baby, we're like a time bomb (zack & abby)

[CHARLEY HARPER]

One foot in front of the other, just make it into the room and try not to trip. Please, don't trip. Stand tall, look ahead, stand up straight. You are here to make an impression, you can't be seen looking like an idiot. Eyes straight ahead, stare at the back of the room, do not make eye contact with anyone. And whatever you do, don't let them see you fail.

At first she didn't want to go to the masquerade, for obvious reasons. But Abby had gotten them tickets and convinced her that she didn't want to miss out on the chance to meet some of the most successful people in New York City. And after the past couple of months, she could use the break.

Zeke had left for New Orleans, and hadn't told her until the night before he left. She was fine with it at first, or as fine with it as she could've been, because she understood why he had to leave. But as soon as she said goodbye and he actually drove out of her life, she realized how alone she really was. She continually told herself that she didn't care, because he wasn't even that important to her anyways, and had forced her to go to a stupid high school dance and wasn't even that intelligent, but she still felt a pit in her stomach whenever she thought about him and the way that he had just left her. He was her best friend, and the only good friend she had at the time, and although he had a completely logical reason for leaving, he still had left her with nobody. He used to call sometimes, but Charley never picked up. He eventually got the hint, and stopped calling. She was glad, because she knew that talking to him would only make her angry, and she couldn't do that. Not only because being angry was illogical, but because Zeke didn't deserve that.

And it didn't help that this happened directly after the whole ball and Zack Charming situation. She still didn't fully understand what had happened that night, or even partially understand what happened. She couldn't tell anyone about it, Zeke had left too early after for her to tell him. She was left with so many strings untied, so many thoughts that didn't make sense to her, and nobody to share them with. But there was another feeling, something she wasn't used to…regret. She wished she would have done things differently. Maybe she wasn't ready for it at the time, but she shouldn't have stormed off like that without an explanation. However, she and Zack didn't go to the same schools, there weren't in any programs they were in together, there was no reason for her to see him. And so she didn't. He didn't make any attempt to contact her, and she didn't make any attempt to contact him. She had been to Barrie a couple times, and each time she thought that maybe she would run into him, and that he would remember. Not remembering as in actually recognizing her, but remembering that feeling that she still couldn't find words for, that one that left her feeling like everything was wrong and that everything was right at exactly the same time, the feeling that made her run away that night and the feeling that now no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get rid of.

And yet, life still went on. She spent the first couple of weeks in a bit of a daze, doing nothing but holing herself up in her room with homework and staring at walls. She focused on studying for the SATs and researching for debate, books about laws and politics were much easier to deal with than actual human beings. She couldn't deal with actual social interaction, not when everyone she talked to only seemed to remind her of everything she had lost. So she stopped trying to be nice to people, she didn't know why it mattered . She knew she was becoming the exact 'bitch' that everyone had always said she was, but she didn't care. She let them talk, and let every rumor pile on top of her back like a backpack, so heavy with stones that sometimes she was convinced that one day she would just break in half.

And then she met Abby. Abby was the ball of light that swooped into her life and saved her from becoming nothing but an empty shell. Abby was fun and intelligent, beautiful and wasn't afraid to tell the truth. And best of all, for some reason Abby liked her. Charley didn't know why, but she didn't care. Abby was always there to listen to everything from her complaints about the stupid debate team to all of her troubles with guys whose first names started with the letter Z. Charley didn't think Abby knew how much she had helped her, and she didn't think she'd ever tell her. She would never want Abby to think of her as a weak person.

So, Charley decided to put the past behind her and try to make new memories about balls that hopefully weren't quite as traumatic. She had decided that this ball was going to be different, from the start, and because this was something she actually had control over. And it was. She wasn't wearing a stupid looking ball gown or expensive jewelry. She was wearing a simple black dress with plain black shoes, with a mask that she had stolen from Abby because there was no way she was spending her money on something as stupid as a mask. She had on a watch so she could keep track of the time, and a neatly color-coordinated pile of flashcards of questions to ask any important people she might bump into, as well as some debate notes that she could study if she got bored.

