As the bell tolled the end of another school day Matt and all of his classmates shot out of their desks like their butts had been lit on fire. The teacher tried to maintain some kind of control over her class, but with just a few short days left until Christmas break she was fighting a losing battle. Much like General Custer, who had been the topic of their lecture that day. Matt fumbled with his books trying to shove them into his backpack as he stood from him desk and as usual found the whole affair just a little awkward.
In two short years he had sprung up like a weed, going from a slightly chubby short kid in the back of the class to a tall string bean of a boy in the back of the class. If he were at all coordinated he would make the basketball couch a very happy man, but unfortunately he had the coordination of a young colt who hasn't quite gotten a comprehension of how to use his new legs.
Slinging one of the arm straps of his backpack over his shoulder Matt automatically ducked his head a bit, back crumpling in the posture of most tall teens who are unused to their size and would prefer to hide it. The crowd of students in the hall was noisy as usual and he moved towards his locker in a sea of activity that made his senses cringe.
Some days pretending to be human was just a little more than he thought he could handle. It was one thing to do it with his parents around, but quite another to manage it on his own. Stopping at his locker he fiddled with the lock, twirling the device as he put in his combination. Mentally he tried to remember what homework he had so that he could bring the right books home with him, but again he felt distracted by the conversations around him.
"So I mean everyone, EVERYONE is going to be there. And Bobby's coming so you know what that means...."
Matt did know what that meant. Sylvia Parish was one of the cheerleaders and the whole school was talking about some big party she was throwing that weekend while her parents were away. Pretending to rub his chin against the curve of his shoulder he cast a furtive glance in the direction of Sylvia and her friend. Sylvia was wrong of course, not everybody would be going to her party....he for one had not been invited.
The combination lock was pulled down and without really paying attention he opened his locker. Unfortunately that left him struggling to contain the lava flow of books that came tumbling towards him. His hands struggled to push the books back into his locker as he felt eyes on him and turned to see the two girls snickering behind their hands as they watched him. A blush crept upwards from his neck and he tried to hide behind the open door of his locker so they wouldn't see as his cheeks flamed up as red as his hair.
-- Edited by MATT BRENNAN on Wednesday 14th of December 2011 02:27:25 PM
Delilah was walking back from the Teacher's lounge. A stack of folders and a few books in her arms as she headed back to the class room before the bell rang. Hurrying along, Delly knew that if the bell rang she would be stuck like chuck. There was no way she'd reach Mr. Buckburger (Bucky to his students) in the Math lab, with all the students in the hallway. She hurried to open the door and enter.
*rrrrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg*
A sigh, she made it. Setting the stack on Bucky's desk she smiled. Delly grabbed her bag that was leaning against his desk. She had TA for last period, and since she pretty much hated Math, she took Buckburger for TA. It helped her go over that day's lesson twice and Bucky was always happy to give her extra help. It saved her butt from getting dropped from Track and Field. She loved running, it was the only time she felt everything go quiet. No voices, nothing to think about but putting one foot in front of the other.
A wave to the teacher as she headed into the mass of bodies that walked along the hall. The first thing she heard was :
"So I mean everyone, EVERYONE is going to be there. And Bobby's coming so you know what that means...."
The image that flooded her mind from Sylvia Parish was far to graphic for Delly. One hand came to cover her cheeks that were flushed red exposing her freckles. Then laughter followed. She looked up instantly hoping that they weren't laughing at her. Seeing as they were looking at the tall red headed guy. Tall red head... Matt! Matt Brennan was super cute. Well at least to Delly he was. Always so quiet though.
Glancing to Sylvia and her clique. Eyes narrowed at the edges and she channeled her telekinetic power to cause Sylvia's purse to drop from her shoulder exposing the contents. Lipsticks rolled, a few tampons, and the best one was the pregnancy test and pills.
Laughter roared around the cheerleader as Delilah headed to her locker. Lucky her, it was one down from Matt's.
"Hey Matt! You going to this party?"
When he answered his no, she smiled while spinning the dial on her lock.
