Half Of My Heart's Got A Grip On The Situation, [Jaiden]

[+ Jason Cohn]

Emily WOULD make plans. But this was the seventeenth annual Violet Hill carnival! Jason didn't care if she was asked out by Johnny Depp, She should have said no. There was the whole thing about him not wanting her to date, just because- despite being a guy- he thought all guys were douchebags and were just going to hurt her. But it was more than that. It was the carnival!

Jason was a man. He loved sports and beer and had beaten up other guys before (sometimes the other way around, though...). He wasn't one to secretly love chick flicks or shopping or other things that only women and gay men enjoy. Jason was a man.

But that being said, he was downright childish when it came to the carnival. He wasn't proud to admit it, but he got as excited as a five year old boy, when the dates for the carnival were announced each year.

Which is why Emily shouldn't have made plans. This was the friggin' carnival. May 18th, 1993. Jason was seven and Emily was nine. Their parents took them to the first Violet Hill carnival, and it was basically Disneyland to them, only in their own city! They enjoyed it so much, that their parents brought them back to it the following day. Every year after that, Jason and Emily would go to the carnival together. It was practically a tradition. There were those two years that she missed, when she joined the Peace Corps and he thought it would be a bit inappropriate to ask her to come home for just the carnival, but besides that, they had fourteen carnivals together. This year must be number fifteen! This was important shit. He even boycotted the carnival those two years that Emily wasn't around.

But at least he was going to meet up with Emily later. She wasn't too cruel of a monster to deprive him of carnival time with her. She simply wanted to have a date beforehand. Stupid Tomasz got to be at the carnival with Emily, while Jason just got to stress over the fact this date was still happening, despite his slightly threatening visit to his apartment.

But Jason wasn't going to not have fun at the carnival, just because Emily was off, probably making out with that douchebag in the photobooth. Gross.

...The carnival really did turn him into a five year old again.

But if Emily could go to the carnival with someone else, so could he. Not on a date or anything, since he was too stressed out over Emily being on her date, but he could still go with a friend. No one liked being called a back-up plan, but that really was what Jaiden was. Right now, at least. They were really close, and he'd probably even call her his best friend after Emily. It's not like he only used Jaiden as a back up. He wasn't an asshole. But if it was Emily-time, minus Emily? Jaida was always the backup to fill that void.

You would think it would be a bit awkward, but Jaiden was actually his ex. Yes, the man was actually best friends with his sister and his ex-girlfriend. But I reiterate; he loves sports, beer, and can beat people up.

She was his first legit girlfriend, actually. 'First loves', as some say. But they were young. They couldn't be 'first loves', since he didn't even know what love was. Hell, he still didn't think he really knew what love was. He broke it off, telling her they were too serious for high school students, but still wanted to be friends. Unlike most guys who used that line though, he actually did want to stay friends. He really liked her, and was rather glad she wasn't one of those petty, fussy girls, who just ran off and cried and hated him forever. Instead, they moved on, and even years later, were best friends.

"Don't you just love the carnival?" Jason asked, turning to Jaiden, as they walked through the front entrance. "I love the carnival!"

"We're going on every single ride!" He continued, his excitement being somewhat sickening. "I know you hate heights, but you can just close your eyes for the Ferris Wheel, right? The ride's over in like, thirty seconds." Lies. It was one of the longer rides, actually, but if he emphasized they'd be on it for close to five minutes, he had no chance of getting her on it. He'd obviously go on it later with Emmy, so if Jaiden completely refused, he'd live, but he wanted to get the most out of his night at the carnival!

[Jaiden Copes]

• • • • • • • •

It's never fun to be someone's back up plan. As nice as it was to hear Jason's voice on the other side of the telephone when he called, Jaiden knew she was only invited along as second best. She also knew that she would never in a million years turn down any invitation that came from Jason Cohn. What else could she do? She'd cleared her schedule as soon as he asked her to accompany him to the Violet Hill carnival.