She stepped into the ballroom a few steps before Abby, and paused to look around. Everyone was dressed in their fanciest dress, about half were mingling with each other while the other half danced in the middle of the room. Charley took a deep breath as she stared out at the familiar scene, and then looked back down at her feet. She was going to do this right, and nothing was going to stop her. This time things were going to be different, she was a different person than she was then. Or, at least she liked to tell herself that she was.

She took her eyes off her feet and turned to Abby with a smirk on her face, eyes piercing through the intricate mask like daggers, no sign of weakness in sight.

"I'm ready."

notes;; wayyyyy too long sorry

[ABIGAIL DUSTIN]

When she first found out about it, Abigail was giddy with excitement for the masquerade. Immediately, she planned a sick day at the club (while talking to her boss and taking on more nights so she could spend more on her dress) and got her parents to agree to babysitting Marley. There was so much to do to prepare! Hair appointments to make, nails to be manicured, dresses to be tried on, shoes to be found....

Speaking of shoes being found. 

Abigail had recently come to an almost-conclusion that Charley was Cinderella. Charley, one of her closest friends. It made sense, when she thought about it. Abby would have become friends with her anyways, but Abigail now knew why she had been so drawn to become her friend in the first place. They were great friends; Charley always had things she needed to talk about and Abby was a great listener. They were both blunt and intelligent. Simply put, Abigail and Charley were close friends, with the added dynamic of a fairy godmother. 

So naturally, Abby had to get Charley to go with her. She knew it would be a hard task; for months, Abigail had been trying to get Charley to just see a college party but no-go. The younger of the blondes would not budge in the direction of questionable fun. But the masquerade was different, right? It was ball, a charity benefit that would host some of New York's most presitigious businessmen and women. Abigail knew that would be the straw that broke the camel's back and, sure enough, it did. Even though she didn't get to dress Charley up in the most perfect dress she could make (with the help of the Fairy Godmother), they were still going. It would be a fun, fancy night. Right? 

For some reason, though, Abigail had grown a bit bitter towards the masquerade. Fairy Godmother was way too excited, and Abby didn't like it. Ever since she had awakened, Abigail hadn't been the biggest supporter of FG and to see her excited over Charley coming to the ball...well, the reincarnate had a feeling something big was going down. 

After several hours of last minute dress adjustments (thank you, magic!), manicuring, buffing, lotioning, shadowing, styling, everything...she was ready. Abby was just enamored by her dress; a strapless princess style, colored royal blue and gold. Her color scheme matched, keeping the strong colors alive through various accessories. Even though the masquerade itself might not turn out being perfect, Abby had to admit she loved getting gussied up like this. It made her feel special, above the nonsense of society. She didn't feel the pressures of taking care of her toddler niece, having to work nights in a most degrading way to provide a comfortable living. That wasn't who Abigail was when she was like this. 

Coming out of her thoughts, Abby glanced around the ballroom. It was breathtaking, beautiful. Everyone was dressed gorgeously, exquisite masks covering their faces. It was so romantic; you had no way of knowing who anyone was. They could be just a simple high schoolers and you find them the most interesting, important thing in the world. You could be talking to a politician and think you're conversing with an ignorant third grader. You could find your true love. 

Abby watched as Charley walked ahead of her. She could tell her friend was nervous and out of her element, but Abby didn't dare mention that. She smiled when Charley told her she was ready. "You better be! You look amazing tonight, Charley." Abby's tone dared Charley to deny it. Someone might call it simple, but Abby thought Charley's dress was perfect. Cut in all the right places, it looked custom-made for Charley. If only it was blue... 

"Come on, let's get drinks and start mingling. Maybe someone will ask us for a dance." Abby wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as if to say "smokin' hot guys" instead of "someone". Grabbing her hand, Abby began to lead Charley towards the bar.  

[/justify]

[ZACK CHARMING]

As he walked up the steps to the gargantuan stone building where this affair was allegedly taking place, Zack Charming couldn’t help but wonder why it was that he was attending this event. A Masquerade Ball would hardly be the most galvanizing of experiences, he was sure, and in any case, he had quite a large magnitude of mathematical homework due the following morning. So why on earth was he allocating such time, energy, and, frankly, money, towards this ineffectual activity?

The thump of the notecards in his pocket against his leg reminded him sharply of the reason. Ah yes. Charley Harper.

