Post by JACQUELINE CHERIE ARMSTRONG on Mar 3, 2013 11:22:56 GMT -8
| [atrb=style,width: 420px; background-color: efefef; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/6jh1H.png); padding: 5px, bTable] JACQUELINE CHERIE ARMSTRONG TWENTY-THREE | HETEROSEXUAL | WAITRESS | LOCAL | SIERRA KUSTERBECK THE INTERVIEW HELLO. THANKS FOR COMING IN TODAY. SHALL WE START WITH YOUR NAME? Her hazel eyes awkwardly look around for a few moments before she begins to speak. She's evidently puzzled. "You're welcome, I guess? I'm not really sure what you need this for." She pulls her legs up onto the seat so she's sitting cross-legged. Well-worn army boots are laced tightly around her feet, a floaty black skirt and sheer black tights cover her lower half. The band-aid tattoo on her left knee is just visible underneath. She has never cared much for the way that other people perceived her, as long as she was comfortable. "My name is Jacqueline Cherie Armstrong. Not a relation to Billie Joe or Neil, unfortunately." This could be intended as a joke, but something in the way that she speaks gives a hint of disappointment about this fact. "Two of my names are French and one is Scottish, I don't think that they have any relation to my heritage. Take all of the meanings and my name is 'May God Protect Dear Strong Arms'. Not sure what my parents were thinking." Jacqueline gives a small shrug of her shoulders towards the end of the second sentence. Sometimes, it's difficult to decipher when she's actually joking and when she's not. "I'm not very religious but, I suppose my arms are kinda strong. For a chick. But most people just call me Jac." THAT'S A NICE NAME. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING? "Me? I'm just a waitress. It's not the best job in the world but it could be worse. It was the best thing I could find on such short notice." Her tone remains nonchalant and the girl doesn't divulge exactly what she means by "short notice". "I'll admit that it wasn't exactly what I pictured myself doing when I was in high school but you have to start somewhere. Megan Fox used to work in a smoothie bar and had to dress up as fruit... I don't mind waitressing for a while as long as it means that I can support myself." INTERESTING. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN? "I mainly dance, sing and play the piano - but they're more than just hobbies, y'know? They're passions." There's a twinkle in her eyes as she emphasizes the word, leaning forward and growing more animated as the topic shifts into something she's really interested in. "My dancing is pretty personal, it's how I escape from everybody and get some time to myself whilst doing some exercise. What I really want is to pursue a career in music and I don't care how hard I have to work to get there. The rest of the time I like to read, watch TV - Adventure Time, The Amazing World Of Gumball, How I Met Your Mother and 2 Broke Girls, please - play video games... I've also just found a weekly open mic night at one of the local bars... oh, and go out on adventures. I haven't been in Brunswick long. I've visited before but now that I'm living here I have more of an opportunity to look around and explore the places I've never visited before. It's only a small town but there's lots to see if you look in the right places." Her head tilts, searching through her mind to gather more facts to share. In a normal situation, she would never be this forward about sharing information with somebody she just met. "I really love penguins, I have done for as long as I can remember. That documentary narrated by David Tennant is the best thing on TV right now. I try to appreciate the little things, you know? The simple pleasures when everything else isn't going right. Chocolate soy milk every day at breakfast. Swimming. Freshly baked bread, cake, cookies, crumble... Food in general. Anything penguin related. Long drives. Red velvet anything. Late night conversations. Sunshine. Ice cream. Spontaneous day trips. Getting things in the mail... and Bacardi and coke." These are the things that Jac holds dearest, not including people. She holds on to these things, locks them away inside her chest not to be shared with anybody else. "They're the fastest ways to my heart. Usually through my stomach," she giggles, a bright smile. This is quite unusual for her. "I don't like snobs. Like, because I'm not blonde and my nose is pierced and yes, I have tattoos, apparently that gives people a right to turn their nose up at me. Fuck them." She isn't one to swear but it's one of the few things that makes her blood boil. "I don't really like guys who think that any woman will fall at his feet if he winks at her. No thanks. I don't rate very highly of anybody who pretends to be somebody that they aren't." It's clear that Jacqueline hasn't had the best experiences with people during her twenty-three years. "I don't like coffee. I know some people