Hold Your Head Up High (Hadley)

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika walked down the hall fit her lips firmly pressed together. She ran her hand through her hair before stopping outside dorm room 203. She didn't know who lived here, all she knew was that her grandfather had received some kind of letter addressed to one of the residents inside and he had asked her to deliver it since the room was right next to hers. Great, she should have gotten paid for this kind of thing, but nope, it was all family business. Joy.

She stood there for a while, contemplating whether or not to knock on the door. This felt silly. Like, really silly. She wasn't some kind of errand-girl and she surely didn't do house calls. Ugh, how dreadfully annoying.

She knocked the door finally and tapped her foot impatiently against the floor as she waited for someone - anyone to open up. She looked at the envelope in her hand and sighed. Hadley Roarke, it said. Did she know who that was? Not at all. Was she about to find out? Hopefully.

Erika actually debated whether or not to just shove the damn envelope under the door and leave, but that would be rude. She wouldn't have appreciated it if anyone did that kind of thing to her. An eye for an eye, right? Right. Even if it was annoying, it wasn't the end of the world, and it surely wouldn't harm her.

Erika knocked one more time on the door, ''Hello? Anyone home?''

[Hadley Roarke]

Had he forgotten? Was he getting too big to write to his older sister? Hadley bit her lip, as if that would stop the tears from welling in her eyes. Calm down. The last thing you need is to set your dorm on fire. She inhaled as deeply as she could, held her breath for a few seconds, then exhaled slowly. Yoga was supposed to be calming, right? Maybe that was something else she needed to pick up. As if volleyball and track was not enough. A sigh fell from her lips and she plopped on to her bed. A knock at her door made her jump. Hadley furrowed her brow and drug herself to door.


Before she could get there, another knock sounded through the room. "Calm yourself," she muttered. She snatched open the door, and sighed. "Yes?" Although she could be temperamental, normally she would not be so rude to people she did not know. But not hearing from James made her really worried. What if Kaylyn did not watch him and he got hurt? What if James was miserable? What if child services finally recovered their senses and took him away? How would he get in touch with her? Her eyes began to water again. She looked down to avoid the eyes of the person standing in front of her.


There was an envelope the girl's hand. From what Hadley could see it was addressed to her. "My mail?" Hadley grabbed it, and ripped it open. Never on earth was someone so happy to see chicken scrawl on a crumpled piece of notebook paper. It was short, sweet, and to the point; not exactly what she wanted from him, but a load was lifted off of her chest.

Sissy,

Sorry I haven't written. Kaylyn says I cant write you, but I'll do it anyway. I got a pen and paper from teacher. School is great. No one picks on me, cause I tell them you'll blow them up. Have you practiced that? I miss you. Love you.
Yours truly,

JimmyJamJame

Hadley brought the note to her chest and hugged it. It gave her peace of mind to know her little trooper was still going strong. James was like a child to her. If anything happened to him she might have to burn down a city. Hadley took another deep breath before composing herself, and looking at the girl at her door. "Thanks. I really needed this letter. Erika, right? We run track together."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika was just about to leave as she heard a muffled voice from the other side of the door. She straightened herself up as the door opened and she was met with a familiar face covered in blonde hair. She had seen the girl before, on the track team, though she didn't really know the blonde's name. Which was embarrassing enough for her to not admit to it.

But the blonde didn't give Erika much room to say anything before the envelope was snatched out of her fingers. Not that Erika had actually taken the chance to speak as she had been too busy trying to come up with the blonde's name. Well, at least now she did since the blonde clearly was the owner of the letter. ''Yea-,'' Erika didn't continue, but raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes at the rude gesture and impatiently tapped her foot against the floor.

What, no thank you? Well, whatever. She had done what she came her to do and sh- Woah, what kind of letter made people get all gooey like that? Erika was officially curious as the blonde pressed the letter against her chest. But she figured it was better not to pry. It rarely was a good thing.

''Yeah, correct,'', she nodded with a faint smile, ''Yeah, that's right. You're the blonde who always wear such cute outfits, Hadley?'' The name was purely memorized from the envelope, of course. Erika wasn't the best with names, especially not when it came to people she didn't talk to. Much. ''And no problem. My grandfather asked me to deliver it since my room's right next to yours.''