"Would you come with me?" Leaning a little she whispered "You know Bobby is going to be there." A wink of her left eye. She wanted to make him laugh. She didn't think he liked Bobby or even the Cheer clique.
-- Edited by DELILAH MORGAN on Wednesday 14th of December 2011 05:25:37 PM
The sound of the bell jolted Andi from the semi-daze she'd fallen into as Mrs. Humphrey's droned on and on about World War II. The clattering of the other students in the class had her gathering her books and rising, waiting for the rush to the door to ease before she joined the last trailing figures into the ongoing chaos of the hall.
The strap of her bag was lifted over her head, securing the strap across her body as she eased into the milling bodies, angling through the crowd to her locker. Everyone was talking about their holiday plans, about 'The' party. Yes, the emphasis was on the 'The' because The Party was supposed to be the end all be all event of the year.... until the next one of course. Not that she'd see it first hand. Even if she wanted too.
"So I mean everyone, EVERYONE is going to be there. And Bobby's coming so you know what that means...."
And of course, there was Sylvia herself, crowing about her party. She sighed softly to herself as she angled around the edge of the crowd, blinking as laughter burst in a wave around her. Goddess what now? She glanced around quickly, wondering what it was she'd done to spur the laughter only to step on the lipstick that spun across the floor from Sylvia's spilled purse.
"Hey!!!"
Now, normally she was actually graceful. Hell, she'd taken gymnastics, even had been on the team for a while before missing the bar one time too many because of being distracted by glimmers of light no one but she could see. Right now though, it was like being in some old Looney Tunes episode. Her foot came down securely on the little cylinder and she was off in a running stumble to find her balance, careening off one student and then another in a chain reaction in front of the lockers.
Just when he thought the ruby red of his cheeks would finally go down he heard Delilah's voice from a locker away. Just as quickly that blush rose for another split second. He and Deli were both on the track team, and they were also both people who found themselves mostly on the outskirts at school. Though typically for different reasons. Still, when she talked to him it made him nervous, something about her made him think that she would be someone difficult to keep secrets from. Since all he ever seemed to do these days was keep secrets that could be a very big problem.
"Hey Matt! You going to this party?"
When she asked about the party he didn't want to admit that he hadn't been invited. So instead he stammered out an answer. "I don't think so....no. I mean, you know....I don't really want to." It sounded a lot better than saying he wasn't invited and even if he had been his parents would probably never agree to let him go.
"Would you come with me? You know Bobby is going to be there."
Now that left him almost wishing that he hadn't said he didn't want to go. He had just shoved the last book in his bag and shut the door of his locker as she leaned closer and winked at him. But before he could answer her a loud exclamation had him turning to glance over in the direction of Sylvia and her friends once again. His green eyes saw the scene in pieces; Sylvia picking up her things, the other girls laughing, and then he was nearly knocked over.
"Sorry! I'm sorry... crap."
"What the......."
There wasn't a chance to get much else out because Andi was half falling half walking into him. His hands rose to grab at her flailing arms and steady them as he kept his feet planted firmly on the ground. Lucky for him this was one of those times when being strong had its benefits. He didn't know Andi, or at least not formally. The school was pretty big and he'd only ever seen her from a distance before from his seat at the back of the class. Or because of the times when he'd heard rumors about her. There seemed to be a lot of those.
"Are you okay?"
Looking over Andi's head he saw that the other girls had gotten quiet and were trying to apologize to Sylvia for laughing when her purse spilled. Sylvia was having none of it and seemed to be flipping her hair in an agitated fashion. Matt realized suddenly that his hands were still on Andi's arms and it made him jump a little and scoot back to put some space between them, which put him closer to Delilah.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Do....do you two know each other?"
Not that he could introduce them if they didn't, since he still didn't know Andi's name. Standing there he felt suddenly awkward in that 'what do I do with my hands' sort of way. So he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and waited for one of the girls to say something. Most of the time that was the safest thing to do. Girls seemed to always want to talk so if you just let them you were usually safe.
