Sweet Sixteen: Back to Brooklake (Student/Prof Spots Available!)

[PurpleSummer_SC]

((I don't think I was being snappy, but I apologize if it came off that way.))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: IAmMadi - Welcome! Glad to have you join. :)
trampled - Well, it's up to you. I just don't want you to feel left out. :/ )))


Denial, contrary to popular belief, takes hard work. Alot of hard work. Of that, Matt would have probably been more aware than anyone else, had he actually acknowledged that denial had become such a major part of his young life these days. It was a high maintenance deception, that permeated practically every aspect surrounding his person; friends, class mates, girlfriends (or rather, dates, since he was a notorious and outrageous flirt who hadn't 'settled down' since him and Marie-Elisabeth had ceased being an official item), teachers, family, Josh. All of his time spent in school, and most of his time not spent in school. And in the midst of it all, Matt himself. In order to keep lying to himself, he had to lie to everyone else, to make sure there wasn't a single crack in the wall standing between him and his fears. Between him, and reality. It was a lie that had to work on all levels.
Problem was... It didn't.

There were a number of things that Matt couldn't explain to himself, let alone to someone else. And it only added to the big pile of reasons why it could never be made known, what he and Josh were doing. Because if he couldn't fully explain it to himself, there was no way he could possibly explain it to everyone else. Not so that they'd understand. Luckily for him, no one else knew about what was going on, and thus they had not even the faintest clue that there was anything for Matt to explain.
Well, with one obvious exception, of course.
Josh.

What hardships Matt wasn't left to try and fend off from everyone else, Josh sure saw to it to make up for. In abundance. He kept insisting on bringing up what Matt so clearly did not want to talk about, and while before, Matt had usually been able to distract him and stop the conversation from reaching beyond his 'comfort zone', with just a few exceptions (the first time the topic had come up in particular, since it had taken Matt by such surprise that he hadn't been able to control his reaction, and... well, simply put, freaked out), it would now seem that he was becoming more and more determined that the conversation was to be held; that Matt could try and squirm all he wanted, Josh just wouldn't let him get away with it any longer.

And try to squirm, Matt did. He really, really didn't want to discuss the subject, or even acknowledge that there was something to discuss in the first place, since discussing it would bring forth all the cracks that did exist, and all the questions pointing to the fact that Matt really had no foolproof, flawless answers explaining just what was going on. The only answers he had were shallow ones, that didn't even begin to withstand the blows of Josh's questions, and so in order to keep the illusion from shattering completely, Matt would try every trick in the book, to stop those blows before they would break through that fragile surface.

But, with Josh's apparent determination, it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so, as was soon to be so perfectly illustrated, when just as Matt started thinking he had succeeded - feeling Josh respond to his kiss, and his fingers digging into his lower back - Josh's other hand suddenly slipped up to place it self against Matt's shoulder, gently but firmly pushing him away, just far enough to break off the kiss.

"Does it?" Josh challenged, and his eyes bore into Matt's, almost as though he was trying to draw out the answer from those dark umber pool with sheer will power. "Then, yeah, explain to me why it works for you, Matt, 'cause I don’t understand."

Now, to someone as used to getting his way as Matt was, and rarely having other people deny him what he wanted, having his patience put to the test like this, often resulted in a display of his lack thereof. This time, as it would turn out, was no exception. Especially not since for a moment, Matt had believed that he had once again prevailed, and relief had started weaving it's way into his mind, only to end up being stepped on and crushed a second later.
Thus, his initial reaction was indeed a display of impatience having returned.

"Josh... For crying out loud", he groaned with ill hidden exasperation, as he pulled away, out of the other boy's grasp. "We don't have time for this. I told Marie I would catch up with her during lunch, and if I don't, she's gonna..."

While at first he had avoided Josh's penetrating gaze, as he spoke, he glanced up at him, and upon seeing the look in the other boy's eyes, his voice faded away, leaving only a brief but clearly utterly dejected silence, as though he realized it really was no use trying to escape the conversation.
And, with dismissal, distraction and evasion all having been methods tried and failed, and surrender sooo not being an option, only one thing remained.
Manipulation. The mother of solutions.

Letting the silence run for just a few moments longer, he then gave a deep sigh, and a slightly crestfallen wave of his hand, although both were still faintly stained with annoyance. As was his voice.

"Alright, fine", he relented, while folding his arms across his chest and his gaze locking firmly on Josh. "It works for me because it's the only way it can work. And I, for one, think it's worth the trouble."

Those were words followed by the slightest twitch of his eyebrows, and he shot Josh a somewhat expectant look, almost as though he was adding a silent, challenging 'Don't you?'. For if Josh insisted on probing the issue, and making it seem as though Matt was the one causing problems, Matt would turn the tables on him, and insinuate that it was Josh who caused the problems, by not being willing to go the distance and make some effort, for what he seemed to enjoy just as much as Matt did.

[Alissa888]

Considering Josh’s nature, the sort of company he kept came as a huge surprise. First were his team mates. Now, while it was true that certain Jocks really defied the stereotype that illustrated them, there were some idiots who really reinforced it with the force of a pneumatic drill and they were SO unlike Josh. Next were his girlfriends, particularly Marie-Elisabeth, for he somehow always managed to end up with the girls who had a reputation for being catty even if he was largely spared it. Recently, it was Matt, who had a reputation for being… well, Matt Sidle.

Though Josh’s nature was such that he always saw past it, he always hammered at the surface until he could get through to something that was good in them. Because he believed that regardless of what someone had a reputation for, or what they’d apparently done, there had to be another side to it. After all, that was a story in his case. So, Josh didn’t take the reputations to heart, he instead looked for reasons behind it.

Of course, that didn’t mean that there was no truths in the reputations, because they don’t spring out of nowhere, now, do they? In the case of Matt, he was known to be manipulative as he was charming. There was always a side to him that Josh, though he accepted Matt as a whole, couldn’t accept, because it just didn’t sit well with Josh’s judgement. Though, he didn’t try to correct him; because he wanted and accepted Matt exactly as he was, not to model him into Josh’s ideal. That wasn’t all of it, though, because it was still wrong in Josh’s eyes, but the only way Matt would really see his mistakes was if he himself accepted them.

But then, here Josh was, forcing Matt to look past his denial. Because he was sick of it, sick of lying and pretending when it really didn’t have to be this complicated. However, he’d never push Matt to the edge, he’d never – not in a million years, not even by mistake – disregard Matt’s insecurities and go ahead to do what he wanted and tell everyone, regardless of how much Josh himself wanted it. Because he cared about Matt, he wanted Matt to be happy instead of stick himself even more in denial. He didn’t want to lose Matt. But that denial, though it was one of Matt’s flaws, was secondary to another flaw; manipulation.

Manipulation was what Josh was currently being subjected to. It was what he was usually subjected to whenever he did something Matt didn’t want him to do, or something Matt suddenly feel comfortable doing, even if he’d indicated otherwise. It didn’t have to be words, it could have been anything; actions, looks, touch, anything. But as was Josh’s nature, he didn’t look at that manipulation, he looked for the reason behind it. It was partly because Josh believed there was good in everyone, but also partly because he believed in Matt, even if he didn’t believe in himself. So, whenever that came about, all Josh would do was to take it and then figure out why it’d happened. Like now:

"Josh... For crying out loud,” Matt protested in frustration with Josh’s insistence while all the blue-eyed boy did was watch, a little distressed when Matt pulled away from his touch, a sudden shot of panic cracking through him like the smallest electric shock. Was Matt just about to give up on the whole thing? Did Josh just… screw it all up? "We don't have time for this.”

He almost sighed in relief. ‘We’. It was amazing how much potency that single word had.

“I told Marie I would catch up with her during lunch, and if I don't, she's gonna...," Matt trailed off as he’d begun to iterate his really pathetic excuse for not having this conversation as the look in Josh’s pale eyes darkened faintly. And suddenly there was the one thing that Josh didn’t want; silence, and all that was happening was Josh staring at Matt’s handsome face, wondering who was more important to him – Josh or Marie-Elisabeth?

Though, Matt mentioning Josh’s girlfriend – and indeed his own ex-girlfriend – in the middle of this had it’s own bout of irony that almost had Josh scoffing ever so slightly. She was as part of this as either of Matt and Josh were, in a really contrived sense, but still she had no bearing on the conversation that they were trying to have nor their relationship. Oh, well, if it was that difficult for him to keep her waiting, maybe they should invite her down here, too?! But no, Josh didn’t do anything, he didn’t say anything, he just watched.

"Alright, fine,” he conceded, making Josh’s expectations suddenly flare up in hope that Matt had also been considering this the way Josh had, onto to almost simultaneously sink – there was no way Matt was going to make it this easy for him. He was going to manipulate his way out of it. "It works for me because it's the only way it can work. And I, for one, think it's worth the trouble."

While the words themselves took a few moments to gather all their meanings in Josh’s mind, his eyes drank in the suddenly defensive stance Matt had assumed, stepped back and arms folded over his chest as if he was standing his ground, closed off to reasoning – closed off to Josh’s pleas and suggestions. It really wasn’t going to well…. But no, it taken quite some doing for Josh to get himself to address this after repeated failure, to actually try again and again and, after coming this far, he wouldn’t give up just now.

The look on Matt’s face, in the form of a small quirk of an eyebrow, changed the meaning of his words from an admission – one that sent a slight wave of bliss through Josh for it was Matt admitting that he did want this and, as obvious as it was, that admission made it special – to an accusation, as if saying that Josh was the one trying to make it into more trouble than it was worth. Manipulation, as a form of defence here, because Josh knew full well Matt only used it because he was scared.

Though, while he withstood the manipulation and understood the causes of it, Josh was nowhere near submitting to it. Not to say that it had no effect on him, because it had him silently anxious, it had him refusing to move from his stance – with his back against the door – in case Matt hurtled himself through it and just left, not looking back. And they’d have to go back to pretending that there was absolutely nothing going on and Josh would have to go back to square one with Matt. Or worse, Josh would have to go back to not having Matt.

“Yeah,” he started quietly, not moving his determined eyes from Matt’s alluring gaze, as his voice grew in confidence with the words that soon followed. “I think it's worth the trouble.” With that, he shifted slightly, pulling himself up to his full height as he took on a resolute stance over Matt. “But that's also why I think that this, this sneaking around like we're doing something wrong, it's cheapening it.”

And there was that look in his eyes, a compromise between slight disappointment and a silent plea to force Matt to realise what he knew anyway, just because he needed it. They both needed it.

“And we both know there's another way to make this work, don't we?”

“Though, funny you should mention Marie,” he carried on, his voice less soft, less considerate because the realisation of why those words had come about as an excuse – that particular thing out of everything that Matt could have come up with – truly hurt him. “Is that why? You're ashamed?”

(((OOC: Slightly messy, but hope it works for you, Atropa :)
And Trampled, I found a better way to do it, so Natalie’s post has been altered a little ;) )))

[maeve.2.0]

Lacey Cormier arrived at Brooklake High School at exactly four minutes to twelve. Lunch. She had missed first period, which was pretty bad considering it was the first day back from break -- but there had been so many other things to do, like paint a tiny Australian flag on each of her toenails, swirl around in her father's office chair in the middle of the living room until her head span and lie on her bed and read The Art of War. She had completely forgotten to go to school.

But she was here now and, more importantly, she had managed not to run anyone over or ride into any random trees on the way. This was quite a feat on Lacey's part and hence the slight swagger in her step as she ascended the steps to the entrance, after leaving her bicycle safely locked at a tree.

Today felt like a good day. She was wearing her favourite socks (http://www.knittersreview.com/images/hedgerow_socks_large.jpg), the only pair that she didn't allow to be mix-and-matched with others, and today felt like a good day.

It was lunch so the majority of the school would be in the cafeteria. Lacey made her way through the throng of students still milling about the hallways, and through the double doors to the cafeteria. She sent a sweeping gaze over the rows of tables, each topped with a tray filled with a meal, and reassured herself that there was an empty one all the way in the back. It wasn't that Lacey was anti-social or shy -- it was just that making friends had proved harder than it seemed, in the few months since the summer vacation that she had been here at Brooklake. Since switching from Band to Drama Club after that unfortunate incident involving a tuba and the principal's head, she was able to consider a few people as "friends" -- or at least, she said hi to them in the hallway, and that was all that was necessary to be counted as one of Lacey's friends. Still, they all had their own groups of friends, and she seemed unable to join one of them. She hadn't fully been absorbed into the social network of Brooklake High -- still, after months, floating between the cliques and groups, not really fitting in, not really belonging.

People who knew her might have written her social awkwardness off on her many eccentricities, but the fact was that outwardly Lacey showed no sign at all of being anything but ordinary. Dressed in a grey hoodie, jeans and Converse high-tops, she looked like a million other girls at Brooklake High. She was perfectly capable of conversing with fellow teenagers without coming off as a total lunatic -- at least, that's what she liked to think.

Lacey dismissed the line of students waiting to receive tasteless cafeteria sandwiches -- she had packed her own lunch -- and settled at an empty table in the back. She reached into her bag and extracted the Superman lunch box (http://www.fashiondrv.com/productImg/1283a.jpg) that had carried her sandwiches since elementary school, then took out a bundle of four peanut butter sandwiches. She stacked two on top of each other and bit into them, her eyes darting around the cafeteria, observing the chattering teenagers surrounding her. No one joined the solitary girl at the empty table, and she hadn't expected anyone to.

But maybe he would... No. She couldn't see Loren Dasen anywhere. Which was a shame, as he was nice and a wonderful actor, and that was enough to gain Lacey Cormier's approval. Of everyone she had met at Brooklake so far, he was her favourite. They ate lunch together sometimes, but he was such a sociable person, it was quite possible he'd gotten waylaid by someone on the way.
Her gaze swept over the cafeteria; but he really wasn't there. Given his usual fashion choices, she was fairly certain she couldn't have missed him.

But Lacey didn't really mind. She had her peanut butter sandwiches to enjoy, and chapter four of The Art of War ("Tactical Dispositions", extremely interesting). She was fine.

(( approachable, though you might have some trouble prying her out of that book ... oh, and hope that's alright, FurryPanda :) ))

[emodawg]

The shrill cry of the bell that informed the students it was lunch time rang, destroying what little order remained in the classroom. Adam took his time packing away his stuff to avoid the mad rush for the doors that seemed to be currently taking place.

As he slung his messenger bag over his shoulders, Adam turned to address Shauna, “I’ll see you later then, I guess” he said casually with a small wave as he ot ready to leave. He wasn’t sure what her plans were but hoped his departing words weren’t interpreted by Shauna as not being allowed to tag along if she so pleased, he would have been glad for the company but then he didn’t want to make an idiot out of himself by assuming that she didn’t have anyone better to hang out with at lunch.

For some reason Adam seemed incapable of travelling anywhere without music. He turned his ipod on but only put in one earphone so he wasn’t too oblivious to the world around him. Despite this measure however when pounding dreary music, even if it wasn't at its full intensity, was coupled with catching one’s passing reflection in a window and discovering in horror that one’s hair was looking more messy than the dishevelled look that had been aimed for, distraction was inevitable.

It was at the precise moment that Adam decided cleverly to stop suddenly in the middle of the hall to rectify his hair problems when he collided into someone.

“I am so sorry!” He exclaimed apologetically to the dark haired girl who had come off worse from their little crash. There was a small ripple of laughter from passers by causing Adam to go slightly pink from embarrassment. He offered her a hand up sheepishly, hoping the girl wouldn’t have a screaming fit at him.

((my poor characters seem to fall over a lot lol))

[IAmMadi]

Aimée flexed her free arm as she stood outside the massive school of Brooklake. A drop of sweat formed on the nape of her neck, she wiped it away nervously.
"I can do this." she muttered to herself. Her French accent was seen as a common denominator in her home country, but here, she wasn't sure what they would think of it.
She watched the other high schoolers pass by her, oblivious to the fact she was there. Aimée combed her fingers through her purple tinged hair, sucked in a deep breath, and walked through to the entrance of the school.

Aimée found her way easily enough to the school office. She peeked over the high desk. She let her eyes wonder, taking in the colour and detail of every trinket that lay strewn across the desk. Her eyes met those of a middle aged woman, she was short, by what she could see of her, and had hair the colour of chestnuts. Her eyes were a murky green, strong and intimidating.
"Hello, can I help you?" her kind voice startled Aimée. 'A woman that intimidating should not have a voice like those of bells ringing' Aimée thought.
"Bon jour, I am Aimée Darrieux, I have just transferred here from France," she replied, a smile spreading across her face.
"What a lovely accent you have," she smiled politely, then scrounged around in a drawer. "Here is your timetable, you will need to go here, here, then you have lunch, and then here."
"Merci, au revoir," Aimée hoped she would have known enough French for that one. She turned on her heel, scooping up the papers along the way.

She scouted the hallways until she found her locker.

She looked around at the people bustling about behind her, she was glad she was close to the wall. But that isn’t always the best thing. Suddenly, she was pushed firmly against the wall. She muttered a word that sounded strange in her velvet accent. She looked around for her abuser. But could only suspect a bunch of footballers walking down the hall a bit from her.

Aimée looked at herself, correcting any minor mishaps in her out (http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/store/product.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302028387&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442186465&bmUID=1225140035009 ) fit (http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/store/product.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302028386&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442189146&bmUID=1225140075125). She looked at her feet, and found her books splattered across the ground. She cursed quietly again, but it French this time. She gathered her books and opened her locker. She could feel her face going red. She wondered who might have seen that. Definitely not the huge footballer who had bowled her over. Aimée stuffed her books in and left two out.

Aimée slammed her locked with unnecessary force. She adjusted her messenger bag and headed toward her first class.



APPROACHABLE



((Thank you everyone for you kind welcomes!))

[PurpleSummer_SC]

Sophi nearly caught herself as she fell, but her lack of strength caused her to fall. Her face flushed scarlet as she pulled herself up from the linoleum flooring. She picked her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, and started to walk past the guy who had walked into her. She figured that he would start shouting, but when the words that came out of his mouth were 'I am so sorry', she turned around and gave him a small smile. "It's fine." She replied, "I'm so clumsy that I should have been watching where I was going."

She felt an awkward feeling as there was no speech between the two for a moment or two. She rolled back and forth on the balls of her feet and sighed quietly before smiling a little again. "I'm Sophi." She said, figuring it was okay to introduce herself.

Sophi observed the boy's appearance. Nice hair, eyeliner, two tone hair color, and...kind of cute. She usually went for the musicians, and he sort of looked like one. She didn't feel quite as awkward now, just because she could possibly identify with this kid. Her posture became more relaxed and she let some hair fall over her shoulder, falling to her waist. Her green eyes focused on the boy as she waited for him to tell her his name. She felt stupid for wanting to know it so badly, but she needed some friends here, as a new kid. Maybe this guy could be a friend.

[Laughy]

{{I'll echo the other people and say Welcome IAmMadi and Maeve2.0, hope you have fun! Is anyone free and wants to rp with Kim? }}

[FurryPanda]

((OOC: Trampled, for the record, I'm Furry or Panda... not purple.))

Katie was close to deciding to forget it and go dance in the courtyard and revel in the rush it gave her. No one went to the nasty little courtyard behind the school except young lovers who wanted to get poison ivy on their naughty bits. Which was to say, no one she knew and no one of popularity significant enough to make her life any worse. In a split second she decided to go, and in celebration of getting over her fear of being seen doing the meticulous technical footwork and arm motions that were her specialty, she rose onto tip toe again, and was about to start walking in her perfect tendu down the hall, when she knocked into some girl with fluffy inky black hair.

Katie kept her feet, they had barely touched each other, and she had excellent balance, but her composure? That would go away with the slightest tap, and a collision at walking speed, however minor it was, was far more than a tap.

She sighed gustily, more to give herself a moment to breathe, reassure herself and size up the other girl than any actual indignation. THe sizing up was quite reassuring, she had never seen this girl in her life, which meant either a transfer, or an underclassman. The former wouldn't have any painful and awkward preconceived notions, and the latter didn't matter, even to someone as low on the social totem pole as Katie Byrd.

"Sorry about that" she said politely, giving an apologetic and slightly nervous look. She was genuinely sorry that she had interrupted this girl's path, but even if she was an underclassman she could do some damage. It wasn't as if she had even the rudiments of popularity required for every junior in eye shot to put a damper on some underclassman.

She hoped that the former would show more than the latter, after all, if she wasn't an underclassman, the inevitable slide of social supremacy of everyone else would begin, and be done by the end of the week, leaving this girl snarking away at lunch like everyone else. Katie finished by adding, mostly unnecessarily, "You alright?"

((OOC: Madi, hope that's okay with you?))

[PurpleSummer_SC]

((I think she called me Purple, Panda. I like the color purple =] ))

[AtropaMandragora]

He was trapped. The moment Matt saw the look on Josh's face change, he knew it. He had tried feinting left and right, using everything from physical 'persuasion' to manipulation in order to draw Josh's attention away from what Matt had already made it perfectly clear to him several times over that he did not want to talk about. But this time, Josh would not budge. He still stood firm in his determination to keep them both on the subject, swaying only slightly with each attempt Matt made to escape, always returning to that rock solid stance he seemed to have assumed this time around. Unyielding, even though he knew well that Matt had never responded well to such pressure.

And it wasn't just the way that he kept slipping out of Matt's grasp - figuratively speaking - and the gentle tugs in another direction, any direction, in which the dark-eyed boy tried to pull him, that now had Matt feeling as though he was trapped. It was the way that the somewhat larger boy all of a sudden seemed to intentionally block the door, pulling himself to his full, broad-shouldered and, during the right circumstances, rather imposing height, sealing off the only exit, as though he (quite correctly) suspected that with Matt's repeated and failed attempts to dodge him verbally, he might finally resort to attempting an actual physical escape instead. Matt wasn't one to give up easily, and submit. Especially not when he was feeling threatened.

Though usually, he would be very good at hiding it when he was. A skilled actor, and one constantly playing some kind of role, regardless of whether he was on stage or not, he had learned to mask his reactions and his thoughts, letting no trace of what he was thinking or feeling seep into the slight curve of his lips, or the expression in his dark chocolate eyes. But, when truly threatened, like now, there would come a moment, where the mask would slip, and his true anxiety would spill forward on his handsome features. And with no audience around, who needed convincing that the situation didn't bother him in the least, but only Josh, who already knew that it did bother him, it was as though he was no longer able to keep up appearances, despite his deep desire to convince Josh more than anyone, that he wasn't truly agitated by what was going on.

So, while at first Matt managed to maintain his own assertive stance, cocking his head slightly to emphasize the silent challenge just issued, Josh's reply would soon see that change.

"Yeah", the other boy started slowly, but as he continued speaking, his voice grew more and more confident. "I think it's worth the trouble. But that's also why I think that this, this sneaking around like we're doing something wrong, it's cheapening it. And we both know there's another way to make this work, don't we?"

At that, Matt immediately opened his mouth to object, as fast as had it been pure reflex, but was silenced before he could utter one word, when Josh continued, and thus had to settle for vehemently and stubbornly shaking his head.

"Though, funny you should mention Marie", Josh kept going, sounding as though he really was done trying to go easy and nudge Matt into the conversation, rather than shoving him violently into it. "Is that why? You're ashamed?"

Still shaking his head, though now more at the situation as a whole than any specific question or statement, Matt refused to look at him at first, pacing the small area where he'd stood a few times, much like a cornered animal.

"Josh, don't", he warned. "I didn't come down here for this."

Then, he suddenly stopped, shooting Josh a glare that in the few moments it lasted, started looking more and more like a panic-stricken stare, when his thoughts touched on the subject of Marie-Elisabeth, and why he considered it imperative that he didn't keep her waiting too long too often to be able to provide some believable excuse. She was far from an easily decieved airhead.

"And I only mentioned Marie because if she figures it out, all hell will break loose", he said, after running a hand nervously through his hair. "And you know it."

That said, he shook his head once more, as though he was refusing the very thought of what would happen if Marie-Elisabeth, and everyone else along with her, found out about him and Josh, from entering his mind.

"No", he stubbornly intoned. "No."

[emodawg]

A surprised smile of relief spread across Adam’s face when a lack of barrage of insults came his way from the girl he’d knocked over.

“It was my fault, I was distracted,” He sighed, reeling in his earphones that had been knocked to the floor and stuffing them in his front pocket. His shoulders relaxed a bit when he was sure this girl wasn’t going to have a hissy fit over the little incident.

“I’m Sophi.” She introduced herself with a small smile.

His hands became entangled in his hair the way it always did when he was nervous (or didn't know what to say/worried/daydreaming/tired etc...), probably making the hair troubles that had instigated the collision even worse. “Nice to meet you,” he said, then regretted it thinking it sounded rather goofy or like he’d been waiting round the corner, planning to knock her over so they could conduct small talk which was pretty creepy…

“Erm, I’m Adam,” He added rather quickly so she didn’t have enough time to over analyse and scrutinise what he had just said in a similar way.

And then a silence descended. Did Adam keep talking, walk away? Shauna had been sort of forced to talk to him and they’d kinda been given a prepared topic to talk about. The absence of these requirements meant this conversation had the higher potential for Adam to do or say something stupid. Common sense dictated that he walk away before said stupid/potentially embarrassing thing occurred, but he really didn’t want to sit at lunch alone and that was when inspiration struck him.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where the cafeteria is, would you? I’m new here,” he asked. Not a bad way to instigate conversation, he thought. It kept them talking without him looking desperate for company.

[PurpleSummer_SC]

Sophi smiled. "Adam...nice to meet you, too." She said, and stood with her hands in her pockets. She was a bit more relaxed, but still held a slight shyness in her smile.

She watched as he waited for a moment before speaking again. He asked about where something might be located. Sophi frowned a little. "Oh, I was hoping someone could tell me...I'm new, too." She smiled a little after this. She wasn't the only new kid. A sigh of relief left her lips and she looked around. "Maybe we could casually follow someone there?" She suggested.

[IAmMadi]

Aimée turned around again, suddenly, there was a girl standing behind her, not the suspect she had believed to have bumped her. Her hair fell in front of her face, Aimée brushed it back into place before she looked too emo.

The girl sighed, then turned to face Aimée.

“Sorry about that,” she made an apologetic face. Aimée looked around nervously. “You alright?” she continued.

Aimée weighed her options, be stuck alone for the whole day, or at least have someone to guide her around so she didn’t look like a lost sheep. But then again, who would want to herd around a confused French girl? She’d lost the battle on the other side, being alone was not what she had bargained for. She forced a smile.

“Yes, I am fine,” she told her sincerely. She didn’t want to use this poor girl, that was far from what she wanted.

“Do you know where the cafétéria is?” Aimée smile grew nervous, she had tried to pronounce cafeteria with the least accent she could manage, but that didn’t always go down well. Some words she could not manage.

Aimée turned around quickly, making sure she was fast enough that it wasn't considered rude, opened up her locker again, and pulled out a notebook.

She turned around and looked at the girl standing before her, “I'm Aimée.”


((Furry, that is fine. Thank you for approaching me!))

[emodawg]

((I've been waiting for a reply from xJFOLx for two weeks now... *doesn't really know rp ettiquete* erm can/should I move Lorene on?))

[Laughy]

[[ In my opinion, it seems like while she hasn't been active here, she has been active on other parts of the forum. Maybe she forgot, but i would advise that you pm her and ask if she's ready to move on]]

[FurryPanda]

((OOC: Emodawg: accepted standard is 48 hours. Polite is 4 days. Personal favor being owed is 5+ days (that's the system I use at least). Unless you owe JOFL a favor and you worked it out, you are more than fine to leave.

PurpleSummer: To be fair purple, I highly doubt a comment "and I'm certain that Purple wasn't trying to instigate anything either." refers to you. It was half and half, the purples referring to each of us. Just for the record.))

Katie's instincts about social pressure had never failed her. Or at least, they had never been wrong. Her skill at using the information that it gave her in a timely manner? Her only consistent failing.

Social instincts were correct in confirming that this girl was no threat to her, “Yes, I am fine.” If the neat and melodious accent hadn't done it, the fact that she didn't contract her "I am"s marked her as an exchange student, and thus as low as you could go on the totem pole, barring incredible coolness.

And the fact that she assured Katie that the little bump hadn't done any harm, was, if not equally reassuring, nice.

Katie gave a small smile, sincere and reassuring, because anything that could possibly earn her a freind was not to be scoffed at.

Social instincts then exhausted herself. She was talking to someone who meant no harm, so she should probably... The best course of action would be to... "Dammit"[/b], she thought. She was saved from having to come up with something to say when the girl continued, [i]"“Do you know where the cafétéria is?”

Katie's smile widened slightly. Her accent was awesome. She was about to graciously offer to go with her- it wasn't as if her dancing would improve before the bell rang, unlike her social prospects, which certainly could. Before she could answer the other girl concluded, “I'm Aimée.”

"Katie." she answered, a bit more brusquely than she had intended, but who would know the difference? Her sudden helpful urge hadn't been dimmed, so she continued in a sudden spate of good cheer, "I'm heading that way myself, I may as well join you. Its down the hall, take a right, then the third right, then a left, can't miss it."

Her instincts told her to add something else, some joke, something to make it seem like she wasn't condescending. katie trusted her instincts, and so she said, utterly deadpan, "It's the place with all the squirrel brains. Gotta love meatball monday."

[trampledsneakers]

((Emodawg, go ahead and move on, unless you'd really like to wait for a reply. You've been more than patient and have given them far more time than necessary to get back to you. :)

Furry- My apologies; you're completely correct. When I say 'Purplesummer and Atropa' I meant Furry. I was simply trying to get my thoughts down quickly and mucked up the three names. Again, sorry.

Posts for Lila and Eeric (FINALLY!) coming soon! ))

[IAmMadi]

“Katie,” the girl answered. Her smile widened. “I'm heading that way myself, I may as well join you. It’s down the hall, take a right, then the third right, then a left, can't miss it,” she continued, her tone seemed to chirp up slightly, most people wouldn’t have detected it, but Aimée was much more perceptive than most people. A trait she had acquired from backstabbing French schoolgirls.

“It's the place with all the squirrel brains. Gotta love meatball Monday,” Katie joked. Aimée laughed, throwing her head back slightly. She could tell they were going to get along just fine.

“Thank you, this school is just so... intimidating,” Aimée said, smiling a little, searching for the right word. She looked the girl up and down, hoping it wasn’t too obvious. She didn’t care about social standards, they were never part of her life, and they never would be. Popularity was the last thing on Aimée’s mind.

“You don’t mind if I stay with you the whole day?” Aimée tried to project her accent as much as possible, desperate for a yes. She smiled a little, letting her teeth show, almost smirking.

She hoped she could at least find some common ground with Katie, enough to get her through the day.


((Sorry it's a bit short Furry, I promise there will be more next post!))

[trampledsneakers]

Speaking up in her current situation took on the same gravity as working to diffuse a bomb; Lila could sense that if she spoke one word, one single syllable out of place, she could very easily send J.D. careening into further anger. She tread lightly as though skimming along a very thin sheet of ice. Her eyes were focused but uncertain, and she glanced quickly between Natalie and J.D. There was a moment of silence in which she thought J.D. had accepted her meek attempt to disperse the tension, but he clearly was having none of that. Instead his eyes remained vicious narrow slits and he spoke with a venomous lilt.

“So what?” The curt and angry reply promptly showed Lila that the troublemaker wasn’t about to let the two girls get away that easily. Lila looked helplessly at Natalie as though trying to silently convey her condolences and say that she had tried, truly she had, but sometimes there was just no reasoning with him. The pretty girl seemed unfazed, however, and spoke with an unaffected laugh.

“So… thank God he didn’t get it first,” Lila felt Natalie’s steady gaze shifting between the two people before her as though tacitly sizing them up. It wasn’t predatory or critical, simply careful.

“Though, I think he should be more flattered you took the time. You draw like this often? It is really good,”

By some miracle, be it stupidity, a death wish, or remarkable and dogged persistence, Natalie hadn’t fled yet. Lila couldn’t help but admire her determination and unwillingness to be intimidated by the ferocious sight that was an angered J.D. She continued speaking as though unbothered by the waves of anger that the blonde-haired troublemaker was directing at her and instead remained friendly and nonconfrontational. Lila had to respect that; it was more than she usually could muster. Her own emerald eyes focused on the side of J.D.’s face—he was preoccupied glaring at the well-composed Natalie, so Lila merely watched him carefully for a moment before being drawn away by the sound of Natalie’s voice again.

“What do you think, Lila?”

Lila’s eyelids fluttered open and closed in a series of momentarily confused blinks. Her lips parted as though a word was hovering there and waiting to escape, but she was silent for an outrageously long second. Her gaze flickered to J.D. and she wondered if this was one of those situations in which giving him a compliment would equate to the kiss of death. Even if it did, it didn’t really make any difference; she had already decided and sealed her fate. A warm and earnest smile split her full lips and her eyes settled on her troublemaker friend with renewed mirth.

“I mean it’s no Rembrandt,” a melodic laugh slipped out and she gave him a shrug that reassured him that she was only joking. It was the best attempt she could make at giving him a compliment without it being overly sensitive. “But it’s definitely good. Just another one of J.D.’s secret skills.” Her eyes narrowed into speculative slits and she tilted her head slightly, as though trying to search for another secret ability that he was withholding.

-----
((since Avara has dropped out, Roxy will no longer be a part of Eeric/Lila’s backstory, just a heads up! ))

The rest of English had gone by painfully slow, and that was strange. There were few subjects that Eeric didn’t enjoy, and English certainly wasn’t among the rare exceptions that he loathed. No, those were the maths and sciences that grieved him on a weekly basis. For some reason that was simply unexplainable to him at the moment, Eeric had been impatiently anticipating the sounding of the bell to signal the end of class. His violet eyes had been settled on the clock with unwavering seriousness and his partner had tried in vain several times to regain his attention. He would murmur softly and respond when prompted, but all in all he simply sat there in a vegetative state until that long-delayed chime rang through his ears and set him free into lunch period.

On his way out of class Eeric had ruffled Lila’s hair playfully and shot a cautionary glare at J.D. in his passing while quietly marveling that the two of them had somehow managed to renew their friendship. Much to his dismay. Had Eeric had his way, Lila would have been at his side on his way to lunch in their usual fashion, not glued to J.D.’s like he was the one who had known her since she was barely three feet tall. It irritated him, but not enough to say anything. Lila seemed happy enough and he wasn’t about to upset that—even if it meant denying himself the opportunity to remind J.D. that he was well-aware of his presence and quite unenthused about it.

So Eeric exited quietly and passed a brunette who seemed to be heading in the duo’s direction. He didn’t pause to see if she was really going over to them, Her funeral, he mused quietly before wandering into the swarming hallways with a low sigh. He pushed his sleeves up and glanced at his watch with an exhausted sigh. Something was amiss, but he couldn’t quite place it. Meandering over to his locker he swirled the lock to three different digits and opened the metal casket to retrieve his books. Once securely in his bag he simply stood there for a long moment and gazed vacantly at his hollow locker and wondered just what was wrong with him.

((short, and uninspired. xD Anyone can feel free to approach him! If not, I’ll move him to the lunchroom if he’s left alone, haha. ))

[Alissa888]

There was always a problem with approaching the topic that Josh had just done. Actually, there were several, several associated problems. It was something Matt simply did not want to talk about, he had not wanted to talk about it for as long as Josh had wanted to talk about it. It was something Matt clearly felt more comfortable pretending didn’t exist most of the time. It was something that was difficult to approach given the nature of their meetings and last, but certainly not least, it was something that was difficult to give up on.

Josh wasn’t giving up on this in the long-term, that much he was sure of and on that stance, he simply wouldn’t budge. Because it really was the best – for both of them, because despite the serious appeal it held for Josh to let everyone know, there was also the potential of freedom it held for Matt – thing to do, and without doing it, there was no future for the two of them together. And Josh didn’t want to lost Matt, but if he had to, he’d at least have the consolation of having tried.

However, there was the point at which he became too zealous in his pursuit to do the right thing, the best thing, to an extent where it did more damage than it did any good. And it’d gotten to that just now, because he’d let himself get emotional, get angry for something that Matt couldn’t help just yet and worst of all, he’d become ever so slightly threatening. And he had never, not even for the most fleeting second, had any intention of doing that.

"Josh, don't,” he protested once more, straying further and further from the blue-eyed boy as if he might actually solve the entire situation by simply walking around... or he just want out. "I didn't come down here for this."

Well, what did he think ‘this’ was? Just two people making out every time the opportunity presented itself? Didn’t he think – or more accept – that lying and sneaking around was ridiculous? That this just turned itself into some grotty peepshow of sorts the way they went about it? That there were people involved who would get hurt the longer this went on for, that people were already being hurt by ‘this’? Seriously, did he even understand why he was doing ‘this’?

No, of course he didn’t. And he didn’t like being made to face it, that much was clear by that cold glare that nailed Josh to the wall for the few moments before the wall in his demeanour crumbled slightly, Matt’s insecurities, his fears breaking it down more than Josh’s words ever could have. And as guilty as Josh felt for causing that anxiety in him, he was making progress and he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

"And I only mentioned Marie because if she figures it out, all hell will break loose,” Matt claimed in vain, his nerves clear in his actions. He was scared of her? Really? Because Josh knew that one way or another, Matt could eventually deal with Marie-Elisabeth, if he wanted to, he could do it. So, no, she wasn’t the core of the problem. She was definitely part of it – for Josh himself had to deal with the damage it’d cause her, and one that he truly wished he didn’t have to do – but she wasn’t the core of it. "And you know it."

But he said nothing, just letting Matt almost violently shake that very thought out of his mind, in a way that truly drove home the fact that it terrified him, that he’d do anything to stop it from happening, while Josh would to practically anything to make it happen. There were actually just in a tug-of-war game.

But then there was the agitated protests he made, that worked so well on Josh’s now waning resilience that if he’d been a lesser person, or if he’d known Matt less, he would have contemplated whether it’d been done to purposely chip at his stance. Yet, he knew Matt, and he knew this was real, this was really scaring him and Josh had brought this on. And it made him feel awful for it; he had to do something to undo some of that damage.

“Hey, it’s alright,” he whispered soothingly as he moved – as calmly, as amenably as he could – towards Matt, one arm sliding itself around the other boy’s waist as the hand of the other arm cupped the base of his skull, pulling him close to Josh’s form. It was all he could think to do, to just hug him, to pull himself away from the door that he’d blocked access to, to just… be what Matt came for. “I’m sorry.”

But, while he rested his chin on Matt’s shoulder, taking in a deep breath of his aura, he had ask one question, because he couldn’t give up on this, not just yet. He was sorry for the hurt he’d caused, but he wasn’t sorry for why he’d had to do it. So, he pulled himself back slightly, locking his gaze with Matt’s as he began his question, in the most reasonable, clam and rational way possible, his own hurt not allowed to show itself;

“Is Marie-Elisabeth really the only thing you’re afraid of?”

(((OOC: Hope this works for you, Atropa :) )))

[Laughy]

Kim was hopelessly lost. She'd tried to find her way but as the hallways began to swarm with students of all sizes and shapes, she'd pretty much lost all sense of direction. The day was not going as well as she'd hoped and it made her almost depressed for a second. Sighing, she took another look at her schedule for what had to be the tenth time since the lunch bell. It hadn't helped her then, and it certainly wouldn't help now. Looking around for someone vaguely familiar to her, she spotted a guy just staring at his locker. He stood out among the crowd and that intrigued her like no other thing, she had always been so curious about things that were different. She mustered up courage and walked up to him meanwhile hoping that it wouldn't turn out like earlier in the morning when she had been misdirected. "Excuse me, are you busy?", she asked.

(Hope that's okay with you Trampled))

[maeve.2.0]

Peanut butter was sticking to the roof of her mouth, and her fascinating book had been sticking her rear end to her chair. Long after she had finished her lunch, Lacey was sitting at her table, legs crossed serenely, thumb at her mouth and a frown on her forehead in utmost concentration.

The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.

"I see you're finished with your lunch."

Lacey looked up. The voice that had spoken to her had been high-pitched and distinctly female, perfectly matching the expertly-made up, well-dressed girl in front of her.

"Er, yeah," she said, her tone uncertain. Her lunch box was empty save for a scattering of crumbs and a crumple of the aluminum foil that had held her sandwiches.

"Would you mind moving somewhere else?" The girl flicked her hair and eyed Lacey's lunch box a bit oddly. "It's like so full in here, it's not even funny, and since you're done..." Her voice trailed off, and with a manicured hand she indicated the small gang of girls behind her, and the crowded cafeteria.

"Oh, I was just leaving, actually," Lacey said, smiling sweetly at them. She thought she recognized the blonde girl as being on top of the pyramid at the last pep rally. There was always something so enviable about cheerleaders, with their bouncy ponytails and equally bouncy movements. Like cheerful ballerinas, they moved through the air rhythmically, perfectly in tune with the others. They never stumbled, they never fell.

She shut her book and packed up her things. With a last smile at the girls, she slung her bag over her shoulder and, navigating through the throng of students at tables, left the cafeteria.

What should I do now?

Lacey stood in the middle of the hallway, clutching her bag and contemplating her next move. Maybe she'd find Loren, he always seemed to enjoy her company. Loren seemed to be a popular person -- everytime she ran into him, he was chatting to someone else, a friend or an acquaintance who was no doubt admiring his performance in the last play or, in one case, playfully threatening to introduce their fist to his face. Boys could be so rough with each other.

She figured she'd go deposit her books in her locker first -- this morning she had haphazardly shoved a stack of books in her bag, none of them belonging to classes she had today -- and perhaps she would find Loren by the lockers, as well.

When she reached the corridor where hers was located, though, she didn't see anyone but a black-clad boy, who seemed to be staring intently at his locker. He might know where Loren was -- she could ask him, though he looked a bit intimidating. Still, it was nice to have a purpose, something to do, someone to find.

Shoulders squared, she marched up to him.

"You're in my English class, aren't you?" she asked, "Have you seen Loren Dasen? He might be wearing sequined trousers or a ruffly shirt or something equally outlandish?" Lacey was banking, once more, on Loren's Drama Club-related fame and innate ability to stand out in a crowd.

It was only then that she noticed a girl, bright green eyes peering at her from under long black hair, standing beside him.

Brooklake wasn't a particularly small school, but Lacey had seen enough faces to know this girl was a newcomer. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "I'm sorry, you're new, right?"

(( I'm sorry for barging in on them, but I was getting kind of bored and as Atropa and FurryPanda said earlier in the thread one needs to be active in approaching people. ;) Hope it's alright with you guys ))

[summerkelsa]

[[ Hello. Just wondering if it's alright if I squeeze in a new character? Should make a jock (since there are next to none) but was thinking more surfer/oddball. That ok? -- Great stuff so far ]]

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: summerkelsa - Even though I'm not the one running the RP, I'd say go for it. :) Looks to me like there are spots available in all cliques except Normies, so I'm sure either is fine?)))


There were many ways that J.D. could have reacted and responded to the comment Natalie had made when he'd snatched the dropped drawing away from her. Usually, her composed and confident 'You know, I would have given it to you anyway' would've had him seeing red, and brought about anything from a simple though painful departure - in the shape of his toughened frame forcing itself past Natalie's dainty one without any consideration that bumping into her might very well knock her off her feet - to one of the many acidic remarks that were part of his repertoire. Or, if his temper had really flared, a brutal shove or the twisting of her arm.
If it hadn't been for Lila, either of those options had made for a possible reaction, even a likely one. For some reason, her presence seemed to have a calming effect on him these days, whether it was because the consequences of the last time he had lashed out around her were still fresh in his mind, or whether she had truly managed the impossible, and had a bit of a good influence on him, or even both, no one could be sure.

Not that his reaction was notably less hostile to an outsider. But to J.D. himself, it was. And he couldn't quite explain it. He only knew that for some reason, it seemed just a tiny bit easier to control his temper when she was around. Though it was a control that really had nothing to do with a desire of not hurting those who made the mistake of bothering him, nor did it have anything to do with J.D. wanting to hold back for his own sake.
No, it was Lila. Somehow and for some reason, it was her soothing his temper just enough to not bite Natalie's head off. Or tear it off, as would've seemed more likely. After all, words weren't really J.D.'s preferred method of dealing with things that angered him.

Though while Lila's presence had been working it's magic on the fair-haired troublemaker, within just a few seconds it was put to the test once more, when Natalie not only still wouldn't back down, but also failed at answering his, granted, not so eloquent question.
'So what?' he'd asked, questioning just where she was going with her comment regarding the quality of the drawing. But rather than answering that, she returned to the topic of the person pictured in the drawing instead;

"So... thank God he didn't get it first", she said and gave a little laugh. "Though, I think he should be more flattered you took the time."

As though J.D. was supposed to somehow care about the possibility of Professor Rubelein finding out just what J.D. thought of him. Which he most likely already did, anyway, since J.D. would hardly beat around the bush regarding such things. These days, most of the teachers, if not all, had probably given up any small fragment of hope that J.D. might consider them more than just an annoying waste of space.

However, before he could remind Natalie of that obvious fact, the annoying brunette continued, motioning to the other, far less annoying brunette in the process;

"You draw like this often?", she asked, and then added in what to J.D. sounded like an attempt to counter any further hostilities on his part before they happened: "It is really good. What do you think, Lila?"

At being addressed directly, Lila seemed somewhat bewildered at first, uncertain even. But whether it was due to Natalie asking her opinion, and thus bringing her into a conversation which obviously wasn't one desired by a third of the company, or whether it was due to being unsure of what to say in order to not set J.D. off, since she knew from experience just how easily done that was, it was hard to tell. Maybe it was neither, maybe it was both.
Regardless, her face eventually lit up with the genuinly pleasant smile only she possessed, and she joined in Natalie's cheerful stance by giving a soft laugh of her own.

"I mean it's no Rembrandt", she joked, briefly locking gazes with J.D. as if to convey that she was trying to pay him a sincere compliment in a way that he could accept, and not find provoking, the way he usually did. "But it's definitely good. Just another one of J.D.'s secret skills."

At first, that last statement, bordering on pointing towards the good qualities J.D. kept insisting he didn't have, was instantly and unceremoniously dismissed by a curt snort from the young man. But, only a few moments more down the road, he couldn't help but to shoot her something as contradictory as a somewhat amused glare, as though he was saying 'Alright, I'll let that one slide'. Though there was no mistaking the faint look of satisfaction seeping into his dark, gold-tinged eyes, as it clearly meant something to him that she seemed to like his art.

A privilege that sadly, Natalie had yet to earn, resulting in that when J.D.'s gaze shifted back onto her, it hardened yet again, and that strange, fiery chill reserved for those he had not yet dismissed as airheads, puppets or wannabe G.I. Joes, but still was far from approving of, returned.

"Whaddya want?" he almost - but just almost - snarled, harboring serious doubts that she still hung around only to share her (clearly unappreciated) opinion about a comic she'd happened to find.


(((ooc: Sorry if that doesn't give you much to go on, trampled, but I just couldn't picture him softening with Nat around. *s* And Nat still has yet to reply, so hopefully, there'll be more to respond to once Alissa posts. :) )))

[summerkelsa]

Student Application -

Name Bodene Rivers

Age/Class sixteen/year eleven

Clique ex-jock (soccer) || surfer/skater

After School Activity nanna naps ( he's no over-achiever)

Brief History/Personality Description Bodene is quite the character. The son of Morning June Rivers, a freespirited yank and aromatherapist, and some unknown aussie, his upbringing was very lax and carefree. In his early life, his home was his mum's bus - which also served as her place of business - and he often helped out with selling necklaces, beads, chakra oils, and various second-hand items. When he wasn't helping out with the family business, he was most often found trolling the beaches of Byron Bay, surfing, or swimming. School was most often put on the backburn and he inevitably fell through the cracks of the public school system.

However, times grew tough and his mother found herself struggling to support their small family. The pair were forced to leave their beach bum lifestyle behind once Morning June opted to head back to the states with her son in tow. Bodene found himself living in his uncle Cougar's 'modest' trailer in Brooklake. Needless to say, his dreadlocks, accent, and sunbaked skin set him apart from most of the kids his age, which inevitably left him in the company of himself - which he had no issue with. His mum continued to do her thing, Cougar did his (he worked construction), and he [sometimes] went to school.

At the age of fourteen, he ended up losing the dreads - opting for a shorn skull, and turned a hobby into something more. It was year nine and he was now in high school - might as well make something of it. He made his schools soccer team and seemed to have found a niche. However, Bodene was just too laid back to put much heart into the sport. It was fun, yeah, kept him in shape and the social perks were great but the schedule became too demanding and, as his coach put it, he just wasn't dedicated enough.

As his second year at Brooklake ended, so did his soccer 'career'. His hair grew back and he fell back into his old routines: if he went to class then he'd make it in by the skin of his teeth and most often miss the lecture because he'd get distracted by something out the window... or because his head found the desk. Most often he'd skip and and take a stroll off campus.

There's little hope of him making it to his senior year. His grades are suffering from his lack of attendance and, in all honesty, he's just not that interested. It's not that he doesn't enjoy learning - because he likes learning new things (not that he's quick to do so in any sense) - or studying - because he does.. when he isn't distracted - or applying himself - because he does.. just not where it 'counts' - it's just that school really isn't for him. He does, however, truly enjoy the social aspect of things that comes with actually going to school and attending class. He's not the sort to enjoy the spotlight, however, due to having spent most of his life in the company of himself. In this sense, he might seem a little distant but don't think he'll pass up a good conversation... or a party. As far as dating goes, he's actually quite shy around the ladies.

Aside from the fact that he's an obvious slacker, Bodene is a pretty alright guy. He's extremely good-natured and easy to get along with (aside from the fact that he's a little..slow). There's really nothing that fazes the guy. Plus, he's both amusing and easily amused. He has good intentions but he's just not making much of himself - a fact that really doesn't bother him. He's happy living the simple life.

Anything else you might want to add The only thing that Bodene really can't wrap his head around is greed. He just doesn't understand the need to be rich; to live the life of graduer. Granted, he doesn't hold anything against those who crave such a life, he just finds it very confusing. Also, he has a few vices - smoking, drinking, and occasional use of drugs (see: pothead). He typically lives barefoot and has been sent home before because he forgot to wear shoes - there was even an instance where he made shoes out of string and cardboard because he couldn't miss a final. Also, he really doesn't like the cold and will eat pretty much anything you put in front of him... especially if it's a bet.

Picture

pixelation
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/surfsunnwaves/sims2/bodene-2.jpg

inspiration
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/surfsunnwaves/00030f3t.jpg

[Slytherin-Girl]

There were a lot of people Marie-Elisabeth knew that she would rather forget. Her pool boy who, ironically, hadn’t ever learned the proper usage of deodorant. The idiots at the dealership that always left smudges when she got her car detailed. Or people like her ex-boyfriend Charles, who had cheated on her with a slutty college girl. Well actually, she liked to remember the latter because he had somehow been pulled over by the police one night, who just happened to find some illegal substances in his car and took him for a ride downtown.

Yes, she wanted to forget some people, but more often than not she would genuinely forget. It wasn’t that she was stupid or flighty, she was far from that. It was just that if the person didn’t serve a useful purpose to her, she saw no point in wasting time and energy remembering them. This was the case with Loren.

“..we sat across from each other in 8th grade” she heard him saying “I was the loud kid who tripped over your desk”. Now THAT brought back something, and she looked less than happy about it. He had tripped over her desk and sent her things flying everywhere, causing her bottled water to spill all over her designer backpack.

“Oh you, backpack ruiner” she said, looking around and hoping to spot Matt. At the moment she even would have settled for her, in her mind, traitorous boyfriend. She still had to give him a piece of her mind after all.

“Look, I really don’t have the desire to see more of my property ruined” she said “So unless you’ve seen Matt around, I’m getting out of here”.




(((OOC: Much apologies for lateness. I swear I'm still alive. And ME would have been said top of the pyramid Maeve, and she's out in the hallway. The cheerleaders are all gone too :P Just thought I'd mention it.

And what exactly IS nanna naps? Unless you're saying he just sleeps I have no idea! :P *just curious*)))

[summerkelsa]

[[ haha, nanna naps.. grandma naps.. midday naps. will do some editing once I get a picture up ]]

[trampledsneakers]

((Looks great, Summerkelsa! glad to have you and Bodene! I've added him to the frontpage, you can start RP'ing whenever you'd like. :)

and I'll post tomorrow for Eeric Maeve/Laughy! Thanks for involving him!))

[FurryPanda]

At one point in middle school someone had photocopied a page out of the dictionary, and pasted Loren's picture right next to obligate, oblivious, and oblong. Loren had assumed it was some kind of present from a secret admirer, and had been in excellent spirits because of it. He didn't know that whoever it was had been saying he was oblivious, and he didn't know that in the next few minutes it would probably save his good mood. He was probably happier that way.

Marie-Elisabeth's reply wasn't what he expected, but then again his expectation was closer to the polite nod and leave. That was what usually happened. Instead, she actually spoke. "Oh you, backpack ruiner” she said. Loren smiled widely. It was such a novelty to have someone actually talk to him, someone that he didn't know really well.

“Look, I really don’t have the desire to see more of my property ruined” she continued, “So unless you’ve seen Matt around, I’m getting out of here”.

He was extremely startled by that one. He didn't intend to ruin any of her properties, and he didn't think that his customary posture or smile would do anything to imply that. Just in case he slouched down quickly, and his smile didn't waver at all. It had no reason to after all. She thought he had bad designs on her stuff, he didn't, he went ahead and tried to look non threatening, all was good.

"Okay then!" He said cheerfully. He sort of wanted to see what the auditions were actually for, the drama adviser had been very vague about what the show would be. So he didn't mind at all that thier conversation had been cut short. "I haven't seen Matt since class let out, sorry I couldn't help ya," he continued, his generally helpful nature asserting itself like it always did. "If I do I'll send your regards. Bye!"

He waved, and walked off towards the cafeteria, wondering if one of the cafeteria workers would let him snitch a chicken patty for free. They usually did, and Loren, despite being oblivious to most things, was smart enough not to draw attention to it, even if the cafeteria ladies' motive was completely unfathomable.

As he was walking down the hall he saw Lacey Cormier, one of his closest friends. She was talking to a couple people, and he figured that she wouldn't want to be interrupted. He was sensitive like that, and oblivious in many more ways.

((OOC: Maeve, if you want to have her cut away and approach him, I don't mind, if not then, well yeah.))

[AtropaMandragora]

To say that what was going on down in the school's boiler room this busy Monday lunch hour was ironic, would probably be worthy of a nomination for Understatement of the Year. Because it really was ironic, the way that what always worked on the many people for whom Matt put on the magnificent act that was Matt Sidle, didn't work on the one person that right now, he needed more than anyone to buy into the image that he was trying to present him with, and whom he desperately needed to give into his tricks and his manipulation. Though it was also an irony that, at the moment, was completely lost on him. Mostly because irony was the last thing on his mind. What was on his mind, was - hardly surprising - Matt himself, and what he stood to loose if this dirty little secret of his ever got out. He simply couldn't afford it. He needed to uphold the illusion of what everyone thought him to be, which he had crafted so carefully, and now maintained with his charm and his cunning, making everyone around him believe it.

Everyone always bought into it, except Josh. Everyone saw the Matt Sidle that Matt wanted them to see, except Josh. Everyone always fell for the tricks and the manipulation he used to mold life into appearing to be what he wanted it to be. Except Josh.
The one person whom Matt had allowed in behind the facade.

Boy, he'd really shot himself in the foot there, hadn't he, the night when he had opened up to Josh and let him see that alot of what Matt portrayed himself as, was an act. Granted, he was everything that he appeared to be, but only to an extent. Or perhaps a more correct explanation would be that he was everything that he appeared to be, and then some, but that the 'then some' included all the things that he himself, as well as the crowd he hung out with, saw as flaws and imperfections. The only difference was that Matt knew about them, whereas his friends did not. And he was desperate to make sure that they never found out either.
But with Josh, it was too late. He knew, and he just would not forget, even for a second. He would no longer buy into the illusion, except when left no choice, such as when other people were around. And even then, it would only be on the surface, it would only be skin deep. He now saw through Matt's various strategies and maneuvers, he recognized his bluffs, and even though he usually didn't call him on them, he still refused to submit to them.

But, what was the most ironic part of it all, was that what did work, was Matt dropping the act, dropping the manipulation, and appearing before Josh as the anguished young man that Josh's gentle but persistent pushing made him into. For just like he recognized Matt's tricks, he also noticed their adsence, as so when Matt's mask began to truly slip, he saw that what was behind it, was real. And so very, very vulnerable. Fragile almost.
And being the perceptive young man he was, with the insight into Matt's character that he had, he realized that pushing further now, could turn out disasterous, in one way or another. For at this critical point, if Matt didn't break, he'd do the exact opposite, and therefore, Josh wisely decided to back off.
Off, not down.

"Hey, it's alright", he calmed, in a voice that had swiftly returned to it's usual soft tone, and even moved beyond it, into a soothing whisper, in an attempt to quell the obvious and growing turmoil now so clearly visible in the eyes of the other boy.

Though as if he knew words alone were no longer potent enough to immediately diffuse the situation, he moved away from the door, offering Matt at least the idea of a having way out, should he be aching for one. But he also drew closer to the dark-eyed boy, in order to pull him near, into a soothing, comforting embrace. One that at first, Matt seemed as though he would try and resist, by flinching and withdrawing an inch or two as Josh's arms wrapped themselves around him, as if he thought that Josh might try to somehow physically force out of him what was so deeply buried that he himself wasn't even able to reach it (not that he'd actually try).

But, despite that initial reaction, Matt did end up accepting Josh's advances, without the pathetic, second-long 'let-me-go-you-big-lug' kind of protest you would often see in the movies, when some girl would make a feeble, half-hearted attempt to protest to a guy grabbing her, before melting completely into his embrace. Though he didn't exactly throw his arms around Josh in merry welcome either. He simply stood there at first, unresponsive but allowing Josh to pull him close and rest his chin against Matt's tensed-up shoulder, while the words "I'm sorry" found their way to his ear. However, a few seconds later, his chest pressed against Josh's when suddenly heaving with a deep sigh, and his cheek came to rest against Josh's shoulder, while his eyes drifted closed. Almost as though he was trying to focus on relaxing.

Whether or not he was, however, would remain unknown to Josh, for when moments later Josh withdrew slightly to continue pursuing a conversation regarding the matter which Matt thought had been put on hold - he didn't actually fool himself into thinking Josh wouldn't bring it up ever again - Matt tensed right back up again.

"Is Marie-Elisabeth really the only thing you’re afraid of?" Josh asked him, seeking eye contact, as though he wasn't sure Matt would give an honest answer unless Josh could make him look him in the eyes.

Apparently Matt wanted none of it - 'it' being eye contact, as well as a continued discussion - for he promptly wriggled out of the embrace, and pushed himself away from Josh, now right back to being annoyed.

"Jesus!" he exclaimed. "Why can't you ever just leave well enough alone?!"

Glancing towards the door while turning away from Josh, it would seem he was on the verge of storming out, to leave behind the situation which he clearly found distressing, to say the least, and wanted out of. But, since he wasn't really as blasé about this 'thing' with Josh as he wanted Josh, and even himself to believe, something held him back, and instead of marching through the door, he stopped, sighed again, and then turned back around to look at Josh.

"If she finds out, everyone finds out", he said, briefly waving his arms around as if to illustrate his point. "Do you honestly not realize what that would do to me? I would be ruined!"

With that, he crossed his arms over his chest again, and added with a glowering mutter;

"And so would you."

[summerkelsa]

[[ Here's my post. It's a little long but I had -a lot- of catching up to do! ]]

Sleep. Bodene loved sleep. He could honestly sleep just about anywhere. Hell, the lumpy fold out bed he was sleeping on now felt like a bloody cloud. And he could sleep all day. However, as fate would have it, today was not one of those days.

He had come to live on his uncle's sofa bed nearly three years ago when his mum decided to move back home and, due to lack of funds, the pair ended up squatting here. In time, his mum had found herself a nice place to set up shop that had a small upstairs loft. It was too small for the both of them so, she and his uncle came to the agreement that Bodene would remain at his uncle's. His mum had been pretty incessant about the whole thing.. something to do with the lack of a male figure in his early years messing up his chi. Hell if he knew.

Days like this, though, made him wish that his uncle didn't exist.

The man gave the bottom corner of his mattress a big shove with his work boot before uttering, "C'mon, get up. First day back. Be on time fer once, ya? Don't want your mum givin' me grief.." Bodene shot one eye open and peered up at his uncle who was dressed in his usual plaster-dust covered pants and shirt, his flannel coat hanging over one arm. "Don't eye me, Bodene, get up." With that, his uncle turned and headed to the door, pausing as he opened it, unintentionally letting a gust of cold air rush into the living room where Bodene's fold out bed rested, "Don't make me call your mum.." He let that empty threat hang in the air as he stepped out, slamming the door shut behind him.

Bodene shut his eyes as his uncle turned away and rolled to the other side of the bed, ignoring most of the latter of what he said until the cold air hit him and made him burrow deeper into his doona, a muffled 'F*ck' leaving him as he built up a warm fluffy coccoon around himself.

Time passed, his position changed, and he was soon draped across his bed in a manner that could not be comfortable. He heaved a low groan and rolled to one side, hand rubbing his face and ridding his eyes of sleep before reaching out to grope for the clock on the end table. Strange how it hadn't gone off. Upon finding it, he drew the clock towards him and eyed it, sleepy eyes blinking as he tried his hardest to register the time. Was it really that late? He groaned as he tossed the doona off him as he realized that he had set his alarm for 7pm rather than am. Damn yank clocks.. He was now very late for school.

He rolled off the lumpy mattress and gave his bare back a scratch before he wandered through the house in just his boxers. First, the bathroom [he was too late for his morning cigarette]. After freshening up and 'becomming human again', he rummaged through the pile of clothes that surrounded the clothes hamper - which was, of course, empty save for one article of clothing and a random belt. He procured a gray tee that smelled clean and was only a little wrinkled, a pair of clean jocks, and a pair of baggy jeans that he knew had been worn for the past week... but that made them more comfortable.

Once he was dressed, he stumbled into the kitchen and began snooping around for some food. He found himself missing crumpets but allowed himself to be satisfied with a couple of poptarts. They amused him. He popped them into the toaster and then went off to grab a few other things he would need that day.

He found one of his trainers (http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/surfsunnwaves/sims2/trainers.jpg) under his bed but, for the life of him, he couldn't find the other. However, in his quest to find his other shoe, he did find his favourtie beat up and practically thread-bare black jumper and quickly tugged it on, leaving the hood up to covered his messy dark blonde hair.

By the time he found his other shoe, a very bad smell was wafting through the trailer.. The poptarts! He quickly darted towards the kitchen, making a leap over his bed but failing miserably as one foot caught on the end to which he narrowly missed going *ss over t*t. Regaining some composure, he quickly made his way to the toaster and excavated the two very burnt poptarts before chucking them in the bin. He grabbed two more as he glanced at the time on the microwave, eyes nearly popping out of his head.

