a penny for your thoughts? ;; jamie!

[CLEO EVERETT]

Who carried around nickels, but not pennies? She could understand quarters, and maybe dimes, but nickels? What could somebody buy with nickels? They couldn’t even wish for good luck with nickels. You needed a penny to do that. Why a penny, anyway? What was so great about pennies? They were just one measly cent. If you couldn’t buy anything with nickels, you certainly couldn’t buy anything with pennies. Cleo didn’t even know why she was standing here, thinking about it all. She’d been on her way to Bath & Body when she saw a little girl toss a penny in. She’d made a face of concentration before joining her mother and skipping away. So, Cleo had stopped by the fountain to toss in a penny of her own. Except she didn’t have any. Go figure. Hands on her hips, Cleo glared into the water, watching other sorts of change glitter in the light. There were dimes in there, and nickels and quarters, but that wasn’t real. It wasn’t legit. You had to use pennies.

Digging through her wallet once more, Cleo was all the more frustrated when she came up with nothing. Alright, that was it. She’d just have to ask somebody. Surely, it wouldn’t be a big deal to part with one penny. “Oh no, I’m one cent shorter, boo hoo, wahh.” As if. Cleo turned and scanned the crowd. She didn’t want to ask anybody too much older than her. She couldn’t ask anybody that was with somebody else because then she’d be interrupting a conversation and that would be rude. Maybe if she could just find somebody who was around her age… Ah! There! He should be fine. Approaching the boy rather quickly so she wouldn’t lose him, Cleo tapped him on the shoulder. Cleo was ready to ask her question, but the moment he turned around, she was speechless. He… there was something very familiar about him.

Before her curiosity could get the best of her and scare him away, Cleo got her question out of the way: “Uhm, hey. You wouldn’t happen to have a penny, would you?”

notes; BAM.
words; 353
outfit; juniper breeze!

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Ahhh, Jamie loved the fountain. It was like a bench with a soundtrack. He loved the splish-splash of the water and the plop noises of all the pennies being thrown in. After a hour of walking around looking for a store that sold gauges big enough for his ears he was happy to chill by the fountain. He pushed his hair out of his face and cotemplated throwing another penny in. He had already thrown in one when he got to the mall. But with all the giggling of these little kids and all he couldn’t help but want to join in. Plus his wish already came true. He found the gauges! Opening the little plastic bag, he peeked into it to make sure they were still there. Who knows? There could have been a hole or something! But no, they were still there. And guess what? Three shiny pennies! He reached his hand into the bag with a grin on his face and pulled out one. He thought for a second about his wish. What—

A tap on his shoulder. He turned around and almost dropped his penny. Holy bejesus. That. Red. Hair. A troubled look came over his face for ten seconds when he recognized her. He didn’t want to think about it. No, he couldn’t be rude! But, but it was Cl-Cleo. Little Red. No, he couldn’t think about it. Just walk away. Just-

“Uhm, hey. You wouldn’t happen to have a penny, would you?”

Jamie thought for a second as his heart slowed back down. Did she not… recognize him? This could be good… but still that face. It brought back too many memories. No don’t think about it. Just look at her like she’s another girl in the mall. Then she’ll go away and make her wish. A smile returned to his face and Jamie relaxed.

“Oh yeah! Here! You can have this one. I’ve already made my wish today anyway,” he said. He took her hand and set the penny in it. He knew she wouldn’t mind. “There you go! Have a nice day!” he said with a smile. He turned to walk off. Now where would he sit?
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word count: 365
notes: Jamie<3 he's so tragic it's adorable!

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[CLEO EVERETT]

For a few seconds, he looked disconcerted. Should she have found somebody else? Oh, she probably should have. He was probably deep in thought, and—Cleo realized he was holding a penny. She’d so interrupted a wish! Biting down on her lower lip, Cleo swallowed her apologies. His troubled expression was gone as soon as it had come. Tilting her head to the side, her curiosity finally took over. There was something familiar about him. His hair looked just like Peter’s, but Peter hadn’t had his gauges as big as this kid’s were. Remembering her ex made her uncomfortable, to say the least. Before she could say or ask anything, he was giving her the penny he’d been about to wish with.