Oh gods help her. Hands outflung as she sought in vain for balance and then there were hands on her arms holding her securely upright.
"Are you okay?"
She was staring up at him, eyes wide as she fought regain her balance, which was a heck of a lot easier with his hands holding her steady. Bright red hair, somewhat gangly form and freckles. She knew him from a couple of classes, seen him in the hall but never once had tried to fall over him before. Well, until today. She could hear the apologetic murmurs of the Sylvia's 'friends' as the Queen of the School tried to get herself together again.
"i... I'm good. Thanks."
A quick smile was directed up at him, only to fade as he seemed to jump away from her, letting his hands fall from their steadying grip on her. Probably realized just who she was or something. Her hands gripped at the strap of her messenger bag, tugging at it to settle it more comfortably over her torso.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Do... do you two know each other?"
She glanced at the girl he was with, giving a quick shake of her head.
"No. I mean, I've seen you in class but... "
She glanced back at Sylvia and her cronies, just feeling the target on her back coming into their focus. After her lunch with Caine though she was feeling a little brave, her chin lifting just a little.
"I'm Andi. You're... Matt and Delilah. Right?"
It wasn't that she knew them it was just that she paid attention and she remembered their names from roll call. She tipped her head a little, sort of a 'shall we?' type of gesture to hopefully induce the pair to start off down the hall. She took a couple of steps, hoping that they'd continue along with her, the idea being to get out of Sylvia's view and hopefully escape without being noticed.
~ Trina would watch as James pulled up in front of the high school as she watched James pull out a messenger beg with books, binder, and pencil and pens for her. He said he would pick up the rest of the stuff when she out of school today. Trina would give James the stinky eye again. Then would climb out of the car and headed toward the front entrance of the school. ~
~ Reaching the door and pull it open she was greeted with the sound of other kids going through the halls heading toward there class in a squirm of bodies and talking. She took a deep breath and dive right into the crowd to get to the office so that she could get her schedule and what not. Talking to the lady in the office as she got all her papers that needed to be filled out. She places them into her bag as she bites her bottom lip turning around to make her way back into the hall to find her locker. ~
~ While walking down the hall she would over hear some students talking about a party being held tonight. Letting herself eavesdrop into the conversation . Then she would spot her locker as she would dart to the locker which was located a couple down from Matt and Delilah's. Taken a breath as she place her combo into the locker an try opening it. But she had to get the locker that would get stuck. She grumbles a little bit smacking it with a open hand which made it pop open . ~ " Thank you lord " ~ She would then place her coat in the locker and some of the books for now that she didn't need until after lunch. ~
~ Trina would tilt her listening to the cheerleaders taught one of the girls that were talking to a few students down the way from her. A shake of her head was give. Before acting like she was busy at her locker wanting to see how this turned out. ~
"Oh..." Delilah started to say after hearing that Matt didn't want to go to the party. She really couldn't blame him honestly. She didn't want to go either. It had just been a great excuse to see him outside of school.
"Sorry! I'm sorry... crap."
"What the......."
Blue eyes turned to see Matt reaching out to steady the blond that was walking/tripping over to him. A closer look to the girl's face and Delilah placed a plesent smile on her lips. "Are-" She was cut off by Matt's voice. Seeing as there was no point in asking the question twice.
"Yeah! I mean... no I don't know her, know her. But yeah... class." A nod of her head when Andi asked if she was Delilah. "Yup. I remember you from the gymnastics team. You were so good!" She didn't ask why Andi had dropped. Everyone had their own person issues with whatever. They were after all teenagers. It could have been any number of reasons. If it wasn't for the fact that running helpped her not focus on controling anything else but her breathing and movements, Delilah might have quit a long time ago. Glancing up to Matt, she smiled a little to herself.
Hearing andi, she canting her head towards the direction Andi was hnting on, she turned to go that way as well. "Ignore it, she's jealous of you...."The words were whispered in Andi's ear after Sylvia spoke out. There was no reason to give andi some bullshit line about Slyvia being jealous, when she knew for a fact the girl was. She could hear her thoughts after all.
