good old days . ali

[garrett victor harper]

If you were to say that you hated the mall, he was sure he would be anyone in their hatred for the mall. It was a container filled to the brim with stores, and within the container and between the divisions, were the 14 and 15 year olds that thought they were the best thing to happen to the earth since the invention of electricity that fueled their texting and their iPhones. Disgust wrote itself over his face at the thought of having to go to the mall. It just happened to be the place that sold the things his mother liked, and with her birthday around the corner, he had to make sure to get her at least something to tell her happy birthday. The only problem now he had was what to get her. Parking his motorcycle outside, he took his wallet out of his front pocket and into his back pocket to make it more comfortable on himself. One thing he had been looking into was a sports bike, his Victory Vegas 8-Ball was a cruiser bike, but now he was looking for something a little more sporty. The only thing was he had yet to decide on was what type to get, he was a fan of Kawasaki, though he wasn't sure how that was going to work out, he had never been much of a brand person, but when it came to how he got around town, it might as well as either be his car, the Nissan coupe, the 370Z he had bought for himself a year ago. Were his vehicles his darlings? Of course, those and his dogs, since he didn't have a girlfriend to worry about in this point in time, he tended to spend most of his money on things for himself, mainly because he had decided to make sure he really could love himself and deal with himself before attempting to care for someone else. Wrinkling his nose, he shook his head, adjusting his sunglasses on his nose slightly better, so they were up higher on the bridge of his nose. He wasn't going to get too philosophical, mainly because he just wanted to get in the mall and get the hell out as fast as possible.

Think of it, he told himself, like he was going to a club to pick up a drunk friend of his. He went in, found his friend, gave him shit about doing this while he took him back out to his car. Also threatening him saying that if he dared to puke in his car, he'd give him hell for it and make him pay for the cleaning, unless he did it himself. Scolding his friends silently, that was why he didn't go to clubs anymore, that and the last time he'd gone to a club was before rehab. Frowning as he approached the large building, he groaned inwardly, what in the world was he going to buy his mother? Eyes rolled as he entered the building and immediately was greeted by tons of perfumes, hitting him like a wave. It was the men's and women's section of perfume and cologne - excellent. He glanced around and quickly headed through the store he'd entered into, to get to the actual mall part, where he could see a bit more into stores before having to actually go into them. Tensing slightly as he neared the mall, he debated on the food court, to get something to drink before heading into the throes of this place.

Yes, that sounded good. Heading to the rather small food court in the mall, he ran a hand through his hair anxiously, then quickly headed to one of the restaurants there and ordered a large drink for himself. It was Diet Coke, he usually went with regular, but recently the taste seemed to have change, either it was him or the drink, but the Diet - despite not being "manly" he for one, didn't care, and two, could deal with the taste now, since it didn't seem to change like the regular Coke had. Picking a spot off to the side of the food court, mainly to stay out of the way, he pulled out his Samsung phone and scowled at the screen for a moment, it was a text from his cousin. Since his younger sister's death, and his cousins, aunt and uncle moving to near Lipton, he had taken his younger cousins under his wing a bit, since one was just about to graduate high school and the other was just about to enter high school. If Rachel was alive, she'd be the same age as the one graduating high school, so it was a way for him to have a younger sibling again, even if it wasn't the same. It was a text from Nina, the older cousin asking if he could help her pick out a car sometime soon, since he was a mechanic, as that seemed to be her reasoning. Sighing, he responded before tucking his phone away and sipping on his drink. People-watching, always fun. The thing he wasn't fond of though, was the fact that there really only seemed to be one chair free, besides a few random others that was across from him. Great, lunch time. Hoping no one sat by him, he quickly pushed the chair slightly away from his table, hoping someone would steal it to sit with others at another table. He was too busy bracing himself having to go into a candle store or something for his mother. It probably wouldn't hurt to get a girl's view on this, he figured, then again, that would probably mean more time here.