The carnival was practically an institution in Violet Hill. Who didn't love the bright lights, overly peppy music and badly put together rides? Seven-year-olds and seventeen-year-olds alike flocked to it every year and it never seemed to get old. Jason Cohn, in particular, never seemed to tire of it. He and his sister went together every year. She could only remember two years that he didn't go, and that was when Emily had joined the Peace Corps. He had been so stubborn it was pathetic. She'd gone to his house both years to attempt dragging him out of his house and to his beloved carnival but both times he'd refused. It was a wonder he'd gone this year seeing as Emily was going with a date but she certainly wouldn't complain. It hurt a little knowing she was a back up plan but she always knew that her feelings for him were one-sided. It wasn't like she was going to pass up a chance to spend an evening with him just because she knew she wasn't his first choice.

There wasn't much she wouldn't have given to be his first choice. At one point in time, she had been. They'd dated for quite a while in high school. He stole her heart then unintentionally broke it. He never knew about either. He still didn't know that she loved him as so much more than a best friend. If he had, he probably wouldn't have invited her to do anything with him, let alone go to a carnival (and his favourite event of the year).

The night was absolutely beautiful. The stars were just starting to come out and the warm air was considerably cooled by the absence of the quickly dissapearing sun. The atmosphere smelled strongly of trees and cotton candy, and the fresh air (as fresh as you could get in California) gave a new energy to anyone who ventured out into it. High-pitched squeals and elated screams rang out so loud from the brave children on way-too-fast rides that they could be heard from the front entrance. It was like every other carnival in the world, which should have been why Jaiden wasn't there. Carnivals were definitely not her thing. The only other time she'd gone was when Jason had taken her in high school while they were still dating. She should've been studying or reading... anything besides climbing into horribly unsafe rides. She'd never trusted them, even as a kid. She was far too logical for her own good, but there was nothing she could do about that.

"Don't you just love the carnival? I love the carnival!" Jaiden couldn't help a laugh as Jason bounced towards the front entrance. His enthusiasm was amazingly infectious. Only he could make her enjoy something like that. "Of course! It's the only place that'll give you cavities and motion sickness at one time," she teased, her heart flipping as she watched him. He was nothing more than a big kid.

"We're going on every single ride!" She raised an eyebrow, her laughter deepening as he continued. His energy was practically tangible. It was one of the things she'd always loved most about him. He'd always been the optimistic to her pessimistic. I know you hate heights, but you can just close your eyes for the Ferris Wheel, right? The ride's over in like, thirty seconds." Her insides churned at the very mention of the ferris wheel. The only thing as bad as large bodies of waters were heights and Jason knew it. She was horrified of them. She narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms tightly in front of her. "Thirty seconds? More like five minutes," she smirked. Of course she would go though. She couldn't refuse him anything. "But only if you promise to bribe me with lots of cotton candy," she grinned flirtatiously, tucking a strand of long, dark hair behind her ears. "And you promise to let me work my way up to it?" She bit her lip nervously, her eyes traveling briefly from his striking features to the brightly lit festival around them. Her stomache did another nervous flip as her gaze passed over the large, round, looming ferris wheel in the distance. Only for him. She took a deep breath, trying to remind herself to relax for once and enjoy the night.

• • • • • • • •

tagged Jason
music Half of My Heart by John Mayer and Taylor Swift
notes Awww
outfit kind of her outfit (the picture is missing the rest of her. so i guess just go with that she's wearing blue jeans)
credit • _disenchanted at caution 2.0 & walk on water or drown (mayday parade) & picturecredit

[+ Jason Cohn]

How the hell was Jason supposed to decide what to do first at the carnival? He wanted to split into 10 mini-Jasons, so he could have more fun, all at once. He could be in the funhouse (he really would have to be a mini-Jason for that, seeing as it was mainly kids in it), while on the coaster, while eating a candy apple, while winning Jaida a stuffed animal of some sorts in the games. He loved playing them, but he really wished they had more realistic prizes, rather than just stuffed animals. They should hand out beer or concert tickets or condoms or something useful for men. It's as if they just assumed a 24 year old guy wouldn't live for the carnival.

