tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66587604495961603592024-03-21T19:01:59.197-05:00O Vivyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081846789891930288noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6658760449596160359.post-69770915227277127492011-07-21T14:20:00.000-05:002011-07-21T14:20:53.324-05:00having a plan"I thought we weren't going to do this." Vanessa had coffee waiting for Olivia the next morning. She didn't like the idea of sleeping with anyone, as of late. Especially, Olivia.<br />
<br />
"Oh, that." Olivia rubbed sleep from her eyes. "I didn't mean to. It was the storm."<br />
<br />
"Sure it was." Vanessa rolled her eyes and went to put a little skim milk in her coffee. "I'm going to have to leave you on your own for awhile. Is that alright?" She bit into her hot strawberry poptart.<br />
<br />
"Why wouldn't it? I have things to do." But she was moving slowly.<br />
<br />
"Uh-huh." Vanessa didn't believe her for a second. She would probably have to bring her Spanish friend Miguel back, just for a precaution. She'd probably have to make something up. Show him she was interested, more than just the guy who did the camera work for her documentary on the city streets. "Well, I have work to do."<br />
<br />
"Of course." Olivia smiled as she found her coffee in Vanessa's little kitchen. "But, I-I might need another night or, two."<br />
<br />
"Of course." Vanessa supposed it was settled.<br />
<br />
"Cia." Olivia was more than smiles. She leaned toward Vanessa.<br />
<br />
"Here, have the rest of my pop-tart." Vanessa practically smashed it in Olivia's mouth. She just couldn't get away, quick enough. It was best to get back to reality. Away from Olivia.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcUEOOmAKr2w62sXTPp6wp0ARhUn6fGQBGprANf11iKw4A-nIWtyBgPhQ_ln42gfoDMy2eHbSdCcOcgsw4txsJ7QhPAQfX2G_uYlYiLvlp7FUgI4Kb4KQs4WD117F-OyGo9uJ5trIk4gU/s1600/marioscassa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcUEOOmAKr2w62sXTPp6wp0ARhUn6fGQBGprANf11iKw4A-nIWtyBgPhQ_ln42gfoDMy2eHbSdCcOcgsw4txsJ7QhPAQfX2G_uYlYiLvlp7FUgI4Kb4KQs4WD117F-OyGo9uJ5trIk4gU/s400/marioscassa.jpg" width="175" /></a></div>Vanessa phoned Miguel immediately. "Hey, what are you doing?"<br />
<br />
"I'm waiting for you to tell me where our next segment will be." His voice was thick with his romantic accent.<br />
<br />
"How about breakfast?"<br />
<br />
"Brunch?"<br />
<br />
"Whatever." She couldn't see him soon enough.ivyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081846789891930288noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6658760449596160359.post-85906604545678967552011-06-05T09:49:00.001-05:002011-07-21T13:59:30.845-05:00with a boom and a crashTomorrow is a new day, thought Olivia as she got ready for bed. She brushed her teeth, immediately. What a good yoga exercise would do, but perhaps tomorrow. It was a thought as she got into a night shirt that Vanessa gave her. Maybe it would be something she and V could do together. Right here. But, that might be asking to much. It wouldn't be awkward would it? She didn't think so.<br />
<br />
Olivia knew, she just needed some time to herself. Maybe. But she'd missed V.<br />
<br />
So Vanessa gave her a pillow and blanket for the futon. "We could pull it out?" V suggested.<br />
<br />
"No, no thats not necessary." It was already the wee morning hours. It was time to get a good shut eye. Soon enough she was dreaming the white sands of Morocco when a blast of lightening woke her up. Olivia forgot where she was. Sort of. She hated storms. But she gasped before she let out a shriek. She sat up, wondering if it woke V. Obviously not. A frosty chill ran through Olivia. She felt the goosebumps sprout on her lean arms. As she rubbed them profusely, she just couldn't get warm enough. Maybe she was coming down with something?<br />
<br />
Naturally, O didn't think long. She grabbed her pillow and ran to get under the covers with Vanessa as another crash of thunder and flash of lightening illuminated the place.<br />
<br />
Now this was a big comfy bed. O was a little upset that V hadn't given up her bed. The mattress was so amazingly firm, yet soft. Olivia loved that bed as soon as she laid on her side, just as she always did, away from V. Oh, she didn't think she'd be going anywhere for a while.ivyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081846789891930288noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6658760449596160359.post-39432224878767023512011-05-24T03:02:00.055-05:002011-06-05T09:34:15.696-05:00trouble is a friend of mine"What are you really up to?" Vanessa asked after she tried on the third outfit Olivia brought her. Was it just Olivia, or was strapless outfits really in? Not that that had to do with the question. But seriously, Vanessa didn't want to dress up like one of the Supremes.<br />
<br />
"Nothing." But that look of Olivia's was just a we bit sheepish.<br />
<br />
