Essays, Letters, and Procrastination on Pecari Commons

Irene Liddowe

August 25, 2008 10:25 AM

Essays, Letters, and Procrastination by Irene Liddowe

Why did essays have to be so incredibly dull? Irene had been sitting on the Pecari Commons couch, head in hands, staring down at her Transfigurations homework. There was barely a paragraph there and she had little knowledge on how to elaborate more. Giving a quiet sigh, the brunette girl lifted her head and snatched the paper from the table, storing it in her bad for another go some other time. Instead, she pulled out the latest Dad letter. She had yet to open it and wasn't quite keen on reading it. She was making sure that he stuck to this. Irene had written to the owner of the liqour store down the street, Don, asking him to refuse service to Dad if he came around. Dad's last letter hadn't been to happy about that little act. This letter was the one-month marker. If he hadn't managed it... Well, it wasn't her problem if he couldn't do it. She'd be fine without him. There was that part of her that wanted to see him like he was before Mom had died. He had been sober and fatherly. Irene would never go back to Kentucky, but she would do monthly lunches. If he could move past drinking then she could move past their past.

'Here we go...' She thought to herself as she tore the paper of the envelope. She brought her knees up to her chest, resting her hands, holding the letter, on them. Irene's blue-green eyes drifted down the paper, her expression turning into a bitter smile as she read.

Irene,

A month. Are you happy now? God, this whole thing puts me in the worst friggen mood… The neighbor rang the door bell to give me some mail that went to her by mistake. She was so condescending, like she thought I was the scum of the earth. Remember Molly Sheridan? God, I hate her attitude…

Anyway, back to my other question you didn’t answer. What about your friends? What are they like?

Day 31,
Dad

Somehow she had been expecting more. His foul mood was almost satisfying to her. But hey, at least he did it. Irene pulled out another piece of paper, previously dedicated to her Transfiguration homework, and began to write her response:

Dad,

There. One month wasn’t too bad. You still don’t need to take your bad mood on me. I’m trying to help you out remember? Yeah, I remember Molly Sheridan. She gave me food that one time you locked me out of the house and passed out on the couch. She was really nice. Makes great cake. That might be why she thinks you’re the scum of the earth. By the way, I did write Don. He always gave me free stuff when I lived there. He thought I was an angel.

My friends are great. I don’t talk to my roommates too much. Don't see them around much. My friend Elly is really fun. She’s exciting and loud all the time, so it's never boring. She’s a year older, but we’re on the Quidditch team together. She was one of my first friends here. Another one of my first friends ended up being a little more than my friend. His name’s Brett. It's been about a year and a half now. There’s Echo, he’s a year older too. He runs the writing club that I’m in. He’s really fun. Echo and Brett are friends and they both have this secret language. It's hilarious listening to them. Renaye and Josh go to Sonora. Do you remember them, my cousins? Saul and Caedence are on the team too. We're all in the same house. Everyone is really nice here. There’s a few exceptions, but mostly everyone’s nice.

Keep me posted,
Irene

Irene signed her name and folded the paper. She'd borrow Machu from Raye later. The letter was stored in her pocket and she almost went back to her essay. Almost, until a distraction came in the form of a human figure taking a seat beside her. She gave them a smile and greeted them,

"Hi."

0 Irene Liddowe Essays, Letters, and Procrastination 106 Irene Liddowe 1 5

Elly Eriksson

August 25, 2008 12:25 PM

Hey there, commonroom buddy! by Elly Eriksson

Yikes and yikes again. D? How did she ever manage that? Sure, transfiguration wasn't her best subject by far, but D? That stood for dreadful, and it wasn't kidding around. Elly knew she had some serious studying to do, yet for some reason that didn't sound like the most fun thing in the world. Actually, it sounded rather dull. Still, with best intentions at heart, Elly went to the library for the first time ever... well, the first time for legitimate school purposes, anyway. She'd been there plenty for pranks but had never borrowed a book for an assignment before. Professor Sutekh had set them a nasty piece on switching spells, and Elly knew she had to bring her grades up. She was on good terms with the professor, and would like to maintain that if at all possible. Failing the class didn't seem the best way to go about staying in a teacher's good books.

So, armed with two heavy textbooks and her schoolbag, Elly fumbled her way into the commonroom. It was fatal; she should have stayed in the library. With this friendly, relaxed atmosphere, there was no way she was going to get any work done. Heading to the sofa, Elly dumped her books and bag at her feet and slouched into the empty seat next to Irene.

"How're you doing, kiddo?" Elly asked with a bright smile, slinging her arm around Irene's shoulder.

