zelda_queen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zelda_queen) wrote2011-09-02 05:47 pm
zelda_queen) wrote2011-09-02 05:47 pm
Entry tags:
Hush, Hush: Chapter 20
ZeldaQueen: Good lord, are we two thirds of the way through already?
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 20
ZeldaQueen: I would like to give you guys fair warning - these next few chapters are not going to be much fun. They are horrible and will make you wonder what Fitzpatrick was smoking when she wrote this and are leading up to That One Chapter. So yeah, we’re going to be getting a good bit more hostile. You’ve been warned.
So yeah, after those…frightening revelations in the previous chapter, Nora is tossing and turning in bed while a storm wails outside. Feel free to beat your head with how SYMBOLIK it is. When six o’clock rolls around, she decides to get up and take a shower. Then she goes, finds the dirty clothes strewn about her room, and starts doing laundry. This tells us two things.
First, Fitzpatrick clearly studied at Meyer’s School of Writing and thinks we give a shit about things like that.
Second, Nora’s IQ now rivals plankton. Because for all of these activities, her thought process? Completely empty. This might as well be narrated in third person, that’s how much insight into her thoughts and feelings we get. And thus, instead of coming across as conflicted and frightened, she feels incredibly stupid because she suspects her boyfriend is an evil being who wants to steal her body and she is FREAKING IGNORING IT!
*takes several deep breaths*
That, or Fitzpatrick really sucks at writing. *thoughtful* Or both, I suppose. Take your pick.
Anyway, Nora is finishing up these riveting tasks when there is a knock at the door. After everything that’s happened to her, she just goes straight ahead and opens the door without seeing who it is. You dumbass. You have a number of people after you and who you are avoiding and you just give them clear access to your home?
Yes, she does. And who would it be but Elliot the Slimy Git? We get a description of what he’s wearing, because I suppose Fitzpatrick thought it would be interesting. It isn’t. (Though I must ask, since when has a plaid shirt rolled up to the elbows, sunglasses, and a Red Sox hat come across as “all-American”?)
Nora instantly freaks out, and I don’t blame her. That’s one of the most infuriating things about this book - when the danger is something other than Patch, Nora’s actually pretty good at noticing it. Actually, given that she usually picks up on Patch being dangerous, I’m seriously wondering if he’s just mind raping her into overlooking it.
Anyway, Elliot is here and is all patronizing and drunk. You know, given what we’re going to learn about this guy, you’d think he’d be more careful in how he acts towards Nora. After all, you’d think he’d try harder to uphold his Good Boy façade after she found out his history, instead of regressing to All-Asshole mode.
So yeah, the first thing out of his mouth is “You've been causing me a lot of trouble lately”. Nora doesn’t think anything about that, and I must wonder why. I know what he means because I read ahead, but that would make no sense otherwise. He hasn’t been making any serious attempts to avoid him or do anything that would get him in trouble. Anyway, he says that he wants to talk and tries to get her to let him in the house. Nora refuses, telling him that her mother is still sleeping. I guess when the guy isn’t Patch, she can stand up to him pretty well. Elliot makes a comment about how he’s never met her mother, and Nora continues to be creeped out. Yeah, still not getting Elliot’s actions here, especially when we see what he’s angling for.
Nora basically tells Elliot to say whatever he wants to say and then get the fuck out. Elliot makes a very dramatic show of being hurt that she doesn’t like him, and it’s so badly-done and over-the-top that I’m in physical pain. He insists that he’s an average dude and just wants to prove it to Nora, and what better way to do so than punch her house when she tries to say something. Yeah, really helping your case there.
Now it’s Mood Whiplash Time as he starts rubbing his bleeding hand while laughing quietly and saying “Ten dollars says I'm going to regret that later”. If you’re already in pain and your hand is bleeding, I’d say you’re regretting it now.
Nora continues to be creeped out and once again calls herself an idiot for thinking he was ever a nice guy. I already ranted about that, so let’s pass on. Instead, let’s look at what comes next. Nora finally decides to slip in the house and slam the door on Elliot, when he gets around to the point of this little visit. He says that Jules is under a lot of stress, and we all can figure that out from the many times we have never seen him in this book. Seriously, Nora’s negligent mother gets more screen time than he does, and that’s saying a lot. Anyway, the upshot is that Elliot wants to plan a camping trip over spring break with himself, Jules, Vee, and Nora.
For a pleasant change Nora is actually genre savvy and tells him she has other plans. He tells her to change those plans and I’m scratching my head because that is exactly the answer Patch gives whenever Nora tells him that. Is that the only response Fitzpatrick can think up for a guy to say in that scenario? And what does that say about Patch, if he treats Nora in the same way the Obviously Evil Elliot does?
*shakes head* Right. Onward. Elliot does not take “No” for an answer, like most of the guys in this book. He insists that he can get everything set up real nice and begs Nora for a chance to prove he’s a good guy. Given all of the abusive relationship vibes in this book along with what we’re getting in a second, this is seriously squicky. Nora tells Elliot to leave at once and while I do appreciate her not caving in, I am loathe to give points because dude, this guy is getting creepy, don’t just quietly keep repeating the same thing! Scream! Talk loudly! Wake up your mother! I don’t think she’ll mind if it means saving you!
But no, Nora does none of that, which means we get this
“Elliot leaned his hand on the doorjamb, bending toward me. ‘Wrong Answer.’ For a fleeting moment, the glassy stupor in his eyes disappeared, something twisted and sinister eclipsing it. I involuntarily stepped back. I was almost positive Elliot had it in him to kill. I was almost positive Kjirsten's death was on his hands”
ZeldaQueen: Nora, you really have no excuse now. Scream as loud as you can. Wake your mother. Kick him in the nuts. Something!
Oh, well, she continues to bleat for him to leave. Yes, that will work well. DAMN IT NORA, HE’S NOT LISTENING TO YOU! *flaps hands*
And he still isn’t! You want to see how he takes her continued refusal? Of course you do!
“Elliot flung the screen door open so hard it smacked back against the house. He grabbed the front of my bathrobe and yanked me outside. Then he shoved me back against the siding and pinned me there with his body. ‘You're coming camping whether you want to or not.’
‘Get off me!’ I said, twisting away from him.
‘Or what? What are you going to do?’ He had me by the shoulders now, and he knocked me back against the house again, rattling my teeth.
‘I'll call the police.’ I had no idea how I said it so bravely. My breathing was rapid and shallow, my hands clammy.
‘Are you going to shout for them? They can't hear you. The only way I'm letting you go is if you swear to go camping.’”
ZeldaQueen: I…okay, let’s talk about a few things here.
First of all, Nora’s fears about the camping trip are not unfounded. I won’t spoil it all now, but just know for now that yes, there almost certainly would have been something nasty planned for her on that trip. In other words, it’s a trap for her. Elliot is trying to lure her into a trap.
How does he manage that? He openly tries to scare and threaten her into doing it. Oh yeah, that will work great you idiot! You show up drunk, are as creepy as possible, and then make the most half-assed attempt to get her there that I’ve ever seen. What’s to stop her from telling the police about that after you let go? Even if she did promise, what proof would you have that she wasn’t lying to get rid of you? Or are you working under the assumption that if a girl promises something, she’ll go along with it because deep down, she really wants it?
… Dear lord, I need to keep my mind in check.
