SOMEONE *holds* M-E *safe* and {WARM} (((OPEN)))

Sterling furrowed his eyebrow, rather concerned by Chase's erratic behavior. He lowered his hand and stared at her for a moment, confused by her giddiness. It seemed different than it usually did--too over the top, almost forced. "Are you alright?" he asked rather than respond to her evidently forced small talk conversation starter.

An instinct inside his body seemed to be tightening a thread between he and Cat... he was now physically leaning away from her to stop himself from leaning in.

Chase smiled at him. "Hah! Yeah I'm fine!" She said grinning and bent over to grab her bag. "But I really should be going! It's late and Mary will be wondering where I am!" She said smiling at him, feeling like she was a completely fake person. She knew that he hadn't done anything wrong, but she felt so.. awkward around guys now. Yeah, it was hard to come to terms with that herself, but here she was, she knew that she was completely and totally taken by Jesse, and it made her awkward with people she once dated.

She smiled at him before letting her smile slowly started to fade. She shook her head and ran her hand through her hair again. Glancing at Cat's peck on the cheek she felt a pang of rememberance. She shook her head again and let her bag drop. "It's been kinda stressful lately." She said softly staring at the table in front of her. Without really thinking about it she pulled the rock out and stared at it, running it over in her hands. "Really... really stressful." She said shaking her head and her hand went through her hair again.

Sterling flicked his eyes downward at something Catalina was doing with her hand, but he couldn't see what it was, so he just scooted a little bit closer to her and stroked her hair with his free hand absently. He loved her hair... it was always so soft and inviting... everything about Cat was soft and inviting... he tried valiantly to focus on Chase's particularly peculiar behavior. He really did't want to see her leave.

What could possible have been stressful about a blissful summer's day outside of school? "What's been stressful?" Sterling asked casually. He saw a corner of parchment Cat was holding as tried to avert his gaze toward it, but he couldn't see what she had written on it. Was she already studying for the summer? He rested his cheek on her shoulder partly to be closer to her and partly in an attempt to get a better view of the parchment.

Chase felt her heart ache again and she twiddled the stone in her hand. It wasn't like Sterling liked her anymore and she had Jesse. But when you saw someone you had used to love, with someone else, and you're boyfriend was no where to be found..it got.. hard. She glanced away for a moment before shrugging carefully. "Life, moved out of my house, almost broke up with my boyfriend.. photo shoots like, everyday, trying not to worry to much about school." She said her jaw clenching.

She needed to get out of there. She needed to leave, NOW. But she couldn't.. Sterling, the look in his eyes. Her mind flashed back to that look on his face when she had said she had found Jesse. The look on Jesse's face when she had cheated on him with Danny. The look on Danny's face when she had told him she had to be with Jesse. She seemed to hurt every guy that came near her. Why was she with anyone again? Oh yeah, she had Jesse. She loved him dearly, but when he wasn't around, normally happy, hyper, bouncing Chase.. was depressed.

Sterling stared at Chase for a moment longer. She seemed more uncomfortable than he had ever seen her before. It scared him--Chase never had a worry in the world. At least, not the Chase he knew. He had never really gotten to know her before they broke up... why had she almost broken up with her boyfriend? Being infidelous again no doubt... that was Chase. Or maybe she had only done that with him... after all, he was him. He didn't really understand how he had ever managed to capture the affections of Catalina, obviously the most perfect girl in the world... as he thought this he tightened his grip on her hand and looked at Chase again.

"Why did you almost break up with your boyfriend?" he asked casually. He really did want to know... wanted reassurance that she had not only cheated on him but others too... the reassurance that Cat wouldn't do the same to him... and it was just unfaithful Chase, not undesirable Sterling... Sterling had long since decided if he lost Catalina he would kill himself. He really couldn't live without her.

