Bafflement

Who: Isaac, Thom and Kaysen
Where: Party/ St James residence
When: Late/ night

The thing about teen parties was that news traveled. Especially when violence was involved. The gossip spread around the party - Kaysen St James and that weird Chance guy had started a fight! And it had been totally uncalled for as well - and then they'd run off, though nobody could say whether it was separately or together. Of course, there were all sorts of rumours flying about what they may have gone off to do (though people were careful to not say those ones too loudly where her brother may hear). Promise Theory had spent the latter half of the party playing, and so they didn't actually hear about the fight until they stopped and were packing up, when Thom heard some guys talking about what had happened outside. He thought nothing of it until at the time, since no names had been mentioned and a scrap was nothing much to worry about. It wasn't until Tyler was dropping them off and Isaac and Thom were standing on the sidewalk outside Isaac's house that the dufus actually saw fit to mention to Isaac, almost in passing, that he'd heard his sister had been in one hell of a fight.

Isaac's immediate reaction wasn't pleasant. "What the fuck are you talking about, man?" he demanded of Tyler. Who more or less sputtered and repeated that he couldn't believe Isaac hadn't heard it was all over the place, and proceeded to spout off wild tales of Kaysen stabbing fools in the face and the dude she was with waving like ... nunchucks around and stuff. And then they ran off to make out. Resisting his rising -- and still slightly tipsy -- urge to jack up Tyler's face for even repeating such a thing, Isaac turned to Thom to gauge his reaction. Thom was ten times more level-headed than he was, after all. With his other hand, he was already pulling out his phone to call Kaysen's.

When Kaysen's phone did ring, she blinked and looked over, seeing it was her brother. "It's only kinda true!" she said instead of hello. "Not for really! I mean, there wasn't a huge fight! Just a little one and I totally didn't start it and I didn't get hurt, and it wasn't my fault!" Because that was important to get out there right away.

"Kaysen," her brother replied sharply. Half to shut her up and half to let her know that he was distinctly Not Happy. Which was built almost solely on worry. "First of all, where the hell are you?" Even if she said she didn't get hurt, he wanted to witness that for himself. And then possibly smack her if any of it was her fault.

"Home." Kaysen answered. "I kinda sorta took Chance to Thom's to patch him up, and don't worry I put everything back, and totally don't tell him because I don't want him to be mad and he didn't take anything or whatever, but I got him an ice pack and stuff because his lip was all cut, then he went home." she rambled. Ohhh the rambling. And flailing, because she was still firmly vacationing in zomgwtf land. She was thinking of building a summer home there, really. She spent a whole lot of time flailing lately.

"Wait wait, back up. Who the hell is Chance?" Isaac wanted to know. He flipped Tyler off and glared at him as the van pulled away, then gestured for Thom to help him pick shit up and bring it into the house. She'd said she was home, so he assumed that meant their home. In the house behind them. The two of them started to haul their equipment inside, which was very slow-going when one was trying to be quiet. "You're leaving out important details here, sister darling."

Kaysen actually saw them pull up and she was looking out the window at them. "Some guy?" she suggested. "I met him earlier, and he was talking to me then he saw me at the party sorta only not at the party but outside and I was taking pictures because the lights were neat and he was like, I dunno, he got me a drink and was there and then there were people who said shit, and he went and like, I dunno." she flopped on her bed miserably. "It was weird and confusing. But, er...Chance. He's like in your grade, you should know him."

That guy? Isaac knew Chance. Not, like, really very personally, but he knew enough to know that he didn't want him near Kaysen. "Chance Reed?" he exclaimed, forgetting to keep his voice down. He looked at Thom with utter disbelief. What. The. Hell. Could this night get any fucking weirder? ... He really didn't want to know the answer to that. "Why is Chance Reed getting into fights for you?" he asked, as if she could possibly answer.

"I dunno, I asked him and he didn't really give me a very good answer. but then he didn't give me an answer as to why he was talking to me in the first place either. Er. Well. Maybe. I dunno. People were being dickheads as usual, and he went and..." she shrugged even if he couldn't see it. "Just get your shit back inside, it's easier to talk to you when you're here." she said, then hung up on him, waiting in her room.

Thom, meanwhile, was trying to put things together from the half a conversation that he'd heard and what he had managed to garner didn't tell him the two bits of information he really needed to know - whether she was okay and where she was. The second he managed to answer though by casting a glance up at her window - and seeing her looking down at them. Which immediately made him feel slightly less panicky. The whole thing managed to completely displace the hollow disappointment that had been gnawing at him ever since Leija had had to leave the party before he'd been able to spend any real time with her.