+Felix hated the crowded hallways after school let out. All those people gathered so close together made his senses feel like they were on fire, and he had to chase back the beckoning cry of his inner beast. Packing in like sardines he moved among the other students like a shadow. The collar of his black leather coat was turned up slightly so that it teased at the bottom of his golden blonde hair. Such angelic features on a boy who looked like he wanted to join Marilyn Manson's army a few years too late. His lean physique was covered in head to toe black with his tight black jeans tucked lazily into a pair of twenty eye lace up combat boots that added an extra inch to his lanky stature.+
+As he passed Sylvia he felt one of the other girls, Lauren, reach out and tug him closer. The hauture of his torqoise colored gaze looked at the blonde disdainfully, but he allowed himself to be drawn closer. Tipping his chin down so he could look her in the eye his gaunt cheeks and magnetic eyes made his face look like it had been sculpted by exacting hands. He supposed that Lauren was his 'girlfriend', at least she thought that she was, but to tell the truth he couldn't really be bothered to care what she thought about anything.+
"Who are you making miserable today?"
+The cluster of females giggled and tossed their hair, and inside he cringed at how phoney they all seemed to him. As one of the other 'boyfriends' came over decked in his lettermans jacket all he wanted was to get away. But he played his part and listened to the story of Andi's latest fall from grace in the eyes of the popular crowd. If he could bend her ear he would have just told her that being held in their esteem was no picnic either. Touching Laurens chin he gave it an almost cruel little pinch as he kissed her cheek offhandedly.+
"Careful, hell hath no fury."
+The words were a near whisper that made Lauren and Sylvia both swat at his chest. Ignoring their attempts at playfulness he let his gaze move over their heads and towards the small knot of people they were so effortlessly mocking. He could smell the stench of the supernatural on them, and he wondered what his crowd would think of him if they knew his true nature. Those cool eyes inspected the others from a distance for a moment longer before he gave Lauren a swat on the rear that ellicited a giggle.+
"I'll see you tonight, I need to get something from my locker."
She was having another headache, not one of the bad ones where she wanted to shut herself away in the darkness and curl into a little ball, but she could feel her pulse pounding at her temples. The halls were noisy and crowded with rowdy adolescents who gathered together, playing jokes on one another and talking excitedly about the happenings of the upcoming holiday. Kyla tried to ignore it all as she traded out the books she needed to take home to study for the weekend. It was a simple task really, since all of her books were neatly settled. Locker shelves were an amazing invention to help keep her things carefully organized.
Hiking her knee up slightly, she transitioned the books into her back pack with ease, then lowered her foot back to the ground and slung her book bag over her shoulder, closing the locker door noiselessly and locking it up. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and leaned forward, resting her head on the locker for just a second. The laughter that sounded around her made a small frown tugging on her lips, furrowing her brow. Dark lashes lifted as she turned to face the direction of the laughter, sky blue eyes scanned over Sylvia and Lauren and she gave the girls a nod of her head.
She knew about the party, hell as much as Sylvia had bragged about it, she didn't think there would be anybody who didn't know about it. Kids who'd skipped the whole day probably knew about it. Kyla had already promised she'd be there, though with the pressure building at her temples, she wondered briefly if she'd be allowed to beg off? Then again, it would be easier just to take something for the headache when she got home, maybe lay down for an hour or two and then still make an appearance.
Not that Kyla was truly the party animal type, but hey, just because she was an over-achiever, didn't mean she was a saint. She waved at the girls, forcing a smile past the pain in her head, and leaned back against her locker. Her eyes quickly moved towards Andi, Delilah, and Matt, and if they noticed her gaze, she would at least give a slight smile and nod to acknowledge their presence. It might lose her points with some people, but Kyla had never been the kind to care. She tried to be nice to everyone.
