You say it's just a talk [LUKE]

[Toby Jayne]

  Reveeeeenge! Except I know you'll post a novel in counter revenge... 

Luke Bradford knew plenty of ways to annoy her, he knew most of her buttons. Like calling her Seraphine, and it seemed like he knew the best time to push them. He used to push them all the time, but things had...things had changed and for the better. The old days were just that, old. They had gone back, to parental parties, to the 'rents, before and now they weren't adults but they were closer. Somehow she'd always wondered how they could have been friends. They were like the same people. . .just on opposite ends of the spectrum. Oh the trouble they could have caused, of course Toby would never admit that, with Luke's help, she'd be better. she could admit she needed Luke like she needed a heartbeat, and that he practically made her more complete, but admitting he completed her on a personality was still a little too much for her ego to handle.

Toby had grown up with people like Lizzie and Luke, all the pretty looking, empty headed idiot children of her parent's friends. She couldn't stand them, they were all idiots in general, but Luke was a special case. Callway was different, and Toby wouldn't admit she was the tiniest bit jealous, Luke had potential, he could have been like her. Luke had imagination and he was ruthless, the perfect combination, but he was to worried about fitting in. Acceptance was nothing to Toby and that was the two parted ways. Callaway on the other hand? She was an idiot, a ditzy should be blond. She didn't have imagination! Or talent like Luke did. They might look cute together but Toby couldn't imagine the relationship had ever been much fun. Luke needed someone more his level, she was. Lizzie was just one of the things she would probably never understand about Luke.

"All that matters is that I'm here now, right?" she grinned. "Of course." She kissed him again, slipping her tongue into his mouth, slowly. She liked the feeling of his skin on hers. Suddenly, above them, the sky opened up and it stated raining, soaking them in an instant. Toby laughed, shaking her head. "What should we do now?" She asked. She clearly had a plan in mind, just being near Luke made her want him. As hard to admit it, she thought about her and Luke...well, her and Luke a lot. She was a normal, hormonal teenager. You couldn't blame her, but having so close was only making things worse and the build up of emotions was making things, well, difficult. She didn't want to do something stupid just becaue she was excited and in love. She wanted to do it because she'd throught about it and was sure and because she was in love. But no matter how much she rationalized, the hormone half of her brain told her to stop being rational and acting like an adult. "Remember when you said you always thought I was a freak?" She asked with a laugh, rain always made her giggly. "Do you still think so?"

[Luke Bradford]

  Ahem... Counter-revenge.  Remember when I promised to be kind and write non-novel posts???...  *runsandhides* 

A lot had changed since the two were last together.  The changes weren't subtle.  They were significant.  The boy had changed physically.  This was evident from his shaggy hair, to his deepening voice.  Yet while the changes in his physical appearance were great, they came no where near as close as the changes Luke had gone through mentally.  When Luke had begun at Hogwarts, he had been small minded, shallow, and insecure.  He had gone through the motions of using his giant ego to get others to do his bidding, or to stay far away from  him.  He name dropped each and every chance he got.  The most important thing on Luke's mind then had been letting everyone know who he was, and who his family was.  Even then Luke knew he was in no position of power.  He had been a scrawny little git, who's wand was absolutely useless.  It may have been good for poking eyes out, but casting powerful curses and hexes like his father, it was not.  Yet Luke wanted nothing more than to be just like his father.  And he had been well on his way, until Toby had opened his eyes to the world outside of the Bradford confines.  She had told him to live.  To live his life the way he wanted to.  The only problem was that Luke didn't know anything other than the life he lived in.  It was full of expensive and well kept things, pretty girls without actual thought or substance, and driving fear into the hearts of others.  But all that had changed.

His stolen moments with Toby had opened the boy's eyes.  There was more to life than the box he had been placed in.  The walls had come crumbling down, along with his inhibitions.  Still self-conscience, Luke had been slowly able to break through the sheltered existence he had been living in, struggling through to discover just what life would offer him, just what he was looking for in his life.  But the walls collapsed on him.  As soon as Toby had left, there had been no hope.  There was no guiding light.  That's what she was.  She was Luke's northern star.  And while he had missed her completely during his time away, all the thoughts of despair and loneliness vanished away at the sight of her.  He had been right before.  Even though he was avoiding the subject of his disappearance.  It didn't matter where he had been, or where she had been.  They were together once more, and that was all that had mattered.  It was all that had ever mattered.  No matter where the two were, no matter how far apart, they would be able to come back together. 