would say that's blasphemy but... it just tastes like tree bark. Fashion trends, because when everybody dresses identically I get so frustrated. People eating my food. Headaches. Justin Bieber. I can't stand reality TV - unless it's good. Then I'll allow an exception. Winter's awesome at first but then I just get so fed up of being cold. Also, rats. I'm not scared of them but they're awful creatures. If I ever saw one I'd end up trying to hit if with a broom like I was in some cartoon." WOULD YOU SAY THOSE ACTIVITIES REFLECT WHO YOU ARE? "Uhm, I guess so. I mean it depends how you look at it." Jacqueline gathers her hair over to rest on her right shoulder as she mulls the question over in her mind. "I know that my music and my dancing represent who I am because, that's how I express myself. And they're things that I do for myself. A lot of people assume that I must have been forced to play piano as a kid but it's something that I wanted to learn. I try and be quite gung-ho and proactive like that. Plus I, uhm, didn't make a lot of friends when I was younger... I was quite a tomboy. I was also kind of opinionated and stubborn - what am I saying, I still am. But little kids can't really handle that stuff the same way. They all thought I was weird and I thought they were weird. Once I dived on this kid because he spat a 'your mom' joke at me. He didn't actually know about my mom but I didn't stop to ask him. I can be short-tempered, sometimes to the point of violence. It's something that I'm trying to learn to control. I'm pretty pugnacious and it's a problem. I always fight for what I believe in and I'm too stubborn to back down unless I know that I'm wrong. I've landed myself into plenty of trouble before now. The lack of friends has made me quite independent, which is a good quality, but I'm perhaps a little too independent. I almost push people away if I'm not careful. I can be wary of people when I first meet them which doesn't always make the best impression. I've had one relationship and it wasn't exactly the best experience. I'm not sure if you can call it a relationship... I thought that he was going to make everything okay but he ignored me just like my dad did. When I want something then I'll make sure that I get it, as long as what I have to do is within reason. Don't expect me to be trading sexual favors or drug smuggling any time soon. Overall... I suppose you could just say I'm pretty rebellious. I don't like to take anybody's shit for a second longer than I have to and if I want something changing then I'm not afraid to say so. From time to time I'm just a little bit... unfortunate, I guess. I'm not looking for sympathy, I just think that karma owes me big time for some of the things it's thrown at me." COOL BEANS. THEY SAY YOUR FAMILY SHAPES WHO YOU ARE. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOURS? Her shoulders tense at the mention of family. She's never had that good old nuclear, cookie-cutter lifestyle. She leans back into the chair again, pulling both of her feet up to the left and leaning on the right arm of the seat. "I live with my cousin Marshall." The words are more abrupt than she really intends them to be. Aware of this, her next sentence is softened. "But he's more like my brother. Otherwise I'm an only child." Jacqueline takes a deep breath in, not really wanting to elaborate any further, but feeling like it's her duty to carry on. "My mom died during childbirth so I never met her... It's weird, really, because I can only yearn for the idea of her. You can't miss something that you never had to begin with. Sometimes I wish that I could swap my dad for her because he's never seemed to care about me. He spent so much time working when I was a kid and when he was home he used to go golfing or something. I wonder if he blames me for what happened to my mom, resents me for it... He recently married this awful bottle-blonde who I refer to as The Stepford Wife. She's nearly my age. The gold-digger must be desperate." A hand is raised, ran through her dark hair. "I'd like a family of my own someday if I ever find the right guy. I'd do everything within my power to make sure that my kids got the best upbringing possible. I'd encourage them to pursue their dreams, be themselves and do what they want... to an extent." AND YOUR LIFE? TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PAST. I'M EAGER TO HEAR. Jacqueline considers this for a few moments, her position flipping as her right side begins to ache. "There isn't much else I can tell you that I haven't mentioned already. Nothing really... exciting or eventful has ever really happened. When I was growing up I spent a lot of time staying with my grandparents because my dad was always working." It dawns on her that she didn't mention her grandparents when she previously talked about her family, feeling a little guilty. "It was awesome because they actually liked me! I'm