ONCE BURNED was made by MEL. Copying, altering, or stealing any of the site's content is prohibited. All of ONCE BURNED's characters are the original work of their owners and may not be replicated or stolen. All images and graphics belong to their rightful owners and ONCE BURNED does not claim to own any of them.
McKenna was envious of the way he remained so calm, but it also wasn't his brother. Cameron was similar to Kenny in the regard that both of them were highly dramatic when it came to each other. Carter and Dom had always just seemed so calm and level-headed in comparison. Perhaps that was the reason she found herself freaking out, it was heightened by the fact that she knew Cam was going to go crazy.
Carter took her hand and she took a deep breath, looking at him straight on and accepting his words with a nod, "Just don't egg him on, ya know. Your presence is gonna bug him as it is because you're, ya know, you." She cracked a smile and nodded again, "Okay. Let's do this before I totally wimp out and demand that you take me for ice cream instead." Which she'd likely need after this encounter anyway.
Kenny paused once she exited the car and she stared at the door to her brother's apartment from below. Once Carter was beside her, she led him up the stairs and towards the door. Upon arriving in front of the door, she quickly reached back for Carter's hand and knocked with her free one on the door to her brother's apartment. She wanted to believe that he wasn't home, but of course, she knew he was.
It had been a few days since Kenny's conversation with Carter and she only felt more nervous as the time passed. The club was opening in a few days, the owner had a meeting planned for all of the employees just the next day and she knew that she had to tell her brother before he found out on his own. It was safe to say that Carter's offer to be there with her was her only saving grace, even if she knew that it would potentially fuel the fire to Cameron's tantrum.
She sat in the car for a moment outside of her brother's apartment, her fingers tapping on the car door nervously, "This is going to be so bad. We need to make sure he's away from all sharp objects and flammables. And you. You can stand behind me, I can hold him off." Kenny couldn't stop talking. There were so many possibilities running through her mind of how he'd react and none of them were good. She didn't see him giving her a swift high-five or a pat on the back for joining a club that was likely to attract a rough crowd. And she definitely didn't see him opening his arms to Carter being in his apartment.
"Are you sure about this? Maybe I shouldn't tell him. It's not really his kind of scene, I can't imagine he'd find out. What if I just wait a little bit longer?" Finally she turned to the man next to her, her eyebrows pulled together and her teeth sunk into her lower lip.
He was right, he was so right. Kenny was not very good at arguing. Not with her friends, and sure as hell not with her family. Cameron was her big brother, she loved him more than words could express because he'd been her go-to since birth. Arguing with him felt like arguing with herself. At least with Carter there, he'd levelly be able to explain that Kenny obviously needed the experience. And her parents would understand after some calm and collected conversation. Cam was the only one likely to blow his top. "This is why we're friends, babe. Right there. Dunno what I'd do without your ability to charm anyone," She flashed him a smile.
Her eyes rolled dramatically, but her smile widened. She wasn't in the least surprised that he'd be thoroughly entertained by her colleagues. Who wouldn't? Besides, it made things easier if he was focused on others while still being there for her. Even if he didn't take one look at her, after everything was said and done, after she changed into less revealing clothes, they could always get a drink together or something. Assuming he didn't find someone to take home, which was highly unlikely.
"Absolutely not, which means you have to come opening night. Just for moral support and a celebratory drink, deal?"
McKenna's shoulders eased and she let out a breath of relief. Well at least she had one supporter. Although she couldn't help but smile when he told her to bring Cam's photograph to the club. Odds are it wasn't a terrible idea, the owner would probably fire her if Cameron came and caused a scene. And she needed the money. "God, you're probably right," She groaned.
When he offered the moral support of telling her older brother about her new job, she nudged him, "You're just interested in seeing my brother's head explode." Carter was a good person, she had no doubt in her mind about that, but she definitely knew he wasn't offering out of the goodness of his heart this time.
"You'll come visit though, right? I mean, I at least know you're not going to throw a hissy fit about it." Of course she was well aware that it was probably weird to invite someone she saw in a strictly platonic way to come see her shake her goodies at the crowd, but she was afraid that she was going to be nervous and make a fool of herself. At least with a familiar face, she wouldn't feel too nervous. "Unless that is majorly weird to you, in which case forget I asked."
McKenna shifted uncomfortably, although she knew that Carter wasn't going to judge her. He had never given her reason to believe he would anyway. It was silly, probably one of the most outrageous things she'd done and so unlike her. But she was a grown up now and she had to take the world by storm somehow. What better way?
"I auditioned for a gig and uh, I made it. I've got a job now..." She trailed off, still not quite sure how the tone of her voice should be when she finished. Should she sound happy? Excited? Embarrassed? She was a little bit of all three. "At the new burlesque club that's opening up. The Green Fairy?" Cameron was going to have a shit fit when he found out that she would be wearing minimal clothing, traipsing around in front of dozens of men every night. But the owner seemed okay, not really sleazy, but young and it was a start to something. At least she was singing and dancing.