The moment his hand touched hers, a flash of gold (much like the one at the pool that one day) appeared from the fountain. Confused, Cleo glanced over to see what it could’ve been. Her hand tingled a little and she was incredibly aware of the penny resting on her palm. Have a nice day! Startled, Cleo looked back to the kid. “W-Wait!” She practically tripped after him, latching onto his wrist with her free hand. Pulling him back towards her, Cleo eyed him for a minute. “Do I know you? I feel like I know you.” She didn’t care if this was embarrassing. Things like this bothered her; if she knew somebody, she wanted to look into it. “What’s your name?”

A small part of her wanted it to be him. She almost wanted to know that it was Peter. She kind of wanted to know how he'd been, what he'd been up to. Was he... better? Or was he still into the same habits? Cleo had never been on good terms with her ex's because most of them had been a huge mistake, anyway. While her... 'relationship' (she couldn't take it seriously; she hated commitment) with Peter had been tumultuous, it had been fun. He'd been different.

notes; i kind of assumed a LOT of things.
i hope it's alright.
words; 331
outfit; juniper breeze!

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Walk, walk, don’t look back. Don’t think about it. She didn’t know who you were! That’s means you aren’t… him anymore. That’s good. Jamie thought to himself. He couldn’t help but think about her though. She looked good. He always loved the way she dressed and her pretty smile and—No, no, no. He couldn’t think like that. He wasn’t that person anymore. He was Jamie! He was happy and sweet who would never ever break a girl’s heart the way HE did. He was changed. Jamie tensed up and cotemplated running. Like, actually running. He had to get out of this place.

“W-Wait!”

No, he had to walk faster! She couldn’t recognize him. Then a hand grabbed right around his wrist and Jamie cursed to himself for not walking faster. Why had he even thought about talking to her? She probably recognized his voice. Yea, that was it. Only his voice, not the way he acted.

He took a deep breath and said, “I don’t think so, sooorry!” He hated lying but not as much as he hated his past. For now, he would have to act oblivious. He looked down and noticed her hand was still wrapped around his wrist. He blushed and pulled his hand away gently. Tilting his head, he shrugged and smiled. He didn’t want to make her too embarrassed. That would just make him feel worse for lying. He had asked her his name… “I’m Jamie,” he answered keeping his smile but relaxing his shoulders.

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word count: 250
notes: you're post was perfect! sorry mine's so short :/

[/size]

[CLEO EVERETT]

If it weren’t for his happy-go-lucky behavior, she would have known without a doubt that it was him. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), he wasn’t acting like Peter which meant it wasn’t him which meant she was embarrassing herself. He pulled away from her and she looked down to her feet, ignoring the heat on her cheeks. Oh God, this was mortifying. Why hadn’t she just let him go? Cleo glanced up, ready to look him in the eyes, and face her mistake, when she saw his hands. Across the knuckles on his right hand spelled ‘LIVE’ and on his left ‘FREE.’ Peter had had tattoos like that. One too many things were adding up.

Cleo looked him in the eyes. Peter had always had these really pretty eyes; a mix between brown and green. Normally, this would be hazel. But his had this lighter hue to them, and the brown sort of dominated and… Those were so his eyes. He had the hair, the gauges, the tattoos, the eyes. Did… he didn’t have the name. Ah, having your hope crushed hurt more than she thought it did. Cleo sighed, frustrated, pulling a hand through her hair. Anybody could have those tattoos. And lots of people had the same hair style. And eye color certainly wasn't that rare. “I guess you’re not…” Cleo shook her head. Oh well. That didn’t mean she could make a new friend.

“I’m Cleo.” She held out her hand. “Thank you for the penny.” Cleo smiled at him, truly grateful. She always was, even with the smallest of things.

notes; i love him i love him i love him
words; 262
outfit; juniper breeze!