“Of course.”  A wave of relief swept over the boy.  Either he had gotten to be a far better liar than he had thought, or she was just not willing to push the subject at the moment.  It didn't matter.  He was just grateful he could dance around the issue for now.  Their lips met once more, this time in a deeper kiss; the kind of kiss that could drive a boy mad.  His arms were still wrapped tightly around her, one hand moving up along the small of her back.  He had never forgotten her smell, the feeling of her skin against his.  But physically being able to feel it all was heaven.  Rain began falling upon them, and as Luke pulled away from her, he couldn't help but smile in a pathetic and sappy sort of way.  She was getting wet, and he couldn't believe how fitting it was on her.  Yet at the same time, he didn't need her being cold. Nor getting sick.  He'd been away from her too long.  If she caught cold and was holed up in the Gryffindor towers, Luke would go nuts.  Luke on the other hand, didn't care about being sick.  He never really got sick.  Good genes apparently.  Survival of the fittest, or all the jazz. She needed his shirt more than he did.  Unbuttoning his shirt, Luke pulled it off, stepping closer to Toby.  It was wet, but it was something.  He wrapped it around her in a very gentleman like fashion. ”What should we do now?”  She was laughing, and soon Luke was too.  It would be just their luck to get caught in a freak rainstorm.   Smirking at her, he leaned in close to her ear and murmured, I can think of a few things to do..  He placed a kiss softly on the crook of her neck before pulling back to look at her.

For the first time in a long time, Luke was feeling confident in himself.  He wasn't worried about the horrible scars that littered his now bare torso, neck and arms.  It didn't matter.  If Toby loved him, she'd love him scars and all.  Besides, he was feeling just a bit cocky lately.  He had worked hard to gain the muscle he now bore.  His back, chest, stomach, and arms were much bigger than they had been the last time she had seen him without a shirt arm.  While he hadn't been particularly unfortunate to look at before, it had been nothing compared to the boy now.  But his body didn't matter.  What mattered now was Toby. "Remember when you said you always thought I was a freak?"  Another smirk played upon his lips as he looked at her.  He had been a bit of a prat before.  Who was he fooling, he was still a bit of a prat.  But she was still laughing, and so Luke wouldn't take her words to heart.  “Do you still think so?”  Luke raised an eyebrow, as raindrops began sticking to his skin.  How to approach the answer.  Shaking his head no slowly, he spoke. “Not particularly, though if you'd like to prove me wrong I wouldn't say no..”  A wink of the eye directed towards her was all the response she would need.

[Toby Jayne]

  It won't let me code =| 

Toby had noticed the changes about Luke the second she saw him, she knew him on a different level than everyone else, and she noticed things about him faster. They had been friends for so long, since they were four or five even, and she knew what he meant without being told. When he took off his shirt to wrap around her it occured to her she hadn't seen the werewolf scares here before. Of course, she'd known they were there...or at least assumed, but he hadn't had them at Hocker Hill, and she hadn't seen him shirtless since then. They had maching scars now. His wet shirt didn't do a whole lot to keep her warm, but it was the thought that counted, and Luke had never been much of a gentleman. There were physical changes, but she could sense he'd grown up on the inside as well. He wasn't immature, egocentric and cold anymore. She had known he cheated on Lizzie, she knew him well enough to know the look in his eyes when he had looked at Zoe, but the new Luke seemed older, wiser. The nagging at the back of her mind told her once a cheater always a cheater, but the part of Toby that was head over heels in love told her that was the old Luke and this was the new one. This was the new Luke that loved her (Claimed too, chimed the voice) and not Zoe or Lizzie or anyone else. The new Luke was better than that. Her fingers traced the lines of scars on his chest like a blind person feeling something totally knew so they could get a picture in their mind. The new Luke was an unknown.

"I can think of a few things to do.." Luke didn't see the flicker of fear that passed through her eyes, it was gone by the time he looked back up, but his words scared her. She knew it was coming, they were two teenagers left to their own devices, what more could be expected? Toby was pretty normal on the teenage girl, hormone raging part. She loved Luke and she loved herself, it wasn't like she was scared of what he would think of her and it didn't take a genius to realize Luke wouldn't be Toby's first. She had James, after all. James hadn't pushed her, it had been something she wanted to do, but he had been the slow one and not her. He had more to worry about after all, he was of age and she was still a minor, that fact could send him to jail. The facts hadn't mattered after a while, and it had been immposible to keep them apart while they lived together in a five by five hut, but at least James had had the decency to think it through first. He'd taught Toby that much, she had been the rash half of the team, he always wanted to know the end result before he flung himself, headlong into anything. “Not particularly, though if you'd like to prove me wrong I wouldn't say no..” She laughed quietly, knowing that if he kept talking it would be very hard for her to keep her head on right. Combined a shirtless Luke with the rain and the way she was feeling to see him and she would make a stupid decision without a second thought until morning, when she would freak out. "I love you Luke, and it's not that I don't want to ... but-" She paused. How could she say this and not imply something she didn't want to. "But I have a lot more to worry about than you do." There. She'd known the second he knew what was going on he would try and protect her, but this was something he couldn't save her from. "We need to talk about this." She said seriously, taking him by the hand.