Kenny looked up at him, "Was that a stupid thing for me to do, ya think?"
Her face fell again at the sadness of his own truth, but she was relieved that he didn't seem tormented about it the way she knew she would have been if the roles were reversed. Of course, he was far more composed with his emotions than she'd ever been.
She smiled when he accepted her offer for him to be part of her family, but it quickly turned to a grimace at the insinuation of him hitting on her aunt. "Oh no you don't! That's my aunt, you can't hit on my aunt, Carter. Least of all if you're adopted into my family, then she'd be yours, too." Kenny stuck her tongue out for emphasis, but found herself still smiling at the way he laughed.
"You know, you're kind of the best," She nudged him back and smiled wider. "Wanna hear something that's sure to get Cameron's panties in a twist? I haven't mentioned it to anybody yet..."
McKenna giggled and shook her head, "At least I'll be far away from that ranting and raving when it happens. Can't you just picture it?" Cameron would lose his damn mind, he'd attempt to call one of their parents or Olivia and lucky for her, they would likely try to cool him down about the whole thing. Everyone had to know that Carter was not a threat to her mind or body.
Her face fell when he revealed that his brother had stayed put. Saying that it was bound to happen made her feel a little sick because while she joked about ditching her brother so she could go off to visit Paris, she knew she'd be back. Moving anywhere that Cameron wasn't, the thought made her uncomfortable even though she knew it was pretty likely, too. Cam had never been one that enjoyed flashy spotlights the way she did. Kenny squeezed his hand.
And just the few words on his parents made her frown deepen and her eyebrows pull together, "You just need to be adopted into my family already. It sounds so difficult with yours." But she didn't realize that she'd had it relatively easy growing up with parents that allowed her to be whatever she wanted without a single judgment in their bones.
Kenny had been told by plenty of people that she was overly affectionate when she achieved a certain level of comfort. And the people that had a problem with it, well, she never took it as a personal dig. It was just who she'd grown up to be. She was well aware that if Carter had minded anything that she did, he would have put her in her place. But as he allowed her to hold fast to his hand, she didn't think much more of it.
With a very unladylike snort, McKenna laughed, "I haven't told Cam that your even back yet. Pretty sure he would think that you're trying to corrupt my innocence." Her eyes rolled back in her head and she shrugged, "But what he doesn't know won't hurt him. I'm plenty old enough to decide that we immediately need to go because I'm impatient and haven't gotten to spend nearly enough time with you lately."
Her older brother was a little protective when it came to guys, namely Carter. He liked to believe the stories and although they were not raised to be judgmental, she found that her brother was of men when it came to her. If there was anyone that he didn't need to worry about though, it was definitely Carter. He had better things to go after than her and she probably wouldn't have noticed if he'd chose to go after her anyway. "How's the family? Your brother? He didn't come back with you, did he?"
Her feet leaving the ground made her laugh and she squeezed him tighter for good measure. It was kind of amazing how easily she slipped back into her patterns with him. It had been way longer than she could even fathom since she'd been around him, but he was still one of the people she had always adored. He set her back down and she followed him back to where she'd been sitting before.
Kenny sat cross-legged and rested her chin in her hand while the other sub-consciously reached for one of his. She had never blamed him for leaving, in fact, she was always still surprised that she hadn't, but her aunt was here and her brother. While it was no Louisiana, Oregon had some things that made it worth it to stay. Listening to him talk about Paris had always fascinated her and she'd been dying to go forever. It amazed her that he was even back.
The last couple of words that left his mouth made her smile widen and she squeezed his hand, "You're too sweet, Cart. I'm glad you came back, although, it's Paris, I can't imagine why you ever would! You oughta take me with you next time."
She wasn't proud of the way she reacted, but with a tiny squeak of excitement, she stood up quickly and skipped over to him. Kenny threw her arms around him and squeezed, "Ugh, I don't think you understand how completely awful this place is without you."
Carter was probably the most beautiful man that McKenna had ever seen in her life. Easily. But he was also a complete sweetheart that she adored and couldn't have been happier to have befriended. Sure, she had heard plenty about him from around the school. However, her experiences with him had always been so much different than any of the other accounts. It was kind of nice not having to worry about his reputation because she knew that he hadn't seen her like that when they first met.
It also helped that she had been a complete recluse when they had first gotten to know each other. A few years hard at work and the awkwardness had faded between her and most people. Only returning in certain instances. "I missed you, so much. Tell me everything!"
