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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on May 24, 2008 20:48:27 GMT -5
“Now wait just a damn minute!” Esmé snapped, and everyone turned to stare at her. It was a rare occasion that Esmé Gigi Genevieve Salinger ever raised her voice. But when she did, everyone knew that it had to be crucial all because she did it so infrequently.
“Esmé, ssshhh,” Beatrice said quietly. “If anyone else hears you, then we might be asked to leave.”
Esmé didn’t look at her, and instead kept her eyes sharply focused on Lemony. “I’ll take my chances, Beatrice,” Esmé said. She marched straight up to the brother of her best friend, her stiletto heels clacking loudly against the tiles of the floor. She must have intimidated Lemony, because she managed to back him straight up into a corner. Pointing a long, red fingernail in his face, she continued: “Now, I’ll admit that I haven’t known Kit as long as you have, but there is something I do know. And that is that she does not, under any circumstances, insist upon things that aren’t true.”
“Esmé,” Beatrice said, “Lemony never said anything about—”
Esmé lifted up her slender hand while she continued to point her finger at Lemony. “Hold on a minute. I’m not finished with Lemondrop yet.”
Lemony was trembling in his shoes, looking at Esmé’s fingernail as if it was a knife.
“Esmé, calm down, will you? Lemony never said anything about Kit not telling the truth.”
“Maybe so, but he—”
“Esmé, leave him alone!” Beatrice snapped, surprised by not only the tone of her own voice but by how defensive she was becoming of Lemony.
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Post by melon head. on May 25, 2008 5:32:45 GMT -5
'I never said such a thing,' Lemony cowered. Esme raised a painted eyebrow.
'Esme, not that I don't appreciate your support, but Lemony was just repeating what the doctor said. '
Esme shrugged it off, embarressed, and took a seat with folded arms.
'Time to leave!'
The nurse, grinning like an idiot, shunned aside Beatrice, Esme and Dewey forcefully, and they distastefully left Kit's room without goodbyes.
'Is she alright?' Jacques asked, staring at the spot where Esme had been standing. 'Is she always that scary?'
'She's not scary,' Kit said indignantly, 'she's just a good friend. But who gives a damn? The main pijnt of interest here is that Beatrice just stuck up for you.'
'So?' Lemony asked quietly.
'I thought you guys agreed to disagree long ago. What's she doing sticking up for you?'
Lemony shrugged, trying to look uninterested, but Kit knew him to well. For the next moment, she was squealing in delight.
'This is fantastic! My best friend and my brother! How did it happen?'
'I was just comforting her, about you... you know, things just got awkward afterwards, and I felt stupid, but the it happened again and it felt right...'
'What happened?' Jacques asked. His gaze shifted between his brother and his sister, and finally landed on Kit.
'Lemony and Beatrice are together now,' Kit told him happily.
Jacques shook his head sadly. 'They got you too, huh,' he said. 'I thought you were better than that.'
'Better than what?' Lemony asked incrediously. 'Love?'
'Dating,' Jacques corrected him. 'You told me girls were "lame".'
'That was in the sixth grade,' Lemony reminded him.
'I think I preferred the sixth grade, then,' Jacques yelled, and stormed out of the room.
There was a slience, broken by Lemony's muttering of, 'Brothers,' and Kit's sigh of, 'Men'.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on May 27, 2008 10:07:53 GMT -5
“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” Beatrice muttered to Esmé on the ride back to Prufrock Prep in the taxicab. “It wasn’t necessary.”
“I was only sticking up for Kit,” Esmé answered. “And you certainly aren’t one to talk, Beatrice. Your reaction was no different when it came to sticking up for Lemondrop.”
“That’s Lemony.”
From his place between the two girls, Dewey sighed. It was all he could do to keep Esmé and Beatrice from going at it in the taxicab in front of a complete stranger.
“Since when does his name matter so much to you?” asked Esmé.
“Since I—” Beatrice trailed off, unsure of how to put into words exactly how she felt about Lemony. Especially since Esmé was now the only one without a boyfriend. It just didn’t seem like the kindest thing in the world to do, Beatrice concluded.
“Since you what?” Esmé eyed her suspiciously.
Dewey chewed on the inside of his cheek, not wanting to get involved.
The taxicab pulled up to the front gates of the school, and after paying the driver everyone piled out. After they made their way in between the gates and were crossing the field, they heard a familiar voice call to them.
“Hey, I was looking for you!”