Of course, there’s Nora’s idiocy. Apparently she was inside her house the entire time, with the screen door closed. What? Well if that’s the case, why not slam the door shut and lock it, dumbass??? Again, make noise! Claw him! Flail! Something! Jesus, what is up with this book? I’m appalled at how victimized and helpless Fitzpatrick has made her protagonist!
Thank the lord this ends quickly, when Nora’s mother does something remotely useful and wakes up and calls for her. Seeing as he might get caught, Elliot lets her go and leaves, telling her that it isn’t over. Of course not. There are ten chapters left, after all. *despairs*
Nora finally closes and locks the door and starts to break down, which is pretty understandable with everything that happened to her thus far. Her mother comes in and, upon seeing her daughter collapsed on the floor and having almost certainly heard her screaming and slamming the door, asks if something is wrong.
ZeldaQueen: Mrs. Weasley this lady is not.
Oh, and it gets even better. Because after all of that, after Nora has plenty of reason to say she is not safe because this guy is clearly stalking her and attacking her and generally scaring her, she decides to lie and not tell her mother what he did.
I slapped my forehead. At this rate, my head will not survive.
The entire thing is horribly contrived, of course. Fitzpatrick knows that if Mrs. Grey catches wind of what’s going on, she’ll actually take steps to do something, like change the locks or call the police or move. But that would put an end to the plot if that happened or at least force Fitzpatrick to put more effort into this, so we can’t have Mrs. Grey find out anything.
So yeah. Nora, who is kneeling on the floor and making a visible effort to not cry, says that she was just fighting with a guy from class who was trying to get her to let him cheat off of her Hamlet notes. Now if I walked in on that situation and saw my daughter so upset and heard her screaming “Let me go!”, I’d be poking for a few more details on what this guy tried to do to get the notes. Just because the motive changed doesn’t mean the actions are any more appropriate, Fitzpatrick.
Of course Mrs. Grey just gives a vague, motherly reply, hugging Nora and offering to call Elliot’s parents. Nora tells her not to. You know, I must ask what is up with Elliot’s parents? I don’t think we’re ever told that they’re dead or not around, so why doesn’t Nora have a chat with them or something?
Anyway, the reason Nora is putting herself in danger and risking her life by lying to her mother about this? Her mother is off to the wedding reception of a friend’s daughter and Nora knows she won’t go if she thinks her daughter is in danger. The contrivances are making my head spin, not to mention make Mrs. Grey look like a terrible mother for continually leaving Nora alone. Oh, but it gets better. You might be wondering why it would be a bad thing for Nora’s mother to stay home and give some form of protection to her only child. Well, apparently Nora wants to sneak off to Portland this evening to find out more information on Elliot, so she wants her mother out of the house for that.
I shall repeat that. Nora wishes to spy on and get more information on the guy that openly threatened her and who may or may not want to kill her, so her grand plan is to sneak off to a city some distance away at night, and without telling her mother or even having anyone home to bail her out if things go badly.
I would have face palmed here, but both of my hands were busy ripping at my hair. So instead, I just sort of thrashed my head around. It was almost as good.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where the chapter shifts from Do Not Want to Destroy With Fire. Because Mrs. Grey goes off to fix breakfast and Nora’s cell phone rings. It’s Vee, and guess what their conversation goes like! Go on, guess! Okay, you never will so I’ll just show you
“‘Did you hear? The four of us are going c-a-m-p-i-n-g for spring break!’ said Vee, sounding bizarrely cheerful.
‘Vee,’ I said, my voice trembling, ‘Elliot's planning something. Something scary. The only reason he wants to go camping is so he can get us alone. We're not going.’
‘What do you mean we're not going? This is a joke, right? I mean, we finally get to do something exciting over spring break, and you're saying no? You know my mom will never let me go alone. I'll do anything. Seriously. I'll do your homework for a week. Come on, Nora. One little word. Say it. It starts with the letter Y... .’
The hand holding my cell quivered, and I brought up my other hand to steady it. ‘Elliot showed up at my house fifteen minutes ago, drunk. He-he physically threatened me.’
She was quiet a moment. ‘What do you mean by 'physically threatened'?’
‘He dragged me out the front door and shoved me against the house.’
"But he was drunk, right?"
‘Does it matter?’ I snapped.
‘Well, he has a lot going on. I mean, he was wrongly accused of being messed up in some girl's suicide, and he was forced to switch schools. If he hurt you-and I'm not justifying what he did, by the way-maybe he just needs ... counseling, you know?’
‘If he hurt me?’
‘He was wasted. Maybe-maybe he didn't know what he was doing. Tomorrow he's going to feel horrible.’”
ZeldaQueen: Thing of beauty, isn’t it? For those of you who followed the Sparkle Project, you’ll remember this as the part where![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ceilidh_ann threw her copy of the book against the wall in rage. I wholeheartedly support that.
Now. Let me go through my thoughts. I shall do so as calmly as possible.
I must ask how dull Vee’s spring breaks are that camping gets that level of squee from her. She certainly doesn’t strike me as the sort who would find camping appealing.
Nora just tells Vee that they are not going because she honestly believes they’ll be in danger and all Vee processes is “Bzuh? You’re being a killjoy?” *slaps Vee* YOU DAMNED IDIOT!
Continuing on that thought, Vee has got to be the worst friend I’ve ever seen and that includes Alice Cullen and Haven. Nora is obviously upset. Her hand is shaking. Her voice is probably also shaking. She honestly and truly believes that something bad is going to happen. And does Vee make any effort to find out why Nora thinks this, or come to any compromise to help Nora feel more secure? No. She just starts pleading because isn’t Nora such a big meanie to deny her a camping trip? I hate Vee and wish she would die. And Fitzpatrick, you’re an idiot if you thought Vee was at all relatable or a good friend.
Now, let’s get to the end of that vile quote. Yeah, that’s the part I’m sure we all are thinking about. What does it boil down to? Nora tells Vee what happened. She does not waffle, nor does she skirt around what happened and give Vee reason to doubt. She tells her what happened and makes it clear that Elliot’s actions were inappropriate, unacceptable, and downright threatening. Vee’s response? To immediately start defending him.
*steeples fingers* Tell me, Vee, how does saying “he was drunk” make his actions any more acceptable? If anything, it makes it worse because not only is he a violent bastard, he’s a violent bastard who partakes in a drink that impairs his judgment. Intoxication is not a valid excuse for his behavior. Nothing, possibly short of mind control or possession, does (and before you ask, no neither of those options are going on here).
For that matter, how does saying “He just needs counseling” help matters? Vee dear, you just openly admitted that you want to go camping with a guy who is in need of therapy and attacks people while drunk! Not to mention that your weak “I’m not justifying it” is pretty much scuppered seeing as you ARE justifying it, you TWAT!!!
Finally, Vee is attempted to justify Elliot’s violent behavior by saying he was just drunk, will feel bad when he’s sober, just needs counseling, and has a lot on his mind. Did Fitzpatrick have a list of standard excuses from the Abused Person Textbook by her computer when she wrote this?
And no, ladies and gentlemen, it does not get any better. Nora is, quite understandably, pissed at Vee for acting like this. She still does not call Vee out on this shit, because that would run the risk of convincing Vee of the danger and that would consequentially deny Fitzpatrick the cheater’s way out for cheap drama later. Instead, she goes all prissily quiet and goes to hang up.