There was one place in the Hogshead she knew they could go to talk without being interupted or overheard. The only problem was Luke would never go if he knew who the room belonged to. So she just wouldn't tell him. James would understand. Toby had remained pretty close with him, they still talked at the bar some nights when he was working and she needed someone to listen. Still, if he knew why she was borrowing his room he would be less than pleased, so she wouldn't tell him either. That simplified things. fidling with the door handle she opened the door to the dingy room. It was pretty bare, a rickety bed, an open suitcase and a few mementos. Thankfully James hadn't left anything lying around that would scream "Toby's-Ex-lives-here". She put up a finger for Luke to wait and started digging around in the bottom corner of the suitcase, taking out a dry tee shirt. Turning her back on Luke she did what she used to call a gym-change, the fast, don't want anyone to see change out of the wet shirt and into the dry one. She tossed the wet shirt into the corner, her usual mess making  habit and turned back to Luke. "Okay, now we have to talk." She gave him a lopsided grin that was just as full of hapiness as of bittermess. "The thing is Luke, I don't have anywhere to go. I'm one mistake away from being thrown out of my uncles. One mistake like getting pregnant." She gave him a meanigful look and sat down on the edge of the bed. Maybe bringing him here wasn't such a good idea.
 

[Luke Bradford]

  hehe look at Lukey squirm.... 

The new Luke.  He wasn't sure how he felt about it.  He knew it was what people would think or say when they saw him.  Yet Luke wasn't so sure he wanted to be new.  Of course, he wasn't very sure he wanted to be the old Luke either.  Really, Luke wanted to be anyone else but himself.  Himself was a jumbled up mess of problems and insecurities.  Himself was unsure of what he wanted to do with his life.  Himself was unsure of his family and their beliefs.  The only think himself was sure of was Toby.  It was the only thing that made sense.  Old and new Luke alike loved Toby, and wanted to be with Toby.  That he was sure of.  He could have come back in a different body and still wanted the same thing.  But that was one of the very similarities between the old and the new.  The new didn't seem to mind being shirtless in the rain.  The old would have been dying inside at the thought of being judged.  The new seemed to be more caring.  The old would have wanted to keep himself warm.  Of course, it wasn't to say that Luke was a completely different person.  He was still the same confused little boy he'd always been.  He was still bitter and cruel to those he had no need for.  But at least he was beginning to think twice about everything.

Toby ran her fingers across his scars, and Luke held his breath.  She'd never seen the extent of them before.  Luke only hoped she didn't think differently of him now.  He didn't want her feeling sorry for him.  He was a big boy.  He could handle things now. Besides, they matched.  The scars on her back, the scars on his torso.  They were wounded soldiers of the rich.  And all the money in the world couldn't fix the physical nor the emotional scars that they wore.  When Toby had asked Luke what he wanted to do, he hadn't meant much by his words.  In fact, really all the boy wanted to do was keep Toby in his arms.  Perhaps a bit of kissing, but not much else.  He couldn't possibly know the thoughts that went through her head.  Nor could he see the tiny flicker of fear in her eyes.  He was oblivious.  A small chuckle escaped her lips at his next words about her freak status, but Luke suddenly sensed something might have been wrong.  He'd most likely said something idiotic again.  He was always good at that.  He racked his brain quickly, attempting to think of what he could have said to offend her.  He couldn't think of much, but what did he know.  He was a hormonal teen boy after all.  "I love you Luke, and it's not that I don't want to ... but-"  Luke raised an eyebrow.  What in the world was she talking about.  What didn't she want to do?  "But I have a lot more to worry about than you do."  Luke stood there in the rain dumbfounded, his arms at his side, a look of utter confusion spread across his face.  He wanted badly to understand what Toby was talking about, but she wasn't making any sense.  Was she in trouble?  Did she need help?  Luke could help her.  He'd do anything to help her.  Hopefully she knew that.  He'd opened his mouth to talk but he was cut off with words he certainly didn't want to hear.  "We need to talk about this."  Her tone was serious, as was the grip she used when she took his hand.

