Small Town Summers

School has just let out, and its time to relax. Or so kids hope.

Welcome to Newport. School has just gotten out, and the kids are free for sumer. Free to go swimming at the local pool, sit and chill at the corner cafe, or if they are daring enough, sneak into the abandoned old school building from when their parents were in school.

Code:

[b]Name[/b]
[b]Age[/b]
[b]Appearance[/b]
[b]History (optional)[/b]
[b]Personality (optional)[/b]
[b]Other (optional)[/b]

Name Terra Mansouri
Age 16 almost 17
appearance
--Eyes: light blue-grey. They change depending on the light and what she is wearing. Almond shaped.
--Hair: very light blond hair with different colors died in. She add more colors in or bleaches some away frequently, so on any given day her hair can change. Right now, she has a blue/purple/teal mix going on. She has side bangs that fall into her face
--Skin: A light pale skin with a pinkish undertone. Has freckles around her cheeks and across her nose.
--Height: roughly 5'3", but may wear heals.
--Build: has a very thin frame with few curves. Has a small chest, but isn’t really flat chested. 
--Typical Clothing: T-shirt dresses with leggings or something similar, all usually in bright colors. Sometimes will wear nicer shirts and some form fitting jeans. Always has a treble clef and music note necklace and a charm braclet with a flute and a piano charm.

Name Malik Harfert 
Age 18
Appearance
--Eyes: Light brown eyes.
--Hair: Curly chestnut brown hair. Not short, but isn’t a Jew-fro. Isn’t neat, but isn’t messy either.
--Skin: Alight healthy tan. Not pale, but not dark. Is just sun kissed, but more towards the pale side.
--Height: 5’10”
--Build: Pretty scrawny. Doesn’t look like he has any muscle to him.
--Typical Clothing: Geeky t-shirts usually portraying some anime, manga or comic book. 
--Other: has thick framed, rectangular glasses.

Name Roman McCall

Age 17, almost 18

Appearance Roman has dark blonde, slightly curly hair and fair skin. He’s not particularly the tallest, standing at around 5’10” and he’s got a medium build, fit with lean muscles. His eyes are dark green and lined with thick, light lashes. His skin is fair and he normally burns in the summer. He usually wears what some people would consider hipster clothes, but he just finds them comfortable. He has a bad habit of chewing his lips, so sometimes, they’re chapped. He also has freckles across his cheeks and arms and he wears a thin chain around his neck with a small cross on it to remind him of his childhood.


Name Leda Taylor

Age 16

Appearance Leda is around 5'4" and curvier than the average girls in her class, though she's not fat. She's tanned, almost golden brown, from her Hispanic roots and has long, curly black hair. Her eyes are large, almond shaped, and dark brown. She has full lips and high cheekbones. She wears white, horned rimmed glasses and always has a sweater on or some sort of clothing from a thrift store. She constantly wears skinny jeans. She has a beauty mark under her left eye and one on her jaw. She’s got scars on her thighs from acting on her self esteem issues. She always seems to have bruises on her arm, like finger lines, but she won’t tell where she got them. Her nails are constantly trimmed, just so she won’t bite them down from being nervous all the time.

Terra sat on the stage of the small town café, her ukulele in her lap. Her brightly colored hair was pulled up into a messy bun to keep it off her neck in the intense heat of summer.
Not many people were in the café at this time, but she made do with who was there. She played her instrument and sang softly, hoping to get the attention of someone at the tables or in line.

((I dunno how to start Malik yet :/))

Leda sat behind the counter of the cafe, her stomach twisting nervously, like it did whenever she started a new job and waited patiently for her training to start. She was just glad that it wasn't too busy. She tugged at the apron on her waist gently and looked down, uncomfortable. "Leda! C'mon, we got people waiting!" Someone a few feet down called to her. She jumped to attention and slapped a small smile on her face before getting to work like she should have been and trying to recall what she had been taught earlier that morning.

