,” he said with a little laugh, waving the papers before setting them aside on his desk for later. He smiled at his pupil before turning to pick up the papers he owed his class. He really liked her name pretty much since he’d seen it on his class roster. It was just… cool. He couldn’t really name his own daughter Flick though; Flick Hart just sounded really weird. Actually Hart was kind of a hard last name to work with he was discovering. When he’d married Leah they’d talked about hyphenating her last name for her career’s sake before realizing Caging-Hart sounded strange. Oh well, they’d find the right name eventually.

word count, 1163
outfit, click
picture, moi
lyrics, matt nathanson
notes, it's fine, hun.

[/size]

[flick lani austin]

little girl, you're in the middle of the ride
everything, everything will be just fine

----- the classroom wasn't very big. most of the classrooms were average size, seeing as most class sizes were smaller then average. It was perhaps a perk of private school. Flick really did prefer the small classes so she could get the one on one help she needed. Mostly in science and math though. Also, it was just nicer not having a loud bunch of immature teens jumping around everywhere. She glanced around once more at the empty room, just enjoying the quiet, then turned back to the window. It was fairly nice out, sunny with a few clouds. She could see students wandering the grounds since it was break, or in some cases, students had spares. Two people caught her eye, a couple she knew well. She smiled as she watched them hold hands and walk across the grass. A good friend of hers. 'Uh, yeah, I can cancel. It’s going to rain anyway. So Dr. Cooke’s then, at four.' Flick's head turned in the direction of the voice, wondering who was talking to who. Dr. Cooke's name was quite familiar and she was trying to remember who it was. But as she realized it was Mr. Hart, she turned back to face out the window, forgetting about it. Even if it had been a student, she probably would have anyways. It wasn't any of her business and she didn't go meddling into things.


----- not long after he had entered the room, the teacher had said his goodbyes and got off the phone. Flick's mind had wandered off from the name she had been trying to recall earlier as Mr. Hart spoke to her. 'Hey, Flick. Ready for a pop quiz? Wuthering Heights. The brunette smiled over, swinging her legs around as she hopped off the desk. The smile half vanished at the mention of a pop quiz. "Awe, come on Mr. Hart! Not fair," she laughed, because she was kidding and was sure he knew that. She loved everything to do with English and knew that he was well aware of that. Outside, you could hear the shouts of someone loudly. Brown eyes glanced over to see two boys chasing each other, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Leaning across the wooden desk, she shut the window before turning back to her teacher. Thankfully, it was quieter now. She didn't like unnecessary noises like that, at least, not when they could be avoided. Flick thought about it for a second, then wondered how she put up with so many kids... "Are those our papers?" she asked, nodding to the ones he was going through, walking over to where his desk was as she turned back to him. She couldn't tell if they were the quizes or the papers he was going to hand back. She was just hoping if it was the later, she had gotten a good mark.

----- flick had a passion for writing, and loved when they got more assignments to do so. Essays, reports, anything. She would happily obliged. Althought, quizzes weren't her favourite, and she wasn't about to jump on the desk out of happiness to do a quiz, she didn't really mind them at all. Not to mention Wuthering Heights wasn't bad either. It interested her and was a good read. Just like she had a passion for writing, Flick loved to read as well. Each week she would go through at least one book for school and one that wasn't for school. When she was little, her mom would always sunggle up with her on a Friday night in bed, and read her a story. When she grew older, Flick would start to read to her mom. Of course, she grew out of that long ago, but her love for reading still stayed strong.

----- tugging on the bottom of her shirt, she adjusted the material. It was wrinkled and she didn't approve. Then she pushed her straightened hair back over her shoulders, patiently waiting for Carter's response. He was one of her favourite teachers because he wasn't too easy going, but not to strict and he gav good lessons and really helped when she needed it. Her math teacher usually ignord her question, helping her get no where, which drove her up the wall.