Esmé, Beatrice, and Dewey all turned to see Jerome Squalor hurrying toward them.
“We just got back from the hospital,” Beatrice explained.
“We were visiting Kit,” Esmé added.
“How is she?” Jerome asked.
Esmé and Beatrice looked at each other, their exchange of words suddenly forgotten in their identical concern for their friend.
“What happened?” said Jerome.
Esmé turned to him. “The doctors seem to think Kit’s illness is psychological,” Esmé said. “They don’t think it’ll be a good idea for her to return to school.” She could feel her eyes filling up with tears the way they had back at the hospital, and she looked away before Jerome could notice.
“That’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”
“Why were you looking for us?” Beatrice asked.
Jerome smiled. “It was actually Esmé who I was looking for,” he admitted. “I wanted to ask her something, but the two of you rushed out right after history before I got the chance.”
Esmé glanced up, interested. “What would you like to ask me?” she said.
“Come for a walk with me and I’ll tell you.”
“I’m going to walk Dewey back to his dorm,” Beatrice said to Esmé. “I’ll meet you at ours later.”
Esmé, who was still a little heated after her and Beatrice’s semi argument, didn’t answer. Instead, she disappeared across the grounds with Jerome, leaving Beatrice and Dewey alone.
“I was wondering,” Jerome said once he and Esmé were a reasonable distance away from the others, “if you’d be interested in going out with me sometime.”
Esmé’s mouth dropped open and she blinked her eyes in surprise. “You mean like on a… a date?” she asked. It was the first time a boy had ever asked her out, and she had no idea what to make of it. Was he being sincere, or was he simply joking?
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Honestly?”
“Completely and entirely.”
Esmé smiled, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. “Well, in that case,” she replied, “yes. I’d love to.”
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lordi
Catastrophic Captain
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Posts: 54
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Post by lordi on May 29, 2008 5:29:05 GMT -5
[and then Lemony turned into a chicken! no actually i luv this story... PLEASE WRITE MORE]
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Post by melon head. on Jun 3, 2008 2:55:42 GMT -5
[Thanks, Lordi! Glad to see we're writing it for someone's benefit other than our own...]
The days turned into weeks, and all the while, Lemony sat by kit's bed in anguish. Her parents visited her occasionally, but due to what they said was "Distance from the hospital" they could not make frequent visits. Lemony suspected the real reason was that neither of his ignorant parents, particularly his mother, remembered that Kit was in hospital. He suspected they often forgot of her existence.
'They refer to us as "twins" far too much,' Lemony said to Jacques as they collected lunch from the hospital cafeteria- green jello and grey mushed peas.
'Why don't we fake our own deaths, then see if they render themselves childless? That way, we'll know if they really are aware of Kit.'
Lemony smiled as he took a seat. 'The poor thing's a as sick as a dog,' he said sadly. Jacques had not been able to take time off school to stay by his sister's side, due to his every falling grades. 'She passes out every time she stands, and breaks into a sweat easily.'
'What about school?'
'She really is linked to it in a bizarre mental way. She bursts into tears every time the therapist reminds her he may not be returning.'
'Well, her whole life was in that school.'
'That and V.F.D.,' Lemony reminded his brother.
Kit had been a volunteer for V.F.D. for quite some time, an was always running errands for them, despite the fact that her ankles were yet to fully heal. She took her position very seriously, more so than either of her brothers.
'C'mon, I can't eat this stuff,' Jacques said, pushing his tray away from him. They left their seats and slowly made their way up the stairs and into the familiar ward, where they found Kit. She was licking her spoon, an empty tray on her lap.
'Hey, Jack!' she exclaimed, spying Jacques. 'I was just finishing lunch, your timing astounds me.'
'You cleaned your plate,' Jacques sighed, fearing his sister was on the brink of delusional.
'I was hungry,' Kit said. 'I'm eating away at my self with nerves, apparently.'
'That therapist sure does know his stuff,' Lemony said.
'At least he's being straight forward, which is more than you'll ever do,' Kit quipped. 'You couldn't even tell the guys that I definitely won't be returning to Prufrock Prep, despite the fact you've known for weeks!'
Lemony winced, and Jacques gasped. 'No!' he yelled.
Kit scowled. 'I guess you didn't tell Jacques, either.'
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jun 4, 2008 12:02:25 GMT -5
Esmé returned to the dormitory to find that Beatrice waiting for her.
Beatrice glanced up from her biology notes and smiled. “How was your walk with Mr. Eligible Bachelor?” she asked.