With no time to toast them, he just grabbed one and began to nibble on it raw as he walked through the living room and picked up his backpack, sliging it over a shoulder. Then, once he made sure his keys and wallet were where they should be, he headed out the door, only to be assaulted by the cool temperature.

"Bloody f*ckin... sh*t." was all he could manage as he awkwardly danced back into the warmth of the house. Having not had his morning cigarette today.. he had failed to notice how cold it was outside. He quickly ducked into the hallway closet and retrieved a fairly non-descript gray jacket, tossing it on for some extra warmth. It would do.

He then headed out to his truck, hopping up into the drivers seat of the once brokendown '78 Bronco (http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/surfsunnwaves/sims2/78bronco2.jpg). It had been his uncle's work truck but he had since upgraded and this thing had been left to rust in the driveway until Bodene got his mits on it. He had only recently got it running again (due to a multitude of distractions) and he was hoping she'd be a good girl and work for him today.. of all days. So, he slipped the key into the ignition...

Nothing.

With an exasperated plea to the car gods, he tried again with no avail. Granted, the car was still a work in progreess.. but c'mon! Letting him down when he needed her the most! He punched the wheel but was then quick to pet it, uttering a few soothing words to the heap of scrap metal. Then, with a twist, he retrieved his skateboard (http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/surfsunnwaves/sims2/zeeboard.jpg) from the back seat and hopped out the car. With a shove from his trainer, the door shut and he removed the board from under his arm. At least these wheels never failed him.

With poptart in mouth, he rolled down the driveway and onto the rather barren street, winding his way down the slope towards the main road that would take him towards the school. He narrowly missed being a hood ornament on more than one occasion as he carved his way through some afternoon traffic and paused once he made his way onto the campus grounds. He picked his board up and crossed the seemingly large spread of courtyard that separated him from the main doors, his pale blue-green eyes sweeping over the halls once inside.

Since the coast was clear, from what he could see, Bodene dropped his board to the floor and hopped on. After a brief and enjoyable cruise down the halls, he found himself in front of his locker (covered in duct tape so as to not get confused) and turned up his lock to check out the code on the back. Having re-read the code couple of times (so as not to have a mind blank on digit nuumber two or three), he then went about undoing his lock. And, yes, he was completely oblivious to the fact that another student could very well do what he just did and get into his locker... but, honestly, why would they. They'd only be greeted by a moldy piece of bread, a sock (who knows), and a few ragged spirals.

And, as he was greeted by such aforementioned items, so, too, came a voice that was not overly welcoming.

"Mr. Rivers, so good of you to join us, today."

It was Professor Specht... who just so happened to be the maths professor, his advisor, and - apparently - hallway nazi. Great. He offered a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head, shoulders shrugging as he took his board under one arm.. "Er, yeah... case of man vs technology today, Specht. What can I say? Technology - two; man - zerooo." He held his index and thumb in a big 'O' to prove his point.

Professor Specht eyed him warily before adding, "I'd like to see you in my office before next period." With that he turned and began to walk away, leaving Bodene to his own devices. It was just as Bodene began to figure out how to get his board into his locker when Professor Specht's voice echoed in the hall once more,

"And leave the skateboard at home next time, Mr. Rivers."

Bodene just let that last comment slide and he went about making the board fit, shrugging off his jacket before shoving it into his locker, as well. He then grabbed a spiral notebook from his bookbag before, with some effort, that was shoved into his locker, as well. He swung the locker shut and took a string from his hoodie into his mouth as he headed towards cafeteria. That poptart hadn't even touched the sides of his stomache and he was fiending for some food.

[[ I'll leave it at that for now. More to come. He is approachable and pleasant at that ]]

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Okay, I'm sorry for the spam, but seriously, summerkelsa, Bodene cracks me up! Amazing first post! So vivid. I'm in awe. :D )))

[Slytherin-Girl]

(((OOC: Reallllly shouldn;t be doing this buuuuuut *calls dibs on last oddball spot* I'll have something up soon)))

[trampledsneakers]

"Excuse me, are you busy?"

For a moment, Eeric couldn’t decide if he had imagined the distinctively female voice—it seemed a fabrication of his imagination, something trying to tug him away from the useless state he had been charged into since abandoning the classroom. He simply stood unmoving and statuesque like that for a long moment, as though debating whether or not to give in to his curiosity and turn around. In the end the uncertainty won out and he pivoted to face the now clearing hallway. Eeric was quite startled to find a real, breathing human being standing before him instead of some figment of imagination. It was a girl, no less—and a kind, smiling one at that. Her words finally registered and he offered her a sheepish smile. He must have looked ridiculous just standing motionlessly in front of his locker like that.

“Ahhh…” he began unsteadily, scratching the back of his head with a weak laugh before chuckling and closing the locker. “Judging by the aimless way I was standing there, definitely not.” He felt quite silly and foolish, but couldn’t help it. At least human contact would draw out his normal cheerful banter. He gazed at this stranger for a second and memorized her face—pretty, but definitely not one he recognized. She had to be new. “How can I be of service?”

Just as Eeric had spoken, a more familiar face began approaching him from behind the new girl’s shoulders. He squinted for a moment and tried to make out the face, only to note that it was Lacey marching determinedly toward them. She didn’t waste any time, and quickly moved to face him and gain his attention. The tall goth flashed a reassuring smile at the new girl, reassuring her that he wasn’t about to forget that she had approached him most likely in need of aid.

"You're in my English class, aren't you?" she spoke in a self-assured flutter, not really pausing to let him confirm her question. "Have you seen Loren Dasen? He might be wearing sequined trousers or a ruffly shirt or something equally outlandish?" Eeric was about to answer this second question, but yet again Lacey began speaking happily before he could utter a single syllable. This time however, the question was directed at the young lady standing beside him. "Oh! I'm sorry, you're new, right?"

Eeric tilted his elegantly to the side and observed her quietly for a moment with a faint smile. Something about her reminded him of an old friend, one he hadn’t seen in ages but missed dearly. Focusing he gave her a nod and then spoke.

“Well, if I’m not mistaken you’re Lacey Cormier, right? Yes, I’m in your English class, no, sadly I haven’t seen your Loren, and this is…” He trailed off, piercing violet eyes flickering to the new girl with a welcoming smile. “Well, I’m so very rude. I’m not even sure what your name is. I’m Eeric,” he offered a delayed greeting and waited for her reply. While he glanced between the two girls and only then recognized the object of Lacey’s pursuit not too far off. Eeric directed a finger over her shoulder and gestured to the boy, speaking warmly, “Well—your timing is impeccable. I do believe that’s your friend Loren right there.”


((Sorry if it seems sparse/disjointed; trying to get everyone's posts in there. xD
And no worries, Atropa! I'm sure Alissa's post will combine with yours to give me plenty to work with. :)
And great first post Summer! I completely agree with Atropa--Bodene is going to be a real character!))

[maeve.2.0]

When she finished speaking, the black-clad boy -- Eric, she suddenly remembered -- tilted his head and regarded her oddly with his strange violet eyes, and for a moment Lacey thought she had done something horribly wrong -- committed some social faux-pas, broken some unwritten etiquette she didn't know existed. Maybe the dark-haired girl was his girlfriend from Boston, who had come unexpectedly to Brooklake, and they had been having a bitter row. Or maybe she just had peanut butter on her nose.

Which was, in actuality, not all that unlikely.

But then he spoke, just as she was self-consciously stroking the tip of her nose, and his voice was warm and soft, deep and silky, and banished all insecurities from her mind.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken you're Lacey Cormier, right? Yes, I'm in your English class, no, sadly I haven't seen your Loren," -- Lacey blushed at Loren being called hers; he wasn't her Loren, he was just Loren, like she was Lacey and Eric was Eric and... well. He was certainly not her Loren -- "and this is..." He turned to the other, the new girl, and continued, "Well, I'm so very rude. I'm not even sure what your name is. I'm Eric."

He spoke like no other boy Lacey had ever heard; instead of short, choppy two-word sentences, his manner of speaking was so kind and polite, as if he had been born in the wrong century. Used to Brooklake's meathead jocks and Californian surfer dudes, neither very eloquent, she found it a bit unnerving.

She gave him a once-over again, and decided that though the dramatic eye makeup, tattoos and dark-hued clothing gave him an intimidating air, he seemed... nice. He seemed like the type to wear thick, woolly black socks in his shoes.

Then Eric pointed to something over her shoulder, and said, "Well -- your timing is impeccable. I do believe that's your friend Loren right there."

"Loren!" Lacey whirled around, and, in her hastiness, bumped head-first into the lockers. "Sorry!" she cried at the dreary grey of Locker No. 223, as she was accustomed to do when knocking into something -- the something usually being a someone, and the someone usually being more than a little irritable at being nearly run over. Awkwardly, she righted herself, and turned to face the general direction of Loren.

"Hullo."

(( Hope that's OK with you, Panda, and everyone else of course. And slytherin-girl, :P I just randomly started writing about cheerleaders, and I don't know all that much about cheerleading ;) Is the captain always on top of the pyramid, or is it just that Marie-Elisabeth (I love her name, by the way) is always on top of the pyramid? Heh, I'll edit.
Also, yay for another oddball! ))

[Slytherin-Girl]

Name:

Nadia Dering

Age/Class:

16/Junior

Clique:

Oddball

After School Activity:

Drama Club

Brief History/Personality Description:

Nadia was born on New Years day at precisely 12:05 am, to Leonard and Angelica Dering. Both were rather older for parents, Angelica being 42 and Leonard being 5 years older. They had been trying to have children for years, and considered this pregnancy a miracle.

Nadia was the first baby born at the hospital that year. However, her twin brother Aidan was born 15 minutes earlier at 11:50pm, the last baby of the previous year. This made him technically a year older than she was which always put them a year apart in school. This wasn’t fun for Nadia, because she and her brother were extremely close. It was hard for 3 year old Nadia to see him go off to school and be told she didn’t get to go till next year. Despite that, the two siblings were as close as peas in a pod, and spent all their time together.

Her house was a bit of a mixed bag growing up. Her mother was (and is) a University professor specializing in Ancient Mythology and history. Her father is a classically trained Shakespearian actor, and a native of the infamous city of Stratford, England. She and her brother developed a love of the theatre at a very early age, with their mother happy to supply help making their costumes look just right.

Both Nadia and her brother could quote whole soliloquies by the time they were 7, and loved to wander around the schoolyard singing songs from various musical theatre productions. Their parents never discouraged any of their creative endeavors, and they still have their shared bedroom walls covered in chalkboard paint if the mood ever strikes them to write something down or do some doodling.

With such a loving atmosphere, Nadia grew up to have a generally pleasant and easygoing demeanor. She takes most things in life in stride, and in often found reading one of her mother’s many history books. She’s a “what you see is what you get” kind of girl, and if you don’t like it she’ll tell you where you can go. And loudly too, as she’s never been afraid of speaking her mind. She doesn’t judge anyone before meeting them, she believes everyone should be given a fair chance.

She’s been in so many plays she’s lost count, but her favourite role so far were Cleopatra in Caesar and Cleopatra, and Johanna in Sweeny Todd. She and Aidan are always in the school play, although he’s not as fond of musicals as she is.

Quite a few pieces of her theatrical costumes have found their way into her current wardrobe, and it isn’t unusual to see her in a renaissance feathered hat or a long dangly gypsy’s skirt. She hasn’t had a serious haircut in years, and she’s very proud of her long locks.

Anything else you might want to add:

Owns several dozen pairs of multicoloured socks, but is next to never seen wearing a pair that matches. She also has a replica of Anne Boleyn’s B necklace that she likes to wear.

Due to her mother’s naming choices, her name is Nadia Artemis, and her brother’s is Aidan Apollo. She speaks 3 languages, English, French, and German.


Picture:

Nadia

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a286/hikari-schezar-bloom/snapshot_f6186e54_b61872a3.jpg

As Johanna in Sweeny Todd

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a286/hikari-schezar-bloom/snapshot_f6186e54_b6187102.jpg

[FurryPanda]

((OOC: Darn computer crashed, right as I was about to post. If this is bad, thats why.
Slytherin- My dramatardedness requires that I say that no Julius Caeser play that's public domain or worth buying the rights to has Cleopatra as anything other than a brief reference, and only a very obscure and crummy one has even that. She's not big in drama...
Maeve- About cheerleading, I was on a squad in freshman year, and for the most part the captain gets whatever position she wants. If ME wanted to be top of the full pyramid, she would be, but a multi pyramid [typically three pyramids, each consisting of four girls, three holding up the fourth] could have another cheerleader be noticeably on top.))

Loren was close enough to the drama adviser's door that he could see that there was no sheet of paper detailing the name of the next play, and when auditions would be held, and how. He wasn't bothered by it, the drama adviser, Mrs. Ematas was a well known airhead, and Loren was perfectly capable of memorizing and performing a song and monologue in fifteen minutes if he had to. His curiosity about the next play would wait, and in the meantime he could happily imagine that they were doing Avenue Q. Which was about as likely as Mrs. Ematas coming out of her office and streaking down the hallway right that instant. So one in two hundred, if her analysis was to be believed.

As he was about to keep walking to get to the cafeteria for a much belated lunch he heard a voice shout his name. When he turned to see who had called him he got the full view of Lacey spinning around to crash face first into a locker. He couldn't help smiling. Not at the undeniable comic value of seeing anyone face plant into a locker, but at seeing one of his best friends. Loren had lots and lots of friends but most of them he had to go to to talk to. They didn't go up to him very much and he did think that that was kind of weird, but he was very willing to approach people himself. He figured it was just for the social balance, the people who wouldn't approach him, he would approach, and those that would he wouldn't when there were others around. It was pretty harmonious in his opinion.

Lacey was one of those that would approach him, and he genuinely liked her company, klutziness and all. He heard her apologize to the locker, and then finish her turn and say to that rarest of occurences, an empty hall in Brooklake High, "Hullo."

Still grinning he walked over and replied, "Hello!" Loren was nothing if not exuberant, with all of his freinds. And with this one especially, who he had starred opposite in in a very bad and very low budget version of The Importance of Being Earnest. As a result of that, every time he saw her he greeted her by kissing her hand. He didn't know about her, but he thought that that scene had been so funny, and it brought a smile onto his lips whenever he thought about it. Like when he kissed her hand randomly in the hallways. Or it would bring a smile to his lips whenever there wasn't one already.

"How is everyone's favorite lady on the whole earth?" he said, his usual greeting to her, which was a bastardization of a few rather incongruous lines in the play. Anyone that didn't know the play, and Loren's extremely non-linear thought pattern, would never get how funny it was, but Lacey knew both, and would probably appreciate it.

Before she could answer he dropped her hand and asked, with his usual excitement, "You going to the audition this afternoon?" He didn't know about her, but he was extremely excited to finally know for sure what the play was and get auditions over with. And of course to see everyone else's auditions which ranged from the hilarious to the inspiring. Or both.

((OOC: Maeve, I hope that stuff with the importance of being earnest was okay, if not, answer my PM and I'll edit.))

[IAmMadi]

((Furry - Are Aimee & Katie still in the hall together? It's been a few days since my last post and you haven't replied yet.))

[Slytherin-Girl]

(((OOC: My bad, I was thinking of the play Caesar and Cleopatra, not Julius Caesar. I'm a complete and total "Dramatard" myself, I can't believe I missed that *is embarassed*

And I'd say Cleopatra and Caesar IS a major production, it was at Stratford this year, and Cleo is a big part of that)))

[summerkelsa]

Student Application -

Name Sienna Gentry

Age/Class Ever-so-sweet sixteen/Junior

Clique Jock

After School Activity Dance/Cheerleading/Diving... Repeat.

Brief History/Personality Description The life of Sienna Gentry is a fairly simple one. Not that she'd ever admit that. She'd rather say her life is, well, larger than life. She comes from a family that has struggled to 'keep up with the Jones''. A family trying hard to sieze the dream of having the perfect house, the perfect two point five (make that three) children and the perfect dog. Of course, she'd like you to think that things are easy and that money is no issue. Her father is a physician's assistant - she prefers to call him a doctor, and her mother is a glorified soccer mom and ex-part-time secretary - however, she'd like you to think that she's the perfect trophy wife... as long as you ignore the weight she's yet to lose after having her baby brother. Jacob. The mistake. The little obnoxious brat who took her 'baby' title away from her. But I digress. She'd like for you to think that everything is perfect. That the pathetic honda she drives is simply a stand by car until she can find her dream car.

However, despite how things aren't really as she wants them to be, Sienna has lived a happy life. Her parents have been no less than doting. Granted, when she asked for a pony, she only got a 'my little pony' but, hey, something's better than nothing. Her parents poured money into dance and gymnastics lessons. And, when they could no longer afford gymnastics, she found an alternative. Diving. Not that it was much cheaper.

It got to the point where her parents were doing practically everything for her. She never had to think. Never had to make a decision. But then Jacob came along. Their attention became diverted and Sienna found herself very very lost. With no one pointing her in the right direction or telling her how wonderful she was, she became the perfect example of absolute panic. She found herself needing to please. All she wanted was to be praised and adored.

High school came around and she did everything she could to be 'perfect'. She made the dance team, the cheerleading squad, and the diving team. She kept her grades up. She said her P's and Q's, dotted every I and crossed every T. She was popular. She dressed as impeccably as she could with what options she had. She carried herself with grace and poise. She always managed to stay out of trouble (or, at least, to not get caught). Everything. Anything she could to be that perfect daughter her parents once saw her as.

And she has been relentless with her efforts. She's the best diver on the squad and a shining star on both the cheerleading and dance squads. She maintains her good grades. She dresses nicely. She is impeccable in her appearance. She's organized. Yet she's very, very unhappy - she hides it well. And very very easy to upset. Not so much in that she breaks down in tears. No. More like she just freaks out. Panics. Loses her cool.

As of now, she's living on a knife's edge. Teetering between being as close to perfect as she can be and an absolute anxious mess.

Anything else you might want to add Sienna is pretty much addicted to tanning. The chlorine hasn't exactly done wonders to her skin so she's found that the tanner she is, the better she feels about herself. Not that she'd ever let herself look like a piece of leather. Uh, ew. She just ensures that she maintains a lovely healthy glow. She's a little narcissistic: she is body image obsessed and loves the gym and pushing her body to the limits. It's her way of 'control'. Known to wear too much makeup ('Must. Look. Perfect.'), she couldn't make a decision if her life depended on it; she was born to follow. And follow she does. Her lead- er, 'BFF' being Marie-Elisabeth.

Picture

pixelation
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/surfsunnwaves/sims2/sienna-1.jpg

inspiration
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/surfsunnwaves/siennareal2.jpg http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/surfsunnwaves/siennareal2-1.jpg

[maeve.2.0]

Loren's presence was both comforting and unnerving. His many oddities and strange characteristics served only to bewilder her -- though, sometimes, they were amusing -- yet the knowledge that those eccentricities were there, and would always be there, was a relief. It was something to hang onto.

Lacey blushed at his kissing her hand and giggled at his reference to The Importance of Being Earnest. That was how she had come to be friends with Loren -- through the small community theatre in the centre of Brooklake. Her mother had always liked to be an actress, she often said, but she had gotten sidetracked -- and, quite mysteriously, had ended up selling homemade trinkets in an online shop. Motivated by this secret childhood wish and a desire to see Lacey make some friends in their new hometown, she had signed her up for the Brooklake community theatre, and Lacey had gone along with it.

The first play was Oscar Wilde's masterpiece, and of course Loren had played Jack. For some unfathomable reason the other girls in the group had, upon hearing this, all insisted that the "new girl" to star opposite as Gwendolen.
Through many long rehearsals and a strange exclusion from the rest of the group -- though some of the girls made efforts to approach Lacey, they seemed to avoid her when she was in the company of Loren, no doubt intimidated by his outstanding skill and endless dedication -- the two gravitated towards each other. As a result, Lacey had joined the Drama Club... switching from Band, a nice change after that embarassing incident with the principal's head and her tuba (which, to be fair, had been oddly slippery and far to heavy).

"You going to the audition this afternoon?" Loren asked her, his eyes glimmering with excitement. Though she herself wasn't nearly as enthusiastic to Drama as he was -- acting was fun and that was that -- she had to admire his devotion.

The truth was that if it hadn't been for him, Lacey probably wouldn't have been in Drama Club. She might have joined the School Newspaper -- though she was not a remarkably talented writer, her infinite curiosity might have made her a good reporter -- or the Foreign Language Club -- as learning to speak a strange language was always fun. But Loren had campaigned for the Drama Club so relentlessly, she'd really had no other choice than to give in.

It had turned out rather splendidly. The last play had been Kiss Me Kate, and while Loren was shining on stage, Lacey had been busy applying foundation to the actors' faces and trying to sneak a peek through the curtain every now and then. Doing make-up was something she enjoyed, but she had a feeling that maybe she would enjoy being on stage, opposite Loren, even more.

"I should think so," she said, twirling a lock of hair around her index finger thoughtfully. "What play do you think Mrs Etamas will choose? I hope it's a fun one."

(( Blegh, kind of uninspired. Panda, I hope you're OK with this little bit of backstory ;) Lacey seems nearly as oblivious in this as Loren, but she isn't really, just where he's concerned.
And trampledsneakers, I just named the first play that came to mind as the last play the Drama Club did, if you object I'll edit ))

[FurryPanda]

Katie was a little startled when the girl laughed out loud, even going so far as to tilt her head back, at her little comment about meatball Monday. Yes, the spaghetti was rather short, and yes the meatballs disintegrated and the entire thing did look like brains, but it wasn't that funny. Hopefully this Aimee wasn't one of the mind bogglingly weird foreign exchange students, the ones that figured Americans were all cookie cutter stereotypes of movies and needed constant validation of thier wonderfulness. The fact that Katie was one of the latter kind of American did not mean that she wanted it from everyone, just her parents.

At least she got over her amusement quickly, saying, with nothing more awkward than a smile, “Thank you, this school is just so... intimidating,”

Katie shrugged and nodded at that. It was pretty impossible to argue that Brooklake was a clique-ish snob land, and that teachers were all flaming idiots, but it was pretty understood you didn't say it.

Aimee was looking at her speculatively, and it made her a little uncomfortable. She was used to disappearing in the crowd, to being ignored, to being just one more faceless drone in the halls. This frank inspection was such a deviation from the norm that she didn't know what to think of it. Katie did not like not knowing what to at least think in a situation, even if most of the time she didn't know what to do. She just picked one arm up and put it on her inside elbow, not a defensive pose, but not a welcoming one either.

Things just got weirder after that when the girl asked, “You don’t mind if I stay with you the whole day?” Once more Katie had no idea what to make of that, but this time the overwhelming weirdness was just... weird. Not intrusive, just weird. Her internal paranoia told her that this girl just wanted to hurt her, to be as mean as everyone else. Her instincts told her that Aimee was just confused and trying to fit in and didn't know enough to do it properly. And the selfish part of her just wanted a friend, regardless of weird foreign exchange student-ness.

She realized that she hadn't answered, that they were drawing closer to the line between a conversational pause and an awkward silence. All three conflicting views in her coalesced, died and surged out her mouth- "I suppose, as long as we have the same class this afternoon." There! That wasn't objectionable at all! It was actually probably the right thing to say! Katie smiled a bit, pleased at the thought of possibly making a new friend, and not screwing up the process. Terribly. Yet.

[Connectzeedots_SC]

Name: Sylvia Reyell

Age/Class: 16/Junior

Clique: Achiever

Afterschool Activity: Drama Club

Short Bio: Sylvia is not the most outspoken or over the top person you'll meet. She is a bit reserved due to her past. Her mother was an alcoholic when she was 3, so she left with her dad when the two divorced. She lives with her brother and father. Her father works at the school as a teacher. Sylvia doesn't see him much because he's always busy, and her brother is busy with his own life. She can feel lonely a lot of the time, but her friends are there to help and make her happy.
Sylvia can be categorized as the shy artist of her group of friends. She has only had one boyfriend, and he broke up with her when she wanted to,, um...maintain her values. She doesn't want to think that all guys are like that, but it's high school, right? Anyway, she has an outstanding GPA (her father would accept nothing less) and a few friends. She is sometimes seen as a nerd and that makes her feel bad. She wants some real friends, not just people who feel sorry for her lack of a social life. Sylvia has been in drama club for a few years, but has never gotten up the courage to audition for a lead part. She has decided she will this year.

Picture:

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/5219/12583231ne6.jpg
((my game isn't working right now))

------------


Name: Jake Reyell

Age: 36

Class taught: Global History

Sponsor of: Newspaper Club

Brief History/Personality Description: Jake grew up in the suburbs of New York with his parents and 3 siblings. He graduated in the top 5 of his high school class and went on to attend college at Columbia, where he recieved his education to become a History teacher. He balanced college with having a child with a woman named Marie Linley at the age of 20. He named their daughter Sylvia. He met Marie at a college party and they dated for a total of 6 months before she told him that she was pregnant. After he got his master's, his daughter was 3 years old and Marie was a stay at home mom, and not to his knowledge, an alcoholic. That year, he left Marie and took Sylvia with him. He has not remarried, but has a girlfriend and an adopted son.
Jake is a sarcastic, kindhearted man. He likes to hear himself speak, but listens as well. He is a good teacher who genuinely cares for his students.

Picture:

http://archive.salon.com/mwt/feature/2007/05/29/hugh_laurie/story.jpg

[maeve.2.0]

(( I love the new characters! It's so cool to see this rp filling up. :P Also, question -- did jcardy drop out? Because I don't see Hayden listed in the first post anymore and she hasn't posted or anything. ))

[Connectzeedots_SC]

"Dad, I'm sorry." Sylvia apologized as the car pulled into the school parking lot. The girl had a frown on her face, her eyebrows pulling up in the middle of her face, her lips pressed together. She waited for a response, and sighed, exasperated as she turned and rested her arm on the crook of the door and window in the car. She looked out, watching the school as they found a parking spot. They suceeded, and the car came to a halt. Jake sighed and looked at his daughter as they stopped.

"Just...you have to set your alarm clock. You cannot keep your grades up if you're not focused on being a good student, and that includes being prompt." He said, looking his daughter squarely in the eye, a tactic used to make children listen even if they didn't care to. With this, he turned the car off and placed his car keys in his right hand before opening the door with his left and stepping out. Once certain that Sylvia was out and all the doors were not ajar, he pressed a button on his keyring and it locked.

Sylvia had an excuse and a half for sleeping in late this morning, but she knew that her father would not want to hear about it. He never did. He only wanted her to be a good student and go to college and have a good life, and she loved her father for it, but sometimes he could just be so overbearing. No matter that she was up all night studying.

They walked toward the school, looking extremely and awkwardly different. Sylvia had, for one thing, inherited her mother's light hair with caramel tones to it. Jake had dark brown hair, and wore a pair of dress pants with a button up shirt and a printed tie with a blazer. Sylvia sported a white summer dress with black tights and a multi colored vest over top of it. She carried a large tote bag while her father carried a briefcase. She held a travel mug of coffee, and he didn't.

"See you later, Dad." Sylvia said as she signed in with the attendance office. She walked to her locker as he went to his classroom the opposite way. She found the locker 165-B and put in her combination. With a click she pulled the door open and started to transfer books from her bag to the locker and vice versa. As she finished, she noticed Lacey and Loren talking. She walked casually up to them and hovered in their vicinity, until one of them noticed her. "Hi." She said with a smile to Lacey and kept walking. She started walking toward the cafeteria to possibly get some breakfast when she ran into Bodene. Literally. "Ouch." She said quietly, holding her arm. "Sorry, Bodene." She said.

[Connectzeedots_SC]

((Thanks, and I changed his name to Jake =] ))

[Connectzeedots_SC]

((Exactly, I wasn't making a back story. She knows their names because she is in Drama Club with them, Panda. I didn't write anything about them personally. Tell me that you don't say hello to people you know from club, etc. even though you don't know things like their birthday or favorite color.))

[Slytherin-Girl]

Nadia Artemis Dering was extremely late for her first day of school back from winter break. She knew she would be though. There had been a cast party to celebrate the final show of the community theatre’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar, in which she had played Mary Magdalene, and it had run a tad late. Like 2am, whoops sorry mom and dad, yes I’ll be in by 11 every other night this month late.

So it was just before noon when she yawned and stretched as she rolled out of bed, looking across the room to see her brother was still snoring away. She just laughed, walking over to the closet to pick out her clothes for the day. In doing so, she stepped over her brother’s toga (He had been Pilate) that he had oh so thoughtfully tossed on the floor and sighed. She loved Aidan more than anyone, but he was such a slob some times.

“Oy, Pontius Pilates” she called, picking up his laurel crown and chucking it at his head “Get your lazy roman bum out of bed. We’re already late”. A muffled groan and a “You’re lucky you’re my sister” was her response, and she chuckled as she continued searching through the closet. She picked out one of her favourite dresses (http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/store/product.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302028388&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442171515&bmUID=1225569566193) , a white one with a black bow in the centre of the bust, along with a pair of knee highs (http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/store/product.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302028567&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442186281&bmUID=1225569837697) with bows on them. Snatching her shoes (http://z.about.com/d/petite/1/0/N/1/-/-/paylessdotslingback.jpg) from near the door, she darted into the bathroom just ahead of her brother with a triumphant grin on her face.

Nadia dressed quickly, amused by the sounds of her brother stumbling around their room getting dressed himself. “I really ought to buy him a rooster” she mused as she pulled drawers open searching for her hairbrush. Twins they might be, but in terms of getting up in the morning they were as different as two people could be. Nadia got out of bed instantly and was usually in a pleasant mood. Aidan on the other hand, well it was wise not to talk to him until he’d had some coffee.

Finally locating her brush, she pulled her long brown hair into a herringbone braid, tying it at the end with a small white bow. Satisfied with her final look, she opened the door to the bathroom only to have Aidan dart in right after her and shut the door in her face with a cheeky grin.

“Jerk” she said, rolling her eyes and making her way downstairs. Their parents were already gone to work for the day, but had thankfully left the coffee pot ready to go. She flicked it on and grabbed herself a bagel as she waited for Aidan to get downstairs. The car sitting in the driveway was his after all, and even she wouldn’t dare take it and leave him there. However it didn’t take her brother long to get downstairs, the smell of coffee was like a siren song to him. “Ah, sweet sweet coffee. Ambrosia couldn’t taste better” he said, pouring it into a travel mug and taking a deep sniff. Nadia swallowed the last of her bagel and gestured to the door.

“Let’s go, we’re already late” she said, handing him the other bagel she had made for him. ‘Thank you baby sister” he said, ruffling her hair as she scowled. “By 15 minutes geeez” she shot back, pulling her coat on and stepping out the door. Aidan followed behind and opened the side door for her with a grin, before getting in himself and plopping his coffee in the cupholder.

The siblings then sped off to school, popping in the cd from JCS to sing along to as they went. It didn’t take them too long to get to school, and soon they were pulling into the parking lot and going their separate ways.

Nadia walked through the halls, glad that everyone was at lunch and she didn’t have to awkwardly interrupt a class. She hummed part of Herod's Song as she walked, wondering what this semester’s drama club production was going to be and if she’d get the lead part again.


(((OOC: Holy crapola long LOL

And totally spproachable! I also added pics to her application)))

[maeve.2.0]

(( Oh, guys, guys, guys. Must we bicker? Must we? What I suggest is that freelancetada edits to have Sylvia say hi to Lacey and Loren in passing -- I was actually going to PM you about a possible backstory when I read your app, lol -- and cut away to approach someone who is alone (Bodene, Nadia, off the top of my head), so everyone can RP and we don't get three-person RPs since Panda doesn't like them. :P OK? ))

[Connectzeedots_SC]

((I don't see why I should edit to make Panda happy, but I will since you asked politely. =] ))

[maeve.2.0]

(( Ahh, you see, it is my impeccable manners that save the situation every time. And now we shall be done with this off-topic chatter.

Hopefully. ))

[FurryPanda]

((OOC: Maeve- In Loren's bio I said that the last play they did at brooklake was Kiss Me Kate. Just for the record. And thank you for mediating.))

Loren, unlike most people he had met, adored being the center of attention. The reason being that so far as he could tell he never got anything except positive and neutral attention. Even when he had gotten punched in the face and gotten to ride home in the trashcan express in middle school he assumed that the former was an affectionate gesture, and the latter a wish to have him experience new things. Trashcans were almost as good as roller coasters in Loren's opinion, and the line was usually much shorter.

Knowing that most people didn't like being the center of the attention belatedly made him realize that maybe Lacey didn't want to talk about drama club auditions. She had been amazing as Gwendolen, and as far as he knew she hadn't gone out for another big role since. She did make-up, and as far as Loren knew, as long as they weren't doing something that would require huge amounts of full face makeup, she wouldn't care. She was one of the very few people with whom he contemplated thinking before he spoke. He usually didn't, much as he liked Lacey that was much more effort than it was worth.

Happily for Loren's rare moments of sensitivity, she didn't seem offended. "I should think so," she mused. Loren smiled even wider than usual, he must have looked half a fool. He was so psyched that she was going out for a part that he couldn't even begin to express it. So he just beamed. She was twirling her hair a little bit around her finger, and Loren wondered inanely if body heat could work like a curling iron and make hair stay in little ringlets.

Before he could give it much thought she went on, "What play do you think Mrs Etamas will choose? I hope it's a fun one."

Loren shrugged. He was hoping for Avenue Q. He wasn't expecting it, and it would probably surprise most people that he wanted to try a play that, when it all came down to it, was voice acting and reacting to it. He wondered if the mainstay rumor of drama club, that one day, one day, they would do a stage adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show was of course only a fantasy.

"Who knows? Maybe it'll finally be Rocky Horror Picture Show!" Loren's grin had receded back to its usual sunniness, rather than the full fledged day-glo that Lacey's previous comment had brought, but it made up most of it with the line about Rocky Horror. Everyone knew it would never happen, but there was always plenty of optimism and corruptible freshmen to go around.

Before he could answer, he saw girl from drama club, who said "Hi." and kept walking. Politeness kicked in, and he reflexively called, "Hello!" over his shoulder, but she had already disappeared into the bustle of the hallway. No concern of his, he was having a grand time speculating with Lacey.

"It'll probably be something like Aida though..." he mused. Mrs. Etamas had been talking about it for a while. Or had mentioned it once in passing. Loren didn't know the difference between the two.

((OOC: Yknow what? Loren and Lacey are freaking adorable.))

[simsample]

Please be nice to each other- or post deletion will ensue. Thankyou.

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: FurryPanda - In order to try and not have your statement discourage anyone from attempting 3-way RPing, I'll have to say that while it can be somewhat more difficult to organize and respond to than 2-way RPing, it does not stink. At all. In my opinion. You are, of course, entitled to yours, but please do not assume we all feel the same way. Thank you. :) )))

[maeve.2.0]

Loren shrugged at her question. She knew he didn't hold Mrs Etamas' choice of plays in very high regard -- no one in Drama Club really did, although Lacey liked her and her flaky ways.

"Who knows? Maybe it'll finally be Rocky Horror Picture Show!"

Lacey had to smile. In fact, Lacey found she usually had to smile when Loren was around. Even when he wasn't talking about something he loved, like Drama or the possibility of the Drama Club doing the Rocky Horror Picture Show, his face spread into a wide, beaming grin. His eternally cheerful demeanor was quite contagious, even if you weren't an innate optimist like Lacey. She had a feeling he might even bring a grin to J.D. Harper's face.

Lacey fidgeted with the strap of her and shrugged, as well. Just then a girl from Drama Club, Sylvia Reyell, greeted them in passing, and Lacey was glad to have an excuse to wave and shout a "Hi!"

Truth be told, she was always a little nervous when discussing various plays and Drama-related subjects with Loren. He seemed to think she was as well-versed in the classics as he was -- or rather, he seemed to assume everyone was as well-versed in the classics as he was.
But on the contrary -- she had never been especially keen on theatre and plays, much preferring to read nonfiction or spend her time clicking the "Random Article" link on Wikipedia repeatedly (which was how she had come to be an expert on wombats and had learned of the existence of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, president of a small, Eastern-European, mainly buddhistic republic, who claimed to have been abducted by an UFO).

Then Loren continued thoughtfully, "It'll probably be something like Aida though..." and Lacey, unable to offer a valuable opinion on Aida, subtly tried to steer the conversation in another direction.

With a shrug, she said, "Anyway, have you eaten lunch yet?"

(( Short, I'm sorry. And Panda -- gah, I know. I love Loren and his total obliviousness to practically every little thing surrounding him. Also, lol, J.D. would probably so not be grinning if he saw Loren, but that's Lacey, you know. :P ))

(( And like Lacey is unable to offer an opinion on Aida, I, a roleplay newbie, am unable to offer an opinion on three-way RPing. Except that the term "three-way" brings uncouth things to mind, childish little three-year-old that I am.

I'm in a weird mood. ))

[summerkelsa]

[[ Haha Maeve! Naughty.

Can't we all just get along? I agree. Although three-way (or more) rp can be a bit daunting at times, it's not a bad thing! But to each their own ;]. Here's more Bodene. Sienna will come soon. ]]

Bodene was in his own little world - not that that was unusual. Oblivious to those around him, his mind was elsewhere as instincts drove him in the direction of the cafeteria, teeth gnawing on the draw string that remained in his mouth. And then something happened to yank him from his daze. A shove from behind made his easy stride faulter as he did his best not to go stumbling forward. Upon successfully rooting himself in place, he twisted his upper torso around to see who had caused the most recent nose-to-tail in Brooklake.

His blue-green eyes peered over his shoulder towards Sylvia just as she sheepishly stepped away, holding her arm and looking a bit embarrassed.

"Ouch." She said quietly. "Sorry, Bodene."

He cracked an easy half-grin as he turned slightly. Not completely facing her, but not standing with his back towards her anymore, and shrugged his shoulders casually, "No worries." His voice, and his slow slur of words, was very Tommy Chong-esque. But, that's just how he spoke. Always had been, really. He lived in slow-mo compared to everyone else.. and he never quite did figure out why everyone seemed bent on rushing.

His gaze skirted over her before heading towards the cafeteria, one hand moving to the right side of his face and his fingers scratched at his scalp, ruffling up his already messy and unkempt hair, "You gettin' some food?" His eyes had once more come to regard her, or at least her left shoulder, as he spoke.

Food. The word made his stomach make its presence known.

With the tuft of hair that had previously been in the area of assault sticking out absurdly, he tilted his head towards the cafeteria as he fell into his casual gait once more. It was an open, unspoken invitation to head in that direction with him. He didn't know Sylvia well at all. Had classes with her, yeah. But she was smart and studious and.. well.. related to Professor Reyell.

It was known that Bodene was not a favourite among the teaching staff.

But that didn't mean he was against her joining him, if even for a moment, on his quest for food. And a quest it would be: how much food could he get, and consume, before he had to make his way to Professor Specht's office. The thought was a total buzzkill.

Mmm, food. Most students avoided school food like the plague. Bodene was not one of those students. His eyes swept over the cafeteria as he entered the large hall, first taking note of the length of the lines before shifting over to the vending machines. His eyes narrowed in thought before he strode in the direction of the machines, a hand digging in his pocket as his fingers felt around for change. Good thing he wore his old jeans cuz a snack would be stellar while waiting in line.

He wasn't paying attention to see if Sylvia was tagging along. It wasn't that he was being rude, he was just.. sidetracked at the moment.

[[ Hope that's ok, freelancetada ]]

[Alissa888]

While beating around the bush with all the skill of an Amazonian tribesmen was a skill Natalie Cardew rather expertly wielded, sometimes it wasn’t quite advisable. Now, it did have it’s advantages in a situation because you stand the potential of confusing the other person so much that they eventually cave in to everything that you suggest or want them to do and as easy as that, you get what you want.

At other times, it was a rather stupid thing to do. The case well may be that the other person wasn’t someone who was easily confused, that they kept their wits about them more than you did and in that case, you stand a higher chance of getting confused witless and therefore lose what you stand to gain. That’s a bad move.

Natalie was in a situation of opposites at this point. Beating around the bush in Lila’s case wasn’t going to be that bad – not because Natalie thought Lila was stupid, which she didn’t, but simply because Lila was more willing to… accommodate other people’s eccentricities. With J.D., on the other hand, things were likely to get downright catastrophic if he didn’t get what he wanted.

“I mean it’s no Rembrandt,” Lila replied after a short period of hesitation, a small shrug that was probably to ease J.D.’s anxieties, but initially hesitant nonetheless in a way that made Natalie feel a little guilty for having basically shoved her into the scrutinising limelight like that. “But it’s definitely good. Just another one of J.D.’s secret skills.”

Alright then, so J.D. ‘not a happy bunny’ Harper wasn’t liberally grumpy, he picked his targets, for his eyes softened a little for Lila – honestly, she’d done as great job with him as far as she went, for the influence hadn’t stretched out to the general public yet – right before Natalie got the hard eyes again. Great, it just exacerbated the insult when you got to see the contrast.

"Whaddya want?" he sort of semi-snapped at her again, which brought Natalie right back to the point that beating around the bush where J.D. was concerned was a very bad idea… well, as long as you wanted to remain generally healthy, that is.

“How would you like to draw comics for the paper?” she proposed, calmly and collectedly, yet with very slight hesitation for fear of rejection lingering at the edge of her voice, before she turned to Lila, assured once more. “Lila, you’d like to see this sort of stuff in the paper right?” With that, a thought entered her mind, voicing itself out as a slight condition; “Well, assuming you read it.”

[Alissa888]

You know it’s funny how situations twist around themselves. You think, for a moment, that you’ve got something solved, that you’re safe from something and a moment later, all it’s absence seems to have done is to allow some other problem to root itself in the initial problem’s place and the catch was; you needed to figure out how to deal with this new problem when you really should have stuck with the Devil that you knew.

It was pretty much what Josh had done in the case of Matt. He loved being with Matt, he loved the fact that despite the secrecy and the lying, there was real honesty there, there was real trust and it was just… substantial. Because whether Matt liked it or not, he was being himself with Josh, and that simple gesture was so underrated in it’s importance.

Josh knew Matt and he knew him well. So, most of Matt’s tricks and manipulations – though, not all of his games – were things that Josh had become immune to, something he understood a little too well to let it actually offend him in the way it did to the rest of the people Matt cross – of which there were several if he felt like it. Josh was completely desensitised to Matt’s façade and tricks; but he was more vulnerable to the effects of Matt himself.

The games, the bravado, the… everything was what Matt did, to Josh, not who he was. Having looked past that, Josh had seen Matt, as a complete person rather than just some jerk who got off on messing with people. Matt was so much more than that – he was a person with feelings, fears, ambitions… and it just left Josh so much more vulnerable to Matt himself, even if Josh didn’t play ball when it came to his games. All Matt had to do was to be honest with Josh, if he really wanted to get to him.

Which was why he’d eased up in trying to coerce Matt into coming out about what was going on. Because once those tricks fell to pieces, there was just Matt – vulnerable, scared and real Matt – staring back at him and all of a sudden, Josh couldn’t keep the forceful tactics he’d been using, because he just couldn’t hurt Matt in anyway. So, yeah, while he was immune to Matt’s games, the effects of Matt himself was a different story. One step forwards and two steps back.

But nevertheless, he’d had to make up for the damage he’d caused. Not that it helped much;

"Jesus!" he retorted, pushing away from Josh’s form as if he suddenly didn’t want to be associated with him in any way anymore. "Why can't you ever just leave well enough alone?!"

Even his eyes wandered momentarily to the door in a way that made Josh’s breath catch silently in his throat, as if his worst case scenario for this moment were all about to come true, all of a sudden and he only really had himself to blame. But no, surprisingly Matt didn’t just storm out, he stuck around, stuck with Josh, even if he was mad at him. So, it meant more than just a physical thing to him?

"If she finds out, everyone finds out,” he proclaimed, his hand decisively slicing through the air as Josh let their gazes lock once more, glad that Matt was at least secure enough to be angry rather than on the verge of some breakdown. That was good, that okay. Anger, Josh could handle; Matt breaking down would be catastrophe for Josh to handle. "Do you honestly not realize what that would do to me? I would be ruined! And so would you."

Ruined? Did he really think he could just ignore his sexual orientation? Did he honestly not realise what that was going to do to him – how that was going to ruin him – in the long term if he carried on living this lie he’d built up for himself? Seriously?! And so what if everyone found out? It was none of their damn business!

But apparently, that lie that he was living was of that much importance to Matt, so important that what he really wanted, what he really was, had to be kept as a shameful secret, just so that he could be everyone else’s idea of perfect, even if he knew he wasn’t.

So, accepting that realisation for a moment and yet not accepting the reasons given for it, Josh settled back against one of the boxes lining the walls, slouching slightly as his arms folded over his chest in a way to mirror Matt’s actions.

“So, what is it that you want from me, Matt?” he asked softly, yet cuttingly clearly, eyes burning into Matt’s sculpted features. “What do you want from this?”

Because if it was that detrimental to him, why was he here doing it?

(((OOC: Hope that works for you, Atropa :) )))

[emodawg]

Lorene was either dealing with a mute, a moron or just a plain rude person, she wasn't sure. “Please, no need to apologise…” She mumbled, retracting her hand and turning on her heel to leave. Though bitterness threatened to overtake her, a few kids laughing at the spectacle her and the blonde had put on gave her a chance to do her favourite thing: act goofy. She couldn’t hold back her somewhat trademark crooked smile as she cheekily bowed triumphantly to her more amused than adoring public and strutted off as best she could on her increasingly wobbly knee.

Her confident stride was short lived however. She was soooo very close to the cafeteria but her battered knee just wasn’t willing to get her there. Dejectedly she fell back on a locker and slid down till she was in a sitting position. She groaned miserably.

Her options were limited. She could eat her lunch there on the floor, crawl, or sit there till she felt she had the strength to get up again. The first option was a little two unhygienic for her liking, the second wasn't too advisable in her skirt unless she wanted to parade her underwear to her fellow students... For once, the more rational option of waiting seemed more attractive.

And as she sat there, singing softly to herself in French and fiddling around with her hair and jewellery to pass the time, she spotted it: a skateboard. And more importantly, as she was no thief, she spotted the owner too, longhaired blonde sporting an amazing tan.

If she’d had been quicker she could have proposed him lending her his board so she could wheel her sorry ass to the cafeteria but inspiration hit her too late and he was gone. Shame…

Though Lorene’s tummy started to kick up a fuss of its own, Lorene remained seated until a girl walked passed and sprang to her feet.

“Excuse me!” She called after the girl with a sense of urgency. She bobbed and weaved between others reciting “ouch” on every step to get to her target. She tapped on the eccentrically dressed girl’s shoulder a little too insistently when she finally reached her. “Sorry to disturb you but your shoes are gorgeous!” she exclaimed.

[FurryPanda]

((OOC: Actually Maeve, JD tolerates Loren. Loren is so inoffensive [in an annoyingly cheerful way] and unpopular that JD sort of doesn't mind. Nowhere near smiling basis, but not the typical reaction. Its a little more complicated than that, but thats the twenty word summary.))

Loren saw a smile go onto Lacey's face, and was irrationally pleased with himself. He usually considered any twitch of the lips to be a smile wroth returning, but with Lacey it would actually be something that another person would recognize as a smile. Not that Loren realized other people were not showing happiness or elation when their mouth twitched. With Lacey there was no confusion on the matter, and Loren found it very gratifying.

"Anyway, have you eaten lunch yet?"

He was a bit disappointed that she didn't have any other speculations or hopes for what the play would be, and his smile slipped the tiniest bit.
From day-glo to just general euphoria. Loren thought that Aida was a fun show to see, and thus was doubtless a fun show to perform, but he didn't expect Mrs. Ematas to pick a show that was so... medium famous. Whatever Lacey might have heard ont he subject would undoubtedly be enlightening, but is she wanted to change the subject, that was her business.

"Nooope." he drawled, and gave her a sideways look, before glancing over his shoulder at the hall leading to the cafeteria. That same appraising look, one that he had no idea what it meant, let alone what she would think of it. In case it meant something he didn't he wriggled his eyebrows as far as they would go and glanced up. He said, out loud, but more to himself than Lacey, "Sweet! Haunted forehead!"

If that didn't diffuse any unintentional tensions that random looks caused, then nothing would. "So, shall we see what the cafeteria is serving today? Chicken patty, squirrel brains, or food, no way to know!" He really hoped she hadn't been trying to change the subject and just keep talking by the lockers. Fascinating though food was- and there was no denying it was- discussing it on an empty stomach was not all that entertaining.

((OOC: Not a lot to work with, so Loren had a moment. He is so random!))

[trampledsneakers]

((Alright. As SimSample said-- please, keep it cool.
I'm not going to say 'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all', but honestly. Constructive criticism can only go so far before it becomes unnecessary and harsh. We don't want to discourage new members from the start, so try to give them a break when they first start out. Also, I agree completely with Atropa--it seems that disliking 3-way RPs are simply something you are opposed to; that doesn't mean that everyone else is. I personally enjoy 3 way RPs because they create more complex interactions when you have to take two sets of opinions and reactions into consideration.
Anyway. Point is, retract the claws (everyone) and keep it calm.
End of discussion on these matters I hope--the spam is starting to clutter the thread. Thanks.))

[maeve.2.0]

"Nooope," Loren drawled. Then Lacey giggled as he wriggled his eyebrows, glanced up and said, more to himself, "Sweet! Haunted forehead!"

Sometimes Loren seemed to be in a world of his own -- a world that, no doubt, was wallpapered in bright colours and contained a stage in some way. She didn't mind really -- sometimes she felt like she was in a world of her own, too, a world that was maybe not as dauntingly eccentric as Loren's, but a world certain other students found unnerving. A world where socks were meant to be worn mismatched, and everyone ate peanut butter sandwiches for dinner.

But the rationalist in Lacey, the logical side of her that seemed to spend most its days napping in the back of her mind, letting the less reasonable sides of her run free and wild except when the time came to get a decent grade on a maths test -- that side said, If I'm in a world of my own, and he's in a world of his own, how could we possibly be friends?

Then her less reasonable sides took over, and her rational side sunk back into its deep slumber.

Sometimes watching Loren, go about his business, just lolling around, being Loren, was entertainment enough. It was almost as if everything he said was an inside joke with himself, and sometimes -- sometimes -- with Lacey, which was a nice feeling. While others might have been happy never to see the inside of Loren's colourful world, to Lacey it was almost a privilege to be included. Maybe her rational side's concerns were unfounded.

"So, shall we see what the cafeteria is serving today? Chicken patty, squirrel brains, or food, no way to know!"

His grin was, as usual, bright and beaming. But Lacey wrinkled her forehead -- something he'd said had reminded her of something. Oh!

"You know," she said, in an off-hand sort of way, "people actually eat squirrel brains in the South, I think. But you can get sick from it, you can get Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and then you get holes in your brain. But I don't see why you'd want to eat a squirrel brain. They're so small, they're almost like wrinkled walnuts. I should think. I've never seen one."

She smiled brightly at him, matching his usual facial expression.

"Let's go eat!"

(( That's the fun thing about oddballs. If there's not a lot to post, you can always insert some weird little aside ))

[Connectzeedots_SC]

Sylvia nearly fell over when she bumped into Bodene, and her arm seemed fine now, so she let it fall to her side and then used her hand to push some hair behind her ear. She watched as Bodene looked around and then, maybe, invited her to join him in the cafeteria. Sylvia nodded and followed. She searched her bag for change or any money and headed over to the vending machines. She didn't want a lot of food, maybe a pop tart or something to tide her over until lunch.

She found the correct amount of money and let the machine take the dollar and coins. Pressing the buttons for the breakfast of her choice, it vended. She lent down to pick it up from the bottom of the machine and placed it in her bag. She would eat it during her next class, most likely. She noticed Bodene had gone to a different snack machine and wondered if she should wait up for him.

[Slytherin-Girl]

Nadia had a tendency to get very involved in her own world when it came to music. She was known to sit for hours listening to songs on her headphones or, as was more likely, singing then rather loudly with her twin brother. So as she hummed and walked down the hallway, she wasn’t paying much attention to anything else. She walked over to her locker and took her coat off, grinning at the picture of her and Aidan from the opening day of JCS that had appeared in the paper. It was right next to a scanned copy of an autographed picture of Laurence Olivier that belonged to her father.

Shutting the door, she continued on her merry way, now having switched the song she was humming to “I don’t know how to love him”. It was her big song after all, and was her favourite one in the show. Her backpack was slung over her shoulders and her shoes were making clicking sounds across the floor. She didn’t notice the other girl chasing after her until the tap on her shoulder shook her out of her daze. “Sorry to disturb you” the girl with the multicoloured hair said “But your shoes are gorgeous”.

“Thank you” said Nadia, grinning “They were an un birthday present from my mom. We saw them in a store a few months ago and she insisted on buying them for me. She said they really suited me”. Nadia stuck one of her feet out and twisted it around, admiring the polka dots.

“I’m Nadia by the way” she said, putting her foot back down “What’s your name? I’m sorry I don’t recognize you, you must be new here”.

[maeve.2.0]

(( Is it OK if I... retract this character? Is it possible? I changed my mind -- I don't want a second character after all, so I'm sticking her app on my computer and saving it for when I do. Is that OK?

[Slytherin-Girl]

A good way to describe Marie-Elisabeth’s mood right now was annoyed. Very annoyed. And an annoyed Marie-Elisabeth was not a good thing for the general population. It usually meant that someone was in big trouble. Loren hadn’t been any help in alleviating her annoyance, he had only added to it since he had distracted her and had no idea where Matt was anyway.

Matt, that was another thing. He was taking far too long to come and meet her. He never took this long and she was really starting to get annoyed by it. “Who does he think he is?” she muttered, stalking down the halls and glaring daggers at anyone who crossed her path “Keeping me waiting like this. Just wait until I find him, he better have a damn good excuse for this”.

As she walked down the hall, she caught sight of a familiar brunette head out of the corner of her eye. “Sienna” she thought, feeling somewhat relieved.

Sienna Gentry was Marie-Elisabeth’s real second in command, even more so than Caroline. The Robin to her Batman if you will. Marie-Elisabeth said jump, and Sienna said how high. Another member of the cheerleading squad, she was probably one of the few people Marie-Elisabeth would call a friend. Even if it was more of a "She does what I say so I like her" thing than anything else.

If anyone was capable of helping her figure out where her errant ex-boyfriend was, it was her.“Sienna” she called, waving a manicured hand “Over here”.


(((OOC: Hope that works for you summer :) I'll edit and format later )))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: slytherin - *humming* 'So if you are the Christ, yes, the great Jesus Christ, prove to me that you're no fool; walk across my swimming pool.' Ah, I love that song! :D )))


Matt had always been popular. Always. Ever since the first day of kindergarten, ever since just a baby taken for an outing to the park in the stroller by his mother or his nanny to meet other mothers and nannies, heck, even when still in the maternity ward at the hospital where he'd been born, people had lavished him with attention and gushed over how cute and, in later years, handsome he was. He had been blessed with every little rock that paved the way to popularity - good looks, money, charisma, intelligence, a smile that would melt hearts, even a good fashion sense - and ensured him a spot at the top of the ladder, in school and in the world in general. It didn't matter that he paid no more attention to actual school work than was absolutely necessary because, really, why bother, when there were other students who were only too happy to keep his grades at a respectable level for him? A kind word, a quick 'hello' in the hallway where everyone could see, sometimes a little cash, and voilá, he would score an A+ on an essay he hadn't even read, let alone written.

Ah, the perks of being Matt; to have an established fan base within each clique in school, just dying for him to pay them a little attention, and being willing to do most anything to make it happen.
Well, except maybe the goths. They seemed to be rather disinterested in the fabulous Matt Sidle, all just because he happened to sport a healthy tan, didn't cut or otherwise mutilate himself with piercings and tattoos and lord knows what else, nor spent his time writing poems about how much life sucked.
But eh, whatever. Who needed those dreary freaks anyway?

However, the thing about his popularity, was that he had gotten used to it. So used, in fact, that he really didn't know anything else. If he wasn't popular, if he wasn't the one people looked up to, the one desired by the girls and envied by the guys, he had not the faintest clue what he would be. Popularity was his identity, and so when it was threatened, Matt's entire self image was threatened. And when taking that into consideration, it was only natural then that he would dread the thought of having to give it up, and face a reality he wasn't accustomed to, and didn't even know if he'd like; that he'd be clinging to the way things were for dear life, simply refusing to rock the boat.

Unfortunately, Josh didn't seem to share his paralyzing fear of the water, nor did he seem to understand why there even was a fear in the first place. Indeed, he was so stuck on the idea that they should just tell the world about what was going on, that he didn't seem to realize that it would make Matt the laughing stock of the entire school, forced to face ridicule and utter humiliation.

"So, what is it that you want from me, Matt?" Josh kept insisting, despite Matt having let him know in just about every way imaginable that he wasn't the least bit interested in having this conversation, ever. "What do you want from this?"

Though despite his persistence, his voice was still far softer than it had been right when he'd almost pushed Matt over the edge of what he would take, as though he realized just how close he'd come to have Matt flee the scene, possibly to not dare return. It was a question Matt had battled several times since Josh first started trying to address the issue; why didn't he just stop meeting with Josh? If Josh insisted on irking Matt, then why did Matt keep putting himself through it?
So far, the answer every time had been... well, that he liked Josh's company too much to give up on it. Amazingly, he could be that honest with himself. But that was as far as it went. He still refused to touch the idea of being gay, or just bi, even with a ten foot pole. He wasn't gay. But if anyone found out about what was going on between him and Josh, they would think he was. And sadly, it seemed Matt was the only one aware of what that would do to him. And to Josh too.
Honestly, for someone that so easily saw through Matt's various games of manipulation, Josh sure was dense sometimes!

"What I want", Matt started, clearly on the verge of losing what little patience he had, which usually made him rather less... pleasant to talk to, "... is for you to shut up, and just let things be the way they are; fine."

With that, he glanced down at his wrist watch, and then threw his arms up in the air in a dejectedly annoyed gesture.

"And now I really do have to go", he said, and shot Josh a slight glare while turning to the door, preparing to leave.

In doing so, he caught the look in Josh's eyes, and realized that with him being so accustomed to Matt's ways - his tricks, his coverstories, his manipulation - he might think that it was just another lame excuse for Matt to get himself out of a sticky situation. And for some reason, though unfathomable to Matt himself, he didn't want Josh to think that. For some reason, he cared, and didn't want Josh to feel hurt. No matter how annoyed Matt currently was with him.

"Don't give me that sad puppy dog look", he thus snapped, though a perceptive person would recognize that underneath the agitation, there was a small streak of sincerity, and regret. "I really do have to. Lunch is almost over, and I haven't even eaten anything yet. Plus I promised Marie I'd meet up with her. She'll be a pain if I don't show. And you better watch it with her too, because she sure isn't too happy with you either at the moment."

[FurryPanda]

Loren saw Lacey's forehead wrinkle up, and his immediate thought was that it looked like a topographical map of the atlantic seafloor. His next thought was that it was too shallow for that, and finally he thought that he might have done something wrong. People only wrinkled thier foreheads when thier heads hurt, or they were thinking hard. For Loren the two things happened almost simultaneously, but he hoped that that wasn't the fact for Lacey and she was just thinking hard.

She said offhandedly, "You know, people actually eat squirrel brains in the South, I think. Loren looked at her for that, it was probably better than the cafeteria's quote unquote spaghetti and meatballs. "But you can get sick from it, you can get Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and then you get holes in your brain. But I don't see why you'd want to eat a squirrel brain. They're so small, they're almost like wrinkled walnuts. I should think. I've never seen one."

Loren smiled again at her. One of the reasons he liked Lacey's company so much was that she knew so much stuff, and it was all so relevant! He would definitely think before he made silly jokes about squirrel brains again, if they were so dangerous to people. Or at least as long as he remembered that little factoid, which could, if it were lucky, be as long as half an hour.

Happily for his appetite she seemed to realize that the squirrel brains in the cafeteria were no more than particularly lousy meatballs, even if they were just as likely to cause some disease named after a pair of random people. "Let's go eat!" she said cheerfully.

Loren, being a teenage boy, and not caring what anyone thought, even a great friend like Lacey, gave her another one of those kilowatt smiles, and turned to proceed to the cafeteria without another word. It wasn't that he objected to skipping meals... actually, that was it exactly. As he walked off he started whistling "Music of the Night", loudly. It was one of his fondest wishes for an entire hallway to break into song and dance routines as happened in plays and movies. It hadn't happened yet, but Loren was nothing if not optimistic.

He had gone a number of feet, his appetite the foremost part of his mind, when he realized that Lacey wasn't at his side. His whistle trailed off with a bizarre little trill that, were the hall to break into song and dance, would indicate at any moment a chandelier was about to fall. He looked back at Lacey, his appetite subsumed by the fact he always tried to be polite, and asked cheerfully, "Oh, did you already eat? I didn't mean to drag you off to the cafeteria..." His voice trailed off. There was something so unbelievably nice about hanging out with Lacey, it might even be worth skipping lunch if she wanted to. Might.

This concern as to her opinion was utterly foreign to him, but Loren had been in more plays than he could count, and had seen or read what sometimes seemed like thousands more, from the classic, to the unknown, to the famous, to the unclassifiably weird. That sort of background let him pick a quote, so on the rare occasions he himself had nothing to say, he had a small army of playwrights who had something they could offer. Horribly translated and modernized Sophocles seemed appropriate: "Unless of course the maiden seeks entertainment other than the table-" and a sharp break away from the actual line, "We could go to the lighting booth and use the playstation!"

Loren really was fine either way, there was a stash of donuts and twix bars in the lighting booth that could feed four armies.

((OOC: That was weird))

[Slytherin-Girl]

(((OOC: HAHAHA Atropa, that one's my favourite too! WE did the musical my last year in highschool, it was amazing! I still have the DVD.

Our Herod was dressed sorta like a cheesy 30's/20's Gangster, and his girls were all dressed like flappers! :D)))

[summerkelsa]

Sienna's face scrunched as she watched her older brother, Caleb, stalk through the kitchen. He wasn't suppose to be here. He was at Uni now. But, alas, he had dropped in to pick up his laundry which their mother had done for him with little to no complaint. It irked her to no end. 'Learn to do your own laundry, jerk' was all she thought as her eyes followed him around.

"Sienna, hun, you're going to be late." Sienna's gaze flicked from her older brother to her mother as the visibly tired woman moved into the kitchen, the terrible toddler clinging to her hip. Her mother apparently noticed that she'd been a little preoccupied, "Sienna," her tone had a hint of disappointment in it, "I make you breakfast and you don't even touch it."

The bowl of fruit and yougurt sitting before her hadn't even been dented and it was obvious she had only nibbled on her toast. The annoyed look on her mother's face was like a stab to the chest.

Her gaze quickly dropped as she mumbled a pathetic, 'Sorry' and scooped a couple of mouthfuls into her mouth before getting up, carrying the bowl to the sink with her slice of toast balancing on top. Keeping the toast, she set the bowl in the sink and then turned towards her mother as she grabbed her long gray knit cardigan from her chair, "I'll eat all my lunch. Plus the snacks. Promise."