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status: complete
tagged: carter hart
word count: 732
outfit: flick says click
banner to:

[/color][/font] myself (ZIP! at caution 2.0)
template to:[/color][/font] KARI BEAR !? of caution 2.0
notes: again, short! but it's cause i have to run [/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[carter]

Carter stared as Flick's dark eyes watched him for a moment before turning away. She didn't seem to show any recognition at the doctor's name nor did she seem all that interested anyway, which was a relief. Not that it really mattered if a student he was sort of friends with knew, or if anyone knew really. He was happily married, everyone knew that, including his students. He'd make a few allusions to the fact that he was married from time to time and of course his wedding ring never came off. He had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of and really he was too happy to care who knew anyway. Setting the quizzes down he made a witty joke, smiling at his student. He was in a chipper mood after talking to Leah about their baby. Nothing could bring him down in this moment.

He smiled as Flick told him his pop quiz was unfair, "Hey, I'm the one that has to grade them," he pointed out with a smile, "And I have prom this weekend, too." He figured she'd probably ask what he meant. He hadn't actually told the students that he was one of the chaperons for the dance. Gathering the essays off the desk he turned back around, his look still bright, "But I figure I'll let you guys have no homework this weekend. I mean it's senior prom. I'm sure you don't want to read any more about Heathcliff while you're getting your nails done." He laughed a bit, knowing in reality most of the girls found Heathcliff rather desirable for a book character. They had yet to reach the part of the novel where he barred against those that had betrayed him, bitter as any man really should be in the face of a woman that had turned their back on them. In some ways Carter could relate to Heathcliff's brooding; he had known the same pain, but happiness had found him again where it had completely abandoned Heathcliff.

Settling in the chair behind his desk for a brief time before the beginning of class when he would be up once again, he sorted through the papers, looking at the identically formatted headers for the one that read 'Flick Austin' on the top line. Finding it toward the bottom of the stack he slid it out, looking at the marks he'd made with his red pen. They were relatively sparing on her papers, much fewer than some of his other students. He could tell be the way she used good syntax, by the almost flawless grammar, that she really did care about the grades she got and about writing in general. She always did her reading and did well on quizzes. She was the kind of student that made him want to teach.

He glanced up as two students screamed outside the window. He was thankful that Flick shut the window. He was a man that liked the peace and quiet, or as much as he could get anyway. Looking up at the girl he jerked his head in his own direction, "Yeah, wanna take a look," he asked her. He'd graded most of the papers that morning but judging by the less scratchy handwriting he'd done hers before. He let her come behind his desk, not minding at all, looking at her paper for marks he might need to explain. "There were a couple of fragments, some passive voice, a grammar error here or there, but I thought your stance was good and the points well developed." The essays were all on the effects of pop culture in the population, and while he didn't entirely agree with her, she'd quite nearly convinced him of the validity of her thesis.

Chatting about the essay his eyes drew distractedly to the picture on his desk. Most of the pictures of Carter in the past few years had just him or him with Leah, but this picture was different. A third face, a tiny, bright, freckled face that clearly resembled his then girlfriend who stood beside him, was peaking her head over his shoulder from where she was on his back. It was the only picture he had of himself with his "daughter". Flick's mention of American Idol in her paper as his eyes scanned over the paper looking for things to explain had made him think of the little girl in the picture and her love for the show. It still hurt, Carter wouldn't lie. He seemed a bit more sullen as he looked back down at the paper, "Anyway, it's a ninety-six. Good job," he congratulated her, a definite change in mood overtaking him. He'd perk back up again, it was his way to have drastic mood swings, it wasn't anything he could help.

[/size]

[flick lani austin]

little girl, you're in the middle of the ride
everything, everything will be just fine

----- as it often did, her mind wandered slightly from the conversation, though she was still listening, on some level. She managed to hear what he was saying as she stared off into space, then snapped back to his face. She smiled as he commented that he was the one to mark them, and figured it was true. Because her math teacher had bad joint problems she often would get the students to mark their own test, as she sat beside them and told them the answers. Right or wrong, yes or no. Of course, that was only if there was time in class. Then she realized something. "Prom?"