0 Elly Eriksson Hey there, commonroom buddy! 92 Elly Eriksson 0 5

Irene

August 25, 2008 4:25 PM

We meet again! by Irene

Irene looked around as a red-headed companion dropped down in the seat next to her. She returned Elly's grin with one of her own. Elly always provided good fun. Irene fought off the feeling of deja vu as the two sat on the Pecari Room couch. The two had sat here times before. She loved hanging with Elly because, like she had just written a few minutes before, there was never a dull moment!

"Hey, Elly!" She said, "I'm doing decent. Transfigurations homework procrastination and writing my Dad. Recooperating from practice." Transifurations was always tough for her. She always had a hard time figuring out what exactly she was suppose to be visualizing specifically. The wand movements were always a bit different and just... Irene didn't get it. She didn't hate it, but it was definitely a challenge. And Irene liked challenges... but to an extent. DADA was a challenge, in the good way. Transfiguration was a challenge in the frustrating, I-might-cry-as-I-do-my-homework-way.

"What's up with you?" she said with a playful elbow to her side.

0 Irene We meet again! 0 Irene 0 5

Elly

August 26, 2008 11:22 AM

It's bound to happen by Elly

"Transfigurations, huh?" Elly repeated with a half-smile. "Nasty stuff." She grinned and winked. "Writing to your Dad, huh? Yeah, I should get round to that," Elly pondered, removing her arm from round Irene's shoulders and stretching before slouching back into the sofa. "How's things with your old man, anyway?" Elly didn't know the details of Irene's relationship with her father, but she did know there'd been some conflict a couple of years ago, and that Irene lived with her uncle (she had visited a couple of times).

When asked what was up, Elly didn't think it suitable to recite a list of everything that was bothering her, so she sighed loudly, and merely said, "Alas, I too suffer from transfiguration homework." She lightly kicked the books at her feet and mock scowled at them. Then she laughed. "The things we get ourselves into, hey? All this work to do and practise, and charms club, and no doubt the Fury will strike soon." Although she was still grinning, Elly sighed again. Fitting in all her extra-curricular activities was getting harder by the year. She was also supposed to be planning for her stall at the Fair.

0 Elly It's bound to happen 0 Elly 0 5

Irene

August 26, 2008 1:35 PM

The universe must like us by Irene

Irene's reply to the Transfigurations comment was lost as Elly continued with her questions. She wasn't exactly sure of how their relationship stood. They weren't father-daughter, that was for sure, but they were better than... whatever they had been before. Sort of. Irene was... hopeful, but weary, she supposed about Dad. If he did manage to keep up with his "personal-rehab" she would be glad to try to be closer to him. Until then, she didn't trust him with much. She didn't know if she could be his support if he kept having relapses. Irene understood that it was a struggle, but she didn't think he understood that she was only thriteen, not twenty-three. She could get pretty sensitive to her emotions and this situation was pushing her towards that point. She didn't like being that girl, that crying, emotional girl.

"I... don't know," she finally decided on, "He's trying to get over his drinking problem. He asked me if I wanted to write to him to help him out and I said okay, but that didn't mean I was going to forgive and forget. I'm willing to help him out, but I still don't trust him." Irene gave a shrug and pushed her hair out from behind her ears. "But, maybe it'll turn out well."

Irene gave a groan as Elly listed off activities and pressed her fingers over her eyes. "I hear you... Us Pecaris, we can't stay away from all those extra-curriculars. And to think, I thought about joining the paper!" She let out a short laugh. As much as she might complain, Irene loved her busy life. She wouldn't want to trade in any activity just to get a bit of spare time. "I like having a lot to do." She said with a smile, "Keeps me entertained."

0 Irene The universe must like us 0 Irene 0 5

Elly

August 26, 2008 3:48 PM

Sweetie, it revolves around us by Elly

Elly nodded along as Irene explain the situation with her Dad. It must be tough, being your own parent's support. Goodness knew Elly had never supported her parents in anything; she had constantly bemoaned their every decision ever since she could talk. She gave as good as she got; no child could rejoice in their father's constant work abroad or their mother's migration to the middle of nowhere.

"Here's hoping," Elly said, holding up two fingers, crossed in good luck for Irene and her dad. "And hey, if you ever want to rant about an unreliable parent, I'm your man," she said, jabbing a thumb at herself. "Or, girl, or something," she corrected with a chuckle.

"Ah, yes, the paper," Elly said, nodding knowledgably. "I guess you're suffering article nag even worse than I am," she said, with an exaggerated eyeroll. "It would make Echo's year if I wrote an article for his extracurricular malarky, I'm sure, but let's see him run my life and do the paper." After a moment's pause, she added, "Actually, sratch that; he'd do a far better job at my life than I seem to be doing," she laughed.