Esmé flopped down on her bunk and stared dazedly up at the one above. “He asked me out,” she replied in a tone identical to her expression.
Beatrice tossed her notes aside and stood up. “’Out?’ You mean as in a date?”
Esmé sat up, her face scarlet as she met Beatrice’s eyes. “That’s right. For Saturday night. He’ll be taking me to the Veritable French Diner and then to the Ned H. Rirger Theater for a show.”
“Oh, Esmé!” Beatrice clapped her hands together in anticipated excitement for her best friend. “This is so exciting! Your very first date, and it’s with a millionaire’s son.”
Esmé scowled. “What does that have to do with anything?” she asked irritably. “I don’t care how wealthy Jerome is. I’m going out with him because I like him. And I’m hoping that he’ll like me, too.”
“Judging by the bill he’ll end up with when he takes you to those fancy places, I think he already does.”
At that moment, a look of unease came over Esmé’s face. “I just remembered… I haven’t a thing to wear!”
Esmé Salinger was in no way exaggerating as she said this. Aside from her school uniform and a week’s worth of dresses, she really didn’t own much in a variety of clothing. While her parents loved her dearly and wanted nothing less than to offer their daughter the best in life, stylish clothing simply was not on their list of possibilities. Mr. and Mrs. Salinger had enough trouble keeping up with Esmé’s monthly tuition bill without having to worry about her wardrobe.
“You can borrow something of mine,” Beatrice said. “I have a lot of dresses that I know will look fabulous on you.”
“Beatrice,” Esmé asked, “what did Dewey mean at the hospital when he mentioned Bertrand’s ‘desire to rob people of the things they love most’? Did you understand that? Because I didn’t?”
“It’s not important, Esmé. Dewey and Bertrand— they’ll work it out.”
“Work what out? Beatrice, is there something you know that you aren’t telling me?”
Beatrice seemed to freeze. She was glad for the presence of Jerome Squalor, as Esmé seemed to have taken a shine to him. But Beatrice was still very unsure of how Esmé would react when she discovered Bertrand Baudelaire’s feelings for Kit Snicket. Since Beatrice had no way of knowing the outcome, she decided that the best thing for everyone would be to keep quiet and wait for the truth to come into the light.
“No,” Beatrice said finally. “Not a thing, Esmé.” Beatrice glanced up at the clock on the wall. “We’d better hurry. It’s almost dinnertime.”
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Post by melon head. on Jun 5, 2008 2:59:53 GMT -5
Lemony grimly left the hospital for the first time in a month.
'You've been missed terribly at school,' Jacques told him, swinging his backpack on to his back. 'Especially by Beatrice.'
'What?' Lemony asked sharply, whipping around to face his brother.
'I'm kidding,' Jacques said defensively. 'You're a serious nutter.'
They left their house and began the regular morning journey to school. 'I bet you'll wish you'd stayed at the hospital when you see the amount of homework you've got,' Jacques said smugly.
'Maybe,' Lemony said, 'or maybe I'll just be grateful I can manage my homework.'
'Someone's grumpy,' Jacques laughed.
They spent the rest of the walk in silence. When they arrived at school, they found Beatrice leaning against the fence.
'Hello, Beatrice,' Jacques greeted her.
'Hey,' Lemony said.
Beatrice smiled at them. Jacques turned and walked away, but Lemony lingered behind. The next moment, his lips were locked with Beatrice's, as they leant against the fence in a fierce embrace.
'Are you coming?' Jacques yelled, turning the corner. 'Lemon- oh my God!'
