Montreal, Canada, Saturday Morning

[whenshewasnice]

Yesterday had been horrible. After the call Natalie never should have picked up, she'd wanted to do nothing more than just curl up in a ball on her bed and just cry with frustration.

So naturally she'd gone into high repression mode and powered on through dinner with her parents and other mundane things. Now, after a poorly slept night, she had stopped seething internally at Brid, though. Mostly.

Not enough to not think her calling Sam now wouldn't be considered some stupid victory by the other girl.

But whatever. It wasn't Brid's relationship. And now that Peter had told Natalie (however succinctly, and even if she didn't have friends to hug her and make threatening phonecalls on her behalf, at least she had people to depend on with the small things) that the coast was clear to go back to Fandom, it seemed like a good time to brace herself, pick up her phone, and call Sam.

[ooc: NFB, again mainly for that guy she's calling, but open for other texts/calls too, should there be any.]

Comments

[necroslacker]

Sam still didn't know what had went on last night. Brid hadn't told him, of course, so he was oblivious.

Right now, he was at his mom's and seeing Natalie's name on his phone made him raise his eyebrows. He walked outside and sat down on the porch steps.

"Hello?" Sam asked, sounding quiet.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. "Oh good, it's you," she said, subdued. "I was half certain I'd get an earful from Ramon, next."

She didn't have much hope that any of his friends were seeing her side right now.

[necroslacker]

"Uh, what?"

Yeah, that went over his head, fortunately.

"Hello to you too. How are you? I'm fine, thanks for asking."

[whenshewasnice]

"You're not fine."

If she'd believed he was fine right now, she wouldn't have bothered calling, because she was not fine. And also...

"I see she didn't tell you."

Natalie didn't sound surprised.

[necroslacker]

"No, I'm not fine."

That was the truth.

"And I really have no idea what you're talking about, Natalie. You gonna fill me in or do I get to be stupid some more?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Brid called me yesterday."

And by God, if he was going to tell her his precious friend wouldn't do that...

[necroslacker]

"....she did what?" Sam asked, blinking a few times. "What?"

[whenshewasnice]

Did it make Natalie a bad person if this reaction made her feel a bit better? At least he wasn't immediately jumping in to defend Brid.

"She called me," she repeated. "On your phone, though I guess she probably erased the evidence. Highlights included assuming she knows anything about me, and threats of bodily harm."

[necroslacker]

Sam sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I didn't know," he murmured. "I'm sorry. I didn't think she would but obviously I was wrong and I'm sorry. She'll be hearing from me about this."

[whenshewasnice]

"I know. That's why she didn't tell you." And Natalie felt slightly vindicated by having been right about that. "Wasn't the greatest addition to my day."

[necroslacker]

"Sorry," Sam repeated, sounding sad about that. "I really am. I wouldn't ever ask her to do that and I'm sorry it roughed up your day."

[whenshewasnice]

"It's not your fault," Natalie replied, more softly than she'd said anything in days. He could do with one less bloodhound among his friends, but it wasn't his fault. "And I guess I'm sorry too."

[necroslacker]

"Why are you sorry?" Sam asked, closing his eyes. He'd missed her voice. "No one called me."

[whenshewasnice]

"Well, Brid seems to think I have a lot to be sorry for," Natalie remarked, quietly. "She's not wrong about all of it."

Of course she'd never tell the other girl that. It was none of her business.

[necroslacker]

"What're you sorry for?" Sam murmured, eyes still closed. If she was going to volunteer to talk, he'd take it before he said anything else. He had regrets too.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie had been standing, almost pacing. Now she took a seat in the arm chair by the book shelf, where she'd sat reading practically all her life. You couldn't see the window from there.

"Letting it go this far," she said, still keeping her voice quiet, her tone subdued. "We were both upset. Shouldn't have let it take days."

[necroslacker]

"Yeah," Sam said quietly. "Yeah, we were both upset and it got a little heated. And I'm sorry about that too."

He sighed and opened his eyes, looking over at his mom's garden.

"We suck." He was lightly teasing her.

[whenshewasnice]

"We do," Natalie sighed, if only because the fact that he was teasing her, however lightly, meant all wasn't wrecked. "I didn't manage to walk away, either."

And she hated that Brid had been able to throw that back in her face.

[necroslacker]

"It's pretty hard to do, isn't it?" Sam asked, closing his eyes again. "But, you shouldn't have had to deal with her like that. I only hide behind Brid when we're dealing with Council things."

That was the truth since she saved him from some fierce beatdowns soetimes.

[whenshewasnice]

"No, I shouldn't," Natalie agreed. She really, really shoudn't have to.

She sighed and curled up further in her chair. "I know you two are close but she's kind of a bitch."

[necroslacker]

"I know," Sam said, nodding. "She's a good friend to me but she's...not easy to know. I can't apologize enough for her. I know words don't take it back but. Yeah."

[whenshewasnice]

"It's not your apology I want." But, she knew she wasn't going to be getting the one she did want, so. Whatever. "Peter says the coast is clear in Fandom."

Not the key thing to be talking about right now, but she'd get around to it.

[necroslacker]

"I don't know when I'm coming back," Sam said. It might not have been the best thing to say considering what Brid said but he didn't know that and he meant differently anyway.

[whenshewasnice]

Yeah, that sounded bad. That sounded really bad after things Brid had said and Natalie couldn't help feeling a pang at those words.

"Oh."

[necroslacker]

"Might be late tonight or tomorrow," Sam clarified, having not realised she'd reacted badly. "I've gotta have dinner with my mom."