[Hadley Roarke]

Erika probably thought Hadley was insane. But it did not matter. Not a lot of people understood her attachment to the child. And someone completely unaware of her situation would not understand why she was so happy to receive a simple letter. But it meant the world to her. Classes would go a lot smoother since her only worry was James, and that was put to rest.

Hadley could not help but chuckle at the girl's words. "Yeah, Hadley. Thanks. I don't really give a lot of thought to my outfits. I manage to have a lot of nice clothes that mostly go together." She worked pretty hard for most of her things. It felt nice to know that people thought well of her appearance. Honestly, she did not care one way or the other what people thought, but you have to appreciate people that have similar (good) taste.

She stood there silently. It did not occur to her that the silence was growing awkward, for she was so at ease in her mind. "Well, since you are right next to me, you're welcome to borrow anything you like." This seemed like a nice gesture. The girl couldn't steal her clothes, and would be sorry if she did. "I definitely do not have a shortage." That was for sure. Anyone that became roommates with her would probably hate her and all her articles of clothing. She would feel bad for the poor soul.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika had her own fair share of siblings, so she knew how it felt to not having them close - though, she did not know it was to worry about them because she was unable to actually see them. Erika's twin sister went to the school and her brother had gone here, and as did her baby sister, but they weren't exactly close, so they tried their best to avoid each other. Most of the time anyways. They were a hateful group of siblings, one more spoiled than the other.

''Well, for someone who doesn't give it a lot of thought, you sure nail it every time,'' Erika responded with a chuckle. Erika had spent a great deal of time trying to perfect her looks and sense of fashion. She had yet to find something that felt like it was 'her', but at least she felt somewhat comfortable with what she was wearing. Maybe she should have felt jealous over the blonde because really, she looked amazing in her outfits and she wasn't even trying? Well, poop. That was unfair.

Brushing her hair over her shoulder, Erika leaned slightly against the doorway and crossed her arms over her chest, ''I'll keep that in mind,'' Erika had her own closet filled with clothes, so she didn't exactly need to borrow things. Well, unless Ellen ended up raiding it again and once more stealing all of her stuff, ''Same goes for you. My mother sends me clothes from all over the world every month.'' Sadly, they weren't always all that great and took up a lot of space Erika could have filled with something else.

And Erika was sure the blonde, Hadley would look better than herself in most of it.

[Hadley Roarke]

The blonde shrugged when Erika complimented her. "Just comes naturally, I guess. It makes up for all the other things I'm terrible at." She grinned and tossed her hair over her shoulder. Hadley knew she was pretty, and she worked it to her full advantage; she just always made a point not to be a snob about it. Those were girls she wanted to punch in their pretty faces. She wondered if Erika was like that. "You're gorgeous yourself." Guys were a sucker for a girl with a petite figure.

When Erika leaned against the door, Hadley felt incredibly rude. "I was about to go get some lunch. Would you like to come? I'm starving." That was partly a lie. The last thing on her mind five minutes ago was food. And she only just now realized she was hungry. "We can go to the cafeteria, or whatever." How eloquently put! Hadley was known for her way with words. Not.

"Wow, all over the world? Don't mind if I do," she gave a small laugh. Her Sperries happened to be by the door, from where she oh so lazily kicked them off last night. She slid her feet into them. A hairband was around her wrist and she used that to throw her hair into a bun. Today, she was not very fashionable. A worn pair of boot cut jeans graced her hips, and she had on a Wonder Woman t-shirt (light red with WW insignia on the chest). JimmyJamJame insisted she wear one, because he thought his sister was very much like the famous superhero.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika chuckled and shook her head, offering the blonde a smile, ''We're all terrible at something,'' Like Erika, there was plenty of things she was terrible at. Guys, relationships, making friends of the opposite sex, talking to her mother, being smart, speaking up for herself, well, you get the drill. She was a horrible excuse for a Bellefonte heir as her mother often said. ''Thank you.'' Erika said with a grin. Well, at least she was pretty, right? Erika didn't really have a whole lot else going for her so she relied on her looks probably a whole lot more than what she should have.