He looked across at Isaac and had been about to launch into the standard explanations of disbelief at the fact that Kaysen had been hanging around with Chance Reed - which, by the way, he was less than impressed by - when he realised that if he did that, there'd be minor bitching and then Thom would go home and Isaac would go in to see his sister and then he'd (a) never get the whole story and (b) not be able to sleep for worrying whether she was actually okay. After all, shadowy appearances at a bedroom window were no assurance that she wasn't hurt. So he flashed Isaac a 'the fuck?' look, then picked up as much of Isaac's stuff as he could carry and headed towards the house.

Isaac unwittingly helped with a little bit of Thom's problem as he tucked the phone back into his pocket. "Fuckin' A," he muttered, hefting his amp. The beer had freed up his tongue a little, and he had no issue with bitching. "I told her not to come to shit like this," he informed Thom in a very Aggravated And Worried Big Brother Voice. "Even if she wants to take pictures, it's dangerous, she's too young, people are just stupider when they're drinking and she's ... she's Kaysen, for fuck's sake. Even if she's not hurt or anything, I gotta get descriptions and names and go kick some people's asses. Son of a bitch." He unlocked the door and shut up, since there were parents to consider and all, unloading his stuff in the front part of the living room. Isaac motioned for Thom to come with him as he headed for the stairs. Kaysen wouldn't know the names of her -- and Chance's, what the hell -- assailants, and Thom's mind was sharper at the moment, so maybe they could figure out who the bastards were together.

Score one for keeping silent! Thom set his own stuff down by the front door to collect on his way out and followed Isaac up the stairs, his own thoughts echoing his friend's voiced concerns.

Isaac didn't even bother knocking as they came to Kaysen's door. Usually that was an absolute golden rule, but she was expecting him this time. He walked in and let Thom in behind him, shutting the door behind them and turning to give his sister a look that very clearly said "okay, spill." He wanted the whole story in it's detailed entirety.

Kaysen had been going to launch into her story but then she saw Thom. She frowned, then looked baffled, but eventually decided her quota of 'weird' had more than been met today so fuck it. Whatever. If he wanted to be there fine. Her attention went to her brother and stayed there. Thom was in the room? What Thom?

"There isn't much to tell. I was out, taking pictures, and Chance came to talk to me for a while. Then he went in and got me a drink--um. Coke, not like, vodka, and then we were talking some more. Then there were guys who sorta showed up and saw us, and they started talking..." Kaysen trailed off, knowing that Isaac would know perfectly well what kind of talking she was referring too.

He did indeed know, and that got him scowling, even though he'd already known. What else would there be a fight about, if not retarded peoples' ridiculous obsession with giving his little sister shit? Though he was sure she hadn't defused the situation or anything. "What'd they look like?" he wanted to know. Because be damned if he was going to let that shit slide anymore. Nuh uh, with the way he felt lately. The more he thought about it, the more pissed off he got.

"I dunno. I was trying not to look so they didn't know they were bothering me." Kaysen said. "Then there was fighting going on, and I didn't really y'know. Stop to get a good look after I belted one in the back of the knee with my board." Yeah, she said that in a rush. "So I dunno. Jocks? I think they looked that way anyways. Like the total mouthbreather losers that play football or whatever."

"How old?" Thom asked, finally breaking his silence. He stayed well back though, leaning against the wall by her door. "Your grade? Ours? Juniors?" he kept his tone light, but there was a hint of concern there.

Isaac felt faintly surprised -- though he probably shouldn't have -- that Kaysen had assaulted back with her skateboard. It made him a lot more proud of her than he would've expected, even though aggravated worry. He let her answer Thom's question, going over to sit next to her on the bed and put an arm around her shoulders. In a casual way, of course.

"I dunno, juniors? Seniors? Something like that." Kaysen said. "I didn't get names or anything, obviously. But I think mostly seniors but maybe a junior too. I wasn't paying that much attention." she admitted. Why would she? It was normal for her to get picked on, if she paid attention to every one, she'd never be doing anything else.

"Who started it?" Thom asked, looking over to catch Isaac's eye. He wanted to know what the other guy was thinking - which hopefully wasn't 'I'm leaving right now to bust some heads'.

Isaac glanced up, feeling Thom looking at him. He was quite obviously very displeased with this situation, but at least didn't look like he was about to go beat down doors. Yet. "Did any of them hit you?" he asked on top of Thom's question, turning his attention back to Kaysen. If she said yes? He would go beat down doors.

"No, they didn't get a chance. Cuz, er, Chance went over to them and started stuff, then he was kinda getting beat up, and I went over there. Then we got out of there, because well, I didn't really feel like getting hit, or watching Chance get his ass handed to him by a bunch of people, and I knew it would probably ruin stuff for you..." she sighed. "So whatever, but no. No one hit me." I left before they could. She was actually afraid that the guy she'd hamstrung with her board would get back at her for stuff, but she didn't want to worry them--wait, why was Thom there?