Her gaze then moved again, to flick down to her watch to check the time. Not that she thought it had been forever, but out of habit. When she glanced back up she saw Lauren curling herself up against Felix and quickly turned her gaze. For a moment she wondered what the world was coming too. Not that Felix wasn't a hottie, and totally the type that Lauren loved to fawn all over, just, there was something about him that always seemed dangerous and yet totally disinterested in the things that went on about him all the time.
Giving a slight shake of her head, she pushed away from her locker and started walking towards the group, just as Felix was moving to dart away, she side-stepped him quickly and looked at Sylvia, "So, it's ok if I come a little late right?" Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling when the girls started poking at her about having to get a start on her homework before going out, and she just nodded pleasantly, letting the words slide off. "Mhmm... And who's going to be asking to see my homework on Monday before class?" With that she laughed, gave another little wave goodbye and started heading down the hallway towards the exit. "I'll see you all later tonight."
When Andi gave them that tip of her chin he was only too happy to go along with her accessment. The close scrutiny of his classmates made him feel like he wanted to squirm. Just as they were about to go he glanced back in the direction of Sylvia and her crew. That was when he saw Felix and something about the guy made Matt's spine stiffen. He knew what Felix was, and he knew that neither of them had ever been human. What he didn't know was if Felix knew of suspected that he was so similar in origin. Matt was so wrapped up in his thoughts and in staring that he very nearly knocked into the girls when they slowed down to whisper to one another.
"Argh! Sorry. I was just...." Was telling the truth important here? "....staring."
Laughing lightly at his own words he glanced back just once more, long enough to see Kyla joining the popular group and some new girl (Alastrina) putting things in her locker; which was definitely odd since school was over for the day. Then he turned his attention back to Delilah and Andi whom he was walking with. His backpack thumped at his back as he made his way towards the exit with them. For awhile he just listened to the girls talk and when a silence fell he abruptly interjected with the first thing his poor hormone addled mind could think of to say.
"So do uuhhh either of you need like a ride? Home I mean?"
Two points for awkward and creepy, he told himself as he slouched a bit more and ran his fingers back through his shaggy mop of red hair. Fingers cuffed against the back of his neck as he rubbed the muscles there for a second before dropping his hand back down to his side. When they got close to the doors he shifted sideways to sidle in between the two girls and push the doors open for them, holding them long enough for everyone to get outside. Once they were out on the sidewalk he glanced up and back at the old gothic architectue of the high school building.
"This place is bad enough without looking like some kind of haunted murder high school."
"Yup. I remember you from the gymnastics team. You were so good!"
Delilah's words had her blushing lightly, shaking her head. "I was ok. I couldn't concentrate enough though." As evidenced by a couple of really spectacular falls, thankfully with no injuries though.
She started off down the hall with the pair of redheads', letting a sigh of relief escape at they started to move away from Sylvia and Co.
"Ignore it, she's jealous of you...."
Delilah's words had a flicker of a smile appearing, shaking her head slightly as she glanced back to the In Crowd of cheerleaders and jocks. She stumbled a moment as she saw the tall figure in black join the crowd, Felix always standing out from that group. A sudden flare of light only she could see blinded her before settling into a teasing silhouette surrounding the tall boy. "Not now," she muttered under her breath, dipping her head to stare at the ground even as she struggled to focus. Matt nearly knocking into her and Delilah drew her gaze up, emerald gaze almost unfocused for a moment, staring at the shimmers of light that danced along the hallway in ghostly forms around her companions.
"Argh! Sorry. I was just.... staring."
Matt's laughing words had her blinking, shaking her head to try to dispel the flux of her abilities and finally managing to chase away the shimmering light and focus on the physical world.
"sokay. Distraction is sort of my thing but I guess its ok if you handle it for a while."
It was sort of a teasing smart-ass comment but it was almost tentatively offered along with a faint smile as if she wasn't sure if the teasing would be accepted.
"So do uuuhhhh either of you need like a ride? Home I mean?"
The offer had her blinking, gaze shifting from one to the other other of them as if she wasn't quite sure that she was really being included.