When Hadley mentioned food, Erika realized that she actually felt a little hungry. She nodded and pushed herself back from the doorway with a faint smile on her lips, ''Yeah, sure,'' Well damn. This was probably the first time Erika had ever gotten so well along with another girl. Not even she and Ellen talked this freely, since their relationship was a little more tense, filled with dares, competition and friendly bullying. Oh yeah, and the fact that Ellen could hypnotise her to do about anything. Great. ''I think they're serving tacos today,'' Erika loved taco. Erika loved any food with grease and rich flavors. It was the best kind of food.

She was more than once told she ate like a man - a pig.

''Knock yourself out,'' She had too many clothes to wear so lending them out to people weren't that much of a problem. Besides, she didn't even like half of it, she just didn't have the heart to simply throw them out after all the trouble her mother had gone through to get it. So, it was better to lend it out to people who wanted them more than she did.

Erika offered the blonde another smile as they walked down the hallway, ''Have you read Dirty Laundry yet? If not, then don't. It might end up feeding her already giant ego.'' Nope, Erika did not enjoy some lame ass anonymous blogger gossiping about her or her life. At all.

[Hadley Roarke]

"We're all terrible at something." Yeah, but Hadley did not want to be terrible at anything. She tried hard to do her best. And the disappointing part was that she ended up sucking anyway. Oh well. That was life. She gave a mental shrug and sighed. All she could do was pick herself up and dust herself off. It was part of who she was.

"Do you have any dresses? I'm a big dress fan. I have a pair of pumps that look amazing with everything." This was amazing. She was talking to someone who actually seemed like they wanted to talk back. Maybe there was hope for a social life after all. She smiled and locked her door. "Oh, tacos. I love those." Hadley kept her diet clean for the gym. But tacos? Who can turn that down? Besides, everyone deserved a cheat day. "Hopefully they have chips and salsa too." That was what made taco day.

Dirty Laundry. If one were to choose a great piece of gossip, they would choose any piece written by Dirty Laundry. "Oh, yeah. Who hasn't?" Erika seemed very bitter towards the blogger. Then it hit her. Erika was a Bellefonte, and was a big target for Dirty Laundry at the moment. The questions that Hadley wanted answers to. However, their friendship seemed to have just started, so for once, Hadley kept her mouth shut.

"I would not let people bother you. It does not matter what you do or don't do, people will always find something to talk about." This was something she had personally experienced. Erika was a target, because she had the name. Everyone had their 'dirty laundry,' if you will. Not everyone had theirs splashed across a blog; they were not famous enough.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

''Oh yes, I have dresses. They take up two thirds of my closet. I have dresses in all shapes and colors, and I'm pretty sure they're mating and multiplying,'' she joked with a chuckle. But yes, dresses. Dresses were the clothing she had the most of, both casual dresses and the ones you used for less casual settings. Actually, she probably had dresses for all settings, which was why she wanted to get a rid of them - besides, she didn't need all those clothes. She wasn't even sure why she had them to begin with. ''So feel free to raid my closet anytime,'' she chirped.

The frown that had showed up on the brunette's face grew softer as the blonde replied and Erika nodded. ''Yeah, I suppose so,'' she chuckled. Okay, so even she had to admit that the famous blogger got things spot on sometimes, but damn, couldn't she write about someone else for a change? Like, really, it was growing old. ''It seems like more and more people are sending in tips, though,'' Because the blogger couldn't possible be everywhere at once, right? Unless she had the ability of duplication, of course...

It was a mystery Erika would love to solve.

''That's true,'' Erika admitted, ''But I can't help but to have a feeling that it won't stop anytime soon, you know. And not only for my sake, I think more people are going to get involved. They always do,'' Erika was used to rumors and gossip, but the way the blogger portrayed it was so... Raw. Like, she didn't lie, but she didn't tell the entire truth either. ''But hey, at least I'm famous!'', she attempted to sound positive, but it didn't exactly fall through. This was not Erika's idea of fame. At all.

[Hadley Roarke]

"That's great. I love my jeans, but sometimes my legs are just too sexy to hide." Hadley grinned and caressed her hips. "I'll probably have to do that tomorrow." For sure. Erika might want to be careful; Hadley would be over there every day, raiding the poor girl's closet. She might get tired of Had.

She nodded at Erika's words. "Anonymous tips would make sense. People want to feel important, so they send in information." Had shrugged and sighed. "Try to find her. Or him. Make them pay." Of course, this was just her logic. Violence solved problems for good. Maybe she could use some fire power. Ha. A small laugh shook her frame. God, she was hilarious. "I'd be happy to help."