Before she can do so, Vee gives us this
“Can I be completely honest, babe? I know you're worried about this guy in the ski mask. Don't hate me, but I think the only reason you're trying so hard to pin it on Elliot is because you don't want it to be Patch. You're rationalizing everything, and it's freaking me out”
ZeldaQueen: *opens mouth*
*closes mouth*
*gives another try*
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Nora is the one “rationalizing” things?!? SHE WAS ATTACKED BY THIS ASSHOLE! THE SKI MASK INCIDENT ISN’T FACTORING INTO THIS AT ALL! IT IS COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT! WHETHER OR NOT IT OCCURRED, IT DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT ELLIOT JUST GRABBED AND THROTTLED NORA! JESUS H. CHRIST, HOW DENSE IS THIS CHIT?
*stabs her arm with Zeus 1957, her letter opener, several times to calm down*
Right. *furious snort* While we’re on the subject, maybe Vee can explain why she is going to such ridiculous lengths to defend Elliot. We’re going to find out later exactly why she’s so suspicious of Patch (no, it’s not because common sense proves that he’s Bad News), but that same reason won’t work because there’s no reason for her to be so certain that Elliot is safe. She’s being told point-blank that he attacked Nora and she is still making excuses! I repeat, WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Nora actually summons up my points above, not like I worded it but she still reminds Vee that “Patch didn't show up at my door this morning and slam me against my house”. No, he only assaulted you in the library parking garage. If I were Nora, I’d just throw up my hands, escape to any fandom written by Joss Whedon, and take the opportunity to learn to kill the supernatural assholes after me. Saying that one dude attacking her is mutually exclusive to another attacking is ridiculous.
Anyway, Vee ignores Nora’s point and decides to drop the conversation. DO YOU REALLY THINK I’M KIDDING HERE? Instead, she asks what Nora’s plans are for the evening. Nora is still pissed, but says she’s going to poke around Portland and could she borrow Vee’s Neon for the trip? Vee guesses that it’s for spying on Elliot and offers to go along for the trip…as long as Nora agrees to going camping.
*SCREAMS*
Nora hangs up as Vee makes it clear she will continue to pester her to give in.
We jump to Nora getting off the bus to Portland, and yes that was as jarring as it sounds. She openly admits that she has little knowledge of Portland and has only been there a few times. So. She’s going poking around in a city she is unfamiliar with, while her mother has no idea where she is and can’t get her if she’s in trouble. To quote the infinitely more practical and intelligent Sophie Hatter, “Why do I get the feeling this is not going to work?”
So she heads into Portland and heads straight for a place called Blind Joe’s Dinner, which is where Kjirsten worked. She has a list of questions aout Kjirsten and hopes that she can go off of them from memory because she doesn’t want the employees to think she’s interviewing them. Basically, this is just a repeat of her trying to get information on Patch. The only difference is that she isn’t wearing the wig and mini skirt this time. Although really, considering that she writes for the school paper, you’d think she’d be a little more skilled at getting information.
Nora is greeted by someone who I can only assume the bitchiest waitress in the place. It’s hammered in how sour her voice is and how grumpy she is towards Nora, and it is just utterly ridiculous. I’ve worked in food services, I know it can be sucky and taxing on one’s disposition, I know that people just have bad days, but the point of being a waitress is that you put on a smile anyway and complain in the kitchen.
Anyway, Nora launches into questioning right off the bat by loudly wondering why the diner’s name sounds so familiar. Now if I was doing this, I’d ease into the subject after I was seated and perhaps ordered something. Of course, I wouldn’t be doing this plan so half-assed in general, so I suppose the point is moot.
The waitress is all snappish and says that they were in the paper for a full week because of the murder last month. The diner was in the paper? I could see if the murder itself made for a week’s worth of articles, but why would the diner be brought up more than a handful of times? The only thing about it was that Elliot picked her up from there.
In any case, the waitress has no patience for the questions and seats Nora and asks what she wants to eat. Nora isn’t hungry, so she continues pushing for questions. Yes, be extremely obvious that you’re fishing for information while pissing off the waitress more. That will help. Seriously, just buy a bowl of chowder and don’t eat it if you don’t want it!
Nora randomly takes notice of a waiter across the room. “He was short, bald back to his ears, and his body type mimicked the toothpicks in the dispenser at the end of the table. His eyes never reached higher than three feet off the ground. As pathetic as I would have felt after the fact, one friendly smile from me might have been enough to have him spilling Kjirsten's entire life story”. Because dur-hur, guys who aren’t abusive jerks are sad-sacks who are starved for affection from pretty girls.
The waitress continues to be pissy and reminds Nora that she doesn’t paid if Nora doesn’t order. Nora, for her part, continues to be as obvious as possible that she’s fishing for answers, until the waitress demands to know what’s going on. After enough of this embarrassing dialogue, the waitress tells Nora that if she orders a milk shake, burger, fries, bowl of chowder, and leaves a twenty-five percent tip, she’ll spill the beans.
Nora goes along with it. I do so hope the waitress enjoys what she makes, because all it takes is one call to her manager from Nora and that lady gets canned. Those sorts of deals only work in movies, Fitzpatrick.
The waitress tells Nora that Kjirsten and Elliot indeed dated and he walked her home to her apartment after her shifts. And…that’s it. The waitress extorted money from Nora for that. Pardon moi, but didn’t we already know that???
Nora continues to ask for information and the waitress is generally pissy about it. She (the waitress) finally admits that she does think Elliot planted the suicide note because he’s a rich kid and rich folk can get away with anything. Okay then. Nora is confuzzled by this, because Elliot was on scholarship and Jules was the rich one. The waitress patronizes her - very smart there, insult the customer who you’re already taking advantage of - and says that Elliot was rich enough to buy an apartment for Kjirsten.
Next, Nora asks if anyone blond and tall (Jules) ever met Elliot at the diner. The waitress pauses to chew off the edge of her fingernail (apparently Fitzpatrick is holding nothing back while writing the worst waitress ever) and says as a matter of fact he did. She recalls the last time they met, when Kjirsten wasn’t working. The two talked about a test the tall guy failed, which Elliot wasn’t happy about. There’s also the implication that the tall guy didn’t like Kjirsten hanging around. I honestly don’t care, it’s all so dull.
Nora asks if there’s any more, and the waitress goes ahead and writes her down for a lemonade, slice of pie, cup of coffee, and additional twenty-five percent tip in exchange for more information. By this point, I sincerely hope that Nora just slips out and skips on the meal and bill after the waitress sashays back into the kitchen. And I refuse to believe that no one overheard her extortion there, because it’s specifically mentioned that there is only one other person in the diner besides Nora. Fitzpatrick, you do realize that there’s always a manager in the back room to keep an eye on things, don’t you? That little ploy the waitress pulled would get her ass fired in seconds flat. It’s unacceptable behavior, and it’s hardly like there’s a shortage of people trying for jobs who’d sign on to be a waitress.
*spits* Bah. Get ready, ladies and gentlemen. We’re just starting on our journey of batshittery. Onward!