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jun 7, 2008 11:00:29 GMT -5
At the sound of Jacques’ horrified cry, Beatrice tore her lips from Lemony’s. They both turned to stare at Jacques. “What’s the problem?” Beatrice asked him. Jacques opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. “We’ve been dating for nearly a month,” Beatrice explained. “I’m not sure how it happened, but… I guess you could say it’s fate.” Jacques said nothing. Instead, he placed his hands behind his back and shuffled his foot along the ground. “I should go,” Beatrice said. She could tell that the Snicket brothers needed some time alone, and she didn’t want to be in the way. “Esmé has a date with Jerome Squalor tonight and wants me to help her choose an outfit.” Before either Lemony or Jacques could respond, Beatrice was off and running toward the dormitory. *** Esmé was standing in front of the wardrobe sifting through a collection of Beatrice grand dresses when the door burst open. Esmé glanced over her shoulder and smiled to see Beatrice standing there. “I thought for sure you were a tornado,” Esmé joked. “What’s the matter?” Beatrice took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Jacques saw Lemony and me kiss,” she said. Esmé’s blue eyes widened. “Oh, wow. On the mouth?” Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Where else would he kiss me?” Esmé shrugged. “I’m sorry,” Beatrice said, and walked over to where Esmé was standing. “Have you decided on a dress yet?” Esmé didn’t seem to hear Beatrice. “I didn’t know you and Lemony were dating,” Esmé said. “We’re not—” “But he kissed you.” “I know,” Beatrice sighed. “So? What’s the problem, then? Kit has Dewey, you have Lemony, and now I have Jerome. It’s what we always dreamed would happen, Beatrice. That the three of us would go to high school, get boyfriends, and have a triple wedding.” “’A triple wedding’?! Who ever said anything about getting married, Esmé?” Embarrassed, Esmé lowered her eyes to the floor. Beatrice reached out and put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she said. “That was rather rude of me. I think it’s a lovely idea, Esmé.” Esmé looked up. “You do?” she asked. “Really?” “Yes.” Beatrice turned back to the closet. “What time is your date with Jerome again?” “Seven o’ clock.” “Then I guess that we had better select the proper evening attire. And he will be picking you up?” “Of course he will, Beatrice,” Esmé replied, a little surprised. “He’s a gentleman.”
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Post by newfoundlandtim on Jun 8, 2008 7:52:42 GMT -5
i think that is a great story but why is esme being a nice person in it?
- TIM
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Post by melon head. on Jun 8, 2008 21:25:31 GMT -5
[Emma Squalor likes to think that as a child Esme was good, then she became more wicked with age, before finally becoming good again. Glad you like the story!]
'Get over it, mate,' Lemony said.
'What were you doing?!' Jacques exclaimed.
'What did it look like? I like her, alright?'
'We had a pact,' Jacques said.
'What?
'A pact. The pact.'
Lemony shook his head. 'I dunno what you're on about, Jack, but really-'
'We were seven years old. We decided girls were yucky and we wouldn't get a girlfriend unless it was at the same time.'
Lemony nodded knowingly. 'This isn't about the stupid pact,' he said. 'This is because I got a girlfriend before you did.'
Jacques shook his head wildly. 'No!' he shouted. 'Do you honestly think I have any interest in girls?'
He stormed away before Lemony could say anything more. Behind him, he heard the faint mutter of, 'Sorry,' but he did not look back.
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Post by newfoundlandtim on Jun 9, 2008 7:37:35 GMT -5
that is just like darth vader.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jun 10, 2008 10:46:44 GMT -5
[Yeah, it is, come to think of it. And thanks for your comments, newfoundlandtim and lordi. We appreciate them very much! ] Esmé twirled around the room, holding up the dress that Beatrice had placed in her arms mere seconds ago. It was not so much a dress as it was a gown, perfect for a night out at the theater and a fancy restaurant. The gown was soft satin and lavender-colored, with a fitted waist and pleated skirt. Esmé turned towards the mirror and her blue eyes sparkled. “It’s going to look beautiful on you, you know,” Beatrice said as she came up behind her. “Jerome will probably have a heart attack when he sees you in it.” “I don’t want him to have a heart attack!” Esmé exclaimed in shock. Beatrice chuckled. “Relax. It was only a figure of speech. But he might faint.” Esmé smiled. “He does seem the type, doesn’t he?” “Hurry up and get dressed,” Beatrice said. “Then we’ll decide what to do about your hair.” Esmé scowled. “What’s wrong with it?” she asked. “Nothing. I just thought you might like to wear it out of ponytails for once. This is your first date, after all.” Esmé shrugged and went into the bathroom to change. When she emerged a few minutes later, Beatrice threw both hands over her mouth. “What?” Esmé demanded, her tone somewhat annoyed. “Nothing,” Beatrice said as she drew her hands away from her mouth. “It’s just that I’ve never seen you look so…” “What?”“Classy.” Esmé flicked back her hair from her shoulder. “Do you really think so?” she asked. “Absolutely,” Beatrice said. She walked over to the vanity and picked up a small box. Inside was a pair of rhinestone earrings along with a matching necklace. She held the box out to Esmé. “I thought you might like to borrow these.” Esmé looked upon the jewelry as if she had never seen anything so magnificent in her entire life. Being as poor as she was, the only time she had ever seen jewelry this nice had been in the catalogues that her mother kept around the house. “They belonged to my grandmother,” Beatrice explained. “Are you sure you trust me with them?” Esmé asked. “You’re my best friend, Esmé. I trust you with my life.”