Her mother just eyed her as she tugged on her cardigan and she gave her the most convincing look she could, "I gotta go, I'll be home a little later. Cheerleading tryouts today." She gave her mother a wave with her free hand, toast being held in the other, "Love you. See you."

Her mother just sighed as Sienna breezed through the house, grabbing her purse and backpack before heading outside to the lame-mobile. But first, she drifted over to the bins and deposited her toast, hands wiping together afterwards to rid herself of crumbs.

She then moved to her car, slowing as her hand dove into her purse. Granted, she was organized.. but a purse is a purse. They all somehow turn into black holes. And Sienna's was no different. Groaning, her hand searched the two places her keys would be in before searching the thrid - and less likely - place. With a roll of her eyes (to herself) she removed the keys from said third option and unlocked her car before pulling open the door. She proceeded to toss her backpack across her seat to the floor of the passenger seat and then plopped her purse down as she moved into the driver's seat. Not a minute later and she was on her way to school.

Needless to say, English had been horrible. She had arrived early only to find Matt looking interested in some random blonde - who Sienna didn't even think was remotely cute. And, on top of that, she didn't even get to sit anywhere close to Marie-Elisabeth because she and Josh had rocked up to class just as the late bell rang. Not to mention Professor Rubelein had decided that it would be super to have them all break up into pairs. Horrible, horrible pairs. Sienna had somehow managed to be stuck with some lame-o who looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks [[random NPC]]. Good thing for her that he just slept most of the class. She, however, had passed the time by admiring her manicure, checking to make sure her make-up was just right, doodling, and staring at Matt.

The class literally felt like it went on for years.

But, at last, it had finished and she found herself avoiding the lunch room by stopping off at her Cheerleading coach's office. Sienna Gentry: Suck up. She didn't stay long, though. No. There was someone she hadn't caught up with yet.

Leaving the athletics end of the school, her pace quickened as she headed to her locker. She spun the dial and grabbed a bottle of water and her lunch, stuffing both into her purse before drifting off towards the lunch room. It was then she caught sight of Marie-Elisabeth; a bright, wide smile stretching across her face as she waved back and strode quickly towards her. I mean, she was, like, nearly halfway through school and she hadn't even gotten the latest gos. Talk about a bad day!

Effervescent. That's what she was. She wasn't just bubbly as she joined Marie-Elisabeth, she was effervescent. "Heeey! Oh my god. How are you? Oh my god.. English. I was so bored out of my mind and that kid I sat next to stank.." She paused, head cocking to the side as she noticed that Marie-Elisabeth was missing her other half. The all-powerful Josabeth was only at half-force. She blinked, "Where's Josh?" Granted, the guy wasn't -always- around and she usually would just babble on as per usual even if he was but still.. it was lunch. The whole lot of them -always- sat together. I mean, hello? Football players and Cheerleaders. It's, like, a no brainer.

outfit (http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/surfsunnwaves/sims2/outfit2.jpg)

[[ There you go, slytherin! Hope you like ]]

[emodawg]

((ooc: Apparently purplesummer isn't coming back, so if anyone's character is at a loose end so is Adam :)))

[IAmMadi]

((Furry - I see that you have your hands full with your other character, so, would it be alright if I leave Katie, or would that just stuff things up? :S I was just wondering, and since emodawg is free.))

[trampledsneakers]

((Alright, is everyone just about done with lunch? We can move on to the next period if you'd like sometime in the next day or two. Please just include your preference in your next post.
Will edit with Lila!))

[IAmMadi]

((Furry - Thank you. I will post a 'departing' post hopefully in the next few hours))

[maeve.2.0]

Loren had gone off, happily whistling some little tune, but Lacey barely noticed. She had been distracted -- as was bound to happen with some regularity when you had as short an attention span as she did -- and had remained where she was, her thoughts, as usual, captivating her.
Her gaze had wandered around the hallway, until caught by a pair of girls standing at the end of it. They were different as night and day -- one fair-haired and light-skinned, a regal kind of arrogance distorting her delicate features. Her companion had hair the colour of chestnuts, skin like she was quite familiar with the inside of a tanning bed, and a look of slavish devotion on her face. Yet they were both equally immaculately dressed, both seemed to exude total perfection. The first looked like she owned the world, the second, like she was hoping the first would give her a piece.

Marie-Elisabeth Normandy and Sienna Gentry.

Popular people, to Lacey, seemed to shine a little brighter than the rest of them. Like sparkling pearls in a sea of gravel stones, like sudden dots of colour. Marie-Elisabeth and her second-in-command Sienna. Josh Brennan, Matt Sidle. Lacey might have been jealous if she'd been the sort to be jealous, but Lacey had never been the sort to be jealous -- so she merely gazed at them with a kind of dreamy admiration, the way one looks at an enchanting painting. Their lives had to be beautiful.

Then Loren's ever-cheerful voice tore through her daydreams, and her attention snapped back to him. Only then did she see he had moved a few feet away, and was standing uncertainly in the middle of the hallway, evidently surprised that she hadn't followed him.

"Oh, did you already eat?" he said. "I didn't mean to drag you off to the cafeteria..." His voice trailed off, before continuing brightly, "Unless of course the maiden seeks entertainment other than the table --" probably drawing from some play or other as usual for inspiration "-- we could go to the lighting booth and use the playstation!"

Lacey smiled. It must be nice, she thought, to have been in so many plays, to have the wise, romantic, comical words of so many brilliant minds at your command. She herself had read a lot of nonfiction, of course, so had a million little facts at hand -- but they were a lot less poetic and much less applicable to everyday situations.

"Oh no," she said, with an airy little wave of her hand, "that's quite alright, the maiden's not that hungry actually. But I like the cafeteria. We can go there."

She briskly stepped past him and started leading the way.

(( OOC: hope it's OK for her to sort of... lead Loren to the cafeteria. You can just RP them to the cafeteria and everything.

and trampled, I'm fine either way ))

[Alissa888]

For someone who didn’t care much for lying, Josh Brennan was eternally used to living a lie and not exactly through choice. He was forever doing what he was expected to do rather than what he wanted to do and he was forever pretending to be quite content suppressing his own ambitions and desires. Not that he particularly had to think of it as lying because it was a way of life for him – he wasn’t lying to anyone else and he certainly wasn’t lying to himself.

Matt, on the other hand, did lie to himself. Repeatedly and relentlessly and the question of whether or not he realised what he was doing didn’t have a comprehendible answer. At this rate, it will probably never have an answer, let alone one that was comprehendible. For Matt, his identity revolved around what others made him out to be and, just like Josh did, he moulded himself into that idea.

Except Josh knew what the truth was, despite the fact that he lived the lie. He wanted none of the adoring fans and hollow praise that all arose from those who worshipped someone who didn’t exist. He knew exactly what it was that he wanted, he was just too scared to go for it all on his own, too afraid of hurting and disappointing everyone, but he did know what he wanted. Matt didn’t know what he wanted, not what he really wanted, otherwise, he would have had a real answer for the question that Josh had asked him.

"What I want,” Matt began to iterate, his crumbling patience hidden behind a thin veil as Josh simply watched to see how Matt could possibly articulate how he saw this mess. "... is for you to shut up, and just let things be the way they are; fine."

Honestly, why was Matt being so blind about this?! How long did he think things would be ‘fine’ while he waltz around lying to himself and to everyone he ran into? Was he actually that oblivious to what he was doing to himself? Because sooner or later, he’d wake up one day and realise that he didn’t know himself at all and – as much as Josh hoped it didn’t happen – he might have gone too far down a path to ever let himself truly be happy.

"And now I really do have to go,” he said in exasperation with obvious annoyance at Josh for having cost them the precious time they had. Josh himself had to admit regret where that was concerned; he’d rather have not spent this time arguing with Matt, but they had to talk about this stuff. Still, hurt regret was a look that defiantly seeped into the ice blue eyes.

"Don't give me that sad puppy dog look,” Matt reprimanded immediately, a comment which made Josh avert his gaze, towards the wall for a moment, not having realise that the look in his eyes had actually manifested. It had manifested and it was one that Matt had had the considerateness to acknowledge and address – though perhaps not in the best way possible. Its difficult to set the tone of a relationship when you can’t even accept that it’s a relationship. "I really do have to. Lunch is almost over, and I haven't even eaten anything yet.”

Josh gave the slightest smile at that; was that an apology? Was he actually feeling guilt at his failings when it came to this entire subject or did he just want to make sure Josh wasn’t hurt? Either way, it was a testament to the fact that whether Matt admitted it or not, he cared.

“Plus I promised Marie I'd meet up with her,” Matt carried on, making Josh come close to rolling his eyes. God, it was a twisted little situation, wasn’t it? Here Matt was, having an illicit relationship with his ex-girlfriend’s current boyfriend, only to have to leave abruptly to meet up with said ex-girlfriend. Greek stories had nothing on this one. “She'll be a pain if I don't show. And you better watch it with her too, because she sure isn't too happy with you either at the moment."

Yup, Josh had figured as much. He’d already realised that she was none too please about his attempt to relate to Katie, but as was a requirement of their relationship, he expected her to accept him the way he accepted her. Really, he didn’t want to hurt Marie-Elisabeth – he really didn’t, he cared about her, he truly enjoyed her company, it’s just… things were very complicated and he didn’t even realise exactly what he was doing or how it’d end up. So, when it came to Marie-Elisabeth being far from happy with him, this morning’s incident was the least of his concern.

But yes. If Matt wanted to leave, Josh wasn’t going to stand here and force him to stay and further complicate the damage by addressing the issue again and again. He was going to get nowhere today.

“You know things aren’t fine. You know they could be better,” he reiterated his point as he moved towards Matt, standing by the door, eyes locked in making his stance, and approaching him close enough for his warm breath to give a smooth caress on the other boy’s skin, their forms almost touching. But he didn’t do what he would have done, he didn’t make up for Matt’s annoyance or apologise or make his own annoyance clear; Josh simply moved his hand to the door handle and twisted it open, pulling the door slightly with a creak as the hurt look in his eyes hardened ever so slightly. “But best not keep Marie waiting, right?”

(((OOC: Hope this works for you, Atropa :)
Trampled, I'd quite like to extend lunch, if that's okay? :) )))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: trampled - Speaking only for myself here, but J.D. and Matt have yet to even make it to the cafeteria for lunch... But if it's the general opinion that we should move on, then of course, I won't object.)))


Having spent most of the lunch hour having to forsake doing what he'd prefer to do, only to be forced into doing what he really didn't want to do, Matt was now determined to leave. He had given Josh several chances to stop his arguing, and just enjoy what little time they had, they way Matt had meant for them to do. Only Lord knew when next they'd get a chance to meet, because these rare, private moments were exactly that; rare.
Well, by Matt's standards anyway.

But no. Josh had kept insisting on talking about things that he had to know could never be. He just wouldn't give up. No, he'd rather argue than actually appreciate what Matt was risking for him already, and just enjoy it. And while Matt had tried everything he could think of to make Josh change his mind and just give in, he was now done trying. At least this time around. He wasn't yet ready to give up on this 'arrangement' completely, because he was still hoping that Josh would just realize that they could never make public what was going on between them. Even if Matt's official stance to that 'something' was that it was in fact nothing.

So, fine then. If this was the way Josh preferred things to be, for the two of them to argue and leave the boiler room in worse moods than they had been in when getting there, then fine. Matt was done. Plus, he really did have to meet up with Marie-Elisabeth. It was actually his main reason for leaving in the first place. Had it not been for her, he might have actually stuck around a few minutes longer, to make one last attempt. But now, having told Marie-Elisabeth that he would come find her, he couldn't afford it. And it wasn't because he particularly liked her company more than Josh's. They both had their perks. It was just that Marie-Elisabeth was more like Matt, in that she was quite clever, and patience really wasn't one of her virtues. And the mix didn't offer alot of reassurance when it came to Matt making sure she never found out about him and Josh. Ever.
So, in order to keep her from getting too suspicious, he had no choice but to leave, and to leave right this minute.

Now if only Josh could understand that as well... After all, Matt WAS only trying to protect him as well as himself.

"You KNOW things aren't fine", Josh said as he followed Matt towards the door where they both paused. "You know they could be better."

At that, Matt made no attempt whatsoever to hold back the sigh that built up in his chest and made it heave with the same dejected annoyance that had laced his demeanour a few seconds ago. Was there no shutting Josh up at all? Even now, with parting rapidly approaching, he kept insisting on pushing for his cause, and brutally killing just about every last ounce of Matt's inclination to try and work out a time and place for their next encounter.

And things weren't exactly made better when he ventured so close to Matt that for a moment, the dark-eyed boy thought he might've actually decided to end this one on peaceful and pleasant terms after all. Thus he lingered just a few moments more, a look of easily defeated vigilance in his eyes as they locked briefly with Josh's. Only to have Josh simply disregard his silent consent and reach for the door handle instead, turning the knob and pushing the door open.

"But best not keep Marie waiting, right?"

His eyes having snapped to Josh's hand when he didn't feel it sneak around his waist to pull him closer, Matt's eyes snapped right back to lock with the other boy's slightly hardened gaze again, as the corridor leading to the stairs that would take them back up to the ground floor, spread out before him, and Josh's words registered in his mind. A dark shadow stole across his features then, his jaw tightened, and his slightly narrowed eyes seemed to almost shoot sparks. He'd been willing, wanting, to part on good terms, to take just a few more seconds, to try and somehow make up for the time Josh had wasted for the both of them.
But apparently, Josh valued fighting more.

"Yeah", Matt thus snapped before he could stop himself. "At least she's able to focus on what matters."

Not that what mattered between Matt and Josh had anything to do with what mattered between Matt and Marie-Elisabeth (at least not as long as she didn't know about Matt and Josh), but still. Matt doubted he'd have to spend an excessive amount of time arguing with her, rather than getting down to business, and start planning the details of their current project.

With that, he then left the boiler room, stalking angrily along the corridor and ascending the stone steps to the ground floor with a few, swift leaps. But upon reaching the last door seperating him from the hallway on the other side, he stopped for a few seconds, to run his hands trough his hair a few times, both as a way of adjusting it, and as a way of trying to calm down as well. A couple of deep breaths to rid himself of the last remnants of aggrevation, and then he eased open the door to peak out into the hallway, making sure it was deserted before entering it.

In the few minutes it then took him to reach the more crowded part of the school, he returned to his usual, perpetually although vaguely smiling self, moving through the scattered clusters of students with that ever-present confidence, in search of Marie-Elisabeth. Given the time, he wasn't quite sure where to find her, since she may have already finished her lunch and left the cafeteria.

However, it would turn out that luck was on his side, because while he was making his way towards the cafeteria - regardless of the fact that she may no longer be there, he still needed a starting point - he suddenly spotted her in company with one of her best friends, and one of his other ex's, Sienna Gentry.
Perfect.

Or not.
Just as he made eye contact with Marie-Elisabeth across the short distance still seperating them, and began sauntering towards her and Sienna, something suddenly dawned on him. His shirt... He had fixed his hair to make sure it looked it's usual slightly dishevelled perfection, but the upper part of his shirt was still open, from when Josh had undone the first two buttons.
Crap!

Still, being the skilled actor that he was, the realization never made him falter, even for a moment, and as he came to a halt by Marie-Elisabeth and Sienna, he simply re-did the buttons as if there was nothing noteworthy about them being undone in the first place, while flashing them both his notoriously saintlike smile.

"Hello ladies", he greeted. "Not interrupting anything, am I?"

[Slytherin-Girl]

There was something about having a second in command to count on that Marie-Elisabeth just liked. It wasn’t that Sienna was a particularly close friend; Marie-Elisabeth didn’t really have any of those. And it wasn’t that she specifically liked her more than anyone else. Maybe it was just the fact that she could always count on Sienna to be there, and to do whatever she asked. And she loved it when people did whatever she asked. So she was relieved when Sienna came towards her with a smile, she was planning on sending her to look for Matt so she didn’t have to traipse around the school herself.

"Heeey! Oh my god. How are you? Oh my god.. English. I was so bored out of my mind and that kid I sat next to stank.." Sienna said when she finally reached her. Marie-Elisabeth nodded with a vaguely sympathetic grimace on her face; thanking whoever was up there she hadn’t had to sit next to stinky. Not that she ever would have of course; she would have found an alternative partner. Even the squad weasel would be better than sitting with someone who hadn’t yet discovered soap.

“Where’s Josh” Sienna continued and Marie-Elisabeth made a face. “Hopefully getting a brain transplant” she replied, looking around the halls “He drives me crazy, he’s far too nice for his own good. At least Matt always knew who was to be avoided”. She sighed and turned back to Sienna, fiddling with the gold necklace she was wearing. “And that’s who I’m trying to find actually” she said “He was supposed to meet me ages ago, and I’m really beginning to get pissed off”.

It was at that moment she saw said ex-boyfriend come strolling down the hallway, buttoning his shirt back up. “Well speak of the devil” she muttered darkly, as he strolled up and flashed them a smile.

“Hello ladies” he said, “Not interrupting anything am I?”

“No but apparently I was” she said, gesturing to his shirt “Making up lies about going to see the guys when you were really doing that? I’m not impressed Matt”. She sighed and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache forming.

“I probably don’t even want to know who it was do I” she said, turning to Sienna “Let’s go, someone obviously has more important things to do then talk to us”.


(((OOC: Aaaaand the @itch is back *grin* Oh how I love you ME, you're just SO fun. I'm good with changing to next period whenever)))

[Laughy]

Kim was almost certain that either the boy had decided to ignore her or was dead. The latter was probably not possible, but she couldn't really repel that thought either. Stranger things had happened and she had been privy to them.

She was almost startled when he stirred and whirled around laughing slightly. She waved at him and smiled again,"So it's alive huh?", she asked laughing. She had honestly been prepared to go tell someone about the boy who was probably dead in his locker.

She was about to say something else when they were interrupted. She watched as the tall surfer looking girl came up to them. She reminded Kim of a model, but seemed a lot more laid back. Kim could only stand and watch as the girl managed to get out whole sentences and not give a chance to reply. It mesmerised her and she could feel herself dropping into a reverie as she listened to the girl talk.

She was suddenly waved out of it by the sound of Eeric and Lacey, she believed her name was, asking her name. "Oh, I'm Kim", she said, smiling warmly at Lacey. She hadn't even realised that she'd forgot to introduce herself.

[summerkelsa]

Standing before a particular vending machine of interest, Bodene tapped his chin as he eyes the selection. He then dropped his change into the machine and pressed the necessary buttons that would reward him with a big fat sticky honey bun. He bent down to retrieve his prive and started unwrapping it as he righted himself, moving away the plastic so he could take a bite as his gaze darted over to Sylvia. He eyed her snack of choice as he chewed, lips spreading into a lopsided grin. The beloved pop-tarts. He gave her a slight nudge as he motioned towards her pop-tart, "Good choice."

Attention shifting from Sylvia to the machines, Bodene then slumped over to the Coke Machine and snagged himself a bottle of coke before turning to eye the lunch line once more. It wasn't that bad, considering that most students either avoided school lunches for fear of dysentery, or had already made their way through the line. Which was a good thing for Bodene.

He turned and headed towards the lunch line because, no matter how sickeningly sweet and disgusting the honey bun was, it wasn't going to fill him up. He muched on it happily as he approached the line and came to a stop, the bottle of coke dangling from between two fingers at his side, notebook squeezed between his arm and his ribs. He sent a fleeting glance over towards Sylvia, wondering idly if she was the sort to take a chance on the school's menu, or if she was the sort to play it safe. However, his gaze swayed as he became distracted by a flurry of colour over near the hall that lead to the lockers. How he managed to miss her earlier was beyond him.

His attentiong drifted once more as the line shifted, bringing him to the front. It wasn't long until he left the line with a tray full of wonderful goodness: a rather hairy looking country fried steak - complete with mash and gravy, heaps of seasoned curly fries, a couple of chicken patties - whith cheese of course, and two slices of very dry-looking pizza. He was a little perturbed that the lunch lady refused to give him a third slice, but he'd make do with what he had. Pausing briefly, he grabbed a hand-ful of tomato sauce and then was off on his way.

Finding that Sylvia had lingered, he walked towards her after discarding the wrapper of his honey bun, gaze only now acknowledging the whole of the lunch room. His eyes scanned over the various places where he often parked to whoof down his food: the outskirts of the soccer table, the stoner table, the skater table, a table that comprised of very strange and antisocial people, and the odd empty (or partially) empty tables. It didn't really bother him that he had no definite place to eat. Just as long as he did eat. That's all that really mattered. Unlike most who would find the idea of finding a new place to sit in the crowded lunch room day in and day out rather unnerving, Bodene never had an issue. He just.. floated.

His gaze turned to rest on Sylvia, more-or-less waiting to see if she would advance to any particular spot. But, she seemed in no real hurry to go anywhere so he took it upon himself to head towards the back. That's where those more remote and empty tables typically were. That'd do him for today. Upon setting his tray down at the end of one of those aforementioned tables, he plopped down and set his spiral down next to him before opening his coke to take a quick swig. He then picked up his plastic knife and fork and began working on the country fried steak, often mixing it with a few curly fries and tomato sauce before shoving it in his mouth.

[[ I'm all for holding off for a little longer, trampled, but it's cool if you progress things forwards ]]

[emodawg]

The girl addressed her with a smile, ““Thank you. They were an un birthday present from my mom. We saw them in a store a few months ago and she insisted on buying them for me. She said they really suited me,” she explained then stuck her foot out so Lorene could admire them better, instinctively she lent in for a closer look.

Ah yes, polka dots were always a win in Lorene’s book, the bow was just the icing on the cake. “May I commend your mum for her excellent taste?” She smirked, still gazing down in fascination.

The girl put her foot down and likewise Lorene straightened up again. Lorene couldn’t help but notice, apart the awesome dress sense, how lovely the girl’s hair was. Lorene wished she only had the patience to grow it that long but she knew that it wouldn’t get half way down her back before a pixie cut or a bob would suddenly become amazingly attractive. Plus if she grew her hair that long she’d have to spend a LOT more on hair dye. Maybe after her dad eventually crumbled and let her get the deathawk she’d always wanted, she’d try growing it long.

“I’m Nadia by the way,” she introduced herself, “What’s your name? I’m sorry I don’t recognize you, you must be new here.”

Lorene feigned shock exclaiming, “What don’t you remember me?!” Then giggled. She extended a hand, “I’m Lorene, it’s my first day here.”

((ooc: IamMadi do you want me to post something first? x))

[FurryPanda]

((OOC: Laughy, Lacey had been ignoring Eeric and Kim for a while and she just left, so it doesn't make a lot of sense for Kim to greet her. IMO
Trampled: I'm good either way, but for the sake of a definitive yes or no I say we linger lunch time a little longer.))

Loren, whose general personal cheer was starting to rapidly deteriorate from hunger- which brought it down to about most people's normal demeanor- had a lovely mood boost when Lacey quickly shot down going to the lighting booth. "Oh no, that's quite alright, the maiden's not that hungry actually. But I like the cafeteria. We can go there."

He had no preference, stale donuts and twix bars were on par with what the cafeteria served, but the cafeteria was closer. She had made a little gesture with one hand and started heading that way, leaving Loren to have to spin on one foot to catch up. After apologizing quickly to whoever or whatever he might have kicked in his passing- just because he hadn't felt anything through his lovely knit sneakers didn't mean that he hadn't hit something, as he had discovered once- but no one answered so he dashed after Lacey- who really wasn't so far ahead as to require dashing- and with a bit of effort managed to get to a pace that matched hers.

They walked in companionable silence to the cafeteria, Loren with his hands in his pockets, admiring how the fluorescent lights made the sequins on his pants sparkle. The line wasn't that bad, and in the interests of being polite, he strictly ignored whether or not Lacey was standing with him on that line. If she wanted to follow him into the monotonously dull and rather warm food line of Brooklake, she was welcome to, and if she wanted to go grab a table she could do that also. He would pay her the courtesy of not noticing either way. Or of being seen to be completely oblivious as to whether or not he should.

The cafeteria did indeed have chicken patties that day, but Loren wasn't able to get it for free. He shrugged, it wasn't as if two bucks was that much money. Lunch acquired, he stepped out of the food line with the same little side step that he had to learn for Kiss Me, Kate. It had taken him months to do it to his immaculate standards, and now he did it at every opportunity.

He looked around and saw Lacey standing nearby, so tray in hand he walked over and commented, "The cafeteria, it's just gettin' smaller and smaller every day." Not from anything in particular, but Loren thought that mimicking Jeb from Oklahoma's accent might be appropriate. Quantum shrinkage of food areas was probably as far out of Loren's league as it was for a farmer in a play.

The cafeteria wasn't actually shrinking though, at least as far as Loren knew, but Brooklake's cafeteria was always packed to bursting. Loren looked around a bit and finally saw a not too packed table, one with four girls, all of whom had finished their lunches. Loren considered that to be an open invitation that the table was up for grabs, so he went over and put his tray down. All of the girls at the table looked up, in unison, and, also in unison, grimaced. "Hey!" he said with a bright smile and cheerful wave. "Could you scoot over and let us in?"

Four pairs of eyes all met over the table, and also in unison they got up and walked away. Loren shrugged to himself and sat down. He glanced up at Lacey and idly commented, "You'd think they'd never seen a crowded cafeteria." With that he meditatively took a bit of his chicken patty, and sat down to enjoy his lunch.

((OOC: Maeve, I hope thats okay with you? I tried to keep the GMing to a minimum, but, yeah. Also, I was thinking that maybe the girls Loren scared away were the ones that took Lacey's table earlier. If you don't like that, then its fine, but I figured I'd leave it open to interpretation.))

[Laughy]

((I was just replying to when Eeric wanted to introduce her but didn't know her name. Kim was actually talking to both of them.Sorry if I didn't make that clear before :) )

[IAmMadi]

((Furry - I am sorry for the delay! I had my post written out, I was so close to finishing. Then I switched user on my computer, forgot to log back on, and the computer was turned off. And the worst part, I didn't save. Hopefully I will finish it today.

emodawg - Yes, that would be great! I would have posted something already, but ^^^^^^.))

[trampledsneakers]

((Alright, it seems like the general consensus is to wait a bit before moving on. That's fine with me, just didn't want to have you all bored! :D ))


It seemed to her that eons had passed since the bell had sounded—a millennium since the class had emptied out. She was relatively certain even their professor had wandered aimlessly out of the room and left them in the eerily quiet room. Lila prayed that her stomach would remain silent for a while longer—the last thing she needed was for an unceremonious gurgling to sound from it, and then make the situation all the more awkward and unbearable. Although, who knew? Maybe the comedic relief of such a thing would actually help ease the tension. Unable to command her stomach, however, Lila had to satisfy herself with the tiny glimmer of a smile that seemed to glance over J.D.’s features. It was fleeting, barely perceptible even, but enough to give her hope that he wasn’t completely angry.

"Whaddya want?" His voice was a harsh snarl, and it sent a chill through Lila’s petite frame for the moment. Sometimes she forgot just how intimidating he could be—at least in that sense. He intimidated her for completely different reasons; the way he looked at her, what he said, how he said it. His intimidation to her wasn’t the generic bitter resentment he aimed at others; it was a completely different kind. It was almost more powerful than mere aggression alone, because something in his eyes made her waver. It was undefined—and that much more confusing.

They had moved to the hallway before Lila had even realized it; the change in scenery put her at ease simply because there were more witnesses. If J.D. was going to try something, his prime opportunity would have been in the classroom out of full view. At least here now there was the occasional teacher passing by, shooting them skeptical glances and checking their watches to confirm that their lunch period had yet to conclude.

“How would you like to draw comics for the paper?”

Lila marveled yet again at Natalie’s stoicism in the face of a rather grumpy J.D. She seemed relatively unfazed by his overall caustic demeanor, and went on speaking with the confidence of a seasoned saleswoman—she proposed her offer carefully, aware that she could very well be rebuked, yet simultaneously unwilling to avoid asking altogether. No risk, no reward, right? Lila’s emerald-hued eyes quickly snapped to J.D., trying to discern some sort of reaction from him. Before she could determine any real emotion there she heard Natalie addressing her again, and Lila turned to face her as she spoke elegantly.

“Lila, you’d like to see this sort of stuff in the paper right?” She paused a moment before adding quickly, “Well, assuming you read it.”

Lila decided replying to the second half of her statement would be the wiser choice as it would give her more time to determine how to phrase her response to the first half. Her eyes lit up and she gave a serious nod as though trying to reassure Natalie that she wasn’t mistaken.

“Of course! It’s great to see things from the other student’s perspectives. You all do a wonderful job,” She nodded emphatically again and offered her a pleasant smile before turning to direct her gaze to J.D. once more. Her eyes searched his ocher-glazed ones and she could only hope he would forgive her for the compliment she was about to give him. She’d have to make it up to him, somehow.

“And I would love to see J.D.’s work in the paper. To be honest, I had no idea…” she trailed off a moment, offering him a soft smile before continuing tentatively further, suddenly directing her speech to J.D. instead of about him, “That you were so talented. I’m sure the other students would really admire it too.” She finished with a nod and glanced back to Natalie. “But what do I know,” she squeaked softly and then simply shrugged, swallowing in an effort to suppress the faint surge of worry building up in her. Chances were that J.D. wasn’t going to take her words well.


((sorry this reply took so long! I had an insanely busy week. Sososo sorry to hold you two up! hope this works for you.))

[emodawg]

The dull groaning sound in the pit of his stomach informed Adam that he could no longer avoid the horror which was school lunch food. He frowned sullenly for a moment and followed his nose to the cafeteria. Pushing through the double doors, Adam was immediately hit the end of the queue. This was definitely going to be a long wait. He sighed and retrieved his ipod from his pocket and, because he had no company and queuing didn’t need much mental effort, put both headphones in and turned the volume up to max. He drummed on his thighs absent-mindedly as he waited, wondering if there was a music room he could mess around in with what ever time he had left after he’d had his lunch. Eyeing the various unappetising, homogeneous, gloopy substances on the plates of students who had already been served, he’d probably be done pretty quickly…

Adam couldn’t help but grimace as he reached the counter and something resembling Macaroni’s cat food was haphazardly dished onto his plate. The dinner lady’s careless motion resulted in the mucky beige particle being flicked at him, landing on the back of his hand which caused him to flinch and recoil perhaps a little too much than strictly necessary. He begrudgingly wiped his hand on the side of the tray and with a tight lipped smile muttered “thanks,” to the moustached dinner lady.

He took a seat and had a proper look at what he was expected to eat: Grisle floating in a murky brown solution that looked to be 1 part gravy, 7 parts water by the looks of it. The small amount that had landed him on him had barely been luke-warm. He sighed and pushed the murky mixture around his plate with his fork and solemnly swore he’d never come without lunch again, even if he had to include making sandwiches into his 2am cigarette routine. At least he’d gotten fries as well, could never go wrong with them.

As he munched monotonously, a combination of boredom and inspiration hit him. He got out the black felt tip pen he always kept on his person and started doodling on his serviette a scene not to different to the one he was in at present: Him in the cafeteria, sitting on a table alone with his ipod nonchalantly, with his plate. Except in his drawing his food was a living ambiguous rancid blob getting ready to engulf him as terrified students looked on. He signed it, as he did always, then smirked to himself. Not terribly original but still amusing he thought as he carried on eating the edible portion of his meal.

((Is that okies for you IamMadi? Aimée can just join him or something x))

[IAmMadi]

Aimée shifted her weight to her right foot. Suddenly, she didn’t have the best feeling about her plan. Her debate in her mind had been more incorrect than she thought.

Katie obviously didn’t like her, and if her nervous expression didn’t show it, her unwelcoming posture did. Aimée stiffened her back, her arms following suit. Aimée suddenly felt rather nauseous. She didn’t have much time to recover.

"I suppose, as long as we have the same class this afternoon," Aimée watched Katie fidget with her arm. Aimée gasped suddenly as she realised what this meant. Total detestation.

Life of death. That was how it felt to Aimée. She could leave Katie, or stay with someone who obviously didn’t like her. Being alone was fine. As long as she stayed out of ‘the loop’ and unnoticed until she found another human being who she could get along with.

She suddenly found herself wondering off track, if Americans liked the French. Or maybe they thought they were all a**holes.

She focused herself back on her dilemma. She didn’t think it though long.

Ditch her.

Aimée felt horrible and the words had not even come out of her mouth. She opened her mouth to speak. To lie.

“Katie, I have to go, I need to do something in the office, I forgot. How silly of me. Maybe we’ll catch up another time,” Aimée didn’t want a response. She pressed her notebook close to her chest and smiled delicately. She strode off in the direction of the cafeteria.


-Cafeteria-


Aimée opened the double doors and glanced at the line. Her stomach could live without food for a few hours.

She scouted the room from the entry. Looking for a possibly lonely student here who could use a French a**hole to cheer them up.

Aimée suddenly remembered that Katie was heading this way herself. She forced her feet forward until she was in the middle of the cafeteria, most likely looking like some kind of foreign lost sheep.

Her eyes wandered until they found a boy sitting at a table, alone. She didn’t think. Just acted.

She took shy steps forward, towards the boy with two-toned hair, roughly 5 metres away. Her eyes lingered on him. She suddenly worried that if he turned around, he would mistake her for some pervy psychopath. She let her eyes wonder again, discreetly focusing on the boy who sat alone.

Aimée was behind him, less than a metre, she moved to his side slightly. She glanced at what he was doing. He had a black marker in his hand, focused only on drawing whatever he was drawing. Aimée found that she was suddenly closer to him, she wondered if he knew she was there.

She looked at his drawing of the scene in front of them. It was amazing. Aimée had only seen work of that standard in French art galleries. She decided now would be the time to speak.

“You are quite the artist,” she tried to pull back the accent a small bit. Aimée knew her voice was slightly seducing. She knew he would turn around at the sound of her velvet voice. She prepared herself with a smile.


((Yes, that is absolutely fine emodawg!))

[Alissa888]

(((OOC:
And the doormat is back… wait, if ME’s Batman, Sienna’s Robin, Matt’s the ex (so, can be Spiderman :P) does that make Josh Catwoman….? :wtf: ;)

EDIT: Yup, I'll post Josh after you've posted Matt, Atropa :)
Robyn, there's got to be costumes out there ;) :D )))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: I REALLY need to get a reply in for Matt before anything really happens, but I was waiting for summerkelsa to reply first... Matt does have a reply for ME, so... yeah... :/ Please don't move too far ahead with things? Or would it be ok if I RPed it so that Matt responds before Josh shows up, Alissa? Oh, and, I might be mistaken, but I was under the impression that ME and Sienna were standing in the hallway when Matt approached, not sitting in the cafeteria?)))

[emodawg]

“I could get drive-thru on the way to school,” Adam thought to himself as he ate. KFC variety bucket maybe, Pizza, A box of Krispy Kremes? Oh the possibilities… Sure most stuff would get cold in his locker before it got to lunchtime but he could deal with that, his fries were hardly piping hot.

Though Adam was usually pretty oblivious when he had his headphones in, he was sure he felt someone’s breath ruffle his hair. He tensed up a little from the unexpected sensation. He turned his ipod down just in time to catch what the person had said.

“You are quite the artist,” A rather alluring unfamiliar female voice commented. Her tone seemed genuine to him.

He turned around, first to make sure the person was actually addressing him, and secondly more out of curiosity. A dark haired girl seemed to tower above him because of the awkward angle he had to crane his neck so he could take her all in. She had an immense amount of thick dark hair and she had to be the only person today apart from himself that he’d seen wearing skinny jeans, bright ones at that, and she thought he was talented. He loved her already…

He shrugged complacently at her compliment. Though Adam was usually less bashful when it came to his artwork, he didn’t think his 3-minute drawing on a scrappy napkin showed off his full abilities.

Regardless of whether he deserved her praise or not, he smiled, thinking it rude to argue with her, and replied, “Thanks.”

He didn’t know whether she just stopped to comment or was seeking further conversation. She didn’t seem in any rush to get anywhere and his neck couldn’t take this awkward angle much longer.

“I’m Adam. care for a seat?” He asked, kicking out the chair next to him so she could sit down and he could alleviate his neck pain. “There’s a picture in it for you, if you want,” He smirked at his lame attempt to sweeten the deal so he wouldn’t have to spend the rest of lunch by himself.

[Slytherin-Girl]

Nadia always liked meeting new people. That and the enormous love of acting, along with the talent for it, was one of the main reasons she liked theatre so much. You got to meet and work with all different kinds of new and interesting people. And this girl definitely seemed like a very interesting person. Besides she had already complimented Nadia’s mother, which was a plus in her books any day. And she hadn’t pulled a “Huh” face when she mentioned an unbirthday!

“What you don’t remember me” the other girl said, giggling and holding her hand out “I’m Lorene, it’s my first day here”.

“Nice to meet you” Nadia replied, sticking her own hand out and shaking the other girl’s “And I have to compliment whoever’s idea those shoes were too. The little dolls are adorable! And they even have polka dots, which of course are the height of fashion”.

She giggled and re adjusted her backpack, glancing down the hall and seeing a cluster of the popular kids, most of whom looked none too pleased. “Wanna go get something for lunch” she said, with a theatrical stage whisper while gesturing down the hall “Because I’m still hungry and you look like you need to sit down”.

She gestured to Lorene’s foot before continuing “And you probably want to avoid those guys right now. They’re good people really, but they can get really upset really quickly. We probably want to be somewhere else right now”.


(((OOC: *snickers at the thought of Josh in the catwoman suit* Sure, he can be Catwoman unless he wants to be Batgirl or something *snickers again and wonders if they have teen versions of said superheros to download....* I'll wait till we figure it out before I post ME again *grins* I love the wonderfully preceptive/evil B!tch, i really do)))

[summerkelsa]

[[ Gah, so sorry guys! I'm just having a mind block with writing this post! I have half of it done but it's giving me the sh*ts cuz it's not turning out right. Been a rough week/weekend. Hopefully I'll get it done by tonight. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Feel free to post, Atropa and you guys can just take liberties with Sienna while I punish my keyboard. ]]

[AtropaMandragora]

The advantage of being Matt (well, one among... oh, say a hundred?) was to be able to think fast, to think on one's feet. Always being part of some scheme of some sort, and feigning ignorance and innocence whenever needed, as well as being very well aware that Marie-Elisabeth was hardly likely to appreciate having been kept waiting, Matt had already thought up an excuse that ought to not only have her forgive him, but also elevate that surly mood of hers that he expected to witness upon approaching her and Sienna.
Sure enough, from the moment she laid eyes on him, there was no mistaking her annoyance. And had there been, it would've been promptly dismissed by her tone of voice.

"No but apparently I was", she snapped in reply to his most polite - if he may say so himself - greeting, and motioned suggestively towards the now buttoned shirt. "Making up lies about going to see the guys when you were really doing that? I'm not impressed Matt. I probably don't even want to know who it was do I?"

With that, she sighed and turned to Sienna, carrying on without letting Matt get a chance to neither defend himself, nor explain;

"Let's go, someone obviously has more important things to do then talk to us."

Boy, she really didn't give him much credit, did she? Even though she knew perfectly well that he didn't tend to neglect her, unless it was for a very important reason, or for reasons beyond his control. Although, he had to admit, while she didn't give him credit where credit was due in one regard, she did actually give it in another; to suspect him of having seduced some pretty little thing enough for clothes to get... dishevelled, when he currently wasn't really dating anyone in particular. Granted, he could move fast if the occasion called for it, but this would've been a bit of a record, even for him. At least while his chosen target would have been assumed to be perfectly sober. Or maybe she thought it was one of his already established fans, or maybe even that he'd gone back to someone he'd already dumped once? If so; for shame. She ought to know his philosophy by now; why go on the same ride twice, when there were so many others yet to be tried?
But whatever. It didn't matter that she was partly correct about what he'd been doing, nor that she was right about probably not wanting to know whom he'd done it with, because he wasn't about to tell her the truth anyway. Instead, he went on with his plan; lying through his teeth without as much as batting an eye.

"Is that the thanks I get for spending most of my lunchbreak trying to get your 'project' off the ground?" he said, motioning to her with clearly acted dejection, and then cocked his head slightly to the side, gazing disapprovingly at her. "Really, Marie. Sometimes you make me think you don't know me at all."

That said, he then shrugged, and added with teasing arrogance;

"But alright then. If you don't want to hear my plan, I'll just hang on to it until I find a use for it myself."


(((ooc: Hope it makes sense. Dead tired, and should have been in bed about half an hour ago.)))

[summerkelsa]

Sienna removed her bottle of water from her purse as she eyed Marie-Elisabeth. The face the blonde made had Sienna realizing that she probably should have kept her trap shut about that one. Feeling a little sheepish about bringing up the topic, she spun the cap of her water off and took a few gulps before replacing the cap and dragging a nail along the ribbed sides of the bottle without much thought to the action.

“Hopefully getting a brain transplant”

That comment made a small grin steal across her full lips but she hid it quickly as the blonde continued,

“He drives me crazy, he’s far too nice for his own good. At least Matt always knew who was to be avoided”. And then she sighed.

Sienna's mind went racing with that one. Sienna Gentry hadn't necessarily always been in this position. She hadn't always been where she is now, rubbing shoulders with the most attractive and popular students in her school. No. She had always had some association but never as much fame, if you will, as she did now - thanks to cheerleading and dance. However, she knew, probably more than anyone, that it was of utmost importance to limit association with those of lower 'status'. She was always questioning her own status - due to being the paranoid thing she is - and thus avoided such association as if her own life depended on it. And, in Sienna's strange little world, it did. There was no way she could live with herself if she, for some reason, didn't follow her own strict code and managed to fall from grace. To lose face. To lose her status. She'd never let it happen. She'd worked too hard to have what status she had now. There was no way she'd make such a mistake as to be associated or even seen with the wrong people.

And then there was the topic of Matt Sidhle, her and Marie-Elisabeth's ex. Ok, so, it was kinda weird that she had started seeing the guy not longer after he and Marie-Elisabeth had split but, honestly, there was no bad blood. In any other situation, it would have been the worst thing she could have ever done. It would be breaking a long-standing female bestie code. But, lucky for her, Marie-Elisabeth and Josh had hooked up and formed the perfect power couple.

Now, Sienna's 'relationship' with Matt hadn't been a long one - much to her dismay - but it had been enough to fuel the long-standing obsession she had had with the boy since she was twelve. And, ergo they parted 'amicably', she still held on to a strange hope that, one day, she and Matt would be together again. Not that she'd ever divulge such fantasies with anyone! No, they were kept to herself and she put on a nonchalant face about the whole thing.

And then Marie-Elisabeth ventured on, pulling Sienna from her mental reverie.

"And that’s who I’m trying to find actually. He was supposed to meet me ages ago, and I’m really beginning to get pissed off”.

Sienna's carefully tweezed brows furrowed as she cocked her head. That didn't sound like Matt. Her hazel eyes then turned to sweep over the cafeteria before returning to her friend as she apparently caught sight of the one she was looking for.

"Well speak of the devil".

Sienna's gaze instantly flicked to Matt as he sauntered up to them. She instantly noticed his hands working on the buttons of his shirt and she fought not to let her brow crease as a small wave of jealousy swept over her. 'Whoever it was, she was probably some meaningless ditz' became Sienna's temporary mantra as she stared at Matt, lips parted, jaw slightly slack. Uhhhgg she couldn't believe him.

She didn't let her eyes linger for long, Marie-Elisabeth attracting her attention with her angry words.

"No but apparently I was” she said, gesturing to his shirt “Making up lies about going to see the guys when you were really doing that? I’m not impressed Matt".

With that, Sienna gave Matt and equally annoyed face as she turned towards Marie-Elisabeth, only tossing him a slightly narrowed look over her shoulder as Marie continued to address him. Sienna remained silent, letting Marie do the talking.

"I probably don’t even want to know who it was do I”

Again, another disgusted look was sent in Matt's direction in support of what Marie had said before the blonde turned to her,

“Let’s go, someone obviously has more important things to do then talk to us”.

And, with that Sienna gave a slight flick of her hair as the two girls turned and started to walk away from him. However, her interest was piqued once Matt started talking again about a 'project' between Marie and himself. She cast a narrowed, confused look in Marie's direction as her full lips drew together, brows furrowing, "Project?"

Ok, so, it probably wasn't Sienna's place to ask, but she couldn't help it. She suddenly felt very very very left out. She sent a quick glance over her shoulder towards Matt but it was fleeting and she quickly turned her attention to her water bottle as she swallowed down some more water. She then tucked her bottle away in her purse and let her gaze skitter back to Marie as she nibbled lightly on her lush bottom lip.

[[ ugg, not 100% happy with that but oh well. So sorry. Hope everything works for you guys. Oh, and, Atropa, tell if the whole Matt thing works for you. I'll tweak it if not. ]]

[maeve.2.0]

They headed off to the cafeteria, and it wasn't long before silence dawned on them. Lacey was OK with that -- she had nothing of importance to say and while with anyone else, she would have made idle chit-chat to be polite, Loren never seemed to mind companionable silence either. With anyone else, it would have been awkward, but Loren only spoke when he truly felt he had something important to say. Of course, to him, a random quote from some obscure play counted as "something important."

Still. Lacey liked it. Sometimes he seemed so very different than the other students at Brooklake, not bothering or barely noticing nitpicky social etiquette -- it was refreshing.

Normally the line was miles long but lunch was halfway over, which meant less people were only just arriving and joining the food line, but the amount of people packed at the cafeteria tables was at its highest point. A buzz of chatter emenated from the crowd, like a horde of angry bees.

Having managed to avoid the food line her first time round, Lacey had no desire to stand among irritable, starving teenagers for the sole reason of keeping Loren -- who probably didn't even need it -- company. So she hung back and lolled against the wall, busying herself with running a hand through her hair, inspecting her nails with incredible interest, and searching the insides of her pockets for any stray cash she might be able to spend at the vending machines later in the day.

Finally Loren was finished, and turned to face her, loaded tray in hands and usual beaming grin in place. As he carefully moved out of the line, his feet made a funny little side step. Lacey smiled dreamily at that -- she recognized the little wriggle from that play, from one of the times when no one needed to be beautified, and she'd managed to sneak a peek through the curtains and watch him on stage.

"The cafeteria, it's just gettin' smaller and smaller every day," he said, for some reason spontaneously acquiring a Southern accent.

Due to the immense crowd, they had no choice but to go up to a half-full table -- and of course Loren selected the same table some way in the back where Lacey had sat earlier, the same table where now the group of what she thought to be cheerleaders were seated. She bit her lip as he strolled up to the table, put his tray down and, oblivious to the grimaces of the girls at the sight of him, said with a benign wave, "Hey! Could you scoot over and let us in?"

How dumb does this look?

The girls had asked Lacey for the table, she had informed them that she was just leaving, and she had left. Now she was back, with someone else, asking for the table back again. She couldn't imagine what these girls were thinking.
Evidently they weren't thinking anything pleasant, though, as the four girls shot each other meaningful glances and, in unison, got up and walked off. Loren, ever self-assured, shrugged to himself and took a seat. "You'd think they'd never seen a crowded cafeteria," he said casually, picking up his chicken patty and taking a large bite.

Lacey shrugged, too. She sat down on the edge of one of the chairs, but apparently was too haphazard, as she sent the chair, and herself, rocking sideways and crashing to the floor. Cheeks burning, she scrambled up, tried to avoid all curious gazes glancing her way, especially Loren's, and set the chair upright.

Well.

"Er, anyway," she said, her voice high-pitched and fast in her nerves. "Didn't you notice I wasn't there in English? I completely forgot to go to school this morning." She laughed nervously.

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: There are too darned few troublemakers here! I just took a glance at the character list, and J.D. is the only one. Poor guy. *lol* Made me sentimental, so just because; my sweet (ahem), innocent (double-ahem) Leigh (http://www.crimson-tale.com/Temp/Leigh4.jpg). )))


With a reputation such as J.D.'s, there were certain things you would never expect someone to say to him, and things that he would never expect to hear. At least not from someone outside of his own circle of friends and acquaintances. 'Wanna hang out?', 'Is this seat taken?', 'Congratulations, you got an A' were all terrific examples of such things. And, in the wake of the conversation he was currenrly involved in, 'How would you like to draw comics for the paper?', while it wasn't one that he had actually even considered as a possible impossibility, was one that really did belong on that list as well. No one in their right mind would ever expect him to show any interest whatsoever, in any school-related activity whatsoever.

Or so he'd thought. But here she was, the increasingly annoying brunette infront of him, proving him wrong and asking that exact thing.
Though who knew? Maybe looks were decieving, and she really was a card short of a full deck. It would certainly explain why she seemed to lack the basic survival instinct that most people had, and appearing to be completely fearless in the face of a clearly not-so-amused J.D. Harper, when most students would've been scampering off in the opposite direction already when hit by his initial glare.
But not this what's-her-name, apparently.

However, just as J.D. was beginning to question her sanity, she turned to Lila once more, in a pattern that even though it was rather faint, made it seem as though she really did realize who she was dealing with after all, and recognized Lila as a way of keeping his temper in check.

"Lila", she said, "...you’d like to see this sort of stuff in the paper right? Well, assuming you read it."

What she didn't seem to realize, was that even though Lila did indeed have a calming effect on him, J.D. still had a short temper, and he wasn't sure how exactly he felt about Lila being used as some sort of shield against said temper, even if it was in a kind of roundabout way.
Though Lila herself didn't seem to mind too much. Which was hardly a surprise, considering she was quite the pacifist, and knew perfectly well that J.D. was hardly the friendly type, especially when cornered somehow.

"Of course!" she enthusiastically assured the other girl. "It's great to see things from the other student's perspectives. You all do a wonderful job."

With that, her gaze shifted back to J.D., and unlike a few seconds earlier, when she had glanced at him but had her eyes drawn back to Natalie when Natalie had addressed her, this time it lingered. It even softened, helped along by that likable smile of hers, beckoning J.D.'s own to mimic it's curve, for reasons he couldn't explain. It just seemed to him to be so very contagious. Though it didn't manage to tug his lips into a broad, appealing smile, but it did cause them to curve slightly.

"And I would love to see J.D.'s work in the paper", she continued as their gazes locked. "To be honest, I had no idea...

She paused, seeming almost unsure of whether or not she should dare finishing her sentence, perhaps in fear that his apparent annoyance with Natalie would spread to herself as well. However, in the end, she decided to follow it through;

"That you were so talented", she concluded. "I'm sure the other students would really admire it too. But what do I know."

Now, wasn't that quite a dilemma that she was presenting him with? Her words did mean quite a bit to him, and he couldn't help but to smirk with satisfaction at the sound of them, but... He really wasn't too keen on the idea of sharing his drawings with the entire school, and most certainly not in something as... school-y as Brooklake's school paper. He didn't like the idea of other people judging his work (as had already been quite vividly illustrated by his attitude towards Natalie now), he didn't like the idea of being subjected to working on a possible deadline, and he didn't like the idea of quite possibly having to censor his inspiration. Because he seriously doubted alot of the stuff he drew would be deemed 'suitable' for a high school paper.

On the other hand, he knew he wasn't half bad, and so it would be a slap in the face to those who were convinced that just because he did poorly in school, got into alot of trouble, and was generally considered a 'bad seed', that there was nothing he was good at, except being bad.

So, even though rejection was a reaction as sure as eggs is eggs, it was preceded by just the slightest moment of hesitation, or possibly contemplation.

"You're crazy", he said, aiming his gaze at Natalie once more, settling for directing his dismissal at her, even though technically, Lila was part of what he was dismissing as well.

He might not be ready to do something as rare for him as openly accepting her compliments infront of an audience, but he wasn't going to brush them off or snap at her because of them either. Thus, Natalie was made the sole target of his rejection.

"Why the h*ll would I do that?" he scoffed.

[Slytherin-Girl]

If Marie-Elisabeth had been annoyed before, she was so far beyond that now it wasn’t funny. She had probably even moved past the realm of annoyed into royally pissed off which probably meant the next person to cross her path would be running into the school counselor's office crying like a baby. And naturally she’d get in no trouble for it, the counselor was the daughter of one of her father’s business partners.

Matt’s denial of the fact that he had been fooling around with someone was just the icing on the proverbial cake. “Oh please” she scoffed, when he just glossed over her accusations with a vague statement about getting a project off the ground “I think I know better than anyone what you look like after you’ve been fooling around with someone. I know what you’re like, and contrary to what the colour of my hair is, I’m not stupid and about to believe you when you’re clearly lying”.

She didn’t know if it was the fact that he was lying that pissed her off, or the fact that he was trying to lie to her. It wasn’t that they had some kind of strict code of honesty; they just usually had no cause to lie to each other since they tended to work towards the same goals.

She turned her back to him and faced Sienna, who had muttered “Project” and looked confused. “I’ll tell you all about it in a minute” she said, gesturing down the hall “We’re leaving anyway, we have better things to do”. She didn’t bother to turn around and look at Matt, just started on her way down the hallway, knowing that Sienna would be right behind her.

[Alissa888]

Dejection or satisfaction? Josh wasn’t sure how to look at this. He hadn’t been able to just let it go, to just drop the subject and carry on as if there was nothing wrong for the simple fact that there was something obviously wrong with the situation and shoving it under the carpet wasn’t likely to help anyone. And he’d been making progress, he really had been making progress and so he felt a little satisfied that, for once, he’d made Matt face the matter rather than stick his head in the sand.

At the same time, he now felt so very dejected, meeting the look in Matt’s eyes that seemed to shoot daggers at him. What? First he wanted to leave and now that he was getting the chance to, he got worked up about it? Or was it that he didn’t want to part on bitter terms? Well, all it took was for him to be a little bit more accepting of the current situation and there, problem solved… or getting to be solved. But then, Josh had relentlessly pushed the matter to a point where… he felt like he’d done most of the damage and he’d truly wanted to shut that door once more and apologise. Apologise for being so forceful about it, but not for actually attempting to address the issues.

But, however, damage was already done.

"Yeah,” Matt snapped at his quip, following with a statement that almost made Josh flinch for the simple fact that it accused him of the exact opposite that he’d been attempting to do and because he just didn’t want Matt to be so mad at him, especially when he didn’t know when they’d next meet and he had no way of attempting to correct things until then. That was, assuming the damage he’d done hadn’t thrown the possibility of ‘next time’ out the window. "At least she's able to focus on what matters."

With that, Matt simply stormed out the door that Josh had held open for him, not giving a glance back at the blue-eyed boy who watched the retreating frame before slamming the door shut slightly in frustration. And now, all he could do was just sit and wait until the time was right for him to leave without jeopardising this ridiculous cover. While he cared little for it, he wasn’t about to betray Matt’s trust and jeopardise his security or Josh’s relationship with him. So, yes, even if he was angry, he stuck to Matt’s wishes.

But while he sat in the room, he had to think things over, he had to make it make sense to him in a way that it really hadn’t beforehand, because he was trying to figure Matt’s stance out. Where exactly did Josh think he stood in this? Christ, he was cheating on his girlfriend with her ex-boyfriend. It was wrong and it wasn’t fair on anyone. He wasn’t quite sure what he’d been thinking when it all started – well, he hadn’t been doing much thinking.

Josh had been single and that incident with Matt was just… exhilarating even if it could have potentially cost him everything, but really, it shouldn’t have and he wasn’t hurting anyone, it was no-one’s business. Then, Matt had made it clear that this in no way meant that they were in a relationship – his dating Sienna Gentry and then Natalie Cardew plainly proving his point – and, despite better judgment telling him he was letting himself in for trouble, Josh had agreed to just a casual association. And then came along Marie-Elisabeth and she’d been lovely, she was a great girl and it’d begun as simple dating, she was like the lack of complication in his oh-so complicated life and it’d evolved into a relationship.

Now it was just messy, all of it. He’d really, really just screwed everything up grandly. His relationship with Marie-Elisabeth was supposed to be uncomplicated, but come on, he was in that ‘arrangement’ with her ex-boyfriend, how was it ever going to be uncomplicated, regardless of how it was supposed to be? And he hadn’t known which would be more difficult to sever ties to; Matt’s arrangement with him, or Marie-Elisabeth’s relationship with him? He cared about both, but he could have both. So, he decided on the only thing that made sense to him; to come out, to just be done with the lies and the games.

If he’d finished with Matt, he’d have lost Matt and that was… not an option, and he’d have had his uncomplicated relationship with Marie-Elisabeth. Except, it’d be a lie because of everything that had happened before he took action. The whole point of finish with Matt would have been to stop living a lie and what would have been the point if he was just going to carry on lying? Alternatively, there was his relationship with Marie-Elisabeth. He couldn’t just break up with her, he couldn’t find a particular reason – apart from being with Matt, which would then have to be a secret anyway – to not want her company. He didn’t want to lie again. And he really did care about her, so, she deserved the truth at least. He didn’t have much of a choice over it, but he was sticking to what he thought was best.

It all worked well in theory, but there were issues attached to it. Josh didn’t have the courage to come out as a bisexual on his own. Even if it felt right to him, he knew all too well that it wasn’t very accepted by others. He needed support, as selfish as it sounded, and he thus needed Matt with him when he did it. And he really did believe that it was the best thing for Matt too, to stop being so ridiculously ignorant with his own life. And it gave Marie-Elisabeth the explanation she deserved, because he was sorry about everything and everyone he hurt, even if he hadn’t actually hurt them yet. He just had to work at it, that was all. He couldn’t give up.

But, just as he’d rearranged himself, hair and clothes, and was getting ready to lock up and leave, a sudden realisation dawned on him; he’d told Marie-Elisabeth he’d catch up with her and that was exactly where Matt was headed. Damn it! He had no intention of not catching up with Marie-Elisabeth, because he’d hurt her feelings twice – one that she didn’t know about – and he wasn’t going to not try make it alright. And it wasn’t for keeping up appearances, it was because he felt guilty about hurting her. Besides, as the more frustrated part of his mind whispered to him, it’d teach Matt a thing or two about how difficult this was going to get.

So, he finally left, taking the long way around the school to place as much of a time gap between his and Matt’s arrival, even going through the sports field and past the Coach’s office again to make his way back to the main school building and into the cafeteria through the back entrance and from there, back into the halls. There, his gaze wandered around the crowded place, making contact with Matt, standing by the forms of Marie-Elisabeth and Sienna, him taking in a deep breath before making his way towards them.

Only to be thankfully interrupted by the hand of another, broad, masculine from slamming playfully between his shoulder blades. Mark, vice captain and fellow jock.

“Hey man!” he grinned inanely, oblivious to Josh’s issues, though reciprocated by an equally well-meaning grin from Josh. “How’s it going?”

“Yeah, it’s good,” Josh answered, customarily asking the question back, only to receive whole detailed synopsis of Mark’s current life before Josh finally saw fit to interrupt. “Hey, don’t forget to sign up for that evaluation thing, unless you want Benwick on your case. Gotta go talk to Marie.”

“Yeah, I forgot,” Mark grinned again, making a little whiplash gesture all combined with the sound effects, to which Josh simply quirked a brow as he reprised his journey towards the trio. He didn’t really care what everyone else thought about his relationship with Marie-Elisabeth; they didn’t know the half of it. Besides, it was what happened in every one of Marie-Elisabeth’s relationships, right?

Speaking of them, during that time he’s spent catching up with Mark, Josh discovered that apparently, he’d either caught them just in time or his presence had somehow caused their movement back towards the hallway, prompting him to quickly match and overtake their pace to catch up with them.

“I’m sorry,” he started, one hand gingerly resting on Marie-Elisabeth’s waist before he circled around her to face her, his gaze searching out hers with that powerful puppy dog look. “I’ve upset you.”

With that, he took a polite, momentary look around to her company, a greeting smile at Sienna and an acknowledging nod to Matt – hoping and trusting that the brown-eyed boy knew what it meant, before returning his gaze to Marie-Elisabeth.

(((OOC: Hope that vaguely makes sense to you guys, he’s just confused)))

[AtropaMandragora]

When part of the prep clique, you were usually very much aware that 'friends' tended to be a term used rather loosely. You surrounded yourself with people that were as popular and attractive as yourself, and waged war on those that were not. Unity through necessity - you simply couldn't be popular without the approval of at least the majority of the other preps - and through a common cause. Only rarely did the 'friendship' pass beyond that meaning, into that of true friendship, where someone would stick by your side no matter what, and forgive whatever faults and flaws that you might have. They would wait patiently for you when running late, they would let you explain without jumping to conclusions, and they would listen eagerly when you claimed to have something to share with them.

Matt and Marie-Elisabeth, were 'friends', and not friends. Had there been any doubt whatsoever in Matt's mind regarding that fact, it had now been proven beyond a doubt by Marie-Elisabeth that there shouldn't be. Instead of indulging him and letting him explain what he claimed to be perfectly able to explain, and instead of acknowledging that he really had something he seemed quite excited about sharing with her, she kept insisting that he was lying to her, even though she really should know better than to accuse him of doing so when she didn't even have the faintest clue about the details of his explanation. Because, contrary to what she had gotten into her head, they would have explained his slightly dishevelled look just fine, thank you very much. Despite not having been entirely true. Yet. In a few hours or so, they would be, with the exception of having happened after he'd claimed they had. But that wasn't important. He really did have a plan that would have taken care of her 'problem', and he really did know how he would go about it. And it really did involve him probably having to flash just a little skin to make it happen. For yes, contrary to popular belief, there were times when guys could get their way by doing so as well. It wasn't just the girls' prerogative.

But no, Marie-Elisabeth, ever the fickle girl, had obviously decided that now, she no longer wanted to hear about his plan to get the thorn in her side not only kicked out of cheerleading squad, but humiliated as well.

"Oh please", she dismissed his attempt to pique her curiousity, with a scoff. "I think I know better than anyone what you look like after you've been fooling around with someone. I know what you're like, and contrary to what the colour of my hair is, I'm not stupid and about to believe you when you're clearly lying."

Mistake number one. Matt hadn't actually said he hadn't been 'fooling around' with someone, nor had he even told an actual lie, except maybe for the part where he had said he had spent most of his lunch hour trying to get her project off the ground. He had been working on it, only he had been doing it mentally, planning how to go about the setup while he'd been making his way towards the boiler room, and, for a few moments, while he had been making his way to try and find Marie-Elisabeth just now.
So, techincally, no actual, full-out lie had been told.

"I'll tell you all about it in a minute", she continued while turning to Sienna, who'd seemed rather confused by his mention of this 'project'. "We’re leaving anyway, we have better things to do."

As simple as that, she moved on to mistake number two. She turned her back to Matt and started walking away without as much as looking back. Big mistake. Big mistake. For even though they might not be true, through-thick-and-thin friends, she really ought to know better than to treat him with such disrespect. He had never done it to her, nor had he ever wanted to. Not even when she was at her worst. Others might be treated as doormats and nuisances, as wastes of time, by the two of them and their other friends, but when it came to the crème de la crème among the preps, you didn't. You just didn't.
So if she thought he would come running after her like some dog on a leash, she had another thing coming. Matt didn't run after anyone, especially not when they pulled the 'I'm too good for you' routine on him. Not even Marie-Elisabeth. In fact, especially not Marie-Elisabeth, because she really ought to know better.