Being tucked away inside for the last couple of days had been driving McKenna insane. She had plenty of time for writing, of course, which was the most important thing to her at this point. But being cooped up was not something that helped with her creative juices. It was stifling. And therefore she hadn't been able to tell whether what she was doing was actually good or if she was just hitting a wall.
Kenny was sitting on the roof, looking out over the courtyard and watching as people headed indoors. She felt comforted by the air on her face and she chewed her lower lip before slipping her phone out of her pocket and shooting a text, seeking company and a friendly face. She'd left her notebook back in her dorm. It was a much needed break from class work and writing that she needed.
When the door that led to the roof opened, Kenny glanced over her shoulder and smiled, "Carter!"
Kenny squeaked when she noticed that she hit him in the face and she cringed. Before she could worry too much about whether he was okay, he was diving and hiding, too. He hurled snow in her general direction and she ducked and scooted away to avoid getting it, while also trying to make more snowballs faster.
She was probably better at the throwing than the making of them. They'd fall apart a little as soon as she let one fly, scattering the snow in several directions. Kenny laughed and went to move away from her hiding spot to get a better angle of getting him. As soon as she moved, however, she got struck in the arm. She dove behind another tree/bush and kneeled down so that she wasn't in the line of fire anymore.
Again, she attempted to make a solid snowball, but she found the same problem to be her packing. Kenny chewed on her lower lip and concentrated on the quality of her snowball before sending it over. "I'll never surrender!"
Notebook in hand at all times really tended to distract McKenna from the outside world. She had her face buried so deep in it that her nose couldn't even get cold from the wind. Of course, she was careful not to run into anybody, but other than that, she didn't notice a thing. Kenny had just dropped her hand that held her notebook when she was struck by a cold, wet ball of slush.
One would expect someone to be mad for taking fire without being aware of what was happening, however, Kenny was a go with the flow kind of girl. She had checked to be sure that her notebook was not wet, and it wasn't, before pocketing it in her book bag and ducking behind one of the few bushes that lined the courtyard. Her eyes scanned the area in front of her for the culprit, but nothing struck her as odd. Perhaps a pile of snow had fallen from the building...in the middle of the courtyard...where nothing was actually overhead.
Just then she saw someone with wide eyes and she knew she'd caught him. Kenny scooped up a handful of snow, rounded it into a ball and sent it flying across the field.
► What is your plotting philosophy? I think it's always good to have a general idea of what you're looking for when plotting with someone. Each character could be in need of something specific. However, IC reactions can turn out differently than OOC talk. I like having an idea that can blossom into something way different, that's the beauty of writing with other people instead of just your own brain working.
ACTIVITY
► How often can you reply to a thread? My posting amount is going to be a little crazy with school starting back up on Wednesday, however, I'll have one day of freedom from both school and work that I'd like to designate some time for posts. Outside of that day, it'll be sporadic, whenever I have free time and the muse.
► How long are you willing to wait for a reply to a thread? People are busy, life can get hectic, work, school, whatever it is. Take your time!! I'm so not a pushy person when it comes to replies as long as you don't forget about me completely! And as long as you are as understanding of my own schedule as I'll be of yours!
► What about volleying? Who doesn't?! This is perfect for a thread that others are dependent on, getting that development fast! If you are looking for a volley while I'm free, just be like "DUDE VOLLEY, THIS THREAD. IT'S HAPPENING." And I'll usually respond with the same enthusiasm!
► Tagging Tagging is nice for reminders, especially because I don't always notice the way Participated gets bolded. My eyes kinda suck that way. So please, don't hesitate in tagging me!
► Contacting you? If you've got me on FB, that's the best place for communication. If you've got Skype, that's also good. But messaged on here work fine, too. I'll see your messages in any spot because I'm constantly logged into all three. Heh.
► Anything else? Er...nope. Just. Uh. Plot with me? I'm kinda fun sometimes.
LIMITS
► Godmodding If we're threading and there's something that you kind of need instant reaction from my character, odds are I won't mind, just like shoot me a quick message like, "Hey dude, do you care if I trip your character and they just faceplant." I'll encourage that kinda thing.
► Romance It's all dependent on the character. Some of mine are spoken for ahead of time, but if you just ask I can be like, free reign! *cough* Alex *cough* One night stands are fun, exes are fun, I'm pretty keen on most ideas. Nothing beats some just natural vibes between characters though.
► Violence ALL THE VIOLENCE! I'm sadistic with my characters, or would it be masochistic...whatever. I like making them suffer in many ways so violence is kind of always the answer for me. It's kind of sick actually. Just hit me up with ideas if you want to fight, gotta make sure it's fitting for the specific character, too, of course.
► Sex I'm hella awkward about sex as a whole so I'm pretty much a FTB girl. As soon as it starts getting heavy duty, I'll be like "OKAY POOF CUDDLES." Bear with me on that.
