Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Stockholm Syndrome
“And here are your keys.” The residential adviser handed Paulina two keys on a ring. “One for you to use, one spare, and I have one, just in case.” The man smiled. Paulina attempted to return the gesture, but she really just wanted to be left alone already. “So,” he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking around the cardboard box-filled room. “How’d you manage to avoid a roomie? Especially having registered so late?”
“Special circumstance,” Paulina muttered, crossing to her bed and laying down on her side. Perhaps the R.A. would get the hint.
“What might that be?” Apparently not. She sighed lightly and sat up, looking around the room.
“It’s a bit personal. Sorry,” she added, obviously anything but remorseful.
The R.A. smiled and held up his hands in retreat. “Hey, okay. I get it. My name’s Damien, by the way.”
“Pleasure,” Paulina said absently. She wasn’t about to introduce herself when he obviously already knew her name; he had brought her to her room, after all.
“So…” This guy could not take a hint. “Did you just move here? Or are you from in-state?”
“I’m from very far away,” Paulina told him. She took a deep breath and sighed heavily, wishing this guy would just go away.
“So, I guess that means you don’t really know anyone here?”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Well, some friends and I are going to the local pub tonight. Maybe you’d like to join us? I mean, I know you just got here, but…I don’t know. It’d be a cool way to get to know some people here.” He smiled easily at her. He was very tall, of stocky build, and had light, strawberry-blond hair. He seemed nice enough, but…
“Thanks, but…I don’t think that would be a great idea.” Paulina shrugged and looked away, fiddling with the comforter on the bed.
“Oh, come on. What could it hurt?” Paulina looked up to see him smiling kindly, a gesture that she was not so used to from anyone but her parents, and even they had been acting differently towards her as of late…What could it hurt?
]Paulina hated being out with Frank when he was in a mood like this. He was unhappy with everyone and everything, and it seemed like he was finding reasons at every turn to be angry with the small girl he was toting along.
“Will you just get your shit and let’s go?” the older man said impatiently, snapping his fingers in front of Paulina’s face.
“I have to get the right brand of bedding. Al’s skin is sensitive.” Paulina had been regretting this decision ever since letting Frank know that she needed to go out and buy more wood chips for Algernon’s litter box. He’d been nothing but petulant all morning.
“Do I look like I give a shit about your stupid fucking pet?”
“What is wrong with you today? Are you hung over, or something?” Paulina grabbed her bag of bedding and hauled it into the shopping cart, along with another bag of food, some honey treats, and a wooden chewing block for his teeth.
“That’s two consecutive questions. Remind me to smack you through the wall when we get home.” Frank shoved his hands in his pockets and examined the contents of their shopping cart. “You know, you’re spending all my money online shopping already, and now my credit card company is going to think my identity’s been stolen by some crazy fourteen-year-old girl with a rodent obsession.”
“He is not a rodent; he is a lagomorph. Rabbits are actually more closely related to deer than--”
“Paulina, as fascinating as that is, I assure you, whole-heartedly, that I don’t care what the other money-leeching animal that lives in your room is called. At all.” Paulina took a deep breath to steady her agitation at Frank’s sour attitude and let it out slowly.
“Whatever. Let’s just go. I’m done.”
“Maybe I’m not.” Frank stopped the cart with his foot, glaring at the small, dark-haired girl in front of him.
“What do you need to get at a pet store?”
Frank looked around. “Dog food.”
“You don’t have a dog, Frank.” Paulina rolled her eyes and began again towards the check-out counter.
“I’ll buy one.”
“Please. Like you need another living thing to care for.”
“Oh, fuck off,” Frank said, following her to the register.
“Believe me, I’d love to,” Paulina replied, heaving her items onto the counter. The boy behind the counter couldn’t have been a day over nineteen. He was tall and lanky, with black hair and an earring. When Paulina looked up, he caught her eye and smiled. Paulina tried to hide her own grin by ducking her head and stepping aside for Frank to pay. She looked up again, smiling wider when she met the clerk’s gaze once more. He was quite attractive. Paulina was too distracted by her bashfulness to hear Frank clearing his throat impatiently.
“Excuse me,” he said loudly, snapping both Paulina and the cashier out of their silent conversation. He was glaring daggers at the boy behind the counter. “Does my girlfriend have something on her face?” He grabbed Paulina’s chin and examined her quickly before returning his attention to the clerk.
“Uhh, no…” The poor boy was confused. Paulina felt terrible for dragging him into this.