"Me? I mean, you guys don't mind.. being seen talking to me? I mean, I get the sort of thing that just happenedbut a drive home or hanging out is a lot more then that. I don't want you guys to like catch the whole Official Outcast thing I've got going on."
She even managed a wry smile as she said it. She'd had friends of course, but they never lasted long, not since grade school. Sooner or later everyone either turned on her or just turned away not wanting to get smeared with the stigma of being friends with the weirdo.
She slipped out the front doors with Delilah, giving Matt a little nod of thanks for holding the door before glancing back over her shoulder at the people they'd left behind in the hall. Felix was given a longer look, not quite staring but just a curious glance thinking back to the shimmering silhouette she'd seen dancing around him. "Tyger tyger..." she murmured the first words of the poem they'd studied just a few weeks ago in English.
"This place is bad enough without looking like some kind of haunted murder high school."
Matt's words had her laughing softly, drawing her from her thoughts as they stepped out into the cool air.
"I don't know, I kind of like it. Then again, I think I've been spending too much time in cemetaries lately and that's warping my brain."
OK, maybe that was over-sharing... alright, there was no maybe about it, clearing her throat as she felt heat flooding her cheeks.
"I usually get the walk home. Its not that far from here."
+As usual Kyla joined the group just as he was moving away. When she went to sidestep past him he just maintained his direction, letting her move around him if that was what she wanted to do. Sometimes he thought that the people who avoided him were smarter than the others, case positive in the example of Kyla. His strides were long and self assured, his posture rigid with a proud tilt to his chin, and his gaze maintained contact as he moved only with the locker towards which he was heading. The rest of the voices around him, the people making holiday plans, it was all ignored in preference to his own self interests. When he reached the locker he slid the latch open. He hated having a lock to fiddle with, and since he would be able to identify the scent of anyone who tried to steal from him, other kids had learned quickly not to mess with his things. If that gave him a certain reputation as a bully, so be it.+
+From inside his locker he pulled two books and tucked them under his arm as he reached past other items towards the back of the locker to grab a pack of cigarettes and a lighter that he stashed back there. When he turned around and shut the locker door with a clang he saw Andi near the far doors of the school staring at him. The way she was always staring at him made him suspect that somehow whatever made her smell like magic also gave her the ability to see him as he really was. That alone didn’t bother him, but he knew that if word got out around the school then there would be trouble; questions for his father to answer. His father hated answering questions from anything reeking of mortality. Heading towards the doors himself he fished a pair of sunglasses out of the pocket of his leather jacket and slipped them on over his smoldering turquoise eyes. He veered down one of the hallways, taking a roundabout route through a side door to the outside so that he could light up a cigarette out of the sight of the faculty.+
“Cheap fucking lighters.”
+Using a hand to shield away the wind that swept through the small inlet where he was standing he tried to get the lighter to spark a flame. After a few flicks on the wheel of the Bic he sucked in a lungful of smoke and blew it lazily skyward. For a moment he just stood there in the shadow of the tall building until he heard voices near enough to distract him. Glancing past the edge of the wall that blocked him from the back of the school he saw the small group of people standing there talking. Watching them a moment as he smoked he wondered where they were all going. Shifting up the books under his arm he smirked to himself as he let the cigarette bob between his lips as he moved across the lawn and towards the parking lot where his silver Porche Carrera GT sat gleaming in the sunlight. Now and then as he walked he let his eyes flick towards the others beneath the comforting blockade of his sunglasses as his combat boots left indentations in the grass.+
A brow arched up at the words and she turned her head as sky-blue eyes settled on Felix with a look on her face that nearly screamed, 'And your not?' The look lasted just a moment before she gave a hesitant shrug of her shoulders and a small smile. She wasn't trying to judge him, sure they ran around the same circle of friends, but that didn't mean she knew much about his life other than the couple of classes they had together. Once the smile was given she turned her attention back to the girls, before trying to head out of the building.