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Post by melon head. on Jun 11, 2008 1:53:44 GMT -5
'Oh, so she's your best friend now,' came a voice from the doorway. Beatrice and Esme whipped around to see a grinning Kit, leaning unsteadily against the door-frame. They both gushed over, practically screaming questions to her. She laughed. 'Esme, you look amazing!' Esme beamed, too happy to speak. I'm healed,' Kit said gleefully. 'All better. And the best news is, I get a whole month here before I change schools.' There was silence between the three girls. Kit's smile faded. 'He didn't tell you, yet, did he?' *** Lemony made it through the day, and despite the endless stream of jokes he had used to torture Jacques with, the eldest Snicket sibling found that he did, indeed, have an enormous amount of homework. He let his books fall out of his arms and on to his desk. Dewey and Bertrand had no appeared in their dorm yet, which gave Lemony some private time for roughly half a minute. 'What're you doing here?' Dewey couldn't help it; he gave his friend a hug. A surprised Lemony hugged him back. 'Kit's coming back some time today,' Lemony told his best friend. 'I thought I should come back, too.' 'Cool.' Lemony noticed that Bertrand's bed had no sheets of covers on it. 'Bert's not sleeping in here any more,' Dewey said. 'We had a bit of a fallout.' Lemony shook his head. 'That's awful,' he said. 'Whatever about?' 'Kit.' *** By a stroke of luck, Lemony found Bertrand just outside the dorm building. They greeted each other warmly. 'Gotta ask you something, mate,' Lemony started. 'What's wrong with you and Dewey? This whole Kit thing... I know you love her, but there's a time and a place. She's been stressing out. She thinks that you're one love her of the reasons why she can't stay at Prufrock Prep.' Bertrand's jaw dropped. 'Did I tell anyone?' Lemony asked in disbelief. 'Anyway, the point is, it's time to move on. Esme Squalor likes you, according to Kit... why don't you go out with her?' Bertrand raised his eyebrows. 'C'mon! You guys are made for each other! The gorgeous girl, the handsome guy, looking good is important... everyone else can see it, except you.' Within five minutes, Bertrand had decided that he would ask Esme out, and was walking over to her and Beatrice's dorm now. Lemony grinned, satisfied that he had successfully played matchmaker. Or so it seemed.
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lordi
Catastrophic Captain
????#?? ???? ?
Posts: 54
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Post by lordi on Jun 12, 2008 14:58:21 GMT -5
Well done guys keep up the hard work (P.s i HATE bertrand. sly little (beep))
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jun 13, 2008 13:20:27 GMT -5
Thank you very much, lordi. And yes, Bertrand is a sly little you-know-what, isn't he? To May: I apologize for this next post being so short. I'll make up for it next time. *** “What do you mean you’re changing schools?” Esmé demanded. “What kind of great news is that?” “Esmé, calm down,” Beatrice said gently. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical reason why Kit—” “I don’t care about logic! What I care about is Kit finishing out the time we have left at Prufrock Prep with us like she promised!” “Esmé! You’re being very selfish.” “I don’t care!” Esmé shot back. Kit was looking as though she might be getting ready to faint. The other girls rushed over and helped their friend sit down in a chair. “Are you alright, Kit?” Beatrice asked, sending Esmé a gaze of warning. Kit nodded while Esmé bit her lip and lowered her eyes. *** Bertrand Baudelaire was passing through the hallway on his way to the girls’ dormitory when he ran into Jerome Squalor. “Fancy meeting you here, Bertrand,” Jerome said. Bertrand smiled politely. “Yes,” he agreed, “you, too.” He looked Jerome over and noticed that he was dressed in what must have been at least a one-thousand dollar suit. In his left hand, Jerome was holding a box containing a white corsage. “What are you all dressed up for?” Jerome grinned. “I have a date,” he said, “with Esmé Salinger. I was just on my way over to her dorm to pick her up.” Bertrand’s face fell. “Oh,” he said. Jerome furrowed his brow. “Is something wrong?” “No. But if you’re about to leave on a date, I guess I’ll be on my way. I wouldn’t want to cramp your style. Three’s a crowd, you know.” Before Jerome had a chance to comment, Bertrand had turned in the direction from which he had come. As he hurried off, he could feel hot tears of anger and embarrassment as they burned the backs of his eyes.
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