[/colour] she repeated, looking a bit confussed. Yes, prom was in fact that upcoming weekend, and she had almost forgotten. Perhaps that was because she still didn't have a date. It really didn't bother her all that much, but it was her senior prom. It would be nice if someone asked her, but even if that didn't happen, she had no problem showing up alone. That wasn't why she was confussed though. "You're going to Prom Mr. Hart?"[/colour] she asked with a chuckle. It could be worse, it could have had her math teacher be there. She was strict and she was mean. Things would be less enjoyable with her around.

----- with Prom on the brain, she started to get anxious. Her and her mother had already gone out and got a dress for her, and shoes. Everything else like hair and nails would have to wait until the day of, of course. She figured since she didn't have a date now, she wouldn't ever have one. Oh well. There hadn't been one dance where she had a date, and it had never bothered her before. Flicker wondered if Mr. Hart would be bringing his wife. Like most, Flick knew he was married. She had even seen him with his wife before, who was very beautiful. The brunette had never actually talked to Mrs. Hart, but she seemed really nice. Flick had to admit, Mr. Hart was a cute face, but she would never look to pursue anything of it for so many reasons. She didn't think of him as anything more then a teacher that she was fairly good friends with.

----- stepping around to the other side of his desk, she glanced down at the paper with her name on it. She took it from his hand, and mumbled "Thanks," as she started to scan it. 'There were a couple of fragments, some passive voice, a grammar error here or there, but I thought your stance was good and the points well developed.' The hair on her haid moved up and down as she nodded, falling over her ears and in front of her face, where her neck bowed down to read the essay over. Well, more so the red marks then the actual essay. As always, she would take the comments and use them to make her next assignment better. He read out her mark just as she read it on the last page, bottom right hand corner. Looking up, she tucked her hair behind her ears on both sides. "Thanks you,"[/colour] she smiled happily, handing it back to him. She caught him looking back from the pictures on his desk, and she too let her eyes briefly glance over to the frames, before looking away to his face again. It was rude to snoop, she reminded herself. It wasn't of much interest to her anyways.

----- feet shuffling, she moved back to the other side of his desk, as to not invade his personal space. "so i've been looking into the journalism courses offered at Utah,"[/colour] she informed him kindly, since he had been the one to suggest she enter the field. To be completely honest, she hadn't made up her mind yet, whether to pursue a career involving english or a vocal career, as in a singer. But she wanted to share with him that she had taken his idea into consideration. She smiled, and leaned against one of the desks in the front row. University was something that she was anxious, excited and nervous for, surrounded by many other emotions as well. Staying close to home was a good thing, because she doubted she could stay away from her mom and dad. Her father, Alex, was quite wealthy and with her mother, had saved up a lot of her post secondary education. They both had put a lot into the savings account, and Flick felt so lucky to have what she had saved up. She had even contributed to it herself, making her feel even more proud that she would be able to say she had paid part of her way through school. Without question she had enough for the supplies needed for however many years. As for residence, she figured she would live at home.

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status: complete
tagged: carter hart
word count: 825
outfit: flick says click
banner to:[/color][/font] myself (ZIP! at caution 2.0)
template to:[/color][/font] KARI BEAR !? of caution 2.0
notes: n/a [/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[carter]

Sliding his hands in the pockets of his khakis he turned his head a bit to the side as she seemed to process that prom was indeed this weekend. His lips were a bit twisted with humor, finding it funny that a girl would forget. Most boys wouldn't even forget considering the after after prom party between the sheets, if they were lucky. Though not for that reason, Carter had loved prom. His high school had been small so all classes were invited and he'd gone every year, despite his hatred of dressing up. No, he had liked the simple glitz of prom, so different from the rest of the nights in a year. He had lived in a small town and for him most nights were spent staring out his window at the cows. But prom had been special, even if his date every year had been his best friend's twin sister for whom he had feelings that were nothing more than platonic.

Crossing one converse-covered foot in front of the other and setting the rubber toe on the tile, he chuckled slightly when she asked about him attending the event. "Well, someone has to keep you kids from dirty dancing," he said with a teeny smile. Even prom had its rules at a nice little school like RHSM. He'd been told to watch for bottles as well as the PDA and for some reason they had decided that he should be the dress code enforcer which could be interesting. Taking a liquor flask or telling a couple of teenagers to quit grinding was not so bad, he didn't mind saying that, but telling a girl her dress showed too much skin and she would have to go home and change was harder to say. It was just awkward because he was a guy. Excessive skin, even on a student, wasn't something he could completely ignore.