Luke followed obediently, though he moved much more like a zombie than a love sick puppy.  His stomach dropped to his knees, and he immediately felt sick.  This was it.  She loved him but she didn't want to actually be with him.  In fact, she was probably still with James.  James the older boy who was just so much better than Luke.  What had he expected?  Why would she want to be with him anyways?  Luke was nothing.  He was a pathetic little boy who'd gotten himself locked away because he couldn't control his emotions.  Everyone had been right.  Toby deserved better than him.  He walked hand in hand with the girl who was about to break his heart until they reached their destination, a dingy looking room, mostly bare save for a suitcase and a bed.  He was barely feeling or seeing at the moment, so when Toby turned to change, Luke barely noticed.  His numbing feelings were coming back.  It seemed they'd be his friend for a while still.  It was a brilliant coping mechanism really.  Feeling nothing at all at a time like this was useful.  That way he wouldn't be able to feel the crushing pain of heartbreak when it snuck up on him.  "Okay, now we have to talk."  The lopsided and strained grin she gave him did nothing but further the numbing effect.  ”Ok”  his voice was monotone.  No feeling, just like the rest of him.  "The thing is Luke, I don't have anywhere to go. I'm one mistake away from being thrown out of my uncles.”  So she was in trouble.  If she needed a place to stay, Luke would gladly help her.  Heck, he'd live with her in this dingy room if it meant making her happy.  “One mistake like getting pregnant." 

The words hit Luke like an Acme anvil to the head.  Pregnant?  Pregnant?!?!?!  His fists balled automatically, his nails digging deep into his flesh.  Had James gotten her pregnant?  If he had touched a single hair on her head, Luke would rip him to shreds.  He didn't care how old of strong the boy was.  He'd kill him.  It wasn't until Toby sat down, looking at him, that Luke realized Toby wasn't pregnant.  She was one mistake away from being kicked out.  One mistake like being pregnant.  His eyes widened in understanding.  She was afraid of getting pregnant from Luke.  His face suddenly went bone white, his throat dry.  Him?  But they'd never...  He'd never asked to.. His words rang out clearly in his head.  “I can think of a few things to do...”  What a moron he had been.  She thought he'd wanted to... But he hadn't.  He just wanted to be near her.  Maybe a bit of snogging.  Not, that!  Sinking down next to her, Luke dropped his head into his hand.  This had gotten a bit awkward.  He didn't want her knowing he was terrified of doing such things.  He wasn't man enough for it.  Just the thought made the boy shake with fear.  She couldn't know that.  He'd have to put up a front.  Taking a deep steadying breathe, Luke looked up from his hands, and into Toby's eyes.  He spoke slowly, deliberately. “I would never ask you to do something you didn't want to do Toby.”  His throat was still dry, and he found it difficult to speak. “I'd wait forever for you.  I just want you to know that.”  He made to push her hair behind her ear, kissing her gently on the cheek.  “If you want to just sit here and talk, that's fine with me.”

[James McCoy]

James was tired, he was washed out, and he was tending bar of all things. The past year had been a whirlwind of insanity. His mother had died, something he'd been expecting for a while. In a way, he wasn't sad. It was the natural passing of time, and she was in pain. Cancer, and there had been nothing for him to do. He'd been okay with it, she'd been in pain for long enough he knew she was ready to give up. She was only fifty three though, and despite his collected look he was still in pain. Then there had been Toby, who if he had to list his biggest mistakes he'd put her on the top. But, by the same token, she was one of his happiest moments in life too. She'd found him when he was down and out and cleaning stables. And yeah, he had loved her. Yeah, they had been meant to be togethere. Yeah, they'd made a damn good couple. But damn good doesn't neccesarily mean they could work together forever.She's be on the greatest dissapointment, greatest heartbreak and greatest loss list too. I guess that's what happens when you make one person your everything for too long. They make every list you can dream up. Even the one of all the people you hate.