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plenty of WORDS | COMPLETE | ALI W/KENZIE | OUTFIT COMING SOON
LYRICS BY ALL TIME LOW | TEMPLATE BY ARRO
NOTE: COME IN HOW YOU LIKE <3

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[garrett victor harper]

Maybe something smelly would be good for her, god knows she loved things like that, he remembered he'd gone home for Christmas this past year and she had a smelly candle in every single room. Fortunately not the room he stayed in, but still, it was astounding how much the woman loved to have things that smelled, maybe it was a women thing, they enjoyed smelly things, he knew he didn't, he just went for the cologne and that was pretty much it. Wrinkling his nose at the thought of having to go into that candle store, the male shook his head and adjusted his sunglasses that were resting on the collar of his shirt. So far it was decided he'd get her something like that, or at the very least something she could use, like a certificate for a free thing at some place she liked. "I'm so screwed," he muttered to himself, and sagged his head briefly, before placing a hand on his dark-haired temple and shook his head, women were so hard to buy for usually. Well, he could usually be safe with jewelry, but that he usually held out for with a girlfriend, for his mother, not so much. That was his father's responsibility. Wrinkling his nose, he hardly recognized that someone was coming towards his table. Please don't socialize with me, he begged silently to himself, the last thing he wanted was to socialize. What didn't register in his mind was that the blonde was quite pretty, he'd give her that. Quite pretty was an understatement, but in his current panic state of mind, it was the best the college kid could come up with.

It was when she sat down across from him, he immediately felt himself tense up. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to her, it was just that he wasn't looking for too much socialization at this point. No, Garrett, you could use some more friends, he mentally told himself, it wouldn't hurt to have more friends who also were girls, sure he had his cousins, but they were family, and therefore didn't count. Dark green eyes lifted from focusing pretty hardcore on his drink to the blonde across from him. He didn't smile, he just stared in mild surprise that she was across from him. Tilting his head curiously, as if daring her to sit there longer than necessary, it was when she spoke towards him that he'd admit, caught him slightly off-guard. Eyes widened briefly and he wrinkled his nose for added effect, "So much," he replied swiftly and sarcastically, drinking a bit more from his drink, curiously watching the blonde across from him. "I only come here if forced, and unfortunately a family member's birthday is what forced me here." he shrugged softly, then straightened up in the chair more, having realized he'd been slouching, and pretty bad too, "So what about you then? Forced here for something as well against your will?" A playful smirk fell along his lips at his words, wondering why she was here when she didn't want to be. He had to remember most girls didn't like shopping, or well some did, but it was still a hard concept to grasp once in a while. Garrett's attention didn't waver from her though, she had caught his attention, despite his grumblings.

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plenty of WORDS | COMPLETE | ALI W/KENZIE | OUTFIT CLICK
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NOTE: admit it garrett, you think she's gorgeouz

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[garrett victor harper]

Upon actually taking time to register the blonde across from him - mainly because he had been too busy attempting to find a decent excuse to get out of there, the male realized she wasn't dressed as most girls around here happened to be. Especially during the summer months, girls took every chance they had to wear the least amount of clothing possible, even wearing a suit top inside the mall for some unknown reason. He had never found the appeal in that, seriously? Garrett glanced at her shoes and immediately took notice there were no heels, and a small smile fell along his lips. He was dealing with a country girl, a pure country girl it seemed, though he'd have to see her car before he could call her a pure country girl in his head. It was one of the fashion things to do now, dress as if they were in a Western. It didn't suit him, he didn't look good in those hats they attempted to pull off. Mentally scolding the fashion world for what it promoted, Garrett couldn't help but flash a toothy grin for a brief moment at her giggle. Usually girls giggles were high-pitched, obnoxious or sounded forced, hers sounded much more relaxed, and much more natural. Impressive, he thought calmly to himself. She wasn't forcing it, that was always a good sign. Easy boy he told himself, just because you happen to be talking to an attractive girl didn't mean she was looking, and it definitely didn't mean she wouldn't have a boyfriend waiting to attempt to beat his ass.

Attempt being the key word. Boxing had come in handy throughout high school, even if he was out of his mind for some of it, the other parts he was kickboxing or just boxing, and still did it when he actually had the chance to. Green eyes blinked in amusement and he commented dryly, "By here though, you could mean the mall or Lipton, though I'll assume the mall." He teased mildly, then fell silent as she pressed on, explaining her reason for being here. He remembered shopping for his house here - it had been one of the most painful experiences of his life, attempting to coordinate colors and everything, his plates and such were decent, a bit of a mixture of things, but that's what made it his place and no one else's. Granted there were definitely not things like antlers hanging above his fireplace, he wasn't for that, but it couldn't hurt more with a woman's touch he figured, half the reason why his cousins kept harassing him to let them come over for a week and help him redecorate. All he could see in his head when he imagined them helping was pink everywhere. Shutting that image out of his head rather quickly, Garrett nodded slowly, and chuckled, "Well that can't be too painful, hm?" he cocked an eyebrow, "I mean, I'd much rather look for posters than...this birthday gift." he rolled his eyes, then shrugged before offering a slight smile and adding, leaning forward ever so slightly, "I'm Garrett, by the way." Might as well as give her his name, wouldn't hurt. Wouldn't hurt to get to know her either, you idjit, he told himself. More friends and other relationships definitely couldn't be a bad thing. At all.