Of course, wouldn't you know it, but she would get stuck talking with one of teachers about an upcoming event she was helping to organize for the school. She could feel the throbbing start to turn to pounding. Sometimes couldn't people just understand that every once in a while, a person needed some kind of peace? Of course none of her thoughts showed on her face. Instead she listened politely, giving brief answers when expected before making her excuse to get out of the conversation.
Figuring it might be easier to get to her car, she took a side hallway, exiting out through the door that Felix had walked out of a few minutes before her. He'd already moved off towards his own vehicle by the time she pushed outside, but that didn't mean the cloying smell of the cigarette smoke didn't hang in the air. A frown turned her lips down as her nose twitched form the stale smell. A hand went up to swish at the air in front of her, ducking her head a little bit and quickened her pace, heading in the direction of her car.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed someone walking not to far ahead of her and lifted her gaze. The view the back of Felix's profile had her averting her gaze rather quickly. Though it didn't surprise her to see that he had been the culprit behind the trail of smoke she'd walked through. Though as her eyes moved, she noticed Andi, Matt, and Delilah still walking not to far off. Before she could think to change her mind, the direction of her steps subtly changed and she started walking more in their direction.
When she was close enough to the small group, she gave each of them a smile, "Hello, don't take anything Sylvia says to heart, she's not always as bad as she seems." It was true, Sylvia had a couple of redeeming qualities. Lauren on the other hand was another matter entirely. "So, are you guys coming to the party tonight? It should be a blast. I even hear that Bobby is going to be there, and you know what that means." She said the last words with simple amusement in her voice. "Anyway, I think it would be awesome if you guys came," The words were soft and sincere, offered with a smile. She looked between the three waiting to see what they might say and how they would react to her invitation.
-- Edited by KYLA BANKS on Sunday 25th of December 2011 12:15:35 AM
Delilah's agreement to the proposal of a ride didn't surprise him. On days when he borrowed one of his parents cars so he could carry his standing bass back and forth he always offered Del a ride home. He didn't have many friends and they lived right down the street from one another. Besides, his parents thought it was a good idea for him to be more social. They said it would help him blend easier. He thought they didn't know much about socializing in high school. It wasn't as easy as it looked.
"Me? I mean, you guys don't mind.. being seen talking to me? I mean, I get the sort of thing that just happenedbut a drive home or hanging out is a lot more then that. I don't want you guys to like catch the whole Official Outcast thing I've got going on."
"Yeah, of course you too. I don't think Outcast is registered as an official pandemic, so I think we can handle it."
Sarcasm didn't come easily to him and he blushed a little as he said it, then laughed.
"Besides, they act like that all the time, it's not you it's just.....them."
That was how he explained it anyway. With guys it wasn't so cut and dry. Matt had seen some of the football players wrestle a few of the smaller kids into their gym lockers or beat them up in the parking lot. It wasn't pretty, but he hadn't been one of their targets due mainly to his size. Generally though he'd noticed that girls at school could be far nastier in their dealings. Pretty but mean. That was the general classification. As the topic turned to matters of the school he grimaced when Andi said she liked the place. Then she threw him for a real loop and made him stop short on the walkway towards the parking lot.
"I don't know, I kind of like it. Then again, I think I've been spending too much time in cemetaries lately and that's warping my brain."
"What...what are you doing in cemetaries?"
There was a tension in the set of his shoulders as he blinked at her and asked what seemed like a pertinent question. For him it was particularly pertinent. Vampire upbringing in New Orleans - yeah, cemetaries kind of went with the territory. He had no clue why the undead were drawn to graveyards. Personally he found them creepy, but tell that to his mom and dad. Matt was waiting intently for a response from Andi that Kyla's first words caught him off guard and made him jump a little.
"Hello, don't take anything Sylvia says to heart, she's not always as bad as she seems."
Was she talking to them? Glancing away from Andi he ran his fingers back through the shaggy mop of his red hair as he looked over at Kyla and behind her at the lone figure of Felix walking across the lawn. By now other students were coming out too but still the tiger stood out. Matt wondered how he managed to look so cool just...walking. It seemed like a skill way more important than Geometry, they should totally be teaching them about it in school. Realizing he had zoned out some and missed what the girls were talking about he caught up right at the mention of Bobby. Yeesh.