"Oh, yes, keeps us very entertained," Elly agreed with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "I wonder how we have time for anything else at all."

0 Elly Sweetie, it revolves around us 0 Elly 0 5

Irene

August 27, 2008 9:52 AM

Finally, someone else thinks so! by Irene

"Here's hoping. And hey, if you ever want to rant about an unreliable parent, I'm your man." Irene loved having Elly as friend. She was the girl that was there for everyone. How she did it, Irene didn't know. Irene could barely stand being the emotional support for one person. Elly had many heads leaning on her two shoulders. Irene was very tempted to take her up on her offer, but at the moment, she just wanted some quiet commons time. And this was working out fairly well at the moment.

"Hey, same goes for you," she said. She paused for a moment, "You know, if you need it for something."

The Aronos. The little newspaper found ways to follow her everywhere even when she wasn't talking to Brett. Okay, sometimes (maybe a majority) she brought it up. She would end up slipping in that Brett was the editor, or mentioning that she wished she could do the paper if she had the time. But in Charms, for instance, she just happened to run into the first year writing an article. Even Renaye was writing an article! Irene thought of the paper with an annoyed fondness though. She resented the way people bugged her to write for it, but only because she wished she had the time to do so.

"Yeah," she said, "I kind of wish I could write an article, but..." She held her hand out in gesture to her essay. "Besides, I don't know what I would write it on."

0 Irene Finally, someone else thinks so! 0 Irene 0 5

Elly

August 27, 2008 4:36 PM

All lesser beings must bow before us by Elly

"Thanks," Elly replied to Irene's kind offer. It seemed a lot of people were happy to support her lately. On the one hand, that was so lovely it gave Elly a cliched warm fuzzy feeling inside. Though on the other, was she really giving off the impression that she needed someone to talk to? That would be incredibly selfish of her, considering just how good she had it. Here she was talking to Irene, who'd just finished writing to her alcoholic father, her only living parent. No, there was no way she was going to pile any of her worries on anyone else. "But I'm doing just fine," she said with a chirpy smile.

"Oh, I know what you mean," she replied with an exaggerated nod. "I have enough trouble trying to think of something to write for my novel, and there's only me who reads that. And maybe Saul. I could never write knowing someone else was going to read it," Elly admitted.

"It's got to be stressful," she added as an afterthought. "I mean, Brett's basically got to make everything work otherwise he's got Flatt to answer to. That is not a position I would like to be in." Not that Elly hated Flatt with a passion, but he certainly was far from her favourite. She hadn't seen Brett around so much these days, and she supposed he had a fair amount to be concentrating on himself. Echo too. "What we all need is a break," she told Irene, much as if she were a doctor prescribing some vital medicene. "If we can drag the boys away from their work long enough. Have a picnic or something. What d'you reckon?"

0 Elly All lesser beings must bow before us 0 Elly 0 5

Irene

August 29, 2008 4:47 PM

And bring us chocolate! by Irene

Irene nodded in response to Elly's reply. She couldn't imagine Elly having too many problems of her own. Somehow it just didn't seem to fit to her. She always saw Elly as the happy, loud, entusiastic friend that was always there for everyone. Irene didn't know how her friend would be able to take everyone else's problems on top of her own. And if she could, well, Irene was a much bigger baby about stuff than she though. Yet again, she was a little emotionaly when it came down to it. She hated being that teary girl who was too dramatic over her family business. It wasn't like she was looking for pity. In fact, she didn't want their pity at all. For Irene, let out a few tears was like letting out a bit of any stress that whatever-it-may-be was causing her. Speaking of stress...

"I have enough trouble trying to think of something to write for my novel, and there's only me who reads that. And maybe Saul. I could never write knowing someone else was going to read it.

"Oh right..." She said, dropping her head into her open hand. "I forgot about that. I usually write with the intentions of not letting anyone read it, but if someone asks I'll let them."

"It's got to be stressful. I mean, Brett's basically got to make everything work otherwise he's got Flatt to answer to. That is not a position I would like to be in." Irene nodded thoughtfully. "What we all need is a break." She nodded again, this time with more assurance. "If we can drag the boys away from their work long enough. Have a picnic or something. What d'you reckon?"

Irene straightened up in her seat, turning so she was facing Elly. "That's a great idea! Tell everyone to drop their stuff for an hour or two and join us in blowing off some steam." She slumped back into the couch, letting out a sigh, "A break sounds awesome. We should definitely set that up."

0 Irene And bring us chocolate! 0 Irene 0 5