Giving a little nod of his head he offered an attempt at a smile and took the paper back, setting it aside. He didn't allow his students to keep their papers simply because he planned on reusing these topics next year since many went with the current reading. This paper had not, but many did and he was sure there were some students that wouldn't hesitate to use an older friend or sibling's paper. Running his tongue over his lips he leaned back in his chair as she walked around to the front of his desk. He really didn't care if she stayed behind the desk. Yes, he had pictures on his desk of his tiny family which was really just his wife and himself now, and the picture that included Keeli, but they weren't that personal. Otherwise his desk was just a desk, a sticky note here or there reminding him of something he needed to do or papers he needed to grade but aside from that it was as impersonal as a desk you might see in Staples.

Clicking the mouse to his computer it came to life, the screen glowing with his desktop, a dumb picture of his pit bull basically spooning him with her tongue lapping over his ear and making Carter's face crumple into half laughter, half disgust. Leah had taken it, exclaiming how adorable it was, and in a way he had to agree. Between the two of them there were probably thousands of pictures of each other or together even. Both loved photography, Leah more so than he, but even Carter owned almost a score of cameras. Really only the kids that had taken journalism with Mr. Hart knew how fond he was of taking pictures, and for that matter how good at it he was.

About to open up his own notes on Wuthering Heights he looked away from the computer toward Flick. Journalism had been his major for his BA and it was a good career to get into. Maybe a bit unstable, but better than a lot of careers. Carter had just decided he'd prefer to teach instead of going back and starting all over again at a beginning level job. It had been a good choice he thought. "It was my major," he told her with a half smile, something he hadn't mentioned before when it had come up, "It's a good career. Pay, hours, everything really." There was no point in saying he had been fired at a most inconvenient time from his job. It was just bad luck, he could have gone back and gotten another job, he'd just chosen not to.

[/size]

[flick lani austin]

little girl, you're in the middle of the ride
everything, everything will be just fine

----- as he spoke of dirty dancing, Flick could feel herself turn bright red in the cheeks. There was no way she would be one of those students, even if she did have a date. PDA wasn't her thing, never had been and probably never would be. Though, there had never been anyone to show public displays of affection with, even if there was, she would rather not. It was a more personal thing she felt shouldn't be shared for the world. Walking down the hall, there had been several times she saw students practically swallowing each others faces and she wasn't impressed. Besides, love was more then physical affection. Then agian, most students here probably didn't really know what love was. She found most couples dated not to long before declaring their love for one and other, then started making out in hallways and everywhere else as well. "Well then I'm glad to have you," she laughed lightly.

----- with Prom on the brain, she started to get anxious. Her and her mother had already gone out and got a dress for her, and shoes. Everything else like hair and nails would have to wait until the day of, of course. She figured since she didn't have a date now, she wouldn't ever have one. Oh well. There hadn't been one dance where she had a date, and it had never bothered her before. Flicker wondered if Mr. Hart would be bringing his wife. Like most, Flick knew he was married. She had even seen him with his wife before, who was very beautiful. The brunette had never actually talked to Mrs. Hart, but she seemed really nice. Flick had to admit, Mr. Hart was a cute face, but she would never look to pursue anything of it for so many reasons. She didn't think of him as anything more then a teacher that she was fairly good friends with.

