#i know a lot of us joke about how our follower counts are largely inactive ‘dead’ blogs but.

[ectonurites]

man.

[crushimaginesandsuch]

#12-Dogfight Pt 1

For once, not inspired by a musical (though Dogfight the musical is a thing and it’s amazing but moving on). Also, first 2-part imagine yayaya.

Part 2, here

What was I doing? 

From across the courtyard I could hear their voices but not what they were saying to each other. C/N chuckled and rolled his eyes at something his friend had said. He wrapped his arms around his chest, pulling his jacket tighter to his body it seemed. He laughed and his gaze fell to the ground as he shook his head. But as he looked up, he turned his head just a little. His eyes met mine. 

I only held the contact long enough to see him frown. I turned away, cursing the hot blush covering my cheeks. 

Why was I so caught up on him? I’d barely talked to him--just a few times in rehearsal. He was a year above me in school and had it not been for my love for theatre and his love for an easy A, I doubt he’d even know I exist. 

Though I wasn’t completely sure he knew now. 

“Hey, Y/N, is it?”

I abandoned my intense focus on a nearby tree and found standing in front of me the cause of all my crush-turmoil and John--one of C/N’s friends. John was the one to ask my name, I knew. Call it creepy, but I could tell C/N’s voice apart. 

I nodded, clearing my throat. “Yeah, Y/N.” 

John smiled and his head tilted to the side. “What’s a pretty girl like you standing here alone for?” 

I could feel the way my eyes widened--probably resembling saucers. I shifted in my spot, trying to seem collected. “I don’t know what you mean,” I chuckled lightly. 

I couldn’t help but glance to C/N. He was staring at the ground, wearing an angry, intense frown. It took everything in me to not let my face settle into a matching frown. 

I don’t know what I expected. Him to be absolutely beaming to be around me? Almost shaking because he got the shot to talk to me? Jesus Christ, what was I thinking? 

“Oh come on!” John moved forward, wrapping a loose arm around my shoulders. I nearly shrugged it off but the action brought C/N’s gaze up. His stare was stuck on John, but at least it had moved from the ground. At this point, I had to count that as a win. “Isn’t she pretty, C/N?”

His eyes flicked to meet mine. His frown had deepened, though it seemed less angry, more sullen. “Yeah, sure.” C/N rolled his lips and turned back to John--who still had his arm around me. “We should go, John.” 

Ouch. At least the one hopeful part of me--the romantic, optimist who ignored logic--knew once and for all he couldn’t stand to be around me. 

“Yeah, yeah, one second.” 

John lifted his arm but turned me quickly around to face him. His hands settled just above my elbows and he gave me a small squeeze. “I know this is late notice, but a few of us are having a party Friday night.” He paused to bite his lip. “Would you want to be my date?”

I cursed myself for it, but I looked at C/N. His eyes had returned to the pavement and he’d stuffed his hands in his pockets. I didn’t dare try to read his face. I knew it would hurt ten times worse if I did. 

I turned back to John. Sure, he was cocky--a little disruptive in class. We had almost nothing in common, really.  But he was hot, interested, and not C/N. Exactly what I needed right now, I decided. 

“I’d like that.” I mimicked him and bit my lip. Oh god I hoped that didn’t look as awkward as it felt. 

John smiled, lifting his hands off my arms. “Perfect.” With a small smirk, he was off. C/N caught my eyes, but quickly rushed to follow his friend away. 

I’d made a mistake. I’d come to that conclusion while struggling over what to wear. Now, walking into the party on John’s arm, it was only confirmed by how everyone’s head turned to find me. Smiles that almost resembled smirks lifted at everyone’s lips. 

In a corner I noticed C/N, drinking from a red cup alone. Our eyes met shortly and he downed whatever was in the cup before turning away from me.

“You look hot.” John grinned as he spoke, his mouth much too close to my ear for comfort. 

“Thanks.” I pushed a smile to my face. My hands run down the front of my blue dress. I’d tried to dress it up with heels and a necklace, but nothing could change the fact my closet was deeply boring and never trendy. 

The night wore on and it seemed as time passed, the people around me got more antsy. I noticed a lot of the more “popular” girls weren’t around. There were no girlfriends or party girls. In fact, most of the female group were the simple, plain girls. So at least there were girls like me around. 

John had been talking to his group of friends—all but C/N, that was—and I’d settled in next to a girl I knew from a few classes when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

“Can I talk to you?” C/N asked. His breath was light, almost shaky.

I was tempted to say no. He’d made it very clear he wanted nothing to do with me. It was about time I’d moved on. But the nervous tone of his voice and the way his lips dropped into a frown made my decision.