And if she was more interested in pulling stunts like the current one, her infamous 'Queen B*tch' one, with him of all people, than she was in hearing his plan, well, then he really would find another use for it. Why, if she wasn't careful, he might even decide to use it on her instead. Now wouldn't that knock her down, not just a peg or two, but all the way to the bottom? The head cheerleader, kicked out of the cheerleading squad, without being able to ever prove that Matt, or anyone else for that matter, had even the smallest thing to do with it.
Beautiful.

However, he wouldn't go that far just yet. He would be generous and tolerant, and give her a chance to come around first, and realize she'd better apologize for treating him like she treated the nerds and the oddballs, and for not believing him. Everyone believed him. Even she, as the last couple of months, not to mention their entire 'friendship', had proven quite aptly.
So yes, even though she really should know better than to accuse him of lying, and more importantly to turn her back on him and walk away, he would be generous enough to give her a while to realize her mistake, and to make up for it.

And so, instead of following her and her human tail Sienna, he remained right where he was, glancing around at the other students that had been secretly watching the intermezzo, and rolling his eyes in a suggestive way that drew some faint giggles from a group of nearby girls, and amused smiles from one or two of the boys.

Then, he finally began to head for the cafeteria and get something to silence his rumbling stomach. But just as he did, Josh appeared further down the hallway, moving in the direction of the splitting prep trio, clearly with the currently not-so-brilliant plan of approaching Marie-Elisabeth. Momentarily locking gazes with Matt, he caused the other boy's movements to slow to a halt. Though it would turn out to be an ever so brief one, because the next moment, one of Josh's jock friends approached him from behind, forcing Josh to break away from Matt's gaze, and thus set Matt's frame into motion once more. He resumed his course towards the cafeteria, was slightly delayed by one of his other friends who was looking to chat, and managed to free himself and pass by Marie-Elisabeth, Sienna and Josh just as Josh wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's waist and drew the faintest of sarcastic smirks from Matt's lips. Now didn't this all make Josh quite the hypocrite? He gave Matt a hard time for feeling he needed to catch up with Marie-Elisabeth, and then what was the first thing he himself did after he and Matt parted? Seek out Marie-Elisabeth! Or perhaps he did it just to irk Matt even more, or put more pressure on him by challenging the facade that Matt insisted on maintaining, that there was nothing at all going on?
Well, if so; think again. It would take more than that to make Matt falter.

However, as it would turn out, it didn't seem to be Josh's intention at all, for even though the distance between them and Matt was quite a few feet, Matt was still close enough at that very moment to catch Josh's words, as well as notice the slight nod he sent Matt's way a few moments later. And, while the words he spoke did seem to be aimed solely at Marie-Elisabeth, the look in his eyes when he gave that small nod to Matt seemed to signal, to the only one that was able to read more into it, that they were meant for Matt as well.

So, he was sorry, was he? Sorry for what? For pushing, or just for pushing too far? For wasting what little time they both knew they had? For having Matt leave in a foul mood? Or just in general, for everything?
Well, either way, he obviously had more sense than his girlfriend, because regardless of what he meant, he was apologizing. And while he had displeased Matt and made him angry, he hadn't actually treated him as arrogantly as little miss too-ignorant-to-not-risk-turning-my-best-friend-into-my-worst-enemy over there.

Furthermore, regardless of their differences, Josh just wouldn't turn his back on Matt. Their opinions had clashed, they hadn't parted on all that friendly terms, and yet, Matt had to admit... Josh, while he might argue, did actually listen as well. He accepted Matt's flaw - though granted, he both shared it, and was part of it - and he still stuck with him. The times when Matt made him wait for Matt to arrive, Josh waited patiently, and he never accused Matt of lying, even when he did. And he most certainly did not turn his back on him, physically or otherwise.

It was all so very ironic. The person whom Matt was considered to be friends with, was currently treating him as anything but, and the person that really did treat him as a friend, and true friend, he couldn't openly acknowledge as one. All he could do, as the realization dawned on him, was to shoot Josh another glance just before he would no longer be able to without turning his head, and as their eyes met for another split second, the look in Matt's softened, from slightly acidic indignation, to the kind of gentle smile only visible in the eyes, but never on the lips. It was his way of saying 'fine, apology accepted'. Because just like he'd been made to experience before, time and time again, he just coud not stay mad at Josh.

Then, not two moments later, he had left the other, newly formed trio behind, and he continued to step through the doorway to the cafeteria, his dark velvet eyes scanning the spacious, noisy room for friends, or someone else that seemed interesting enough for him to pay attention to. Maybe that cute blond with the nice voice, from English class?


(((ooc: Phew, that was long and I can only hope it makes sense. There was just so much going on in Matt's head there. :D

Oh, and, he's highly approachable. )))

[FurryPanda]

Loren tended to not be aware of what was going on around him. If something was on fire, he'd probably notice, and if someone was specifically calling his name he'd usually answer. Beyond that he was content to stay in his own little world, watching plays that he'd read but not seen, and figuring out whatever nitty gritties were associated with whatever character he was playing.

In today's case he had spent all of first period either reading Matt's paper or daydreaming about Natalie, and then most of lunch in Lacey's company. So when they sat down he was all set to catch up on a morning's back mental dramatizing. Until something caught his attention, again.

The distraction from his distractions this time was Lacey missing when she sat down, and coming into contact with the floor, chair and all. Loudly. He was a bit concerned for his freind and he started up himself, staring. Happily for Loren's sense of social graces he had no idea how rude it was to stare at someone. Lacey seemed determined not to mkae eye contact, so he took another bite out of his sandwhich, and decided not to comment until her face was out of technicolor.

Before he could ask if she was alright she said, with a bit of false cheer, "Er, anyway, didn't you notice I wasn't there in English? I completely forgot to go to school this morning."

Lacey was one of the few people that Loren didn't want to offend most of the time, and, in a moment of rare insight he doubted it would be prudent to answer her honestly, that he hadn't noticed, having gotten far too caught up in the assignment. So he decided to lie, in full dramatic style, all the better to spare his freind's feelings. Hopefully she wouldn't recognize the Shakespeare reference. "'Twas the first thing I noticed, and the entire thing seemed bleak and woebegone without you there."

He finished his sandwhich in one more bite, and then went back to his usual cheerful tones as he took one of the potato spears the cafeteria served and asked cheerfully, "French fry?"

[emodawg]

Lorene had thought it nice to meet someone a bit like herself on the first day. Having an ally was useful when facing the mean halls of high school.

“Nice to meet you,” Nadia replied and shook her hand. Lorene smiled warmly. “And I have to compliment whoever’s idea those shoes were too. The little dolls are adorable! And they even have polka dots, which of course are the height of fashion”. Natalie continued. Lorene liked Nadia’s enthusiasm about shoes and could only agree.

“I know right?" She smiled brightly, "I’ve always had a soft spot for polka dots,” She confessed, “As pretty as they are, they're a real bitch to walk in all day though, and they're pretty slippy." She giggled. Sure she hadn't injured herself because of her slippy shoes but it wouldn't be a crime if Nadia assumed that would it?

Lorene brought her gaze from back up off the floor and focused back on Nadia. She raked back the hair that had fallen in front of her face from admiring her own and Nadia’s shoes. She too had spied the popular kids glaring at them unpleasantly. She matched their glances with a big cheesy grin. They could wrinkle their prized faces if they wanted but they weren’t making Lorene do the same.

“Wanna go get something for lunch?” Nadia whispered, distracting Lorene from her little stare off. “Because I’m still hungry and you look like you need to sit down.”

Lorene couldn’t deny that, she had been leaning awkwardly on the one leg for the duration of their conversation and she was very much looking forward to her chocolate cake.

“And you probably want to avoid those guys right now. They’re good people really, but they can get really upset really quickly. We probably want to be somewhere else right now.” Nadia warned.

She frowned a little, not liking the idea she was going to lunch to appease a bunch of stuck up spoilt brats who didn’t want them sharing the same hallway. But she didn’t kick up a fuss. She didn’t know them, maybe Nadia wasn’t spinning her a line, maybe their parents donated large sums of money to countries they'd never heard of and they were reasonably pleasant to 'the help'. Ok her cynicism was uncalled for...

“Sure, why not,” She said after realising .she'd been quiet for some time. Her frown quickly formed back into a smile and she began walking towards the lunch hall.

[Alissa888]

With two conflicting inputs, the person stuck in the middle was never sure what to do. Do you choose sides, stay impartial or just make up your own stance? Right here, Natalie wasn’t so sure whether she was the one stuck in the middle or not – or whether that title went to Lila. On one hand, Lila was being so very nice and J.D. was being so very… J.D. and thus, Natalie was at a loss as to what path to take.

On the other hand, it was really unfair on Lila to be practically forced to play referee. Not that Natalie saw any other alternative than to make the best of Lila’s presence, given J.D.’s friendly repertoire and encouraging reputation. But then again, she wasn’t sure when the other girl’s patience would run out, or if it’d run out at all, given that she was really angling for sainthood.

Complete contrast to J.D. then, who was anything but saintly. In fact, not only had he made is annoyance at Natalie’s general presence, but he was also subliminally making it clear the Lila would only be so much of a shield if she kept pushing him. However, there was one thing that she had to appreciate from the guy; straight answers. Though, she couldn’t for the life of her figure out how Lila and J.D. got along, given that while one indulged intact and pleasantries, the other seemed to be completely unaware of such social decorum.

“Of course!” Lila nodded in the most reassuring way, making Natalie yet again thankful for not only the other girl’s presence, but her unrelenting espousal as well. “It’s great to see things from the other student’s perspectives. You all do a wonderful job.”

That was just really, really, very nice. She only supported Natalie’s proposition, but actually gave admiration for it was well. Natalie just wasn’t sure why girls such as Lila were such a rarity – well, actually she was well aware of why, it was because of girl such as how Natalie had been. But then, really, if everyone just stopped stabbing each other in the back, they actually stood a chance of being happy and getting somewhere rather than waiting around to pull out the rug from underneath other people’s feet over trivial things. Then again, people were people and they really just couldn’t help themselves. With the apparently exception of Lila – even Natalie had to admit that she herself was a lesser person.

“And I would love to see J.D.’s work in the paper,” she said, once her chartreuse eyes locked with the seething golden orbs of the boy next to her. “To be honest, I had no idea…”

“That you were so talented,” she said to him directly, apparently the only person who could actually speak to him without getting their head bitten off. “I’m sure the other students would really admire it too.”

“But what do I know,” she finished off with slight agitation, making Natalie feel guilty yet again for dragging her into this.

"You're crazy,” J.D. finally replied far less eloquently than his companion, with something that was clearly directed at Natalie and not Lila. So, he did appreciate the fact that Lila appreciated his work, then? So… it wasn’t really to do with any conception that he thought his work was terrible; he must be hesitant over the idea of what people would think of his work because of him – or what people would think of him because of his work. Image.

"Why the h*ll would I do that?" he scoffed.

Ignoring the currently obviously accurate description regarding her mental state, Natalie turned first to Lila, in grateful recognition of her assistance so far.

“Thanks,” she smiled warmly towards the other girl. “I’m really glad you like it.”

“And why wouldn’t you, J.D.?” she asked the boy, turning to lock gazes with him, smile turning more questioning rather than the open appreciation that had been bequeathed to Lila, to whom she gestured and glanced over to momentarily. “You already have two fans. Right, Lila?”

(((OOC: Hope that makes sense and works for you guys, :) )))

[trampledsneakers]

There was a brief, flickering moment when Lila could have sworn she saw the faintest glimmer of a smile darting across J.D.’s lips. It was like a shadow or a ghost, a transitory vision you couldn’t ever really be certain that you had truly seen. You could convince yourself that it was real and not a figment of your imagination, but always there would be some minute whisper of doubt echoing through your mind. This time Lila was slightly sure, watching the corners twitch upwards ever-so-slightly against his will. She watched with mild disappointment as the vague grin quickly disappeared into a flat line which then faded into a glower. Oh, how quickly things could change.

"You're crazy.”

J.D. spoke the two words with the conviction of a novel’s worth of argument, as though dismissing her whole stance with a simple point. Her sanity. Now to Lila it was quite clear that Natalie was one hundred percent sane; misguided maybe, but perfectly sane. The only crazy thing she had done was try to convince J.D. of the same thing that she had been spending months attempting, with just as little success: to prove that he was a person of worth, with true skill and the ability to better the lives of others—if only he would try. But there was no sense in arguing with him; J.D. wanted no part of it. He wanted to be what he thought he was, and nothing either of them would or could say would ever change that. The thought pressed a tiny frown over her delicate lips.

"Why the h*ll would I do that?"

The question brought a blink of surprise to Lila’s features; a question invited an answer, and his in particular almost asked for a reason to do what he had been asked to. Perhaps if they could give him a viable motivation…they could somehow change his mind? Maybe some part of J.D. really wanted to take Natalie up on her offer, but his ever-so-stubborn nature was preventing it from taking action. Lila’s emerald gaze flicked to the other girl hopefully and expectantly. Maybe she could do what Lila had been such a failure at achieving?

“And why wouldn’t you, J.D.?”

Lila’s face lit up. That had been an old trick of her mother’s. Lila’s brother had gone through a phase when he insisted on asking ‘why’ for no apparent reason. ‘Why is the bus yellow?—Because that’s the color paint they used—Why?—Because that’s just the color—Why?’ and so it would go ceaselessly until Lila’s father would tire of the game, throw his hands up in surrender, and bark, ‘That’s just how it is!’ Her brother would grin triumphantly, until he tried it with their mother that was. She quickly cut him short with, ‘Why not?’ He would stare blankly, trying to form some sort of retort, but fail miserably. This time, he would be the one to throw his hands up in surrender. Hearing Natalie use this approach, Lila felt a glimmer of hope. That was a difficult argument to win.

“You already have two fans. Right, Lila?”

She saw Natalie gesture to her and Lila nodded enthusiastically. She was finally glad to have been called upon as a witness and collaborator. She shifted her weight and glanced to J.D., her most reassuring smile smoothing over her lips and setting her whole countenance aglow with genuine approval.

“Definitely! You’ve got my support. I’d love to see more of your work, J.D.” She nodded again with a sort of finality, and then attempted to suppress her expectant gaze. She didn’t want him to feel like she was coercing him into something he might not feel entirely comfortable with. Her smile spoke volumes, however, and conveyed her silent support.

((not much again, but Lila's just sort of the parrot, xD I feel bad not giving you guys much to go off of, so let me know if I need to expand. :D ))

[IAmMadi]

((emodawg - I am SO incredibly sorry for taking a week to answer. I had to leave town and had no internet access until today. Take as long as you like with your next reply. Again, I am forever sorry!))

Aimee's lips twitched upwards as he suddenly went rather rigid.

The boy turned to look at her. His face hinted a childish charm. She smiled at his cuteness. He craned his neck at a rather awkward and painful angle in order to look at her properly.

"Thanks," he smiled politely.

Aimee deliberated on saying something more. She liked this boy, he seemed nice. And maybe even someone she could get along with at this school. She fought a shudder back at her last encounter with Katie.

She looked at him again. He was wearing skinny jeans. A favourite of Aimee's. His two-toned hair curved over his forehead in a rather perfected way. The product of what looked like hours of styling.

"I'm Adam. Care for a seat?" he asked, kicked out one of the many spare chairs around the table. "There's a picture in it for you, if you want." He smirked sheepishly.

Aimee sat her books on the tacky looking table and sat next to Adam. She crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knees.

"Aimee. Nice to meet you Adam," she smiled back at him. "I might take you up on that offer."

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: trampled - No no, you don't have to elaborate. :) Works fine for me. Sorry if you feel it's difficult to RP her in this situation though, but J.D. just isn't likely to show that her words do mean alot to him infront of an audience. *s*

Also, this place got really quiet all of a sudden. Where is everyone?)))


It is a known fact, and has been for some time, that if only subjected to it long enough, even the most solid of rocks can be worn down by a mere gentle trickle of water, each single, small drop washing away tiny fragments, one at a time. For years, the wall J.D. had built around himself, the wall that consisted of his bad boy image and unruly and violent behaviour, had been constantly hardened by other people's depreciation and censure of whom they believed him to be, and whom eventually he had become. It was a wall that had been reinforced almost daily, and one behind which J.D. had grown pretty darned comfortable. Which was why these days, it was often him who instigated the events that ended up strengthening his barrier, and fending off any and every comment sent his way, regardless of whether it was good or bad.

Then all of a sudden, along came Lila, and like that small trickle of water, slowly but surely she started prying him open to comments of a less hostile nature, and less hostile inducing ones as well. Even now, several weeks later, J.D. still wasn't quite sure why. He hadn't yet gotten it figured out, despite actually trying. It couldn't be as simple as merely the fact that he liked her. He'd liked other girls before, quite a few of them, and none of them had really gotten to him the way Lila did, and made him think twice about some of the things he did, as well as feel quite guilty about others. Nor had they had the tendency to leave him speechless, like Lila had managed to do so many times already, sometimes without even trying, and many of them had possessed a much more poisonous tongue than her.
But, maybe that was just the thing? She really stood out from the other girls who had caught his interest. She was different, and so by treating him accordingly, he reacted accordingly?

Ah well, whatever it was, it obviously worked. And not only that, for while at first it had seemed to limit itself to her only, it now seemed to be spreading, because even though he wasn't exactly welcoming Natalie with open arms, he hadn't yet really bitten her head off for daring to approach, which he figured he would have, had this happened a couple of weeks ago. But, instead of setting his sights on having her run away crying - which, judging by the looks of it, might've been more of a challenge than he would've liked - he found himself slipping into an actual albeit not entirely friendly conversation with her.

"And why wouldn't you, J.D.?" she inquired, after thanking Lila for the compliment she'd been paid by the amiable brunette. "You already have two fans. Right, Lila?"

Now, while answering his question with another question was not the way to go about trying to put J.D. in a less hostile mood, the second comment she made took him by such surprise that it had him slowly closing his mouth again after having opened it in order to deliver an acidic retort. He sure hadn't seen that one coming. Sure, she'd indicated that she liked his sketch, but for some reason, it hadn't had quite enough potency to really get to him. But now, there was just something about her proclaiming herself to be an actual fan that was just so unexpected and... disarming. And in a way that - lo and behold - left him temporarily stunned for a few moments.

Luckily, Lila decided to speak, and by doing so saved him from appearing to have been rendered speechless. Which was also growing to be a habit of hers, since it wasn't the first time she had done that either. Though mostly, the one she'd saved him from appearing speechless to, was herself.

"Definitely!", she said with an enthusiastic nod, while a warm smile took center stage on her rose colored lips. "You've got my support. I'd love to see more of your work, J.D."

Now, while at first the young man had been somewhat relieved when she had started speaking, thinking she would indeed spare him the slight humiliation of temporarily drawing complete blanks about what to say, that would not turn out to be the case. If anything, her words of support only helped deepen his dilemma at first. The conversation was taking a turn towards such open and kind sincerity that he was having trouble sticking to his guns and dismissing it, and it always took him a bit of effort to find something of a less antagonistic nature to say. And almost every time he was about to embark on such a venture, there came a small shifting of his frame, in slight discomfort.

"Thanks...", he nearly muttered, clearly reluctant to have that particular word pass between his lips, but obviously feeling it was the only way he could show that her words did not go unnoticed and uncared for for.

Nor did Natalie's, and so the comment was somewhat directed at her as well, even though it might not seem like it, since J.D. somehow managed to not look at either of them, but instead conveniently decided to at that very moment throw the cafeteria doors a glance.

"But you could do that without any of it showing up in the blasted school paper", he then added, while his gaze returned to Lila to fully deliver the offer of showing her some more of his work sometimes, if she really did want to see it, but then turned to Natalie. "And besides, it's not like I draw stuff that would be approved anyway."

[LostSaggatarius]

Clem looked in the mirror of the toliets at school. She traced her finger along the lines of the cut she has on her face. She smiled as she remeber Sweden. She got that cut off a cat the day before she left.
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii63/cutie_kathy/Baby-cat.jpgShe loved that cat so she didn't mind the cut. But her mother did. She grived that it would be there forever. Clem hoped so. Very much. She wised it every night before she went to bed and every morning when she woke up. She also wished she could return the Sweden. See her friends. Have a drink of her grandmother's hot chocolate. But she knew she would have to save up. She did. Every single penny she saved. She kept them in a woden box under her bed. So far she had $45 dollars. She knew she need almost a thousand more but she didn't like to think that was. She wanted all ehr thoughts to be positive. Then the bell rang.

[LostSaggatarius]

Miss Donell got up off her chair and went into the hallway. Some kids were messign with the fire alarm. She saw Clem fly past her. She caught her buy her arm. 'were you the one who was messing with the alarm?'she said. 'No..no...Miss Donell'', mutterd Clem, ''I-i was just going to class because i heard the bell rang'. 'Well it isn't the time for the bell to ring so run along, go outside to glet the sun shine on your pale skin', said Miss Donell and Clem ran off before she coudl say anything else. Miss Donell laughed. She knew it was not Clem she just enjoyed frightening the new ones becuase they were so senseless.

((occ: Sorry i haevn't wrote anythnig in ages, i don't really go on the internet on weekdays))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: LostSaggatarius - The bell hasn't gone yet. Trampled will announce when it does. Or did you mean the fire alarm went off? *confused*)))

[trampledsneakers]

((Is everyone about done with lunch? I'll be happy to move them on to next period, if you'd like. And LostSaggitarius, if you'd like, you can RP the professor for next period?))

Eeric watched the two other figures retreat from them, quickly drawn into their own conversation—their own world. He suppressed a chuckle and brushed the stray wisps of hair from his eyes, focusing his full attention on the girl who remained at his side. He had heard her quickly manage to provide her name before Lacey had launched into another full-blown rant, one sentence trailing the other before she pulled the other boy aside and they went on their way. Eeric offered Kim a sheepish smile and let his shoulders slacken into a sluggish shrug.

“So much for them, hm?” A low rumbling laugh pressed through his lips and he gave her a nod. Kim had jokingly murmured, “So it's alive huh?" just prior to their fellow student’s arrival, and Eeric was just getting the chance to reply to her now, wrinkling his nose and feeling silly yet again for his zombie-like behavior. Adjusting the strap of his book bag, he directed the full intensity of his violet gaze to her and he emitted a slow yawn.

“Just barely. I’m a big sleeper…I think this whole ‘back-to-school’ thing requiring me to wake up at a ‘decent’ hour has thrown off my circadian rhythm or something. Made me a bit of a zombie, I’m afraid…” He trailed off a moment and grinned, adding, “Not the type to eat brains though. Don’t fear.” The inaudible grumbling of his stomach reminded him that he had yet to eat lunch, so he glanced back to Kim and searched the hallways.

“Were you on your way to lunch? Or were you looking for something else?” He remembered that she had come up to him in pursuit of something, but he couldn’t remember if she had told him what.


((SO sorry it took so long Laughy! Thanks for your patience. :D ))

[Alissa888]

(((OOC: Yup, I second that - I'm fine with moving on and thanks for the extension :D )))

[Slytherin-Girl]

(((OOC: Just assuring you all I'm alive. I'm really having trouble with my muse, but I'll wrangle him back in the next couple of days, I promise)))

[emodawg]

The tensing in his stomach released when the girl accepted his invitation. A small smile of relief formed on his face at not having to deal with what would have been a rather public display of rejection.

"Aimee. Nice to meet you Adam," she introduced after taking a seat.

"Likewise," He replied pleasantly as he shuffled his seat back a little bit to avoid any awkward knee clashing or anything of the like.

"I might take you up on that offer." She said. Her smile was warm rather than nervous. Good sign, Adam thought.

He didn’t know what swung the deal, him appearing to be an interesting person or the offer of a picture but either way he had bagged himself a cool looking girl to sit with. He eyed the clock. If he was going to fulfil his offer with a halfway decent picture before the bell rang, he’d have to start pretty soonish. “Alrighty,” He said, pushing his tray even further away from him with disgust. His first instinct was to ask her what she wanted a picture of, but he had a way of making the most seemingly pleasant of ideas woefully pessimistic which could send alarm bells ringing. Perhaps just a quick sketch of her would suffice.

He retrieved his messenger bag from underneath his chair and quickly dug through it for his journal and carefully placed his earlier sketch under its hard cover so it didn’t crease. He was going to dispose of it with his lunch but Aimee’s compliment made him feel the need to hang on it. He turned to the next available page and began to draw.

“I see you’ve made a clever decision in avoiding lunch,” He smirked a little when he noticed her lack of tray. “Very wise decision…” His eyes flicked between his page and his companion rapidly. He wanted to make her sacrificing her time to sit with him worth it so he put in extra effort compared to his own doodles he did just for himself.

“I must have forgot, it doesn’t matter how nice the building is, school food is school food…” He mumbled.

((ooc: Lorene hasn't eaten yet but if the general consensus is to move on, I don't wanna hold anyone back :)))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Well, since again no one says anything, I'll take it upon myself to do so; welcome, redtiggerted. Glad to have you join. Looking forward to seeing Emily in action.

And again, where IS everyone? Not EVERYONE can be waiting for someone else? And if they are, and have been waiting for over a week, maybe it's time to move on with your character?
I'm sorry if I'm being pushy or otherwise bothersome, but seriously, keeping an RP alive takes a little joint effort. ;) I'd have Matt approach someone, but I don't know who's actually around and thus likely to reply back.)))

[IAmMadi]

((Atropa - I agree, this has become quite slow. I would try to have a 3-way rp to get things up a little bit, but, I am way to inexperienced. :lol:

redtiggerted - Welcome! I hope you enjoy yourself here!))



Aimee watched as Adam retrieved his messenger bag from under the table, “Alrighty,” he had said. As he started sketching, his eyes darting to and from the page to his subject.

Aimee felt strangely at ease when she sat with Adam, who happened to be a complete stranger. It was like she had known him for at least a few weeks. She could feel little to no tension between them.

He stopped sketching for a second and eyed the bare table in front of her. “I see you’ve made a clever decision avoiding lunch,” his lips twitched upwards, Aimee returned the smirk. “Very wise decision...” he was back to drawing again.

Aimee had no sense of what to do. Should she stay still? Or should she continue this casual conversation? She felt her stomach rumble and she clutched it instinctively. Maybe lunch wouldn’t have been so bad... She then saw Adam’s tray pushed away. Aimee suddenly remembered what Katie had said, “It’s the place with all the squirrel brains...” she shuddered at the thought of eating that.

“I must have forgot, it doesn’t matter how nice the building is, school food is school food,” Adam mumbled to himself it seemed. He continued to sketch with his head down, his glances becoming fewer.

“So, are you new here?” Aimee quickly wished she hadn’t said the words. Possibly the lamest thing that she could have said. She mentally kicked herself then recovered with a warm smile, despite the stupidity.


((By the way, I'm fine for moving on. Aimee hasn't eaten, but she isn't going to. School food = Yuck :lol:))

[emodawg]

((ooc: I think a 3-way rp between Matt, Lorene and and Nadia would be pretty amusing lol Good to have you redtiggerted! :)))

[Alissa888]

Patience is a virtue – it wasn’t one of Natalie’s. Regardless of how things appeared now – whether she had actually managed to change her entire way of thing or otherwise – there was nothing to contest the fact that Natalie Cardew at least had been the archetypical spoilt little rich girl. Daddy’s little princess, if you will, for the simple fact that there was always someone more than ready and willing to hand her exactly what she asked for on a silver platter. It was really as easy as that and all she had to do was to be herself.

No, it wasn’t as easy as that. So, while some people had it easier when it came to manoeuvring situations to suit her purposes, if there was no pain, there was seldom any gain. The trick was to put as little effort in and find a way to reap the most benefits. Except Natalie hadn’t been all that patient – she couldn’t be bothered to wait around for people to come to their senses while she could just find… other ways to get what she wanted.

But to say Natalie was not persistent would be completely inaccurate. While she hadn’t believed that she ever had to wait for anything in her entire life, she certainly didn’t abandon the idea of getting what she wanted, should the path become somewhat convoluted, she certainly didn’t give up. Oh, no, she certainly wasn’t a quitter. No, instead, she manipulated again to make sure that the path was far more favourable, regardless of how difficult it seemed. So, while patience had been so holy and virtuous, persistence brought actual results.

That had been the ‘old’ Natalie – though, it really was difficult to tell, because sometimes the boundaries became a little blurred. Now, she was consciously refraining from manipulating and scheming to her heart’s content, because it was… wrong, it was destructive. But, that persistence without the manipulation was downright tedious and so, she simply had to turn to patience… and a much cleaner version of persistence. Which was why despite the obstacles she’d faced, she’d kept on her track when it came to interacting with J.D. and Lila.
And what do you know, it looked like it might pay off.

“Definitely!” Lila exclaimed with an affirmative nod, a gaze wandering out to J.D. with the soothing espousal that she seemed to effortlessly exude. “You’ve got my support. I’d love to see more of your work, J.D..”

There were no words to describe how glad Natalie was that Lila was around and furthermore, not only supportive of J.D., but also of Natalie herself. Despite the fact that the girls barely knew each other.

J.D., however, remained at his degree of articulation, given that he said next to nothing for the very brief moments following that verbal exchange. Not that Natalie expected him to say a lot, but she was prepared for yet another aggressive dismissal of anything she could have said. And yet, that really wasn’t what she was presented with once J.D. decided upon what he was going to say.

"Thanks...,” he said as if he had to choke the words out of himself, looking ever so slightly uncomfortable as he managed to direct that comment at neither Lila nor Natalie, but somehow, still at both.

"But you could do that without any of it showing up in the blasted school paper,” he then offered to Lila, clearly reiterating his reluctance at having his work displayed on the paper, before he turned to Natalie, presumably to make sure she got the message too. "And besides, it's not like I draw stuff that would be approved anyway."

Was he kidding? Seriously, she wouldn’t have taken the time – and possibly years off her lifespan – to approach him about it, if she really wasn’t sure that it was a worthwhile investment for her to pursue this. But wait, what did he mean ‘approved’ – accepted by the teachers without them finding it offensive, or accepted by the students because they believed that anything that was of J.D.’s hands was just unworthy of attention? Was he afraid of rejection? Was that the reason for all the aggression and the coldness, because he didn’t want to be hurt?

Of course, if that was the case, she couldn’t put him on the spot about it, she couldn’t put him on the defensive and hence, Natalie chose her words carefully.

“Well, you know where my vote is,” she pointed out smoothly with an encouraging smile. “And I’m sure enough about it to put my entire weight behind this.”

And yes, she really would support the publication of his work with severe defence should anyone question the decision. Not only because Natalie was protective about her territory, but also because she really did believe in the potential of J.D.’s work.

“And, I thought it was fantastic,” she reminded him of her – another random member of the student body to him – own unbiased opinions. “And Lila definitely agrees, right?” With that, she turned to the other girl. “I think we count for something, right?”

(((OOC: Hope this works for you guys :) )))

[Slytherin-Girl]

It wasn’t ever, no matter who you were, a good idea to be on Marie-Elisabeth Normandy’s bad side. 99.8 % of the school’s population would think twice about doing anything to earn her ire, they had more sense than that. Or, and this was infinitely more possible, they were just too damn scared of her to even think about doing anything that went against her wishes.

But of course there is an exception to every rule, and she had just walked away from 0.1% of it. Belatedly she thought it may not have been such a good idea to outright turn her back on Matt, if the shoe had been on the other foot she would have been furious. But Matt walking up, looking as though he had just been…well she knew exactly what he had been doing, like she had said better than anyone, had made her freak out.

Partly because she was indeed annoyed that he had blown her off to fool around with someone. She didn’t like to be ignored, why she had almost had to go looking after him herself. And Marie-Elisabeth did not go looking for anyone or anything.

But the larger, and more important reason, was what his slightly disheveled appearance made her think of. It was bringing to mind the fact that a few short months ago, that would have been her causing the dishevelment, and the fact that the last time a certain something had shown up had been a few weeks after they had started “dating”. She had effectively pushed that thought to the back of her mind, determined not to deal with it or acknowledge the possibility until her doctor’s appointment later on that evening. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t fully do so, and it had been putting her on edge all day long. Naturally she didn’t breathe a word of it to anyone, not even her ever-present shadow Sienna. There was no way she would, because Marie-Elisabeth didn’t have problems and didn’t make mistakes.

So she just continued walking away from Matt, determined not to think about it, when the other 0.1% of the population that formed the remaining part of the exception to her rule walked up to her. “I’m sorry” he said, turning that look on her that really ought to be illegal because it made her less angry at him, and she really wanted to stay angry. Then again, Josh was an awfully difficult person to stay angry with for a long time.

“I’ve upset you” he continued, and she scoffed and nodded her head. “You think” she said, pulling a face “What on earth would posses you to talk to that little weasel? You know she drives me crazy and the only reason her annoying rear hasn’t been turfed off my squad like it deserves to be, is because the idiot teacher insisted she be on the squad”.

[summerkelsa]

[[ Sooo sorry I've been a complete flake. I'm sorta in the same boat as slytherine... lost my muse. Been mentally exhausted lately. Will work on getting something up soon. I'm fine with moving on, by the way. Thank you for the extension, trampled, and welcome redtiggerted ]]

[Alissa888]

(((OOC: So sorry, forgot to mention, welcome Redtiggerted :) )))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: trampled - Not sure if you saw the question in my previous post, so I'll ask again; are we moving on, or extending lunch a bit longer yet? It's been a week since you asked, and so far, all replies have indicated it's okay with people to move on. I don't mind either way, but some kind of indication would be good, I think, since I suspect some people are reluctant to start anything when there's a risk we'll be moving on and they won't get to finish, and so they're waiting instead. And it's causing the RP to fade, and that would be such a shame... :/ I really don't mean to push, but... yeah... An indication would be most useful. :) )))

[trampledsneakers]

((Sorry I've been absent-- I was having some serious computer issues over the past few days, but it's finally fixed! Thank you so much for your patience everyone. :)

We will now being moving on to the next period, History. Please start moving your characters out of lunch and into class. ))

[FurryPanda]

Loren had a short attention span. Most people wouldn't know it, given how he could and would find one thing, and devote boundless amounts of attention and interest to it. But other than those one or two things at a time that he was fascinated by, almost nothing could hold his atention by itself. Since he had finished his lunch, and Lacey wasn't being her usual fascinating self, he was quickly bored, and unlike most people, who would make an excuse before they got up and left, he didn't. Rather, he got up, and walked over to throw out his tray with nary a backwards glance.

He had decided that he may as well go back over to Mrs. Etamas's room, and see if she had put up the audition sheet yet. He would cut through the courtyard, because it seemed like the bell was past due to ring, and the courtyard would be a quicker route.

As he got to the door and stepped out into the weedy, mossy little courtyard at the center of the school, he momentarily regretted that he hadn't brought a jacket, but he got over it pretty quickly. He didn't mind the cold, and since the courtyard was walled on all four sides it wasn't that bad. He walked briskly over towards the other door, and then glanced into the raised flowerbed, all cold and dead and moldy at this time of year.

And stopped dead.

There was a flower (http://ikebana.cgdays.com/images/PICT2772.jpg), growing in the soil, in January. Loren's noticeable lack of attention span made him forget, for the moment, all about the auditions that afternoon, and he was struck by how beautiful the little flower was, and all of a sudden everything seemed clear. He had wanted an oppurtunity to ask Natalie out, and here was a perfect one, a pretty little flower, sitting in the ground, just waiting to be plucked and used for some romantic thing.

Diffidently he plucked the flower, and thought the only way that the thing could be more perfect was if it was a red rose. He wouldn't be greedy about that kind of thing though, and he walked through the other door just as the bell was ringing.

If Loren were a different sort of person, he would wonder what people were thinking when they saw him go through the halls, gently holding a single flower, and staring off into space. However, he didn't even notice the people glancing at him, anymore than he had cared that morning when they noticed his sequined trousers.

He stopped at his locker and grabbed his backapck, putting the flower upside down in his cell phone pouch to protect it, and dropping his phone into the backpack. He knew it wouldn't be damaged, as he had accumulated fragile knick knacks before and treated his phone the same way.

He checked to make sure that his bag had his set of fountain pens. Most of the time, the pens were just to butcher his hadwriting, but he was able to write neatly with them, and he thought it looked like calligraphy. The pen was there, and full, and he could doubtless snitch a piece of computer paper to pen some sonnet onto it, before he dropped his prize in Natalie's locker.

Feeling quite pleased with himself, and quite obsessed with what he could do with a flower, he practically skipped down the hall to History class.

He didn't see anyone else in there, so he decided to loiter by the door. He wouldn't want to seem weird and nerdy after all.
((OOC: Approachable
Hope that that'll be okay with you Alissa?
And Katie will show up eventually))

[Rixy]

Hope it's not too late!

Name: Millicent Nett
Age: 36
Class taught: English Language Arts (ELA)
Sponsor of: Art Club
Brief History/Personality Description: She has just moved to Brooklake, and took a job as a professor here, as she was a teacher in her hometown. She lives in a nice little home, with a garden and a dog whom she often writes about when giving examples to her class.
Anything else you might want to add: She will be nice if you're a good student, but is very strict with troublemakers.
Picture:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n278/masha_houdini/mn.jpg

Might not be able to post much over the weeks. Sorry!

[Slytherin-Girl]

Nadia was hapy that she had met Lorene. She seemed like a really nice person, and one that had excellent fashion sense to boot. She was always open to making new friends and had a circle of acquaintances from all over the place.

She grinned when Lorene agreed to go with her for lunch, and they had walked down the hallway together and breezed past the popular clique towards the lunchroom. Nadia tried to avoid them when she knew they were in less than happy moods, she had been at Brooklake long enough to know that it was akin to suicide to bother them sometimes. Even an eternal believer in good like her knew there were times it was better to just stay away.

To Nadia’s annoyance, the bell signaling the next period was about to begin rang just before they got to the cafeteria and she pulled a face. “Curses” she muttered, shaking her fist at the bell “Vile bell, keeping me from my deep fried french fryish goodness”. She paused for a second to dig out her schedule. “History next, can’t miss that” she said, shoving the schedule back into her bag, and pulling out a small pink box (http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/ProductImages/aaproducts/snacks/pocky/strawberry_pocky400.jpg) .

“Think these’ll tide us over, I kinda forgot to pack a real lunch, I didn’t think we’d be quite this late to school this morning” Nadia said, picking one of the sticks out of the box and crunching it between her teeth.

[AtropaMandragora]

Lunch, this first day back at school after the holiday break, for Matt had been... not great. First there had been the first period during which he had been forced to endure the 'colorful' company of that clueless Loren guy, when he would have much rather spent it getting better acquainted with the pretty little blonde with the tune. Then, when finally he had gotten a chance to spend some time with Josh - something he'd really looked forward to - Josh had insisted on arguing and making what could have been really pleasant into something that wasn't even anywhere near pleasant. Add to that Marie-Elisabeth's dramatic outburst, and the fact that Matt had only just sat down with a bunch of friends and begun to dig into his much needed lunch, when the bell went, announcing it was time for next class.

Needless to say, it wasn't a particularly cheerful young man that hurridly took a few big bites of his chosen meal and washed it down with some soda before standing from the table again, in order to head back to his locker.

However, how he felt and how he appeared to feel, were two entirely different things, much like they had always been with him. As he made his way out of the cafeteria, there was no way anyone could tell he was in a foul mood, because he looked just like his usual charming self, with the usual confidence lacing his movements, the slight mischief glinting in his dark brown eyes, and the lips always ready to send a smile of some sort in the right direction. A master of deception, it would be news to anyone who saw him that he was in a less than sprightly mood, if he didn't want anyone to know he was. Usually, with the lowlifes such as the nerds, the troublemakers, the goths, the oddballs, and anyone else of whose existence he didn't approve, there was rarely any doubt when he was loosing his patience, mostly because he wouldn't hesitate to let them know they were pestering him. Unless, of course, there was something in it for him to fake the patience of Mother Teresa. Which usually there wasn't.

So then, one might wonder, why the pokerface now?
The answer was simple; he didn't want any questions. No one had seen something happen to him that he would admit had put him in this kind of a bad mood; no one had seen his encounter with Josh, and Hell would freeze over before he would let anyone get the idea that the tiff with Marie-Elisabeth had affected him or his mood. She would not get the satisfaction of thinking her little stunt had gotten to him. If she saw him in a bad mood, she might get to thinking he was nervous, or feeling guilty, when in fact he was neither. He was annoyed with her, yes, but he intended to treat her much the same way she treated him, only in a way so much more subtle; she had dismissed him by turning her back to him. He would dismiss her obvious displeasure with him, by appearing completely unfazed by the whole thing, acting like his usual self, as though nothing had happened. After all, how she had chosen to treat him was her problem, and hers alone. Not his.

Consequently, when Matt strolled into the room where History class was to be held, as part of the usual slow and irregular trickle of students, it was with his usual suave confidence and faint smile on his lips, aimed at whoever he deemed a worthy reciever. Fishing out his cellphone from one of his pockets, he took his usual seat in the centre of the classroom, and begun to write a text message to send to those friends of his whom he had promised to catch up with during lunch, but had ended up not seeing at all. Not to apologize, but to explain that something had come up. Popular guy that he was, things like that were bound to happen every now and then. Surely they understood?


(((ooc: Approachable. )))

[Laughy]

"I feel your pain bro", Kim replied nodding in agreement with Eeric's talk about waking up early for school again. The summer vacation had definitely not been the lazy-town she'd been hoping for. Between moving and trying to get her family on track, she'd barely had anytime for herself at all. "I'm just trying to weather it all", she added shrugging her shoulders. She glanced at the floor, and glanced back again at the sound of his voice asking her about If she was heading for lunch.


"Act-",she began to say when the bell for the lunch period rang out in it's loud shrillness that made her want to strangle someone. She was already having a not so hot day and the bell slowly giving her a migraine was definitely not helping her out. She sighed at her missed lunch period, she had definitely been in the mood for some food at least to refresh her. "There goes my pigging out time", she muttered loud enough for him to hear and smiled weakly at him to assure him that none of this was his fault, far from it.

"Thanks for at least acknowledging me, which is more than I can say for some people", she said, thanking him and fluttered her hands in a goodbye motion and headed to her locker to grab her books for the next class. She didn't want to bother him anymore, he seemed to already have his own issues and she knew all about burdening people. The next class turned out to be history and she managed to chow down on a power bar that she'd remembered to bring. She walked into class with the rest of the lethargic crowd of students and openly rolled her eyes when she saw Matt sitting at his table and texting on his phone. "Just perfect", she thought to herself getting ready for the day to get even worse.

{[Hope that was good for you Trampled! I hope it wasn't too Godmoddy}}

[xJOFLx]

Bethalie Jade - Application
Yaaaay, back into the rp! And she's a lil rebel since the list looks so empty!


Name: Bethalie D.M. Jade
Age/Class: Automatically 16/Junior
Clique: Troublemakers!
After School Activity: Cheerleading
Brief History/Personality Description:

Ever since the divorce of her parents, Bethalie decided to jump into the wrong path. Although quite smart, she purposely made friends with the bad ones, partied and got into fights. Her rebellion continued this way as a habit, then a lifestyle and her behaviour took her from school to school, her 'record' being 6 schools within a year and a half. When they could't take it anymore, her parents even tried sending her to a boarding school, but a scandal with one of the teachers got her instantly thrown out.

For all these years the only way Bethalie has been kept at school is because of her academic potential and her other area of interest - cheerleading. The few years of gymnastics she did as a child somehow got channelled into cheerleading routines when a teacher recommended it to her two years ago. Determined to do something with her schooling time, she made it into each school's squad one way or another, and has won a few competitions for some of the schools.

Her parents brought her up comfortably - her father a very successful businssman, also coming from a wealthy family, and her mother being a TV presenter in Europe. Her mother's side is British and her father's side is American. Bethalie's father is currently dating someone and they have plans to be married soon, but are not engaged yet.

Bethalie is naturally a very dark brunette, but she has some blonde streaks in her hair. Her hair comes halfway down her back, and is naturally wavy. She has blue-green eyes that change shades depending on the time of day. Her skintone is a European kind of cream/pale, and she is just tall enough to intimidate shorter people, but not so tall that she looks skinny and out of proportion.

Bethalie's trademark is a pair of tight, slightly ripped pale-blue jeans and bulky belts. She loves those cute-but-almost-tacky earrings and bracelets.

Anything else you might want to add:

Despite her bad-girl reputation, Bethalie never did drugs, and usually dated the more innocent boys. Bethalie loves to sing and has four pet hedgehogs. As strange as it is, only her father and she knows her middle name.
Bethalie has two tattoos and a bother ears pierced, with an extra one on her right ear as well as a monroe piercing - One of the tattoos is just above her ankle, and the other is on her lower back. None are very big, and one is of a watermelon! Her favourite time is the 60's.

Picture:
May be replaced. Or not.


http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk71/jSQUIDGY/RoleplayOutifts/MV5BMjE4MDYzOTQ3NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTc.jpg

[Slytherin-Girl]

(((OOC: Welcome Janne! :) Yay for more people joining! And ooooooooo dang is the Queen Bi...Bee *shifty eyes* gonna be pissed right off LOL)))

[FurryPanda]

Katie was used to rejection. She had been the verbal punching bag of the cheerleading squad for oneand a half years- it didn't count when she was a freshman, even she hazed the freshmen- and most people wouldn;t even consider letting her hand out with them, or anything.

However, with Aimee she was starting to get her hopes up, just a little. A foreign exchange sudent was the lowest of the low, and maybe, just maybe, two social rock dwellers could be friends.

Or not. The french girl just smiled delicately, said
“Katie, I have to go, I need to do something in the office, I forgot. How silly of me. Maybe we’ll catch up another time,” She gripped her notebook and left without another word, and it was all Katie could do not to shout something unconscionably rude after her. A stuck up foreign exchange student, who'd've thought?

With a sigh she grabbed her own backpack and headed off to class, the bell was likely to ring any minute. Exactly as she'd thought, the clear chime came through the loudspeaker, and the sluggish flow of student's in Brooklake came to life, not as a gushing torrent... more of a marginally less sluggish flow as people trickled towards their classes.

Katie had history next, which she tended to enjoy. She didn't know much about history, her specialty being more along the lines of physics and biology, but what she did know was more than enough to make the class easy, and the lectures marginally interesting.

She walked into class, and saw that there weren't many people, the only ones that she recognized that were there already were Matt, someone she would avoid like the plague, a new kid, who she had no reason to approach, and herself. With a grateful sigh she took a seat in the second row, pleased that she was on time, and that she didn't have to sit in the back like she had something to hide. She pulled out her notebook, and was all set to feign paying attention when the teacher arrived.

((OOC: Approachable))

[Slytherin-Girl]

(((OOC: Well dang, I completely forgot there was another achiever type on the squad. -.- Marie-Elisabeth is NOT going to be a happy girl. Now she's got three people to make miserable/kick off)))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Furry - Matt and Kim aren't the only ones there. I mentioned in my post how he joined the slow trickle of other students into the class room. :) He wouldn't be caught dead alone in a class room before a class. Or after.

slytherin - Wait, who's the other achiever type? )))


With any of his friends yet to show up in class, or anyone else remotely interesting for that matter - seriously, the class room felt like a social desert, and Matt was by now contemplating making a conscious habit of getting to class later than he usually did, to escape the fate of wasting away out of pure boredom, waiting for someone he might actually talk to, to show up - Matt immersed himself in his cellphone, texting back and forth with the friends he hadn't been able to meet up with for lunch, exchanging jokes and various observations made in the cafeteria and in the hallways. It was how he came to learn of Natalie apparently being seen in the company of everyone's favorite thug (not), J.D. Harper (my, she sure was being selective in picking her company today, wasn't she, rubbing elbows with only the worst riffraff Brooklake had to offer), and it was also how Matt got a chance to lay the foundation of the explanation he'd intended to provide Marie-Elisabeth with, for being late in catching up with her, had she given him a chance: He told his friends that the reason why he had been unable to meet with them, was because he'd happened across Amanda Stroud, grade A student, nerd and hacker, with a well-known crush on Matt, something which Matt had been known to work to his advantage every now and then when needed.
And now, in the scheme he was cooking up in order to get Katie Byrd - or Marie-Elisabeth, he still hadn't decided, since he figured he'd give Marie-Elisabeth at least a day to come around - booted off the cheerleading squad, he needed it. But when it came to such things as the one he had in mind, it would take some effort, some real persuasion, to convince Amanda to help him out, and thus, he would have needed to spend most of his lunch break to wear her down. And, the best part was, it was all air tight, because even if his friends for some reason would ask Amanda about it, or if word got back to Marie-Elisabeth, as intended, and she would ask Amanda about it, Amanda was already known to keep her mouth shut about the things that might land her, or more importantly Matt, in trouble. So, even if they did end up asking her about it, and she answered truthfully that she hadn't spent the past lunch hour talking to Matt, it would be pretty much the same answer as if she had spent the lunch hour talking to him. And they would all be none the wiser, but instead have every reason to believe Matt was telling the truth. Should they have dared to doubt him in the first place.

And, speaking of schemes... Just as he pressed the button to send off the second message in the back and forth texting conversation he was having, another student walked through the doors, and much like he had done with the others that had strolled into the room, Matt shot them a brief glance. But, as this time it turned out to be that Kim girl, who did offer a bit of interest to him, he ended up giving her a second look. Just in time to catch the eyeroll, clearly aimed at him.
Well then, that pretty much answered the question he had asked her in English class, when she had confronted him about sending her in the wrong direction. Judging by the look on her face now, there was no doubt about it, the answer was a resounding "No!"; no, she couldn't take a joke.
Figures. Pretty newcomer of the opposite gender, and absolutely no sense of humor. What a shame. And all because of such a harmless little joke too. Honestly, some people! Was she going to cling to that grudge for dear life now, or what?

"Oh, come on", he said again, in the same kind of disarming tone he'd used in English class, yet with a small hint of disbelief, as if he found it hard to believe she still hadn't gotten over it. "You can't still be p*ssed at me? It was just a joke, for Christ's sake."




(((ooc: Okay, that was kind of messy, but I hope it makes at least a little sense. Basically, if anyone would ask Amanda, she would say she hadn't seen Matt, because if she had, she would lie and say she hadn't in order to protect Matt's plan (which Matt's friends knows she's done before). And since she hasn't, she has no reason to lie, and thus would say that she hasn't. So either way, Matt's friends would have reason to think the two of them did meet, and she's just protecting him by lying about it.
In case anyone cares. *s*)))

[Alissa888]

Josh was apologising. To two out of the three people that he’d managed to offend in one morning – it hadn’t been the most socially productive time of his life, he had to admit – he’d apologised. Not because he was a pushover, not because he was afraid of facing the consequences, but more because he had wanted to. He’d done it because he was sorry for hurting them. He was sorry for pushing Matt, and he was sorry for cheating on Marie-Elisabeth.

He was not, however, sorry for talking to Katie. Now, he wasn’t sure how exactly he’d managed to offend Katie, but he wasn’t sorry for having tried to talk to her. All these ‘social class’ differences aside, she was another person, he had his own free will, and he was allowed to do what he wanted. Now, that all worked brilliantly in most cases, except it didn’t work in the important cases, which was why Josh was currently stuck living someone else’s life.
Not that the fact that that lie made someone else happy didn’t make him happy. God, it was twisted.

“You think,” she shot, scoffing slightly as she pulled a face at his admission, to which Josh simply gave yet another adorably imploring look at his girlfriend. “What on earth would possess you to talk to that little weasel?”

Well, in all honestly, a lot of things had possessed him to talk to that ‘little weasel’ – mainly the fact that Marie-Elisabeth did not get to dictate who he did and didn’t speak to and also the fact that ‘that little weasel’ happened to be a human being. Granted, Marie-Elisabeth didn’t like her, but Josh was certainly not Marie-Elisabeth’s lapdog. Yes, for most girls in her stead, there was a lot of overlap between boyfriend and lapdog, but it wasn’t one that Josh would play along with.

However, he was here to make things better, not worse and hence, already possessing a guilt complex to a degree that she just wouldn’t comprehend, he said nothing and instead decided to focus on the fact that he wanted to make her feel better because he’d hurt her – just for reasons that she was currently unaware of.

“You know she drives me crazy,” she carried on complaining as Josh simply listened with that inherent aura of support which wasn’t faked, because he really did want to make it up to her. “And the only reason her annoying rear hasn’t been turfed off my squad like it deserves to be, is because the idiot teacher insisted she be on the squad.”

Marie-Elisabeth was very territorial. It was one of the things Josh had first noticed about her, she wanted to be alpha and she wanted everyone else to know she was alpha and for that, she’d turn dominant, vindictive and aggressive. Though, at the same time, that showed a vulnerability to her, that she needed to assert her dominance rather than
to be intrinsically sure of it, that she had to have something to know herself. And Josh knew one other person who was dear to him who found himself in the very same predicament.
So, Josh couldn’t help but wonder whether Marie-Elisabeth was upset because she felt that Katie had been encroaching further into her territory by speaking to Josh.

“How can I make it up to you?” came the husky works of his simple question as his pale eyes searched over her features to incite serenity and forgiveness towards him as he began their movement towards the next class, being a gentleman and motioning for her to take the lead. And while he’d do most things to make it up to her, he had already drawn a line at what he wouldn’t do to appease her… only, he wouldn’t tell her that unless he had to… or even if he had to.

(((OOC: Hope it's okay that I started moving them, Robyn? If not, let me know :)
Furry, that's all fine with me :) Just to be sure, what did he put in her locker, the flower or the poem? )))

[xJOFLx]

((OOC: First of all, I don't really know what the process would be for a new student, but I'm guessing there'd be a little interview or something so this is what I have. Please do correct me on anything! :)))


Bethalie stretched her legs, picking at a fray in her pale blue jeans. Her fingernails were currently acrylic ones, black with a frost-coloured snowflake on each. As Brooklake's headmistress peered over her records and application forms her mother, Sharon Austier, sat anxiously next to her. Bethalie rolled her eyes, wishing her father was here instead. He was so much better at dealing with teachers. The headmistress finally looked ready to speak. Bethalie cast a weary glance on her. This was the one she'd have to remember. It was hard to read her face, but Bethalie assumed that either she was trying to cover up any shock/dismay/concern or didn't flinch because she'd seen it all.

She'd already seen some of the preppy cheerleader types. They were all the same, easy to dominate in whatever school. Althought there always seemed to be one or two tough ones who wouldn't be afraid to, as Bethalie put it, 'b*tch back'.
'Too bad I'll probably get kicked out before that'll happen. Still, fun to toy with the usual school characters anyway.' she mused.
"Okay, Ms Jade, I'm about done here, but I'd like to speak to your mother now." The lady gave Bethalie a tight smile.
Ms Austier stoop up nervously, picking up her ruby clutch. She gave Bethalie a warning look - they both knew Brooklake was their last resort. Or she was being sent to Hong Kong. Or somewhere like that; her mother's threats never meant much to Bethalie.

They both disappeared into a little interview room, and emerged a short while later. Bethalie's mother looked like a 3-year-old that had just been to the toilet - her face was so full of joy and relief. Obviously, everything was good to go.
"Thank you Ms Jade, and Ms Austier-Jade. Ms Jade, if you are ready, you can join your assigned class in History."

'Brooklake, here I come.' Bethalie smirked as soon as she left the office.

"Now Bethalie, you have all your books and things now, don't you? I have to catch a plane in a few hours but you'll be at Robert's so I suppose you won't mind. Don't get into trouble again, now, dear." Sharon patted her daughter on the shoulder wistfully. She waved a goodbye and Bethalie smiled - not in her usual smirky way, but genuinely.

Now, all she needed to do was find the History classroom. Seeing as it was her first day, she supposed she should actually get to class and not muck around. History was one of her worst subjects, but she'd deal.

Bethalie straightened up her boots (http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk71/jSQUIDGY/RoleplayOutifts/Multi20Buckle20Black20Boots.jpg) and set out into the hallways. It was still full with students, but she was taller than most of them, so she didn't care. Without anyone's help, Bethalie somehow got herself in the right direction and she sauntered into the classroom, de-wrinkling her tee (http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk71/jSQUIDGY/RoleplayOutifts/LUC508J400.jpg). There were quite a few kids there already, and it was good that none of them were paying attention to her. Over the rows of desks she spotted an empty seat next to a slim-figured brunette near the front. Generally, Bethalie would have done anything to avoid the front of class, but she needed someone to guide her around the school. Or at least that was her excuse to find a possible friend. Sweeping long, dark waves of hair out of her face and over her shoulder, Bethalie sat down in the seat next to her. She put on a little sweet-but-intimidating smile and pumping up her British accent, Bethalie tapped the brunette lightly on her shoulder. She'd always liked how it made her sound a little more mysterious.

"Hey, could you spot out to me the head of the cheerleading squad when she comes in? If you don't mind, of course." Before the girl had a chance to reply, she quickly added, as if apologetic she'd forgotten - "Oh, and just so you know, I'm Bethalie."


((I was referring to Katie, if you don't mind, Furrypanda? Oh, and Bethalie is pronounced like Beverley with a th instead of the v.))

[trampledsneakers]

The more the hollow feeling in Lila’s stomach continued to grow, the more she became acutely aware that their precious lunchtime was dwindling away. She could envision the food sitting idly on the counters waiting to be consumed, but felt the painful pang of hunger striking her abdomen when she realized—all too sullenly—that she would most likely not get to enjoy any of it today. She felt quite undoubtedly certain that there were only a few minutes remaining in the lunch hour, and that the way their conversation had been progressing, they weren’t about to stop in time for her to grab a meager sandwich to satisfy her grumbling stomach. No, no food for poor little Lila. She had a momentary vision of herself wasting away into nothing, but sighed melancholically and resolved herself to grabbing a quick snack after their last class to tide herself over until dinner.

The discomfort that was etched over J.D.’s handsome features was unmistakable. Lila had been happily, but not wholly, surprised by the disarming success of Natalie’s question; the unavoidable quality of it had backed the troublemaker in a corner, which indisputably left him even more frustrated than before. He seemed to force the vague smile he offered Lila over his lips before gruffly mumbling a rather unenthusiastic ‘thanks’ and retracting his speech for another moment. She felt mildly relieved to have him at least acknowledge her compliments, a truly rare thing for him. It was clear however that the whole situation made him unbearably uncomfortable. And there was really only one way that J.D. reacted to that sort of emotion.

"But you could do that without any of it showing up in the blasted school paper. And besides, it's not like I draw stuff that would be approved anyway."

He rejected any attempts at kindness or generosity with dismissiveness. The whole buildup to that moment, the endless argument they had engaged in was crushed with that single comment. Lila shot Natalie a helpless smile. She had tried her best to support her, to convince him of their side, but it was yet again a small failure of hers. If she could have Lila would have taken her troublemaker friend by the shoulders and shook him with the hope that some sense might return, but she was relatively sure he would probably knock her senseless.

“Well, you know where my vote is, and I’m sure enough about it to put my entire weight behind this.”

Natalie’s oh-so-smooth and never flustered voice fell over them again and Lila couldn’t help but grin. The degree of determination was truly unparalleled and admirable. Her full support in spite of the difficulties that J.D. raised only confirmed to Lila that she was one of the most indomitable people on the face of the earth.

"And, I thought it was fantastic. And Lila definitely agrees, right?” With that, Natalie swiveled to face Lila yet again for her support, which she readily gave in the form of a delicate nod and smile. “I think we count for something, right?”

She gave a light chuckle and directed her gaze quickly to the blonde-haired troublemaker beside her and flashed him a bright grin.

“I should hope so.” Her words were playful but honest, but were quickly trailed by the shrill ringing of the bell. Almost immediately her bright expression fell to a mournful pout, eyes flickering to the cafeteria with longing that would remain unfulfilled. Sighing and suppressing her appetite, she directed her attention towards the two students with a renewed smile.

“Alright, as much as we’d enjoy standing here until the ends of time, I do think we ought to get to class? J.D.,” she paused and aimed her speech at him distinctly, “Why don’t you sleep on it, and get back to her? You don’t have to decide right now, or even today. I’m sure Natalie wouldn’t mind talking to you about it later?” Lila shifted her gaze to the girl with a reassuring smile. Perhaps that would be the best way to get J.D. to comply? If given time to think it over, to really contemplate the opportunity she was providing him, he might change his own mind.


((Sorry for the delay guys, thanks for your patience! I hope this is okay with both of you?))

[emodawg]

Adam began to regret deciding to draw Aimee. He didn’t like the idea of drawing her too fat or too thin and getting a load of verbal abuse for it but he persevered. He checked his watch, he could use lack of time as an excuse.

“So are you new here?” She asked.

He nodded, not lifting his eyes from his journal, wanting to finish before the bell went. “Wasn’t it frightfully obvious? Me sitting here by myself like that?” He laughed a little. “What about you, are you new here?” He enquired.

The bell rang right after he finished his sentence. He sighed, he thought he still had a minute or so left. He did his last little bit of shading. He was pretty proud of his work: Aimee perched on a chair, knees together, legs slightly apart, her hands on her knees and her flirtatious smile. The detail on her corseted top wasn’t the best but he didn’t want to be caught looking at her chest for too long… He scribbled “Amy” along the top, signed it, then carefully ripped it out of his journal and handed it to her.

“If you don’t think the this picture wasn’t worth you’re time, I’m sorry but I can’t think of any decent refund policy,” He joked.

[LostSaggatarius]

Clem looked at her lunch. Spagetti and Meatballs. She was a vegatarian. She felt like she was gonig to throw up. She thought of the poor cow that had to be pulped. Her eyes grew wide. She felt her face going green. Quickly she ran to the bathroom avoiding some girls looking at her she ran into a cubicle and threw up. Then she flushed the toliet and wiped her mouth with a tissue and walked out. She felt the other girls stares boring into her back but she walked on calmly and steadily. She felt nervous as she walked back int othe cafateria. She grabbed a salad and a plate of chips as fast as she could and ran out into the sunshine. She felt the weak sun heating up her cold skin. Her eyes seemed to feel woozy and then, she fainted.

Mrs. Donnell was anngry. A girl fainted outside her window and she had to call the ambulance. She was angry becuase she had not only half eaten her lunch but this was the first time a girl fainted in weeks. She pursed her lips and walked out into the parking lot. She opened her car door and checked to see if she had any tissues. She had a cold but didn't like to admit it becuase she called it a childrens sickness. She found a tissue and blew her nose and went back to her room. She ate her lunch of a scone with strawberry jam with a cup of tea. She realaxed a bit and sipped her tea. She closed her eyes and took a little nap.

((occ: sorry abotu not posting for ages i was a bit bored with here)))

[AtropaMandragora]

At Brooklake High, it was a widely known fact, that the times when J.D. Harper and a teacher, any teacher, would see eye to eye on something, usually J.D.'s behaviour and/or vocabulary, were few and very, very far apart. J.D., with his authority issues, didn't like teachers, and frankly, most teachers didn't exactly care for him either. Outside of class, he was often seen causing trouble somehow, be it by intimidating other students, fighting them, or shoving them out of his way if they should be so unfortunate as to not move out of it fast enough. Or he'd be caught smoking, or destroying school property. And in class, things weren't that much better, because if he wasn't mouthing off to the teacher, odds were he was asleep. If he even bothered to show up at all.