They had time to get around to everything though. Like Jaiden said, she had to work her way up to the ferris wheel. He never really understood her fear of heights. If you were safely strapped into something, how could you be scared of it? If you were rockclimbing with no harness, then he understood, since you could easily fall and die, but a ferris wheel? It's not like a gust of wind so big was going to come along that it knocks the whole thing over. They were perfectly safe.

But he'd stay quiet. After all, he was scared of squirrels. He was about to make fun of Jaiden's fear of heights, just to have her throw his own fear back in his face. It's not like he ran away screaming if he saw one, but he preferred to steer clear of them. They were shifty little creatures. They looked like they could do some damage if they actually tried.

"Cotton candy bribe it is!" Jason suddenly exclaimed, as a booth of pink fluff came into view. It was amazing that he had yet to get sick after a carnival, after the amount of cotton candy, corndogs, candy apples, and other pieces of delicious junk he ate each time. He was lucky that he had such a strong stomach- something else he liked to avoid mentioning. He felt like he had a strong stomach, since he never threw up from motion sickness, too much sugar, or anything like that. But he mentioned to a friend once about his 'strong stomach', and he was reminded that he had yet to get drunk without ending the night puking. As if he really needed a reminder. At least he never got hungover.

It was almost unbelievable, but the line for the cotton candy practically diminished as he approached. It may have had something to do with the fact that they all had gotten their cotton candy and paid for it, but it felt like they were all leaving just because he was approaching and he really wanted some cotton candy!

"Two, please," he said, approaching the booth, pulling out his wallet, and minutes later, they were continuing on their walk, cotton candy in hand.

Jason heard a familiar swoosh sound, and as they turned the corner, he grinned at the miniature basketball nets that were set up at a booth surrounded by those stuffed animals. It was quite the gimmick, seeing as you actually won a small prize, and had to exchange several of them to win one of the stuffed animals on display, but that didn't mean he hadn't won a fair few in his lifetime.

Pulling out his wallet again, Jason checked the price of one game, and estimated how much money it would cost to play enough to win a big prize. Putting a few bills down on the table, Jason picked up one of the basketballs, and dribbled it a couple times. It wasn't his favourite sport, but he was on his high school basketball team, regardless.

"I'll win you one of those obnoxiously large stuffed animals which I refuse to carry around all night for you, if you promise to go on every ride with me," Jason said, with a slight smirk. He knew he had bribing to do past cotton candy. The ferris wheel was just one ride. Sure, it was the highest, but there were other high rides he wanted to go on. He had to make sure Jaida was as happy as could be, before forcing her on all of them.

How the hell did he ever become best friends- let alone date- someone who didn't like the friggin' carnival!?!?!

[Jaiden Copes]

• • • • • • • •

The most entertaining part about going to the carnival with Jason was watching his excitement. It was painfully obvious that he was torn in a million different directions. There were so many rides afterall... then there were the booths and the games... what was a kid to do? Oh that's right... Jason was a full grown man. Jaiden crossed her arms, feigning indifference as she watched him, attempting to hold back a laugh. The fact that he was an adult that still found the carnival so interesting was probably the most amusing part.

At least he accepted her insistence that they take their time before actually getting to the ferris wheel. He didn't understand her intense fear of heights but there was no way she was ever going to be okay on one of those rides. If he thought squirrels were shifty, how did he handle carnival rides put up by drunk, exhausted carnies in a total of 24 hours? She shook her head, her laughter bubbling over her lips despite her attempts to seem apathetic. Jason was the only one who ever made it impossible to keep her calm, uninvolved exterior.

"Cotton candy bribe it is!" Jason eyed the cotton candy stand with no less excitement than he had talked about the ferris wheel with. She followed him eagerly towards the booth filled with fluffy, pink, sugary goodness. Jaida had no doubt that, given the chance, she could eat her weight in cotton candy. It was one of her all time favourites. Unfortunately, she didn't have a stomache as strong as Jason's. More than a few times of visiting the cotton candy stand and she was sick as a dog. He, on the other hand, ate everything without so much as a flinch. So unfair. Her only consolation thus far was the fact that the line for the cotton candy practically disappeared as they approached and soon she was starting on her first round of cotton candy for the night... with Jason by her side. If only she could pretend that the night meant more than it did.