ZeldaQueen: On a nicer (I hope) note, for anyone interested, I have finally gotten my Femgenfication piece in! Huzzah! You can read it here, if want. (And if you don't, that's fine as well ^^;)
Onward to: Chapter 21
Back to: Chapter 19
Return to to: Table of Contents
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
Chapter 20
ZeldaQueen: I would like to give you guys fair warning - these next few chapters are not going to be much fun. They are horrible and will make you wonder what Fitzpatrick was smoking when she wrote this and are leading up to That One Chapter. So yeah, we’re going to be getting a good bit more hostile. You’ve been warned.
So yeah, after those…frightening revelations in the previous chapter, Nora is tossing and turning in bed while a storm wails outside. Feel free to beat your head with how SYMBOLIK it is. When six o’clock rolls around, she decides to get up and take a shower. Then she goes, finds the dirty clothes strewn about her room, and starts doing laundry. This tells us two things.
First, Fitzpatrick clearly studied at Meyer’s School of Writing and thinks we give a shit about things like that.
Second, Nora’s IQ now rivals plankton. Because for all of these activities, her thought process? Completely empty. This might as well be narrated in third person, that’s how much insight into her thoughts and feelings we get. And thus, instead of coming across as conflicted and frightened, she feels incredibly stupid because she suspects her boyfriend is an evil being who wants to steal her body and she is FREAKING IGNORING IT!
*takes several deep breaths*
That, or Fitzpatrick really sucks at writing. *thoughtful* Or both, I suppose. Take your pick.
Anyway, Nora is finishing up these riveting tasks when there is a knock at the door. After everything that’s happened to her, she just goes straight ahead and opens the door without seeing who it is. You dumbass. You have a number of people after you and who you are avoiding and you just give them clear access to your home?
Yes, she does. And who would it be but Elliot the Slimy Git? We get a description of what he’s wearing, because I suppose Fitzpatrick thought it would be interesting. It isn’t. (Though I must ask, since when has a plaid shirt rolled up to the elbows, sunglasses, and a Red Sox hat come across as “all-American”?)
Nora instantly freaks out, and I don’t blame her. That’s one of the most infuriating things about this book - when the danger is something other than Patch, Nora’s actually pretty good at noticing it. Actually, given that she usually picks up on Patch being dangerous, I’m seriously wondering if he’s just mind raping her into overlooking it.
Anyway, Elliot is here and is all patronizing and drunk. You know, given what we’re going to learn about this guy, you’d think he’d be more careful in how he acts towards Nora. After all, you’d think he’d try harder to uphold his Good Boy façade after she found out his history, instead of regressing to All-Asshole mode.
So yeah, the first thing out of his mouth is “You've been causing me a lot of trouble lately”. Nora doesn’t think anything about that, and I must wonder why. I know what he means because I read ahead, but that would make no sense otherwise. He hasn’t been making any serious attempts to avoid him or do anything that would get him in trouble. Anyway, he says that he wants to talk and tries to get her to let him in the house. Nora refuses, telling him that her mother is still sleeping. I guess when the guy isn’t Patch, she can stand up to him pretty well. Elliot makes a comment about how he’s never met her mother, and Nora continues to be creeped out. Yeah, still not getting Elliot’s actions here, especially when we see what he’s angling for.
Nora basically tells Elliot to say whatever he wants to say and then get the fuck out. Elliot makes a very dramatic show of being hurt that she doesn’t like him, and it’s so badly-done and over-the-top that I’m in physical pain. He insists that he’s an average dude and just wants to prove it to Nora, and what better way to do so than punch her house when she tries to say something. Yeah, really helping your case there.
Now it’s Mood Whiplash Time as he starts rubbing his bleeding hand while laughing quietly and saying “Ten dollars says I'm going to regret that later”. If you’re already in pain and your hand is bleeding, I’d say you’re regretting it now.
Nora continues to be creeped out and once again calls herself an idiot for thinking he was ever a nice guy. I already ranted about that, so let’s pass on. Instead, let’s look at what comes next. Nora finally decides to slip in the house and slam the door on Elliot, when he gets around to the point of this little visit. He says that Jules is under a lot of stress, and we all can figure that out from the many times we have never seen him in this book. Seriously, Nora’s negligent mother gets more screen time than he does, and that’s saying a lot. Anyway, the upshot is that Elliot wants to plan a camping trip over spring break with himself, Jules, Vee, and Nora.
For a pleasant change Nora is actually genre savvy and tells him she has other plans. He tells her to change those plans and I’m scratching my head because that is exactly the answer Patch gives whenever Nora tells him that. Is that the only response Fitzpatrick can think up for a guy to say in that scenario? And what does that say about Patch, if he treats Nora in the same way the Obviously Evil Elliot does?
*shakes head* Right. Onward. Elliot does not take “No” for an answer, like most of the guys in this book. He insists that he can get everything set up real nice and begs Nora for a chance to prove he’s a good guy. Given all of the abusive relationship vibes in this book along with what we’re getting in a second, this is seriously squicky. Nora tells Elliot to leave at once and while I do appreciate her not caving in, I am loathe to give points because dude, this guy is getting creepy, don’t just quietly keep repeating the same thing! Scream! Talk loudly! Wake up your mother! I don’t think she’ll mind if it means saving you!
But no, Nora does none of that, which means we get this
“Elliot leaned his hand on the doorjamb, bending toward me. ‘Wrong Answer.’ For a fleeting moment, the glassy stupor in his eyes disappeared, something twisted and sinister eclipsing it. I involuntarily stepped back. I was almost positive Elliot had it in him to kill. I was almost positive Kjirsten's death was on his hands”
ZeldaQueen: Nora, you really have no excuse now. Scream as loud as you can. Wake your mother. Kick him in the nuts. Something!
Oh, well, she continues to bleat for him to leave. Yes, that will work well. DAMN IT NORA, HE’S NOT LISTENING TO YOU! *flaps hands*
And he still isn’t! You want to see how he takes her continued refusal? Of course you do!
“Elliot flung the screen door open so hard it smacked back against the house. He grabbed the front of my bathrobe and yanked me outside. Then he shoved me back against the siding and pinned me there with his body. ‘You're coming camping whether you want to or not.’
‘Get off me!’ I said, twisting away from him.
‘Or what? What are you going to do?’ He had me by the shoulders now, and he knocked me back against the house again, rattling my teeth.
‘I'll call the police.’ I had no idea how I said it so bravely. My breathing was rapid and shallow, my hands clammy.
‘Are you going to shout for them? They can't hear you. The only way I'm letting you go is if you swear to go camping.’”
ZeldaQueen: I…okay, let’s talk about a few things here.
First of all, Nora’s fears about the camping trip are not unfounded. I won’t spoil it all now, but just know for now that yes, there almost certainly would have been something nasty planned for her on that trip. In other words, it’s a trap for her. Elliot is trying to lure her into a trap.
How does he manage that? He openly tries to scare and threaten her into doing it. Oh yeah, that will work great you idiot! You show up drunk, are as creepy as possible, and then make the most half-assed attempt to get her there that I’ve ever seen. What’s to stop her from telling the police about that after you let go? Even if she did promise, what proof would you have that she wasn’t lying to get rid of you? Or are you working under the assumption that if a girl promises something, she’ll go along with it because deep down, she really wants it?
… Dear lord, I need to keep my mind in check.