His abysmal predilection for the sagacious Charley Harper had, quite frankly, not asserted its presence in his mind until just recently: right after that nauseatingly acrimonious Baum Academy dance. While Zack had honestly found Charley to be a bit callow and jejune previously, he felt as if some sort of portiere had been pulled backwards to reveal the true Charley Harper, a Charley Harper who was intelligent, humorous, perceptive, a Charley Harper who…understood. Because there were very few people in this world who had next to anything in common with Zack Charming. But Charley Harper…she was one of them, he supposed. He’d never met anyone like her. He’d never met anyone he liked as much as he liked her. Which wasn’t surprising, really, because Zack really liked Charley Harper. A lot.

He entered the cavernous ballroom and pulled the notecards from his pocket. He couldn’t have been less fazed by the fact that the object of his propensities was wearing a mask, and would therefore be unrecognizable to him. Zack Charming had formulated a contrivance. He would find Charley Harper.

He made a beeline for the nearest glint of blonde hair that he saw, taking a final glance at Charley’s notecards before clearing his throat and tapping the girl on the shoulder. ”Hello there.” He bowed. ”Could I ask for your feelings on global warming?”

”I…uh…think…it’s…bad? Well. That response certainly didn’t match the copiously scribbled information on this card. With the briefest of nods he moved on to the next girl, making the same inquiry, and getting a similar response. The next girl, similar synopsis. But he knew she was here. Somewhere, she was here. And damnit, he would find her, and he would…what, exactly? Well, something. He’d solve that conundrum when he came to it. Enigmas were what Zack Charming did best, after all.

[CHARLEY HARPER]

"You better be! You look amazing tonight, Charley."

Charley turned around to look back up the stairs at her companion and rolled her eyes. Abby was the queen of compliments, but Charley knew she had barely hit the 'acceptable' mark on the Abby glammed-up scale. In her dramatic ballgown, Abby looked like the child of Miss America and a fairy princess. It was a bit much for Charley's taste, but that was Abby's style.

Less than ten minutes after their arrival, three guys were in a battle to buy Abby a drink. When a tall blonde guy in a wolf mask brought over Abby's favorite, a Dirty Shirley, Charley knew she was on her own. Well, this is already unbearably arduous, Charley thought, as she stood awkwardly next to a column. She had already memorized the most important future connections at the event (through flashcards, of course), but it was proving somewhat useless, as everyone was in a mask and almost completely unrecognizable. That was something she probably should have thought of before agreeing to attend this now pointless event. However, the only part that was working out in her favor was that nobody from Baum could recognize her. It was an exhilarating feeling, and she suddenly got the feeling that she could do anything without any consequences. Without an identity, there would be nothing to haunt her. She could go up to someone and pretend to be a cocaine addict if she wanted to.

But what fun would that be? She would much rather insult someone's intelligence. And soon enough, a guy wearing a simple mask started chatting up the girl on the other side of the column, a blonde in a bright green hooker dress and a mask that resembled a peacock. She obviously didn't know that it was the male peacock that was the colorful one. Charley could call her out on that, implying that the girl was pursuing homosexual relations. But that had a chance of failure, and Charley wanted something that was foolproof. She didn't have to wait long, for the man soon made one of the most bizarre introductions she had ever heard.

”Could I ask for your feelings on global warming?”

Oh, this was going to be good. Sh decided to tune in to the conversation as she casually leaned closer to the column and took a sip of her water.

”I…uh…think…it’s…bad?

Charley almost choked. Maybe she should wait for the girl to finish, there's no way that's all she was going to say, right? Charley listened to a good twenty seconds of silence before making up her mind. She had no patience to deal with the idiotic mess that was standing in front of her. She slammed the glass down on the closest table and stormed over to the couple.

"Bad? You think it's…bad? That's all you have to say on the subject? Do you have any idea how extreme the issue of climate change is? For your information, average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees fahrenheit around the world in the past 100 years, most of this recently, according to NASA. The 20th century's last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies. And the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that 11 of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850. In addition, every major scientific institution dealing with climate, ocean, and/or atmosphere agrees that the climate is warming rapidly and the primary cause is human CO2 emissions. So no, it isn't 'bad', it's completely catastrophic, and the fact that you don't know any information about the topic just shows how truly uninformed our generation is."

notes;; delayed post is the most delayed