Consequently, because of his behaviour and the resentment he harboured against the school and student body in general, and his tendency to express it one way or another, it wasn't really all that far-fetched for him, or anyone else for that matter, to assume that whatever he might have had to contribute to the school paper, had he wanted to, wasn't very likely to be even reluctantly approved by the teachers, nor the principle.
Though it would seem that the Natalie chick was one of the very few who had not yet realized it, because she just wouldn't relent;

"Well", she said in that same unphazed tone of voice she had maintained for the entire conversation, and even offered him a smile. "You know where my vote is. And I'm sure enough about it to put my entire weight behind this."

Then she paused ever so briefly, only to add a moment later, almost as though she thought his self confidence was something of an issue;

"And, I thought it was fantastic. And Lila definitely agrees, right? I think we count for something, right?"

Now, to J.D., who was not exactly an expert on correctly interpretating people's facial expressions, nor their tone of voice, and who had extremely little faith in them as well, it was starting to sound much like she was spreading it on a bit too thick. It was far easier for him to consider her having an ulterior motive, than it was to imagine her being perfectly truthful with him. Girls like her usually stayed away from him. They didn't talk to him, at least not without making some sort of derisive comment, and they never wanted anything from him. He'd caught a couple of them looking at him, apparently liking what they saw, yes - because despite his surly disposition, some found him attractive, mostly in the rough, masculine kind of way of someone who demands fear and respect, and won't back down at anything - but those looks usually didn't last very long, as he tended to meet them only with eyes showing what exactly he thought about their prissy kind.
And, considering he was hardly Mr Popularity, to him it would make more sense if someone like her wanted to get back at him for puching in her boyfriend's nose or something, by setting him up somehow. This being one possible way.

Still, knowing Lila was probably a better judge of character than he was, despite her naivite and endless good faith in people, and seeing how she appeared to believe Natalie was actually being honest, as well as having noted that hint of undeniable sincerity in Natalie's voice himself, he couldn't help but to begin to waver. Maybe she was being truthful, maybe she did want his stuff in the paper. Though in that case, while it wouldn't make her a lying b*tch, it would make her a fool. Because really, he hadn't been joking when he'd said that his stuff would hardly be approved.
Then again, if she did put her entire weight behind it, like she said was willing to do, she would be the one in trouble, and not him, and since when did he stop other people from getting into trouble?
Exactly; he didn't. With the exception of friends such as Leigh and Lila, but that was more a case of taking the blame for them, rather than actually stopping them from doing something that would get them into trouble.

"I should hope so", Lila said, pulling him out of brief musings, to the here and now, with a small laugh and a bright smile.

Both of whom were cut short by the shrill and demanding signal of the bell, announcing lunch was over. Hearing it, the cheerful expression on Lila's face faded, and she glanced towards the cafeteria, while J.D.'s eyes widened slightly and sought out the nearest clock, as though he couldn't believe the time. Lunch was over already, and he had yet to get something to eat?

"Alright", Lila continued a second later, while turning back to J.D. and Natalie, with a new, soft smile on her lips. "As much as we'd enjoy standing here until the ends of time, I do think we ought to get to class? J.D., why don’t you sleep on it, and get back to her? You don't have to decide right now, or even today. I'm sure Natalie wouldn't mind talking to you about it later?"

With that, she turned her gaze from J.D. to Natalie, as though seeking confirmation, but whether or not she got it was lost on J.D., as was the entire last part of her statement, since he'd pretty much stopped listening halfway through.
Ought to get to class? Now? Without having gotten anything at all to eat? Ooooooh no. H*ll no. He was not going to starve the rest of the day. Uh-uh. Never. Not a chance. He was plenty hungry already, and if he didn't get something to eat soon, he'd kill someone. For while J.D. Harper might not be the most pleasant person around, a hungry J.D. Harper was even worse.

"Yeah yeah, fine, whatever", he said in his usual, 'eloquent' manner, mostly as a way of putting an end to the art discussion, leaving it to indeed be continued at a later time. "I'm gonna grab something to eat now."

[summerkelsa]

Bodene wasted no time finishing off what was on his plate after Sylvia's disappearance. Not that he would have had much to say if she had accompanied him, but the offer had been there. However, he now had other things on his mind. Like the skateboard deck he had been eyeing at his local skate shop, and the board he was working on at home - even though he wouldn't be able to use it until this coming summer if he was lucky, or the sleep he could still be getting, and how he wanted a cigarette really, really bad.

Stacking all his cutlery onto his tray, Bodene then casts a quick glance over the cafeteria before eyeing one of the exits. He could probably find a place to have a quick smoke before having to get to class..

Oh sh*t..

He suddenly remembered that he was suppose to meet with Specht.

Brow furrowing in defeat, his blue-green eyes shift up to the clock as a low, 'Aw f*ck...' leaves him. It was much later than he had thought. Apparently he had gotten lost in his own thoughts and the heap of food he had been shovelling into his mouth.

Bodene slowly gets up and collects his things, notebook being shoved under his right arm as he turns and then heads towards the bins to deposit his [few] scraps and then puts his tray away before lumbering towards the main hallway. No wonder the cafeteria had looked so.. desolate.

Upon reaching it, and avoiding the many students that were now dutifully on their way to class, Bodene retrieves his pen from the spiral of his notebook and grabs the end of it between his teeth, gnawing away on it as he heads towards Professor Specht's office. He really shouldn't have thought about his smokes. Now that was all he could think about.

He eyed the remote courtyard as he strolled past it, brow deepening as he contemplated darting out there so he could give into his nicotine cravings. I mean, he was already going to be late. Why not. And Specht should know that he was -never- on time. Ever.

However, the bell rang just as he was mid-thought. And it made him flinch. Hard.

Bodene sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he looked around to see if anyone noticed before brushing his fingers though his mess of hair as he proceeded onward.

Unlike all the other students who were heading towards their next class - or, rather, were already in their next class, Bodene just kept walking, avoiding the door to his history class like it was the plague.

He did, however, approach Professor Specht's office - like a good boy - but that was all because he didn't want to deal with the consequences of not showing up... and Specht had mentioned that it would be quick. Or maybe Bodene just imagined that. But he sure hoped it would be.

He noticed that the door was slightly ajar so he gave it a few light raps just as it was pulled open. And there stood a very flustered Professor Specht.

"Mr. Rivers... Late as always, I see. You do know that I teach here at Brooklake.. and that I have a class to attend to. As do you.."

Bodene's face twisted into a mix of embarrassment and confusion, his left shoulder shrugging up slightly as he mumbled around his pen, "Yeah... had to eat.." and then he quickly tugged the pen from his mouth so he could speak just a tad more clearly, "Sir."

Professor Specht just eyed him before motioning into his office. "This will be quick."

Bodene shuffled into the room and dropped his notebook on the desk before dropping into the accompaning chair. Specht followed him in and took his place on the opposite side of the desk, wasting no time as he removed a yellow post-it note from a clutter of papers and eyed it before looking at Bodene as he spoke, "Bodene, do you intend to be a junior again next year?"

Bodene just eyed him as if he had grown a second head, his own head cocking to the side.

Professor Specht saw that his message hadn't been as clear as it should have been, so he continued, "As your advisor, I'm suppose to keep track of you and make sure you, y'know, pass. And, frankly Bodene you aren't. Not right now anyways. Now, it's a new semester and if you put forth some effort then you have a chance to pass your junior year. If you don't.. you'll have to retake it. Am I clear?"

Bodene continued to eye him, but it was obvious the message had sunk in. So, Specht continued on, "So, I've taken it upon myself to find you some.. help. A fellow student who's agreed to aid you in your studies."

Professor Specht then put the post-it note in front of Bodene. On it was a name. Bodene recognized it. Or at least he thought he did. He glanced up as Specht spoke once more, "She'll be expecting to meet with you after school today. You can find her in room D6. She's a part of the newspaper club."

Bodene figured the meeting was now over and he just nodded as he grabbed the post-it and scrunched it up in his palm before shifting in his seat so he could pocket it. He began to stand just as Professor Specht added, "She will let me know when you are a no-show.. so don't think you can skip out."

That caught Bodene's attention and he shot Professor Specht an almost offended look before cracking a boyish half-grin, "Whaaat, Specht, don't trust me?"

Professor Specht just arched a brow before motioning with his head towards the door, "Class. You. Now."

Bodene's brows arched as he pulled a smug grin and then, after giving a sloppy two finger salute, he turned and exited the office, his slow gait taking him back to the main hallway.

[[ I'm back. So sorry for being a flake. Sienna's post will come soon once I figure out where she should be (whoops). And Bodene is very approachable now that I have that out of the way. ]]

[Laughy]

Kim walked towards the middle of the class mentally tallying up how many hours of school she had left. She really wanted to get out of school now and the day was only half done. The day had been okay but not good and she wanted a chance to regroup and refresh herself before the next day. She glanced back to Matt at the sound of him talking to her,at least she thought he was.


"Oh, come on,You can't still be p*ssed at me? It was just a joke, for Christ's sake.", he said as she went past him. She sighed in exasperation and finally flopped into her seat. It was right next to his seat. "Look, I'm sorry If i acted like an immature jerk, that's reserved for you", she said with a hint of a smile on her face, then quickly backtracked lest he take it the wrong way. "But, seriously, I'm sorry, things were not going well", and why am I telling you this?, she thought to herself.


She smiled at him hoping that he knew she actually was. This would probably be the only bright spot in her day and she knew she was probably doing no one any favours by being a grumpy b***h. " Besides, I never said it wasn't a joke, a really bad and lame one, but still a joke", she said with a teasing lilt in her voice.

(( Hope that wasn't terribly messy and incoherent, and sorry again Atropa!))

[emodawg]

((ooc: Im really sorry slytherin girl for making you wait so long. I should have be able to post back for you later today or tomorrow morning))

[AtropaMandragora]

Having just addressed the little darkhaired beauty from this morning's small and harmless prank, and noting how at first she merely glanced at him and sighed, Matt initially thought that she had decided to do the unthinkable; to sign her social death sentence, by ignoring him. Anyone who had been at Brooklake for more than five minutes would know you'd be setting yourself up for something really unpleasant, if you acted as though you were better than any of the preps - a lesson currently taught to, but yet to be learned by, a certain Natalie Cardew - but this one was only on her first day, and even though one would think it would be easy to spot who was alpha and who was, well, not, there would always be the occasional initially social blind bat, who needed guidance. Or - in the case of those who did know but simply ignored it, such as Natalie - the pure idiot.

However, luckily for Kim, she seemed to be one of the people who did get it, as ignoring him was apparently not her intention after all. Only a few seconds later, after giving that sigh, she slumped into the seat next to his, and replied with a tiny smile, and an equally tiny bit of what was supposedly witty raillery;

"Look", she said. "I'm sorry if I acted like an immature jerk, that's reserved for you."

At that, Matt turned his head, and one of his finely chiseled eyebrows ventured upward a little bit in a look of slight disbelief. Oh, so she was trying to be cute, was she? Well, they'd see about that.

However, before he had a chance to even open his mouth and fire back, she continued;

"But, seriously, I'm sorry, things were not going well."

And this time, she actually sounded honest, and the pretty smile accompanying her words seemed genuine enough as well. So, maybe she was truly sorry, and apologizing for being so touchy, when really there were plenty of other things he could have done when she'd asked him for directions, had he wanted to actually be mean to her.

"Besides", she then went on to add, with ill-hidden mischief in her voice. "I never said it wasn't a joke, a really bad and lame one, but still a joke."

Nope, she was still trying to get back at him. Granted, in a far more friendly and pleasant way than before, but if she thought they were now somehoe even, she'd have to think again, because as far as Matt was concerned, they'd been even when she'd openly confronted him in English class. He'd even been generous enough to consider them even when she'd made that first joking remark, about 'immature jerk'.
But now, with that last one, they were even no more. The game was back on. More friendly and good-natured than before, but still on. So, he'd just have to hope that she really did have a sense of humor after all, and could take it as well as she could dish it out;

"Oh yeah?" he challenged with a slight and cocky smile. "Well, if it really was that bad and lame, what does that make you, for falling for it, hmmmm?"

[Alissa888]

With the time running out to further her argument, Natalie wasn’t sure whether this was going to be a fruitful venture or not. Really, it was frustrating that the moment she’d gotten somewhere close to getting her points across, the stupid bell had decided it wanted to rain on her parade. Honestly, it was like it was one big joke to make her get this far and then suddenly have to put a stop to it.

Interruptions, at this stage, were hardly desirable. Actually, they were past undesirable, they were downright detrimental to her progress so far and impediments got Natalie somewhat angry. Well, back in the day, she’d have thrown something as close to a tantrum without actually throwing a tantrum in order to got what she wanted right then and it usually worked like a charm without her having to compromise herself – Natalie Cardew did not behave disgracefully.

Though, right now, she knew that demanding an outcome was even more detrimental than that bell had been. After all, if even cornered mice fought back, there was no telling what someone like J.D. would do if she pushed him to a decision. However, there was one thing that was certain; Natalie would most certainly not be getting her way with that move and hence, she had to let this one rest. However, as ever, Lila swept in like the angel that she seemed to be and provided a good enough temporary solution;

“I should hope so,” she bantered at J.D. with a bright grin filling her pretty features, their glee only to be cut short by the sharp invervention of the damn bell cutting through their conversation. Following Lila’s line of vision, Natalie swiftly realised what she’d deprived all three of them of with her own intervention; lunch. Now, Natalie Cardew wasn’t exactly alien to skipping meals, after all, when you lead a busy life, you learn to work around things. However, she knew well that at least one of her two current companions weren’t that compliant.
The other one, however, swiftly dealt with the predicatment;

“Alright, as much as we’d enjoy standing here until the ends of time,” Lila interjected once more as she turned her gaze towards J.D. “I do think we ought to get to class? J.D.”

While Natalie was hardly prone to skip classes – not that she couldn’t get away with a classy, improvised excuse – because she really did enjoy ruling the roost, she wasn’t exactly going to indulge in it right now. Currently, her domain was that of academics, with Miss Cardew well known as the glamorous genius, when previously it’d been Natalie, the prep Queen. Either way, when Natalie did something, she did it to perfection. J.D., however – thought apparently not Lila – didn’t care either way and would probably just waltz off somewhere.

“Why don’t you sleep on it, and get back to her?” Lila then suggested simply and yet astutely, giving a closure to things without closing them off, while Natalie wasn’t sure whether backing down completely now was the best she could do. Though, this worked.Nice. “You don’t have to decide right now, or even today. I’m sure Natalie wouldn’t mind talking to you about it later?”

With that, Natalie soon found herself in receipt of a reassuring smile from Lila, as if signifying that it was the best course of action to take to get J.D. to see things their way and surprisingly, Natalie found herself trusting the girl’s judgement, despite only having met her a short while ago.

Alright then, it sounded like a sane enough plan, to let J.D. get through his own reasoning before he got back to her. After all, even if she got him to agree right here and now, there was no telling that he wouldn’t just back out later. Actually, there was no telling that he wouldn’t do that at any point anyway and so, this whole venture was just a gamble… one that Natalie was betting would pay off well.

"Yeah yeah, fine, whatever,” J.D. surprisingly dissented, leaving Natalie wondering whether her and Lila’s team effort had actually really made progress with him despite the sudden interruption. "I'm gonna grab something to eat now."

Yeah, she figured as much. However, Natalie couldn’t just let it go without pointing out one salient, polite fact to him;

“I think the cafeteria’s closed,” she said softly, eyes flicking momentarily to the hall down the corridor, before moving on to conclude their meeting so far; “And yeah, just find me anytime, or I’ll talk to you again, and hopefully we’ll see your work on the paper?”

Question though it was, it was rhetorical and not wishing to impinge on his plans any more than she already had, Natalie took a step back, locking gazes with both J.D. and Lila in turn.

“Does anyone have Art?” she asked, more intending it to be an invitation to join her if they did share the same class, rather than an actual inquiry.

(((OOC: Hope this works for you guys. Didn't want to move anyone without checking and please feel free to have Natalie end up in Art :) )))

[Slytherin-Girl]

(((OOC:Sorry I haven't been around guys, school has been H-E-doublehockeysticks. THankfully it's done now though.

Unthankfully (Is SO a word...I think) I had to get my home PC wiped completely this morning, which means all my sims downloads and everything I had were lost. Which *tear* means my most darling ME is gone *pout* I'll slowly be attempting to re download everything, and I'll try to get a post up when I can...just kinda depressed about that right now. Though if anyone has any sims they've made of their charas. on here they wanna share, I'd love to have em :) I wanna set up a proper hood just for them!)))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: I second that wish. :D If anyone wants to share their sims, it'd be really cool to have them around the neighbourhood. I've been planning to make one of Matt, and I already have one of J.D., but all my stuff is currently on my laptop, and I don't have it with me, so I have to wait until I get it back. :) )))

[emodawg]

Lorene forgot her temporary annoyance quite quickly, food was her top priority after spending most of lunch ignoring or being distracted from her tummy's distressed groans. Just when relief from the dull ache that had plagued her stomach seemed over the horizon, the double doors only final barrier left between her and eating, the bell rang... This had to be some sick evil joke! She groaned miserably, a slew of Lithuanian obscenities followed close afterward. All she wanted cake, was that such a crime?! And she hadn't had the chance to freshen up in the girls' bathroom. She'd been in a rush morning, luckily she had gotten pretty good at drawing her eyebrows on against the clock but she feared she hadn't made herself as pale as she had liked in her dash to get ready.

“Curses. Vile bell, keeping me from my deep fried french fryish goodness”. Nadia muttered, shaking her fist in a comedic way.

Lorene giggled a bit but still clutched at her tummy perhaps a little too dramatically. She too dug through her bag in search of her day planner, praying she had something she had something she could sneak away from and consume chocolate cake in peace.

“History next, can’t miss that” Nadia said, getting to her day planner first. She was right. The key to getting anything out of Lorene's father was good grades (paired with annoying persistence) and history was not her strong point. Anything to do with the distant past seemed to make Lorene automatically disengage. But she had to try dammit!

“Think these’ll tide us over, I kinda forgot to pack a real lunch, I didn’t think we’d be quite this late to school this morning” Nadia said, interrupting Lorene's stream of thought as she offered her a bread stick.

Lorene's eyes lit up, "You really sure I'm allowed one? Cos once you feed me I'm kinda hard to get rid of," She laughed a little, only half joking. "You don't mind if I tag along with you to history do you? I remembered the locations of the important places in school," She added after a minute.

[IAmMadi]

Aimee liked the way that Adam was to focused on her and the portrait he was drawing of her. She felt self-conscious, but not in a bad way. She noticed that students were departing the cafeteria. A signal that the bell was about to ring.

He nodded without looking up at her, obviously not disturbed by her stupid question. Aimee took that as a positive sign. “Wasn’t it frightfully obvious? Me sitting here by myself like that?” He laughed. “What about you, are you new here?” If Aimee’s accent didn’t give it away, her wariness towards the other students did.

The bell chimed. The deafening soprano sound split Aimee’s eardrums.

Adam scribbled ‘Amy’ above his work. Aimee sighed at his misspelling, but forgave him quickly. How was he meant to know? He pulled it out of his journal with care and handed it to her with a smile.

“If you don’t think the this picture wasn’t worth your time, I’m sorry but I can’t think of any decent refund policy,” he joked carelessly.

Aimee was pleased with Adam’s quick doodle of her. She placed it under the cover of her notebook. “It’s incredible. Thank you,” she said sweetly. She leaned forward and lightly pecked his cheek, a French custom in most cases. She felt the warm blood fill her cheek as she leaned back.

“Well, yes. I have lived in France all my life, my family moved here last month,” She had almost forgotten about his previous question. “But, I am no foreign exchange student,” Aimee almost hissed the last words. She knew that foreign exchange students were the pitfalls of popularity.

Aimee eyed the empty cafeteria, “We better get to class. History isn’t it?”

[robokitty]

((I’ve been doing pen & paper RPing for a long time now, but I’ve never done it online via forums. I’m completely new to this format and would really appreciate your help and forbearance while I learn the procedures and etiquette. I’m open to storylines.))

Student Application -
Name: Esteban Morales
Age/Class: (automatically 16/Junior)
Clique: Troublemakers (although could crossover into Achievers)
After School Activity: Detention (None of the ones in the list seemed to fit. Let me know if this is okay)
"Brief" History/Personality Description:

Childhood History:
Mrs. Morales is pregnant with her youngest of three children, Esteban, when she discovers her husband’s illicit affair with a younger, flirtier girl. After many heated arguments, they divorce, leaving Mrs. Morales in a perpetual state of depression. Her pregnancy feels bitter and long.

Members of the family say that this is where Esteban first acquired his intractability—from his mother’s foul temper.

In school, Esteban proves himself to be a bright student. Unfortunately, this compounds with his inborn desire for excitement and conflict. The result is long periods of boredom in school, relieved only by abundant misconduct.

Esteban quickly loses interest in school. He stops doing homework and scrapes by on D’s, usually saving his grade by scoring high on tests. He is a terror in class--talking back to teachers, inciting other troublemakers to join him in creating mayhem, and smack-talking his way into fights on a regular basis.

Inside, Esteban is an angry kid who needs attention—attention he doesn’t get from his father, who would come around once every few months and give him $20 to buy some ice cream, attention he has to fight for as the youngest of three kids, and attention doesn’t get from his mother, who seems to be perpetually working at one job or another.

“Mijo, you’ll thank me when you need this money to go to college some day.” She would say about her work.

So when Mrs. Morales scolds, spanks, begs, and pleads with her son to improve his grades and stay out of fights, at least Esteban has his attention.

Early Adolescent History:
When Esteban is in junior high, his mother is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. One hysterectomy and months of chemo later, the cancer cells metastize. They spread to her other organs, showing up in her liver, stomach, and lungs. The chemo starts again.

After the metastasis and the grim realization that she hasn’t much time left, Esteban solemnly asks her to take him to the store. He asks her to buy him a pair of glasses so he can see what the teacher is writing on the blackboard. It looks all fuzzy from the back of the classroom.

The first bully who tries joking about his “four eyes,” he shoves into a locker. Later, a jock makes a flippant remark about his mother. Esteban sends him home needing six stitches. A fiasco in the juvenile courts and two month’s suspension later, Esteban comes back to school with all of his assigned make-up work completed. Teachers are astonished. Seven months later, he shows his mother the first straight A report card she’s ever seen in her family. She cries.

In two years, Mrs. Morales dies to ovarian cancer. The inchoate feelings Esteban’s been nursing all this time coalesce into a single, driving edict. Someday, he resolves, he’s going to be a doctor, and he’s going to find a cure.

Personality

Esteban enjoys smack talking others, doing so in a cocky, glib manner that is almost charming. While not manipulative, Esteban knows exactly what he’s doing when he pushes others’ buttons and how far to go. He has perfected this art in particular when it comes to his interactions with teachers. His is very critical of others’ faults, and is good at figuring out exactly what to say to make someone feel badly. He has no problem lying on the spot.

As critical as Esteban is of others’ shortcomings, he is even more critical of his own. He has deep self-loathing issues, though he puts on a cocky front. During his episodes of severe self-castigation, he blames himself for not doing more to help his mother, for not being smart enough, and for any little failure he's ever had in the past. His devil-may-care attitude reflects this lack of regard for himself and his own safety (due to the low value he puts on himself). This makes him particularly dangerous when he gets in fights.

As a result of his self-loathing issues, Esteban has a fear of intimacy. He puts up walls around himself with his behavior and doesn’t let anyone get too close, where they might be able to actually hurt him. He never tells anyone that he wants to be a doctor and fears his own failure. While he’s had many flings in the past with girls who dig the whole “bad boy” persona, he has never had or wanted an actual relationship.

Esteban has an adventurous personality and is easily bored. He looks favorably at any other students who are also adventurous, aren’t afraid to break the rules, and go against the grain of conformity. He is disdainful of anyone “boring,” who lives their life by the book; however, he does respect intelligence, which makes him ambivalent towards nerds. He dislikes rich, privileged kids who get everything handed to them on a silver platter.

While he has a bad reputation, Esteban has never picked a fight with someone “lower” on the food chain. He will openly mock nerds (and anyone else for that matter), but roughing them up and preying on the weak isn’t his style.

Esteban is extremely serious about his grades and will not severely jeopardize them. He is a quick learner and a particularly strong lateral thinker. He has thorough knowledge of what crimes count as infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies and is careful to avoid anything that would result in a serious penalty in juvenile court. As a result, Esteban knows many creative, nonviolent ways to prank and harass others for revenge. Since trying to turn around his grades, he is less likely to get into serious fist fights with other students, but he will happily provoke others into attacking him first so that he can fight them in “self-defense.”

Esteban is very close to his older brother and sister and believes in the importance of family. He is fiercely loyal to anyone he considers a friend, but he will still “play rough” with them. He hates his father and rarely sees him. His oldest sister, Marissa, is his legal guardian.

Anything else you might want to add:

Esteban is almost always in detention after school, and he doesn’t mind. He uses the time to finish homework and study. After his mother died, he went to live with his oldest sister in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment, and he can never find privacy there. In fact, if there is a single day when he knows he won’t be in detention, he usually conspires to find some reason go—showing up, then saying he forget he didn’t have detention today.

He gets mostly A’s and some B’s, and he usually tries to hide his good grades from others. When discovered, he lies and says he studies so that his probate officer (which he currently doesn’t have) won’t lock him up. He never talks about his mother’s death with anyone, and only his friends would be aware of her death.

At home, his family doesn’t live in poverty, but money is tight. Esteban has an after-school job working as a car mechanic with his brother, Rafael. His sister went to cosmetology school and works as a hair stylist. On weekends he volunteers at the local hospital to build up his resume for college.

Esteban wears his hair long to cover up headphones. Rather than listening to music, he records himself reading class notes and listens to them during boring classes, detention, or work. If anyone asks what he's listening to, he lies.

He dresses in simple, solid, dark clothing—usually a black t-shirt and jeans. He has a strong, lean build. He is attractive, with dark eyes and eyebrows. He has several scars from his past multitudinous fights.

He is bilingual, speaking English and Spanish. While he is capable of speaking perfect English, Esteban usually affects the leaning swagger of a Mexican accent. He does this to keep up his image, knowing that it makes people underestimate his intelligence and allows him to play dumb when he wants.

Picture:
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i205/superwuman/es3.jpg


FAMILY INFO:

http://www.teewu.com/simages/fam4.jpg


Esteban currently lives in a one-bedroom apartment with his sister, Marissa (22), who is his legal guardian. His brother, Rafael (19) used to live with them. It was extremely crowded; both Esteban and Rafael would sleep on couches in the common room, and Marissa got the actual bedroom to herself. Marissa has recently kicked Rafael out of the apartment (read below).

As the oldest, Marissa has always been the responsible one in the family. She helped raise Esteban when he was younger. Although she had the opportunity to go to college in another city, Marissa decided to stay in Brooklake to help take care of her mother while she was still ill. When their mother died, Marissa was the one who took care of all the paperwork and kept the family together. She took it upon herself to become Rafael and Esteban's legal guardian, which again forced her to stay in Brooklake. She helped support the family by working at a hair salon and has recently finished a two-year training in cosmetology school.

When she gets to have a social life, Marissa is an acceptance-seeker. In high school, she joined the cheer squad in order to gain more friends. She often dates guys who Esteban thinks are total assholes, and now that he's finished puberty, he looks forward to when she finally breaks up with them because now he actually stands a chance when he tries to beat them up.

Rafael has always been a ladies' man. Since he was little, he would almost exclusively talk to and charm pretty girls. On multiple occasions, he has hooked up with girl friends that Marissa brought over to the apartment. For a while, it's great... until the girl realizes that Rafael isn't in it for the long haul. Then they turn into a teary broken mess, and Marissa gets pissed something furious. After he slept with two of her friends, Marissa warned him not to do it again. He did it again anyway in the worst way possible, with two at once, so she kicked his ass out, chasing him with a rolling pin and a string of profanities.

Rafael works with Esteban at an auto shop. He drives a souped up car that he says is a real p***y magnet and takes vocational classes at the college nearby. He often invites Esteban to college parties. On special days, Rafael drives him out of the city 2 hours to go party at a college that has a 2:1 women to male ratio. Esteban appreciates all his brother's help and his tips, but hooking up with women isn't a focus for him like it is for Rafael.

All the Morales love alcohol more than they really should. Of all of them, Esteban is the worst when it comes to drinking.

[IAmMadi]

((ooc: Welcome robokitty! Can't wait to see Esteban in action!

If you are unsure about anything, I'm sure you can just PM any of us and we'll gladly help. Also, you should head over to the Roleplay Forum Rules, if you haven't already.

Thanks for joining us!))

[trampledsneakers]

((Great application Robokitty! You can begin RPing whenever you're ready. :D

Post for Lila coming soon, and:

Everyone, class is beginning; I think almost everyone is back to class, so tomorrow we'll have the professor start up class! ))

[Slytherin-Girl]

Marie-Elisabeth was, almost, starting to wish she had just feigned some sort of illness and stayed home. It wasn’t as though you ever missed anything important on the first day, and it also wasn’t as though missing anything important would affect her grades in the first place. But of course the head cheerleader missing the first day back to school just did not happen, and there was no way she actually would have stayed home.

Over lunch she had heard that there was another girl joining the squad, a troublemaker type named Bethalie, and she couldn’t decide whether this was worse than Katie the over achieving weasel. It really didn’t matter who was worse though, because she was confident that neither would be sticking around on the squad for very long.

So obviously there was far to much to deal with at the moment, which was thankfully doing an excellent job of pushing her upcoming appointment to the far recesses of her mind. That was something she really didn’t want to think about, she’d deal with it if and when it actually happened. There were more pressing things to deal with at the moment, like her extremely hard to stay angry with boyfriend Josh.

“How can I make it up to you” he insisted, as they walked towards history class, Sienna trailing along behind somewhere as she usually did. She sighed, having been able to predict this answer from a mile away. Josh apologizing and wanting to make things right was as predictable as Sienna always being two steps behind her as she walked through the hallways. He was just that nice. Of course that was one of the things that she loved so much about him, and what made him so different from most of her past boyfriends. He would probably be nice to just about anyone, which was likely the reason he was being friendly to Katie the Weasel, as Marie-Elisabeth had decided to refer to her from now on.“Oh I’m sure we can think of something” she said offhandedly, linking her arm with his as they approached the history class.

“You really are just too nice sometimes, you know that?” she continued with a faint grin on her face “You’re even kind to weasels, is there anyone you’re not nice to”?

[robokitty]

Esteban has three pink forms in his hands, three carbon copies of disciplinary paperwork. The secretary at the dean’s office takes the top white and yellow sheets and files them away with the rest of his burgeoning record of misconduct. Then, she sends him on his way so that she can deal with the next pissant little troublemaker.

Esteban has three pink forms in his hands, and he folds them in half, in fourths, in eighths, in sixteenths, and tucks the wad in his pocket before heading to history class. History class, which just happens to be the reason for Esteban’s three pink forms today.

Just before winter break started, Esteban brought stink bombs to class. Somehow the capsule was thrown near the prep-infested region of the room. It broke open, and the malodorous fumes began filling the classroom. Like a fine cheese, the bomb’s layers of sulphuric odors revealed themselves—egg-like flatulence that gave way to full manure mixed with sour milk, undertones of rotting fish, and a piquant hint of vomit. It took 30 minutes of wallowing in foulness for the preps to finally find the tiny stink capsule, pin the blame on Esteban, and send his *ss to the dean’s for a slap-on-the-wrist two day suspension.

And if you overlooked the fact that Esteban was indeed the culprit, the accusation and punishment were totally unfair. Not a lick of evidence besides his ignoble reputation was left to incriminate him.

So with three pink forms tucked neatly away, Esteban strolls from the dean’s office to history class. He produces a shiny, red apple from his bag and absentmindedly tosses it in the air. After pissing off many teachers in the past, Esteban has learned that it’s best to follow prank with panacea, a little sweet with a little sour, and what teacher can resist the quaint, nostalgic charm of their favorite student giving them a shiny, red apple?

Of course, Esteban doesn’t kid himself; most teachers are suspicious of food poisoning and simply throw away the apple when no one’s looking. But at least he’s sent a symbolic message, albeit a confusing one. Should I appreciate the apple or fear for my life?

When Esteban enters the classroom, a wry, cocky smile beams across his face. “Hey, Mr. Teacher!” he says, waiting for the history teacher to make eye contact with him. Once Esteban has his attention, he tosses the apple to him. A friendly lob, one that’s easy to catch (and one that is, in most classes, against the rules. What kind of teacher lets students throw s*** in class? However, most teachers seem to overlook this when they’ve just received a gift.)

Esteban follows the throw with his finger pointing at the teacher. “For you, and it’s the non-poisoned kind.” He flashes a winsome smile, “Trust me." The irony of the last statement is not lost to him.

Many students have filtered into the classroom at this point. While the powerful stench of the stink bomb has almost completely died away, the desk at its epicenter and the few surrounding it remains suspiciously empty. The misplaced students have found other seats, ones without lingering rancidity, and the students they’ve misplaced have found other seats as well. The cascading effect is that Esteban’s normal seating area has already been claimed.

Not that Esteban thinks the teacher would let him get away with sitting in the back of the room so quickly after his last stunt, anyway.

Esteban takes a quick survey of the room, JD is nowhere in sight. Again, fat luck that the teacher would let him sit next to a partner in crime like that. Maybe he finally managed to score one with that Lila girl, Esteban thinks. Probably not. If JD had Lila in the closet, she'd probably just talk to him about their feelings.

Esteban spots a seat in the front next to Katie. A pretty new girl with boots a good four straps and buckles past the hooker threshold is sitting next to the nerd princess extraordinaire. This works. Esteban has make-up work from his suspension he wants to double check anyway. The new girl is a bonus.

He doesn’t ask if the seat next to her is saved. He’s Esteban Morales —he doesn’t really give a s***. And besides, she’s Katie Byrd—of course the seat next to her isn’t saved.

Esteban throws his bag onto the desk and straddles the seat, leaning back in a relaxed pose. After a pregnant pause, he turns to Katie and says, “You’re in my science class, right?” He knows she is.

A beat later, he cocks his head and stares her in the eyes intently, almost aggressively, though his words sound friendly enough. “Let me see your homework from over break.”

((ooc: Hope that works for everyone. I wasn't sure if adding in the stinkbomb would be okay, but I read the previous posts and thought that it wouldn't interfere or contradict too much. And thanks for the welcomes, Madi & trampled :)

And btw, the apple isn't poisoned or altered in any way.))

[FurryPanda]

As Katie sat perusing her notebook, on the off chance she had forgotten anything over break, which really wasn't all that likely. After all, she had had nothing to do other than practice dancing, both from her studio, from the cheerleading squad, and her own choreography. And there was only so much that a girl could do in a day before her calves turned to water and her stomach turned to concrete, which left the other ten hours of the day for sleep and studying.

She frowned as she thought about that, how she had spent her break just dancing and studying, dancing and studying, and not seen a single friend. Not that she had any, but she was aware that it wasn't a social norm.

With an effort she brought herself back to the Second Punic War, it wouldn't do her any good to think about her lack of social life, and it might do her some good to decipher the naval tactics at the battle of Salamis.

She glanced to one side as she heard someone chirrup at her about the cheerleading captain and introduce herself. She glanced over at someone who looked like an unhealthy crossbreed of a rocker and a nitwit, and dismissed her out of hand as below her on the social totem pole, and likely to have different interests. After all, ornithology was not a rocker subject, even if cheerleading and dance were for this one.

The class was starting to get more full, and Katie closed her notebook. She had solidified her reputation as a nerdlette years ago, but there was no reason to flagrantly display it when she didn't have to.

Pretty close to when the late bell would ring, a backpack landed on the floor next to the seat next to her with an audible thump, and Katie started a little. She was about to turn and admonish whoever was throwing thier stuff- they could have hit her or something- when she saw the culprit, Esteban Morales, take the seat by her. Her words died in her throat, and she compulsively opened her notebook. "Negative body language," she thought ruefully, "only ones who realize it are the ones writing papers about it and the ones doing it."

It wasn't like she disliked Esteban, after all, they had barely exhanged twenty words since entering high school, and she was impressed by his grades. If she was the stereotypical straight A student, then he was the anti-stereotype, which was either very interesting or so confusing as to make it not worth thinking about.

He didn't seem to pick up on her dismissive pose, but then again, no one seemed to get it. Instead of continuing on his own way, he asked her, “You’re in my science class, right?”

She levelled a dismissive glare at him. No duh. They sat in the same row, and every once in a while he would converse with people sitting on her other side, as if she wasn;t there. She didn't object, but stupidity or jerk-facedness annoyed her. If he was too dumb to realize that the identical girls sitting near him in science due to bizarrities of free seating, and here due to his own pushiness then he was beneath her notice. If he was too much of an asshole to think that she was able to observe him, then... there wasn't much she could do about it.

“Let me see your homework from over break.” he continued blithely. She frowned at him. She didn't approve of people taking other people's work, but she didn't want to make waves, mainly because if she did, she was just as likely to drown as anyone else was to get wet.

she also didn't like sharing her homework because of that whole thing in middle school... when she thought that she and Marie-Elisabeth were best freinds, and her royal bitchiness had ust been using her to do her homework. The sensation of being liked then though, had been intoxicating. she knew when it wasd happening early enough to not get hurt, and there was always a chance of sincerity, no matter how small. Wordlessly she dug in her backpack and pulled out the neatly typed answers to a set of questions about the properties of double replacement reactions.

As she handed it over she reproachfully said, "You really should do your work, and you owe me a favor now."

((OOC: Hope that sokay with you robokitty and slytherin, and JOFL, and also robokitty, its really a stylistic preference, but most people write in past tense when RPing online. Purely a matter of preference though.))

[robokitty]

Negative body language.

Esteban’s sordid history of misconduct is no secret to anyone. And if he gleaned any one piece of information from it, it was how to read the subtleties of negative body language. As someone who always loved pushing others’ buttons, Esteban has a wealth of observational experience in how their demeanors change with each progressive insult and prod.

Of course, Esteban never calls this skill reading negative body language. He never methodically picks apart every little signal, every little change in pupil dilation, blink rate, breathing rate, body positioning, or voice inflection. He simply gets a feeling.

And right now, Katie looks like every teacher who simply didn’t want to deal with Esteban’s bulls*** but was required by proper decorum to show equanimity. And for Esteban, watching others struggle to keep their irritation from bubbling up under the veneer of politeness is fun.

Katie starts digging through her bag without so much as a hint of protest and does her best not to look at him. While teachers acted polite because it was their job, Katie does it for another reason. Esteban takes a mental note of what her negative body language is telling him: Spineless.

She pulls out a stapled packet of typed paper, each reaction problem immaculately organized and clearly illustrated. Esteban catches a glance of every subscript number, every superscript ionic charge. Without special programs, chemistry problems are notoriously difficult to depict in a typed format. Neurotic too, he thinks to himself.

For a microsecond, Esteban thinks he sees a look of anger flash across Katie’s restrained expressions as she hands her homework over. "You really should do your work, and you owe me a favor now."

And you owe me a favor now.

A devilish grin explodes across Esteban’s face at Katie’s last petulant, utterly impotent remark—like a neutered dog wagging its finger at the vet, Okay, you can have my huevos, but you owe me one, mister!.

Besides that, Esteban doesn’t see what he has that this rich, Harvard princess could possibly want from him. A spine, possibly?

So instead of breaking out in rude, riotous laughter, Esteban just smiles and takes Katie’s homework. He replies glibly, “Sure, sure. A favor. You ever want to bum a smoke, or a burrito, or maybe you need to find the brake lines on someone’s car, just ask me.”

Esteban turns away from Katie and digs through his bag for his homework. He starts pulling it out, stops, changes his mind. Instead, he pulls out a blank sheet of paper and begins copying Katie’s homework, trying to nonchalantly hide what he’s doing.

He thinks he feels Katie’s reproachful eyes burning a hole into back, and he can’t help but feel amused. It’s not that Esteban really needs to copy it all—he stills plans on handing in his original version—it’s just that sometimes Esteban can’t resist f***ing with people.

Regardless of when he finishes getting her answers down, Esteban decides that he'll wait until the last possible moment before the homework is due to give it back. Let her think she might lose it, might get a late grade on one assignment, then feel a rush of relief and a hint of regret for questioning his trustworthiness when she gets her baby back in the nick of time. It will probably be the most excitement she’s had all week.

((OOC: A few notes. Esteban's straight A status is not common knowledge. I talked to FurryPanda, and we established why Katie knows about it, but unless your character is particularly nosey or close to Esteban, it's probably unknown.

Also, I did notice the past-tense thing and made a conscious decision to use the present tense for Esteban's character. I think it fits his personality and thinking patterns better stylistically. Thanks for pointing it out though.))

[IAmMadi]

((OOC: Wow. It is really slow here lately. Where is everyone? :blink:))

[trampledsneakers]

((Alright, we're just going to have the students go to Art class; the NPC below is their art professor giving them short instructions.))

The students slowly filled into the brightly decorated art class in trickles and waves, and Mrs. Hartford waved them over to their seats with a beaming smile. She was clearly excited about the project she had set up for them today, and was itching to begin. Once the last few students filtered into the room after the bell, she clapped her hands together enthusiastically and let her eyes skim over the half-interested crowd.

"Alright students; today is our 3D composition day. You've got three different mediums to work with--paperclips, newspaper, and styrofoam blocks. You can use whatever you want, make whatever you want! I want to see how creative you can get with less conventional resources."

She glanced between the students and noted the varied looks of interest and confusion, and then moved towards her desk with a grin. "Get to work!"

----

Lila

There were times when she felt like her feet had minds of their own, propelling her in directions that she wasn't quite prepared to go. At this moment, they were insistent that she get to her art class before the entire period was lost, but her mind was still focused on the blonde-haired boy standing before her. She was itching to get to class, yet sedentary in her movement because he somehow held her there against her will or better judgment.

"Yeah yeah, fine, whatever," his gruff voice overcame her and she heard him start up again as soon as he had paused, "I'm gonna grab something to eat now." Lila emitted a feeble sigh and felt her smile begin to sag. He was skipping class; how very unexpected of their dear J.D. How many times had she inadvertently missed class because of his influence? She clenched her teeth and tried in vain to convince herself to make a decision she knew she couldn't. Her frustrated gaze was fixed pointedly at him when Natalie chimed in quickly.

“I think the cafeteria’s closed,” her voice was polite and anything but antagonistic, but Lila had to fight the urge to chuckle at her comment. It pointed out something that J.D. had neither considered nor cared about, and she was almost certain he wouldn't take too kindly to having his plans so quickly shot down. Lila's guess was that he had no intention of remaining on campus to retrieve his lunch, but rather would go off campus if need be to obtain food. That fact only solidified Lila's decision in her mind.

“And yeah, just find me anytime, or I’ll talk to you again, and hopefully we’ll see your work on the paper?” Lila glanced hopefully between the two students and could only send out a silent wish that J.D. would see the potential she saw so clearly in him. Natalie seemed as intent on making it to her class as Lila; she took a step back and surveyed them from her new place, eyes inquiring before her lips could.

"Does anyone have Art?" Lila's emerald eyes lit up with recognition and she gave her an affirmative nod while taking a step forward.

"Me," she said with soft confirmation, eyes flickering back to J.D. over her shoulder inquisitively.


((Sorry it's so short; I figured I'd let J.D. respond to her questions before I dragged them any farther. Hope this works for you guys!))

[trampledsneakers]

((I was going to have it be the History class, but the person playing the professor didn't respond and start class, so we're just going to have Art instead with an NPC professor. I hope that works for everyone. :) ))

[FurryPanda]

((OOC: I didn't know how to get them from history to art... so I employ willing suspension of disbelief to get them there. If you have a better idea, or don't like it, then feel free to say)

Most people wouldn't think of Katie as manipulative. They would be right in thinking so, since basically all she wanted was to either be liked for who and what she was, or to be ignored. Niether one of those goals lent themselves to a manipulative personality. That didn't mean that she wasn't oppurtunistic. If there was a chance something could be useful, she would look into it, regardless of whether or not it seemed so. After all, it had seemed a bad idea at the time to help with the guidance office's computers, but now she could observe whatever she wanted with impunity.

So when she did something nice, against the urgings of the little paranoid voice inside that said she was being an idiot, she just tried to take whatever oppurtunity there was in it. At practice she fetched water, and was glad to stay hydrated. In classes where the teacher was undoubtedly wrong, and she would know, given she'd written the paper they were wrong about, she would stay quiet and take it as an unintentional and obscure compliment. When someone borrowed her work, she would ask for a favor and have a set of tenterhooks that weren't very strong, but were there if she ever needed them.

Unlike most people, who would just nod and copy away when she added her usual condition, this one smiled and said, with undoubted sarcasm, "Sure, sure. A favor. You ever want to bum a smoke, or a burrito, or maybe you need to find the brake lines on someone’s car, just ask me.”

Her first instinct was to cringe a little at the sarcasm, but she didn't. He had a point, she would never ask him for his work, she always did her own after all. And the sort of favor she usually called in, for the person in question to leave her the hell alone, probably wouldn't be honored in this case.

So she didn't move, just watching vaguely as he dug in his bag, finally surfacing with a piece of paper, and then pausing to replace it and pull out a blank sheet.

Her eyes narrowed. His bag, from here, looked like an unholy mess, but the florid papers that the science teacher handed out were pretty hard to mistake, and the reason to write on a sheet instead of the ditto was pretty slim. Her own obsessiveness and fondness for chemistry software being one of those slim chances. She doubted that he was trying to avoid messing up a sheet, or that he was playing with her and had already done his homework- she was such an easy target, most people didn't think it was worth the effort. So she didn't comment, and simply answered, "Alright."

Her voice was toneless, more because she wasn't being sarcastic, she wasn't trying to do anything other than agree with that assessment of what he could do for her. Katie was not a malicious or forgetful person, but there were some people who did deserve to have major car repairs, though not enough to kill them. And there were times when she forgot to eat. A burrito in class or after practice if she could find him would be welcome. But then again, she said it tonelessly, because he thought he was being sarcastic, and she at least knew how to react to sarcasm. Any introduction of other moods by her would shift the situation, and shifts could be confusing.

As she was about to turn to her desk and idly flip through her notes again, the art teacher bounded in and said, with bouncing cheerfulness that Katie thought was likely akin to dementia, "Alright students; today is our 3D composition day. You've got three different mediums to work with--paperclips, newspaper, and styrofoam blocks. You can use whatever you want, make whatever you want! I want to see how creative you can get with less conventional resources."

There was a general disinterested exodus to the front of the room, where there was a huge pile of styrofoam, newspapers and paper clips. Katie glumly got to her feet to go up, and immediately three people asked her to get stuff for them.
"Katie, will you get me some styrofoam?"
"As long as you're up, can you get my stuff?"
"Katie, dahl, pick up the comics for me!"

She glared at all three of them, thier legs weren't broken, but she wasn't even going to bother to ask for some reciprocity. She probably wouldn't get it, and it wasn't that big of an imposition.

Before she went she turned to Esteban. At least he was sitting next to her, so it made some sense for her to get his stuff. "As long as I'm up, what do you need?" she asked, not cheerlessly, and certainly not in annoyance, but not happily either. Katie the doormat: being stepped on was better than being kicked.

((OOC: Hope thats okay with you robokitty))

[Laughy]

Kim breathed in a sigh of relief that Matt had actually taken her apology. In all her years in the shark pool that was high school, she'd seen one too many newbies get their school life trashed by making the one wrong decision. It ranged from talking back to the head cheerleader or as simple as wearing the wrong type of shoes on your first day and that was it for the unfortunate person. They were either hopelessly shunned by everyone or openly mocked by the popular crowd. She thought about how close she'd cut it to being one of them and thanked her stars that the common sense had kicked in.

She turned back to Matt just quick enough to catch the mischievous glint in his eyes. She had seen that look so many times and that did not bode well. One advantage of having brothers was having a little insight into the male mind, it didn't really help in the bigger picture since they were so young but it still counted towards helping her decode some male behavior, particularly ones like this. The last time she'd seen this look in her brothers' eyes, she'd woken up to her entire closet and her bathroom cleared out. She'd ended up going to school in her mum's clothes, two sizes too big. This look was dangerous.

She quickly made up her mind, fight or flight? She picked fight. She'd taken on plenty of people before and Matt would be no exception. She cocked her head in his general direction seeing his smirk. Just then the art teacher came bouncing in wearing some godawful outfit that she probably thought was very "contemporary". She told them what they were doing in a voice so perky one would wonder what she'd been drinking before class. That tone of voice was so out of place for a teacher, especially on Mondays. The day was definitely turning out to be very strange.

Replying to Matt's dig about the joke she turned back to him again, "I guess that makes me human", she said with a wink before getting up and going to get the materials. The period already looked to be way too long and would probably drag on with the weird project they were doing. How the heck was she supposed to make something with Styrofoam, newspaper, and paperclips?

[robokitty]

“Alright.” Katie answers stolidly.

Esteban’s insides bristle a little at the response. What an ice queen! Must be hard being so controlled and frigid all the time!

See, most students would laugh sheepishly or joke back at Esteban’s sarcasm. Katie, it appears, is an altogether different animal.

He copies her answers on a clean sheet of paper, feigning his own irresponsibility.

The art teacher, Mrs. Hartford seems too distracted by her brilliant lesson to give Esteban’s gift much thought. She gives the apple one doubtful look and sets it on her desk with her dumb fingers. Turning to the class, she flails her arms and says, "Alright students; today is our 3D composition day. You've got three different mediums to work with--paperclips, newspaper, and styrofoam blocks. You can use whatever you want, make whatever you want! I want to see how creative you can get with less conventional resources. Get to work!"

At least this class is an easy A, Esteban thinks to himself. It looks like it’s going to be a long period. He reaches into his pocket and discreetly turns on his mp3 player. The headphone cords are hidden all the way up underneath his shirt and long hair to the buds in his ears.

Like a faint whisper, his notes start playing softly in his ears. And unlike his normal speech patterns, in perfect English. Redox reactions—oxidation: electron loss; reduction: electron gain. Mnemonic: LEO goes GER. In redox reactions, oxidation number changes such that…

As Esteban transcribes the second of Katie’s answers, he hears her ask, "As long as I'm up, what do you need?"

Esteban muses on how Katie, probably the brightest girl in the class, has become the secretary, the coffee girl, for everyone. He pauses, quickly dismissing the mental image.

When some people reach their breaking point, they resort to hysterics, shouting matches, and violence. Those are the most fun for Esteban. Others just get quiet, cage up emotionally, and resign themselves to the punishment. Katie, he pegs, is the latter. And perhaps already permanently in the “cagey” state. Judging from her impassive response earlier, he decides to ease off rather than bring up his unflattering analogy. At least momentarily .

“One newspaper, five paperclips, a roll of tape, and two Styrofoam blocks,” he quips back.

As Katie walks to the front of the room, Esteban’s eyes involuntarily move up and down her lithe body. Quickly realizing what he’s doing, he blinks hard and looks away. A pulse and being female are not enough, he reminds himself. Standards, man!

[AtropaMandragora]

While to most a rather complicated young man - who himself thought of his personality as a rather simple one (not a simpleminded one, mind you) - there was a large part of J.D. that functioned on a very basic and primal level; when he was angry, he lashed out at his aggressor, when he was in a good mood, he laughed and joked, when he was tired, he slept. And when he was hungry, he found himself something to eat. If not where he was, then someplace nearby, and if not someplace nearby, then someplace else. Very simple, and very basic.

And yet, judging by the looks he recieved from the two girls presently in his company, one would think he had just announced that he would be taking a trip to Mars or something. Although, in all fairness, one looked rather like she'd figured that he might try, yet had hoped that he wouldn't, while the other looked more like she was wondering just how he intended to manage it.

"I think the cafeteria's closed", the latter of the two calmly pointed out to him, as though for some reason, she thought it would make a difference to him.

Instead, all the comment really did, was to earn her a rather blank stare, the expression on J.D.'s face looking as though he was still waiting for her to present an actual point. It was an expression that couldn't have spoken more clearly even if he'd uttered the rather dry-sounding "So?" that seemed to be right on the tip of his tongue. And apparently Natalie soon realized that to a hungry J.D. Harper, the school cafeteria was hardly the only option available, because seconds later she continued;

"And yeah, just find me anytime, or I'll talk to you again, and hopefully we'll see your work on the paper?"

However, as it turned out, the closed cafeteria being no problem to J.D. wasn't the only thing she realized; she also seemed to realize that the best thing for her to do right now was not to push for an answer this very minute, but rather to leave J.D. to think about it all - not that, in J.D.'s current opinion, there really was much to think about - and see if maybe, just maybe, it would make him reconsider. And so she continued once more, while taking a step back as if to hint to wanting to get going;

"Does anyone have Art?" she asked, looking at them both, causing Lila to begin to follow her, and J.D. to quirk a brow.

Had he not just explained that he had no intention of going to class hungry, even if the two of them did?

"Me", Lila answered, and shot J.D. a questioning look as if to ask if he had changed his mind about coming, despite the fact that she knew him well enough by now to know that nothing she or Natalie had said, would have suceeded in making him prioritize class over food.

"Don't know, don't care", he said, though he did seem to recall seeing art listed on the timetable he had taken one brief look at this morning, before he had headed to his first class. "I'm getting something to eat."

And with that, he started backing away in the opposite direction, giving a haphazard semi-salute in parting before turning, in order to head for the main entrance doors.

"See ya."

[emodawg]

Adam waited for Aimee's response with anticipation, hoping he hadn't made an enemy on his first day if she didn't like his picture. He'd have actually been mortally offended, Adam didn't think himself very good at most things, but drawing was definitely one of his strengths. She placed the picture in her notebook, good sign, then turned back to him and with a sweet smile said, “It’s incredible. Thank you.”

Before Adam could thank her for the compliment, she had leaned in close and press her lips into his cheek. It was brief, but the unexpectedness of it made Adam's eyebrows shoot right into his hair line. She pulled back and Adam could see she was blushing a tad, his cheeks felt like they were on fire...

"Erm, I didn't know it was that good..." He mumbled after he'd regained his wits about him. He closed his journal and deposited it back in his bag before getting up, the lunch room was emptying out quickly and if he wasn't quick he'd have no one to follow to his next lesson.

“Well, yes. I have lived in France all my life, my family moved here last month,” Aimee answered as he got ready to leave, he hoped his rushing didn't seem rude, “But, I am no foreign exchange student.”

"France huh?" He said intrigued as he slung his bag onto his shoulder, "Why the hell would you leave there for this dump?" He asked puzzled.

[AtropaMandragora]

Matt, in the role of prep and student, usually didn't have much trouble with the teachers. As far as they knew, and cared, he did his assignments (even though truth was that not all of his assignments were actually done by him), he rarely talked back, at least not without that killer smile of his that made it difficult to be annoyed with him, and he didn't cause much trouble during class by talking too loud, intentionally distracting the other students, or by making a scene of some kind. Now, he may orchestrate some, when aiming for getting his chosen target of the moment to either make a fool of themselves, or landing themselves in trouble, but it was always in such a way that either by the looks of things, he participated only in a way that made it impossible to pin any of the blame on him, or it was impossible to tell that he'd had anything at all to do with it in the first place.
So no, in the role of prep and student, he had no trouble with the teachers.

As a flirt, however, he did. For the second time today, he was interrupted right in the middle of the making of what could have turned out to be a very interesting acquaintance, by one of them. This time, it was Mrs. Hartford, their art teacher, who ever so cheerfully decided to start the class before Kim had delivered whatever retort she'd had to offer, and thus buying her time enough to actually think and try to find a better one, whereas Matt would have liked to know what she could've come up with on the spot. Because, even though far from all the girls he dated had an IQ higher than that of a football, he did still appreciate intelligence and wit, as manipulating bimbos and getting them to do what he wanted really wasn't much of a challenge, while someone with an intellect to match his own could be so much more fun, and useful in so many more ways.

But now, thanks to Mrs Hartford's excited prattling, he wouldn't get to see what Kim might've had to offer, with only a couple of moments to think, because it was only once the woman was done talking, that the darkhaired beauty turned back to him to deliver her retort;

"I guess that makes me human", she said and shot him a wink.

Then, she simply got up and headed over to get the material provided for the assignment, managing to draw only a slight frown from Matt in the process. What? That was it? 'I guess that makes me human', followed by the standard chick-like move when they wanted to feel as though they had come out on top, when the only reason why that was, was because they hadn't given their opponent a chance to reply; walking away. It was the very same stunt that Marie-Elisabeth had pulled with him in the hallway not too long ago. And since he was still holding a secret grudge about that, having it happen again hardly did much to make him appreciate said stunt even a single ounce more.

So, that was her reply then? 'I guess that makes me human'. And she called him lame? Now, wouldn't that be a bit like the pot calling the kettle black?
But, ah well. Whatever.


(((ooc: Most approachable. :) )))

[Alissa888]

Something was wrong. If anyone was in tune to the mood fluctuations of those around him, it was Josh Brennan and right now, here with Marie-Elisabeth – and of course Sienna, only she seemed to be more content falling into Marie’s shadow – he could feel that something was wrong. It was the littlest thing, rather the absence of something than the presence of it, but, characteristic of Josh, he caught onto it immediately.

“Oh I’m sure we can think of something,” she said casually, her arm gently entwining itself with his as welcomed the gesture as an act of forgiveness, shooting her a momentary, yet appreciative smile.

“You really are just too nice sometimes, you know that?” she then commented with the faintest grin lacing her pretty features as they arrived at the classroom, only Josh was paying more attention to what was clearly wrong in this situation. “You’re even kind to weasels, is there anyone you’re not nice to?”

Too easy. Way too easy. Marie-Elisabeth had a reputation for being fierce and Josh – amongst everyone else that actually made an appearance in school – knew it through personal experience. When she got angry, she got pretty angry and though Josh was one of the very few people who seemed to be an antidote to that part of her, the current progression of events was too easy to be attributed to just his charms. As flattering as the possibility was, Josh wasn’t about to chalk her swift forgiveness up to just him working his magic; something was bothering her.

Naturally, he wanted to make it better, but he really had no clue as to what the problem was. Surely, it wasn’t what happened with Katie this morning, because she just dismissed it. Oh, God, she didn’t… no, no, the moment Marie-Elisabeth found out about him and Matt, there’d have been a meltdown to a degree that would have made it in the local papers, so Josh could rest assured that that wasn’t what was bothering her.
So… what was it?

The additional problem was, he couldn’t just ask her, just put her on the spot right here and now while they were at the door and with Sienna so close by. Not that Josh minded Sienna much, but he had to consider the fact that perhaps Marie-Elisabeth didn’t want everyone knowing about what was bothering her. So, all he did instead was to choose to bide his time and approach the topic where she’d be more comfortable discussing it – whatever it was. And, of course, she herself could talk to him about it; he was always here for her.

“I could tell you,” he thus chose instead to banter, loosening the lock their arms were in so that he could open the door for both ladies, ushering them in before he himself entered. “But then, it’d ruin the image, and I’d have to start all over again.”

Taking a deep breath, Josh’s pale eyes surveyed the room, watching as the chaos of forms rushing to get the materials the wanted amongst the serenity of those clearly not that bothered about it all. And… Matt sitting there in the focus of it all, where his gaze would have lingered for a moment, had he let it.

“So…. Art,” he breathed out, turning back to Marie-Elisabeth – feeling like a fraud for it, even though his affection for her was still genuine – a devilish grin forming on his face as he smoothly slid an arm around his girlfriend’s waist, turning her gently to face him as he searched his mind for the corniest chat-up line he could think of, as a joke to lighten what he perceived as a low mood in her, knowing she’d get the joke and hoping it had the desired effect; “Think I could pass you off as my masterpiece?”

[FurryPanda]

"People," Katie reflected, "are idiots."
She truly didn't mind getting Esteban's stuff, after all, if he had gotten up first, she would fully expect him to get her the stuff she needed. It was only polite. The guys behind her, it wasn't that much of an imposition, and there really wasn't anything she could do about it. What they would say if she refused, and what they might do, were all things that Katie had thought about in photographic detail, but if her musings were at all correct, then she didn't want to face it.

So she was perfectly willing to get the stuff, even if the boys were being distinctly and obnoxiously unspecific. So the one wanted the comics and... the others wanted stuff. Good for them.

Esteban, in contrast, actually rattled off a list, “One newspaper, five paperclips, a roll of tape, and two Styrofoam blocks”.

She gave him the tiniest flicker of a flicker of a smile. Being specific about how she could help make someone's day a little better, a little easier, wasn't that much of a help, but it was enough to make that tiny little involuntary flicker get onto her face.

She briefly nodded, and walked to the front of the room, getting ten styrofoam blocks for the boys to fight over, and three sections of newspaper and a handful of paper clips. She got what Esteban had asked for as well, and put it in a seperate pile, and for herself, she got half a dozen blocks, another handful of paperclips, and balanced it and a pair of scissors on the society section of the paper.

She took the three piles, and put her own things on her hip, to be precisely held with an elbow, and swooped slightly to pick up the other two piles. The entire feat looked complicated, but Katie could balance on tip-toe in contortions for hours at a time. Holding three precarious piles and walking at the same time wasn't difficult.

Nonetheless, when she gave the boys their pile, she readjusted. It wasn't difficult to walk like that, not for her at least, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself any more than she had to.

They didn't thank her, she didn't expect it. She wasn't even going to get upset about it, her convoluted little walk with the three piles of stuff had cheered her up considerably, from crabbily depressed to just reticent. Most people wouldn't be able to see the improvement, but that didn't mean it wasn't there, and it didn't mean that she didn't feel much better.

"Here." she said softly, handing Esteban his things.

She sat down where she had been before, and started flipping through the section of the paper that she had selected, occasionally cutting out a picture, of a city, of an old man, of a parrot, of some absurdly pretty actress, of some drug addled man.

Most of the time she liked this class. It was easy, and even if Hartman was a bit on the frighteningly cheerful side, she seemed to realize that everyone just wanted a bit of chaos, and was willing to provide it. And besides, it was good for her choreography to work in another medium, even if it was paper clips and foam.

Before she started assembling her piece, she glanced over to see what Esteban was doing, out of a sense of curiosity, and her improved mood from a moment ago.

((OOC: That was a wierd post... hope tsalright with you))

[robokitty]

((ooc: Panda, it's fine :) I've got kind of a wierd one coming up too))

Esteban looks away as Katie balances the supplies on her body, a maneuver that would make a compelling case for anyone applying to a sub-minimum wage waitress job. Instead, he glances at the only people who could arrive to class late every day and not get s*** for it—the sickening entity known as “Josab*tch” and their sidekick, Sienna Gentry. For a few seconds, he lets his eyes linger on the girls’ figures. He holds back a smirk, and then looks away.

Katie is making her way back through the classroom, dropping off supplies at the other students’ tables. Her posture when she walks and turns makes Esteban think the motion’s gotten her less stuffy and uptight. She reaches his desk, hands the supplies to Esteban, and says with unexpected softness “Here.”

Esteban had his reply ready since ten seconds ago.