Of course, there’s Nora’s idiocy. Apparently she was inside her house the entire time, with the screen door closed. What? Well if that’s the case, why not slam the door shut and lock it, dumbass??? Again, make noise! Claw him! Flail! Something! Jesus, what is up with this book? I’m appalled at how victimized and helpless Fitzpatrick has made her protagonist!
Thank the lord this ends quickly, when Nora’s mother does something remotely useful and wakes up and calls for her. Seeing as he might get caught, Elliot lets her go and leaves, telling her that it isn’t over. Of course not. There are ten chapters left, after all. *despairs*
Nora finally closes and locks the door and starts to break down, which is pretty understandable with everything that happened to her thus far. Her mother comes in and, upon seeing her daughter collapsed on the floor and having almost certainly heard her screaming and slamming the door, asks if something is wrong.
ZeldaQueen: Mrs. Weasley this lady is not.
Oh, and it gets even better. Because after all of that, after Nora has plenty of reason to say she is not safe because this guy is clearly stalking her and attacking her and generally scaring her, she decides to lie and not tell her mother what he did.
I slapped my forehead. At this rate, my head will not survive.
The entire thing is horribly contrived, of course. Fitzpatrick knows that if Mrs. Grey catches wind of what’s going on, she’ll actually take steps to do something, like change the locks or call the police or move. But that would put an end to the plot if that happened or at least force Fitzpatrick to put more effort into this, so we can’t have Mrs. Grey find out anything.
So yeah. Nora, who is kneeling on the floor and making a visible effort to not cry, says that she was just fighting with a guy from class who was trying to get her to let him cheat off of her Hamlet notes. Now if I walked in on that situation and saw my daughter so upset and heard her screaming “Let me go!”, I’d be poking for a few more details on what this guy tried to do to get the notes. Just because the motive changed doesn’t mean the actions are any more appropriate, Fitzpatrick.
Of course Mrs. Grey just gives a vague, motherly reply, hugging Nora and offering to call Elliot’s parents. Nora tells her not to. You know, I must ask what is up with Elliot’s parents? I don’t think we’re ever told that they’re dead or not around, so why doesn’t Nora have a chat with them or something?
Anyway, the reason Nora is putting herself in danger and risking her life by lying to her mother about this? Her mother is off to the wedding reception of a friend’s daughter and Nora knows she won’t go if she thinks her daughter is in danger. The contrivances are making my head spin, not to mention make Mrs. Grey look like a terrible mother for continually leaving Nora alone. Oh, but it gets better. You might be wondering why it would be a bad thing for Nora’s mother to stay home and give some form of protection to her only child. Well, apparently Nora wants to sneak off to Portland this evening to find out more information on Elliot, so she wants her mother out of the house for that.
I shall repeat that. Nora wishes to spy on and get more information on the guy that openly threatened her and who may or may not want to kill her, so her grand plan is to sneak off to a city some distance away at night, and without telling her mother or even having anyone home to bail her out if things go badly.
I would have face palmed here, but both of my hands were busy ripping at my hair. So instead, I just sort of thrashed my head around. It was almost as good.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where the chapter shifts from Do Not Want to Destroy With Fire. Because Mrs. Grey goes off to fix breakfast and Nora’s cell phone rings. It’s Vee, and guess what their conversation goes like! Go on, guess! Okay, you never will so I’ll just show you
“‘Did you hear? The four of us are going c-a-m-p-i-n-g for spring break!’ said Vee, sounding bizarrely cheerful.
‘Vee,’ I said, my voice trembling, ‘Elliot's planning something. Something scary. The only reason he wants to go camping is so he can get us alone. We're not going.’
‘What do you mean we're not going? This is a joke, right? I mean, we finally get to do something exciting over spring break, and you're saying no? You know my mom will never let me go alone. I'll do anything. Seriously. I'll do your homework for a week. Come on, Nora. One little word. Say it. It starts with the letter Y... .’
The hand holding my cell quivered, and I brought up my other hand to steady it. ‘Elliot showed up at my house fifteen minutes ago, drunk. He-he physically threatened me.’
She was quiet a moment. ‘What do you mean by 'physically threatened'?’
‘He dragged me out the front door and shoved me against the house.’
"But he was drunk, right?"
‘Does it matter?’ I snapped.
‘Well, he has a lot going on. I mean, he was wrongly accused of being messed up in some girl's suicide, and he was forced to switch schools. If he hurt you-and I'm not justifying what he did, by the way-maybe he just needs ... counseling, you know?’
‘If he hurt me?’
‘He was wasted. Maybe-maybe he didn't know what he was doing. Tomorrow he's going to feel horrible.’”
ZeldaQueen: Thing of beauty, isn’t it? For those of you who followed the Sparkle Project, you’ll remember this as the part where
ceilidh_ann threw her copy of the book against the wall in rage. I wholeheartedly support that.Now. Let me go through my thoughts. I shall do so as calmly as possible.
I must ask how dull Vee’s spring breaks are that camping gets that level of squee from her. She certainly doesn’t strike me as the sort who would find camping appealing.
Nora just tells Vee that they are not going because she honestly believes they’ll be in danger and all Vee processes is “Bzuh? You’re being a killjoy?” *slaps Vee* YOU DAMNED IDIOT!
Continuing on that thought, Vee has got to be the worst friend I’ve ever seen and that includes Alice Cullen and Haven. Nora is obviously upset. Her hand is shaking. Her voice is probably also shaking. She honestly and truly believes that something bad is going to happen. And does Vee make any effort to find out why Nora thinks this, or come to any compromise to help Nora feel more secure? No. She just starts pleading because isn’t Nora such a big meanie to deny her a camping trip? I hate Vee and wish she would die. And Fitzpatrick, you’re an idiot if you thought Vee was at all relatable or a good friend.
Now, let’s get to the end of that vile quote. Yeah, that’s the part I’m sure we all are thinking about. What does it boil down to? Nora tells Vee what happened. She does not waffle, nor does she skirt around what happened and give Vee reason to doubt. She tells her what happened and makes it clear that Elliot’s actions were inappropriate, unacceptable, and downright threatening. Vee’s response? To immediately start defending him.
*steeples fingers* Tell me, Vee, how does saying “he was drunk” make his actions any more acceptable? If anything, it makes it worse because not only is he a violent bastard, he’s a violent bastard who partakes in a drink that impairs his judgment. Intoxication is not a valid excuse for his behavior. Nothing, possibly short of mind control or possession, does (and before you ask, no neither of those options are going on here).
For that matter, how does saying “He just needs counseling” help matters? Vee dear, you just openly admitted that you want to go camping with a guy who is in need of therapy and attacks people while drunk! Not to mention that your weak “I’m not justifying it” is pretty much scuppered seeing as you ARE justifying it, you TWAT!!!
Finally, Vee is attempted to justify Elliot’s violent behavior by saying he was just drunk, will feel bad when he’s sober, just needs counseling, and has a lot on his mind. Did Fitzpatrick have a list of standard excuses from the Abused Person Textbook by her computer when she wrote this?
And no, ladies and gentlemen, it does not get any better. Nora is, quite understandably, pissed at Vee for acting like this. She still does not call Vee out on this shit, because that would run the risk of convincing Vee of the danger and that would consequentially deny Fitzpatrick the cheater’s way out for cheap drama later. Instead, she goes all prissily quiet and goes to hang up.