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plenty of WORDS | COMPLETE | ALI W/KENZIE | OUTFIT CLICK
LYRICS BY ALL TIME LOW | TEMPLATE BY ARRO
NOTE: oho, break out the flirting garrett, you know you can't can do it

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[garrett victor harper]

His eyes were curiously watching this blonde, who seemed to be preoccupied for a brief moment, touching the hem of her plaid shirt. Definitely country, or attempting to pull off the look of a country girl. Though so far, the drawl he'd gotten from her supported the fact that she was in fact, from the south, and not just the south, but the deep south as well. He'd only ever been to Texas since his father had been supporting someone there who was running for re-election, and that had been back when Garrett had been 12, otherwise since then, he'd really only been in the East coast and D.C. area. Until now that is, and he was beginning to love California, especially since it was much warmer here during the winter months than D.C. So she was a Texan, which was confirmed when she compared Lipton to Texas. Interesting, that definitely explained the accent. "Nice, which part of Texas did you live?" He tilted his head curiously, honestly wanting to know what part. Who knew, maybe he'd been in the same part she had, and he then glanced down to her boots, and inquired, "Got a truck to go with those boots?" Was he teasing? Most definitely, but he couldn't resist. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, plus he had a feeling she would take the teasing pretty well. Or so he hoped, but he was about to find out if she would or not. So far she'd done well, so he figured she'd roll with the punches like he had been doing.

Garrett chuckled, "Blondie, I'm a guy, I'd be lucky to come out with one set of colors matching." Green eyes twinkled in amusement towards her, mainly because one reason he hadn't met someone from Texas, or at least someone with this strong of an accent. British people? Sure, but Texans not so much, as his family didn't mind the drawl, but they tended to think of it as...uneducated, which Garrett never understood, but he figured that's what came with two parents who had gone to Ivy League schools and had lived their whole lives on the East coast. Nodding solemnly, taking a drink from his drink, Garrett took note she hadn't given him her name in return. Would she be all right with Blondie then? Shifting in his seat, the male then spoke, "So, you all right with me calling ya Blondie or do you have a name?" Another smile flashed across his lips, again letting her know without words that he was teasing. "But yes, the only reason I'm here, oh no, isn't for a girlfriend," he made sure to get that point across, "I'm here for..." He wasn't sure how to go about it, but ultimately he just shrugged, he didn't care, "My mother's birthday, she's quite picky with things, but I'm figuring a safe and well-known route is best." Garrett straightened in his seat, so he was facing much more towards the blonde than he had been before, "How long you been in Lipton? I've noticed your accent really hasn't been influenced by us yet."

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plenty of WORDS | COMPLETE | ALI W/KENZIE | OUTFIT CLICK
LYRICS BY ALL TIME LOW | TEMPLATE BY ARRO
NOTE: well, he's teasing, i guess that's one way to flirt, way to go garrett

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[garrett victor harper]

It was easy to see she was proud of where she was from, because the minute he mentioned Texas, and she answered, she seemed to light up. It was fun to see that, see that she was so passionate about something, so he figured since she was a country girl, she probably rode horses and did all the rodeo stuff as well. He'd admit he couldn't do that, he wouldn't be able to ride a bucking horse around that much, if at all really. As for a regular horse, he could, though he'd only been horseback riding once or twice before. Ugh, he'd much prefer not to have her see him on a horse, it would be one of the more painful experiences of his life, he was sure. Nodding in response, the male commented, "Can't say I was in Hope, but we toured around Texas from Dallas, Houston to Austin." He shrugged lightly, it had been a whirlwind thing, but he vividly remembered the people, and how it seemed almost everyone and their grandmother wearing cowboy hats. It still made him grin. A light chuckle came from him at her words on the real truck brand. She was right, those Cummins were monstrous, they could definitely destroy his bike or his car within a matter of minutes or seconds if they wanted to. Especially on the highway, though he was safe while driving either way, his Nissan or his cruiser were no match for something that massive. He grinned in her direction, "I bet that thing's massive, is it a pain in the ass to fill up?" He could only imagine the price of the gas, but also just seeing the amount of how much gas that thing took. "You do any country work here then? Keeping up with what you love?" That was what he was genuinely interested in too, if she was still able to do things here like she had been able to do back in Texas.

