From: hardluckwoman	Date: October 18th, 2010 04:59 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Erica made the barest attempt to not look irritated with him, but it was a hopeless battle. Frustration was already showing on her face, and he had only spoken a few bland words so far. "It's private," she hissed, painfully aware of the presence of other students around them. There were a few in the hall, not to mention anyone with a room near by. She could tell by his attire what he had been doing, and as much as she didn't want to see it, she'd rather that than discuss this in the corridor.

"Just stop being an asshole and let me in for a minute," she finally added, thinking absently to add, "Please."

	From: formaldehyde	Date: October 18th, 2010 05:09 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"Sure. Whatever." Ben barely shrugged, irritation only audible in his voice. He sidestepped the door and pulled it open so as to let Erica in.

	From: hardluckwoman	Date: October 18th, 2010 05:13 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Despite the immediate bad start, that was easier than expected. There was no bothering to go back now, and when the door swung open enough, she stepped inside. She began to shiver almost the second that she was in there, glancing at him a little sullenly. "You're going to catch your death sitting in this kind of cold," she warned him, half-heartedly. With the amount of layers and long sleeves Ben wore, she doubted he'd be cold even in an ice age.

She wasn't sure what the etiquette should have been, where to sit, and so she stood. Her arms were folded in front of her loosely. "Mom is going to divorce dad," she blurted, once he had shut the door. "She's getting the papers ready for next week."

	From: formaldehyde	Date: October 18th, 2010 05:25 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"I'll be fine," Ben shrugged again, walking back to his desk and sitting back down--but only after shutting and locking his door, steam from the temperature difference curling around the door frame.

The news didn't really surprise him. It made sense. Good riddance, frankly. They were all better off without Micheal, anyhow.

"Good for her," He replied, not lifting his eyes from his latest project, but scooting his chair right back up to the desk.

"Is that all?"

	From: hardluckwoman	Date: October 18th, 2010 06:32 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Erica vaguely wondered if she might not be inhaling some kind of noxious fumes from his work. He was, after all, wearing that little mask. She resisted the urge to tuck her chin into the neck of her tee shirt, the way one might hide from a foul odor. "That's all you have to say about it then?" Erica asked, just a touch of tenseness to her tone.

"She asked me not to tell you, but I figured you deserved to know.. or whatever."

	From: formaldehyde	Date: October 18th, 2010 06:37 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"What would you have me say?" Ben replied, still paying more attention to the carcass in front of him. He was starting to tire of these little emotional games his sister liked to play. He 'deserved to know'? It seemed more to him like she couldn't handle whatever 'burden' that came with having the knowledge of the divorce before her siblings.

He didn't understand this at all.

"Would you prefer it if they stayed together?"

	From: hardluckwoman	Date: October 18th, 2010 07:51 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"No, of course I wouldn't!" Erica replied quickly, her eyes lowering, and the arms across her chest tightening a little. "I just.. I dunno, thought you might actually have a thought about it. She is your mother, even if you like to try and act like she isn't," the dark-haired girl added, trailing off.

	From: formaldehyde	Date: October 18th, 2010 07:55 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"What difference would it make if I did?" His reply was cool, calm--much more together than his sister, however that was a general truth. Leaning over his desk with a sigh, he examined the bird's wing while his sister pouted at him. He did his best to ignore her.

	From: hardluckwoman	Date: October 18th, 2010 08:20 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"No difference I guess," Erica replied, unimpressed by his response. He was always so cold and aloof, she never knew what he was really thinking, and she didn't expect that she ever would. "It would just be nice to know that you, I don't know, acknowledge that we're your family. And if mom is going to be having a hard time, you should be there for her."

	From: formaldehyde	Date: October 19th, 2010 05:54 am (UTC)		(Link)

"I do acknowledge that you're my family. Perhaps if you stopped sleeping with half of the school and actually spoke to me for more than when you want something from me-- or when Mom wants something, you would notice."

So that was a little more than what was called for. Ben didn't care, his irritation levels were rising. Erica was right, if he could disown his family-- he would. He might still, but it was less because of them and more because of their father; it seemed like their mother was doing the disowning for him.

	From: hardluckwoman	Date: October 19th, 2010 09:40 am (UTC)		(Link)

Okay, so that stung. Erica's expression contorted a little, as if slapped, and she quickly turned her head away, facing the door instead of her brother's back. She wouldn't give him the pleasure of letting her cry, and she bit the inside of her lip a little to try and hold it back. Why did he have to be such an asshole?

"Fuck you, you're just being rude," she muttered, without much conviction.

	From: formaldehyde	Date: October 19th, 2010 06:46 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"Rude? --Or honest?" Ben sighed sharply; his first real visible display of emotion since his sister had walked through the door. He glanced up at her, only just noticing that she wasn't looking at him anymore. It gave him pause.

	From: hardluckwoman	Date: October 19th, 2010 07:45 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"Just rude," Erica replied, turning back to him again, her eyes slightly narrowed. She never knew how to deal with him, and she felt he would probably agree it was a mutual predicament. They were just opposites.

"An honest brother would care about his family and not some.. some stupid dead bird!"

	From: formaldehyde	Date: October 20th, 2010 01:44 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"I think you've confused honest with 'blindly sentimental'," Ben shook his head and turned back to said bird, condescension clear in his voice.

It was true that he didn't think much of his sister, or his family as a whole--but if he didn't care he wouldn't bother with them at all. The fact that he let her into the room should have been proof enough. Clearly Erica didn't agree.

	From: hardluckwoman	Date: October 20th, 2010 10:56 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Erica rolled her eyes, a dismissive huff following it. Definitely a sign that she was out of proper argument responses; she had been doing it since she was small. She was on the verge of 'I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I' territory.

"Well, whatever. Just call mom or something, why is that so much to ask?"

	From: formaldehyde	Date: October 21st, 2010 08:35 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Fine," He said dismissively, not answering her question and not really meaning that he would actually call their mother.

	From: hardluckwoman	Date: October 21st, 2010 09:32 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Do you mean it?" Erica quickly replied, pouting vigilantly at his back as he worked. She didn't plan to leave him alone until she at least cajoled him into a phone call, hopefully more. For some reason that Erica couldn't totally grasp, Barbie did to genuinely care about her son. Or at least Erica figured she had to, with how much she always rambled about him. It seemed like every other week she wanted her to go-tell-Ben-this or go-to-Ben-that.

Last year had been worse, at least this year she had stopped coming, unless it was important.

	From: formaldehyde	Date: October 22nd, 2010 12:26 am (UTC)		(Link)

God, she really was distracting. He looked up from the bird once again, giving her a stern look--though it was almost completely indiscernible from his normal expression. The only real differences were that his eyes were narrowed, and his jaw set.

For someone who seemed so unaffected by the outside world, he had little patience.