“Thanks, Katie,” he says as if thanking others was a perfunctory, ordinary thing for Esteban. Which it’s not. And bothering to acknowledge their name in the thanks? Even less so. All this time, he keeps his head down like he’s absorbed in the effort of copying down Katie’s answers onto his own sheet of paper.

Esteban tucks Katie’s homework into his bag and turns his attention to the small pile of supplies on his desk. He has little use for art. He doesn’t give a damn about self-expression through happy little trees. He just wants to get this thing done with, and he’s already planned how to do it in 10 minutes flat.

He works quickly and grabs one sheet of newspaper, rolls & tapes it into a tube, creases the sides, then cuts small slits up the creases at one end. He uses the cuts to fold the bottom into a floor for the tube and tapes it shut. The open end, he cuts into a rounded shape, one side concave, one side convex. It looks like an empty container of French fries. Three minutes.

He cuts one Styrofoam block into several fry-like shapes and stuffs them in the container. Two minutes. He grabs a Sharpie marker from his bag. One minute. He scribbles, ”Does this make my butt look fat?” multiple times all over the second Styrofoam block. (Social commentary—the teacher will love it.) Three minutes. He uses the paperclips as holders and sticks them into the second Styrofoam block, placing his container of fries in the middle with the paperclips propping it up. One minute.

Ten minutes, and one bulls*** assignment completed. It could’ve been quicker, but Esteban has already learned that Mrs. Hartman doesn’t look favorably on abstract Minimalism. He slides his project to the corner of his desk, feeling accomplished.

[FurryPanda]

“Thanks, Katie”.

It was amazing how much a well placed comment could affect a person's mood. If Katie hadn't been straightening the edges off her pictures, it would have been painfully obvious that she flushed a little, and actually smiled. Not the sort of smile that made some of the male dancers at the studio beg Terpsichore to stop distracting them, but still, enough that it would seem peculiar. Most people took thanks as much for granted as they took Katie's helpful nature, so she didn't want to seem too nauseatingly grateful.

She didn't look up from carefully rolling the large edges of the cut out photos around paper clips, one at the top and one at the bottom, all unfolded so the newsprint had something to grip. That didn't mean that she was not incredibly flattered. And that aroused her paranoia, so rather than do anything odd, she simply answered the simple social grace with the simple social protocol that went with it, "You're welcome."

With a bit of work she was able to get all five pictures on thier clips and secured to a styrofoam block. She paused for a moment to admire her handiwork, the pictures looked like they had been pasted onto the blocks, and the entire effect was pretty, in a crinkly way.

The next part was easy, though she doubted Mrs. Hartford would appreciate the artistic wonder that was the first repeat of the Koch curve. Straight paper clip, block, diagonal, block, diagonal down, block, straight paper clip, rotate and repeat at sixty degrees, then down to 120, and back to 180.

The bit that the art teacher probably would appreciate was that the blocks were spaced so the paper clip was an acceptable unit, and the pictures only appeared on the tips of the triangles, showing that they were the height of society, drugs, women, urbanization, environmentalism upside down, and age, also upside down.

Art was easy, and the whole thing probably only took her fifteen minutes from when she had sat down. She gently placed the sculpture on her desk, minutely tugging on one of the paper clips so that it stood up by itself, and surveryed her handiwork, with the tiniest smile of satisfaction on her face.

She glanced over at Esteban and it looked like he had been done for a while. Go figure. He'd made a french fry pod sitting on a block with writing all over it. Her eyes narrowed when she saw her homework conspicuously not on his desk, and, despite her usual shyness, she pointed out, "You know, we don't have to be doing anything for the rest of class..." her voice trailed off a little, and she glanced away. She was awful at small talk of all kinds, and she hated being pushy.

"Ummm, but..." Why was she stuttering?

"You have plenty of time to finish with the science homework, rather than stare", she finished. She hated being pushy, and couldn't bring herself to maintain eye contact. Her eyes dropped back to her own sculpture, and she hoped she hadn't seemed really bitchy. She hated those sort of girls, and didn't want to be like them, always pushing people to rush on things and do a bad job, but the circumstances were totally different... he wasn't doing anything useful at all!

((OOC: I don't know why I piled on the double entendre' so thick... but if that's counterproductive to what you have planned, then I can change it or he can ignore it. But I had a grand ol' time writing it, and I think Esteban's response to it [she's totally oblivious that how she said it could mean anything else] might be of great amusement as well. But if you had something else planned, that wierd post you spoke of, then lemme know and I'll get rid of the whole awkward-not-really-flirting.))

[Slytherin-Girl]

With a mother who was a history professor, and one who studied obscure and weird things at that, you tended to pick up a few things. And one of those things was the fact that Nadia was fluent in three languages, but could curse in about 12. One of which was Lithuanian, due to a summer her mother had spent there studying the legend of Eglė the Queen of Serpents.

So she giggled as Lorene cursed, then clutched her stomach in an amusingly over-exaggerated display of hunger. “Here take the whole box, I can’t have you dropping dead on me” she said, handing her new friend the box of pocky, while pulling a second one out of her bag “You’re much to heavy to carry, and dead bodies really tend to stink up the hallway”.

She laughed as Lorene took the box and said “You sure I’m allowed one? Cos once you feed me I’m kinda hard to get rid of”. Nadia nodded her head as Lorene continued and asked if she could tag along to class.

“Sure” she said, as they walked down the hallway, luckily they weren’t far away from class so they wouldn’t be too late "Art next right? Wonder what things we get to mess around with today. We better run, we're probably late already".


(((OOC: Sorry for the shortness *offers apology cookies* I hope it works, If you can move em into class that would be awesome)))

[robokitty]

((OOC: Panda, I cut out the second part of Katie's question for now because it didn't fit well with the most amusing response I could think of. I hope that's okay :D Short post ahead.))

If Esteban noticed his comment’s effect on Katie’s mood, he didn’t show it. Truth is, he didn’t have to observe Katie’s reddened cheeks and restrained smile to know they were there.

When Esteban finishes his project, he leans back in his chair again. The assiduous whisper of his chemistry notes still plays in his ears. Five minutes of inactivity, and he is already scoping the room, looking for something to do or someone to piss off.

“You know, we don’t have to be doing anything for the rest of class…” Katie’s voice merges into his notes. Esteban turns and stares at her, widening his eyes slightly.

That almost sounded like a come-on. He's sure it's merely a symptom of her social ineptitude and not actual coquetry, but now his mind is wandering down a licentious path. Esteban looks at Katie, looks at the sculpture on her desk.

She turns away shyly and begins stammering, “Ummmm, but…”

Before she can finish, he interrupts in mock surprise, “I didn’t know you were the type of girl who liked cock curves!”

His voice is strong enough that the whole class can hear.

“That’s freaky, man. You been hanging ‘round the other cheerleaders too much.” He jokes sardonically. He spits the word “cheerleaders” loudly, loud enough to make their ears prick with irritation, and he shoots his eyes back at the preps--back at Marie-Elisabeth, Sienna, and any other cheerleaders nearby. He catches the eye contact of one of the cheerleaders* and winks lewdly.

Turning back to Katie, he laughs, “Be careful. You don’t want to end up all dumb like them.”

Ultimately, it is unclear who the butt of his joke is.


((ooc: *any cheerleader will do, but here's hoping for Sienna! :) ))

[maeve.2.0]

(( I'm sorry for not posting for so long. Things have been really hectic around here lately. My mother's in the hospital and I'm not exactly fit as a fiddle myself so I'm afraid I won't be able to RP much. I'll try to get in a post for Lacey getting to class soon though ))

[robokitty]

((Sorry to hear that, maeve. Hope your mom (and you) are feeling better soon))

[FurryPanda]

((OOC: Looks good, and thanks much, reply will be posted shortly))

Katie was like a turtle sometimes. She was perfectly willing to poke her head out of her icy exterior, but when she did it was under the assumption that she would probably need to pull back in rapidly.

When she had spoken, Esteban's eyes had widened a bit, and it was only after the words were out of her mouth and out of her control that she realized that they might be interpreted as having some meaning, as something other than a moment to work up guts to ask for her work back.

Turtle that she was, that was enough to get the little proverbial muscles in her neck to tense up, ready to dart back in. It was a measure of her decent mood at the moment that she didn't take on an impassive face at that first glance.

She stuttered the once, and he cut her off, saying, very loudly, and very obnoxiously, “I didn’t know you were the type of girl who liked cock curves!”

That was enough to make her hide behind an impassive glare, her own reactions veiled by the experience of being beaten up on for years. Having seen that getting visibly upset was pretty much worthless in this kind of situation, she was free to look at what was going on. Namely, how the heck would a guy like Esteban Morales know what the Koch curve was? It was a fractal, and they didn't even go up past Calc 1 at Brooklake, the only reason Katie knew calculus and fractals was because of her own studies. Interesting.

He continued, not seeming to realize that as far as he was concerned she had left the room, and he said, even louder, if that was possible, “That’s freaky, man. You been hanging ‘round the other cheerleaders too much.”

Also interesting, and mayhaps a compliment, that it was strange for her to be as much of a slut as the other cheerleaders? She didn't know enough about what his motive in talking about it was, so she wouldn't take it as such either way. Even if it was a compliment, then she would never show appreciation for it, and she continued to glare, daring him to continue, even though he was too busy winking at one of the other cheerleaders to even notice.

“Be careful. You don’t want to end up all dumb like them.” he finished, turning back to her.

That caused a momentary flicker, although b the time it got through her layer of impassivity it was probably nothing more than a flicker in her eyes. That one had to be a compliment... he was specifically differentiating between her and the rest of the cheerleaders, and clearly saying that she was the smarter one... And if he was nerdish enough to study fractals on his own time...

Her mask didn't slip, but her curiosity was aroused enough to actually dignify his crap with a response. To the few people that had been able to observe her at close quarters for any length of time, they would see that it was a huge concession. To most people it would just be a few words, for lack of anything better to say, and in a desire to not come off as an ice queen.

"I don't think there's much risk of that," she said crisply, turning back to fiddle with her sculpture, see what it looked like with the parrot upside down. She was completely right, even though the desire for human contact probably would make her be an idiot if it seemed to come free of strings, but with the bitch that was the head cheerleader that was impossible.

And once she had ascertained that the parrot looked better right side up she turned ninety degrees in her seat and said, her voice holding an unspoken question, "And its pronounced Koch. Not cock." Her thoughts were more along the lines of "Why would you know it either way?"

She hoped that her curiosity would be quickly and painlessly assuaged, but if it wasn't, katie had the mind and worldview of a scientist, and now her interest had fallen on Esteban, in the slightest and most nebulous of ways. Why would a teenage boy know fractals, and more importantly, why would a teenage boy who knew fractals make loud cock jokes?

((OOC: That was surprisingly long.
Hope that's all right with you robokitty?
And sorry if its wierd and nebulous and... wierd))

[Alissa888]

Natalie did not like waiting for what she wanted, but right now, she’d given it her shot. She’d calmly worked though all the defences J.D. came up with and she really hadn’t left him with that much of a resistance to stick with. Yet, mission not accomplished and needless to say, she was frustrated, but… she’d wait. If the answer wasn’t what she wanted, she would most certainly try again and achieve what she wanted. After all, all those involved had something to gain from this, right?

Though, while she’d poured the time and efforts spanning across the entire lunchtime into the venture, she wasn’t devoting her next class. And, surprisingly enough, she wasn’t alone in the readiness to conclude the current conversation with J.D. in favour of getting to class on time;

"Me," Lila spoke out in that soft voice of her as her chartreuse gaze ventured out to J.D. carrying a silent question.

Though, it really wasn’t that surprising, for Natalie had deduced that despite the company she kept, Lila was good girl at heart, playing by the rules and keeping the faith. So, was her association with J.D. based on that faith? Ah. So, it wasn’t the archetypical ‘good girl seeks bad boy to add some spice’ issue then? She actually thought she could exert a positive influence on him rather than him exert his clearly negative influence on her?
Well… that was idealistic. But each to their own.

However, she wasn’t doing too badly as she did clearly have a subduing influence over his temper and furthermore, despite his clear predilection to skip class, here she was, not tagging along with him. Though, Natalie did have to wonder, did she demonstrate this integrity of principles all the time or was it because Natalie was playing as one half of the opposition right now? For, lovely as Lila was, Natalie did have to admit that she seemed like someone who’d easily fall prey to peer-pressure.

"Don't know, don't care,” J.D. then proceeded to discount any basis of Lila’s hope and idealism with his usual eloquence. "I'm getting something to eat." Then, he began backing away, saluting at the pair of them as he then turn and disappeared down the hallway, with a simple. "See ya."

Natalie fought the urge to say “Don’t wanna be ya!”. Really, if he wanted to throw his future away by skipping classes, beating people, generally behaving like a delinquent, he was quite free to do so. And of course, Natalie’s view on it was hardly a surprise, especially given that she was considered the new-found genius of Brooklake and thus, stereotypically had to adhere to the rules that that implied. Though, she did expect Art to be something J.D. rather enjoyed, given his clear affection for sketching. So… was he just a general rebel, then? Problems with authority, regardless of whether or not said authority was suggesting something that he might enjoy?
Natalie had to wonder, while she and Lila made their way to Art, did he have issues with a father figure in his life?

Lila. Natalie had quite intentionally put her in the middle of a situation simply because Natalie had use for her presence there and well, it was unfair on the girl. While Natalie would have cared little about who she used back in Chicago, she was trying to be different now and furthermore, Lila hadn’t even expressed any resentment over being used as a shield; she’d even done her best to help. So, Natalie did recognise the efforts from Lila’s part.

“Lila, thanks,” she said with effortless charm, turning to the girl with a smile over her lips as they reached the door separating them from the art room, waiting for a moment before she turned the handle and entered, also holding the door for Lila before locking gazes with her once more. “For playing wing-woman back there. You didn’t have to, and it’s much appreciated that you did.”

At that moment, a rather surprising sight involving Matt Sidle and solitude caught her attention and she simple had to go over and say something regarding his current social low, especially given that his partner in crime was re-enacting a cheesy romantic scene in the same room clearly without acknowledging him.

“Excuse me,” she said to Lila, before smoothly sauntering her way over to Matt’s desk, coming to a slow, satisfied halt as her eyes relished the sight once more.

“It’s just like Eeyore's birthday,” she commented offhandedly, wondering whether he’d get the purpose of the reference before her eyes gestured to the socially empty area around him. “Look at all your friends, Matt.”

(((OOC: Sorry if it’s awkward, but I haven’t been feeling too good lately. Speaking of which, I hope you and your mother get well soon, Maeve :)

For anyone who didn’t get it, the Eeyore reference is the that in the book, its Eeyore’s birthday and no-one knows, so Pooh comes along and asks him why he’s upset and Eeyore gestures around him pointing out that he’s got loads of presents and cake. Then, Pooh says he can’t see anything, Eeyore says he can’t either - it was a joke. Natalie’s basically insinuating that Matt’s ‘friends’ are all pretence and that he really has no-one where it actually means anything, not just that he’s sitting alone now.

Atropa and Trampled - hope this works for you guys, if not, let me know :) and Trampled, Natalie's still near by if Lila wants to talk to her still ;)

Welcome, Robokitty :) )))

[Slytherin-Girl]

There were a lot of good things, Marie-Elisabeth knew, about being who she was. She had parents who adored her and gave her everything she could have wanted. She was, and not just in her own biased opinion either, a very attractive girl. This was evidenced by the beauty pageant crowns decorating her bedroom, along with trophies that went with them.

There was also the fact that she had, she was all but certain, the single nicest boyfriend on the face of the planet. And he was captain of the football team too, which just made them even better matched in her opinion. After all, wasn’t it set in stone high school law that the head cheerleader dated the football captain? Another thing that was particularly nice about being her, was that she could waltz into class as late as she pleased and not get in any kind of trouble for it at all.

“I could tell you,” Josh had said in response to her question, after he had held the door open for her and Sienna “But then, it’d ruin the image, and I’d have to start all over again.” She giggled slightly at that, glancing around the room. She spotted one of the banes of her existence, Katie the Weasel, and lo and behold she was talking to that weird Esteban kid. “She would” Marie-Elisabeth thought, smirking to herself “Weirdo and weirdo, how disturbingly fitting”.

“So…. Art,” Josh said, and she turned back to look at him “Think I could pass you off as my masterpiece?”. She grinned at that and laughed, shaking her head. “I doubt it” she said, gesturing to the pile of what was meant to be art supplies on the table “Making something as gorgeous as me out of that mess is beyond even your talents, considerable though they may be”.

She noticed Esteban looking over to them and winking in a not so subtle way, and replaced the smile on her face with a grimace. “Eww and double eww” she muttered, the expression on her face similar to the one she had worn when she found out about the squad’s newest acquisitions, though much less severe.

“Doesn’t he know better than that, how gross” she continued, gesturing to Sienna “Neither of us would ever go near him in a million years, he must have been hit on the head by a chunk of ice on the way in today”.

[robokitty]

((OOC: Yup, that's fine FurryPanda
Thanks, Alissa :)
Any slytherin-girl, LOL. Nice response. ))

Esteban may talk, walk, and act dumb, but he’s no fool.

His crude slang, “uncultured” accent, and insouciant, rebellious nature make it easy enough for anyone to write him off as an idiot. Esteban likes it that way. When people don’t expect much, they don’t get disappointed. And when people don't think you know how to play nice, they don't expect you to.

So most people don’t pay attention to him. They don’t analyze the patterns of Esteban’s stab marks, and they don’t realize how keenly he strikes.

The perfect insult doesn’t just happen. It is artfully crafted. And because Esteban doesn’t want to burn all his bridges with Katie, the human answer sheet, he decides to keep his teasing offensive enough to entertain himself and tame enough so that she doesn’t shut down. He marries insult with compliment, peppering in liberal cheap shots at a group he detests.

“I didn’t know you were the type of girl who liked cock curves! That’s freaky, man. You been hanging ‘round the other cheerleaders too much.” He winks, and the cheerleaders respond in satisfying revulsion. “Be careful. You don’t want to end up all dumb like them.”

He rolls out his fist abuse, and Katie retreats back to her expressionless glower. The second and third abuses sling from his mouth, and her face remains stuck in impassivity.

Yet something tells Esteban that his jibe hit the mark. It’s not in her face. A face is an easy liar. It’s in her breathing, her blinking, the color of her cheeks, and her response.

“I don’t think there’s much risk of that,” she says briskly and turns to fiddle again with her art sculpture.

When people would like nothing better than to run the hell away from you, they do two things. First is they look away. Second is they find some outlet for their tension. They nervously play with their jewelry, scratch themselves, wring their hands, or in Katie’s case, preoccupy themselves with a Koch sculpture.

Hmm, did he push her too far?

A moment later, Katie turns around in her seat to directly face Esteban. Prim smarty-pants she is, she makes a point to correct him, “And it’s pronounced Koch. Not cock.”

Nope, not too far. S***, no one likes a know-it-all. No wonder she doesn't have any friends.

Hearing the word “cock” leave Katie’s lips is an exercise in cognitive dissonance. Knowing better than to make a joke about “cock” and “Katie’s lips” at this point, Esteban decides to ignore her correction.

Instead, he presses on and responds to her first reply. Surely someone as smart as Katie realizes how little dignity there is in acting vapidly f***able and cheering for the pinche ojetes on the football team?

He jokes back. “Not much risk? How many times you think you can flash your biker shorts at the crowd and act all retard-happy before you just want to blow your f***ing brains out? No thanks. If my brain didn’t turn to mush first, I’d just f***ing blow it out. Better than being a bimbo for those a**holes.”

For emphasis, Esteban points a finger to his temple in the shape of a gun.

“And I’m stupid—I take too many hits to the head—but at least I got some self-respect.”

[FurryPanda]

When Katie was younger, she had been fascinated by the riddle about what happens when an unstoppable force meets an unbreakable wall. The correct answer, that the one could not exist if the other did, had seemed like the stupidest thing ever. She had written a paper about it, speculating that the force would rebound, and thus lose some strength, and destroy the area immediately surrounding the wall, and thus create sinkholes sufficient to destroy the wall quickly.

At this moment, when there were two fundamental forces now battling in Katie she didn't think about that paper, but doubtless if she had she would have spared a moment to appreciate the irony.

No, when Katie's own pride, bordering on carefully concealed arrogance, fought with her social instinct to cower, there was no equal spread of destruction. One of those internal forces would cave in, unharmed, and ready to surface again as needed. That was what usually happened, when something threatened her pride in how good of a dancer that she was, the one skill she had that she did everything to show it off. Her pride would typically retreat back, mostly undamaged and she would go back to her own business.

But when Esteban said, seemingly sincerely, and seemingly kindly meant, “Not much risk? How many times you think you can flash your biker shorts at the crowd and act all retard-happy before you just want to blow your f***ing brains out? No thanks. If my brain didn’t turn to mush first, I’d just f***ing blow it out. Better than being a bimbo for those a**holes.” there were two other forces at play. Her own scientific curiosity regarding incoungruous knowledge of fractals, and the fact she wasn't complimented very often.

Katie could feel those unstoppable forces and unbreakable walls all converging. Her scientific curiosity said to test stimulus response. Her shyness said to shut up. Her pride said to hit him over the head with her binder for daring to make assumptions. Her starvation for human contact told her to blush and stammer some sort of explanation. Before something came falling out out of her mouth of her own volition she took a tiny section of hair from the top of her head and began to french braid it parellel to her skull, and then down the back of her neck.

Only an instant had passed before her hands went up to fiddle with her hair, and pride and shyness were presently the strongest forces. She didn't say a word, but her impassive stare had gone flat and hard. Not from any discomfiture, but just plain internal turmoil.

“And I’m stupid—I take too many hits to the head—but at least I got some self-respect.”

That pushed her over the edge. Pride, or the implication that she had none, would not tolerate that. Her french braid had gotten to just behind her ear, level with her neck, and she dropped it to put her hands flat on the table to look him in the eye, with her own eyes flashing blue murder.

However, when an unstoppable force hits an unbreakable wall, and the wall shatters, some of the shrapnel gets carried, and there is a net loss. So her shyness, and sense of social propriety did not let her directly insult him, or address what precisely had pushed her over the edge to actually acknowledge something directly.

"I dance. Period. There is no dance club at Brooklake, therefore I am a cheerleader." Her voice was perfectly level up to that point.

"And the one thing there's even less risk of then me slutting it up with the flock of idiots we call a football team, and general male population here, its killing myself over unobservant people who think that a bit of ass, which doesn't look bad, is a sign of stupidity." She distantly noticed her voice rising a bit, both in pitch and volume. Not enough to get any attention from the people around them, but close.

She dropped silent, and was startled to find herself breathing roundly, not as if she was running or tired, but as if she was ready to start, or just had, and wanted the oxygen for later.

She wasn't blushing, for which she was profoundly grateful, but as quick as her little storm had passed through, it was gone now, and she felt as humiliated as if her uniform had split up the back. Her voice back to its usual soft and submissive tone she finished lamely, "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to swear at you."

She hadn't, surprisingly enough, though that didn't make the rest of what she said false. Embarassed as she was that Esteban had been able to get to her like that, she was curious as to how he would react. People didn't think of Katie Byrd as the sort of person who would rant about anything, and the break of that preconceived notion was probably a shock.

((OOC: Hope that made sense!))

[FurryPanda]

Loren had gone into Art a moment after the late bell rang, and waved cheerfully at Mrs. Hartman. She waved back, quite willing to forgive the dramatic prodigy for being late, and told him cheerfully that they were making things out of newspaper, foam, and paperclips.

Loren had smiled and nodded, and not grabbed a single thing from the table up front, and walked to the back of the room where he put his bag down gently so as not to crush the flower, and blithely walked behind Mrs. Hartford's desk to steal a stack of computer paper. He suspected he would screw up several times, and even though he wasn't worried about hartford caring if she saw him, Loren didn't feel like deconstructing her printer every time he messed something up.

He seated himself back at the desk with the stack of paper, and took one of his pens. No doubt he would wind up writing a romantic poem of some sort, but what exactly about? Her peerless eyes, her marvelous mind, her bewitching body? Probably not the last one.

He decided it wasn't going to do him any good to stare at his paper, so he just tried to write something:
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day
Thou art more lovely and more temperate

No. He glanced up and saw that she had walked into the room, and with the entrance of a muse of Natalie's quality, he was able to write his poem in an instant.
Affection, amor, astonishment, to you
Bewitched, bedazzled, brightened, by you
Like, Love, Lust, Look, at you
Wow, Wonder Want, you
Zounds, gal, doyouwanna boyfriend?

Having written his poem for the object of his affections, Loren set out to copy it in exacting calligraphy, with some cool ink that was in his bag that changed colors in florescent rainbows. Putting the first sheet aside as scrap he gently colored with the rainbow ink to see if it would be possible to make colored diagonal stripes in the lettering.

((OOC: He's very approachable
And he still has not delivered the poem or flower))

[robokitty]

For a moment, it occurs to Esteban that he’s talking to the biggest dweeb in all of Brooklake. He notices Loren enter the room and makes a correction—the biggest spineless dweeb in all of Brooklake. If it was just copying off her homework, then it would be understandable, but now he realizes he’s embroiled in an actual conversation with her.

And in the moment it occurs to him, he decides he doesn’t care. It’s not like his reputation can get any worse.

As he rattles off on blowing out his brains, Katie begins braiding her hair. More nervous tension channeled into a fidgety activity.

Spineless.

Esteban points a finger to his temple in the shape of a gun.

“And I’m stupid—I take too many hits to the head—but at least I got some self-respect.”

He knows before he’s done that he’s hitting close to home. Self-respect and being the cheerleading team’s punching bag don’t go hand-in-hand. Self-respect and quietly letting yourself get pushed around by random a**holes who want to copy your homework and tell you to go fetch their crap don’t go hand-in-hand. Keep it up long enough and there’s a doormat-sized abyss where your self-respect should be.

Katie shows she at least has some remnants of self-respect when she snaps around to look Esteban in the eye, bristling at his last comment. ”I dance. Period. There is no dance club at Brooklake, therefore I am a cheerleader.”

Mentally, Esteban notes that “dancer” is what strippers call themselves these days.

"And the one thing there's even less risk of than me slutting it up with the flock of idiots we call a football team, and general male population here, its killing myself over unobservant people who think that a bit of ass, which doesn't look bad, is a sign of stupidity." Katie’s voice betrays her irritation, which, of course, is vastly amusing for Esteban.

Esteban is mildly impressed. However, taking into account that Katie has probably never witnessed him in a fight, he decides that she at most has a vestigial spine... maybe a notochord.

And almost just as quickly as it came, the crest of her anger breaks. Her voice ducks back into hiding. “Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to swear at you,” she apologizes softly.

Esteban can’t help himself. He starts laughing. It is a surprisingly good-natured laugh, free from any mockery or sarcasm. If she considers that little outburst “swearing,” then she is far more innocent than he expected possible. And if that is the height of her excitability…well, he decides to hope it isn't.

“Swear at me?” he responds in disbelief. “You gotta try coming to my place and hear what real swearing is like.” Of course he doesn’t mean it as an actual invitation, but a beat after it escapes his mouth, he realizes that it wouldn’t be so bad. Her reactions to his squalid little apartment and foul-mouthed siblings would be hilarious.

“And for the record, it’s not flashing ass that makes people think girls are stupid. Sure, lots of stupid girls do it because they like all the attention and they're too stupid to get it any other way.” Esteban pauses thoughtfully, then grins wrly.

“Actually, I kind of like those girls. But that ain’t it. It’s the happy little mouth flapping like the lights ain’t on inside. Like when you see a dog that’s too f***ing happy and ignorant to sit still, shut its damn mouth, and stop drooling all over itself.”


He looks her hard in the eye, and his voice becomes serious. It edges on didactic, like a father upset with a child because he expects more from her. “Tell me you don’t feel yourself getting stupider when you force yourself to smile three hours straight and say s*** like ‘You got to be excited, be-ee excited.’”

Esteban rolls his hand forward in a circle, indicating that this particular inane line is repeated multiple times ad nauseum. As if the first iteration wasn’t enough to cause it.


((OOC: Hope that's okay with you, FurryPanda))

[summerkelsa]

[[ Hey guys, sorry to say but I have to pull out for a while. I'm not going to be able to be on much after the 17th. Going to be out of town for ten days and then I'll be unit hunting through the new year. I'm having massive issues with my current rental company and am even seeking out residential tenancies authority to help me with my case (in the span of two years, my rent will have increased three times.. and not by a small sum). Sorry to do this, but it's a precaution because I may not have computer access for close to six months (depending on where I end up). Keep having fun, guys, and I hope to check in on this when I can! ]]

[AtropaMandragora]

(((summerkelsa - Sorry to hear that. :( Hope things work out ok. Take care.)))


Interest now lost in the new girl, Kim, and with the only people worth socializing with currently acting out one of the cheesiest love scenes this side of 'Titanic' the movie over by the door - something which made Matt nearly cringe and just barely be able to refrain from pretending to be on the verge of vomitting at the sight - young Sidle went on to do what he always did after being done with one girl, and what had also helped earn him his reputation for being an incorrigible flirt; he moved right on to his next target. This afternoon, his choice fell on a pretty, rather willowy blonde by the name of Susan, who had happened to end up in the seat next to his, and whom he deemed worthy of the purpose to keep him entertained, at least for a little while. He'd already talked to her a couple of times in the past, under circumstances similar to this one, and so knew that she was indeed capable of serving such a purpose, as she was a rewarding target. Not a fool or nerd, and certainly not a looser, but simply one of the normies who, like most, knew to appreciate it when the preps decided she was worthy of their attention, be it by girls such as Marie-Elisabeth or Sienna deciding to exchange a few fairly benign words with her for whatever reason, or by Matt engaging in a little harmless flirting and smalltalk with her. Nothing serious, and nothing that would really go anywhere, since he probably would never end up going out with her, but hey, since he had nothing better to do at the moment, what harm could it do? She wasn't the delusional type, who would end up getting ideas and actually acting on them. Plus, seeing as how he was currently drawing blanks for what to do for his assignment (not that he was trying very hard to think of something) she just might end up offering some inspiration. ('Some idea that he could steal' probably would be a better way of describing it, but Matt never really did tend to use such negative terms regarding his own oh-so-perfect person.) And she was even willing to go get material for the both of them.
Splendid.

Now, enter amusement act number two; Natalie Cardew. Just as Susan had gotten up from her seat and headed towards the front of the classroom, Matt's current favorite target waltzed through the door, along with only part of the duo she had apparently been spotted with during lunch; Lila Kavanagh. Pretty girl, but sadly with an awful social radar, if one was to review the company she had been known to keep lately. What on earth had possessed her to waste her time on goths, weirdos and delinquents, when she would've stood a good chance to make it into the popular crowd if only she'd show a little better judgement in who to associate with, Matt couldn't even begin to understand. It was kind of sad, really.

However, his contemplative gaze had resten on Lila only for a few seconds when he noticed Natalie moving towards where he was sitting, and so it turned to her instead, in obvious expectancy to see what Her Royal Wittiness had to offer this time around;

"It's just like Eeyore's birthday", she said casually, managing to accomplish a slightly quirked brow from the young man. "Look at all your friends, Matt."

What, she was referring to a children's book now, and actually expected him to catch it? Well then newsflash, Cardew; this was high school, and so to most people, children's books were now a thing of the past. Say - oh, I don't know - six or seven years ago?
And furthermore, what on earth did she think she was accomplishing by pointing out that currently, he was not surrounded by friends? Granted, he rather enjoyed being in the company of equals or wannabe equals, but for her to point out that there were rare occasions when he was not? Was that supposed to get to him somehow? Had it been a constant or even frequent occurance, which it most certainly was not, he would have seen the point, as then it might have possibly stung, but since it wasn't; desperate much, Cardew?
Well, whatever. Now it was his turn. She'd already had her chance, so; batter up.

"Throwing stones today, are we, babe?" he asked, while peering up at her with a mix of acid and feigned sweetness, sprinkled with just a hint of mockery. "Look at your own. A nutcase and a delinquent."

Giving a firm, conclusive nod, he then added;

"Yeah, I gotta admit, you really have me beat on that one."

However, that only took him halfway through his retort, and so he kept on going, by leaning slightly forward to glance behind her, as if to doublecheck whom she had and had not entered with;

"And speaking of which", he said, and then shifted his gaze back up to lock with Natalie's once more as he went in for the final gibe, the one really meant to hit her where he knew she was most vulnerable; "Where is our charming resident thug? Did you finally do us all a favor and actually put your killer company to good use?"

[FurryPanda]

When a dam breaks and is instantly repaired, there's more to it than that. When the iron hard control that Katie had over her emotions shattered, despite its instantaneous return, there was still a gigantic swath of metaphorical destruction over her mental floodplain.

For most girls that she had met, that kind of loss of control wouldn't even be able to repair the dam between thier own emotions and the outside world. Katie was not most girls. Her own mental wall was back up, to its usual impregnable standards, but there was all the destruction the flood had left behind. The perpetual open sore that was people not realizing how good she was, the embarassment she felt at having snapped at all, her slight irritation at her hair now being a mess, and lingering resentment at the original comment.

As she finished apologizing for swearing, with that other bit of mental confusion, the fact that she sincerely didn't mean to have sworn at him, and almost, almost, regretted it, he laughed.

She glared. It didn't sound malicious, but when something fundamental breaks down, and is repaired with the spiritual equivalent of duct tape, everything sounds weird.

Not surprisingly, he didn't seem to react, and said, seemingly in utter amusement, “Swear at me? You gotta try coming to my place and hear what real swearing is like.”

Katie blushed. One of the boys at the dance studio, when she was nine and he was eighteen, had gotten into swearing at every third word for a few weeks and then stopped abruptly. When she'd asked about it, having had an irrational crush on him, he had told her that someone had told him that a swear lost all meaning if it came frequently, and if one wanted it to mean anything, they were to be used few and far between. That had stuck with her, and now every time she thought of "real" swearing, it reminded her of that, that idea that swears were like nasty little gems, to be used for effect only.

She doubted that that was what Esteban meant though.

“And for the record, it’s not flashing ass that makes people think girls are stupid." She didn't react. Anyone who had ever exchanged three words with her, or had heard anything about her, knew she wasn't stupid. That wasn't even a matter of pride anymore, that was an assumption. And the assumption ranged to her assuming no one would imply the opposite, because who the hell would believe them?

He continued, "Sure, lots of stupid girls do it because they like all the attention and they're too stupid to get it any other way.”

Not the case with her. She did it because she loved it for itself, and as far as attention went if no one paid her any mind than she would probably not complain.

“Actually, I kind of like those girls." Katie's glare softened into mere poisonous irony. "A boy liking sluts?", she thought. "How rare!"

He kept talking, and smiling away. She wasn't surprised, for a trouble maker that got inexplicably high marks, he seemed to be awful interested in her reasons for cheerleading. "But that ain’t it. It’s the happy little mouth flapping like the lights ain’t on inside. Like when you see a dog that’s too f***ing happy and ignorant to sit still, shut its damn mouth, and stop drooling all over itself.”

Oh? And what performance art did imply innate intelligence? Gymnastics? That didn't require any more math than dance. Drama? Just, no. Dance, straight? That didn't require any more math than gymnastics. She noticed the circular logic, but it was the in the privacy of her own mind.

“Tell me you don’t feel yourself getting stupider when you force yourself to smile three hours straight and say s*** like ‘You got to be excited, be-ee excited.’”

With the mental wall temporarily broken, however well repaired, there would be little slips, slips of actual personality. Katie, still facing him during his entire tirade, opened her mouth and said with sickly sweetness, "Very well." Her voice rose slightly in pitch as though she were reciting something. "I don't feel myself getting stupider when I chose to smile for three hours straight and say various and sundry things."

His words, only modified slightly. It wasn't forcing herself, it was a decision that she made, because she loved to dance, and there was only so much time the studio would let her work there. And she had said a swear the once that day, she probably wouldn't again for months.

She was sick of this conversation, but she doubted that a change of subject would do any good. There weren't any reflective surfaces around that she could finish braiding her hair in, and she belatedly realized that doing it in the first place, let alone undoing it, would seem like she was fidgeting.

She hoped it didn't look too absurd, and smiled inside. Shallow and stupid he thought her? What shallow, stupid person would leave their hair messily half braided? Which actually made her reach up to undo it. She didn't care that much about what the student body as a whole thought, but the choice between being seen to fidget and being seen to decide not to fidget, was too confusing to think about. And she didn't want her hair to tangle, as long as it was, it would take her hours to fix it so it hung comfortably if it did get messed up. Even the few seconds it had hung on its own devices it was sort of a mess, so she fluffed it up behind her, and rested her chin on one hand, daring Esteban to argue with her declaration.

((OOC: Hope that that's okay with you, and your post was fine))

[robokitty]

Esteban was eleven when his eldest sister became a cheerleader. Marissa was the star of his family, the responsible one, the smart one. She brought home a good 3.1 GPA, and every one of Esteban’s fuck ups was met with the chastening, why can’t you be more like Marissa?

So when Esteban is eleven and his mom’s illness is kicking in, Marissa becomes a cheerleader. The family goes to her first game.

And there is Marissa, the sister who read bedtime stories to Esteban, who plastered her bedroom with poems she loved, who mused about the multifarious gems hidden within their vaporous lines—there is Marissa, shouting “A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Awesome, Awesome!” She punctuates her verse with a giddy yelp, a kick in the air that flashes her under shorts to the greedy crowd, and a wave of her pom-poms.

Esteban feels sorry for her. Every time she cheers another inane, disposable chant, she gets a look in her eyes, like that was really stupid. Am I a total airhead for saying that?. Over the course of a game, it starts to have an effect. The dumb girls on the squad, of course, they don’t notice. Their smiles never flag, as sure a mark as any of their stupidity.

After an hour, he could see the muscles of Marissa's smile tire out. Her full beam sags into a worn, fake grimace. Occasionally, the coach comes by and flashes the cheerleaders a perky, exaggerated smile and thrusts up with her thumb and forefinger in a U-shape. On cue, the Marissa's eyebrows and mouth raise in a smile like a clown. It looks painful, like her whole face is being propped up by toothpicks.

Later during that same game, Esteban is wandering around the bleachers by himself, when he spots two guys staring lewdly at the cheerleaders. Marissa kicks her legs up again, and one of the guys grabs his crotch and leers. His friend cheers him on. That is the final straw. He approaches the two.

On the night his sister had her first cheerleading game, Esteban gets the living snot beat out of him by two high school sophomores. He is eleven.

So when a smart girl like Katie Byrd joins the team, he takes notice.

”Very well. I don’t feel myself getting stupider when I chose to smile for three hours straight and say various and sundry things.” Katie replies snottily.

On a more serious level, Esteban starts to realize there is something important about this to him. Something personal. For some reason, he cares.

This is troubling. Esteban does his best to care about as little as possible.

A minor battle wages inside Esteban. On the one side, he has inexplicably redirected his concern for his sister onto Katie. On the other side, he prefers jocular, truculent jibes over any semblance of caring. On another front, his mind is racing with the number of ways he could concisely explain how it demeans her, and his mouth is held in check by his refusal to break his image.

Gone is the banter from his voice. He shoots back, “I bet Britney Spears feels the same way about her own dancing in pasties and dumbass songs. ‘Course, she’s too dumb to feel herself getting stupider; she’s already there. Probably thinks her lyrics are deep like Dickinson.”

Esteban makes a pleased mental note that he just managed to use the words “deep” and “Dickinson” so close to one another.

“You want to keep telling yourself that yelping and giggling like all the other bimbos on the team and being at the bottom of the pyramid is ‘dancing’ and not lowering yourself, fine. It’s kind of funny to watch. I just thought you were too smart to be one of the Britneys. You know, you seem like you’d be more like one of those lesbian folk singers instead. More substance.”


The battle between his own intelligence and pride wages on. For a moment, intelligence emerges triumphant, and Esteban remarks, his accent melting away to near-perfect English

“And by the way, when you say ‘various and sundry,’ that’s redundant. They mean the same damn thing.”

((OOC: edited the last part to make him a little nicer and add a little dramatic flourish, taking his accent away))

[FurryPanda]

Katie had to give Esteban credit. He didn't seem the least bit put off by the fairly icy reception she had provided, nor the sudden and entirely out of character kettle of boiling water. It wasn't anything that he had said, it was just the fact that he kept on saying it. It was nice. It was very surprising. It was mostly enough to let her guard down slightly, to actually consider why he was repeating the same basic point ad nauseam.

“I bet Britney Spears feels the same way about her own dancing in pasties and dumbass songs. ‘Course, she’s too dumb to feel herself getting stupider; she’s already there. Probably thinks her lyrics are deep like Dickinson.”

Katie sincerely did not think that she was getting dumber cheering. She didn't actually get to cheer often enough for it to happen, and she was contentedly, and successfully, if slowly, plugging away at a masters in physics. If stupid people could manage that, then Katie was more than content to be stupid. Not that she thought that any idiot could manage that. And besides which, if dancing for the studio in what was probably a square yard of fabric that barely covered what needed covering wasn't going to humiliate her and drive her to dumb, then cheering for Brooklake's football team wasn't going to.

She shrugged nonetheless. She was hardly going to dignify something like that with a real response, for one thing, the comparison didn't work because she wasn't making millions of dollars or selling her soul, and for another, she couldn't sing worth crap. Were she in more of an introspective mood, it probably would occur to her that taking things at face value, looking at the literal meaning, was probably not always the best idea.

“You want to keep telling yourself that yelping and giggling like all the other bimbos on the team and being at the bottom of the pyramid is ‘dancing’ and not lowering yourself, fine. It’s kind of funny to watch. I just thought you were too smart to be one of the Britneys. You know, you seem like you’d be more like one of those lesbian folk singers instead. More substance.”

Katie revised her opinion of Esteban as a successful flirt. Successful flirts did not compare anyone, interesting or not, to lesbian folk singers. Having decided to at least try and listen to what he had to say, Katie still couldn't see what he was getting at. She enjoyed herself, she wasn't getting dumber, and saying she was 'yelping and giggling with the all the other bimbos' implied that he thought she had real freinds on the team. She didn't. He also even admitted that he enjoyed watching it, assuming that everyone thought that something that could be described as funny, something that could make one laugh with abandon, was something wonderful to watch. She doubted that that was the case here though.

Finally he finished, with his voice transitioning into an American version of King's English. “And by the way, when you say ‘various and sundry,’ that’s redundant. They mean the same damn thing.”

That brought Katie's hackles back up. What the hell was he getting at, trying to talk differently? She barely even processed the correction itself, after all, the words were redundant, but the expression was a cliche. Cliche', Shakespeare, and Douglas Adams, were the few things that Katie would not modify. As such, the actual correction was ignored. The change in speech, was not.

"Dahl, ya gawtta bae kiddin' mae iffens yawr thankin' that sum silly akcent swap'd do ya any good."*

With a relieved note she switched back to her usual voice, "They're really not that complicated, accent changes."

She then recalled that she had decided a few minutes ago to at least hear him out, and that switching accents was just a distraction. Maybe he was even nervous, she half went to a British accent when she was very upset. As in upset enough to sob in the bathroom for a day. So not very often.

So she decided to throw him a bone, of sorts. "Do you have a hobby? Not just stamp collecting or something, an actual hobby, something that you care about well above yourself, that you love in all forms and can think about or do for hours and not notice the time?"

Her head cocked to one side, her eyes cool and appraising. "If you don't, then don't knock mine."

*((OOC: Translation: "Dahl, you gotta be kidding me if you're thinkign that some silly accent swap would do you any good."))

[robokitty]

Talking to Katie was like playing with a reluctant, middle-aged, overfed, spayed cat. First, you wiggle the feather at it. No response. Then you try to irritate it, prod it, and hit it with the feather. Finally, the cat works up enough annoyance to take a swipe, though you can tell it’s still holding back. After a few hits, it slumps back into its torpor.


There’s a bit of satisfaction in ultimately getting the cat to play, even if its batting is completely harmless. And even though this issue bothered Esteban, on the whole he never lost sight of Katie as the reluctant cat.

Katie ignores his correction and instead shoots back a dumb hillbilly impression, “Dahl, ya gawtta bae kiddin' mae iffens yawr thankin' that sum silly akcent swap'd do ya any good.” Then, returning to a snobbier version of her normal voice, she adds, “They’re really not that complicated, accent changes."

In a nanosecond a micro-expression of surprise flashes in Esteban’s face. It is wiped away almost immediately by a slow grin. He hadn’t meant to let his accent slip away. It was something that normally only happened when he was at home in his comfort zone, trying to be serious, or attempting to soften up the judge in juvenile court.

So for a moment, he gets the lingering sensation like he’s been caught with his pants down—which has actually happened before. And it wasn’t that bad.

What’s more, Esteban realizes two things. First, Katie decided to ignore his correction, change the subject completely, and attack him. He’s seen his sister do it multiple times, generally when he really pisses her off, and she doesn’t know what to say. The second is that Katie, despite her generally meek demeanor, is starting to show the tiniest ember of fire. She’s getting catty.

She recollects herself quickly and asks, “Do you have a hobby? Not just stamp collecting or something, an actual hobby, something that you care about well above yourself, that you love in all forms and can think about or do for hours and not notice the time? If you don’t, then don’t knock mine." She cocks her head and looks at him coolly.

Tight and controlled, or trying not to lose it, Esteban thinks of Katie. And never been laid. She doesn’t unravel easily and always tries to return to equilibrium. Esteban is reminded of one of those bowling pin-shaped clowns that keep popping back into place when you punch them.

“Yeah sister, cheerleading is dancing the same way that ‘stripping’ is dancing these days and the same way that porn stars are thespians.” Esteban remarks sarcastically. His accent has returned, and he is back to his truculent self.

“And I do have a hobby.” Esteban grins incorrigibly. “Fighting—but you don’t see me joining the maricones on the wrestling team. No way. I don’t need to get all butt-buddy with preps and jocks to fight, and I got more dignity than to wear those man-leotards.”

Esteban, who just a few minutes ago didn’t want to piss Katie off too much, starts thinking this is something of a bore. While he’s excellent at reading how pissed off others are and figuring out ways to push them over the edge, he’s not the most disciplined person in the world. He is too capricious to be truly manipulative.

He starts musing over how entertaining it would be if she slapped him across the face and summarily decides that the easiest way to do this would be to grab her ass. Mentally, he ejects the thought from his head. Esteban is going nowhere near Katie Byrd’s ass.

Instead, he glances up at the clock and stands up. He decides he’s been sitting still too long.



((OOC: FurryPanda, FYI I’m planning on having Esteban ditch class soon and do troublemakery things. ))

[AtropaMandragora]

Not being much of a fan of the school cafeteria food, nor of the majority of the crowd that went there, J.D. was no stranger to venturing off of school grounds in order to find something to eat. There was a small diner, Dave's, only a block away, and even though it looked rather run down from the outside, it was pretty cozy once inside, and the food was good. J.D. would often go there with his friends for lunch, especially on the days that he had chosen to attend school, but seeing as how Derek had been sent off to some correctional school, Leigh had moved to Lonsdale, and Esteban was lord knows where, this time J.D. went by himself. Though it wasn't the first time, nor did he figure it was the last, since sometimes he was just too hungry to wait around for his friends to show up.

So, having parted with Lila and Natalie, J.D. made his way through the doors at the main entrance, picking up the pace a little once outside due to the cold, and only a few minutes later did he step into the welcoming warmth of Dave's, greeted first by the brittle tinkling of the bell over the door, and then by Dave himself behind the counter, as well as one of the middle-aged waitresses currently cleaning one of the tables.

Now, usually, J.D. would sit down in one of the booths, or on one of the chairs by the counter if he was feeling up to a bit of a chat, and remain there for the entire meal, and sometimes even for quite a while afterwards as well. But today, he had other plans. On his way over there, it had occured to him that Lila had seemed to be just as hungry as he was, judging by the longing look in her eyes as she had glanced towards the closing cafeteria when the bell went, and that unlike him, she probably wouldn't have a chance to eat something. At least not until the next class was out, if even then. And, while it was her choice to go to class rather than to accompany him and ger something to eat, and while normally he would figure that someone in her position would only have themselves to blame, for some reason, the thought of her seemed to appeal to that teeny, tiny considerate part of him, that only a few had ever been able to reach. Much like had been the case ever since he'd first met her, she made for a bit of an exception in his usual pattern of thinking, made his thoughts deviate from their usual path, and now had him wondering if perhaps he should bring her something from the diner? Granted, it wasn't his fault that she had missed lunch, nor that she had decided to attend class rather than to grab something to eat, but since he had not, and thus was now at the diner, he might as well get her something too. Right?

Problem was, he wasn't quite sure what she liked. Girls could be so very fussy about what they ate, going on and on about carbs and calories and fat and lord knows what else. Lila didn't exactly seem the type to get her panties in a bunch because of such stuff, but on the other hand, she had pointed out that her father was a doctor, and as a result she had given J.D. mini lectures on this and that, and so he wasn't quite sure if and how that played a part as far as her eating habits were concerned. However, J.D. wasn't the most patient type, nor was he really the indecisive one, and so after pondering the matter for only a few seconds, he decided to just get her something that seemed likely that she'd eat, and be done with it.
But, just as he was about to order, he suddenly remembered something. It was such a small detail, that it was downright amazing that he had remembered it, let alone registered it in the first place, but if he wasn't mistaken, she had once mentioned loving apples. Weeks and weeks agom when first they'd met and had lunch together in the cafeteria, she'd mentioned it. At least he thought it was back then. Not that it mattered, because regardless of the when, he was fairly certain of the what.
So, an apple then. No, actually, better make it two, just to be sure. One apple wasn't much to fill the stomach, not even of a teenage girl, and even if she wouldn't have time to finish them both before drama, no teacher could give her much of a hard time for just eating a simple fruit, right? If that was what she'd decide to do, of course.

Thus, when ten minutes later J.D. returned to the school grounds, heading for the troublemaker's usual spot behind the school for a post-meal smoke, he did so with the last piece of a burger in his hand, and two shiny red apples in the large front pocket of his hoodie.


(((ooc: Sorry for the crappiness. Creativity isn't cooperating today, it seems.)))

[Miv_SC]

Name: Jamie Alice
Age/Class: 16 / Junior
Clique: Prep
After School Activity: Drama Club
Brief History/Personality Description:



Jamie Alice was born in southern Canada into a rich family. She lived in Canada for a while, moving a lot through the provinces so his father could be in his job. When she was just 4, her father died of heart disease. Her family was in need. However, Jamie's grandfather had died along with his dad, giving them a big inheritance. :anime:

Her family moved to the place around Rhode Island when she was 7 and she grew up normal, like a normal child. When she hit middle school, puberty took over her body. She was so different, giving her mom the horrid "I never want to talk to you AGAIN!" every once in a while. Her mom was worried and brought her to a psychiatrist and they had found out she was being called a slut. So they moved to the Brooklake area.

She soon found her normal ways there and found friends, but she seemed to be a slut, sometimes. She cheated on boyfriends, and lost her virginity at 16. However, nothing bad happened to her and she was happy at her school.

[trampledsneakers]

((ooc: post coming for Lila tomorrow; Alissa, would you be alright with me having Lila respond before Natalie went over to Matt? I think she'd feel too awkward to approach Natalie with Matt there, and wouldn't want to interrupt her conversation, but still would have wanted to say something to what Natalie said. If not (because it creates a bit of a time-warp) just let me know. :)

also, Welcome Miv! I'll be adding you to the frontpage. Feel free to start RPing; the students are now in art class.))

[FurryPanda]

Observation was the basis of science. Katie, and a pretty healthily sized chunk of the scientific community, considered herself to be a scientist. And what she observed with Esteban after her admittedly grating accent change was surprise. Her face stayed with the same impassive glare-look that she had been giving the entire time, but inside she was slightly amused. People didn't think she could act like an idiot hick, did they? Well, fa on them. The reason she viewed this particular doubt of how good she was at everything with condescension, as opposed to her usual anger, was the fact that Esteban had jsut been claiming that she was doubtless getinng dumber. And then he acted surprised when she demonstrated it. The irony was utterly delicious.

having seen that a fake little accent wasn't going to faze her he said, with his usual accent and a haealthy dose of sarcasm, “Yeah sister, cheerleading is dancing the same way that ‘stripping’ is dancing these days and the same way that porn stars are thespians.”

She almost grinned at that. He had it exactly right! It was all the same, it was all the utter and sublime perfection that she felt when she danced, and it didn't manner the connotation or the attachemnt, it was all the same.

The sarcasm that even she could hear implied that he didn't get it. And what he said next, “And I do have a hobby.

She glanced up, unable to help being curious. She doubted that he held his own hobby with the same burning obsessive passion that she held hers, but maybe there was something.

Or not. "Fighting—but you don’t see me joining the maricones on the wrestling team. No way. I don’t need to get all butt-buddy with preps and jocks to fight, and I got more dignity than to wear those man-leotards.”

And there was the confirmation. He didn't understand. Wrestling and fighting were pretty differnet, but the same basic uniting thing was there, and the fact that he saw them as being different because of a bunch of man-tards, both the clothing and the preps, showed her clearly enough.

She saw him get up, but she didn't react. Her homework seemed like a lost cause since he had ignored her prior request for it, and she had a digital copy of it on her thumb drive. Printing it out would not be difficult. Making him understand why she was a cheerleader, although it would be nice, didn't seem like it was going to happen, and when she thought about it, she didn't know why she thought it would be nice. Other people had asked, and left when she said she just did it, so why did she want this one to understand?

She didn't know, and he seemed to be leaving so she turned back to her bag, and pulled out a small book in a neat leather cover about the evolution of platypuses. When she was dismissed she didn't think anyting of it, and would just go about her own business. In this case, the business of why platypuses had beaks. She gave a distracted wave of one hand over her shoulder, already rapidly regaining her usual cheerful, if distant, demeanor as she read about the cute little platypuses.

((OOC: Not particularly inspired, but he's free to leave.))

[Alissa888]

(((OOC: Trampled, that'd be fine :) I'll post Natalie after you've posted Lila and that'll help things fit in more.)))

[EmsterDeluxe]

Name: Z (Well, Robert Zraniothski, but don't you dare call him that)
Age/Class: 16/ Junior
Clique: Troublemaker
After school Activity: AV Club

All About Z:

Z sees himself as a pretty well-adjusted kid. And apart from the all the sex, drugs, and rock n' roll, he is. His GPA, thanks to the numerous AP courses in which he is enrolled, is surprisingly higher than a 1.0- "3.8, thank you very much, Mother"- and he works nearly every day after school at the local underground record store. When he's not working or at school, he's practicing with his band, the name of which changes so frequently they just call themselves BAB, or Bad-Ass Band. At the moment, Z likes to say he plays drums and sometimes bass, and often does vocals, for the Plagues.

He was born the way any boy is, and grew up a military brat. His father retired from the Air Force when Z was a junior, after taking his family to live in Germany, Japan, Italy, and even tropical Texas. Z credits his father's 22 year stint in the military for his open-mindedness, self-security, and interest in politics. Robbie's mother- only to her is Z known as Robbie- took whatever job she could at each overseas assignment to keep herself busy, usually with small children. She made a point to nurture and pay attention to her two children equally- her youngest, Ofelia, was adopted from Russia. Z would drop everything- his academic prospects, musical talent, friends- to protect his little sister.

Z doesn't care what other people care about him. At least that's the image he tries to project. He knows, really, that everyone cares about it, but he's very good at pretending. He's been known to come to school (or not come to school, as the case may be) nursing a heck of a hangover, but still smiling and joking around. His worst fear is to be boring, to be forgotten.

And to top it all off?

Z loves music. He plays drums, guitar, bass, and keyboard. Above all, though, he plays harmonica. He carries one wherever he goes, in case the moment calls for a little solo. He idolizes Bob Dylan, who he likes to believe is his namesake, not his crazy relative Uncle Robert.


http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b348/CarbonBasedMe/sadsfdghjkl-1.jpg

(Although, usually he's wearing a shirt at school.)

[robokitty]

"I got to use the bathroom," Esteban says as he stands up. He looks back at Katie with a glean in his eye. He's not trying to hide his lie.

Esteban pats his jeans, and makes minute adjustments to his clothes. In the second it takes to reach down and grab the waist of his jean, his mind flips through seven different scenarios for the future.

Like fireflies at a summer's dusk, ideas flick on in his mind and are just as quickly dismissed. Grabbing Katie Byrd's ass, his most ill-conceived idea of the day--gone. Around the classroom, he sees Lila saunter in surprisingly late, no doubt JD's influence. For a moment, he considers approaching the dainty flower that's got JD's balls in such a twist and goading her into "alleviating" his friend's tensions. He wipes the idea away.

JD would kick his ass if he found out. Though for Esteban, it's not the pain, blood, bruises, and mild concussions that deter him. He doesn't mind pain, and on some dark level he finds macabre satisfaction in seeing his own blood. It's the simple fact that JD is a friend.

He pulls up a mental picture of his armory. There's a bottle two-thirds full of silver nitrate, surrounded by a small collection of other chemicals and myriad items. Tons of saran wrap, duct tape, string, electrical wires, and more. He crunches through the permutations of different pranks he can orchestrate with such an arsenal. Sodium iodide? Scratch that--will piss off the custodian too much. Silver nitrate it is then.

Esteban notices that Katie has gone back to sticking her nose into whatever book she can find nearby. As he regards her, a powerful, distasteful feeling shoots through him. Pity? Disappointment?

Pity, Esteban decides. He doesn't understand why Katie Byrd would lower herself. It's pathetic. He doesn't understand what he sees in Katie that he expects more of her. All he knows is that the smartest girl at Brooklake could use some balls.

A frown almost creeps into his lips before it is replaced by a smirk. More fireflies in Esteban's mind. Saran wrap, paint grenades, silver nitrate, and Katie Byrd. Another plot unfolds in his head.

She hates the other cheerleaders, should go along with it. Might refuse, but it's her loss then. F*** her. Let her stay a sheep. Can't trust her. Need to test her first. Not advanced enough to pull anyone on her own. Something small. Unimportant.

Esteban rests his hands on Katie's desk and leans in closer to her ear. Close enough to talk quietly to her while others can't hear, but not close enough to seem particularly conspicuous.

"You sick of being the cheerleading team's doormat?--Come find me in 15 minutes," Esteban tells her conspiratorially. His eyes are spilling with wicked delight, both at the ingenuity of his plan and at blowing his own fib of going to the toilet.

Katie should know where to find him, he decides. It's no secret where the troublemakers hang out at Brooklake High. And any student ignorant or foolish enough to disregard their territory was ejected forcefully and sometimes physically. The idea of Katie Byrd heading back there is endlessly amusing to Esteban. But not without proving herself first.

"And bring a bottle of 30% hydrogen peroxide from the science lab."

Esteban stands back to his full height, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. He picks up his art project and drops it off at the teacher's desk, casually mentions something about needing to use the bathroom to the teacher, then walks out. He leaves his desk completely bare.

((OOC: FurryPanda- totally up to you if you want Katie to join in. I'll PM you the details of the prank so you can decide.
Atropa- Esteban will be in place at the end of my next post. This one was just getting a little long, and I'm short on time here.
Emster- Welcome to the game :) ))

[EmsterDeluxe]

The best thing about his father retiring in the middle of the school year was transferring to Brooklake high. Z found that he was addicted to the novelty of being the new kid at school. Classes got old after a week or two, but until then he would usually attend them all. And being brand spanking new also meant that no one knew how he acted, no one could tell what he was going to do next. Anything could be a surprise, potential entertainment for Z.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Robbie dear? I can go in with you if you want."

"Nah, Mom. I'll be okay, I'm pretty sure I'm a big boy now," Z said, rolling his eyes, as he unbuckled his seatbelt. If he was in the car with anyone else he'd have some Vandals cranked up too loud to hear the outside traffic and his feet on the dashboard. In the presence of his mother, though, Z behaved himself. He didn't swear, or walk around half-nude.

"Alright, suit yourself old man," she said with a chuckle. "I have my cell if you need me at all, or if the office does. Then she waggled her forefinger at her son with a serious face. "Don't go getting detention on your first day like you did in Japan, you hear?"

"Yeah mom, I hear. Bye now, love ya," he waved to his mom as he shut the door to the car and walked in a manner that was more slumped swagger than walk towards the school. He spent the first part of the day in the office, and when he was finally released it was to the wonderful class of art.

Z walked calmly into the studio, passing a boy with a backpack on who was leaving, and observed the room with a slow but self-confident eye as he handed his pass to the teacher. He shrugged and pointed to himself.

"Sorry I'm late, new kid. Ya know?"

He turned and leaned on the nearest table, giving the occupant a slight nod and raise of his fingers that could be taken as a greeting wave, or as an uncontrolled spasm depending on the mood of the person receiving it.

"Hey, I'm Z. Nice ta meet you."

((OOC: He could be talking to anyone who's up to it.
And thank you RoboKitty!))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Psst, trampled - what happened to Lila? ;)

And yes, welcome to both Miv and EmsterDeluxe :D )))

[emodawg]

Lorene hoped Nadia either understood her or found her frustration amusing and wasn't laughing because she found her mother tongue of Lithuanian funny. Being an eternal optimist, she assumed it couldn't be the the latter.

“Here take the whole box, I can’t have you dropping dead on me,” Nadia offered. Her grip on her tummy loosened and her eyes lit up. She took the box without hesitation and retrieved a bread stick eagerly. “You’re much too heavy to carry, and dead bodies really tend to stink up the hallway,” Nadia joked.

Lorene pouted, "I am not heavy!" She exclaimed with her mouth half full of pocky, which sort of defeated her point. "I'm wasting away if anything..." She sighed, again slightly too dramatically and stuffed her planner back into her bag haphazardly.

Thankfully Nadia didn't mind her tagging along to art or Lorene would have definitely been in trouble, the halls had emptied alarmingly quickly, what an odd high school... Though Lorene would have probably used the excuse of being lost to sit in the girls' bathroom and indulge in her favourite activity of messing around with her hair and make up (or what was left of it after fall number 2...) for about 20 minutes then found somewhere to eat finally. Hmm getting lost seemed quite tempting now that she had thought about it properly but it was her first day, waaay too early to start skipping class and art was always a giggle.

"Art next right? Wonder what things we get to mess around with today. We better run, we're probably late already," Nadia informed.

Lorene frowned, " 'Run' huh?" She said pointing to her bandaged knee, "You must be joking!" She smirked but tried her best at a slightly speedier limp.

They arrived at art with the class 3/4 full, work seeming to be in full swing already. Oops... Well Lorene could always pull the 'i speaka no enga-liss' card if the teacher got annoyed but she seemed cool, perhaps a little too enthusiastic, but after the stiff professor they'd had for English, an aging hippy with a smile that took up 2/3 of her face was a refreshing change.

A boy brushed passed her as he departed the lesson prematurely, Lorene had to cling to Nadia to avoid landing on her ass for a 3rd time in day. Glasses as well as some pretty severe looking scratches adorned his face. At first she took him for a some poor bullied geek or something but his demeanor made it clear that he was no victim. His dramatic departure only impacted on her for a brief second, she resumed an upright position. "Sorry about that," She smiled sheepishly at Nadia.