"Just going to say, your car would demolish my bike in seconds," he commented, chuckling lightly. It was true, and he'd definitely prefer not to try it anytime soon. His bike was his darling, as were his dogs, the mongrels, he affectionately called them. Tilting his head when she grinned, Garrett took a silent note to try and make sure he got her to smile a few more times before they parted ways, mainly because he liked her grin, it was inviting and definitely contagious, it seemed. "Oh, I wasn't ready to kill someone, I was planning." he teased and slid in a wink behind it, "I'm a big softie, but don't tell anyone." he smirked and took another drink before adding, nodding his head slightly, "It's nice to meet ya, Kenzie, though I think blondie might slip here once in a while." He shifted in the chair, beginning to get antsy and anxious. Usually Garrett could manage to sit down for a while, but he probably had some kind of hyperactive disorder since he didn't like to sit still for very long. Granted when he worked on his new bike to restore it, he was sitting or lying down, but he was also doing something. Then again, this conversation with Kenzie was keeping Garrett's mind at work, mainly because he was curious as to how she would keep playing along with him.

"Wow, so you're fresh from down south." Garrett grinned impishly in her direction, making sure to keep his attention solely on her and her features, especially since she seemed to be up to something, and he wanted to be sure he would be able to keep up. He laughed, "B-barbies?" Garrett gave her a gentle look, "Blondie you...you do know you fit the typical stereotype of a barbie, right? Not that I'm saying you are one, but just that others will think that. Then again, most barbies don't have that accent. And don't worry about it, it sets you apart like you said, plus it will begin to disappear after a while, you'll see." Garrett gave her a reassuring wink, before shifting once more in his chair, and upon seeing her getting done with her fries, he inquired, hoping she'd go for it, "Would you like to move around a bit with me? I'm afraid I get antsy sitting down for very long sometimes." He smiled innocently, hoping she'd take him up on it, worst case is if she didn't, he would definitely have to be sure to ask for her number.

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plenty of WORDS | COMPLETE | ALI W/KENZIE | OUTFIT CLICK
LYRICS BY ALL TIME LOW | TEMPLATE BY ARRO
NOTE: la la la <3

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[garrett victor harper]

Garrett couldn't imagine growing up in a small town, having grown up in D.C., he'd always been accustomed to huge, sprawling cities with tons of people and cars in them. It couldn't be bad, he figured, but he knew Lipton was a decent-sized city, so it was really pretty perfect for him. After his Senator father knew his eldest son was clean for two years, he was thrilled that he put a bunch of money into Garrett's account, saying it was a birthday present. Which was first, bullshit and secondly, Garrett hadn't been a fan of the money, because he didn't like people to know his father was Senator Harper, secondly, it just didn't feel right. It was nice at least to have the house and not worry about it, since college sucked to begin with when it came to out-of-state tuition, fortunately now, he qualified for in-state, which made it even better. Somewhat. Tilting his head, he chuckled lightly at her comment, "Oh, but small towns can be fun, right?" He figured they could be, he didn't think he'd mind it too much, just as long as he was able to get done what he wanted to. It was when she mentioned a lift on it, Garrett's eyes widened and he laughed, "Wait, are you telling me you have a Cummins....with a lift?" He grinned widely in her direction, that was most definitely not going to help with the amount of gas she would use on a daily basis. Granted it looked nice and it made the truck even bigger, but it still just made him laugh at that, Cummins were massive to begin with, and then there's a lift on it.

Pausing, Garrett then added, "Well, if you ever need repairs," he shifted lightly, and continued, "Bring it by, I can help you out." He could offer her to go to the mechanic place where he worked, but they'd charge her there, and he knew if trucks broke down, they weren't difficult to fix, but they tended to be more expensive than they should be, and that wouldn't be fair. Hence why he fixed all his own vehicles, made things easier. So the blonde was a singer, Garrett couldn't help but smile at that thought, seeing Kenzie get up on a stage, with that heavy accent and that infamous Texan spunk, and singing her heart out. It was a neat thing, and he knew it couldn't be easy at a bar, especially. It was weird though, the instant he thought of her being at a bar and other guys, drunk guys, he might add, hitting on her, made him instantly feel protective. That was weird. Garrett smothered that feeling before it did anything else, but it was weird it even showed up in his radar.