"He got you into a fight?" Thom asked, temporarily forgetting that he was meant to be being the casual observer here in his sudden onslaught of Chance and I? Are going to be having a looooong talk as soon as I track him down. "Chance started it?" he asked, seeking clarification. not good, not good at all - Kaysen? Had enough problems in her life without having people who were supposed to be on her side getting her into more.

Isaac had been thinking the same thing. He looked at Thom grimly. Yes. They were going to have a chat with good old Mr. Reed. If he had something to prove, he could do it elsewhere, his sister didn't need to be around that heroic bullshit. It meant he wanted something from her, and Isaac -- being a teenage male himself -- was going to beat his face in before he got even close to getting it. He was also going to try and find out who the assholes were, and give them the same treatment. "We'll take care of it, Kay," he told her.

"Um, not really. I mean, the getting me into a fight part." Kaysen said. "And depends what you think starting something is, I guess. They were saying a bunch of mean stuff to me, so maybe they did. I don't know!" she said, sounding just as confused as she felt. She also felt like she was tattling when she wasn't. Or something. Who knew. Then she looked at her brother again. "Take care of it how?"

"There's lots of ways of dealing with people like that that don't risk getting you hurt," Thom said, quietly. He didn't like hearing that people had been saying things to her. Yes, he knew that people did that - he'd kinda always known. He assumed it was one of the reasons that he'd found himself in this position in the first place - when it started to be actively brought to his attention. It was different when he was told - knowing something and being told something, or experiencing it first hand. Very different things.

Even though he would've started swinging too, had it happened in his presence, Isaac was her brother. That was his genetic right, to fight for her. Chance Reed wasn't her brother, and was automatically suspicious for starting a fight on her behalf. "I'm just going to get names, is all," he told her, jaw tight. In his slightly-buzzing way, he decided that was going to be his mission for his senior year. To put a goddamn fucking end to this shit.

"You mean like ignoring them? Cuz that doesn't actually work out so well, Thom." Kaysen said, though her tone wasn't annoyed. It was more resigned. "I'm pretty sure it won't matter if you do anything. Maybe you guys should just let it go." Not that she thought they would at all. "It's not gonna stop anything, y'know?"

"No, I don't mean... Look, you getting involved in fights is only going to make things worse. Or get you hurt. Which doesn't help anything at all," Thom told her. It had been a long night, Leija had disappeared on him, now Kaysen was getting into fights with a guy with possibly the world's worst reputation (or not, but right now, it felt that way to Thom). He'd just had enough for now.

They'd been down this road before. Quite a few times. Everybody in the room knew that Isaac wasn't going to let it go. Normal everyday mocking got by him a lot, he knew she didn't tell him everything by far. But something cruel enough to inspire a fistfight? "You coulda come to get us, Kaysen," he said in an oddly gentle manner. He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. The whole band was behind her, even if just on principle that she was Isaac's baby sister.

Kaysen gave him a mildy troubled look. "I would have had to go in." she said. "I think that would have just made everything worse, and other people would have joined in, and I wouldn't want you to get hurt n stuff." Not over stuff that so wasn't going to do anything, would only continue, and might just make things harder for him. And Thom. Maybe. She ticked her gaze over to him for a second, sort of half including him on things, but her eyes went back to Isaac almost immediately.

Thom nodded, echoing Isaac's comment when Kaysen glanced at him, but this time he kept his mouth shut and just gave her half a smile that he hoped was kinda reassuring. Things? Would be so much easier if she thought she could come to them, to him.

Isaac was just looking at her. "I had my phone on me," he said patiently. "You had your's. I know you didn't think of it, just ... next time, okay? We can handle people, and keeping you from getting hurt is more important than a show." Isaac's reputation alone could've snagged in enough allies to make everyone else not a problem. He had a lot of friends. And he wanted Kaysen to know that she was his priority.

"Well, I didn't want to stand around and call you. Either way, you were busy doing stuff. I didn't want to ..." she trailed off. "Fine." she conceded instead of persuing the argument. "I'll call next time." She didn't know if she would, but she might.

"Please, Kay," her brother murmured. Even though she'd already said fine, she would, he just wanted her to ... hell, to listen to him. He knew her well enough to know that he wouldn't get much more out of her than that, however. Making a promise to himself that from now on, he was going to be more alert, Isaac squeezed her in a hug and planted a quick smooch on her cheek. He didn't care that Thom was there, he may as well be her brother too. He stood up after that so she wouldn't have to bother squirming away, and started toward the door. He told Thom with his eyes and a small head-nod that he wanted to talk to him. Away from her earshot.

Thom caught Isaac's eye and held it for a moment before looking back to Kaysen. But what could he say that hadn't already been said. He shrugged once and then followed Isaac out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Kaysen watched them go then sighed heavily, flopping onto her stomach on her bed, and she settled herself in for a long night of bafflement.