Roman walked the streets, out for the day because he was on another mission to clear his mind. That happened all too often with him, though. He always wanted to clear his mind or something. With his guitar strapped to his back, he walked down the crowded sidewalk and then stopped, hearing the frail sound of a ukulele being played. He stopped when he saw the girl playing and nearly laughed. "Hey! You!" He called over, feeling bold.

Malik stood behind the counter of the café drying a few mugs that had just been washed. He watched the people go on with their lives around him. His eyes fell on the new girl. Great, just what this place needed, Someone who didn't know what they were doing. Fantastic. He sighed and continued to tend to the chore at hand.

Terra looked up when someone called over in her general direction. The small crowd that had formed around her parted and glanced back at what caused her to momentarily stop playing. She stood an smiled at the group around her.
"Remember to donate to the animal shelter!" she told them before leaving and going over to the guy. She recognized him from around town, but couldn't put a name to the face.
"Yes?"


(should any of them know each other in this small town?)

Leda slid out order after order, feeling eyes on her at all times. She hated being under pressure like this. It was the whole reason that she quit her last job. It was just too much for her to handle. She felt her eyes drift to the clock over and over again, just waiting for her break. She glanced back to the boy who she had just met today and she could feel the tension. He didn't like her and she was forcing herself not to care. She jerked back, feeling something hot and looked down, her hand covered in spilled coffee. With a groan, she made a fresh cup and started cleaning.


Roman smiled widely. He hardly expected her to actually come over with so little caution. He had seen her a few times since he moved around, but that was it. He really didn't know anything about anyone. It was nice to just have a fresh start out here alone. Especially now that he had graduated and he could do whatever he wanted. "What do you know how to play?" He asked, looking down at the little instrument.

(Uhm... maybe the girls should know each other? Be friends or something?)

Malik sighed and went over to her. "Do you want some help?" He asked, trying to get his voice to sound as pleasant as possible. He glanced at her, but ended up looking away again. Sometimes he woundered why he worked here. If he didn't need the money....
Another sigh left his lips silently, and he started to help clean up.

Terra looked at him then down to her instrument. "Well... I can learn anything if given the time and possibly the music..." but that wasn't what he was asking. "I know a few songs, but I usually just play something I or my friends, have written. Especially for these gig type things."

Leda resisted the urge to roll her eyes and tried to keep her voice calm. "I got it. It was just a little spill." She jerked away a little when he started helping and bit her tongue, helping the next person. She couldn't tell if it was her that this guy didn't like or if it was just the job that was making him so irritable. Maybe he was just like that all the time. She had no clue, but she didn't like having to deal with it.

Roman nodded. "Play something," he said, nodding to the bench for her to sit down. He hadn't spoken to someone out of the blue in a while, and this was pretty nice. He smiled and sat down, watching her carefully. She seemed like she wouldn't be too opposed to playing him something.

Malik narrowed his eyes. Sorry for trying to be helpful.... He went back to his own section and started organizing the pastries. After the line died down, he turned to face her again. "So, whats your name?" he asked, looking we over. She didn't really look like the type to actually need a job. Of course, not many people here did.

Terra shrugged and sat down on the bench. She tucked one leg user her as she played and smiled over to him. "So, do I get to learn your name?" her fingers seemed to move on their own, plucking and pulling at the strings of the instrument.

Leda glanced up and wondered if he actually cared or if he was just trying to be civil. She knew she didn't actually care, but she told him anyway. "I'm Leda," she said softly, then pushed her bangs from her eyes. After a few more cups of coffee being made and pastries being sold, she decided to let the others know she was going on her break. There were three others there, so it was fine to go out back. Once she was alone, she leaned against the back of the building and pulled out a cigarette. She lit it, took a long drag, and closed her eyes.

Roman laughed and shook his head, slinging his guitar over his shoulder and setting the case beside him. He began playing along, something different than she was, but just going on her music with something that tied in. He was glad that it sounded okay, too. Jamming out without harmony was horrible. Like... Like... Cereal without milk.

Malik watched and manned the counter as the new girl went on break. He really couldn't tell if she just didn't like him or just didn't like it here. He couldn't blame her if she didn't like it here. Here sucked.