I nodded slowly, more amazed by the brilliant sparkle of his eyes than I’d care to admit, and followed him outside.

There weren’t many people on the lawn, but the people who were were all over each other. Couples embracing and making out against trees, sitting on the grass, even a pair leaning against a car.

Standing there with C/N was uncomfortable to say the least.

The air held a light chill, and I pulled my thin jacket closer to my body. I couldn’t help but imagine what would happen if C/N noticed the cold and offered his own jacket to me. It’d smell like him, of course. Probably like the cologne he’s worn since freshman year—though he only learned just how much cologne was too much recently.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

C/N’s words snapped me out of my daydream. “What?” I must have misheard him.

“You need to leave.” C/N’s face was firm and almost cold but his eyes pleaded with me. “You don’t belong here.”

I couldn’t believe what he was saying. Of course, I’d put two-and-two together. He didn’t like me—never would and never could. But I had never imagined he would be this rude.

I cursed myself for the tears that seemed to boil up out of no where. I blinked quickly, hoping they might disappear. God, here I was crying because C/N was being a dick. Did I have any control? I pushed the shame aside and pulled myself up taller. “Why do you think that?” I was shocked at how strong I sounded when I felt so weak.

“Y/N, you shouldn’t be here. You need to leave. This party isn’t for someone like—“

“Someone like me?”

C/N opened his mouth, but quickly shut it after. I dropped my arms to my side, the nervous tick in me rubbing the fabric beneath my fingers. It was no consolation.

I felt defeat. Complete, utter defeat. Not because he didn’t like me. No. Because I couldn’t even be mad at him. As he stood there, his eyes soft but his body distant and cold, all I wanted to do was cry. I wasn’t strong enough to be angry or upset. I couldn’t yell at him or tell him how furious I was. Because I wasn’t—I was just broken.

And I hated it.

“C/N, you know what”—

“Y/N!” John held a near-empty bottle of some expensive drink as he stumbled outside. He was drunk, the way he was walking made it obvious. But something in his eyes betrayed the aloof, out-of-control mumbling. He had a plan, knew what he was doing. “Come here, gorgeous.”

Within a second I was whisked inside and John stood next to me, periodically taking a swig from the bottle in his hand. A large circle formed around the outskirts of the room, and John quickly jumped upon the coffee table.

Around me, guys gathered up their dates. Whispered jokes and light snickering passed across the crowd, and I quickly noticed the dynamics of the group.

All the girls looked confused. They smiled shyly but I could tell they were lost as to what was happening. But the boys all smirked, a risky glint in their eyes.

C/N was standing in the doorway—only visible to me through a small parting in the crowd. He’d dropped any front he’d held earlier and stared at me, looking as if he was in pain.

I frowned and ignored him.

“Well, how are you enjoying the party?” John asked, waving around him. An obnoxious chorus of whoops and hollers swallowed the room. “Yeah? Me too, me too.” He smiled, his eyes meeting mine shortly. He winked at me before turning away again. “Now, not everyone knows this, but this party has a theme...”

Hushed murmurs passed in the following silence. A girl named Hanna asked me if I knew what he was taking about. I shrugged, and she anxiously began to bite her fingernail.

“Anyone here know what a dog fight is?”

Indisputable, still silence fell over us. The guys’ smirks grew and the girls narrowed their eyes.

A dog fight... I’d heard the term once—in a tv show or movie or something. From the way John bit his lip, I doubted he was referencing dogs fighting...

Then what—

Oh my god.

“John, don’t.”

I looked up. C/N had marched up beside the coffee table, glaring up at John. His fists were balled tight against his side, and his shoulders tense.

“Don’t what, C/N?” John raised his hands, almost shrugging. “I was just explaining to these people what a dogfight is. And which darling lady here won.”

Anger boiled up inside of me. Next to me, Hanna again asked me if I knew what was going on. This time, I nodded.

“It’s a contest,” I told her. Loud enough that people around me listened in, until the whole group quieted. I looked around at the girls. “It’s a contest to see which guy can bring the ugliest girl.”

A few gasps and shattered hearts echoed across the room, but all I could focus on was C/N.

He frowned as he stared at me. Biting the inside of his cheek, he stepped forward, but I turned away, walking until I was out on the sidewalk.

He knew. C/N knew about the party—and he’d let it happen.

Okay, end of part one woohoo. I just want to say I’ve been really inactive lately (cough threeish weeks cough) but there was just a lot of shit going on. Nothing too big but with everything building up, ya know. But yeah, I’m back to writing and any and all requests are welcome. :)