James ran the damp rag through the glass and set it down, picking up the next one. They'd parted ways he told himself, but if they were so seperated, why had he moved here? This was her town, her place. If there was anywhere he might 'bump into her' it would be here. He was being stupid he kept telling himself, but he had a lot of history with her, and if she didn't feel something about him still he would be surprised. They had a lot of firsts together, and then he'd woken up one morning, in an african hut, with a pile of textbooks on English next to him and her in his arms and wondered what the hell he'd been thinking. Fear took over, she was a minor, she was supposedly dead, her parents were insane murderers and it had been his genius idea to get her out. He knew it had to be done, but as the sun filtered in through the cracks of the thatched roof he wondered why he'd been such a moron. everything had gone right on a plan where, logically, everything should have gone wrong. It was time they had a very serious conversation, and he'd listen to what she had to say, but unless she had a really good argument he knew it had to end.

It had, and she'd agreed. Apparently he wasn't the only scared one. He always knew Toby was flighty, but going back to Hogwarts had been a huge step for her, and he's let her go with a kiss on the forehead and a wave goodbye. It was over. The end. Period. End of story. No More Toby. then why was he thinking about her so much? He chalked it up to loneliness, that was a valid excuse given that he'd left the village he was working in teaching English and moved to, of all places, Hogsmeade. Smart idea, not. He finished cleaning out the glasses and started stacking them underneath the counter when someone sat down on the bar stool across from him. Looking up he brushed his hair, which had admittadly gotten a little long and shaggy, out of his face and smiled at the new customer. Hey, he was living off of tips. Working paid the rent, but tips paid for food and he needed that too.taking off for the night he noticed the rain outside and that only made his mood worse. He took the stairs two at a time towards his room, opening the door without waiting or hearing anything, it was his room after all, why should he knock or wait or listen?

"Like getting pregnant." Was all he heard but it stopped him in his tracks. His head spinning blocked out whatever the other person in the room said. Sending daggers in his direction James saw it was Bradford. Really? Toby had brought him here? He had told her she cold use his room if she needed somewhere to stay...not for whatever she was planning with Bradford. That didn't matter though. Not now...How long had it been since the last time? Six or seven months maybe, she'd be showing by now, right? He didn't know, it wasn't like he had any experience with that sort of thing, but pregnancies usually lasted nine months right? Was she any bigger? He couldn't tell... "You need to go." He said quietly to Bradford, holding back a roar.This was none of Luke's buisness and if he wouldn't get out James would hit him again, just like last time. "Is it...mine?" He asked after a short second, focusing on Toby and ignoring the prig in his room.

[Luke Bradford]

The talk the two were having now was getting awkward.  It was getting to an intimate level that Luke wasn’t sure about yet.  On one hand, Luke was more than willing to do anything that Toby wanted, if it meant it would show her how much she meant to him.  Besides, he didn’t want her leaving again.  Not for that stupid prat James.  Yet on the other hand, Luke wasn’t sure he was anywhere near ready for anything like that.  It made his head spin and his stomach churn just thinking about the possibility of it.  But apparently Luke had brought up the subject without even meaning to.  He had never meant to make her uncomfortable, nor bring up anything unfavorable.  Yet he had gone and done it, and there was no taking it back now, even if he hadn’t meant it.  His number one priority was now making her comfortable. He needed to clear the air and let her know he was willing to do anything for her.  Waiting being one of them.  Especially since he was the one that wanted to wait…

The room was silence, and Luke wanted her to say something, anything to ease the air, to ease his stomach.  As the silence grew, Luke cleared his throat, running his hand across the back of his neck.  Luke hadn’t noticed the door open, or the man that was now perched inside the frame.  It wasn’t until a foreign voice caught his ear that he knew anyone else had joined them at all.  It was a voice he hadn’t wanted to hear ever again.  A voice that brought a raging fire coursing through his veins.  "You need to go."  James’ voice was quiet, but threatening.  Luke growled throatily at the boy who was now looking at Toby, his fist curled tightly.  "Is it...mine?"  All thinking ceased.  Had he just asked?  Why in the world would he have asked that? And then the anger came crashing back over him.  “Is it- yours”  Luke snarled through clenched teeth.  He could feel his face flushing with rage as he stared at the side of the boy’s face.

He was breathing heavily, as he stared in disbelief from James and back to Toby.  Had Toby been with James?  Of course she had, why else would James have been concerned about paternity?  But Toby wasn’t pregnant!  Was she?  His head began to spin, and he could feel himself becoming nauseous.  He needed clarification, and he needed it fast, before he became violently ill all over the bed.  Looking over at Toby, he asked quietly, “Toby you didn’t right?  Not with him”  He desperately wanted the answer to be no.  He wanted her to have never touched him again.  But he knew better than to get his hopes up.