“Well, you were grinning at her so much I thought she had something on her face. I mean, I know you wouldn’t be so blatantly flirting with a woman that’s obviously taken, would you? Because that would be in very poor manners, and I’m sure your manager would not be very happy to hear it.”
“Listen, man, I didn’t mean to--”
“No, you ‘listen, man.’ I don’t think your manager would be very happy to hear this, would he? Because that’s probably something that could cost you your job, or even, if you were to stumble upon someone that’s particularly jealous, your health. So how about you--”
“Frank! Please! Let’s just go.” Paulina grabbed his arm and threw all her weight into dragging him out of the pet store, face burning red. Before they reached the door, Frank wrenched his arm out of Paulina’s grip and instead looped it around her waist, pulling the girl roughly to himself and pressing their mouths together. She squirmed, but was overpowered easily. After a few moments of struggling, Paulina took a deep breath and shoved with all her might, making Frank stumble backward just enough that he let her go. She stormed out of the pet store, face bright red, fuming.
“Just remember,” Frank growled, grabbing her arm when he caught up with her. “I own you.”
“What could it hurt?” Paulina looked up at Damien, smiling easily, asking her with his eyes to come out with him and his friends. Frank would be furious if he even knew she was considering it.
“What time should I be ready?”
Wow, you guys. I am so sorry. It's been over a month since I've last updated. Half of that is because I was feeling a bit blocked; it was another case of "I know where I want to go, but how to get there is a mystery of sorts." I feel like I've got it now, though. The other half of that was the fact that I am so ridiculously busy. Since we last spoke, I saw Patrick Stump (which was absolutely great, by the way. Care to read about it "here?":http://insertsarcasticremarkhere.tumblr.com/post/9276700138/patrick-stump-at-culture-room-in-ft-lauderdale), I got a new job, quit the old one, because it was the Satan's anus of employers, have been working at least 20 hours a week, started rehearsals for our fall show, Lost in Yonkers, seen MyChem and Blink (Honda Civic '11!), and applied to college. Whew. It's been quite a lot. I'm sorry to have kept you all so long. However, I've gotten into the groove of balancing everything (by which, I mean I've been completely neglecting school for theatre and work), and have found some time to write. So...there it is. What do you think? Worth the wait? New boyfriend for Paulina? A stepping stone to getting over the guys, you think? Hm... Let me know. Go comment, rate, and subscribe, please. OverAndOutxx
“Special circumstance,” Paulina muttered, crossing to her bed and laying down on her side. Perhaps the R.A. would get the hint.
“What might that be?” Apparently not. She sighed lightly and sat up, looking around the room.
“It’s a bit personal. Sorry,” she added, obviously anything but remorseful.
The R.A. smiled and held up his hands in retreat. “Hey, okay. I get it. My name’s Damien, by the way.”
“Pleasure,” Paulina said absently. She wasn’t about to introduce herself when he obviously already knew her name; he had brought her to her room, after all.
“So…” This guy could not take a hint. “Did you just move here? Or are you from in-state?”
“I’m from very far away,” Paulina told him. She took a deep breath and sighed heavily, wishing this guy would just go away.
“So, I guess that means you don’t really know anyone here?”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Well, some friends and I are going to the local pub tonight. Maybe you’d like to join us? I mean, I know you just got here, but…I don’t know. It’d be a cool way to get to know some people here.” He smiled easily at her. He was very tall, of stocky build, and had light, strawberry-blond hair. He seemed nice enough, but…
“Thanks, but…I don’t think that would be a great idea.” Paulina shrugged and looked away, fiddling with the comforter on the bed.
“Oh, come on. What could it hurt?” Paulina looked up to see him smiling kindly, a gesture that she was not so used to from anyone but her parents, and even they had been acting differently towards her as of late…What could it hurt?
]Paulina hated being out with Frank when he was in a mood like this. He was unhappy with everyone and everything, and it seemed like he was finding reasons at every turn to be angry with the small girl he was toting along.
“Will you just get your shit and let’s go?” the older man said impatiently, snapping his fingers in front of Paulina’s face.
“I have to get the right brand of bedding. Al’s skin is sensitive.” Paulina had been regretting this decision ever since letting Frank know that she needed to go out and buy more wood chips for Algernon’s litter box. He’d been nothing but petulant all morning.
“Do I look like I give a shit about your stupid fucking pet?”
“What is wrong with you today? Are you hung over, or something?” Paulina grabbed her bag of bedding and hauled it into the shopping cart, along with another bag of food, some honey treats, and a wooden chewing block for his teeth.