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Oh see was turning bright red! He was such a horrible person. She was sitting there mortified for what? Just so that Jamie could not have to endure his past. Maybe he could… He opened his mouth but he choked. She was looked at his hands. His tattoos. He had gotten them…well back then. They really were more meaningful now then they were then. Live Free. That’s what he needed to do. Just let it go. She probably never even thought about him too much anyway. The way the person he was broke her heart…she’d probably want to forget like him. She looked him in the eyes and his heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t think until she frowned and said the magic words.

“I guess you’re not…”

“No. I’m really sorry.” His mouth twitched into a slight frown and he looked away. He wasn’t the guy she wanted him to be. He was Jamie. Happy go lucky and always full of energy. When she spoke again, Cleo was introducing herself. It seemed kind of funny to him because he already knew name. He took her hand without hesitation and smiled. “No prob Little Red, anytime.” He didn’t like the way his voice sounded slightly flirty. Oh well.
“Oh, you should go make your wish. I have another penny! We can throw them in at the same time!” he said marveling at the idea. That’s bound to have double luck or something! He grabbed her hand and led her back to the fountain. He knew what he was going to wish for now.
“What are you going to wish for? I mean you don’t have to tell me but still…” he mumbled slightly rambling. He really shouldn’t stay here with her but he couldn’t leave. No matter how much he didn’t want to, he missed Cleo.


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word count: 306
notes: jamie is sooo screwed XD

[/size]

[CLEO EVERETT]

Why would she even think that it could be him? New York was huge. She’d been lucky enough to find Jacob; why would she get any more luck to find… Cleo shook her head again. It didn’t matter. “Don’t apologize. It’s fine. I mean, it’s probably…” There was no need to go into a sob story about her past with somebody she’d just met. Cleo laughed a little, as if to dismiss her last comment. They shook hands and after a moment, she let go. She crossed her arms and smiled at him, trying to ignore just how much she looked like her ex. As she tried to figure out what to do next, he spoke and it sent her reeling.

Little Red.

It was like all the breath had been knocked out of her. His next few statements sounded rather distant. As if the nickname wasn’t enough to absolutely prove it, his hand holding onto hers did. She’d always thought that they fit perfectly, somehow. Like she was meant to be with him, and to hold his hand for the rest of her life. “Uhm…” As speechless as she was, Cleo knew she had to get it together. He would leave the second he realized she knew it was him. Her mind seemed to catch up with her. He’d sounded like he was flirting when using her old nickname. But, then he sounded almost too childish at suggesting they wish at the same time.

Cleo blinked a few times, noticing that they stood beside the fountain. Her hand was curled tight over the penny she still held. Looking at him, Cleo suddenly felt so stupid. How could she not have known? It was so obvious. Just because he said he wasn’t didn’t mean he was telling the truth! He’d always lied to her when they were dating (the word made her cringe; she never dated), whether or not it was over a trivial detail. “You can’t tell others your wish, hun! Then it won’t come true,” Cleo answered without thinking about it. Even though she was still a few seconds behind, her mind seemed to understand that her playing along was important.

Cleo unfolded her fist and looked at the penny. “Ready?” she asked, looking back to Jamie (could she even call him that? Was it Jamie, or was it still Peter?). “One… two… three!”

I wish he’d tell me the truth. And with that, she tossed her penny into the fountain, her grip on his hand tightening ever so slightly.

notes; BUSTED.
words; 427
outfit; juniper breeze!

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Jamie’s smile slowly began to become more and more plastic as Cleo’s frown seemed to get deeper. He couldn’t do this. How could he even sit here and lie to her. Hadn’t he lied to her before? No, he didn’t. That guy he wasn’t anymore had lied to Cleo. Not even for a reason. That guy didn’t care if Cleo was sitting there utterly confused (which Jamie knew she hated) and hurt. But he wasn’t that guy! He did care. He was confused too! He wanted to be honest but he’d have to admit he was that guy. But he wasn’t. So instead he stayed quiet and swallowed the words that’d he’d never say.
“Oh right. I always forget that.” He pouted and noticed his hand was still holding hers and she wasn’t letting go. Had Cleo been this friendly with strangers? Did she know? He resisted the urge to think about the last time they held hands. Her hands were so soft and perfect. He didn’t know how he could have ever been so rude to her and not care. No, but it wasn’t him. It wasn’t. He was Ja—