Vanessa shook her head, no when Olivia brought her the cotton candy sun dress. She was done. As much fun as it was getting giggly and even taking pictures in the photo booth nearby, Vanessa had to go home.<br />
<br />
Suddenly, she could see Olivia was about to break down in tears.<br />
<br />
"Do you want to sleep over?" Vanessa didn't hesitate. Maybe she'd get it out of her. What the real problem was.<br />
<br />
Olivia nodded.<br />
<br />
Vanessa wanted to whine about her feet and how much trouble Olivia was to take her shopping when it was well after midnight. Seriously, she didn't need new clothes even if she was certain Olivia wanted to change her style.<br />
<br />
Luckily, it wasn't all that far on the subway, which lulled Vanessa into thinking that she hadn't been hospitable enough to Olivia.<br />
<br />
"Look, its nothing fancy."Vanessa said later as they were about to go up the stairwell to her place. Not like places Olivia was used to. She was used to being a princess. Vanessa knew she couldn't compare to that. Even if they had been roommates at NYU. It was different now.<br />
<br />
"Why do you say things like this?" Olivia asked. "I'm beginning to wonder where your self-worth went. This isn't like you. Besides, you haven't even mentioned any film projects."<br />
<br />
"Neither have you. What's going on O?"<br />
<br />
Olivia followed Vanessa several flights in the old building. Finally, Vanessa unlocked the door and pushed open the heavy door. Vanessa dropped her keys in her bag that she hung near the door and went to put on the kettle. She knew they needed to talk.<br />
<br />
Vanessa plopped herself on the futon and took her roped wedges off. She nursed her upper lip slightly and hid her knees under her flowy sundress.<br />
<br />
Vanessa set next to her. She sighed. "Come on, you know you want to tell me."<br />
<br />
"I-I might have made a few bad business decisions." Olivia barely would say.<br />
<br />
"As in?" Vanessa gave her a stern look.<br />
<br />
"Some photos leaked out." She shrugged.<br />
<br />
"Oh really, well, they couldn't be that bad. They aren't on Gossip Girl." Vanessa slightly tease with a nudge.<br />
<br />
"But they will be." She puckered a frown.<br />
<br />
"When have you ever taken a bad photo?" Vanessa's eyes fluttered as if to tease her that she was perfect.<br />
<br />
"I made some French girl mad when she found out I was with her boyfriend." Olivia added. "She made it look worse than it was. I dunno why French people hate me." She sounded as if she'd never go back again even if she'd been considered for two up coming French films. This was like her comeback. "I lost a lot of money." She then frowned.<br />
<br />
"You made it back to the states," Vanessa said encouragingly.<br />
<br />
"I had to ride coach." Olivia told her.<br />
<br />
Vanessa could hardly keep in a laugh. Naturally, Olivia gave her a look that she better shut up. She turned away and leaned on her arms resting on her knees.<br />
<br />
"Hey, you'll think of something." Vanessa rested her hand on Olivia's back. "We'll think of something." Of course, Vanessa hadn't thought about filming anything for ages. She'd been spying on Serena all this time, hoping to find a way to get back with Dan. Although, she knew he wasn't worth it. And suddenly, she knew she had to get over Dan because he was completely over her.ivyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081846789891930288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6658760449596160359.post-52198956749804765762011-05-20T02:46:00.018-05:002011-05-20T02:46:00.678-05:00with a little luck"What you really need is a fedora." Olivia looked back at Vanessa as she kept going to the farthest part of the shop where the hats were. It was like a maze, here, and Olivia loved it. She reached high for the summer weight one in white.<br />
<br />
"I don't wear hats." Vanessa was a little sullen.<br />
<br />
"Sure you do." She popped it on her head. "I love it."<br />
<br />
Vanessa was getting perturbed, she took it off and put it on Olivia's head. "Its looks better on you."<br />
<br />
"You haven't even taken a look at yourself." Olivia was determined. Vanessa needed a hat. She tried it on Vanessa once more, but she could see Vanessa didn't want it anymore than having her around, too.<br />
<br />
"Are you mad at me?" Olivia gave Vanessa a steady stare.<br />
<br />
"No. Of course, not." But her tone sounded differently.<br />
<br />
"Come on, lets..lets find you something fabulous." Olivia, couldn't help but pull a strand of hair away from Vanessa's face before it got in her eye. She had to get Vanessa out of this awful funk, some how.ivyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081846789891930288noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6658760449596160359.post-77015588206286259622011-05-16T02:26:00.036-05:002011-05-17T21:31:11.542-05:00if these walls could talkVanessa felt a shiver when the scarf touch her neck. She looked at Olivia as if she wondered what this meant. If anything? Possibly not.<br />