kidding. Kinda. We used to go out on day trips and they'd get me ice cream or a little toy or something. I've kept everything that they've ever bought me in a little box under my bed. They're the nicest people you'll ever meet, honestly. They make sure that I see them at least twice a year, once in summer and again at Christmas, but I try and make it more when I can. One benefit of being in Brunswick is that I'm closer to them." She smiles, consoled by the fact that she's now closer to the half of her family that she likes. "Like I said, I didn't have a lot of friends so I used to just do my homework and read or watch TV so I decided to do something more productive with my time. It was the piano that I learned first, there was a lady who lived a few blocks down the street who taught me how to play. Mrs. O'Dwyer. Every Friday afternoon without fail. It was my favorite day of the week. She was the one who got me signing, she told me that I had a lot of potential in my voice and taught me how to use my diaphragm. I think she used to a lot of theater stuff before she had children, she used to tell me stories and show me pictures of the costumes. It was so interesting. The dancing I think started when I saw some program on TV. It all opened up a whole new world to me because I could express all of this pent up anger that I kept shutting away inside. So... that carried on for a few years. I got into some fights. Still didn't make any friends. I started high school... Puberty had hit by this point. I had boobs, so boys took more of an interest in me, but only for my body. I lead one or two of them on just for sport but they were pretty boring. More dancing, more singing, more piano playing... I had a phase of partying but the appeal was eventually lost on me. There were a couple of drunken one night stands that I'm not exactly proud of. Otherwise I did quite well in school. I had a lot of time on my hands with few distractions so my homework was never late and I spent time studying for tests. I graduated with good grades but I felt that college wasn't right for me at the time. I may go one day if my other plans fall through but, I think I would've ended up going for the sake of it and not taking as much from it as I could. I had a few little jobs or internships now and again for something to do. But I never really felt fulfilled. That was when the warning signs appeared. Things started to get worse, I was slowly spiraling downwards and I didn't know what to do about it. I just danced and sang like my whole life depended on it because it was all I could do to make myself feel better. I was twenty-two when I met Him. It was in a bar... I was so tired because I'd spent most of the day dancing. He was older than me, not Hugh Hefner old but definitely older. He was such a smooth-talker, he seemed genuinely interested in me. I thought... I thought he'd make everything okay again. But I was wrong. He ignored me just like my dad did, I believe he even cheated on me, but still thought that he had a right to view me as his property. Throwing money at me as if it would make me stick around. Clothes, shoes and perfume all the time. I still felt so empty. I think he made things worse. I told Marshall that I needed a change and we made a plan for me to move to Brunswick... without telling Him." Silence. "He was so drunk he couldn't stand, kept calling me Jocelyn. All I could smell was smoke and cheap perfume and he was covered in body glitter. It was the last straw." Her fingers find her boot laces, twirling the black rope around. "I only got here a couple of days ago and I can't believe I wasted six months with him. But I'm trying not to dwell on it. I have a new start here and I couldn't be happier. I'm going to make up for all the stupid things I did in the past and spend time with the people who care about me." What about a secret? Everyone has a secret. Jacqueline studies the interviewer for several moments, wary of the personal information that she has already shared and is about to share with this near-stranger. "I think that I had, may still already have, moderate depression. I refuse to see a doctor about it because I don't want them to confirm what I already know. I seem to be convinced that some day it's just going to go away or I'll magically find something to fill up the hollow feeling in my chest, even though I know full well that this isn't true." She's proud of herself in a way, as she's kept her cards so close to her chest they've been suffocating her for almost a year. It's the one thing that not even Marshall knows about her. "But when I'm having a really bad couple of days, I'll dance for hours and hours to get it off my mind, try and get some endorphins flowing... I'm scared that I'll injure myself if I don't get help soon." ALRIGHT. TIME'S ALMOST UP. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DREAMS. QUICK! A look of panic waves over her face. "Oh god, don't rush me! My ultimate dream would be to be a successful musician, or at least do something with music somehow. Or maybe teaching dance or music because Marshall does a similar thing and the kids are so cute. At the very least I want to have kids of my own and give them the best upbringing I possibly can." AND THAT'S A WRAP. IT WAS NICE GETTING TO KNOW YOU. "That... wasn't as bad as I expected? I spent so much time rambling. I just kind of, spilled my guts everywhere. Thanks for your time." Jacqueline stands, brushes down her shirt and pulls on her beaten up denim jacket and pulls her hair out of the neck before sliding her hands into her pockets and walking out of the room. BEHIND THE MASK PHOEBE | SEVENTEEN | GMT | ADVERTISEMENT | COMING VERY SOON The whole situation felt slightly surreal to Ashlynn, and she was still trying to wrap her head around it, with some difficulty. It was the very last thing she had been expecting when she had gotten out of bed that morning. True, she had wondered what would happen if Mitchell ever came back on a pretty regular basis, but not once had she ever considered the possibility of it actually happening. But it was. He was here, right in front of her. The part that she struggled to deal with the most was the way he had just disappeared with no word of a warning and now, he had just suddenly reappeared in Newport, practically out of thin air. Spontaneity just wasn't the word to describe it. The world worked in funny ways, but she refused to allow herself to fill her mind with thoughts that it was destiny that had brought Mitchell back to Newport. There was a small, warm glow coming from inside as he said how much he had missed her. "I'm glad that you're back," she whispered, half hoping that he didn't hear her because of how downright cheesy she sounded. To be honest, Ashlynn was just happy that Mitchell still remembered who on earth she was, never mind to go as far to say that he had missed her. It didn't matter how hard she tried to make herself look like a hard-ass who didn't give a damn about anybody or anything, Mitchell could make her weak in the knees with even the simplest of small gestures. He knew all of the right buttons to press to make her heart melt inside of her rib cage, and he was (most likely) utterly oblivious to it. So she hoped. The girl tried to hide her feelings for him, she really did, but sometimes she wondered if he could see straight through her. She allowed herself to mirror his smile, wondering if she was doing the right thing - it was difficult to judge what one was supposed to do in this sort of situation, but she didn't see the harm in allowing her happiness to show. That warm, dewy glow quickly faded as Ashlynn witnessed the smile quickly fall from Mitchell's face, sending her sub-conscious into overdrive. Oh no. She had said the wrong thing and touched a nerve. This was surely the part where the possible fairytale came crashing down around her and the nightmare slowly began... Or maybe she was over-reacting in just the slightest. She chewed her lips repeatedly as she anticipated an answer, a confirmation that she was jumping to conclusions. As she listened to his eventual reply, she almost wanted to lean over and give him another hug to comfort him, swiftly deciding against it. "I understand." Ashlynn spoke in low tones, with a small frown upon her face. She had experienced exactly the same feeling every time she brought herself to pick up the phone, just before she dialed his number. Not only had she been hesitant about whether he even had the same telephone number, but there was also the larger dilemma about what she would say on the off chance that Mitchell did pick up the phone. The various combinations of built-up emotions were like a heavy weight she was constantly dragging around. Parts of her were afraid that calling him would open the flood gates and everything would come spilling out at a speed that she couldn't control. Ashlynn's biggest fear had been that she would end up telling him how she felt about him and desperately begging him to come back to Newport before she even had a chance to think about what she was saying. It was safe to say that the girl had a knack for taking even the most drastic possibilities into consideration. "Maybe... maybe give me more of a warning next time?" She asked, a faint quiver in her voice as she tried to find a little bit of comic relief in the moment. Moving was something that people usually knew about at least a few months in advance. Why couldn't he have given her even the smallest of warnings? One eyebrow quickly raised and an amused expression danced across her face as she barely heard Mitchell accuse her of lying. There was something about the way he said it that fired off that little spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same about her as she did him. The warm glow she had previously been feeling in her chest shifted into