Little Red. He had said those two words. Her nickname. The little flirty comment had her nickname in it. She had to know now! Nononono! He was on the edge of destruction. His head was spinning. This almost seemed as bad as withdrawn. What to do? Where to go? Could he just run? She didn’t know where he lived now. But, she knew his dad. If she really wanted to, she could visit him and ask. Jamie’s dad would tell her. He was all about getting his old musical prodigy son back. But he didn’t want to go back to that. He was a new person who would… do something. Jamie felt slightly dizzy. He hated thinking about this stuff. He just wanted to live in the present. And right now, they were making a wish.

”Ready?”

He nodded and tossed his penny in the fountain. I wish I could tell her the truth. Plop. Plop.
Jamie let go of Cleo's hand and sat at the edge of the fountain again and put his head in hands. If only all wishes came true.
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word count: 376
notes: woah. this just got reaaally deep.

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[CLEO EVERETT]

For a second, she kept her eyes shut. She imagined a world where this boy, Jamie or not, would tell her the truth. A world where their past didn’t matter. A world where she could trust him. His hand slipped out of hers and she worried that he’d taken off. For one more second, she kept her eyes closed. Cleo took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she opened her eyes.

He was still here. Her sigh sounded relieved and it kind of confused her. Wouldn’t it be bad if he was back in her life? He hadn’t been the best influence back then. He’d smoked and… but… Cleo sat beside him. She clasped her hands together and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “You’ve…” Did she want to address it? Should she just pretend that she didn’t know? Nobody else called her Little Red. Cleo looked at him. Peter would’ve have left. This wasn’t Peter. This was Jamie. A new kid that she didn’t know. Not really, anyway.

“I think I knew you.” Cleo started slowly, quietly. “I just don’t recognize you.” She laughed a little. He looked devastated. It broke her heart. How many times had this boy broken her heart before? She shook her head. It didn’t matter. Why was Lady Luck so into helping Cleo running into people from her past? It’d been fantastic with Jacob, of course. He was her best friend, after all. But… Jamie… Jamie? It even sounded different.

It was too quiet. She didn’t know what to say. What was she supposed to say? Her ex was going by a different name, he’d changed completely, and he didn’t seem happy to see her. Then there was her, the same sort of girl (with maybe less of a thing for bad boys) who hadn’t changed at all. Cleo tugged on a strand of her hair nervously. “What did you wish for?” she asked, completely contradicting her statement from a few minutes ago.

notes; i don't know if i like this post.
hope it's alright!
words; 331
outfit; juniper breeze!

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Jamie couldn’t think. He just wanted to leave but he couldn’t. Why couldn’t he just say it? It was so stupid, hurting Cleo like this. He wasn’t supposed to hurt people anymore. That’s what he had promised himself. He’d never hurt anybody he cared about ever again. Jamie would never be that empty shell he—

But he had already broken that promise. He heard noise next to him and looked up to see Cleo looking so unsure of herself. Jamie was a mess and he was surprised she was still there. Of course she was. She was part of Jamie’s wish. Could he do it? Tell the truth. Right now? Probably not. Jamie felt exhausted from all this thinking plus the shopping he had done before.

”You’ve…”

She started. At that, Jamie knew Cleo remembered him. There wasn’t a “What’s wrong?” or “Are you okay?”
changed? he finished for her in his head. Apparently not as much as I had hoped. He frowned. Flashes of the past made his hands ball into fists. No matter what he wouldn’t be that person again.
“I’m not that person anymore,” he mumbled quietly to the floor. She didn’t recognize him. Was that a good thing? What did it mean? A silence lingered in the air and Jamie looked up at Cleo. Her face was unreadable. Did she understand? Oh no, he was confusing her again wasn’t he? A frown seemed to be permanently etched on Cleo’s face. Why couldn’t he have just stayed home today? Who needed more than a pair of gauges anyway? He knew it was too late to really regret staying but he could still try.