<br />
"What?" Olivia's voice was full of laughter, but she wasn't drunk. Neither, was Vanessa. She knew if they didn't behave..well, possibly bad behavior would come of it.<br />
<br />
"There's this little place, I want to take you." Olivia's mind was somewhere else.<br />
<br />
"Like where?" Vanessa looked at her watch. It was getting late, she had a class early in the morning.<br />
<br />
"Its on the cheap. Honestly, but its such cool vintage, you'd love the shop." Olivia cooed about it.<br />
<br />
"Like it would be open, right now?" Vanessa decided to be negative. The less time they spent together, the less chance of anything..strange. She didn't need odd situations right now. This could mean trouble.<br />
<br />
"Of course." Olivia reached for the scarf then. "Its always open."<br />
<br />
"No. We can't." Vanessa hesitated with a bitter wince.<br />
<br />
"Why not, huh? Shopping is a girl's best friend." Olivia took her hand. They were done here. She left a twenty on the table and pulled Vanessa toward the door. "You need to take your mind off Dan. He's not worth it, V." Olivia looked back at her.<br />
<br />
"What makes, you, think I'm not over Dan?" Vanessa was in a pout.<br />
<br />
"Look at you, all sad and lost, even." Olivia shrugged as if it were the truth. Soon enough, she'd looped her arm around Vanessa's as if not to lose her in the crowd.<br />
<br />
"I'm not lost," Vanessa protested trying to keep up with Olivia as they plunged forward into the late night crowd on the damp humid night. Vanessa looked to the dark skies. It looked like rain. She scowled slightly. How did Olivia do it? Always so happy.<br />
<br />
"You're not on pills, are you?" Vanessa decided.<br />
<br />
"Pills? How could you think it?" Now Olivia was a little pissed with her. It started to rain hard. They made a run for the little shop in the basement of a very old building. It was well lit with clothes hanging on both sides of the thin shop. So many bright colors in silks and amazing materials. It was dazzling.<br />
<br />
"Vintage?" Vanessa looked about. It was hard to tell how it was, all smushed together on the wrecks.<br />
<br />
"Its like a gold mine." Olivia put her arm around Vanessa, who wanted to undo whatever this was. But suddenly, it felt so cozy here as the rain kept coming with a vengeance. It was like they were suppose to be here, so she guessed she'd look around.ivyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081846789891930288noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6658760449596160359.post-25143704927200825262011-05-13T12:23:00.001-05:002011-05-13T12:23:49.882-05:00the music keeps playingOlivia wouldn't dare say she was fed up, but possibly she was. Things hadn't worked out in Paris. Even if she had met someone who could have been Louis Garrel's little brother. Oh, he knew he'd be famous, she knew that from the moment she met Bruno. Really, she loved meeting, up and coming people.<br />
<br />
It was all so exciting in the beginning. Going places with him. Clubs she could only dream about, in far away places like Spain. It had been an early summer fling and it was still spring. She smiled about that now. So much fun, but no real substance. There seemed to be something missing, only Olivia couldn't quite put her finger on it. So she'd come back. Time to settle down, which meant another internship at a fashion magazines. Just when would she land a real job.<br />
<br />
She'd had experiences in so many things, but it wasn't what she wanted. It wasn't her dream job. Maybe she didn't even know what that was anymore. These were woes she thought only Vanessa would understand. Of course, it wasn't something she wanted to bring down Vanessa about.<br />
<br />
"How are you?" She grabbed both of Vanessa's hands as soon as she saw her at the little bar not so far from Vanessa's flat. It was great to find someone she knew. Olivia suddenly felt bubbly and full of laughter as she kissed Vanessa cheek before she could possibly get away. "Tell me everything, going on."<br />
<br />
"You don't want to know." Vanessa was reluctant to say as Olivia pulled her along in the crowded space.<br />
<br />
"Of course, I do." Olivia smiled. "We have so much to catch up on." Olivia ordered them both a rum drink with lots of fruit and found them a table in the corner.<br />
<br />
"I'd rather not talk about it." Vanessa looked so low. Olivia couldn't imagine what had happened.<br />
<br />
"This isn't like you? Seriously, V, you are so talented. And fun." Was fun, Olivia guessed. Not that she wanted to pry, but she thought Vannessa would be free of all that Gossip Girl clique.<br />
<br />
"I dunno what fun is anymore." Vanessa, so sullen, looked as if someone had put an ugly spell on her.<br />
<br />
"Dan have anything to do with this?" Olivia stared intently into Vanessa's diamond eyes.<br />
<br />