Before she can do so, Vee gives us this
“Can I be completely honest, babe? I know you're worried about this guy in the ski mask. Don't hate me, but I think the only reason you're trying so hard to pin it on Elliot is because you don't want it to be Patch. You're rationalizing everything, and it's freaking me out”
ZeldaQueen: *opens mouth*
*closes mouth*
*gives another try*
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Nora is the one “rationalizing” things?!? SHE WAS ATTACKED BY THIS ASSHOLE! THE SKI MASK INCIDENT ISN’T FACTORING INTO THIS AT ALL! IT IS COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT! WHETHER OR NOT IT OCCURRED, IT DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT ELLIOT JUST GRABBED AND THROTTLED NORA! JESUS H. CHRIST, HOW DENSE IS THIS CHIT?
*stabs her arm with Zeus 1957, her letter opener, several times to calm down*
Right. *furious snort* While we’re on the subject, maybe Vee can explain why she is going to such ridiculous lengths to defend Elliot. We’re going to find out later exactly why she’s so suspicious of Patch (no, it’s not because common sense proves that he’s Bad News), but that same reason won’t work because there’s no reason for her to be so certain that Elliot is safe. She’s being told point-blank that he attacked Nora and she is still making excuses! I repeat, WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Nora actually summons up my points above, not like I worded it but she still reminds Vee that “Patch didn't show up at my door this morning and slam me against my house”. No, he only assaulted you in the library parking garage. If I were Nora, I’d just throw up my hands, escape to any fandom written by Joss Whedon, and take the opportunity to learn to kill the supernatural assholes after me. Saying that one dude attacking her is mutually exclusive to another attacking is ridiculous.
Anyway, Vee ignores Nora’s point and decides to drop the conversation. DO YOU REALLY THINK I’M KIDDING HERE? Instead, she asks what Nora’s plans are for the evening. Nora is still pissed, but says she’s going to poke around Portland and could she borrow Vee’s Neon for the trip? Vee guesses that it’s for spying on Elliot and offers to go along for the trip…as long as Nora agrees to going camping.
*SCREAMS*
Nora hangs up as Vee makes it clear she will continue to pester her to give in.
We jump to Nora getting off the bus to Portland, and yes that was as jarring as it sounds. She openly admits that she has little knowledge of Portland and has only been there a few times. So. She’s going poking around in a city she is unfamiliar with, while her mother has no idea where she is and can’t get her if she’s in trouble. To quote the infinitely more practical and intelligent Sophie Hatter, “Why do I get the feeling this is not going to work?”
So she heads into Portland and heads straight for a place called Blind Joe’s Dinner, which is where Kjirsten worked. She has a list of questions aout Kjirsten and hopes that she can go off of them from memory because she doesn’t want the employees to think she’s interviewing them. Basically, this is just a repeat of her trying to get information on Patch. The only difference is that she isn’t wearing the wig and mini skirt this time. Although really, considering that she writes for the school paper, you’d think she’d be a little more skilled at getting information.
Nora is greeted by someone who I can only assume the bitchiest waitress in the place. It’s hammered in how sour her voice is and how grumpy she is towards Nora, and it is just utterly ridiculous. I’ve worked in food services, I know it can be sucky and taxing on one’s disposition, I know that people just have bad days, but the point of being a waitress is that you put on a smile anyway and complain in the kitchen.
Anyway, Nora launches into questioning right off the bat by loudly wondering why the diner’s name sounds so familiar. Now if I was doing this, I’d ease into the subject after I was seated and perhaps ordered something. Of course, I wouldn’t be doing this plan so half-assed in general, so I suppose the point is moot.
The waitress is all snappish and says that they were in the paper for a full week because of the murder last month. The diner was in the paper? I could see if the murder itself made for a week’s worth of articles, but why would the diner be brought up more than a handful of times? The only thing about it was that Elliot picked her up from there.
In any case, the waitress has no patience for the questions and seats Nora and asks what she wants to eat. Nora isn’t hungry, so she continues pushing for questions. Yes, be extremely obvious that you’re fishing for information while pissing off the waitress more. That will help. Seriously, just buy a bowl of chowder and don’t eat it if you don’t want it!
Nora randomly takes notice of a waiter across the room. “He was short, bald back to his ears, and his body type mimicked the toothpicks in the dispenser at the end of the table. His eyes never reached higher than three feet off the ground. As pathetic as I would have felt after the fact, one friendly smile from me might have been enough to have him spilling Kjirsten's entire life story”. Because dur-hur, guys who aren’t abusive jerks are sad-sacks who are starved for affection from pretty girls.
The waitress continues to be pissy and reminds Nora that she doesn’t paid if Nora doesn’t order. Nora, for her part, continues to be as obvious as possible that she’s fishing for answers, until the waitress demands to know what’s going on. After enough of this embarrassing dialogue, the waitress tells Nora that if she orders a milk shake, burger, fries, bowl of chowder, and leaves a twenty-five percent tip, she’ll spill the beans.
Nora goes along with it. I do so hope the waitress enjoys what she makes, because all it takes is one call to her manager from Nora and that lady gets canned. Those sorts of deals only work in movies, Fitzpatrick.
The waitress tells Nora that Kjirsten and Elliot indeed dated and he walked her home to her apartment after her shifts. And…that’s it. The waitress extorted money from Nora for that. Pardon moi, but didn’t we already know that???
Nora continues to ask for information and the waitress is generally pissy about it. She (the waitress) finally admits that she does think Elliot planted the suicide note because he’s a rich kid and rich folk can get away with anything. Okay then. Nora is confuzzled by this, because Elliot was on scholarship and Jules was the rich one. The waitress patronizes her - very smart there, insult the customer who you’re already taking advantage of - and says that Elliot was rich enough to buy an apartment for Kjirsten.
Next, Nora asks if anyone blond and tall (Jules) ever met Elliot at the diner. The waitress pauses to chew off the edge of her fingernail (apparently Fitzpatrick is holding nothing back while writing the worst waitress ever) and says as a matter of fact he did. She recalls the last time they met, when Kjirsten wasn’t working. The two talked about a test the tall guy failed, which Elliot wasn’t happy about. There’s also the implication that the tall guy didn’t like Kjirsten hanging around. I honestly don’t care, it’s all so dull.
Nora asks if there’s any more, and the waitress goes ahead and writes her down for a lemonade, slice of pie, cup of coffee, and additional twenty-five percent tip in exchange for more information. By this point, I sincerely hope that Nora just slips out and skips on the meal and bill after the waitress sashays back into the kitchen. And I refuse to believe that no one overheard her extortion there, because it’s specifically mentioned that there is only one other person in the diner besides Nora. Fitzpatrick, you do realize that there’s always a manager in the back room to keep an eye on things, don’t you? That little ploy the waitress pulled would get her ass fired in seconds flat. It’s unacceptable behavior, and it’s hardly like there’s a shortage of people trying for jobs who’d sign on to be a waitress.
*spits* Bah. Get ready, ladies and gentlemen. We’re just starting on our journey of batshittery. Onward!
ZeldaQueen: On a nicer (I hope) note, for anyone interested, I have finally gotten my Femgenfication piece in! Huzzah! You can read it here, if want. (And if you don't, that's fine as well ^^;)
Onward to: Chapter 21
Back to: Chapter 19
Return to to: Table of Contents
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Uhhh are you sure you don't mean two-thirds? Three-thirds is like...whole, isn't it? (Then again, math was my weaker subject...)