Erika's false happy statement made Hadley so glad that she was just there; that no one knew her name. "Wait it out a few months. Maybe try to keep your personal life on the DL? Try not to give her something to write about." Yeah, it sucked, but if Miss. Bellefonte did not want her name splashed across the internet, then she should be careful. She was a Bellefonte. Everyone knew who she was. It's like when a celebrity got pregnant, cheated on their spouse, or got thrown in jail for drugs; everyone knew about it. When someone is carefully watched they should make better decisions. Or maybe she just felt that way after reading the newest post from Dirty Laundry.

"So what's your power? If you don't mind me asking. Some people aren't fans of talking about it." Although her power made her stand out from the normal people, she loved her gift. "I'm a pyro. If something was set on fire, it probably was not me." She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

''Aye, I hear ya,'' Erika said with a smirk. A woman after her own heart. But even so, there was no point in having a load of dresses just lying around since she never, ever got around to using them all. ''Mi casa es su casa,'' she said as she turned her head to give the blonde a little wink, brushing her brown locks over her shoulders.

Hadley's words were met with a short chuckle and Erika shook her head, ''If it was that easy, she'd be shut down already,'' Truth be told, not even Ellen had been able to find the girl as of yet and it almost felt like finding a needle in a haystack: Impossible. But for what it was worth, it could be a lot worse. At least Dirty Laundry only talked about her unsuccessful love life and that wasn't exactly a secret. Everyone knew Erika had bad luck when it came to guys. Maybe she should have become a nun or just went to the other side of the fence. Maybe that would solve things.

''Yeah, you're probably right,-'' she said with a sigh before looking away, ''-What sucks is that what comes up is only half the truth y'know. It's just her-or his side of the story,'' She knew how it had looked, but that wasn't how things had went down. At all. But whatever, it wasn't like she could do anything about the rumors now. She just had to watch her steps more closely and not get any other faculty members involved. Again. ''And no, I am not involved with a member of the staff,'' she pointed out with a grin. Erika was fairly sure people wanted to ask her that. However, whether or not they believed her when she told them otherwise, that she wasn't so sure about.

Erika wasn't used to people asking about powers. It was like asking someone what kind of sexual preference they had - private. She didn't mind it, of course, it just surprised her. The surprisement turned into a chuckle which in turn turned into a soft smile, ''I'll keep that in mind,'' she grinned and pursed her lips, biting the insides of her lips, ''I'm a telekinetic. I can't like, lift shoes and stuff without having to touch them,'' Not exactly the coolest power in the world, but it could do. And to show the blonde and example, Erika focused her power on the blonde's hair, lifting it upwards as if a breeze had caught it only to leave it floating for a few seconds before it returned into its former position, ''Like that.''

[Hadley Roarke]

"It's so hard being beautiful," Hadley gave a dramatic sigh and did the hair flip. "I'm so glad someone understands my pain." Oh, humor and sarcasm. And someone to share it with! How nice!

That easy? Well the blogger is not going to make it that easy, for sure. Who would? The fun would be sucked out, because people would find and end the blog. "Of course not. But I'll keep my ears open anyway." Had shrugged. "Hopefully she will pick a new target. Do you have a brother or something? That would be great. Shove the attention off to him." It didn't solve the problem overall, though it did give Erika a break.

"How else would she pedal her work? No one cares about the whole truth. If they did, magazines across the globe would be out of business." She put her hands in her back pockets and pushed out her lips. This was her thinking face. "Watching someone else's problems make others feel better; they can laugh at another person's misery for a change." How mean was this world? Filled with so many petty people. Drama and jealousy made the world go 'round.

The surprise that flitted across Erika's face made Had laugh. There was nothing Hadley would not say if she wanted to. Ah, telekinesis. She could use that power a lot. When her hands are full, or when she forgot her drink across the room. "Sounds neat." As soon as her hair lifted, she smiled. "So Marilyn Monroe probably had her skirt lifted by some pervy telekinetic guy. It just looked like a vent did it. I hope you use your powers for good." She winked at the brunette. Thinking about all the events in history, who knows how many important figures had unique abilities?