her cheeks, hoping that he paid no attention to the blushing that would ensue. He was just being polite, surely. The funny thing was, it really didn't matter whether any of the guys in her school paid attention to her or not, because she had concluded some time ago that none of them were worth her time. It wasn't a complete lie, a large majority of them were just arrogant assholes, or jocks - Ashlynn and sports wasn't the best combination - but it was also because she still had feelings for Mitchell. It was foolish and she knew it: pining after some random guy in school who didn't know her name was different to longing for your best friend who disappeared several years ago but you were still in love with. Now that he was back, she had to deal with her feelings - she couldn't keep running from them and shutting them away in a locked box at the bottom of the sea and spending the rest of her life alone, but she didn't want to go and stomp all over the greatest friendship she had ever had. "I know, right? I'm so big and scary. I could wrestle a bear with my bare hands!" Ashlynn's words became slightly muffled with giggles, She was joking completely, considering she had always been on the short side and would most likely run away screaming if she was ever faced with a bear, not attempt to beat it up. It was her anger that sometimes slipped out of control, often shouting and storming around school when something happened that she disagreed with. She was a specimen all of her own. Ashlynn turned her head away from Mitchell, looking out across the vast amounts of water that stretched out ahead of them. The sea was still today, a peaceful sheet of colour that went on for miles. It intrigued her when she thought about how something so beautiful could simultaneously be so dangerous and destructive. She remained in the same position as Mitchell made himself quite comfy, lying down in the sand. By now she had become so distracted that she didn't really notice, but there was still a voice in the back of her mind shouting at her. Mitchell had been gone for multiple years and only just got back (and she still didn't know anything about what had happened) and she was getting distracted by the sea. The same sea that she could have walked a few steps and seen every day whilst he had been gone. Without realizing, she frowned gently to herself - all that little voice ever seemed to do was yell, constantly criticizing her in one way or another. She needed to stop listening to it, or even better: shut it up altogether. Her attention returned to her best friend, suddenly perking up. She had an immature urge to do something silly like throw sand at him or jump on him, something as equally as random, but she snapped herself out of it as she reminded herself that she wasn't a little kid anymore. It was probably time for her to act her age. Ashlynn watched him as he lay there, looking to the sky, wondering what he was thinking about. She was curious about his take on the situation. What was going on inside of his mind, whether it was as crazy as hers was. Whether he thought she had changed, and if so; in what ways? For better or for worse? She couldn't help herself. She just wanted to get inside of his head and find out everything that there was to know, make up for all of the time she had missed, find out what had happened whilst he had been gone. Of course, she couldn't say no as he told her to lie down next to him. Ashlynn scraped her hair around onto one shoulder, trying to work out the best way of doing this without ending up with her hair filled with sand. She paused for a moment before allowing her arms to drop. Why bother? It wouldn't kill her not to give a crap for a change. She turned herself around so that they would both be lying in the same direction, instead of head to toe. Just before she went to lie down, Mitchell laughed at what seemed to be nothing in particular, startling the girl slightly. "...Are you alright?" Ashlynn asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she playfully prodded him in the side before making herself comfy next to him. The sand was pleasantly warm underneath her and there was another gentle heat, radiating from Mitchell's direction, as her body became aware of how close they were to each other. She had tried to place herself at a distance that wasn't creepily close or unsocially distant from him, but she didn't know about his judgment on it. What if he thought that she was too close to him? Imagine how easier life would be if she just told him... "By the way, you can be the one who brushes all of the sand out of my hair." Ashlynn turned and pointed a finger at him in addition to her verbal threat, a small laugh as she did so. She wasn't even sure why she had said it, mainly just as a distraction to save herself from thinking anymore about her feelings for Mitchell before she did something silly. Oh, there was plenty of time left yet. |