”What did you wish for?”

”Nothing that could really come true.” He sighed. A strange feeling came over him. What was it? Before he could think about it clearly, he said something loud enough for her to hear.
”I really missed you, Cleo. You know, despite everything.”
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word count: 323
notes: Aw :3

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[CLEO EVERETT]

Her conscious was telling her that she should be angry. Here he was. He was here, sitting next to her. Her conscious was telling her that it would be okay to hit him, maybe even to swear a couple of times. Cleo bit her tongue to fight it. She didn’t swear and this situation wasn’t going to change that. She was too confused to be angry. Was she upset? Cleo thought about it. If she were to be honest with herself, yes. While Cleo still held a grudge, it had been too long for that. Once he was gone, out of her life, there was no point in being angry with him. Maybe that was why she wasn’t angry now. There was no pent-up frustration to deal with. She’d had a year. She’d let it go. Cleo glanced to Jamie. Had he? Was his new personality, his new name, his way of letting it go?

I’m not that person anymore.

Before she could stop and think about that, she was answering: “I noticed.” There was an amused tone to her comment. For the first time in what felt like ages (though it was probably just a few minutes), she smiled. It kind of hurt. Maybe she wasn’t used to smiling around him. Though they’d had fun, she’d always been worried about him and his habits. She’d lost sleep over it. “I’m glad.” Was that the right thing to say? She was regretting it so probably not. Cleo shook her head. “No offense.” Cleo let her hand fall back to her lap; the strand of hair she’d been pulling fell into her eyes.

Nothing that could really come true? “Then what was the point of wishing for it, hmm?” She asked, curious. Again, she sounded a little amused. For some reason, the longer she sat here, the more she came to realize that this wasn’t Peter. His next comment caught her off guard. He’d… missed her? That was never the sort of vibe she’d gotten. Even before the break-up, she figured he wouldn’t. He was having too much fun with… and she’d been in the wrong. What was she going to say? Cleo wasn’t sure if she’d missed him. Her conscious was telling her she did. Where in the world was her conscious even coming from? It’d never been this noisy before. “I missed you, too.” The words felt right as she said them. Maybe she had missed him.

notes; THESE TWO. <3
words; 408
outfit; juniper breeze!

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Jamie looked around the mall as she sat there. Everyone was minding their own business. Only about twenty minutes ago, he had been one of those people. What had even been planning to do after he got back to his dorm? Put in a movie and chill? Yea, that was it. How could he do that now? He couldn’t see anything happening after this. Maybe the world would freeze and he’d be stuck waiting for Cleo to say something.

“I noticed. I’m glad. No offense.”

A smile. Something he hadn’t seen since she recognized him. Her returned it happily. “None taken,” he said cheerfully. To her, he was Jamie now too. She understood. It felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He made a big sigh and ran his hands through his hair. He looked over to see a piece of hair had fallen in her face. He lifted his hand and moved it away effortlessly. As he put his hand back down he realized that probably wasn’t the best idea. Dang it! Now he’s going to ruin everything!
“Oh well, I just had a little spark of hope. You know, you can wish to be rich and famous but that usually doesn’t happen. I didn’t wish for that but I don’t know. It’s just one of those slightly possible but most likely not things…” he rambled trying to cover up his mistake. It had been a year! And that guy had broken her heart. Just because…

Those words had slipped out like someone else was speaking them. He did miss her. And when she returned them, he couldn’t help but soar. Did she really? “You mean… Really?” He couldn’t believe it. Maybe she was just being nice… maybe not.

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word count: 292
notes: shoooort bleh.

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[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo started to fidget. She twisted her promise ring around her finger, watching her hands. Fidgeting wasn’t really a good sign when it came to Cleo. Not only did it mean she was nervous, it meant she wasn’t sure what to do next. And Cleo always knew what to do next. She liked having things planned out. She hadn’t planned this out. She hadn’t decided to go to the mall today just to meet up with an ex. That hadn’t been on her list of things to-do. And yet… Cleo peeked at him. It was as if the world had been sitting on his shoulders and somebody had just come by and plucked it off. He was smiling, messing with his hair. It pleased her to see him like this. Cleo sat up a little and rested her hands on the bench beneath her.