“That’s two consecutive questions. Remind me to smack you through the wall when we get home.” Frank shoved his hands in his pockets and examined the contents of their shopping cart. “You know, you’re spending all my money online shopping already, and now my credit card company is going to think my identity’s been stolen by some crazy fourteen-year-old girl with a rodent obsession.”
“He is not a rodent; he is a lagomorph. Rabbits are actually more closely related to deer than--”
“Paulina, as fascinating as that is, I assure you, whole-heartedly, that I don’t care what the other money-leeching animal that lives in your room is called. At all.” Paulina took a deep breath to steady her agitation at Frank’s sour attitude and let it out slowly.
“Whatever. Let’s just go. I’m done.”
“Maybe I’m not.” Frank stopped the cart with his foot, glaring at the small, dark-haired girl in front of him.
“What do you need to get at a pet store?”
Frank looked around. “Dog food.”
“You don’t have a dog, Frank.” Paulina rolled her eyes and began again towards the check-out counter.
“I’ll buy one.”
“Please. Like you need another living thing to care for.”
“Oh, fuck off,” Frank said, following her to the register.
“Believe me, I’d love to,” Paulina replied, heaving her items onto the counter. The boy behind the counter couldn’t have been a day over nineteen. He was tall and lanky, with black hair and an earring. When Paulina looked up, he caught her eye and smiled. Paulina tried to hide her own grin by ducking her head and stepping aside for Frank to pay. She looked up again, smiling wider when she met the clerk’s gaze once more. He was quite attractive. Paulina was too distracted by her bashfulness to hear Frank clearing his throat impatiently.
“Excuse me,” he said loudly, snapping both Paulina and the cashier out of their silent conversation. He was glaring daggers at the boy behind the counter. “Does my girlfriend have something on her face?” He grabbed Paulina’s chin and examined her quickly before returning his attention to the clerk.
“Uhh, no…” The poor boy was confused. Paulina felt terrible for dragging him into this.
“Well, you were grinning at her so much I thought she had something on her face. I mean, I know you wouldn’t be so blatantly flirting with a woman that’s obviously taken, would you? Because that would be in very poor manners, and I’m sure your manager would not be very happy to hear it.”
“Listen, man, I didn’t mean to--”
“No, you ‘listen, man.’ I don’t think your manager would be very happy to hear this, would he? Because that’s probably something that could cost you your job, or even, if you were to stumble upon someone that’s particularly jealous, your health. So how about you--”
“Frank! Please! Let’s just go.” Paulina grabbed his arm and threw all her weight into dragging him out of the pet store, face burning red. Before they reached the door, Frank wrenched his arm out of Paulina’s grip and instead looped it around her waist, pulling the girl roughly to himself and pressing their mouths together. She squirmed, but was overpowered easily. After a few moments of struggling, Paulina took a deep breath and shoved with all her might, making Frank stumble backward just enough that he let her go. She stormed out of the pet store, face bright red, fuming.
“Just remember,” Frank growled, grabbing her arm when he caught up with her. “I own you.”
“What could it hurt?” Paulina looked up at Damien, smiling easily, asking her with his eyes to come out with him and his friends. Frank would be furious if he even knew she was considering it.
“What time should I be ready?”
Wow, you guys. I am so sorry. It's been over a month since I've last updated. Half of that is because I was feeling a bit blocked; it was another case of "I know where I want to go, but how to get there is a mystery of sorts." I feel like I've got it now, though. The other half of that was the fact that I am so ridiculously busy. Since we last spoke, I saw Patrick Stump (which was absolutely great, by the way. Care to read about it "here?":http://insertsarcasticremarkhere.tumblr.com/post/9276700138/patrick-stump-at-culture-room-in-ft-lauderdale), I got a new job, quit the old one, because it was the Satan's anus of employers, have been working at least 20 hours a week, started rehearsals for our fall show, Lost in Yonkers, seen MyChem and Blink (Honda Civic '11!), and applied to college. Whew. It's been quite a lot. I'm sorry to have kept you all so long. However, I've gotten into the groove of balancing everything (by which, I mean I've been completely neglecting school for theatre and work), and have found some time to write. So...there it is. What do you think? Worth the wait? New boyfriend for Paulina? A stepping stone to getting over the guys, you think? Hm... Let me know. Go comment, rate, and subscribe, please. OverAndOutxx
Sign up to rate and review this story