As they rounded the corner, Jason's eyes lit up again. It was like he'd never seen a carnival before in his life. Jaiden grinned, knowing full well he was going to head straight for the basketball game. It may not have been his favourite, but he was certainly good at it and when would Jason Cohn miss a chance to show off? "I'll win you one of those obnoxiously large stuffed animals which I refuse to carry around all night for you, if you promise to go on every ride with me." She pretended to think about it for a moment, crossing her arms in front of her nonchalantly. "Hmm...."

She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, acting like she was eyeing the stuffed animals. In reality, she was taking advantage of the way his silly grin made her heart flip. "Okay," she conceded. "But you know you'll end up carrying the stuffed animal around despite your refusal." She swallowed hard as he picked up a basketball and dribbled it a couple of times. It was such a simple thing he probably didn't even think about, but it was a scene she'd probably remember for a long time to come. At least he couldn't hear the way her heart pounded in her chest. "First you've got to actually win the thing though," she smirked skeptically, nodding towards the goal in an attempt to redirect her thoughts. "Let's see how much game you've still got Jason Cohn."

((sorry so short))

• • • • • • • •

tagged Jason
music Half of My Heart by John Mayer and Taylor Swift
notes Awww
outfit kind of her outfit (the picture is missing the rest of her. so i guess just go with that she's wearing blue jeans)
credit • _disenchanted at caution 2.0 & walk on water or drown (mayday parade) & picturecredit

[+ Jason Cohn]

Would he end up carrying around Jaiden's stuffed animal if he won it for her? Yes, he would. Chivalry wasn't dead, and despite being a bit full of himself at times, he wasn't too proud to open a door or in this situation, carry a gigantic bear, or whatever animal she ended up choosing. He crossed the line when it came to holding a girl's purse at the mall, but he'd still carry her bags. It didn't matter if they were dating or not. It had nothing to do with dating someone. It was just being polite.

But the fact of the matter was, he did used to date Jaida. He had long since gotten over their break up, seeing as it took place so many years ago, but that didn't mean he ever stopped caring about her. That wasn't why they broke up. It's not like he stopped liking her, or they had a big falling out, or anything like that. On the contrary, actually, he felt they were too serious. His feelings for her were still strong when he broke up with her. Most people thought he was crazy for breaking up with someone he liked so much, but to be honest, it scared him. He was too young to have feelings like that.

But due the the fact that his feelings for her faded gradually, rather than stopping one day, she still held a special place in his heart. Not in the way that he wanted to get her back, since as previously stated, he had moved on from the break-up. It was simply that he knew the real Jaiden. She tended to put up a bit of a wall ('a bit' being quite the understatement) and although Jason still couldn't read her if his life depended on it, he had at least seen past the wall. She could come off as cold, but that wasn't the Jaida that Jay knew. The fact that he had seen her vulnerable in the past, rather than the way most people saw her, made him want to keep her closer, in a protective way, much like the way he was with Emily.

"How much game I still have?" He repeated, a grin crossing his face. "Is that a challenge, Jaiden Copes?" And he'd take her up on it. He may not be proud enough to refuse to carry a girl's bags, but he was certainly proud enough to take on every challenge thrown his way. He liked showing off, but then again, what guy didn't? Hell, what girl didn't? That was exactly what they were doing with their tank tops and short skirts; showing off. Too much was unhealthy, but Jason saw nothing wrong with it, all in all. It was just showing the world the best you, and showing all those around you how amazing you could be.

And when it came to this basketball game, it was no different. Sure, he missed three or four, which he wasn't proud of, what with Jaida watching, but it didn't take him long to win the right to a large stuffed animal. That was the easy thing about this game. It was easy enough to get a ball through it, so a kid can win a small prize, but not so easy that they could keep going and easily get a big prize. With some skill and enough money though, you were almost guaranteed to win a big one.