----- she watched as he booted his computer to life, and tried to recall if she had left her computer on at home. Flick had her own laptop, like many students did, but didn't bring it to school with her everyday. It just got to much to carry at times, and the weight on her shoulder would really weigh her down. So on days she didn't need it, she would leave it on her desk, closed with the bright orange top facing up. As they often did, her brown eyes focused on a random corner in the room as she visualized her bedroom when she left: the bed was made with the white and green covers all tucked nicely into place; a pile of clothes sat on the chair at her desk that she hadn't had time to put away; and her laptop sat on the desk, open, with the desktop of her and a bunch of friends from youth group staring back at her. They were all smiles, on a day they had been going to a Switchfoot concert a couple years back. Flick smiled thinking of it, but then winced remebering it wasn't plugged in and the battery would drain all day. Not a good idea. Grabbing her cell from her pocket she quickly sent her dad a text message, hoping he hadn't left for his hospital shift yet. She quickly slipped the phone back into her pocket, hoping Mr. Hart wouldn't care. Though, she technically was still on break, and he wasn't very harsh.

----- just as she looked back to him, he looked to her, and she gave a smile. Flick was the kind of girl who was always smiling, and she couldn't help it. It was my major.' "Really? That's so cool," she told him with a nod. It's a good career. Pay, hours, everything really. Slowly she nodded, then shrugged her shoulders up and down. "I guess, pay and hours don't really matter to me, as long as it's something I love. You know?" she confided. Flick had thought about it a lot, and she wouldn't want to have a career she was okay with. For her to be really happy, she would have to love it. Money wasn't an issue at all, because she could be penniless and still be happy. From when she was born until when she was four, her and her mother Briar had barely anything to live off of, until Alex came along. He came from a wealthy family but that's not why Briar fell for him. What they had was true love, Flick knew it now. After he finished school he got a job as a surgeon, and the money kept raking in. Flick was used to it, but could survive without it. The brunette wasn't a spoiled rich girl, she was thankful for every blessing.

----- suddenly the name Dr. Cooke rang strong in her head. Flick had heard it before - many times. Her mother was pregnant and Dr. Cooke was the obstetrician. Flick's eyes widdened a little, but she managed not to say anything. So it seemed that Mrs. Hart was pregnant! A small smile crossed the young woman's lips and she tried to bite it back. That was so amazing for Carter! But she didn't want to say anything, because he probably didn't want his students knowing. Or maybe he didn't care? Flick just didn't want to make any mistakes by mentioning it.

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status: complete
tagged: carter hart
word count: 925
outfit: flick says click
banner to:

[/color][/font] myself (ZIP! at caution 2.0)
template to:[/color][/font] KARI BEAR !? of caution 2.0
notes: n/a [/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[carter]

Carter's eyes flicked up as he heard the sound of her fingers against the buttons of her cell phone, glancing at the device. He didn't really care, as long as students weren't texting in class. He did have a problem with that and he did take cell phones, which wasn't a move that made him especially popular, but he didn't have a lot of a choice. It was a school rule that he chose to follow. To him, the rule made sense, it wasn't just to make people mad. If these kids were going to college next year they needed to learn to actually pay attention in class because there it was not an option.

Leaning lazily back in his rocking desk chair he stifled a little yawn. It had been a long day already that had started early for him. Normally not awaking until six o'clock, he'd been up an hour early with Leah, holding back her pretty blond hair as she wretched into the toilet. It was awful seeing her so sick, but once it passed she was usually ok. It was just so odd, all these changes. He couldn't even begin to understand and for once he was very grateful he was a man and aside from support his part in the nine months ahead was pretty minimal. He wasn't the one that had to face morning sickness, and sore feet, and worst of all delivery. Already even in these early months he was gaining a new respect for them. Sure he'd acknowledged before that they were strong, but by now Carter would have just wanted it all to end and the hardest part hadn't even come.

Tilting his head to the side he gave a tiny smile at the naivety of her reply to the issues that in Carter's mind had to be considered. "Well yeah, I guess, I mean if you're going to be stay single forever," he said with a bit of a laugh, unable to see Flick as a nun, though Sister Flick had a nice ring to it. It was kind of an odd topic to be discussing, teacher to student, but what did it matter? Fact was there was not much of an age difference and anyway he couldn't lie and say that stuff really didn't matter. A passion for one's career was wonderful, he was glad both of his paths had been choices that brought him happiness, but if working the graveyard shift in a gas station was the only way to pay the bills he'd do it to support his family.

