in a room full of art, i'd still stare at you. (o/o) (closed)

All her life, all August remembers was that she was alone.

There's always been a certain film between her and her friends and family, blocking the opportunity for a true relationship. No matter how hard she tried to break it, it only warped under her fingers, never tearing.

That was the case until she met Finley.

He brought her up, helping her learn how to feel again. Finley was the one who stopped her that night, who never left her side.

This is how the begining started at the end.

A story about a girl and boy who met on a bridge on a fateful night.

Info:

• this will be a slow burn romance with a ton of angst thrown in
• i'd like to be August
• basically at the beginning of the plot, August tries to jump off the bridge
• there will be some touchy stuff in this, so just a warning
• no one-sentence answers.
• lgbtq+ welcome.
• no bigotry of any kind.
• they will be in high-school, so 16-18 age range.
• please be detailed with the form.
• let me know if you're not comfortable with anything, please!!
• rated pg-13 for sensitive topics and steamy stuff
• please ask me to join!

Form:

Name:
Age:
Sexuality:
Looks:
Personality:
Background:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Other:

This looks great! May I join?

(Yes you may!)

(Great! I am at school atm, but I will work on a character as soon as I get home)

(Sounds good!)

(@daughter_of_Diameter, sorry but I want to keep this a one on one.)

Name: Finley Leon

Age: 16

Sexuality: Straight

Looks: He has medium length light brown hair that he slicks back every morning with gel, but it will often begin to come undone by the end of the day and falls over his face. His skin is naturally tan, even during the winter. His jawline is almost always dusted with a thin covering of hair, despite the fact he shaves every morning. He is around 6'0", but most likely on the shorter side

Personality: He is a reserved, intelligent young man that has a tenancy to take things much more seriously than he should. He strives to try to make the people around him better, but doesn't always know how.

Background: Winston comes from a military family. His mother and father met in the Marine Corps, and his earliest memory was his father coming home in his uniform, a large smile on his face. He was a secluded and moody child, unable to cope with how much he moved around because of his parent's jobs. His mother contracted pneumonia by the time he turned 15 and died about 6 months later, leaving him and his dad with what felt like a hole in their family

Likes: Sweet tea, and a good sport game.

Dislikes: Aggressive shouting, losing the time of day, and anything that has to do with the medical profession.

Other: N/A

Name: August Wilson

Age: 16

Sexuality: Bi

Looks: August has hickory colored hair, choppily cut to shoulder length hair during a mental breakdown. It's her juniper eyes that stand out against her olive skin, but they've been empty for a while now. Freckles dot her skin like stars. She's a whole 5'4" tall and is almost unhealthily skinny. August's usual outfit consists of an oversized hoodie, jeans, and a pair of beat-up converse.

Personality: August used to be the most outgoing person in the grade before her father died. After that, it seemed like she shut down. She was no longer the extroverted girl everyone loved; she was the silent girl with a sad smile. She never really talked much, as much as her friends tried, Even her teachers made an effort. But if you really, really tried, you could get to know the sweet girl behind the mask.

Background: Her mother died in her freshman year, and her and her mom haven't been the same ever since. Develop a little bit.

Likes: Rain, warm fires, cats, sushi.

Dislikes: violence, any mention of death, hospitals.

Other: Has a cat names Smores.

(Is it too much trouble to change his name to Finley? That's what I had in the original plot…)

(Also, ready when you are)

(Ah, yes, I can do that)

(Okay, thank you! Imma start)

August walked along the stone path, her shoes splashing slightly in the puddles that lined it. She only had one thing on her mind, and that was to get to Hartman Bridge. It stood just 239 feet over the roaring waters of the Julius River, which ran through the city. The height didn't scare her; it enticed her, in fact. She did her research and August found that the Hartman was the highest bridge in the area that was just a short drive from home. Not too far to make Dad worry, of course.

Finley jogged up the bridge, forcing his breathing into a regular and steady rhythm. Runs like this used to make his calves scream in protest, but now after a year of running it didn't even faze him. One thing that did, however, was the height of this damn bridge. He was necessarily scared of it…just very weary. All he had to do was look straight ahead and not look down.

August stepped on to the bridge, the wood creaking under her step. Without a second thought, she hopped the rail, sitting on the edge, feet slightly kicking. The height made her woozy, in a good way almost. Staring in to the abyss, she got lost in it, unaware of her surroundings.