[Toby Jayne]

Well gee, wasn't it nice to have a little talk like this? No. No it wasn't bloody nice! This was the most uncomfortable thing she'd ever done and frankly, she'd been in some pretty damn uncomfortable situations, and this one wasn't even half finished. Looking at Luke she wondered if maybe that wasn't what he had been thinking about... But that's what all guys thought about right? She was confused, Luke certainly wasn't all guys, but he certainly was into snogging. And snogging led to other things... She couldn't be blamed for picking the most obvious meaning for what he said! As soon as he started talking though, and he was being very sweet, the door opened. Oh no...What was already an awkward situation was just about to sky rocket into the upper realms of the planet weird. Oh no...How much had he heard? How much was he going to say? That was the real problem...he was going to say something. Toby assumed Luke would figure it out, James was 17, nearly eighteen, and she'd lived with him for months. It was fairly obvious, but still...actually saying it outloud would cause problems, she was sure of it.

"You need to go." Oh, he had heard. Toby could only imagine the freak out she was putting him through in his own head. "I'M" She started but was cut off by Luke's growl. What was with the growling? Where had he been in this absence that left him growling like a wolverine? "Is it...mine?" Oh crap, he'd gone there. In front of Luke. That was the worst part, if James and Luke had fought over her when her and James were only dancing, they'd thrown punches over dancing, then where would this lead/ This was not good, this was really, really bad. "Toby you didn't right? Not with him." Toby gritted her teeth. This was not turning into the night she had planned when she found Luke - or rather, he found her. "STOP IT. Right now, both of you. If either of you starts it with the other, I swear to God I'm walking away." She crossed her arms, raising her chin. This was how she handled things like this, she locked down and got cold until the storm passed.

She stepped away from both of them, trying to be as non biased as possible as they both glared at each other. If another fight broke out she would just leave. Let them kill each other. "I'm not PREGNANT. Let's get that out of the way. What I said is, if you hadn't rushed in James, is that I don't need a disaster like that. In case neither of you know I don't live at home anymore, and I can't skive off my uncle forever. So, since you've both turned this into a circus, I think I'm going to go now." She glared particularly fiercely at James, who was, at this moment in her mind, the sole reason for her ruined evening. And left, slamming the door behind her and leaving them to fight things out if that's what they wanted to do. She took a seat at the bar, they could find her if they wanted to, if not she needed a beer. "Guinness" was all she said, twirling in her stool while the beer was brought to her. No one asked for a card, how pleasantly surprising. At least something was pleasant.

[James McCoy]

He'd been having such a ... decent evening before this happened. Why was it Bradford was the cause of a bad mood and a migraine so often? "Toby you didn't right? Not with him." James really couldn't stand the way the kid said 'him'. What was it that made Luke so much better than him exactly? His blood? James found it hard to believe Toby would go for someone so concerned with things like blood status, that wasn't her. His family name then? Ditto, even though that seemed to be where Bradford was coming from. Just what was it that made him think he was so much better suited for her than he was? If anything he had taken better care of her where was off god knows where, worrying her to death. He'd seen the way she would glance up everyonce in a while, shen someone came in, the way she would stare at the occasional blonde boy before he turned around. She loved him, he knew it, he just didn't know why.

"STOP IT. Right now, both of you. If either of you starts it with the other, I swear to God I'm walking away." He wouldn't blame her. He wouldn't want to be around the two of them if Luke made anothe snide comment either, because James would blow a fuse, he knew it. If he had another little ego attack from scum like Bradford he would probably throw a punch. "I'm not PREGNANT. Let's get that out of the way. What I said is, if you hadn't rushed in James," He crossed his arms unrelentingly. It was his room, he could 'rush in' whenever he damn well pleased. "Is that I don't need a disaster like that. In case neither of you know I don't live at home anymore, and I can't skive off my uncle forever. So, since you've both turned this into a circus, I think I'm going to go now." He was more angry over Bradford than the fact that Toby had brought him here, or had scared him, or was actually angry at him for appearing in his own room.

As she stormed off he turned on Bradford, his arms still crossed, his eyes steely. Just why did this little snot think he was so much better? What gave him the right to have a stick up his arse? His bloodline and last name? James might not have been rich or pureblooded like Luke, but he was a better person, wasn't he? "Just what the hell is wrong with me?" He growled, wanting to yell but not wanting to wake the neighbors. "As far as I can tell I'm a better choice than you. Is that your problem? Get over it man, because guess what, you have Toby, you have no idea how much of her you have." He said stonily, glaring at the younger boy -not a man by any stretch of the imagination- fiercly.