Terra glanced at him as he played with her. She stopped suddenly and put her ukulele down. "I'm Terra, by the way." she just looked at his guitar. "How did you learn how to play? And when? And do you teach?" she asked the questions quickly, but shut up right after the last word left her mouth.

After her cigarette, Leda rubbed her eyes and groaned, heading inside and washing her hands before going back to her work. She didn't even't glance at the boy who has spoken to her. Instead, she just focused on smiling, working, and making it until the end of her shift. She was just glad she wasn't closing. That would probably drive her crazy. Instead of letting time get to her, she just smiled and counted the people in the cafe. Five. It was slow today. So slow.

Roman chuckled softly, his fingers still moving across the strings. "Self taught, four years ago, and yes," he said, answering all of her questions in one breath and then grinned at her. His music stopped and his grin didn't fade. "I'm Roman. Nice to meet you, Terra!" She seemed genuinely kind and it was refreshing from his previous environment. She might be important to keep as a friend.

Malik was washing down tables when the girl came back in. He glanced over to her and looked away again before rolling his eyes. Once he finished the table he was on, he walked over to the counter. He tossed the wash clothe onto the space next to the sink. "I'm going to go on break." The statement was directed at the girl, but he didnt care if she heard him. Malik grabbed his bag and went to an empty table in the corner. He pulled a paperback manga out of his bag and flipped to his page holder to continue reading.


Terra nodded at what he said. "Think you could teach me?" She asked out of the blue, watching his fingers as he played. "And it is very nice to meet you, Roman. I like your name. Its...unique." Unique is something she loved.
Luckily, this wasnt one of her off days. Every now and then Terra would have...issues being social. She was glad that she was .... somewhat normal today and not her shy and squeaky self.

Leda nodded slightly and took his place, washing down tables where he left off. She chewed her lip slightly and pushed her bangs from her eyes. Only 20 more minutes and she could leave and not have to worry about coming back until tomorrow. With a push of will, she finished the tables and then went back to clean the coffee machines. She knew she didn't like work, but it was something. It was money. It got her away from home and away from her own mind.

Roman's smile seemed to be endless. "Thanks," he said and then nodded, "yeah, I could definitely teach you if you wanted." He had all the time in the world now. Well... Until fall, when he went off to college. If he was going to go. He was still on the fence. He had always wanted to see if he could make it as a musician, to see if he could make it without formal education. All he wanted was to make his parents see how wrong they were.

Malik continued to read his book, not glancing up at the new girl. He had set the timer on his watch to tell him when his break was over, so he didnt even have to look up at the clock to disrupt him.
About ten minutes later his watch went off. He marked the page he was on, tossed his book back into his messanger bag and went back to work.
"I'm sorry if I came off as cold," He told the girl, Leda she said her name was. "I'm Malik." He wouldnt look at her while he spoke and worked though.


Terra smiled. "That would be wonderful. Oh, and if you ever want to test out a crowd or something, the Cafe usually lets people come and play gigs. I usually come on Wednesdays and any other days I'm free. They welcome new talent and almost never turn anyone away." She didnt know why she felt the need to share that. Maybe it was just her helpful side coming out.

Leda basically shrugged him off and kept working. She knew it wasn't the best idea to be disassociating from people so early in a job, but she did work better alone. With her luck, though, this would backfire and get her fired or something. She sighed and kept working as quickly as she could, preparing new coffee and setting up the machines for the next shift. Silently, she glanced back up to the boy and down quickly, in fear of being caught.

Roman nodded. "Maybe once I teach you enough, we can jam there sometime," he suggested and smiled. She seemed cool, helpful even. "What days are you free to learn?" He asked, cocking his head slightly.

Malik glanced at her an sighed when she said nothing. He isn't want tension in the work place, but she was making it impossible to be relaxed. He continued to clean until the bell rang, signaling his shift was over. "Goodbye." he said kindly, or as kind as he could. He walked off, leaving her be.

Terra smiled. "I'd like that." when he asked her when he could start teaching her, she pulled out her planner from her shoulder bag and flipped through the colorful pages. "We can start tomorrow, if that is okay with you, and go any time or day you or I don't have a gig."