"That's cool, Kenz." He nodded lightly, shortening her nickname even more so. Garrett's attention never wavered from the blonde, mainly because by now he knew better, he knew better than to even think of letting her get the upper-hand in this conversation, because he knew she'd take it if she got a whiff that she could take it. "Did...did you just call me slick?" An amused look fell on the male's features, and he couldn't help but chuckle lightly at that, "Come now, you definitely fit the looks, blondie." he teased, "Though only the appearance though, of course." Garrett got stoked when she agreed that they could get up and stretch their legs, who knew, with his luck maybe he'd actually find something while he and Kenzie were walking around that he thought his mother would like. Women, so difficult to buy for it seemed. Running a hand through his hair silently, Garrett stood and patiently waited for Kenzie, and the 6'3" male was keen on making sure to match his pace with hers to make sure he didn't get too far ahead of her. Tilting his head slightly, he mused, "You could have finished your fries, I'm not in any rush." He smiled gently, then green eyes shifted away for a moment so he could make sure he was looking in front of him, and therefore wouldn't run into anyone. Last thing he wanted to do was run into someone like he did with that girl at the beach who had a fit. "So what all do you do then? Rodeos, all that fun stuff?"

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plenty of WORDS | COMPLETE | ALI W/KENZIE | OUTFIT CLICK
LYRICS BY ALL TIME LOW | TEMPLATE BY ARRO
NOTE: la la la <3

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[garrett victor harper]

Post for Kenz on Secrets

Garrett cringed at the thought of knowing everyone where he lived. Granted, he figured he wouldn't mind knowing his neighbors or something, like he...sort of does now, but in reality, he much preferred something like this city, big enough to blend into the crowd, but small enough to recognize someone here or there and once in a while. He glanced at her and gave her an uneasy smile at that thought, "Sure, I understand your point, but...man," he shuddered slightly for effect, "I don't know, I guess it's because Lipton's the smallest city I've been in, so I haven't experienced anything like Hope." Garrett gave a gentle shrug after that. Still though, it had its appeal, but at the same time he wasn't sure if he would have liked that. The death of his sister would have been known by everyone, granted it was put on the news because you know, a Senator's daughter, but it still was something that they managed to put off as a "heart condition" and she suffered cardiac arrest. Tensing at that thought, it was lies, but it kept the family name clean and his father in office. Ridiculous, he thought to himself, hopefully he didn't inherit any of those lying genes or something completely horrible from either one of his parents. Idiots, he silently scolded them, before turning his attention back to Kenzie, though it shouldn't have drifted from her in the first place.

A light chuckle came from the male at her description of her truck and he nodded, knowing how happy it seemed to make her. It was funny to hear a girl talk about a truck as large as hers, and sound absolutely proud of it. It was a nice change, that was for sure. "Wanda?" He perked at the name, and grinned. Garrett wouldn't blame her though, he had considered naming his bike and his car, but he couldn't find something that seemed to suit them, hell, maybe Kenzie could help him name them, "Want to help me name my bike?" he smiled innocently, then nodded his head in affirmation at her inquiry, "Yep, doing that to help get myself through college, plus it keeps me busy." Which was the main reason he did it was because he didn't like to sit still for very long. Then it just got bad when he got anxious, like when he flew from here to D.C. for Christmas, it had been terrible, granted it wasn't very long, but still, being stuck on an airplane wasn't his ideal time. He'd much rather drive. A frown glazed over his features thinking of the drunks that Kenzie had to deal with at her work. He didn't say anything, mainly because he didn't want to come across as super weird, but he definitely didn't like the idea of drunks around her. At all. Or, needless to say anything who had any bad intentions towards the blonde.

Slick. He grinned, he'd been called worse, but he didn't really mind it that Kenzie was probably going to call him that. Garrett's attention remained on her and he laughed, "Completely, blondie." he teased. Garrett laughed about the fries, he ate a lot of junk food, but also ate tons of pretty "healthy" foods too. One thing for certain was he always went to town on fruits, so he figured that cancelled out all the junk food, including fast food. "Aw, you don't spoil yourself with food once in a while? You should, I do." He nodded once, then glanced away for a brief moment, scanning the stores they were around, well that was one perk of walking slower with her, was that he could actually get a decent look at the store fronts and windows to see what they had in there. He'd probably end up getting her a card then something else...ridiculous. Personally he thought her appearance, that Kenzie looked really good, but he wasn't going to outright compliment her. Should he? Hesitating briefly, Garrett commented mildly, "Personally, you can eat whatever you want, I think, I don't care what anyone else eats as long as they're not going to give themselves a heart attack." He shrugged and grinned, then tilted his head towards her, "You have a horse?" Eyes widened in mild surprise, "What's its name? Yeah, unfortunately not really, but have you checked like, outside the city a bit? I'm sure there's something for you to do."

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plenty of WORDS | COMPLETE | ALI W/KENZIE | OUTFIT CLICK
LYRICS BY ALL TIME LOW | TEMPLATE BY ARRO
NOTE: la la la <3

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