"I don't......"
He looked at Delilah who had asked him earlier, then over towards Andi as if waiting on their responses.
"I don't know. I guess....if you guys wanted to....I could always drive us."
Why in the world had he said that!! He did know. It was a bad idea, but the words had just slipped right out of his mouth without permission. Matt felt flustered and wasn't sure why. He didn't even understand why the class valedictorian was even talking to them in the first place. For a moment he just stood there and waited for the pigs blood to fall on their heads from the rafters.
She smiled at Matt's comments, in the back of her mind recalling the deal that Caine had offered. Was this part of it? It couldn't be because she hadn't actually helped Mr. Dresden but, maybe it was all just coincidence or maybe the gargoyle had done something that was helping her out some. Or maybe she'd just been overly sensitive all this time.
"What... what are you doing in cemateries?"
Dang, Matt had sort of jumped on her bit of over-sharing. It wasn't like she could say she was outside with her ghost of a teacher learning about magic now could she?
"Oh, um, I have this... thing... with monuments. I just, I like to see the different kinds."
OK, that sounded pretty good right? It was a blatant lie but she was getting pretty good at lying, or so she hoped.
"Hello, don't take anything Sylvia says to heart, she's not always as bad as she seems."
Kyla's words had her snorting softly. muttering softly, "If you say so." She'd been the target of Sylvia and Co. for too long to take Kyla's word for it. The other girl was sweet and never seemed to have a bad word to say about anyone but she was still part of the crowd that surrounded the head cheerleader.
She glanced past Kyla to see Felix heading to his car before focusing on the girl when she relayed the invitation to the party. This was crazy, insane, she was just setting herself up for more abuse, but it was too much temptation. Before she could reconsider though the words were slipping out.
"I guess so."
Gods above, what did she just agree to? Words spilled out of her in an almost panicked rush.
"I mean, if I can. I have to check with my parents and my dad... he um... I don't know. Probably."
OK, now that she sounded like a complete idiot she wrapped her fingers around the strap of her messenger bag, giving it a settling tug across torso and focused on keeping her mouth shut.
Since Delilah was already planning on going to the party she didn't put up any objection to the idea. Why oh why had he said yes? Shifting his weight from one foot to the other he tried to think of some reason to back out, but the only thing that kept running through his head was a bunch of nonsense. Resigned to his face he reached around to search the front pouch of his back pack for a pen. Clenching the cap between his teeth he handed it over to Kyla and then held his arm out for her to write on.
"I have no idea where Sylvia lives, but if you write down her address I can put it into my GPS."
There, at least that was helpful. As Kyla wrote on the back of his hand the pen strokes tickled a little. She was standing close enough that he could smell her and she smelled very pretty. There was also a little vein in her neck going thump-thump, thump-thump, and he couldn't take his eyes off of it for a moment. Once she finished writing and returned his pen to him he had to blink a few times to clear his vision and mumble something that sounded like a thank you.
"So I guess....we'll see you tonight then."
We. Yes, the three of them had suddenly become a we trio. How had that happened? Matt wasn't really sure, but he didn't mind so much. In some ways it was easier being a we than a me. After a few more pleasentries passed between the girls they started towards the parking lot again and he pointed in the direction of his mothers Prius which he had borrowed for the day. Slinging his backpack off he opened the back end of the car where his standing bass was already taking up most of the space. Wedging his bag inside he let Delilah and Andi hand him their bags to do the same, unless they wanted to hold on to them.
"Where do you live Andi? I can drop you off first since Del lives right down the street from me."
Opening the car door he let Andi give him her address while he punched it into the GPS system of the car. Once it was in he had the machine save it; just in case. With the party looming over his head he felt like he'd just agreed to walk the plank. Based on the silence in the car he suspected that he wasn't the only one feeling that way. Dropping the girls off he promised to pick them up at around nine. God help them all.