Leda's head snapped up when the bell went off and the first real smile of the afternoon came onto her lips. She wrapped up her apron and put away all her things as the people from the other shift came in and prepped. "It's been slow," she said to one of them and headed out as well, her fingers fiddling with another cigarette and she finally got it lit, looking around for her car. She let down her messy hair and spotted it across the road in an abandoned parking lot that only had a few cars.

Roman nodded and smiled. "Alright. Tomorrow it is! So, do you wanna meet somewhere public or would you rather stop by my place or something?" He asked, chewing his lip. Maybe he was being to bold, offering his house. Maybe she thought he was some perv or something, but she was just being nice about it.

Terra bit her lip and thought. "Well, there is the park and The Building..." The Building was what most of the kids around called the old abandoned school building. She had gone there frequently enough to not be as scared of it, and it was by far the most secluded place in town. No one went there anymore. And despite what she wanted to think, Terra was still terrified of that place after dark. "But if you would rather we work at your house, we could."

Roman shrugged slightly, his smile faltering a little. "I don't really care," he said honestly. He didn't know what the 'Building' was she was talking about, so none of it really mattered to him as long as he got to spread the music. Cheesy, but still, it was the main part of his life and he couldn't let it go.

Terra thought for a few seconds, glancing down at her instrument then at him. "Your house would work." She finally decided, a smile wide on her face. Was it possible that she had made a new friend? Hopefully she had, because Roman seemed like the kind of person who she would want to be friends with.
Her watch buzzed, telling her the next hour had just started. She glanced down, then jumped to her feet. "Crap! I'm supposed to meet my friend Leda like... Ten minutes ago." she grabbed her ukulele case and carefully tossed her instrument in and snapped it closed. "It was wonderful meeting you." she took a bright real sharpie from her back pocket and took his hand quickly. Before he could object, she scribbled her phone number onto his hand. "there's my number, and I have really gotta run. See you tomorrow!" she sprinted off, stumbling over her own feet and barely skimming past people when she ran, not even glancing back at him.

(I hope it's ok I put her at meeting Leda, seeing as they are friends(?))

Leda sat in the drivers seat with her door open, waiting for Terra with a cigarette between her fingers. A thin line of smoke blew between full lips. She stood up, waving her friend over, a smile forming quickly. "Hey! What took you so long?!" She called across the parking lot. She popped the trunk for Terra to put her instrument and the got out, looking through the crowded trunk before slamming it closed. Instead, she opened up the back door and took her seat again.

Roma put away the number and pocketed the 15 dollars that passerby's had dropped in his guitar case and went home, kind of chuckling to himself. He didn't expect to have made that much money. Or to make a friend so quickly and get to do something he loved.

Terra smiled and carefully put her ukulele into the back seat before closing the door and hopping into the passenger seat. "Sorry, met a cute guy. Had to chat with him." she laughed an buckled herself in. "How was work?" she glanced over to her best friend with a grin on her face.

Leda raised an eyebrow and looks at Terra pointedly. She groaned and rolled her eyes. "It was awful. I'm pretty sure one of the guys there hates meet." She wiped her brow and then grinned. "Not like I care, though," she said, taking another drag on her cigarette. "And a cute guy? Spill!"

Terra looked at her friend. "hate you? That isnt possible!" She gasped in mock shock and laughed. The start of their friendship had been a rocky one. But somehow over the years, the two girls grew extremely close.
"Just this guy who called me over as I was playing my gig. He is going to teach me to play guitar. We just need to find a place. Either the park or The Building right now." She let that last sentence hang in the air. The Building would be the most private, and there was no way she was taking him home. But The Building also had its moments of scariness. "But there is no way I am taking him to my place. You know my mom." Terra's mom had a huge problem with her love of...well everything. She had wanted t Terra to be this brilliant kid in school who only cared for her studies. But in contrast to her mom's hopes, Terra was the opposite. She was barely scraping by in school and 'too involved' in the arts.