Lorene chucked her bag under the nearest table and slumped into a seat. The idea of this project didn't excite her very much. This was probably a cheap ploy to get rid of over-ordered supplies. To think she could be eating right now!

She sighed and grabbed handful of each of the supplied materials. She pushed a paperclip into each of the 4 corners of the styrofoam block so it resembled a crudely put together and wobbly table, then ripped some newspaper into a similar sized square and lay it on top at an angle to act as a table cloth. She grinned at her pathetically lazy effort but art was about inspiration and this task was anything but...

With boredom sinking in, Lorene considered making her own early exist but knew any attempt would be reported to her dad who would then sit her down for a 45 minute-hour talk to remind her of all the potential she was wasting... Maybe she could have a little nap till the bell went. It didn't seem an option really, she was already having to hold her head up, her eyelids were drooping at an alarming rate.

"Hey, I'm Z. Nice ta meet you." She heard a second before she was sure she was going to drop off completely, possibly hitting her head against the table and destroying her lovely art work in the process.

Lorene wasn't sure if this guy was addressing her but she decided he was now, conversation would (hopefully) keep her up. "I'm Lorene," She said with immediacy before whoever he really was talking to could reply. She surveyed where the voice had came from, a blonde. He seemed laid back enough for her to say with a devilish grin "And you're talking to me for the rest of this lesson," her tone making it clear that he had no choice in the matter.

((ooc:if this doesnt make sense, sorry tis v late... hope stuff works out for you summerkelsa and maeve :) and welcome Miv and EmsterDeluxe!))

[trampledsneakers]

Lila wasn’t entirely sure what she had been expecting from J.D. in that moment. Certainly she hadn’t been holding out for him to clap his hands together, smile, and follow them to class. That would have just been plain insanity. Yet somehow, Lila had been withholding some small hope that he would begrudgingly remain on campus at least. And even if he did choose to be the rebel he was so infamous for being, he could not shove it in her face. He had to recognize how much it worried her, and in flaunting it he only made the injury sting more. It was like he was mocking her inability to defy the rules, painting her as some goodie-two shoes or wet blanket. So what? Maybe she was. But was that really so bad?

"Don't know, don't care,” his words snapped out in a curt, blank manner that showed he had no intention of following suit. “I'm getting something to eat." Without any hesitation he began backing away, delivering a sharp salute to them before turning and disappearing down the hallway. He called out over his shoulder with a simple, "See ya,” and was gone.

Lila gazed at the vanishing point of the hall for a long moment, blinking with confusion before drawing in a drawn out breath and releasing it in a heavy sigh. Some things never change, she lamented silently to herself, pivoting to face Natalie with a weak smile. The two girls exchanged meaningful glances, both conveying some silent judgment of the boy who had just evaded them without verbally stating anything. Without a word they began walking in the direction of their art classroom. Lila’s head swarmed with thoughts that seemed to center on a single person; how could he already skip on their first day back from break? Hadn’t he had enough free time to last him at least the first week? Before Lila realized it they were already at the art room, paused before its closed door.

“Lila, thanks,” Natalie’s smooth as silk voice halted her before she could place a hand upon the doorknob. Lila had been fully unprepared for such a kind comment. They locked gazes for a moment and the beautiful brunette focused a sterling smile on Lila. She was about to refute the thanks, to quickly dismiss her gratitude, but they were entering the classroom and Natalie was speaking coolly again. “For playing wing-woman back there. You didn’t have to, and it’s much appreciated that you did.”

Lila’s sage green eyes glittered beneath her feathery lashes as they fluttered over in several blinks. She followed Natalie in and finally managed to squeak out a response. “Oh, please. It was really nothing; you were right!” She drew in a breath and smiled warmly, giving a nod of affirmation. “Sometimes there’s just no reasoning with him. But he’ll come around,” she paused, adding with a chuckle, “I hope.” She let her eyes skim the now-filled classroom and recognized some familiar faces. Natalie’s eyes had come to rest on one figure in particular—the oh-so-popular Matt Sidle. Yes, even Lila who was so unconcerned and generally unaware of the social scale of Brooklake was conscious of that particular boy’s popularity. Lila shot a curious glance between Natalie and Matt, not attempting to mask her interest.

“Excuse me,” Natalie spoke with ease, giving Lila the chance to nod and murmur, “Of course, go ahead,” before she strode over to Matt’s desk.

Suddenly realizing that she was standing vacantly at the door to the room, Lila adjusted the strap of her bag and moved past Natalie and Matt to find a vacant seat across the room. Eying the scrap materials laid out before her, Lila began cutting small abstract shapes out of the newspaper aimlessly. Her mind wandered and she could only hope the scissors would remain in contact with the paper and not her own skin.

[robokitty]

((ooc: Not a big thing, but I don't imagine Esteban "rushed" out of the classroom, emodawg. He would play it cool and walk at an unhurried pace.))


Apparently, a whole crapload of students don't give a sh*t about getting to class on time these days. As Esteban passes by them on his way out, a tiny nagging feeling of being some goody-two-shoes for arriving to class so early today bites him in the ass. But with seven pre-existing tardies on his record for this period, the next one he gets means a two-day suspension--at least until the amnesty timeframe passes by. And Esteban wants a few days at school to wrap up his make-up work before racking up another "vacation."

First, he brushes past a girl who looks like she got caught in the middle of a deathmatch between a clown, a ballerina, and a box of crayolas. What the f***?, is the first thought that enters his mind and is followed quickly by at least she's not boring. Then he passes by a blonde kid who walks on by with the calm and predatory confidence of a guy who's been in a few fights and come out on top. Esteban decides to remember his face.

His destination is a small stretch of brick wall on the outside of the school. He has one hall monitor to dodge. This is going to be easy.

Esteban heads straight into the bathroom and ducks out of sight from the hallways. Once inside, he heads to the last stall. Why the architect who designed the school decided to put a small latched window on that last stall is a mystery. Maybe he was high, drunk, or simply didn't give two sh*ts about stopping punk kids from sneaking out. No matter the reason, Esteban stands on the toilet with both feet balancing on either side of the bowl and unlatches the window. With one hand, he pushes the frame open, throws his backpack through first, and hoists himself through.

Freedom. Esteban walks several hundred feet around the back of the school. The ground gently slopes downward, and he comes across a short, concrete stairway leading down to a nondescript metal door, the backdoor to the basement. He hesitates a moment and decides he might as well make one detour before his final destination.

There is a reason for this detour. The stink bomb in art class wasn’t the only prank Esteban had pulled before break. It was merely the one in which he had been “caught.”

The local Asian grocery store carries numerous exotic items, some bizarre and some grotesque. After perusing the store thoroughly, Esteban left with two vacuum sealed plastic bags, each containing a whole octopus. Their rubbery carcasses have been rotting in the air vents in two different classrooms for the past two weeks of winter break.

It’s because of those two stinking octopodes that Esteban is making a trip to the basement. When Esteban was a freshman, he spotted the school custodian cleaning up graffiti while he was outside smoking. In a show of goodwill, he offered the custodian, Eduardo, a smoke, and they got to talking to one another in Spanish. Now the two have an understanding. Esteban doesn’t leave a big mess for Eduardo to clean up, and Eduardo turns a blind eye to the places Esteban probably shouldn’t be in.

Esteban takes the steps down to the backdoor. It's locked, but that's not a problem for him. By using a tension wrench to apply a sheer force and scrubbing the pins with a pick into the housing, he can pick most locks in five minutes. Impatient as he is, Esteban doesn’t like waiting five minutes. Instead, he’s made a bump key.

A bump key is like a skeleton key. It works on every lock as long as it has the same number and spacing of pins as the bump key template. The key looks almost exactly like how a 9 year old draws teeth on a scary monster—a short row of uniform peaks. Esteban has made one bump key for utility doors, one for classroom doors, and one for cabinets. There are few locations on Brooklake that he can’t get into.

Carefully, Esteban slips the bump key into the lock, leaving it just one tooth away from complete insertion. With his left hand, he lightly pushes the side of the key to rotate it. With his right hand, he takes out a Leatherman multi-tool and bangs the key into the lock.

The teeth run into the pins, popping them all up simultaneously. They hit the sheer line and are forced into the housing. The key turns. The whole operation takes five seconds flat.

This is what happens when a bright kid decides to devote all his energy into “extracurricular” activities.

Esteban steps inside the basement. A small maze of hallways unfold before him. He takes the first left and slips into the custodian's office, again using a bump key to get in. Eduardo’s jacket is slung over the chair at the desk nearby. Esteban pulls out a full pack of cigarettes from his backpack, neatly writes #232, #304 on a slip of paper, indicating the two rooms he left the octopodes in, and leaves both in Eduardo’s pocket. Quietly, he leaves the basement, making sure to lock the doors behind him.

Amends made, Esteban heads further back around the side of the school. Soon, a lone dark figure enters his line of sight. From its posture and the way it moves confidently around his favorite hangout spot, there's no question in his mind that it's JD.

Casually, Esteban approaches his friend and solicits him, "Hey, you got a smoke?"

He quickly adds, "I just gave my last one to Ed."

[EmsterDeluxe]

Z grinned when the girl he was facing replied to his greeting with superhuman speed. Before her colorful head had even raised completely, she answered his introduction.

"I'm Lorene."

She paused for a moment, and while she did Z thought about how she could've possibly twisted and molded the natural character of her hair to form what he now saw. Her hair was so different from anything he had ever seen, but it suited her paler than porcelain complexion, which was radiant with the glow of individuality that no tanning salon or $50 tub of lotion could give you.

"And you're talking to me for the rest of this lesson."

"Well now," said Z with a friendly smirk that suggested practice, but not egotistical arrogance, in small talk. "You got me down already. I never could say no to a pretty girl," His smirk widened into a lopsided smile, showing his creamy teeth, one of which was slightly yellowing from his chronic smoking. That tooth was always there to mock him, his left canine. No amount of whitening toothpaste or vigorous scrubbing helped in the least. It was one of the reasons he avoided mirrors as much as possible- that taunting tooth so pernicious to Z's otherwise normal smile, and also the fast that mirrors were only false images of people who had feelings and thoughts. Mirrors and calculators, in his mind, only ever lied and confused.

Z nodded his head towards a block of Styrofoam with a square of newspaper angled on top, showing snippets of an article about buying furniture local rather than from evil overseas factories where slave-children worked day and night to make the perfect ottoman for your living room.

"What's that? Doesn't look much like art to me."

He decided that the only reasonable answer was that this Lorene had a mystical cotton candy machine built into her bed, and that while she slept the sugar was spun into delicate strands of rainbow and attached with great care by the loving and nimble fingers of fairies, who ate only fish scales and plastic flatware.

[AtropaMandragora]

Knowing that there were at least twenty minutes left of Art class, and having no intention whatsoever of showing up for it and thus alert the teacher that he had been missing by being unforgivably late, but instead choosing not to show up at all and hope that she had simply forgotten about his existence altogether, J.D. decided to linger at the troublemaker's known hang-out spot for a while longer, even after finishing his burger. He did fully intend to be in place once the class was over, so that he could offer Lila the apples he'd gotten for her before she headed someplace where he might not find her in time to do so. But twenty minutes did leave him with a bit of time to kill, and like most smokers, he saw to it to make the most of it. Lighting up a cigarette, he leaned back against the rugged brick wall while letting the smoke trickle out from between his lips in a blissfull exhalation, thouroughly enjoying that very first puff, as for some reason, it always seemed like the best one; all tension, regardless of whether one had been aware of it or not, seemed to ease out of one's body with that first, slow breath, and leave you feeling a heck of alot more relaxed.

This time, however, it didn't last very long. The winter cold had the tension rapidly returning to tighten his shoulders, seeping through his clothes to his skin from the cold wall behind him, and so in order to try and keep warm, he pushed himself away from it and started pacing back and forth the small area for a bit. And it was then, right after turning one of countless times, that his gaze suddenly landed on a figure approaching from one of the corners of the school building. Purposeful and confident stride, dark hair, glasses; Esteban, friend of J.D.'s since years back, and more often than not his partner in crime. Literally.
Not that J.D. had really expected it to be anyone else, since this area was widely known to be pretty much a health hazard to most anyone that was not part of the particular crowd with which J.D. moved. But since the last idiot had surely not yet been born, you never could be entirely sure there wouldn't be some ignorant newcomer or overly confident daredevil willing to try their luck, and so the fact that it was Esteban approaching was a bit of a relief; J.D. didn't have the time to get involved in a fight and possibly be sent off to the principal's office in order to waste away, waiting for yet another lecture. He had other plans.

"Hey, you got a smoke?" were the first words out of Esteban's mouth, as J.D. greeted him with a mere cocking of his head in return. "I just gave my last one to Ed."

At that, J.D. didn't even attempt to hide the slight grin that drifted onto his lips, knowing well of the arrangement Esteban had with the custodian, as well as what Esteban had done to owe the man a pack of cigarettes this time around. He always had been the resourceful one where pranks were concerned, and although J.D. himself had come up with a couple of good ideas over the years, Esteban's were usually the ones that involved more thought and effort - and satisfaction too, actually - than J.D. was prone to put into it on his own initiative.

"Sure", he said, more than willing to indirectly sponsor his friend's escapades, and thus retrieved the slightly crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tossed it to him, but couldn't help but to add with a smirk; "Perhaps I ought to start charging interest for those things. You're the second person today."


(((ooc: Sorry so short and somewhat uninspired. Haven't been feeling well the past couple of days. Also, robokitty, I hope it was ok that I had J.D. know about the octopodes. I figured that since they're kind of close, he would?)))

[Alissa888]

Responsibility was something that most young men – and women – of Josh Brennan’s age shied away from. Well… given the fact that most of them rose to the occasion when it was clear that they morally had to, it was safer to say that most of the time, they just failed to acknowledge responsibility. That was probably accurate of most young people, for there was a little subset that more than compensated by viewing personal responsibility even where there was none. Josh Brennan, for example.
Though, even if someone were to come along and tell him that, he’d argue back that the situation he currently found himself in, gave him complete justification for that attitude, mainly revolving around responsibility to his girlfriend as well as for her.

“Making something as gorgeous as me out of that mess is beyond even your talents,” she quipped back with her bell-like laugh, almost making him doubt whether something was troubling her after all. “Considerable though they may be.”

Though, Marie-Elisabeth’s problem wasn’t the only thing that soon became Josh’s problem – or rather, it still was Marie-Elisabeth’s problem, but there was no way in hell that Josh was going to pretend it wasn’t his problem; Esteban, weird kid who Josh didn’t know much about, except for the fact that he weird and probably contemptuous. For once, that wasn’t Josh’s responsibility. What Esteban was getting up to, however, was becoming Josh’s problem.

Now, Josh wasn’t sure what the hell that kid was playing at – as he was seated currently next to Katie, Josh could only presume she was continuing the lockdown mode that had the Esteban branching out for company, because it was clear he was always riling up for some confrontation or another – but there he was winking over at Marie-Elisabeth and Sienna. Now, unless the weirdo was mentally retarded in some way, he had to know that wasn’t going to score points with Josh, and everyone knew what jocks – Josh Brennan or not – were capable of.

Furthermore, Josh wasn’t sure what to do. Primarily, his responsibility lay with Marie-Elisabeth and even Sienna, but honestly, he didn’t want to start a fight and hurt the guy, because in a case like this, Josh wouldn’t back down and he had a feeling that neither would Esteban. So, while Marie-Elisabeth expressed her disgust to Sienna, all Josh did – as a warning and as a chance – was to shoot an intense glare at Esteban. Now, whether he received that glare or not, or whether he cared or not, Esteban simply went back to putting Katie at the centre of his attentions and well… there really wasn’t much for Josh to do about that without reinstating the problem with Marie-Elisabeth and furthermore, Katie was hardly likely to be welcoming about it.
Women!

But with that all blown over, and with Sienna moving off to get the supplies for them, Josh took the opportunity to lead Marie-Elisabeth towards one of the remaining empty desks, determined to take the privacy to check his suspicions.

“So, um…,” he started rather awkwardly, not sure how to set the balance between brusqueness and ambiguity, deciding to just go for it in the end; “You want to talk about whatever’s upsetting you?”

(((OOC: Sorry for the lateness! And I hope that was okay with everyone, and Robokitty, I couldn’t have him react in time, but I couldn’t have him not react, so I just had to do that… and sorry for the general suckiness of the post, but I've just been so out of touch with RPing
Furry - I love Loren's poem, it's brilliant! :D )))

[Slytherin-Girl]

Nadia really did like going to art class. She was far from a Picasso or a talent like her favourite artist, Botticelli, but she had fun doodling and making odd things for her own amusement. So she really did want to hurry and get to class before it was too late, but there was no way she was leaving her new friend there all by herself.

She giggled at Lorene's insistance that she wasn't heavy, and was practicaly waisting away, and they started down the hallway. Despite her previous statement of "running" to get to class, she hadn't literally meant it and she kept up a slow pace that Lorene could manage with a sore knee, munching on her pocky sticks as they went through the oddly deserted hallways.

They arrived to a mostly full class, and Nadia was thankful the art teacher was one of those rather....out there kind of teachers that didn't mind if you came in a bit late as long as you did good work and behaved yourself in class. Nadia frowned when the boy who rushed past them though, and caused Lorene to have to cling to her to avoid falling over. "Someone's sure in a hurry" she said, as Lorene apologized for grabbing her. "No problemo" she said, as they gathered up some supplies and made their way to their respective desks.

She stared at the pile of supplies, before picking up a paperclip and beginning to etch squares into the styrofoam blocks. She was intending on making little mini books with them, and also started flipping through the newspapers looking for pictures to use for the covers.

(((OOC: Approachable if anyone wants. Gotta think of something for her to do LOL)))

[FurryPanda]

Katie was used to being ignored. She was used to being hazed. To a lesser extent, she was used to being stared at, when the oddly quiet girl flitting around the studio suddenly spoke of obscure bits of kinesiology or demonstrated impossibly complex maneuvers.

She didn't know what to think of what Esteban was doing though. On the one hand, he clearly wasn't ignoring her. Despite the swearing, she didn't think that she was being treated badly, it was more like a blend of contempt and disappointment. She didn't get either often enough to be sure though. And she certainly wasn't being put on a pedestal to be forgotten later like happened at the studio.

She wasn't all that concerned about it though, and platypi were much more interesting than trying to figure out some random persons' motives. she didn't glance up when he said lightly, and clearly falsely, "I got to use the bathroom," giving the silent and motionless equivalent of a grunt and dismissive wave of the hand. Some people can doubt that people can do that, say bah and wave without moving, but Katie was generally able to make believers in that paradox.

All of a sudden she heard the faintest, most delicate of sounds, and she glanced up to see Esteban's hands on her desk and his face disturbingly close to her ear. Not disturbing in any classical sense, it was all entirely proprietary, but she only avoided starting by a distinct effort of will.

"You sick of being the cheerleading team's doormat?" he said softly. She tensed. Wasn't he listening to a word she had said? It didn't matter! And what other options were there? Boredom for the two hours after school until she got a ride home? Not dancing every day? She didn't react beyond turning a page in her book, but she was glaring daggers at the small print describing mating rituals of platypi.

"Come find me in 15 minutes," he continued, and she did turn then. what the heck was he saying? "Oh, don't be the cheerleader's doormat, be mine instead?"

"And bring a bottle of 30% hydrogen peroxide from the science lab."

She snapped to full glare, and was almost about to snap something about it being .3 molar, not 30%. It was hydrogen peroxide for crying out loud!

With an effort Katie was able to maker her expression flicker back to mild confusion, and her curiosity became piqued. Hydrogen peroxide, molar or inaccurately labeled, wasn't difficult to get, the biology teacher was half in love with her. She watched Esteban walk out, and once he was gone for a few minutes, her vague stare at the door moved away when she delicately put a bookmark in the treatise on platypuses.

She mused to herself that if she did get caught, nothing would happen. Her parents wouldn't care once the school assured them that she wouldn't get in any real trouble, and the chances of the vice principal or anyone else doing anything against her were almost none. As to what Esteban might do, she didn't think he meant her any real harm. She wasn't a fantastic judge of character, but if he really only wanted to play trouser-hockey, as her mother referred to it as, complete with disinterested sniff, then he probably wouldn't have talked to her the way he had been. And she was a dancer, which didn't seem like the sort well able to defend themselves, but that was false.

With that, with the fact that no tangible harm could come of it, she put her book in her backpack and got up to hand in her project. "Ms. Hartford? can I go speak to Mrs. Jaym? I have a project I'm working on for her that I'd like to check on."

She was dismissed cheerfully, and she went down to the biology teacher's room to ask for the hydrogen peroxide. She didn't expect that Mrs. Jaym would ask what it was for, and in fact the science teacher smiled warmly at her prodigy showing initiative and asked if Katie needed anything else for her experiment. "I have catalase, and hydrochloric acid, and really, do you need anything else?" was what she said, and Katie who was pretty eager to go around the back of the school and see what there was to see, stopped.

"I'll have some of the catalase, distilled, preferably," she said sweetly.

The teacher handed over a vial of the catabolic enzyme, and Katie thanked her profusely.

She hadn't had any real desire to ruin the peroxide, but give the oppurtunity, and given the lingering bits of conscience that she had, she couldn't help it. Sabotage wasn't really in her nature, but then again neither was nicking stuff from the science closet. She walked over to the girls bathroom, and uncapped the bottle, releasing the unmistakable and unpleasant scent of hydrogen peroxide. She then dumped the enzyme in, and the whole thing began foaming as the little proteins broke the peroxide into water and oxygen. Far too much oxygen to fit in the little bottle, and she capped it quickly, and waited for the fizzing sound to die down. She was smiling like a clown, thrilled at her own cleverness, and unbelievably amused by the shock that whoever opened the bottle would get when a geyser of oxygen and water came out.

Still with a smug little smile on her face, she strode over to the front entrance of the school, waving cheerfully at the front desk secretary, and feeling completely justified. It was pretty well known that the bad boys went behind the school to smoke, and that would be what she would try.

As she walked around the school doubts began to assail her mind. What would people think of cardigan (http://www.shinystyle.tv/Forever%2021_cardigan.jpg)-clad, preppily-dressed (http://www.west-quay.co.uk/Comgenic.Manager.Images/Brown%20Trousers%20%20Sequin%20Top.jpg) cheerleader Katie Byrd walking back to the smoking section clutching a bottle?

She shuddered slightly and pulled her cardigan in a bit tighter around herself, and boldly stepped around the last corner in the school, where he had to be, by process of elimination.

She wasn't disappointed, and saw Esteban and JD. She paused, within easy distance for them to see her, and thought about turning around. It had seemed like such a good idea a few minutes ago, and now it... didn't. She didn't know Esteban's motives beyond a vague assumption that they were harmless. JD's were even vaguer, and probably less pure, if hearsay was to be believed. She shivered violently for a moment, and assumed it was the cold as she set her shoulders and strode over.

"Is this the right stuff," she said sweetly, assuming she wasn't interrupting anything valuable. She paused for a moment and added self consciously, reveling underneath of her layer of blank expression, "Chemistry really isn't my subject."

((OOC: Hope that was okay with you, robokitty and Atropa?
Also, a geyser of water on the oxygen seems like an exaggeration but I had the misfortune to try it once, its not.))

[Slytherin-Girl]

There were times in her life when Marie-Elisabeth thought she should have joined the drama club with Matt when she started high school. She certainly had the talent to be an actress; after all she had to pretend a lot of things on a daily basis. She had to pretend that she liked her parents being gone on business trips a lot and leaving her by herself with nothing but credit cards. She had to pretend she liked, or at least tolerated, a bunch of people that drove her absolutely crazy on a day to day basis. She had to pretend she was happy and giggly right now when all she really wanted to do was go home, tell her actually at the house for once mother what was going on, and hope it would all just go away. But that was so far from happening the odds were nearly astronomical, so she didn’t waste much thought on it.

She grinned in an amused sort of way and shot Esteban an “I told you so you jerk” kind of look as Josh glared at him. She had expected something like that, after all no one was stupid enough to mess with the captain of the football team’s girlfriend. Even if Josh wasn’t exactly the type of guy who would go out and hit someone or something, there were plenty of other jocks who wouldn’t have a problem with it. And Matt probably wouldn’t have minded throwing a punch or two either if the situation called for it.

But thankfully it didn’t at the moment because Esteban exited the classroom, before leaning in and whispering something to Katie. “She better think twice about him” Marie-Elisabeth muttered, as Sienna went off to get supplies and Josh led her over to a desk “She gets mixed up with that piece of work and we won’t have to do anything, she’ll get booted out of her own accord”.

If she had been a less self controlled person, she would have let her jaw drop to the floor when Katie walked out of the room not soon after. “That filthy little weasel” she thought after they had sat down and Sienna had dropped the supplies on their desks and wandered away to find her own space “Did SHE get a blow to the head this morning too? She MUST be insane if she thinks she’s getting away with it”.

Marie-Elisabeth probably would have had a great deal more to think about, but Josh had chosen that moment to ask her something. “So, um…” he said, and she turned over to face him “You want to talk about whatever’s upsetting you?” She paused for a barely noticeable moment, thinking that he had somehow figured out that she had been trying to conceal her anxiety about what was going to happen that afternoon. “Of course he’s not you twit” she thought to herself “How could he have any idea, the boy is good but he can’t read minds”.

“Upsetting me” she said, waving her hand dismissively as if to brush off the concern “Nothing but the little weasel. Hardly worth worrying about”.

[gears7667]

Name:
Preston Hollister
Age/Class:
16/Junior
Clique:
Trouble-makers (its where he fits at the moment)
After School Activities:
Drama Club

Brief History/ Personal Description:
Preston's family just moved from Orange County California and seems like the type of family you'd see in black and white TV shows from back in the day. His mother is a classic beauty with her perfect hair and envious baking skills, his father a businessman who works 9 to 5, grills a mean steak and keeps the yard in pristine shape, and Preston with a record of perfect attendance, straight A's and volunteer work..everything is so flawless and without a hitch that no one would ever believe anything to be wrong or even worse coming undone completely. Preston had a younger brother who's passing led to the change of venue for the family (though no one knows about this). Preston feels responsible for his brother's death but hasn't shared his feelings with anyone since they never discuss unpleasantness with anyone or each other. He's pretty much now the opposite of what he used to be in Orange County, he keeps to himself unless necessary, he's spacey, he runs his mouth off to people and even when he's attempting to be nice he has a knack for saying the wrong thing, or being terribly sarcastic.

Preston is 6'2", slender build. He has red hair that's usually in his face, and gray eyes that always look cold and unfeeling (if you can see them behind the hair). He usually wears 3/4 sleeve shirts, jeans, and converse.

Other Stuff: Preston wears glasses that aren't his (although no one would probably notice but they make him dizzy) he is excellent at quoting Shakespeare, and will drown his hands in hand sanitizer if he has to touch anything other people use.

Picture: http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/rhy_bread/snapshot_16dede58_b6e029d7.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g110/rhy_bread/snapshot_16dede58_16e02926.jpg

(OOC: Thanks to robokitty for making my Preston sim. I'm also open to any story line.)

[trampledsneakers]

((Welcome Gears! I've added you to the frontpage, and I've added Esteban and Z! Also, if anyone needs someone to RP with, Lila is sitting by herself. Everyone okay with staying in Art for a bit longer?))

[emodawg]

If Lorene embarrassed easily, then perhaps her over eager response to Z's greeting would have been vaguely cringe-worthy. His seat in relation to hers made it pretty obvious he was addressing her and her speed of reply could have been interpreted as abnormally high enthusiasm border lining on desperation... But no harm done, he didn't seemed weirded out or anything, (even if he had, she was deadly serious about him talking to her till the bell went, no matter how playfully she had put it) if anything he seemed endeared by her split second response, so why worry about it?

"I bet I'm really good at lightning rounds," She thought aloud with a giggle. She felt more alert already!

She straightened up fully and pushed the hair that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear with slight frustration, thinking how she needed to invest more heavily in hair clips, as if her didn't cost her enough already.

It was at this precise moment as Lorene fought a losing battle trying to control her hair that Z decided to say, "You got me down already. I never could say no to a pretty girl."

She raised a penciled eyebrow. As much as she wanted to disagree, she was quite fond of compliments, no matter how cliched they were. "Thank you. I'll bear that in mind next time I need someone to carry my books or a project or return a library book returned and I can't be bothered to do it myself," She replied eloquently, grinning.

Lorene saw Z's gaze move from her to her prized art work. She knew impending criticism was on the horizon. Though she knew her miniature table was worthy of said criticism, she'd defend her efforts til the end dammit! She was expecting "That's pretty crappy.." But instead she got, "What's that? Doesn't look much like art to me."

Her jaw fell. "Excuse me?!" She said a little too dramatically, "Its not that bad! I'm a great believer in minimalism... Well not appearance wise. Its a little table, I'm sure there's something similar in ikea," She finished indignantly. "Wait a minute...." She mumbled a moment later. "Before you ridicule my four minute effort, where's yours?!"

[gears7667]

Preston was kneeling down outside of the art room door fumbling through his messenger bag, his hands grasped blindly at the pencil shavings lint and paper clips that lined the bottom of the many pockets but he could not find what he was looking for. He glanced over to the papers that the lady in the office had given him and sighed at the schedule he had gotten, especially at the class he was currently missing. Preston used to enjoy art class back home, it was the one class he had been in with his brother and the one time they could ever hang out with their busy and completely different schedules.
"I really shouldn't have signed up for this class." Preston sighed as he grasped the small plastic bottle in the pocket designated for cell phones. He stole a glance at the clock in the hallway and wished the class would be over. He leaned back a bit and lost his balance, falling into a sitting position. Preston clutched to the little bottle of hand sanitizer focusing on it and nothing else. He sat there looking pathetic and scared, and as soon as he realized it composed himself immediately. He glanced around to make sure no one had seen him and got to his feet collecting his things and shoving them into the largest pocket of his bag. He held the hand sanitizer in a tight fist and opened the art room door.
The Preston who entered Art class was not the same person who had a secret meltdown outside, his face was calm and his smile warm enough with just the perfect amount of first day nervousness. He approached the art teacher with his schedule, and his smile only faltered for a second when he was instructed to introduce himself. He turned to the class quickly and his vision blurred with the fast movement, he couldn't tell if anyone bothered to look up, he didn't care. "My name is Preston Hollister, I'm new here obviously." He glanced back at the teacher, "may I sit down now...please?" He didn't wait for an answer and made his way to an empty seat, as he walked he flipped open the bottle of hand sanitizer.

[maeve.2.0]

The strangest things will fascinate the imaginative mind, and Lacey certainly had an imagination. It would weave the oddest ideas together, usually, and it was in overdrive, always.

Currently its attention was being held by a rather interesting speck on the floor.

It wasn’t so much a speck as a dot. Several fries, a bit of bacon and a dollop of mayonnaise pasted together in a colorful mushiness – not flat enough to be a speck. The fries stuck together in a way vaguely resembling a pyramid, or a teepee, perhaps, and the bit of mayonnaise was interestingly swirly. It was almost a world of its own, the teepee of fries forming the golden-brown capital, the bit of bacon the industrial outskirts of the land, and the mayonnaise, the suburbs. The factories on the outskirts of town would be made of sturdy bacon, and the suburbs would be quite unsteady as mayonnaise has never been a good building material. But then Lacey had never quite liked suburbs.

It was just that she was rooting around her mind for a name for this fantastic new world she’d concocted that she was hit with an interesting realisation – the table she was sitting at was empty.

Well, not empty, there was a crumpled plastic wrapping that probably held crackers or something once looking rather forlorn in the very center of the table surface, and someone had left an empty drink carton on the very edge which was getting dangerously close to falling off – cafeteria tables at Brooklake High were never really empty – but it was empty of people, and
more importantly, empty of Loren.

Lacey quirked a quizzical brow. Loren had been here, she was fairly certain of that – she’d grown out of the whole imagining-things phase when she was in fifth grade. And now, approximately twenty seconds later – although it could have been five minutes, or ten minutes, or even whole days as far Lacey was concerned; she had been too wrapped up in her bacon world to notice – Loren was gone.

Well.

If it had been anyone else, Lacey would have worried. After all, being ditched in the middle of lunch without a good-bye was usually a sign someone wasn’t too fond of you. But Loren was prone to wandering around as though he hardly noticed anything, a lone planet in its own orbit, going about its merry way, taking only little notice of the rest of the galaxy.
He must have wandered off somewhere. Where?

It was only when she glanced around the cafeteria and realized with a jolt that it was, in fact, entirely empty.

Art class!

She glanced at the clock and saw how terribly late she was, and she leapt up from her seat and stormed out, crushing Bacon World on her way.

***

Mrs Hartford waved away her frantic apologies, and gestured for her to take any vacant seat. Lacey nodded gratefully and, without paying much attention to the various available tables, headed towards the nearest one. It was a table rather close to the teacher’s desk up front, and she grabbed a stack of supplies and dumped them on it.

“Hello,” she said to the table’s single occupant, a brown-haired girl with a kind face*

(( * Lila, just to clarify ))

[robokitty]

((ooc: trampledsneakers, given what we're planning for the prank, I think we could use a good chunk of time more for art class. I can try to move it along more quickly though, if you prefer))

Esteban never was the type of person to get upset over a little pain or discomfort. On one level, life was boring without some adversity. On another level, he took an odd satisfaction in hurting himself.

So when he took his first drag on a cigarette years ago, he didn't shy away from the acrid fire burning down his throat and lungs. And when the chill winter wind whips through him and tightens his muscles to the bone, he ignores it.

JD tosses him a pack of cigarettes without complaint. "Sure," he says. "Perhaps I ought to start charging interest for those things. You're the second person today."

The crumpled pack lands neatly in Esteban's hand. In a perfunctory motion, he shakes one out, tosses the rest back to JD, and lights up. He sucks smoke into his lungs, earthy and fiery, and blows it out softly over his lips. In one breath, his tensions drain away.

"Thanks," he drops casually after the first puff. "And you know I'm good for it," he adds, in reference to charging interest.

Esteban takes a moment to collect his thoughts. Katie, he figures, probably won't show up. If she does, JD probably won't be happy. JD could be convinced to play nice if Katie manages to prove herself and bring the hydrogen peroxide. After all, he wouldn't pass up another opportunity to trap a toilet with another giant, foaming explosion. Though, the truth is, with a full set of bump keys, it's not particularly difficult for Esteban to wait until the staff has left to help himself to anything in the science supply rooms. It's simply convenient to have someone else save him a trip.

So sending Katie on her task isn't about necessity. It's a test. A test to see if she's got the balls to break the rules. But more importantly, it's about trust. It's about shared culpability in their crime. And that's the whole reason he asked Katie to bring the bottle in the first place--trust.

Plus, if she brings the right stuff, that means Esteban gets to cut his finger open and let a few drops of his blood sizzle violently in the solution. He loves watching that sh*t. A bottle isn't the only place you can find catalase.

Turning his attention back to JD, he says, "I got a plan." A devilish smile takes over his face. "Three-part booby-trapping the girl's locker room before all the cheerleaders get in for practice today. Might be someone else coming along." He glosses that last part over quickly. "Are you in? Shouldn't take more than 20 minutes."

Esteban takes a few more long drags on his cigarette. Seven minutes, he thinks, until he'll quit waiting to see if Katie shows up. To his surprise, it isn't even seven seconds till he sees a slight dark figure approaching alone, looking temptingly vulnerable and shivering with cold. As she approaches closer, he sees it's Katie clutching a small bottle to herself.

"Is this the right stuff?" Katie asks innocently. "Chemistry really isn't my subject."

Mentally, red flags go up in Esteban's mind. Chemistry isn't Katie Byrd's subject? Esteban could've sworn that during one evening of detention, he had seen the Chemistry teacher lose their own answer sheet, quietly find Katie's homework, and use her answers instead. So why the coy, sheepish act?

Esteban sets his face steely cold. This, he figures, is Katie's first flirtation with crime. Might as well make it dramatic. He closes the distance between himself and Katie, coming in uncomfortably close.

"That bottle in your hands is about trust," Esteban says sternly with a menacing edge. He knows he's giving away the fact that her task was only a test, but he also knows that if she did what she was supposed to do, then she shouldn't have any reason to be nervous aside from coming to meet him and JD alone given their "shining" reputations. And if she didn't....

He finishes his cigarette in one long drag, blows the smoke to the side, drops the butt, and smothers it under his foot. He turns one hand palm up, waiting for Katie to give him the bottle.

"In cheerleading, what's your locker number? And what's the Queen Bitch's?" he adds, referring to Marie-Elisabeth.

((OOC: Hope that's okay with everyone. Atropa, I had planned on more JD/Esteban conversation, but I didn't expect Katie to show up so quickly! :D Btw FurryPanda, 30% hydrogen peroxide means 30mL H2O2 per 100mL H2O. A 0.3 molar solution would be ~1.2g H2O2 per 100mL H2O. 30% H2O2 is really concentrated! It's about 3x stronger than volume 30 hair bleach.
Alissa, Josh's post was fine. At least, I think I understood it all! I was entertaining the idea of having Esteban shoulder-check him on his way out of class, but I wanted to make sure he got to his troublemaker's spot promptly! So now I'm glad that I didn't include that :D
))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Well, I suppose I'll pass this round then, because since there's not much chance for J.D. to reply, and the rest of the conversation involves just Esteban and Katie... Well, I really can't think of anything substantial to add, except that J.D. won't look too please at Katie showing up, but I can hardly stretch that for more than a few measly sentences, so...)))

[emodawg]

There really was no excuse for how late Adam was, he thought as he stumbled into the first class he'd seen with people he'd vaguely recognized from English earlier in the day. He'd gone to the bathroom after lunch, wandered out a few minutes later and found that the hallways were deserted. Instead of doing the constructive thing of asking the few loiterers how to get to art, he'd wandered around aimlessly in half-hearted attempt to find it himself, thinking the excuse "I'm new here" would cover it. It was only when his phone had buzzed in his pocket, alerting he had a text, that he fully took notice of how much time he had wasted. Had he known somewhere he could hide out or had some company, Adam would have thought "To hell with art..." Even if it was his favourite subject, the impending lecture he was sure he'd receive made it seem worth missing. But with no where to hide out, getting yelled out seemed more enticing than the possibility of getting caught hanging around in the hallway and getting into trouble for a lousy attempt at skipping class.

"Crap.." He mumbled, and began a much speedier effort to find his class. He was slightly breathless when he sat down. He was rather annoyed when the teacher smiled brightly at him, explained the task and didn't infer about his lateness. All the time coming up with a half way decent excuse wasted.


Despite not wanting to waste anymore time, it took a while for Adam to come up with an idea worth perusing. He much preferred straight forward drawing but tried not to let that deter him. He decided to make a pseudo 3D collage. Using the Styrofoam as a canvas, he planned to cut out shapes from newspaper and secure them to unfolded paperclips. He'd then stick the pointed end of the paper clip into the Styrofoam, changing how far deep he'd stick them in to give the element of a 3d picture as well as add perspective. He needed a nice easy subject though for this to work and everything he came up with in his head seemed a little to complicated. He gave the room a quick glance, the only thing that seemed manageable while still being relatively impressive was a vase of flowers that sat on a window ledge. He decided that would be his muse and began cutting out the shapes needed. With no one to talk to and their teacher seeming pretty laid back, Adam retrieved his headphones, turned the volume up to max to drown out the idle chatter and resumed with his project.

((Is approachable, but need to be tapped on the shoulder lol. Robokitty I changed my earlier post so Esteban is no longer rushing and I must say his description of Lorene has to be my favourite yet lol))

[Alissa888]

Honestly, it wasn’t masochism. It really wasn’t masochism why Natalie continually pitted herself against Matt. It was because she could see through him the way he thought he could see through her. Though, she did suppose that to an extent that they did have to empathise with each other – the fact that empathy not Matt’s forte notwithstanding – for in a way, they lived each other’s nightmares. She was clearly what Matt would probably hate for him to become – an apparent social nobody… well, worse, since he considered her a persona non grata – and he was what she would never let herself go back to; a plastic sheep living a lie forged from forced approval. Yes… to an extent, they did have to empathise with each other, but while one was possibly incapable of it, the other simply chose not to.
Though, that didn’t stop her from pointing his predicament out to him, and it didn’t stop him from rejecting it:

"Throwing stones today, are we, babe?" he quipped back with that annoying nickname – Oh, yup, while Natalie wasn’t masochistic, he certainly was. Clearly.

"Look at your own,” he commented with the most sarcastic cordiality ever to grace the planet as he tried to throw her stones back at her; “A nutcase and a delinquent."
Natalie bit back the urge to point out that her choice in company clearly hadn’t improved since. So, yup, he really was masochistic in more ways than one. You know, being blind to the obvious is just about excusable on it’s own, but to continue frolicking in wonderland when it’s been pointed out to you that you’re living a pipe dream is another story. Though, she supposed she couldn’t blame him; it was clearly his comfort zone and she was hardly here to rescue him.

"Yeah, I gotta admit,” Matt carried on with a sarcastic nod to further illustrate his mood; “You really have me beat on that one."

"And speaking of which,” and he further illustrated how much he loved hearing his own voice, once he shot the most theatrical glance behind her, before their gazes locked once more, as different in tone as possible; "Where is our charming resident thug? Did you finally do us all a favour and actually put your killer company to good use?"

Low blow. Though, alleged masochism and the immediate denial notwithstanding, Natalie really did see it coming. She knew how much Matt liked wielding that against her because, really, compared to him, that was the only place where she went wrong. And he probably knew that she felt horribly guilty over it and he just loved to rub it in. Though… she wasn’t sure what he was focusing on, the fact that she felt guilty or the fact that she got caught. Either way, she’d just let him have it, because the more fun he was having with his desperate piece of ammunition the less chance there was that he’d share it with someone else.

And she didn’t want anyone else to know either, so, she shot a glance over her shoulder, checking that Susan was still occupied over by the front whilst one of Natalie’s own friends – admirers – gestured that he’d get the supplies for her. Hence, given that it was just her and dear Brat for now, she gracefully slid herself to take a seat on the table top, facing Matt at her side.

“Don’t worry,” she assured with an icy smile. “You’ll be the first to know if I do that; you’d be top of the list.”

[Slytherin-Girl]

Nadia didn't like to sit still for any particular length of time. It was one of the reasons she loved theater so much, you were always up and around doing something, whether it was actual acting, making parts of the set, sewing costumes, or the occasional chasing around the set by band members who had found their instruments in the hands of a particularly bored brunette.

So it didn't take her long upon completion of her project to start looking around the room for amusement. She saw that Lorene appeared to have found someone to talk to, so she decided to let her be, and hoped that her new friend's leg was feeling better. She naturally gave the popular circle a wide berth, even an eternal optimist like herself knew better than to instigate a conversation with someone in a bad mood like Marie-Elisabeth obviously was.

So she settled on the red-haired young man who had come into class late, and introduced himself as Preston. Grabbing some of her spare art supplies she made her way over and plopped them down on his desk. "You know" she said, sitting down next to him "As a king once said: "nothing can come of nothing". He might have been a fool but he was right".

She grinned and pointed to herself then the supplies. "I'm Nadia, I figured I'd share since I'm done already".

(((OOC: Why would anyone have a cheerleading locker? *is confused*Marie-Elisabeth just has her stuff in her regular locker, not some separate cheerleading one)))

[FurryPanda]

Loren did not consider himself to be much of an artist. But as he sat back with one hand cramping abominably and the other stained past the wrist with eight colors of ink, he thought that he had created something very, very lovely.

He had spread out over an entire table, designed to fit three people, with all of the stuff he needed: a set of fountain pens ranging in nib size from barely there to the thickness of a finger, eight packets of colored powder that he was using as ink, most of which were kool-aid, some of which were actually ink, and all put into one nicely compartmented inkwell, after being suitably diluted with bottled water.

Behind him was a small mountain of scrapped paper, most being quarter sheets that were tested and then discarded. He glanced back at the heap and was surprised to find it only ankle-high for the length of the table.

As for the actual poem, the object of his efforts that would go to the object of his desire, it was beautiful. The rainbow ink hadn't made perfect diagonal lines, but the eye followed the colors and made the whole thing seem cohesive. It was on a whole sheet of paper, the poem written in an immaculate cursive that looked like it came from the declaration of independence, except much more legible, and thicker lines, and flourescently rainbow colored.

There was a large spanish-looking flower at the lower corner, made in simple lines and brown, red and gold lines. The right side was taken up by two highly stylized figures, male and female, one dressed in blue and one in red, and the genders not left to the imagination. Tastefully, of course. The rest of the paper had it's creamy white monotony broken up by short black lines, that might resemble the little Ms that were supposed to represent birds in paintings.

His hands were pretty useless for anything more than waving over the paper in an attempt to get the ink to dry, and he quickly realized that that would be fruitless.

So he stood up and picked up most of the small mountain of scraps he had made, and with the teetering pile filling most of his arms he walked carefully to the trash can. Two more trips, and one suspiciously full trash can later he breezed past the front of Ms. Hartford's desk, not bothering to hide his inkstained hand as he waved.

He sat back down at his table, and gazed at his lovely little poem, fantasizing about the undoubtedly sublime look that would come onto her face. Or the doubtlessly inimitable version of the usual run-away-screaming he got when he asked girls out directly. But this one got an awesomely decorated poem. Loren didn't anticipate anything better than the usual reaction, but he vaguely expected something different at least. Calligraphy and a flower to ask on a date would surely make for different responses than M&M's and a question.

Pride in art lasted for approximately forty seconds. Being too polite to wander around chattily lasted about sixty seconds. Percolating to the front of the room to see if any of his friends were there and not occupied with whatever assignment had actually been assigned. Loren didn't even keep track in art class anymore.

He passed one desk, and stopped short. He knew it was in bad taste to stare, even at someone as peerless as Natalie Cardew. Check that. He knew that people sometimes asked him to stop looking at them when he stared. The fact that that was some sort of universal social thing was well beyond him.

He did keep walking after the briefest of instances, mainly because he figured he would talk to Natalie that afternoon, and she was talking to Matt. Since he was friends with both of them, or thought he was, he didn't want to interrupt.

One desk forward and there was someone whom Loren didn't recognize. For lack of anything better to do, and because his attention span for wandering around looking for conversation had abruptly dried up, he sat down, stretched theatrically, and was all set to mentally connect the dots on the ceiling tiles, when he noticed the ear buds in the other boy's ears.

He leaned forward curiously and asked lazily, "Whatcha listening to?"

((OOC: He's talking to adam, and I hope that that's okay with you emodawg?
And Alissa and Atropa, its totally up to you whether they even notice Loren's prescense.
And slytherin, most athletes [for this purpose, cheerleaders are athletes] have a locker for school, like everyone else, and a locker or cubby or special corner in the locker room for thier sneakers and uniform.
Robokitty- I will try to have a post up for Katie tomorrow, someone was waiting for the post from Loren, and then it became moot as I finished it.))

[Slytherin-Girl]

(((OOC: Really *looks surprised* At my school they didn't. Everyone just put their football equipment etc etc. in their lockers. And I did say M-E put her uniform in her locker at the beginning of the day

And didn't we used to have a troublemaker/cheerleader? What happened to her. I think now all we have on the squad (in terms of rpers) is M-E, Sienna, and Katie)))

[gears7667]

Preston had been sitting quietly, completely consumed in what he now decided was his attempt at turning door nobs with his mind. He didn't know what the assignment was, nor did he intend to find out today. He gave up on the door for now but swore revenge for the lost round and let his eyes wander around the room. The blurriness of the figures annoyed him so he removed his glasses and set them on the table in front of him as his eyes adjusted and re focused on the room around.
He watched as the weird kid covered in ink (Loren) carried multiple mounds of scraps to the trashcan and waved like an idiot at Ms. Hartford. He was mildly amused though no one would have been able to tell since he was wearing his famous vacant expression.
Just as he was about to return his gaze to the door nob since nothing else was worth looking at, a pile of art supplies was dropped directly in front of him. He reached into the pile and yanked his glasses out from under it. Preston turned to Nadia prepared to express some annoyance but stopped as he realized that he'd probably enjoy some sort of company, especially someone who knew a thing or two about Shakespearean tragedy. He smiled at Nadia and noticed her hair was extremely long, there was a small part of him that wanted to stick gum in it and the idea made his eyes light up, though he would never act on it (fear not, your hair is safe..from me anyway). He didn't notice how long he was in his little spacey stare but the last thing he wanted was for the only person who would probably talk to him all day to think he was socially inept. He tilted his head to the side the way dogs did when they tried to understand what people were doing and quietly replied, "Yes, but as a lord attending to a king once said, "Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile", or are you going to insist that applies to just studying and not art class?" He slid his glasses back on and picked up a paper clip, "so whats the assignment anyway?"

(ooc-sorry the post is not great, the next one will be better. Also, how many characters can someone have?)

[AtropaMandragora]

To Matt, the good thing about Natalie - yes, believe it or not, despite the two of them now being sworn enemies, he did actually think there was one - was that she was really quite a bit of good fun. Their brief but edgy and outwardly oh-so-innocent bickering sessions never ceased to amuse him. Mostly because he had that little piece of dirt on her that he knew tormented her, regardless of how hard she tried to hide it from him, and that she on the other hand didn't have anything even remotely like it on him. All she had was her sharp tongue, and frankly, even though it could deliver quite a few commendable blows every now and then, she never really did get to him. She never got him to recoil. Not really. And God knows it wasn't due to simple lack of trying either, for try she did. Over and over, and no matter that (in Matt's opinion, of course) he always came out on top, she still kept coming back for more. It was as though she never could get enough.

Wait. She didn't still have a crush on him, did she? Because it sure would explain why she kept putting herself through this, over and over again?
But nah... Matt had a keen eye for for spotting whatever signs of attraction and/or adoration there might be in a girl's facial expression and body language, and he had to admit he didn't see any of it in Natalie. Though wouldn't it have been fun if he had? If she had still been hung up on him? Ah, the damage he could have done with that.
But oh well. He'd just make do with what he had. Which was plenty. He knew it, and Natalie knew it, despite her attempting not to let it show. And to be perfectly honest, she wasn't doing a half-bad job at it. Matt Sidle, actor extraordinaire - both on the stage, and off - would know.

"Don't worry", the beautiful brunette said as she lowered her lithe and not entirely unappealing frame onto his desk - it was kind of a shame that they'd never made it past first base when they were going out - shooting him a smile that really left no doubt regarding the warmth - or rather lack thereof - in her feelings for him. "You'll be the first to know if I do that; you'd be top of the list."

However, as smoothly as she operated, Matt still caught the brief glance she had sent towards the front of the classroom where students were still gathering material, and so couldn't help but to smirk to himself. So, she'd noticed Susan, had she? She'd noticed that he really wasn't all alone after all, and that her initial gibe thus had been largely unfounded?
Aww, poor Nat. She didn't even get to pretend she'd made an actual point.

And, speaking of which, she'd just set herself up for him to make one;

"But Nat, honey, you already tried, remember?" he pointed out, taking on a most convincing tone when continuing, as though he was actually trying to reassure her and make her feel better; "I've never wanted to kill myself as badly as I did when we were going out. It's just pure luck that I'm still breathing."

Giving her a light, encouraging pat on the thigh, he then leaned casually back in his chair, to be able to look at her without craning his neck.

"Guess 'death by boring date' wasn't in my stars, huh?" he said, and then added with a slight, regretful shrug, as if saying 'What can you do?'; "Sorry."

That said, he then began motioning with his hands an apparent desire for her to stand up and remove herself from his desk, as though she was starting to become a bit of a nuisance;

"And could you maybe be a little less clingy?" he finished. "Please, it's embarrassing."

[trampledsneakers]

((gears- you're allowed to register two students and one professor, if you'd like! :) ))


The muted voice that entered Lila's focused consciousness was almost enough to send her hacking off a whole finger. It wasn't that the voice was so startling in and of itself; that it was such a strange tone or bizarre phrase that gripped her. It was simply the fact that it was unexpected, and she had been so drawn up in her work that the mere sound of another person's voice addressing her caught her off guard.

Her hand jerked with surprise and the scissors nicked the top of her finger, creating a small cut of minimal size. Lila instinctively brought the wounded appendage to her lips and brushed away the tiny droplet of blood that was beginning to form there. Her round emerald eyes shone with the general embarrassment that went along with injuring yourself idiotically in front of a near stranger. Lowering the finger from her lips she gave a weak nod and sheepish smile, managing to murmur a quiet, "Hello," to Lacey as she sat down. The girl threw her supplies down rather unceremoniously on the table and Lila shuffled her own things about to make room for her.

Once their various things were moved aside, Lila turned to her with a strengthened smile. "Sorry about that," she spoke with a hint of a laugh, nodding to her finger. "I don't normally react to greetings so jumpily. I've just always been a klutz, you know?" She offered her a gentle smile and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. If she wasn't mistaken, this was the girl she had seen briefly in the hallway with Eeric. Shifting her focus back the scraps of newspaper before her, Lila began cutting small abstract shapes out of its print and laying them out before her in an intricate pattern.

[emodawg]

Why Adam hadn't considered the tediousness of his idea was beyond him. He'd gotten through a whole double page spread cutting out leaves, petals and stems but that didn't seem nearly enough to make his work look somewhat impressive. He still needed to assemble and attach them to his styrafoam canvas aswell which was going to be annoyingly fiddly. Now that he thought about it, it was pretty obvious that this idea needed more effort than Adam was willing to put in. Damn hindsight...

He decided to persevere however. He didn't have any better ideas that required less effort so he continued, though begrudgingly, cutting out inordinate amounts out of news paper monotonously. He tried to pretend to himself it was soothing instead of boring.

Though usually oblivious, headphones made Adam even more unaware of the surrounding world. That's why when someone tapped him on the shoulder, he jumped. He pulled out on of his headphones and sort out who had sort his attention.

"Whatcha listening to?" A blond, who looked like he was wearing his little sister's jeans, asked casually.

He frowned. This kid had made him jump out of his skin to ask him a rather trivial question with a tone that suggested they weren't amazingly bothered about the answer anyway.

He presented his ipod to the other guy. The Dresden Dolls- Good Day" It read.

((crappy post sorry...))

[Slytherin-Girl]

Nadia quickly decided she liked this Preston, she liked him a lot. Instead of scrunching up his nose and looking confused when she quoted King Lear, or shoving the supplies she had brought off of his desk, he had grinned and quoted right back with something from Love’s Labour’s Lost.

“Someone else who reads Shakespeare, well colour me impressed” she said, grinning back at him. He certainly looked like an interesting person, although he appeared to have the name bad habit as Aidan did of not wanting to keep his glasses on his head. She told him he was going to go blind and cross-eyed if he didn’t, and then he’d be falling all over sets and other actors. And of course he shoot back that he’d be perfectly suited to playing Oedipus then, and she’d just roll her eyes and shake her head.

“So what’s the assignment anyway” Preston asked her and she pointed to the things on the desk. “Basically, make something in 3-D out of this” she replied “It’s supposed to make us more creative with less conventional supplies than a bucket of paint and a brush”. She pointed over to her original desk where her project was sitting, lined up in a small row. “I made little books” she said, grinning proudly “Though the covers are somewhat….interesting what with the kind of pictures that are usually in the paper”.

[FurryPanda]

Stupid was not a word often used to describe Katie Byrd. In fact, to most people it didn't even occur to them to follow that path for insulting her. It would be like telling the mountains that they were short and had the consistency of pudding- completely false and counterproductive for anything.

The one exception for this lay in Katie's own mind, and it didn't happen all that often there. She was brilliant, and knew it, but she knew just as well that as far as social skills went she was very close to a complete failure. Hence why she stayed quiet, and generally tried not to make waves, except for the tsunamis that her prescense seemed to cause in the cheer squad. She figured that just being there wasn't a problem in any rational way.

So, as she stood there handing over a rather nastily booby trapped bottle of water to a person whose motives she knew nothing of, her mind went from simple observation to a sort of lightning fast overdrive. The sort of overdrive that would realize in hindsight that playing dumb when one clearly wasn't was not a brilliant thing to do. The kind of overdrive that realized in a moment that if one was lying, however obliquely, and the lie was obvious and the recipient was probably not going to appreciate said lie, then the liar in the situation was probably behaving very very stupidly.

That was exactly what Katie was doing right now, she realized. Of course, when one is thinking and making connections like that, a person doesn't think about lies and universal social absolutes. No, a person, especially a rather beaten down person like Katie, would think, "Shit."

After a display of mental eloquence of that caliber, Katie was left with a dilemma. On the one hand, she had told and been caught out on a little lie- that chemistry wasn't her subject. Although that was true in one respect, that her degree was in physics and her expertise in biology, she still knew plenty of chemistry. It wasn't a lie though. No, the lie was that she didn't know whether or not it was the right stuff. Sort of. It was the right stuff, and more, which made it very much not welcome.

"I," she reflected, "am panicking."

Upon realizing that, she figured that the only thing to do was attempt to control her breathing and not think until she had more information to work with.

"That bottle in your hands is about trust," Esteban said. He stepped closer to her, uncomfortably so. The only time a boy had been that close to her was at the studio when she was about to be picked up, and that usually hurt, if he gripped too tight, or one of them misjudged the distance, or either of them was not paying exact attention to what they were doing. She suspected that in this situation things might hurt a lot more, and be a lot less innocent.

She didn't step back, but her weight went onto the balls of her feet. She could run, she would if she couldn't get out of her ill thought booby trap. She held eye contact, as if she had nothing in the world to hide, and then realized that only an idiot wouldn't get suspicious about that kind of thing from famously down trodden Katie. She flicked her eyes over to one side and wound up looking over Esteban's shoulder right at JD, and in an instant it all came crashing down on her.

What the hell was she doing there? She was in a place she wasn't supposed to be, with chemicals she twice wasn't supposed to have, with someone whose motives she had no idea of and someone who was as well known as a petty thug as she was as an unsufferable nerd. What the hell had she been thinking?

He held out a hand, and Katie knew full well that he expected her to hand over the bottle, the bottle which if the janitor found it would probably get her expelled, at least in her rather sheltered worldview, the bottle which would probably get her beaten up, or lose more face if she did hand it over, or if she didn't.

Thankfully for Katie's sanity Esteban asked her, "In cheerleading, what's your locker number? And what's the Queen Bitch's?"

There was absolutely no way that this could end well. Katie figured that even if she had all the social graces in the world at her command, then there was nothing that could make this work out well for her. Which meant the objective now was to minimize damage. Which meant not saying where her locker was.

She spoke slowly and carefully, at the same time reaching out with the bottle turned parellel to the ground, and her hand gripping the upper third of it. "Marie-Elisabeth is 173."

Her pointer finger and thumb twitched toward the cap of the bottle, and she made an effort to make eye contact with JD. Something about honor among thieves made her suspect that even if Esteban tried to hurt her, that he would object. Maybe it was a warning from her, or maybe she was just being uncharacteristically stupid, putting trust in something that she had no evidence to support.

As for protecting her locker number, she decided just to lie, out right. What she was about to do would essentially screw her over anyway, being caught lying wouldn't intensify anything.

"I'm 194," she said, delicately, and her pointer finger twirled the cap open just a bit as she tipped her hand, leaving an unmistakable geyser painted on the school wall, with an unmistakable lack of odiferous hydrogen peroxide, and a distinct lack of startled sounds from her, except widened eyes, which she was probably doing anyway, from the lie.

She turned and looked him full in the eye, "Ah... that's unexpected isn't it?"

She was ready to run, but something, either more of the stupidity she was suffering from, or an indistinguishable form of bravery kept her there, hoping vainly that it would just seem like klutziness, and knowing how unlikely that was after her mini-tirade about how much she loved dancing.

((OOC: Two OOCs you rarely see together: crappy AND long. Hope that that's okay with all involved, and post for Loren will be up ASAP.))

[gears7667]

Preston had never heard someone quote Shakespeare outside of English class, school plays, or his mother's book club. And he was happy to be using it as an icebreaker without the weird confused looks and nose scrunching. What was even better was he wasn't the one who initiated it, so there was someone out there who had read something besides Romeo and Juliet.

He admired the mound of supplies in front of him and the paperclip he was bending around his index finger. Preston glanced over at the desk that Nadia had indicated, seeing the small books. He thought of the appropriate reaction...would a simple, "that's cool" suffice? People "aww"ed at small thing right? A twinge of panic began to build up in his head though his face didn't show the conflict at all. He settled for, "was there anything interesting in the paper?" and his tension eased. He didn't usually have problems speaking to other people, though he couldn't remember speaking to anyone without his brother there carrying the conversation.

Preston wasn't particularly artistic, he preferred building model airplanes and things of that sort, where this goes here and that goes there. The scraps in front of him were just that to him, but the last thing he wanted was for Nadia to think she wasted her time bringing over supplies for him. Then inspiration hit, he knew what he was going to make. He grabbed the ruler and turned to Nadia "Is this yours or property of the school...never mind if its yours I'll get you a new one." He reached over to the desk across the aisle from him and stole the ruler from people too deep in conversation to notice. He loudly snapped the two rulers into halves over the edge of his desk and announced, "don't worry, its art." not bothering to look up from his work.

"So, tell me Nadia, how's your school's theater program, you're an actress right...or in debate, you have excellent annunciation so I'm betting you do some sort of public speaking." Preston glanced up from what he was doing, and smiled brightly at Nadia.

[emodawg]

((Welcome loveme ox =D))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: loveme ox - Welcome. :) Glad to have you.)))


Despite being a widely known troublemaker and even a bully, there were certain types of people that J.D. usually didn't have any altercations with, such as the nerds and, to some extent, the goths. Partly because they were usually bright enough to stay out of his way and thus giving him no reason to get into theirs, but also because those that he loathed the most - the preps and the jocks - tended to pick on them and be cruel to them for no good reason whatsoever. In fact, there had been times when he'd even indirectly protected a nerd or a goth when they'd been under fire, by bringing all the attention to himself, and by doing so, giving the previous target a chance to slip away.
Now, as close to 'nice' as that might be, where J.D. was concerned, it wasn't really a matter of being noble and protecting 'the weak', but rather an effect of J.D. himself knowing what it was like to be on the recieving end of the preps' disdainful looks and snide remarks, and vehemently disliking how they tended to pick only the easy targets for their actual and mean antics. That, and the fact that he would pretty much seize any moment to be given an excuse to bash their skulls in.

However, at the same time J.D., like most of the troublemakers, was rather territorial, and especially so about the spot behind the school where he and his friends were known to hang out, and to which most of the other students knew better than to go. So, when all of a sudden, right after he'd nodded his agreement to Esteban's invitation, that strange, meek 'locker mate' of his - Kate or Katie or some such - showed up, clearly heading for that very spot, J.D.'s intense, almost warning gaze locked instantly on her, a strong advice in itself, for her to think twice about coming over. And yet she still did, much to his dismay as well as his slight surprise; surprise that grew enough to somewhat raise his eyebrows, as upon arrival she turned to Esteban, who, by the looks of it, had actually been expecting her.
What the...?

