Misc RH OC Scraps

[EBONY + LOCKE] First Crush

Ebony clutched the envelope close to her chest as she walked to the classroom. Her steps were slow and measured. Her hands were sweating, and she hoped that the envolope wasn't getting moist. When she got to the classroom and saw Venus, she would give her that envelope, inside which were all of her feelings, written out as eloquently as her 13-year-old self could write them. She'd never felt this way for anyone before. She hoped that Venus would reciprocate. But even if she didn't, she hoped that they could stay friends. Venus was Ebony's closest friend. She would never want to lose that. 

As she neared the classroom, she could hear her classmates chattering. Most of their conversations revolved around their parents or hollywood gossip. Everyone in the school had famous parents. But one of the conversations was about her. Ebony paused by the doorway and listened. 

Venus was talking. "I'm getting impatient. It's like, why did I waste MONTHS of my life playing friends with her if she's not going to introduce me to the Ravenways?" 

Someone else replied. "I heard that their family has a reunion every summer. I bet if you stick with it, she'll take you, and you can get to all of them at once."

"That's true... Alright. I swear if it wasn't for you, I'd go insane. Ebony is so weird. It's torture hanging out with her." 

Ebony's fist closed on the envelope, crumpling it. She wasn't really worried about keeping it pristine anymore. Without thinking, her feet starting moving, and she was running away from the classroom. She didn't care about missing class. Plenty of the kids did it. She doubted anyone would even care.

Apparently Venus wouldn't. 

Ebony ran until she was out the building, down the street, and in front of her favorite abandoned building. There she stopped and caught her breath. Finally, as she gasped and leaned against a ragged wall for support, she started to cry. 

She'd had her fair share of fake friends before. In Hollywood it was rare to find a genuine connection. But she had thought that Venus was different. She'd told her all her deepest secrets and trusted her completely. Usually she could read people's intentions. But then, actresses were everywhere in Hollywood. She tore the envelope and the letter inside into tiny pieces. When she was done, she threw the scraps on the ground and stomped on them for good measure.

"Geez. what did the paper do to you?"

Ebony looked up to see her ghost friend, Locke, floating above her. Locke looked as if she was lounging on a bed and resting her chin in her hand, but she wasn't supported by anything. Locke was actually part of the reason why this building was still abandoned despite it being prime real estate; the place was seriously haunted. Locke, in particular, had been a 14-year-old girl having a scene phase when she had been hit by a car on her way to school. Now she was confined to the general area she'd died in. She had met Ebony when she was much younger (when Ebony was younger-- as a ghost, Locke didn't age) and they had been friends for years. She was the only thing Ebony could be sure wasn't using her for fame or money or connections. Those things didn't matter to dead people. 

Ebony wiped her eyes. "Nothing; it was Venus who did something," she choked. 

"Remind me again who--"

"My crush."

"Ooooh," Locke put a hand over her mouth. Probably to cover a wicked smile. "Let's talk all about it inside."

Ebony allowed Locke to lead her inside the building and onto the second floor. They passed some other ghosts on their way up, but very few ghosts actually cared about humans-- or anything besides getting revenge-- so they were ignored. Finally Ebony sat in a dingy, dark room with no windows, hugging her knees close to her. Locke sat next to her, as much as one can sit without real legs. 

Ebony told her everything, from all the times that she had trusted Venus to when she developed feelings for her to the reveal of her betrayal. Locke gasped and made little comments like "No!" and "she didn't," at some points. When the story was over, there was a long pause.

"Well, she has some real audacity. Honestly, Ebony, you should curse her into next week. Sic me on her! I'll give her the chills til she has to go to hospital!"  Locke smiled widely at the prospect. 

Ebony shook her head. Her feelings hadn't just dissapeared at the drop of a hat. She didn't want to hurt Venus. She was just sad. "Maybe friends just aren't worth it. Nobody on this earth would be interested in me if my parents weren't the Ravenways." When Locke looked offended, Ebony corrected herself-- "Human friends." 

Locke scoffed. "When I was alive, I totally would have been friends with you. You're super lovable! Seriously. Her loss." 

Ebony tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace of pain. Locke reached out to hug her friend. All this did was send chills up Ebony's spine, but she let Locke stay in the position even if her arms felt freezing. 

She stayed in that abandoned building overnight. There was no panic and no search team. Nobody noticed. Nobody knew but Ebony and one ghost.