"So," Jason said, casually putting his arm around Jaiden's shoulders. "Take your pick. This is your ticket to the ferris wheel!" He motioned for her to go ahead and tell the man operating the game which one she wanted. Hopefully with this big stuffed animal, she'd be willing to go on the ferris wheel sooner than later. He always preferred going on it early on, so he could get a good look at the whole carnival, and plan his night. If he had to wait to go on it until later, that was fine too, but it didn't change the fact he was really hoping cotton candy plus a prize would convince Jaida.

OOC: I'll hopefully reply to you tomorrow, if you do get around to posting, but if not, I might be out of commission for a few days. My flight is on Wednesday, and I'm not sure what internet I'll be able to get once there. I have more info in my absence thread, if you want to get a better feel for my schedule after Wednesday

[Jaiden Copes]

• • • • • • • •

"How much game I still have? Is that a challenge, Jaiden Copes?" Jaiden nodded playfully, her auburn hair falling unexpectedly into her eyes. She pushed the strands back with a smirk, shifting her weight. "As always," she shrugged simply.

Jaiden had spent the later part of her high school years watching Jason play basketball... a lot. Part of it the time it had been out of duty - they had, after all, dated for quite a while. Mostly though, it was out of the fact that she just loved it. Nothing about Jason was more natural than when he was playing basketball. It was easy to him. He always looked so in the zone, even if he didn't love the game. So it was with great strength that she crossed her arms in front of her, resisting the urge to stare stupidly at him as he shot a tiny basketball through a miniature net over and over. He missed a couple here and there but the things running through her mind were far from the stuffed animal he was trying to win her. Dammit, why couldn't he just wake up and see what was in front of him?

No, it was better that he didn't see it. Jaiden knew full well that Jason had gotten over the sting and emotions of their break up long ago. He saw her as nothing more than a best friend - practically a sister. If he ever realized that she still harbored the same intense feelings for him that she'd had in high school it might not have bade well for their friendship.

It was a wonder, really, that they were even still friends. When they had first broken up, everyone knew that the two still liked each other immensely. Jaida had been furious for a while. She didn't understand why he'd end things so abruptly, even if he had explained his reasoning over and over. It just hadn't ever made sense to her. In her mind, at least, they fit wonderfully together. It was almost as natural as... him and basketball or her and science. It just... fit. The akwardness of those feelings however, mixed with her anger and his hurt had made it seem like they'd never speak again. Jason was too good of a guy, though and of course, he hadn't accepted anything ruining what they'd had before dating. It was something she was incredibly grateful for. He was the only one she really knew how to be open with.

The game came to an end all too quickly. Jason took a step back, glancing at her eagerly. "Take your pick. This is your ticket to the ferris wheel!" Jaiden paled a little at the thought. "Jason," she groaned, her own gaze going to the looming ferrish wheel in the not-so-distant distance. "I really hate heights..." She looked between him and the slowly turning machine, her resolve fading with every glance.

"Oh fine!" She conceded. "But I am setting an entire army of rabid squirrels on you in your sleep." She feigned indignance as she turned to look at the array of stuffed animals before her. She was over twenty years old, but it was still a hard thing to choose between so many adorable, stuffed toys. She could be such a girl at times. "And I'll take.... that one." She pointed to a large, fluffy brown and black speckled teddy bear that looked particularly soft. Nothing better than the classic teddy bear, even if stuffed frogs were cute.

"Now come on and get me onto that ferris wheel before I change my mind," she laughed, taking the teddy bear with more enthusiasm than she'd shown the entire night. It was exactly as soft as it had looked. She nodded to the man behind the book and glanced at Jason with a subtle appreciative look to thank him for winning the bear for her. "I know you like to plan your night out from way up there." She swallowed hard, already walking slowly towards it. She would just have to remember to keep her eyes closed while on it.

"Hmmm, what am I going to name this guy?" She tried to distract herself by looking down at the large bear she had her arms wrapped around. It was almost as big as her entire torso. "Any ideas?"

• • • • • • • •

tagged Jason
[color=5e6774]music Half of My Heart by John Mayer and Taylor Swift
notes Awww
outfit kind of her outfit (the picture is missing the rest of her. so i guess just go with that she's wearing blue jeans)
credit • _disenchanted at caution 2.0 & walk on water or drown (mayday parade) & picturecredit