Oh, wow, six o'clock. Subtle...reeeaaal subtle.
(Though I must ask, since when has a plaid shirt rolled up to the elbows, sunglasses, and a Red Sox hat come across as “all-American”?)
Hey, maybe that's where Trucker!Patch came from.
After reading the whole exchange with Elliot, Nora, and Nora's mom not noticing anything...I think it's time for another spitefic.
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"I'll call the police." I had no idea how I said it so bravely. My breathing was rapid and shallow, my hands clammy.
"Are you going to shout for them? They can't hear you. The only way I'm letting you go is if you swear to go camping."
He was about to say more, I know he was, but all that came out of his mouth was a loud BLAM! After seeing the stunned and terrified look on his face, I realized that no, Elliot couldn't have made that sound. That was ridiculous.
A gun could, though. A gun that, I saw when I turned my head, was in the hands of a very angry woman in a bathrobe. My mother.
She aimed the handgun again. "That was a warning!" she barked, eyes wild, teeth bared like a true Mama Bear. "I suggest you let go of my daughter right the fuck now, or the next one goes in your shoulder!" she screamed. And Mom's aim was steady. She could do it.
Elliot was rough and scary, but even he knew he couldn't do much against a gun. He let go of my shoulders, turned around and ran for it. Mom kept the gun aimed at his retreating back until he was properly out of sight. Then she sighed heavily, anger vanishing from her face as she came out to guide me back inside and hug me close. "You're not hurt, are you? What all did he do?" she asked, putting the gun on the table and patting me down.
I just stared. It was a stupid thing to think about in retrospect, but I was still in shock. "Mom, I'm fine but--where did you get--?"
Mom smiled tiredly. "Your grandfather took me shooting when I was about your age. I've always kept a weapon in the house in case of a burglar. Never thought I'd have to use it to threaten one of your classmates."
"Mom, the neighbors must have heard." I realized with horror. "The police will--"
"I don't care. Once you and I tell them the how and why, I won't be the only one in trouble."
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yeah, maybe that was too much, but seriously, that's what I wish Nora's mom had done!
Oh God, you referenced Howl's Moving Castle. I love you even more now--Sophie can run circles around Nora in terms of strong female protagonist, common sense, and a ton of other things! (Actually, now that I think of it...remembering what Howl does to the two guards in the movie-version, I kinda wonder how he'd react to guys like Patch and Elliot. It would be epic.)
Uhm, that waitress? Yeah, I work in food-service too, and she would have been fired a long time ago. If not fired, then moved to a place where she wouldn't be interacting with any of the customers--like maybe a dishwasher.
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:D So much love for that spite fic! Oh man, if only her mother would really do that! And it actually makes sense that she'd keep some sort of protection around since it's just her and Nora (Actually, it reminds me a bit of Donna Noble's mother, who kept an ax in the house for protection XD)
Yes, Sophie's awesome! She was plucky, smart, and never was victimized. And when Howl was a baby, she certainly wasn't afraid to tell him off! XD
Geez, I have no what idea what he'd do to them. The guards were sleazy but weren't evil. Although speaking of Mama Bears, from what I understand, Sophie is totally one in the book sequels. Howl is a Papa wolf who punches a prince in the face twice for threatening his daughter.
I know, right? If Nora were any less of a doormat than she was, that woman would have been gone. One call to the manager is all it would have taken. -_-
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No, I find Haven extremely annoying as well.
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I love "Howl's Moving Castle" too. The animation is amazing, the story is sweet, and Sophie is so sensible and kind. :)
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...I really have no comment. I am so pissed right now, between reading Firelight (I just passed the stalking chapter :D) and this and COB, I want to burn some books. But, then the trees would have died for naught. So, I have to say is this:
REALLY
JORDANCLAREFITZPATRICK?!*Salutes* I am going to go listen to some angry music.
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Lord Almighty, is this really the kind of person that Fitzpatrick thinks that people should have as a friend? I don't know if she has kids, but if she does, would she really approve of one of her kids hanging around with this person? Even Marcie Miller looks like a better friend in comparison. At least we haven't seen her coo over Patch, so one would hope that she wouldn't blame Nora for her own victimization and tell her that she was stupid for worrying about guys that attacked her.
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I think if I could just channel this feeling properly, then that hatred could fly across the world and reduce every copy of this book to a ball of ash. That's how much I hate it.
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Oh, Zelda_Queen, how can you say that? It's *so* different from how Patch behaves. Patch is smoldering and sexy when he does it because he's hot. Elliot's looks are nowhere near his, so he's a sinister creep. *rolls eyes*
Yeah, Ms. Fitzpatrick, derailing a potential love interest doesn't work when he ends up behaving *exactly the same* as your designated love interest does.
/How does he manage that? He openly tries to scare and threaten her into doing it. Oh yeah, that will work great you idiot! You show up drunk, are as creepy as possible, and then make the most half-assed attempt to get her there that I’ve ever seen/
Not to mention that it's all for a *camping trip.* Yes, it's supposed to be a trap, but it's a trap that revolves around a camping trip. And this guy is freaking out over it. How does he expect Nora to take him seriously?
/Fitzpatrick knows that if Mrs. Grey catches wind of what’s going on, she’ll actually take steps to do something, like change the locks or call the police or move. But that would put an end to the plot if that happened or at least force Fitzpatrick to put more effort into this, so we can’t have Mrs. Grey find out anything./
Well, of course. If her mother was actually around and stayed home once in a while, then Nora wouldn't get to have "sexy times" with Patch. *rolls eyes*
Also, why isn't Nora going to the wedding with her mother? Even if she doesn't know the person who's getting married, her mother still could have asked her if she wanted to go.
/Finally, Vee is attempted to justify Elliot’s violent behavior by saying he was just drunk, will feel bad when he’s sober, just needs counseling, and has a lot on his mind./
You know what, Vee, die. Just die. I really can't wait for Patch or Elliot to kill your utterly stupid and utterly selfish oxygen-wasting hide. If they don't, then here's a little something from me. *stabs her in the face*
/Nora is greeted by someone who I can only assume the bitchiest waitress in the place. It’s hammered in how sour her voice is and how grumpy she is towards Nora, and it is just utterly ridiculous. I’ve worked in food services, I know it can be sucky and taxing on one’s disposition, I know that people just have bad days, but the point of being a waitress is that you put on a smile anyway and complain in the kitchen./
*sourly* Or be like that waitress in "Twilight" whose smile was "forced" and "unconvincing" to Bella. Who couldn't possibly be friendly and smiling because she wanted her tip, oh, no, it was because she wanted to get into Edward's pants. What is it that these people have against waitresses?
You know what, I'll just imagine that this is the same waitress who was snatched out of the "Twilight" universe and dumped into this book. She's in a bad mood because she heard all about Bella's nasty comments about her when she was just trying to do her job. Being nice didn't do her any favors, so she might as well be grumpy here. At least Nora won't be able to accuse her of being "fake" or of trying to get into her imaginary boyfriend's pants.