Turning back to the computer, but with an ear tuned to anything she'd have to say he hit the print button on his notes and the printer on the corner of his desk growled and then shot the notes out rather quickly. It was a new printer and worked well. If nothing else, working at a private school meant better supplies and more resources to assist him in teaching the class. Spinning back as he snatched the notes and set them aside for now he rocked in his chair once, twice, and then hopped to his feet, "I'm not saying to go like become a bounty hunter or whatever to pay the bills. Do something you love, but don't neglect the important stuff. Reciting poetry and squirting chocolate syrup on yourself is a legit occupation in LA, I've seen it, but while I'm sure she was happy I don't think it was really paying the bills all so well." He laughed and set his hands on his hips with a smile, turning his head to the side. Los Angeles had been an interesting city to call home for six years of his life, that was for sure.

ooc, hum, short but that's all I got. =(

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[flick lani austin]

little girl, you're in the middle of the ride
everything, everything will be just fine

----- if Mr. Hart was having a baby, she figured he must be overjoyed inside. He seemed the type to be a good father, and she figured it was something he wanted. Carter didn't seem like he would be uneasy about it, though Flick knew from experience that all parents got nervous sometimes. This was her mom's second pregnancy and but she still got nervous. Not so much about after the baby was born, but the conditions of the pregnancy. Her father was much more nervous about raising his first child when it was born. He had only been with Flick since she was four, and had never experienced taking care of a baby and raising a child from birth. But Flick had every confidence in him.

----- the brunette wrinkled her nose up slightly and a light pink colour rose to her cheeks. He was laughing at her, which was slightly embarassing. Though she wasn't the kind to be emabarssed to easily, when people laughed at her, she couldn't help it. Even though she was sure he wasn't trying to be mean, it felt humilating in the smallest. She watched him print what he had been looking at on the computer, then stand. 'I'm not saying to go like become a bounty hunter or whatever to pay the bills. Do something you love, but don't neglect the important stuff. Reciting poetry and squirting chocolate syrup on yourself is a legit occupation in LA, I've seen it, but while I'm sure she was happy I don't think it was really paying the bills all so well.' Flick raised an eyebrow slightly as he spoke, then shook her head. "I don't think money is important in life. As long as you're happy, God will work on worrying about the rest," she told him with a smile. Flick wasn't positive, but she didn't think that Carter had a strong relationship with God. She could kind of tell, but wasn't positive on his views on things. Flick herself had a passion for God. But she didn't know if this was a converstation they should have. Flick had simply stated that because of the converstation of careers and happiness and what not.

----- the way Flick saw it, you didn't need to be rich with money. If you had happiness, love and God, you were rich enough. That's how she saw it anyways. There were to many foolish people in the world who were obessed over money. In one of Flick's favourite songs, there was a verse The smartest thing is to give up everything. Only the foolish ones will hold on, hold on. Flick often thought of it as it's relation to God, since that's what it was about.

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status: complete
tagged: carter hart
word count: 474 ugh, so short! sorry <3
outfit: ignore this, i messed up!
banner to:

[/color][/font] myself (ZIP! at caution 2.0)
template to:[/color][/font] KARI BEAR !? of caution 2.0
notes: erm, sorry it is so short! ): [/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[carter]

Always one to be quite intuitive, Carter could sense that he had in some way offended Flick. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked most indignant with her chin lifted and her nostrils a bit flared. Of course he hadn't meant to offend her, that had not been his intent whatsoever. He had merely been giving his input. Leaning back against the smartboard, he slid his hands into the pockets of his khakis, tilting his dark head to the side as she spoke and then giving a shrug. "I can respect that," he said simply, his eyes on her. It took a lot of guts to say something like that to a teacher. Not that he especially minded because for the most part he did agree. Carter was a lot more faithful than she gave him credit for but it was more of a personal thing with him. One had to really know him to be able to tell where his beliefs lie.