A light breeze had been blowing when he had left his house a good 15 minutes ago, but it had now grown to strong gusts of wind that pinned his shirt to his body and made his sweatpants wave in the wind like a flag. The fact that he was on a creaky wooden bridge over 200 feet over the water was really concerning. He hustled towards the end of the bridge as fast as he could, but stopped as the sight of someone standing right on the edge, seeming unconcerned about the rapidly declining conditions.

"Uh…hey!" Finley said, walking towards the person. As he got closer, he realized it was a girl. An attractive one, too, despite the fact her hair was cut weirdly. "It's getting pretty windy. Are you sure that's safe?"

August jumped, almost falling forwards, but she caught herself, hands gripping tight on the railing. Her head whipped around, eyes wide as she met those of someone who seemed around her age. His hair covered his face, so she couldn't quite make out who he was.

"Uh, who-who are you?" August's voice shook. She was not expecting someone to catch her this late at night; especially during these weather conditions.

"The name's Finley," he said, running a hand across his face and pushing his hair back. It revealed a fairly boyish face with large eyes and the scraggly beginnings of a beard. "But, like I said, are you sure that's safe?"

"Finley…" She ran the name through her brain, searching for the familiar face in front of her, but nothing came up. Biting her lip nervously, she ran a hand through her hair as she glanced once more at the roaring waters below. "I… I'm sure," August finally answered, not meeting his gaze.

He took a couple of steps closer and offered a hand. While he had no clue who this girl was, he felt the urge to help her, as he would with anyone else. "C'mon, you're gonna fall if you stay out there any longer. I think it's gonna start raining soon."

"What if…" August shifted backward, away from his hand and closer towards the edge. She could feel the tears starting to drip down her cheeks, but she ignored them, wiping them away. Oh, how she hated being this easy to work up. "I told you I wanted to fall…?"

Finley realized how dire of a situation he was in. If he lunged at her, he wouldn't be fast enough. If he did nothing, it would be a weight resting on his chest for the rest of his life. So he chose to lean against the railing a safe distance away, forcing his heartbeat down to a normal level despite the adrenaline beginning to pump through his system.

"I'd say….I won't stop you," he said slowly, looking down his hands. "I probably couldn't, even if I tried. But….what makes you feel like doing this?"

August blinked at his words, and then swallowed, the words getting stuck in her throat. Despite her best efforts, her voice still broke when she spoke. "Do you know how it feels like to feel invisible? Like no one's watching, no one's looking for your presence when you're not there? When you know no one will miss you when you're gone? I-" August broke down, her eyes blurring her vision as she stumbled, hands grappling the railing.

"Well….I don't know you. Don't even know your name." He scratched the underside of his jaw as he spoke, his voice gently carrying itself over the wind. "But…I'm seeing you now, aren't I? Maybe I don't matter much, but still."

He let the silence rest there for a moment before speaking again, "What can I do to keep you from doing this?"

"I-" August hiccupped. "It's August." A stupid girl named after a stupid month. "Not a very pretty name, huh?" She sickly smiled, tapping her fingers against the rough wood as she watched what he would do. Now, why would she let him know what would stop her? Almost nothing would, anyhow. She's been caught up in this mess for as long as she can remember.

"I think it's a great name," he said. It wasn't a lie, either. The month itself was a nice time for him, too. "My birthday is in August, so I've always thought fondly of it."

Finley swallowed, blinking a few times. How could he stop her? "What….what if i show you this isn't a world you wanna leave? That people notice you?"

The laugh that fell from her lips was rough, showing that she hadn't for a long time. "And how're you going to do that? My friends don't care, my mom doesn't care, no one cares." She looked at him for a moment, eyes emptier than the waning moon.

Running a hand through her hair, she sighed. "Here's the deal, if you can show me that people actually notice me-" She laughed on the inside at that concept. "then I won't go for a swim, okay?"

"I care," he said, meeting her gaze with a confused expression. "If I didn't, I would have ran right by and not given you a second thought. And I know that I'm not the only one out there willing to notice you."

August rubbed a hand over her face. She was just so tired of this; tired of talking, tired of just standing here. She just wanted to feel nothing. "People don't see what they don't want to unless you force them, Finley. Trust me, I've tried." A sad smile passed on her face, glancing once more at the waters below. To her, it looked so welcoming to be swept in the waves and never near the surface again.

(Do you mind if he just kinda,,,,yanks her back to the safe side?)

(Nah, go ahead!)