/Because dur-hur, guys who aren’t abusive jerks are sad-sacks who are starved for affection from pretty girls./
Oh, great, so now Nora's inherited Bella Swan's manipulative tendencies too. What is it with the portrayals of men and women in this book? The women are all selfish, catty, and shallow idiots who never look out for each other and the men are all abusive creeps or gullible twits who are reduced to putty whenever a pretty girl looks at them.
/The waitress patronizes her - very smart there, insult the customer who you’re already taking advantage of - and says that Elliot was rich enough to buy an apartment for Kjirsten./
RIch as he may have been, are sixteen-year-olds really able to buy apartments? If they can, wouldn't it have been a condo then, since you generally don't 'buy' apartments?
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That's the thing I don't get. There's a lot of money funding this plan. Why not say that they want to take a vacation to the Florida Keys or something? It would make it more understandable that Vee is squeeing over it and make it more tempting overall.
"Also, why isn't Nora going to the wedding with her mother? Even if she doesn't know the person who's getting married, her mother still could have asked her if she wanted to go."
Normally I could buy that the mother is going to something like that and letting Nora stay behind, especially since one would think Nora would take the time to do homework or something. Given how Nora ran off the last time the mother was away though, you'd think Mrs. Grey would wise up and say that Nora lost her home alone privileges.
"I really can't wait for Patch or Elliot to kill your utterly stupid and utterly selfish oxygen-wasting hide."
I wish the same, but we're both going to be disappointed in that regard. -_-
"Who couldn't possibly be friendly and smiling because she wanted her tip, oh, no, it was because she wanted to get into Edward's pants. What is it that these people have against waitresses?"
It's not just the waitresses. Pretty much EVERYONE Nora comes across in these books are sleazy, unhelpful, and otherwise jerks to her. I suspect Fitzpatrick was going for a gritty feel, but just hit "WTF?" territory instead.
"RIch as he may have been, are sixteen-year-olds really able to buy apartments? If they can, wouldn't it have been a condo then, since you generally don't 'buy' apartments?"
You're right, I highly doubt a minor can rent an apartment without an adult's consent (I think that was what Fitzpatrick meant instead of "buy"). Although I will say that from what we learn later, there *might* be the idea that mind rape was involved. Either way, it's unexplained and stupid.
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How could her mum have not heard any of that? And even if Nora lied about why Elliot was there at the door, don't you think her freaking out would have instantly given her away to her mother and would question Nora what really is up?
Look Fitzpatrick, if you're going to write a villain don't give their hand away too soon. You have to ease into their course of action, not derail Elliot instantly from wannabe nice guy to drunk arsehole within a few chapters. What is it with authors avoiding subtlety like the plague nowadays?
*steeples fingers* Tell me, Vee, how does saying “he was drunk” make his actions any more acceptable? If anything, it makes it worse because not only is he a violent bastard, he’s a violent bastard who partakes in a drink that impairs his judgment. Intoxication is not a valid excuse for his behavior. Nothing, possibly short of mind control or possession, does (and before you ask, no neither of those options are going on here).
Seriously, is Vee just missing a brain overall or does Fitzpatrick truly think that's how friendship between teen girls is actually like, that they're so totally inane and only squee over boys and stuff all the time and never analyse the consequences to anything in life and have nothing else to talk about? That's pretty offensive.
And I like the implication from Fitzpatrick there: it doesn't matter if someone is violent towards you or something else, he was just drunk anyway >.<
No one cares about good writing anymore… :(
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"Seriously, is Vee just missing a brain overall or does Fitzpatrick truly think that's how friendship between teen girls is actually like, that they're so totally inane and only squee over boys and stuff all the time and never analyse the consequences to anything in life and have nothing else to talk about? That's pretty offensive."
Yeah, I'm insulted that we're supposed to think of Vee as a good friend. -_- It continues on in the sequel as well. She just bleats on about how she doesn't trust Patch, but doesn't DO anything to convince Nora to keep away from him.
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Then fucking do something! (Also, what is it with Fitzpatrick and j's in names where they look out of place?)
Vee is kind of an idiot. "That guy attacked me!" "Yay, let's go camping with him!"
Vee guesses that it’s for spying on Elliot and offers to go along for the trip…as long as Nora agrees to going camping.
And this is why I ship Pee. They deserve each other, they really do.
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Apparently "Kjirsten" was the name of a girl Fitzpatrick went to school with. Yeah...
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Slash
(Anonymous) 2015-05-19 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)Meanwhile, Patch is getting in the way of things. Patch knows about the two and threatens them, saying that he'll tell Elliot's parents about their relationship. Their efforts in getting him killed didn't go too well, on account of Patch being a uber strong Fallen angel. Patch extorts Elliot, and tells him to act in such a way that Nora will be frightened and come running to Patch for help. Elliot has no choice but to do so.
Meanwhile, Jules has been mysteriously off screen this whole time because he's searching for a way to kill Patch. He comes across a legendary weapon known as The Colt, which is said to have been able to kill the devil himself. He's training himself in its use, so that way he can get rid of Patch. He's having a bit of trouble though; seems like more than a few demons want The Colt for themselves and aren't too happy with the fact that someone else has it. Elliot and Jules end up being targeted by more than a few demonic and religious factions, and end up in a constant fight for survival against the forces of darkness and those who want to steal their power.
Alternate Concept
Elliot and Jules are gay and in love with each other. Elliot's girlfriends was just a cover, so that Elliot's parents won't know about their relationship. Elliot's parents are very powerful and highly influential homophobic mob bosses, who would have no problems with killing off their son and well as his boyfriend if they found out they were gay.
The girlfriend ended up finding out about them and extorted Elliot for money and drugs, saying that she'll go to his parents with proof of their relationship if they didn't do what she said. With no choice and both of their lives on the line, Jules took the initiative and killed her, making it look like a suicide. Jules wasn't exactly a criminal mastermind, and in his haste made more than a few mistakes that indicated that the suicide note was planted. Elliot took the fall for the crime, knowing that his parents wouldn't ever actually let him go to jail and probably would bribe the cops and the judge.
Months pass and Patch, being the bastard that he is, starts making trouble. He finds out about the two boys' situation and threatens them as well. Elliot's attempt at killing him fails, due to the fact that he's a uber strong Fallen angel. Patch tries to mind control him and it doesn't work; Elliot turns out to be a warlock, one of the rare few people who are born with magical powers and abilities. Instead of killing Elliot, Patch decides to use him, blackmailing him into threatening Nora so that way she'll be more likely to run to Patch for help. Elliot has no choice but to do what he says, repeatedly threatening and harming those close to Nora.
Jules chooses not to take Patch's shit backing down. He's been mysteriously off screen this entire time, trying to find a way to kill Patch. Fallen angels are very hard to kill, however, and he's having a hard time figuring out what to do. It is while he's researching and following leads that he finds The Colt, a legendary weapon that is said to be able to kill the devil himself. He finds out that he is one of the few who are able to wield The Colt without dying or going power mad. He decides to train himself in its use, so that way he can get rid of Patch once and for all.
He's having a bit of trouble though. Seems that more than a few demons and Fallen want The Colt for themselves, and aren't too happy that someone else has it. Elliot and Jules end up being targeted by more than a few demonic and religious factions who either want to steal The Colt or kill the warlock before he gets too powerful.
Both of these boys end up in a constant fight for survival against the forces of darkness and those who want to steal their power for themselves.
Sounds like a better story right?