Carter was a strong cynic though. It was just an innate characteristic, nothing he could explain exactly. He'd always sort of figured it had something to do with his depression problems, which were again just a thing he'd been born with. He'd only gone through two really bad points in his twenty-five years but they had been pure hell. It seemed such a contradiction to the romantic, sweet, and funny side most people saw. Fingering the band on his ring finger with another of his fingers inside his pocket he finally decided to say something more. "I'm not trying to step on toes or make you question what you believe. I just know from experience that priorities change," he said turning and picking up one of the pens and turning the technological monster that served as his whiteboard on.

Writing in his careful penmanship the beginning of the quiz prompt he spoke again, his eyes on the board, "I mean you get to this point where the only thing that matters is your family and you'll do anything for them. God opens the right doors and He'll make it so things work out, but you've got to be willing to take them." He glanced over his shoulder at the wealthy young woman that had probably never felt that way or seen it in her own family, "Believe me, you'll get what I'm saying someday. And if not, you gotta remember I'm a guy. My priorities are a bit different." He was just being honest. Once he'd said it didn't matter at all, he just wanted to be happy, and then he met Leah and Keeli and before he knew it his happiness just didn't matter. Theirs did, but not his. Of course he'd lost Keeli, but he still had a wife and now a baby on the way and his priority was providing for them. Not that he was a chauvinist, but he'd vowed to care for her and to him that meant ensuring no matter what that she had what she needed and at least some if not all of the things she wanted. Finishing the prompt with a period he set the marker down and scrubbed a hand over his cheek.

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[flick lani austin]

little girl, you're in the middle of the ride
everything, everything will be just fine

----- the nod she gave wasn't big, much like a child to the parent when they felt small in comparisson. 'I'm not trying to step on toes or make you question what you believe. I just know from experience that priorities change' Flick nodded her head and gave a fraction of a smile. She knew he wasn't trying to make her question anything, and that he wasn't trying to offend her. Flick was the same way, she would never say anything to purposely offend someone. She accepted that everyone had different beliefs and faiths. The last thing she would ever try to do would be to push her own beliefs on someone else or try to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

----- flick listened to him speak, and she really did understand. Love was self-sacrificing. She knew when she found the person she wanted to be with, she would do anything for them, but she knew God would always be the biggest part of her life. The young woman was a people pleaser. Her life was lived, it seemed, to please others. As long as she lived the life God wanted her to live, and was happy, she knew she would be fine. It was a sensitive subject. In a relationship, it isn't about yourself. It's about the other person, and their happiness. You put it before your own. But God is the center of a relationship, that's how she saw it. To make that possible, God had to be the center of your life.

----- after a moment, she spoke. "Well thanks Mr. Hart," she said slowly, after a moment. She didn't know what else to add. The talk of family, life and values wasn't a light one. It usually wasn't one you had with a teacher either, but sometimes, you found that one teacher who was a mentor, someone you could trust. Flick trusted Carter, and appriciated what he had to say. But it was quite a sensitive and opinated topic and the break was starting to end. The hallways were clearing out, and the students made their way into the classes. Before her's filled up, she looked back to Mr. Hart. She wanted to say it, and couldn't contain herself. "Um, Mr. Hart? I really hope it's not to rude of me, but... Congradulations," she said, not able to withhold a smile.

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status: complete
tagged: carter hart
word count: 405
outfit: ignore this, i messed up!
banner to:

[/color][/font] myself (ZIP! at caution 2.0)
template to:[/color][/font] KARI BEAR !? of caution 2.0
notes: running out of muse ): [/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[carter]

Carter rather enjoyed deep conversations that he and perhaps the other person he was talking with could take something from. He wanted his students to learn something more from him than good syntax. He gave a little nod when she ended the conversation and turned off the smartboard so the prompt was invisible until the multiple choice part of the quiz was completed. There was no point in wasting electricity. Setting the marker in the little tray at the bottom. As a trickle of students began to walk in he moved to his desk for the papers when Flick's voice met his ears. A big grin spread his lips as he looked up, "Thanks," he replied as the bell rang and students hopped into their seats, one skidding in a few seconds too late. He only gave tardies when he was in a bad mood. Clapping his hands and catching the attention of the students he picked up the quizes, "I've got presents for you guys!"

comments: the end. I just wanted to do a little something more.

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