"I don't want to talk about it." Vanessa looked away. Finally their drinks arrived. Olivia hoped this might mellow her out.<br />
<br />
"You can't let Dan make you feel this way." Olivia winced. She took a sip of her thick drink that might as well have been an intoxicating milkshake.<br />
<br />
"I don't mean too." Vanessa shrugged. "I keep seeing thing..happening, and I just can't let it go."<br />
<br />
"Maybe you need to be a detective." Olivia bit her bottom lip from smiling to much of the thought. "You know, one of New York City's finest, fighting crime."<br />
<br />
Vanessa shook her head, no as if perhaps Olivia was already drunk, and she'd have to stay sober for the two of them. Finally, she let a smile slip. She took a sip of her drink then told Olivia that she always felt she was at the wrong place at the right time. She hadn't meant to be involved with all the horrible things going on with Serena and Blair. It was all so accidental.<br />
<br />
"You are seriously bad ass." Olivia cracked up. Finally, she had Vanessa laughing too. Olivia pulled out a colorful muslin tie-dyed scarf from her bag which all her essentials(She was a homeless person at the moment). "I found this for you." She wrapped it around Vanessa's neck then. "Now this isn't just any scarf. In fact, it might as well have been Louie Garrel's little brother's scarf. He's this up and coming rocker."<br />
<br />
"Oh, really, you have a way of making everything sound better, O." Vanessa smiled as she felt the fabric of the scarf.<br />
<br />
"What can I say?" Olivia smiled back. "I try."ivyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081846789891930288noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6658760449596160359.post-27525569939752012992011-05-09T22:47:00.000-05:002011-05-09T22:47:35.202-05:00self relianceVanessa Abrams was at her lowest point ever. It seemed, these days. No one was giving her any attention and the only thing left to do was to look for the bad.<br />
<br />
So what if she annoyed the hell out of Serena these days. She could have been her best friend. A sly smile came to Vanessa as she thought of that happening.<i> Never in a million years</i>.<br />
<br />
She looked in her fridge at her new Soho place. It was cozy enough. Although, lonely. What had she done to really deserve this? Nothing. She believed.<br />
<br />
She gritted, thinking it was all Jenny's fault, now wasn't it? All her fuck'n fault. God, where was Dan when she needed him. He was practically Serena's lap dog, no matter what.<br />
<br />
Vanessa reached for a juice. Although, there was some cold red wine her Mom had left behind the last time she was here. Practically a whole bottle. What would it hurt? To have some. To unwind. To try to find this world kind.<br />
<br />
She closed her eyes thinking there was nothing good in her life anymore. Even if she were in a vintage peasant blouse that hugged her frayed denim shorts. Who cared about fashion, anyway?<br />
<br />
Vanessa pulled back her messy lock of hair behind her ear and went to pour herself a glass of wine. She would just try to forget this place and take her mind off what she could have had with Dan. It was always better in her dreams than reality. He wasn't that <i>amazing</i>.<br />
<br />
She plopped herself down on her natural white futon and started to click on the TV. Although, she swore she never watched it. Lately, she had. She felt as if all her morals had been swept under the rug. Where was that girl who cared about the planet? She took a sip of her wine and as she was about to swallow, her cell rang.<br />
<br />
She let the wine sooth her throat, her mind, her restlessness and answered it without even looking at the number, which she wouldn't have known, anyway. Why would anybody be calling her? Probably just to tell her she was bitch.<br />
<br />
"Hullo." Her voice was drab.<br />
<br />
"What's up, V?" That slight giggle could only be Olivia's. It took Vanessa by surprised.<br />
<br />
"What do yo want?" Immediately, Vanessa was defensive.<br />
<br />
"Aw, you know, we had fun, doing lots of stuff without Dan." Olivia's voice was sweet and...<br />
<br />
"You know..."<br />
<br />
"What? Dan dumped you? Of course, I knew, Babe." Vanessa could feel her smile, already.<br />
<br />
"Why did you even call?" Vanessa knew she should hang up. Now.<br />
<br />
"Come on, I'm back in town, and ..and I need an old friend to hang out with." Olivia was sincere enough. "I could meet you for a drink. Catch up. That's all."<br />
<br />
Vanessa wasn't sure it was a good idea.<br />
<br />
"Just one drink. That's all I'm asking." Olivia told her.<br />
<br />
Vanessa took another gulp of red wine. "OK." She sighed. She clicked off the phone and pressed her lips tight. Someone wanted to see her. It was a strange feeling. The sad thing was, she'd really missed Olivia.ivyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10081846789891930288noreply@blogger.com6