"Is this the right stuff?" she asked, and then hesitated for a brief moment, before adding; "Chemistry really isn't my subject."

Firstly; say what? A student that was as widely known for being an achiever, a regular braniac, as J.D. was for being bad news, claimed that chemistry wasn't her subject? Or was she just trying to be modest?
Secondly: Ah. So, this would be the "someone else" that Esteban had just mentioned, that might be coming along for the prank? Well, if so; had he lost his friggin' mind?! She was a teacher's pet, for crying out loud! Someone who'd be far more likely to run off as fast as her skinny little legs would carry her, to tell on them and land them in a heap of trouble, than she was to actually keep her mouth shut? H*ll, even if she did intend to keep her mouth shut, there was no guarantee whatsoever that she wouldn't crack if put under pressure. She already had once, obviously, since from what J.D. could gather of their brief conversation, Esteban had told her to bring whatever it was, and she actually had, despite being a known goody two-shoes.

"You gotta be kidding me...", the blonde boy muttered, mostly to himself, before taking one final drag on his cigarette, and then dropping it on the ground to be crushed under his sneaker.

Consequently, he just barely caught the slightly panicked glance that Katie shot him over Esteban's shoulder, and didn't really think much of it. It was only a natural reaction from someone like her, after all, for when Esteban imposed himself on them, like he did on her now. But, no more than a second later, a sudden fizzling sound snapped his gaze right back to the two of them, just in time to see the contents of the bottle Katie had been just about to hand over to Esteban, splash against the brick wall with the force of a minor liquid jet stream.
Again; what the h*ll...?

And that's when J.D. caught the new look in Katie's eyes; the still panicked, but suspiciously unsurprised one: She'd seen it all coming. Despite claiming otherwise, she'd most definitely seen it coming.

"Ah...", she started hesitantly, perhaps already knowing that whatever she had to say, it wasn't likely to sway the two boys towards being very understanding, "... that's unexpected isn't it?"

Seriously, what was she playing at? Because really, while J.D. had no idea what it was that Esteban had told her to bring, it was clear to him that whatever it was, what she had brought certainly was not it. And she knew it. So what was she up to? Had she intentionally brought the wrong thing and decided to make a show out of how she had no intention whatsoever of participating in any way in what Esteban had planned? Or, considering her behaviour so far, was she simply cracking under pressure again, sabotaging her own attempt to sabotage Esteban?
Well, either way, J.D. was far from impressed. Very, very far...

"Jeez...", he muttered, and almost rolled his eyes at the both of them in the process; at Katie for whatever it was she was doing, and Esteban for involving her in the first place.



(((ooc: BTW, due to the talk about sharing sims a while back, I decided to do pretty much what I've done for the other RPs I've been/still am in (VtM and Vipers' Nest), and create a site for that very purpose; sharing the characters of this RP, for those who feel like doing so. No pressure on anyone. It's just for fun. So, that said, here we go; Sweet Sixteen sims (http://www.crimson-tale.com/SweetSixteen/). Kind of modest right now, with only three sims, but whatever. :D
Oh, and, the colors/logo were inspired by the outfit Marie-Elisabeth's wearing in her bio pic. Figured it looked kind of like a cheerleading outfit, and I needed inspiration, so... :P )))

[Slytherin-Girl]

(((OOC: OOOO SIMMYS! Lemme remake M-E Teen and I'll send her over! *lost all her stuff in a computer crash* Her outfit was just cute, not specifically cheerleading. Blue is def. her colour though.

And dang Josh's eyes scare me. He looks all "children of the cornish". And Does Matt look like a certain Marquis with a fondness for blondes or am I crazy?)))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: loveme ox - No need to worry, you did just fine, I think. :D I'm not sure anyone's character is out in the hallways at the moment though, but I don't know for sure. And just because there might not be at the moment, that of course doesn't mean that someone can't maneuver their characters out there to take you up on the opening, so... nevermind me. *s*

slytherin - Please do. :D And yeah, I know it's not a cheerleader outfit per se, it was just that I needed an idea for school colors and the logo, and the outfit she was wearing inspired me. :) Also, I think it might be mostly the hair that makes Matt look like César. I don't think I used César as a template... but I can't remember for sure. )))

[trampledsneakers]

((ooc: loveme_ox Atropa's right; right now the students are all in art class, but I actually haven't used my character Eeric in a while, so I'll just have that person be him if you don't mind? He is quite tall, haha, so he'd fit that description.
And Atropa, the site looks great! Great work as usual. Maybe I'll have to redownload simpe to get Lila and Eeric up there too. :D ))


Eeric had been feeling out of sorts all morning, and for no apparent reason. It was that 'no apparent reason' that legitimately irritated him, because he hated feeling in bad spirits without any sort of understandable foundation for such emotions. There was always a cause, and the fact that in this particular case it was evading him only irked him more. He sighed heavily and brushed the stray tendrils of inky black hair from his odd violet eyes. He was relatively certain that he'd missed a large portion of Art, and entering the class mid-period probably wouldn't make the teacher very happy with him. He'd spent the majority of the class period wandering aimlessly around the hallways, flashing a counterfeit hallpass whenever an administrator would shoot him a questioning glance.

"Long day..." he muttered quietly, feet shuffling heavily across the floor and creating a soft dragging sound along the linoleum. Consoling himself with the fact that it was the last period before they went to clubs, he drew in a steadying breath and rounded another corner, eyes barely open as he reflected on his plans for going home. The simple idea of returning to his glorious muscle car was enough to placate him further, but that tranquility was immediately disturbed by a sudden blow to his chest. It felt like he had walked into something quite substantial; not a wall, but definitely not a trash can. He staggered back a step and braced himself against the wall of lockers before glancing around him to see just what he had unwittingly run into. Oh.

Crumpled before him was a dusty blonde-haired girl scrambling to gather her books off of the floor, apologizing profusely without immediately looking up.

"Oh my gosh, I`m so sorry."

Her words were genuine and apologetic, and Eeric smiled softly, stooping his large six foot two inch frame to help the girl collect her books. His hands moved quickly, seizing two of her heavier-looking books and offering them to her with a gentle grin and a nod.

"Hey, no apologies necessary. I ran into you too; I wasn't looking where I was going. Sorry 'bout that, you alright? Looks like you bore the brunt of that impact," an easy, husky laugh rumbled past his lips and his eyes took on the first hint of mirth they had born all day.

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: trampled - That would be great! :D Would be alot of fun to have them running around my hood. Plus J.D. needs a girlfriend. I haven't been able to bring myself to hook him up with anyone else. *LOL*
Oh, and yey! Eeric's back in business. I've missed him. :lovestruc

Sorry. Will stop spamming now.


Edit to comment on post below - Oh my... That pic is... is... oh my... *LOL* )))

[trampledsneakers]

((ooc: Same! xD Lila's a spinster in my game because she just doesn't fit with anyone else. And yep! figured this would be a good spot to reintroduce him, and I just redid him in game not too long ago so I've been wanting to get back into his character. :D shirtless profile picture, coughcough.
Done spamming. xD ))

[robokitty]

Chances are, if you're like Esteban and are one of those intense kids who are born with a fire in their gut and easily bored on top of that, then you live life hard, fast, and crave new experiences. As far as pranks go, Esteban is someone who has seen it all and pulled off every mundane prank there is in the book.

So when Katie starts her laughable fake-innocent act, he thinks back to 7th grade science lab and week of fun he had switching labels on bottles of clear liquids. He figures she's probably just switched the labels on the bottle or maybe poured out the hydrogen peroxide out and filled it with water. Amateur, but Katie would probably think it was endlessly clever.

"Marie-Elisabeth is 173," she says.

Good girl, he thinks. That is, if she's telling the truth.

"I'm 194," Katie finishes as the bottle starts hissing angrily. Its contents under unbelievable pressure, water jettisons from every tiny seam in the cap, spraying long jets in all directions.

Crazy goddamn b****, he realizes what Katie's done. Any kid who's ever gotten his hands on dry ice ends up making a pressure bomb at some point. The concept is pretty simple. A solid (or liquid) that undergoes a phase change into a gas will end up with exponentially greater volume than before. And because gas is compressible, pressure builds up until the container can no longer handle it. At that point, the container bursts open with a loud, embarrassing pop, and huge clouds of sublimated carbon dioxide pour out of the 9th grade science teacher's pocket, where you clandestinely slipped a test-tube sized dry ice bomb 20 minutes ago. The look on his angry, pink face was glorious.

Same concept, different reaction here. Splitting a whole bottle of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen was insane, not to mention a waste of perfectly good hydrogen peroxide. There isn't a whole lot of space for the gas in the bottle, so the entire thing must be pretty explosively pressurized.

Several arcs of water slash through Esteban's shirt. In two seconds, they will invite in the stabbing cold. Esteban is not happy.

"Ah... that's unexpected isn't it?" Katie's eyes look like a deer's who is stuck on the wrong side of a speeding truck's headlights. Her stupid fingers are still dumbly wrapped around the spurting bottle.

Intensely annoyed, Esteban wrenches the bottle from her grip, turns to the side, and throws it. It clatters to the ground 100 feet away, uselessly sputtering long streams of water.

He turns back towards Katie, boring into her with hard eyes. Without breaking his aggressive glare, Esteban considers the situation.

F***ing idiot, Esteban thinks of himself just as much as Katie. What was he thinking, inviting her here? Maggots don't just wake up one day and decide to do something about the fact that they live in a filthy, rotting, sh*t-filled carcass. And Katie Byrd doesn't just wake up one morning and decide to not be the gutless doormat she is. What kind of dumbf*** was he for thinking she could change?

"Jeez..." Esteban hears JD's mutter. And despite having the same sentiment himself, hearing it from someone else makes him get defensive.

Katie, for what it's worth, had succeeded in surprising him today. First, by having the guts to show up in the first place and second, by having the balls to try to booby trap the hydrogen peroxide. And it definitely was unexpected to see her awkwardly f*** up their meeting so thoroughly and incompetently spring her own trap on herself. Esteban isn't sure whether he should be angry or amused, so he settles for irritated.

And now, Katie is Esteban's problem. While she doesn't know exactly what Esteban is planning to do with the cheerleaders, she knows he's probably planning something, and it probably involves their lockers, and it may or may not be contingent on her bringing him hydrogen peroxide. Katie clearly dislikes him enough to try (and miserably fail) to trap him, so now Esteban just has to rely on either her fearing him enough not to blow the whistle on him or her hating the preps more. She's a liability, and now all he wants to do is ditch her and throw her off his trail.

"That was stupid, really f***ing stupid," he says deliberately and harshly. He clenches his fists tightly at his sides, leaving his knuckles white. Then, he turns his head to the side and spits at the ground with disgust. "If this thing's gonna go down... you get one more shot. Bring me the right stuff tomorrow at the beginning of lunch, no dumb*ss amateur tricks. If you don't show, I call the whole thing off, and we forget this ever happened."

Esteban is, of course, lying. Luckily, he's done it enough to know how to do it well, and he figures Katie is out of her element and will believe him. He plans on pulling the prank today, regardless of whether Katie wants to join or not, and that technically makes tomorrow too late to be "in" on it. He is counting on two things: 1) That after Katie runs off with her tail between her legs today, she won't want to show her face tomorrow, and 2) That he's creative enough to devise a new way to torment the preps if she actually does show up and is ready to play ball.

"Now get the fuck out of here before I have time to think about the sh*t you just tried to pull on me." Esteban cocks his head to the side, indicating the direction that Katie should leave in.




((OOC:
Furry, I asked a couple of questions in a PM about this post, but since they're pretty small items, I figured I'd just go ahead and post anyway. Let me know if it's okay or not
Atropa: great site! I'll have to see if I can send Esteban once I get home from my vacation. How should I send him? In a PM? Should I include my own pictures? And I <3 JD's new profile pic! How is it that Matt is the model & the womanizing one? JD is way more sexy!
emodawg: Thanks! Sometimes I worry if I'm being a little to caustic when I write for Esteban, so I'm glad that you liked the description :)
loveme_ox & gears: welcome to the game :)
trampled: OMG @ Eeric's new profile pic. He must have a high pain threshold. Nipple-touching tattoo!
))

[trampledsneakers]

((ooc: robokitty; no kidding! xD he worked his way up to that, obviously. Started small, made multiple visits until he could handle that much work. Very intense tattoos! :D ))

Eeric watched attentively to make sure that as she stood there was no shifting of weight to a less pained ankle, no wincing or grimacing. She seemed to be relatively intact in spite of their collision, and perhaps the only thing she'd have to show for it was a faint bruise or to in the next few days. Regardless, he was thankful that she hadn't been hurt, and that none of her books looked damaged either.

"Thanks," she spoke sweetly, shifting her books into her other hand and giving him a friendly smile. "I should`ve been watching where I was going. I`m new here, my name`s Lesha."
He couldn't help but quirk a brow when she mentioned she was new. Wasn't that the second new kid he'd met today? Eeric paused and remembered that the school often received its most transfers directly after breaks because families took that opportunity to pack up and leave when school wasn't in session. He couldn't help but feel bad for the kids who moved; it must be hard having to leave behind what they knew for something entirely foreign. A school where everyone already knew one another and the social scene was so stratified and defined. It had to be hard finding a way to fit in.

He rose from his place on the ground and he straightened his body out to its full height, suddenly towering over the slight girl.

"Eeric," he said with velvety-smoothness in his deep voice, extending a broad hand for her to shake. His eyes wandered her face for a brief moment in an effort to memorize it, something he did with every new person he encountered. Tying names to faces was one of his specialties, and once introduced, Eeric never forgot a name.

"I`m supposed to be in art class, right? Do you know where that is?"

Eeric's violet eyes lit up at the mention of her class. What sort of luck was this? He had two options; point her in the right direction, or go with her to the class. Now going with her would only work if she decided to play along.

"Oh, yeah. 'Course, it's right down this hallway, not too far off." He stared at her for a moment and a boyish grin spread over his lips. "Look, I know I'm in no position to be asking you for a favor, but..." his voice trailed off as he gauged the shift in her expression before continuing. "I'm supposed to be in there too, but I got distracted and missed the first half of class. It was unintentional," he let out a charming laugh and pressed on, not wanting to lose her, "But if I could just say I'm late because I was showing you around? I do want to go to class but the prof will chew me out for missing half of it and I'll most likely end up in detention." In a way it would be partly true; he did show her to her class. Just not the whole school, or the rest of the period.

Knowing how bizarre his request seemed he pressed his hands together into a prayer formation and shot her the sweetest, most adorable puppy-dog-esque face he could muster. "Pretty please? I'll owe you big time." His innocent smile cracked into a lopsided grin before he caught himself and formed his lips into a small, pleading pout.

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Okay, I know I said I'd stop spamming, but I figured it might be a good thing if I answered robokitty's question for everyone to see;

Sims can be sent any way you like. You can upload them to somewhere and send me the link in PM, you can email them to me, or you can send them via MSN Messenger. You can include your own pics if you like, but it's not a must, since I could just install the sim and go in-game to snap a few pics myself. :) )))

[summerkelsa]

[[ I'm back.. for the moment, anyways. Found a place to live but may not be able to be on as often as I was before. However, I'm down to rp.. so.. gonna catch up and get to it. Plus, I'm redoing my Sienna and Bodene sims and will offer then up to the site. Love it. And, gears, that sounds too cool

ps - hope everyone had a lovely new years and all that jazz ]]

[xJOFLx]

((Hi all! I definitely have been lurking and reading to catch up, so expect the cheerleader/troublemaker slytherin-girl mentioned to pay a visit soon! In the next few days. :) I might join in on the sim-sharing thing too. Yaaay! ))

[trampledsneakers]

((JOFL and Summer, good to have you back! No rush, but it's just great to see you back! And I'm sure others would love your gorgeous sims. ;) ))

He hadn’t been expecting an affirmative response from Lesha; no, far from it. Most girls with her appearance would have stopped talking to him as soon as he had handed them their books. She had already given him the benefit once, and his asking her for a favor having only just met her was a huge stretch. He wasn’t going to hold it against her in the slightest if she refused, and he wouldn’t blame her at all.

"Well..." Her delicate voice was full of uncertainty and Eeric felt immediately regretful for asking. Not because he thought she was going to say no, but because the last thing he wanted was for Lesha to feel uncomfortable or guilty. He was going to apologize.

"Oh all right." Her voice was much easier now and a small laugh even slipped out. She seemed willing to help, and continued. "But only because I can never resist the puppy-dog eyes!"

Eeric's eyes widened in mild surprise at her now-jovial tone. Was she serious? Behind the joke seemed to be a legitimate response, and he merely gazed at her with a quizzical look until he was sure she wasn’t going to snap a, “NOT!” at him when he least expected it.

“Lesha, seriously?” A broad smile broke over his full lips and revealed two rows of perfect white teeth. This was an honest, grateful smile; although he had been frowning for most of the day, he felt genuinely relieved and upbeat now. Eeric took one of her hands into his own and placed a quick kiss on it, grinning widely and relinquishing it to her with a bow. "You're an angel! I owe you big time!” He let out a warm laugh and gently took two of her heaviest books from her, giving her a charming wink and quick nod as he began leading her down the hallway.

“Eeric Kinsley, at your service. Tour guide extraordinaire.” He pointed over to a set of wide doors down the hall and spoke with a laugh, “That’s the Discipline Office. If you hadn’t saved me, that’s probably where I’d be. And that,” he nodded in the direction of a pair of ornate double doors, “That’s the Auditorium. If you’re into music or theater, or dance even, that’s where you’ll be spending some time.” He grinned at her and stopped in front of a single door with the word “Art” craftily scrawled over the glass portion. “And here we are; that was your mini-tour of this hallway.” After a slight pause and giving her a reassuring smile, he pushed the door open and found a classroom of eyes fixed on him for the briefest of seconds before his schoolmates returned to their projects.

Strolling over to the teacher’s desk with an air of total nonchalance with Lesha in tow, he offered the professor a beaming grin. She was visibly suspicious, but was waiting for him to explain. Although Eeric came across as a tough guy or troublemaker, his performance in class and overall pleasant demeanor ensured that his teachers would give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Sorry I’m late; I was just showing our new student, Ms. Moore, around the school and helping her find the classroom.”

His voice was steady and completely sure, not faltering in the slightest. Although not entirely proud of the skill, Eeric acknowledged his uncanny ability to lie very effectively. Their teacher stared skeptically a moment longer before finally wavering and offering Lesha a welcoming smile.

“Welcome dear. Please take a seat and get started; all we’re doing is making compositions from any of the three types of media laid out on the desks. The newspaper is relatively easy to work with. Welcome to Brooklake; if you have any questions, feel free to ask me or your fellow students.”

With that, the professor waved them off towards the open desks nearby. Eeric leisurely took a seat and set Lesha’s books carefully down beside her and offered her a grateful smile.

“That wasn’t too bad, actually…” he let out a soft chuckle and focused his gaze on her before continuing. “Thanks again.”



((loveme_ox, I didn’t know if you’d mind me having them get to class and talk to the professor; if you wanted to do this any differently, please let me know! I’m more than happy to edit if need be. :) ))

[summerkelsa]

[[ Lots of catching up to do! I'll post for Bodene soon ]]

Sienna Gentry, for the most part, had retreated to her own little world once Josh had approached. She couldn't help it. Marie-Elisabeth was her friend, and Sienna could tell she wasn't happy but with Josh around and him going into 'best boyfriend ever' mode, Sienna really couldn't be bothered to pry. She, honestly, couldn't stand it. Josh was a great guy. Nice to everyone. It was almost sickening. As was the lovey-dovey-ness. Perhaps Sienna was still jaded by her failed relationship with Matt but she just couldn't stand public displays of affection.

So, she escaped. Into her head, pondering life if you will... her small, shallow little life. She didn't think too far into the future. That was never safe. She typically just let her mind dwell on the typical, ever predictable day-to-day things.

She went into auto-pilot mode, following the pair towards class, as she typically did, and soon adverted her attention to the unopened brown bag in her purse that contained her lunch. She dug into the bag and rummaged around delicately, lean, tanned fingers brushing over a sandwich and a brownie. It made her nose scrunch. Her mother was an idiot. Sienna would be sure to ditch both after the next class was over.. or possibly use it to barter. She hadn't bothered with any of her reading over break.. or her maths assignment. So, the calorie-rich food could be useful after all. She'd see. Then she found the tupperwear full of carrot sticks. Bingo. 100% carbohydrate - which would be burnt off with ease - and only a handful of calories. Fantastic. Seriously, if only school could be as easy as counting calories, carbs, and avoiding trans fat she'd be stellar.She plucked one of her brilliant finds from the container and nibbled on the end as she strolled without much thought, finishing it in seconds before tucking everything away.

There was no denying that Sienna was obsessed with her weight and figure. It was all she had. The only thing she felt like she had control of in her life. Yes, she was a follower. She needed direction. She was absolutely helpless without it. But at least she could control her looks. She was obsessed with nutrition and fitness and no stranger to torturing herself to get the look she wanted. However, it would never be enough. She'd always have ordinary, dull, damaged brown hair - although she did try to liven it up with highlights and lowlights. She'd always have annoying hazel eyes that, no matter how much she wished it and how much eye make up she used, would always be more brown than green. She wanted blue eyes. Clear skin. Beautiful hair. And unfaltering confidence. Just like the girl before her. All she did have was her body and she had long since dug her nails in to keep it.

Petite, compact, and toned, she had gained 1.5% body fat during the lull between diving and cheerleading - which had served as a massive blow to her self-confidence (or lack there of) - due to lack of structure and she was very much looking forward to having some semblance of order and routine now that cheerleading was about to start. Granted, she had stuck to her pilates, yoga, and gym routines... but she had trouble keeping them as, well, routines. She felt lost without specific orders and outlines. Without a coach barking at her to do this or that. She had floundered.

And speaking of floundering... she found herself slipping into art class. A class she dreaded. It should be simple. It was like being in grade school. But she just lacked creativity. Well, not entirely. It was just the whole lack of direction. Upon realizing what they were suppose to do - or not do, in her case - she froze a little. Or maybe that was just her reaction to Josh's canoodling. Either or. It did, however, give her a chance to let her gaze wander. And wander it did. She first located Matt, doing so without any thought and then quickly diverted her attention once she heard Esteban's loud and obnoxious voice.

God, he could be so disgusting.

Her eyes leveled on his own as he winked, her full upper lip giving a faint twitch as if lifting into a small sneer, manicured brows knitting, eyes narrowing into the 'look', the stink eye.

Just gross.

Her gaze then shifted over to Marie-Elisabeth as she noticed her friend gesturing to her and making a comment about him, her face softening only so much as to show she agreed.

“Doesn’t he know better than that, how gross” she continued, “Neither of us would ever go near him in a million years, he must have been hit on the head by a chunk of ice on the way in today”.

"Uh.. please, ga-rosss." was Sienna's reply, spoken with utter conviction, eyes turning to Esteban before rolling them away in an 'as-if' manner, her voice lowering as she speaks to Marie-Elisabeth, "How disturbing, relocate, asap."

Upon parting ways with Josabeth, she then gathered up an armful of supplies, making a face at the foam blocks as they littered her grey cardigan with white specks, before, after careful perusal, snatching up a sheet from the fashion section of the newspaper. It would serve as something to tide her over until the class was through.

She then headed towards Josabeth. No, hurried. She needed to get away from Esteban as quickly as possible. Being around him made her waaay too nervy.

She set a combination of supplies on Josh's desk - so as to not mess up Marie's - what a good little pleeb - before putting her own supplies down on her desk so she could plop down into her seat. Not the graceful drop she usually did, a full out plop. She was dreading this little project and she suddenly wondered what handing in just a piece of styrofoam with paperclips sticking out would amount to grade-wise. Her eyes swept over to Marie-Elisabeth as she sighed and poked at the materials before gazing over the page she had brought along with her. She knew she wouldn't get much in, edge-wise, with Josh attached to her hip. She did, however, want to discuss the cheerleading squad. It seemed that they would have some new faces - - much to their dismay.

However, once Esteban gets up, her eyes flick up towards the door, only to notice a new blonde boy with the sort've look most guys would kill for. After finding herself staring and feeling rather uncomfortable and silly about it, her gaze skips over to Esteban as he slips casually out the door.

Her attention briefly shifts back to Josabeth only to find that they seem to be getting into a more personal conversation so she quickly tries to busy herself. She fiddles with a few paper clips before dipping her hand into her purse. She discreetly removes her phone and checks to see if she has any messages, eyes briefly shifting to the door before she slips her phone back into her black hole. Nothing. If anyone were to really be staring at her, they might notice that a faintly disappointed look has touched her face yet it quickly disappears as she goes back to reading the fashion page.

[[ Hope this is alright for you guys. Alissa and Slytherin, Sienna will keep to herself and not interrupt their conversation. ]]

[Slytherin-Girl]

Nadia, being the very accepting and social creature she was, was enjoying herself immensely. A new semester was always fun and a fresh start to everything. And she had already made two new friends. One of whom shared her love of Shakespeare! The number of boys, her brother not included because he was special, that she knew who liked Shakespeare she could count on one hand. And she could count them in several languages, but that was beside the point.

“Was there anything interesting in the paper” he asked and she nodded her head. “Yeah, apparently they’re going to test those mummified fetuses they found when they opened up Tutankhamun’s tomb to see if they were actually his kids. Mom was telling me about it yesterday, it’s really exciting”.

She grinned as he grabbed the ruler from the desk, asking her if it was hers, before grabbing someone else’s as well and breaking them both in half. She didn’t mind him taking it much; after all it was just a plastic ruler. And it was in the name of art, so even if she had liked the piece of blue plastic overly much, she wouldn’t have minded.

"So, tell me Nadia, how's your school's theater program, you're an actress right...or in debate, you have excellent annunciation so I'm betting you do some sort of public speaking" Preston asked her with a grin. “Thanks, and I sure am. That’s what you get when your dad is a classical Shakespearian actor who thinks Laurence Olivier is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Which he is, but that’s not the issue” she said, naturally grinning back because she loved to talk about the theatre “The theatre program is awesome. We do all kinds of plays and stuff, and everyone’s really good. I do other acting too though; my twin brother Aidan and I were just in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar which was a lot of fun”.



(((OOC: Way to creep me out. I was going to have Nadia think YAY someone who hasn’t just read Romeo and Juliet!!!!! And yes the news thing I had her mention is real and it made me dorkily excited. It’s something random and interesting and figured Nadia would find it worth mentioning.

Summerkelsa: It sounds great to me, I missed ME's little tag along LOL Glad you're back!)))

[emodawg]

((I've packaged both of my sims if anyone wants them, im just gonna take some picccys and send them you atropa :)))

[FurryPanda]

((OOC: I will try to get a post up for Katie before the weekend, but my workload suddenly and inexplicably sextupled [from 2 large assignments due friday or monday, to seven large assignments, and 23 small ones {just so you realize that sextuplation is not an exageration}] If that will be a problem I don't mind one of you having Katie just non-descriptively go away, or I could put up a crappy post...

Also, Loren never tapped Adam on the shoulder. He just made his prescense abundantly obvious.))

Loren didn't think he was the center of the universe. In point of fact he never actually thought about it, but were he asked he would say that New York was the center of the universe, and it rotated around the Walter Kerr thearter which was the center of Broadway. He was probably in the top ten though.

Not that he realized he thought that. Nonetheless it was true, so when his companion jumped, Loren glanced around the room to see if there was anything startling. He smiled at the thought. Startling things were usually so interesting to look at, and sometimes people talked about them later. Conversation-ness!

Loren didn't see anything in the room or out the window that could be described as startling, despite leaning well back in his seat to check, so he righted his chair, his grin not fading all that much in the process and assumed that the polychromatic-haired boy must be listening to something like Schubert's Surprise Symphony. Every time he heard it, he anticipated the crash, and kept anticipating, and kept anticipating, and finally relaxed, and then was startled two thirds out of his skin. Which was kind of strange since he'd listened to it so many times.

The boy pulled his Ipod out to show "The Dresden Dolls- Good Day". Loren had never heard of them, despite having an encyclopedic knowledge of music theory- when he was too young to quite realize what becoming a castrati meant, he had wanted to sing like that, and had spent a great deal of time learning that he couldn't- and of show tunes, but didn't know any popular music. What was the point of listening to something if there wasn't an elaborate story and a whole score composed to go with it?

"Never heard of it," he said cheerfully, "They any good?"

It wasn't a rhetorical question, and it wasn't sarcastic, since Loren had spent hours listening to music he didn't particularly care for, and assumed that everyone else had done the same. Besides which, even though he knew it was unlikely- and for Loren to realize something was unlikely, there was a snowball's chance in a bonfire that it would happen- there was a chance that whatever "The Dresden Dolls" were it wasn't a band, it was a show he hadn't heard of.

He grinned and half-laughed at that, but just in his head. A musical he didn't know... was not likely. "I'm Loren, by the way." he added.

[Alissa888]

Watching Marie-Elisabeth’s reaction and reply to what must have been a somewhat unanticipated question, Josh had had two ideas of what that reply would have been and furthermore, he had two options on what to do about it in each scenario. However, his actions – regardless of the fact that he’d decided on what he was going to do in each situation – depended on Marie-Elisabeth’s reply.

So, four options, then. Firstly, she could actually tell him what the problem was and in that case, he had to decide whether he could do anything about it and whether it was his place to do anything about it, aside from the fact that he wanted to make her feel better. So, he could either do something or let it go. Although, depending on the nature of the problem, the likelihood of her actually telling him what the problem was different dramatically. That brought him to course 2; she could evade the question, and in that case, Josh could either take her word for it, or go with his gut instinct.

“Upsetting me,” she asked, already dismissing the idea with a mere wave of her slender hand. “Nothing but the little weasel. Hardly worth worrying about.”

So… was that the truth or just evasion? In all honesty, he wanted to believe that that was all there was to it; because it meant that Marie-Elisabeth didn’t have that big a problem plaguing her and that he didn’t have to yield to any compulsion of playing her knight in shining armour. If she was still just upset because Josh talked to the girl, well, she was just going to have to deal with it on her own, for he didn’t feel bad about that.
But… if that was the case, there wasn’t that much of a chance that she’d pass up the opportunity to complain about things, or further make sure that he never strayed that far from her wishes again. So… it was likely that it was a smokescreen. But, clearly, she didn’t want to talk about it, so, he’d take an alternative route;

“Why does she get to you that much?” he asked, seeming genuinely confused while he’d already begun to figure out that it had something to do with territory issues. But then… Marie had so many things that Katie didn’t and thus, Katie was hardly a threat. Furthermore, just like his girlfriend, Josh was used to getting new recruits on his team, but unlike her, he actually gave them a chance to be a good asset – of course, under his command – before deciding they were a liability or a problem. “I mean… you get new girls on the team all the time, right?”

(((OOC: Hope that makes sense and sorry for the lateness! :)
Welcome back, Summerkelsa! And welcome, Loveme_ox! :D)))

[Alissa888]

Summing up Matt Sidle was easy, mostly because he was shallow, refusing to develop or demonstrate any real depth as a person. ‘Conceited’ and ‘insecure’ painted the picture pretty accurately, actually. Conceited because he acted like the whole world revolved around him and him alone, and that he had some right to toy with everyone for his own personal glee and that everyone automatically devoted their lives to him upon meeting him or having some association with him. But then, he was insecure, which did demonstrate that not all of his brains had turned to much for he clearly knew that if he didn’t work at it, his pseudo-royalty would be gone in the blink of an eye. It really was shallow to only derive your confidence from asserting yourself over others.
Had she come to this conclusion even one year ago, it would have been a case of the pot meeting the kettle.

Now, things were different, she was different and thus, she was in a place to see him for exactly what he was. So, had things not been different – against her own better judgement, Natalie found herself contemplating her less… acceptable thoughts – she did wonder which one of his weaknesses would be more amusing to play on, the insecurity or the conceitedness. Well, she wasn’t actually going to go do it, but she’d bet that while the insecurity was a bit more difficult to access, it’d be a lot more yielding than the conceitedness, which swam across quite contently on the surface.
Thinking thoughts like that didn’t make a bad person, did it? It was acting on them that sealed the deal. So, she was fine as she was, right?

“But Nat, honey, you already tried, remember?" he replied to her statement rather casually; "I've never wanted to kill myself as badly as I did when we were going out. It's just pure luck that I'm still breathing.”

At this point, he really didn’t realise how true that statement was. After all, she didn’t have to do anything to him, she could just get him to get himself into all sorts of problems. If she wanted to. But, unlike him, she didn’t. And the, clearly oblivious to her disposition, he went onto to slightly pat her on the thigh in the most condescending way, as if he was forgiving her for her shortcomings.

"Guess 'death by boring date' wasn't in my stars, huh?" he then further reiterate the stale topic which he still clung to, for though Natalie made a mistake by ever dating him she was over it, while he still clearly loved ranting on about it; "Sorry."

Her attention momentarily wandered as Loren reappeared on the scene, and a plan instantaneously formed in Natalie’s mind – she’d never had to devote much concentration to her machinations – only to be toyed with for a moment and then dismissed. No, she couldn’t do that to Loren, to use him against Matt, he hadn’t done anything to deserve it – Natalie would just have to find someone who did deserve it and get them to unwittingly play along, should Matt give her enough reason to implement said plan. But, that said, she did have to admit it, it was a damn good plan. It was sort of tragic, really, that her new found conscience stopped anyone but herself appreciating her capabilities.

"And could you maybe be a little less clingy?" Matt was harping on and she focused her eyes onto his statuesque frame, eventually locking onto his sculpted features, this time with a clearly amused smile; oh, what? He thought she was still into him or he was trying to embarrass out by portraying that that was the case. Cheap ploy, and it won’t work, but still, true to his conceited nature. "Please, it's embarrassing."
For her, yes. Alright then, if that was his misconception, he was welcome to it. In fact, there was a lot that could be done with said misconception.

“You’re just such a joke, Matt,” she said, still wearing an utterly charming smile as she gracefully slid off the desk and walked around behind him, the fingers that teased the edge of the wooden tabletop then moving to playfully toy with his hair, in a very slightly flirtatious manner. “I can’t keep away from you.”

“Let me know if you need a lift home,” she teased finally, her voice low enough just for the two of them as Susan seemed to be making her way back, her fingers lightly caressing over the back of his neck as she left, the mischievous smile fading rapidly as she turned away, only to reprise slightly as her gaze fell on Sienna Gentry. Oh, this should be interesting.
Firstly, though Sienna played Marie’s little lamb pretty much all the time, Natalie wasn’t sure whether the girl was actually all that malicious, all on her own. In fact, she just struck Natalie as more insecure than anything – pity, her and Matt should have got along really well. Of course, therein lay a reason for Sienna to not like Natalie – Matt using the latter as an excuse to break up with the former. And really, Sienna targeted her for it?! Typical girls.

As Natalie gracefully took the empty seat beside Sienna, Gavin – seemingly disappointed that there wasn’t an empty seat next to Natalie – fulfilled his earlier promise by carefully placing the supplies he’d gathered for her, before disappearing off after shooting her a rather expectant look.
Anyway…. Natalie turned to eye Sienna as the other girl dutifully scanned the fashion advice published on some random magazine.

“Looking for inspiration?” she asked casually, that charming smile still upon her full lips as she looked for an attempt – probably in vain – to establish common ground (one that wasn’t Matt) with her. Fashion, probably, but she’d let Sienna give a hint first.

(((OOC: Atropa and Summerkelsa - I hope that works for you guys :) )))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: emodawg - Splendid. Looking forward to it. :D

In the meantime, there are now three more sims up for download.

And last but not least, I don't think I'll be able to post anything until the weekend. Will try, but work is sucking me dry of inspiration (and time) at the moment. )))

[xJOFLx]

((OOC: I’m wondering how much time there is left to Art?))

Bethalie, after the fuss in the office, couldn't care less about going to the class she had. The hallways were nice and empty, and her boots were clicking slowly on the linoleum floor. She wondered if this school would be any different to the others she’d left. She still wasn’t quite over the lack of hot guys at her last bleeping school, but at least Brooklake appeared to be safe enough.

Working her way around the many hallways, Bethalie paused at the school noticeboard. Mostly, the board was cluttered with the ripped stubs of coloured paper that used to be ads for second hand junk or driving lessons, and was now held survived only under a firm staple or pin. She just about turned around to check out the school water fountains, when one particular pink sheet of paper caught her eye. Bethalie held her breath as she scanned the paper which claimed to be about the school’s cheerleading squad. It was, as she expected, excruciatingly neat, with an unmistakable preppy font. It was well done.
"Marie-Elisabeth?" Bethalie murmured. Pictures of royalty wearing fancy white collars and sharp English accents came to mind. Certainly an odd choice of name, in this modern day, no? Shrugging potential nicknames off, Bethalie couldn't help but feel a corner of her vintage-pink lipsticked mouth rising into a tiny smile. The head cheerleader at the last school brought back memories. Bethalie felt a little sorry for her broken arm, right before a national competition, but it didn't matter just yet - She only needed to start covering up things after the first few weeks of rumours. Besides, she had nothing to worry about on her cheerleading front. She was good, and she knew it.

Bethalie started out to go to class, quickly deciding against it. Instead, she dug out a tin-foiled pack of cigarettes from the bottom of her schoolbag. There were only a few left. Picking one carefully, she rolled the single cigarette between her thumb and her index finger and sucked her teeth as she looked around. When she found a decent spot to hide it, she tore a bit of tin-foil, wrapped it, and stuck it in the left corner of a vent-hole. Then, knowing that she should make some sort of start to her education side of school life at Brooklake, she checked what her next class was.
If she was lucky, she could nab a good seat before the others arrived and lost her knowing-people-at-a-new-school virginity.

Approachable & Still open to storylines!

[robokitty]

((I'm back from vacation, and I had A LOT of time on the plane to brainstorm and write, LOL! I also updated Esteban's app with new pictures and info about his family. ))

Student Application -

Name: Abby (Abigail) Vigilanti
Age/Class: automatically 16/Junior
Clique: jock
After School Activity: Football (kicker)
Brief History/Personality Description:

Some people just seem like they're born with all their sh*t together. Pretty, popular, rich, star athlete, and a kickass last name to boot, Abby Vigilanti seems like one of those people, at least to the casual observer.

But life wasn't always so rose-tinted for Abby. She grew up in the city's armpit, where all the other poor kids like her lived. As a child in elementary school, she wasn't popular at all. She had an awful bowl-shaped haircut and wore her older brother's hand-me-downs, so she was often mistaken for a boy. When she was teased by the other kids, which happened fairly regularly, she reacted loudly and violently, and she often got into playground fights.

Growing up in the shadow of her older brother, Daniel, Abby was a bit of a tomboy. It's not that she didn't like girly things; it's just that anytime Abby moved in that direction, her brother would tease her about it relentlessly. Most of her friends in elementary school were boys, and they were generally troublemakers.

But having an older brother definitely had its benefits. When Abby would come home after school, she would tag along with Danny to his sports games. Abby practiced sports with his older friends, and she was a natural. Even with the age disparity, she could hold her own in their games. She loved sports--the release of physical energy, the pride of a game well-played, and the support of her teammates. Sure, the older boys might give her shit about her hair and small size when they meet her, but that would all fade away under the solidarity of playing on the same team.

Two things changed everything for Abby. With the advent of middle school came school-sanctioned sports. That was the first thing.

Abby Vigilanti exploded on the scene of school sports. Every morning during announcements, the speaker would extol her deeds to the entire school: Abby Vigilanti saves..., Abby Vigilanti scores..., Abby Vigilanti assists.... It wasn't long before the name "Abby Vigilanti" became synonymous with school pride. You couldn't support sports at Brooklake without implicitly supporting Abby Vigilanti as well.

For the first time, Abby found herself thrust into the limelight and into an elite circle of "friends" who were eager to get to know the school's star athlete. She began hanging out with more jocks and preps. And, as if by osmosis, Abby's appearance began changing. She started copying the preps' makeup and how they dressed. At the same time, she saw less and less of her old friends and eventually lost touch with them completely.

Accompanying Abby's meteoric rise to fame in middle school, her father's upstart dot-com company had its own rise as well. Several years earlier, her father changed his company's business model to focus on advertising. It paid off big time, and in three years his company skyrocketed from small potatoes to a multi-million dollar asset.

That was the second thing. Money and fame, they say, both change a person. And Abby Vigilanti was no exception.

By the time Abby started high school, her family had moved out of the barrio and into a mansion in the suburbs. She was dressing in expensive designer clothing and was one of the most popular girls in school. In her freshmen year, she joined five different sports teams, and she even made the varsity team for soccer and track as a lowly 9th grader.

She currently is in the varsity teams for soccer, basketball, track, volleyball, and is the kicker for the football team.

Personality - "Preppy tough girl"

Though she no longer looks like a tomboy, Abby still has a lot of the attitude she had when she was younger. She is a hyper-assertive tough girl. She can be ruthless if competition is involved, and she hates losing. If she thinks that anyone has tried to slight her, she will call them out, loudly. She gets very defensive if her pride is involved. While she will attack others verbaly, Abby hasn't been in a fight in many years.

Like most other preps, Abby is preoccupied with image and appearance. She is mortified when she sees pictures of herself from her childhood where she looks like an awkward boy. She is quick to judge others based on their appearance, though given her own transformation, she doesn't always write someone off immediately if they have potential (are attractive).

Abby has become elitist since gaining all her fame. She knows that she's like royalty in the school, and while she isn't openly mean, she ignores the "lower" classes and is dismissive of them. The only exceptions are when she sees a boy she thinks is cute or if one of the rabble happens to play sports on the team.

Because of her incredible sports record, Abby considers herself untouchable. She acts with impunity, knowing that her transgressions will be forgiven or overlooked because she's Abby Vigilanti, and what would Brooklake women's sports be without her? She slacks off in class and openly skips classes, knowing that her teachers will usually fudge the last few percentage points and bump her up to a D or C. She also isn't afraid of being caught talking to the "wrong" type of people because her reputation will easily rebound from such associations; however, Abby usually doesn't want to talk to those sorts of people anyway.

Abby is somewhat self-centered, which gives her tunnel vision when it comes to interacting with others. That means that she isn't good at reading people's emotions and motives. This makes her easier to manipulate by more socially savvy individuals.

Right now, Abby has two main motivations in life--play sports and meet boys. However, Abby has hard time finding the flirtatious vixen inside of her, and she isn't a good flirt. If there is a boy she likes, she starts trying to act like "one of the guys" around him and is more likely to playfully punch him than to flutter an eyelash at him. She has not had very many boyfriends in the past and is a little envious of flirtatious girls who seem to have guys eating from the palm of their hand.

She is very much still trying to reconcile her tomboyish self with her emerging sexuality.


http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i205/superwuman/av1.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i205/superwuman/av2.jpg

Open to storylines--I crave drama!

[trampledsneakers]

Eeric heard Lesha's words echoing in his head, her quick and light response to his thanks as surprising as her initial agreement.

"Sure. Everyone has to break the rules sometime in their life."

Sometime. He had broken rules before; he was breaking them now. But did he really feel like he could say he had been defiant? That he had truly defied the rules and done what he had wanted? One of Eeric's greatest concerns had always been complacency. Wasn't it Plato that had said the companion of complacency was loneliness? Here was a girl stepping outside of her comfort zone, at a completely new school, and she was willing to help a total stranger sneak into class. When had he last done something like that? He hadn't. And looking at the blonde girls eated beside him, Eeric decided that his complacency was going to change.

Once seated he began sifting through the various materials, trying to decide what to use and what to make. He picked up several scraps of newspaper and began folding them over, taking a pair of scissors in his free hand and beginning to cut small figures into the paper.

Lesha sat quietly beside him, staring pensively at the front of the room. Eeric set the scissors down and unfurled a string of newspaper snowflakes, eyeing them with an approving smile before turning to Lesha.

"So what brings you to Brooklake? Parent's job?" Eeric had lived in the same house his whole life, gone to the same schools, never changing. But because he had lived such a sedentary lifestyle, he had found the most clear reason for people to transfer into his schools was because of only a few limited reasons, the foremost reason usually pertaining to new jobs.


(sorry it took me a bit! I was going to a friend's wedding! :D

robokitty- so glad to have another one of your great characters! Adding her to the front page. :)

Also, are you guys ready to move along? We can end art and go to clubs.))

[AtropaMandragora]

"You're just such a joke, Matt."

Natalie, never one to waste much time to come up with a come back - which was part of the reason why Matt actually did enjoy their bickering sessions; she, unlike that Kim girl, knew how to live up to his expectations... well, most of the time - made an attempt to retaliate, resorting to much the same method he had used on her, by having a go at his sense of self seriousness, and his pride. Or, and this was probably more likely, his vanity. It was the most popular target after all, for anyone who tried to get to him.
Problem was, it really didn't work all that well, for while Matt in many ways took himself very, very seriously - hence the everlasting, never-ceasing act he was putting on for everyone, except maybe Josh at times, and why he was so deathly afraid of having his mask and, more importantly, his crown slip - he had developed quite a knack for protecting himself, his mask and his vanity from such gibes, by never giving them much thought. At least not in the sense of them possibly holding a single shred of truth. And without any truth to them, or at least a truth he deemed damaging to his status, they meant nothing. Just like the person uttering them. In this case; Natalie.

"I can't keep away from you", she continued her attempted dig, while slipping her fingers teasingly through his soft chocolate tresses much like most of his girlfriends tended to do.

However, Natalie these days was as far away from a girlfriend as any girl could be with Matt, and considering her obvious (though not at the moment) hatred of him, he almost expected to feel a sharp tug at his scalp when her fingers or one of her rings got "accidently" caught in his hair. But surprisingly, nothing of the sort happened, and she simply followed the movement through instead, ending up running her fingertips caressingly over his neck, while heading off with the parting words;

"Let me know if you need a lift home."

And with that, she left, yet again without allowing Matt a chance to reply, just like in English class. Cheater. It was such a cheap, cheap method to ensure that you had the final word, wasn't it? And such a girlish one too, considering that in a single day, three - count them; one (Natalie x 2), two (Marie-Elisabeth), three (Kim) - girls had pulled it on him. And with little success too, since they'd hardly accomplished to instill him with the feeling of having lost the battle, but rather the other way around; having them retreat before they risked having to admit defeat. Which, ironically, they pretty much did anyway, in Matt's opinion, by hurrying off without awaiting a response.
Not that Matt was unable to create a chance where they tried to leave him none. He usually didn't lower himself to toss comments at someone's retreating form, but every once in a while, he could be persuaded to make an exception. Such as now. Because while in Marie-Elisabeth's and Kim's case, he hadn't bothered, Natalie, for the sake of simple amusement, was worth the effort;

"Everything will seem like a joke to someone as easily amused as you, Nat", he said, while glancing over his shoulder, just in time to see Natalie heading towards none other than Sienna, another one of his ex's.

Oh, now that could be entertaining, for while the two of them did share the same fate in dating Matt - both of them being dumped by him, that is - there was one major difference; Sienna was still part of his own crowd, as well as the 'best friend' of Marie-Elisabeth, who didn't think very highly of Natalie and who really was the cause of Matt setting Natalie up to be dumped in the first place.
No, actually, make that two differences: While Matt wouldn't date Natalie again even if someone paid him to (Or would he? Such a challenge could spice things up a bit... But, nah), he wasn't opposed to going another round with Sienna. Not as anything but a short-term thing, of course, since there were plenty of other pretty girls to be dated yet. But still... She wasn't a bad date. At all.

Just then, however, Susan finally returned with the material, and Matt decided to focus on her instead, with the occasional exception of a glance in Natalie's and Sienna's direction, in anticipation of whatever amusing display that might occur.


(((ooc: Sorry it's crappy. Wasn't feeling it, but still wanted to get something in before class is over.)))

[summerkelsa]

Sienna's full lips twisted as she scanned over various articles smattered across the newspaper. It was an older paper so some of the info was a bit.. outdated.. but it still served its purpose of keeping her pleasantly distracted from the annoyances that were occuring around her.

'Hmmm... Red carpet fashion... christmas special... new line of seriously cute headbands.. Uh, ew. How ugly. Those are hideous. How cheap and gaudy are they..ew ew ew..' She shifted in her seat as she flipped the page, one hand coming up to tuck her hair behind an ear, hazel eyes scanning the new material, 'Oooo, spring dresses!'

Having allowed herself to be lost in the pictures and descriptions of willowy, pastle coloured frocks, her mind drifting off to a time when it would be warmer, the ice and chill would be gone, and she could get back into the pool again. So, it was no shock that she wasn't amused when her thoughts were rudely interrupted by Matt's loud comment made in Natalie's direction.

She forced herself to break her gaze from the page, head lifting as she moved a hand through her hair, brushing it back from her face - only for it to fall back seconds later - only to see Natalie walking in her direction.

Was she serious?

Natalie's smug smirk was met with Sienna's narrowed gaze. Seriously.. that tramp wasn't planning on sitting within a two meter radius of her, was she? Her now snake like hazel eyes followed the other brunette as she continued to approach, Sienna's body stiffening with each step that brought Natalie closer to her.

What the hell?!? Was she mad?? Had she bumped her head or something?!

The look on Sienna's face made it obvious that Natalie was not at all welcomed and she was quick to ignore her, chosing to advert her attention and focus it on the slip of newspaper before her. Mostly in vain, of course. She had already - and rather obviously - let Natalie get under her skin.

Sienna desperately tried to go back to those thoughts of light dresses and warm air and how tan her skin would look in those yellow and orange colours.. yet she failed miserably. Instead, her thoughts were of Matt and Natalie. How Natalie, in her opinion, had been the reason why Matt had broken up with her. And... not to mention the girl had completely fallen from grace. Had chosen to leave the popular crowd. In a flurry of thoughts, Sienna wondered if such a thing could spread. Like a contagious disease or something. She wanted none of it. She was quite happy where she was in the mix of cliques and things in Brooklake. So Natalie could just shove off.

But, no, Natalie had to open her mouth. The nerve.

“Looking for inspiration?” she asked casually, that charming smile still upon her full lips.

No effing way. No way. Was Natalie Cardew taking a stab at her?? The paranoid side of Sienna Gentry started to come out as she totally misconstrued Natalie's innocent question. 'What.. like I don't have any sense of fashion? That whore.' Her lips tightened as her mind wrecked havoc on her. 'I dress nice. I follow the trends. Ok, so, like, I'm wearing stuff from the sale rack of French Connection.. it's still French Connection! And what's with that smirk. Does she think she's better than me?? Oh my god. What a bitch!' Like she needed inspiration.

She shut her eyes tight to stop the thoughts before they snowballed to the point of her losing her sanity and took in a deep breath. She slowly let that breath out as she composed herself, shoulders drawing back as she sat up straight, chin lifting as she, once again, brushed her hair back from her face. She turned and looked at Natalie, head drawing back, a look of 'are you f***ing kidding me' plastered on her face, lips curled, a brow cocked as she said, with a hint of distaste in her typically perky, borderline annoying voice, "Excuse me?"

[[ Haha, hope that works for you, Alissa! Bodene's post is half done. I'm currently a little stuck. I should have it done soon! ]]

[robokitty]

Esteban’s eyes narrow at Katie as she scurries away. When she’s finally left his sight, he turns back to his scowling friend, who is clearly not impressed with Esteban’s tap to Katie. A chill wind whips through Esteban’s wet shirt, causing him to flinch involuntarily.

Esteban is not impressed with himself either.

He fully expects JD to make some smartass comment about it. There’s no escaping that. While it was an impulsive decision on Esteban’s part, he did have multiple, convoluted reasons for inviting Katie. Explaining those reasons requires more effort than he’s willing to make.

If only Esteban were more of a nerd, he could’ve shot JD a pithy remark about Katie being a good candidate for a dark Jedi and much anger I sense in this one, but he’s not. So instead he goes for deflective humor. He just shrugs and says:

“I think she likes me. You think I can get her to touch my d*ck in five years?”

There. The conversation is no longer about what an asshole he is for inviting Katie; instead it's about how dismal his chances are of scoring her. Another cold wind snaps through Esteban’s shirt. He flinches again just barely.

“Sh*t! I’m outta here. Kill the camera by the gym and meet me there in five minutes?” Esteban waits for JD’s affirmative, then trudges back the way he came. He finds the backdoor to the basement again, opens it, and slips in quickly to escape the wintery weather. The warmth of the air makes his body feel hot all over, and he shivers off the last remnants of the cold.

He makes his way down the small maze of dark hallways and abandoned rooms until he finds his goal: room B-17. His armory.

Room B-17 used to be a classroom, like many of the rooms down here. Now, the school used it for storage. Inside is a cornucopia of various supplies, maybe a decade old, mostly disorganized and forgotten. Esteban pulls out a bump key and lets himself in.

Mixed in with the school’s vintage supplies are additions that Esteban has made. From the many shelves in the room, he starts grabbing items hurriedly. Next to the old stack of retro calculators, he takes the bottle of silver nitrate he nicked from the science lab several months ago. On the next shelf down, he grabs some supplies he stole from art—a few large, fat black permanent markers and some brushes. He collects the rest of the supplies he’ll need—several boxes of plastic wrap, a handful of paint grenades, string, duct tape, rubber gloves, and two stethoscopes.

Esteban is about to leave when a box of syringes catches his eye. A bolt of inspiration hits him and his lips curl in a slow grin. He shoves a few syringes into his backpack before leaving the armory and locking the door behind him.

Walking with purpose, he makes his way to the gymnasium while avoiding hall monitors along the way. He peeks in through its locked double doors—dark and empty. Perfect. Checking quickly to see that the hallway behind him is empty and no one is watching, he pulls out his ring of bump keys and flips to the right one. In ten seconds, he opens the door, locks it again, and shuts it behind him.

Esteban heads directly to the door to the girls’ locker room, grinning as he notices that JD is already there waiting for him. He pulls out a pair of gloves he has stuffed in his pocket and tosses them to JD.

“No fingerprints, no where,” Esteban says without breaking his pace. He snaps on his own pair of gloves as he comes up to the door to the girls’ locker room. It looks dark inside. He tries the door, locked. Good. He opens it, lets them both in, and locks it behind himself.

The girls’ locker room smells like old, sweaty towels and perfume. A few windows to the outside let enough light filter in the room so that Esteban can see well enough to work. As the door closes behind him, he grabs a nearby chair, which he props against it in case anyone comes in while they’re working.

He sets his backpack down in front of the free-standing block of lockers that the cheerleaders use. He zips it open and pulls its sides down, letting its contents spill out like guts. He grabs one of the stethoscopes and puts it on.

“Paint grenades first, then the wrap. And remember not to trap 194.” Esteban could be rather terse when he wanted something done quickly.

He places the stethoscope next to the combination dial on locker 173, the one Katie had told him was Marie-Elisabeth’s. Slowly, he begins turning it right, listening closely to the soft rhythmic clicks as the dial turns. Click! He stops and begins turning it left, again listening for the right clicking sound. Click! Last number now. Carefully, he turns it in the other direction. Click. Bingo.

Esteban pulls up on the handle and opens the locker. He turns to check JD’s progress and sees him still working on his lock--wait.

Oh sh*t, it wasn't--? Esteban squints his eyes and looks at the number on the locker. Locker 166. Oh, sh*t.

“Hey, don’t f*ck with that one,” Esteban whispers harshly at JD, not that anyone is around who could overhear them.

F*ck, JD is going to want an explanation. It’s one that he’d rather not give, and in some foolishly loyal way, he is unwilling to break his promise of discretion. But JD knows him too well. He’s going to know something is up. F*ck. Esteban grasps for something to say.

“We got history,” Esteban offers in a tone of finality—a tone that says don’t pry. He hated deceiving his friend, especially over a girl, but it’s not like he was lying, right?

Five days ago against the locker room wall still counts as “history,” right?


((OOC: Hope that is okay for all involved. Trying to finish up the prank quickly. I think we should be done in one more post or so!))

[Slytherin-Girl]

It was hard for Marie-Elisabeth not to grin in triumph at that moment. “Mission successful” she thought to herself, as Josh nodded his head at what she had said about Katie, seemingly having accepted her statement that she was what was bothering her. It was a testament to her skills at hiding what she was really feeling. Usually she used them when talking about her family, insisting that they were the best and most amazing that ever was. Not that they weren’t wonderful, they always told her how proud they were of her for being so successful and how much they loved her, but words are really just words. And they didn’t replace the parents who were often on business trips or jetting off to Paris for modeling jobs or shopping for designer clothing.

She shook her head and focused her attention back on Josh. “Stop it you ninny” she thought to herself, keeping the charming smile on her face “Concentrate. You don’t want to think about what will happen if you let something about the appointment tonight slip, because if it does it won’t be good”.

“Why does she get to you that much?” Josh asked her, with the familiar concerned tone in his voice. She genuinely smiled at that, she knew if he had believed her he would want to try to make her feel better and get to the bottom of her problem. That was one of the things that made him such a great boyfriend.

“She just does” she said, shrugging her shoulders “She’s a nerdy little weasel who should go back to the chess club with all the other nerds where she belongs. Like how that troublemaking Betha-something-or-other should go back to hanging out outside the school and smoking with John David”.

She shrugged her shoulders again, smirking as she saw who Sienna was talking to, before gesturing over to Matt. “But we’ll have it all taken care of soon, so like I said it hardly matters” she said.She knew full well Sienna wouldn't give who was talking to her the time of day, she at least had enough sense to know that, and was rather amused by the thought of watching their conversation play out.



(((OOC: *snicker* Oh Sienna, I lurve her so. I was reading it going oooooo ME is gonna KILL her but then I giggled like mad at her thoughts!

And i DID say ME put her stuff in her regular locker ages ago, she won't even be using that locker LOL So yeah, it wouldn;t have anything in it. Since I said she stashed her uniform in her locker, she has no reason to go to it, since it would be empty since they just got back from break)))

[summerkelsa]

Bodene Rivers lived life at a snails pace when compared to the vast majority. And he liked it that way. Therefore, the thought of rushing to make it to his next class on time never even crossed his mind. In fact, he wasn't even one hundred percent sure what class that even was. Pausing in the middle of the hallway, he removed the crumpled piece of paper from his back pocket that held his list of classes on it and, for the first time today, actually looked at it.

Period 6 - Art - Rm 105 - Mrs. Hartford

He furrowed his brows and then reread it.

Yup. He was going to skip.

Now, Bodene was the type of guy who really didn't have beef with anyone. I mean, he typically avoided the preps but he didn't necessarily dislike anyone in that particular group. And, granted, Brooklake wasn't without its peculiar types, yet Bodene really had no issue with them either. He just.. floated. Easy-going. Peaceable. And it was hard to think that anyone would really openly dislike him, either.

Except for Mrs. Hartford.

Now, Bodene use to play soccer for Brooklake and, thus, had no room - well, claimed to have had no room - for clubs. There was no point. However, once he left the soccer team, that particular slot in his schedule was now free. Not that he particularly wanted to fill it but.. he figured he'd give it a crack. The lucky club? Art.

Now, Picasso he wasn't, Bodene still liked to think he had some artistic skill. He did - or had, after all, designed, created, and decorated numerous boards in his short life, inspired by the likes of Robb Havassy and Drew Brophy. He'd also dabbled in a few skate decks. Not to mentioned that, from his experience with spray paint on surfboards, he had gotten a little involved in tagging. Not the sort've crap you see where someone's just scribbled there name on a wall, no, he was more interested in muralesque designs.

So, needless to say, once he had arrived in art club and had found himself a couple of fluoro aerosol cans and some big fat permanent markers, he had felt right at home.

The victim of his abuse had initially just been a fairly large blank canvas. However, that space had been quickly filled and his art had 'accidentally' overflowed onto the nearby wall.

But, really, it wasn't his fault. He had just been 'caught in the moment'. Surely Mrs. 'I'm so open-minded and eccentric' Hartford would have had no issue with a new member expressing himself in a way he was comfortable with. But no. Mrs. Hartford had not approved. In fact, he had been banished upon the instant she had seen the mess he had made of the wall. Kicked out right there and then. So, after enduring a verbal attack from Mrs. Hartford, he had taken his piece of art and had headed home. It still hangs in his room to this day.

The next day, he had to stay after school and clean it up. Which sucked. He hadn't even been allowed in the room until every other student had left. It had been an absolute joke.

So, yes, he was skipping art.

As for what he would do in the future, because there was no way he could skip every day, would be something he'd think about later. For now, Bodene saw this as the perfect opportunity for a smoke break.

He walked right past the room that art was being held in, even snuck a glance in to see if he recognized anyone. And he did. But it was only a brief pause before he moved on, the schedule long since tucked into his pocket. His hands were now in a new pocket, feeling around for his smokes.

It was while doing this that he noticed a girl* - who also appeared to be ditching class - move off down another hall before disappearing. He paused for a moment to see where she went before continuing on his path towards the courtyard, ever-wary of hall monitors and the like. Bodene Rivers wasn't the sort've guy who got off easy for cutting class. No. He was the sort who was severely punished. He carried no weight in Brooklake.

As he rounded the last corner before the courtyard doors, he noticed someone else near the water fountain. Abby Vigilanti. He knew her through soccer - not that they were great friends - but he knew her. Might as well attempt a passing word.

He quirked a boyish half-grin and spoke in his ever-casual, high as a kite, aussie lilt as he slowly strode past, "My my, can't even make it to class the first day? Tsk tsk, Abby. And to think I pegged you as a go-gettah."

Yeah, so, he was skipping, too. But, no one really expected much from him. It wasn't as if he was being serious. Bodene was rarely - if ever - serious.

[[ There. Got it done. BTW girl* = Bethalie. ]]

[xJOFLx]

((OOC: slytherin-girl? I don’t think ME would know Bethalie because technically she’s new and they haven’t met. Also, I will edit my last post to replace the next class with clubs. And is this okay, summerkelsa?))

Letting her heels clack back on the ground, Bethalie quickly glanced both ways. Mostly it was out of habit, but as tough as she was, she did try to be cautious now and again. Her hair, highlights tangled together and all, was looking very bohemian. Every so often, she’d stare into the mirror, Shakespeare (one of her hedgehogs) cupped in her hands. Bethalie had rather soft facial features, with a complexion that could only be achieved by careful and regular grooming. Usually she had to toughen everything up with some makeup or by putting in her Monroe piercing, but she was appealing, no doubt about that. This, she was grateful about, because it was easier to merge her necessary tanorexic-ridden cheerleader time into her rebel lifestyle.

It was almost time to meet the squad, so after assuring herself that her cigarette would stay in place until she badly needed it, Bethalie started to walk through the maze of hallways and nooks. She started picking up her pace, until she heard a male voice not so far away. Rolling her eyes - what bad luck, a hallway monitor on her first day - but the voice kept talking to another someone, and she paused her thought. She dared not look yet, in case she created an uncomfortable situation. The words hung as Bethalie mused at the accent. To her it sounded very different but charming, and she searched her mind until she finally hit the right one - Australian, it was. Out of curiosity, she decided to linger until the addressed reacted. It seemed like Bethalie wasn’t the only one cutting class. But it didn’t matter, she didn’t mind sharing grounds, and besides, someone to show her around could be useful. Right now, her main focus was this Marie-Elisabeth chick. Oh, she was so ready for it.