Cleo flinched slightly when he moved her hair from her eyes. It’s not that she’d be startled or unsure. It was just… something she wasn’t used to. Still, the gesture was sweet and so she smiled at him, a silent thank you. Ah, his rambling hadn’t gone away. It was something familiar about him, not including his appearance, and it made her feel better. “I suppose you’re right, hun.” She said, thinking back to every 11:11 wish she’d made. “I’ve been making the same wish for years and… well, no such luck.” Except for today. She’d wished for something other than the norm. A spur of the moment desire.

Cleo looked at him. Watching others wander about the mall was boring. She wanted to see him, to see the changes he’d gone through. During their tense moments the past while, he’d seemed the same. Sort of. Maybe? But now… he was relaxed. He was giving off this vibe that she’d never gotten before. Before he could catch her staring, Cleo looked behind them to the fountain. Not trusting herself to say anything further on the whole missing him, she nodded. Cleo didn’t want to make things any more complicated than they already were.

notes; THESE TWO. <3
words; 347
outfit; juniper breeze!

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Jamie could see the uncertainty on Cleo’s face. She seemed to be thinking the same thing he was. What next? Would they sit here all day? Not that he would mind. He could stand to see that small smile of Cleo’s again. She seemed okay with his gesture. Even though she flinched at first, Cleo still rewarded him with her smile that he liked so much. Jamie didn’t know what to think of all of this. Of course, Cleo made him feel better than any joint could ever do. He had know idea how he… that guy could pick drugs over her. Although it wasn’t just a joint that guy was smokin… it was—

Don’t think about it. Keep talking. Cleo could always understand his rants. It was one of those weird things that made them become friends in the first place. While all of his old friends were looking at him confused and slightly annoyed…she’d be right on top of things and talking to him. It was a nice change. She was a great friend. He frowned at the thought that they weren’t friends anymore. That guy had broken her heart. Why would Cleo give him a second chance? Even if Jamie wasn’t him?

“Really? What wish is that? ...I mean. Nevermind,” he was really crossing the line for talking to an ex for the first time in a year. But she did miss him. So maybe it would be okay. Maybe they could even be friends… maybe even-No that wasn’t him. Love hurt people. He wasn’t going to hurt anyone anymore.
“Hey, hey! They just opened a new candy store next to that one purse store. You wanna go? I could totally do with a bag of gummy bears,” he said, his mouth watering at the thought. Gawd, candy was the shiz.

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word count: 304
notes: haha jamie needs SUGAAAR

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[CLEO EVERETT]

Was this awkward? The silence was comfortable enough. Cleo kept her hands on the bench to resist fidgeting. There was no need to toy with her ring or play with her hair. She could handle situations like this. He was different. He wasn’t him. This was Jamie. This was somebody she wouldn’t mind getting to know. Her mind was made up. The past was the past. This was Jamie and she would get to know him. She’d make a new friend. No matter how much he looked like Peter, he wasn’t the same person.

Cleo laughed. Even with her little fact, they were both asking each other what they wished for. While California was one of the only things she really wanted, it was silly to constantly wish for it. For the time being, she was stuck in New York. Maybe she should stop wishing for a way back to Los Angeles. Perhaps she should spend 11:11 on the people she loved. For her mother to get out of debt, for her grandfather to make it big in the clock business, for Jacob to get over his fear of water, for Kayden to have a healthy pregnancy. Yes, those were the things that mattered. Maybe she didn’t need Cal… Cleo shook her head, refusing to let the thought finish.

“Candy?!” she repeated excitedly, sitting up and looking at him. Candy! That sounded perfect! Something they both liked and could totally bond over. Could you bond over candy? Oh well. They were going to. “Gummy bears and jelly beans and sour patch kids!” She exclaimed, jumping up. Cleo looked around. “I… don’t know where it’s at.”

notes; sorry it's short!.
words; 275
outfit; juniper breeze!