Chase stared at Sterling for a moment still twirling the rock in her hand before she slowly pushed the rock into her pocket. Taking a deep breath she sat up straight and looked at the two. He asked why they had almost broken up. Her mind was screaming at her: "Tell him you idiot! He deserves to know that you're just a lying cheating slut! Make him feel better anyway! I mean really! You probably made him feel worthless after that little stunt with him! Sure Danny says you're not a slut, but you cheated on Jesse with him! Of course he doesn't think you're a slut!" But her mind rebelled back against it. "I did not mean to hurt Sterling like that.. I really didn't, I'm not a slut! I'm not.. I.. I can't be! No, I'm.. not." "Yes you are" "AM NOT! STOP IT!"

Her mind went temporarily blissfully blank for a bit. Finally she managed to blurt out, after what felt like years, when it really had only been a few seconds. "It's a long story, but we're still together so it's all good." She said smiling at him. He was looking at her like she was a freak, and she knew she wasn't being that convincing. She wanted to get out of there, leave that place, but somehow.. she couldn't. Her mind wizzed back to that time in the Room of Requirements. Her face heated up.

"He never really loved you you know.. he was just playing you, look how he looks at Catalina, their perfect for each other.. he never looked at you like that. He's to great for you anyway, you hurt him so badly. Killed his spirit while you were off happy with Jesse, the love of you're life. Jesse...Jesse.." A mental picture popped into her mind and she focused on that, her eyes glazed over.

"You're such a slut.. thinking of Sterling like that when you have Jesse, Sterling has Catalina, you have Jesse, just imagine how it felt for him for once and stop being so selfish!" Her mind was screaming at her, telling her everything she wanted someone to yell at her aloud. Sterling had once.. yelled at her that she was a slut.. and other names. Yet she couldn't hate him. Not for the life of her. Not once could she ever think to hate that poor boy she had turned down so terribly.

She had a brief flash of pain down her back from her scar, and another brief flash of pain over her body from all of the Crucio's cast at her. It had been a while since she had an attack like this and she had to get out of there. NOW! Without waiting she stood up. "I have to go." She said her voice strained. She grabbed her back, and as she ran off the stone Sterling had given her fell out of her pocket. Not knowing it had fallen she ran down the street and around a corner. Making it into a small alley before she collapsed.

The pain shook her body, making her cry out softly in pain, clutching her stomach. It was like the scar on her back and the crucio's had come back more terrible then ever. Saying to her: "We haven't seen you for a while, thought we'd pay a visit." It had been so long since her last attack that she knew this one would be horrible, and it was. Pain shot through her body, making her unable to move, besides hiding out of view and sitting with her back against the wall gasping and yelping in pain.

It was horrible, tears fell down her cheeks, pain racked her body. This was not the place for a model to be, hiding down a dirty alley with pain spreading through her body. She was supposed to be out there, making friends with important people, not crying over her ex-boyfriend, or being affected a spell that had been cast months ago. She wasn't supposed to have this, she was famous! She was.. a slut. And everybody knew it. Everyone.. but she had for a long time. Finally able to feel her limbs again she staggered to her feet, breathing hard. That had been terrible, and she felt shaky. She had to go home, NOW. She slowly staggered out of the alley and into the street.

Reaching into her pocket she felt around for the stone. It was gone! NO! She spun around and walked back to the alley, it wasn't on the ground. It must have fallen out when she had ran away from Catalina and Sterling. No! She had to get it back.. she had to. So turning towards that way again, even though she had dirt on her backside, tear marks down her cheeks, and her hair was messy like no other, she walked back, she needed that stone.

Chase was surprised by the sudden hug from Catalina. Looking momentarily shocked she hugged her back. She felt tears spilling down her cheeks softly as she hugged her friend. It felt horrible, she shouldn't be this sad, this depressed, she had a great life, and yet here she was, crying over nothing but pain.

"It keeps coming back, and every time it does it gets worse and worse." She whispered slowly pulling herself out of the hug. "No matter what I do.. what potion I take, whatever I do to prevent it, it comes back to remind me, and every time it does remind me.. it's worse then the last time." She whispered wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"I.. It's been so stressful lately, I mean I've moved out of a house, everything at Hogwarts... I mean it's just.. I don't know what to do." She said softly hugging Catalina again before letting go her eyes turning to Sterling and then to the ground looking for the stone she had come to get in the first place.