I Hate That I Love You || 1x1

[adheline]

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----park meetings-x------【 tag | Skylar 】【 location | school 】

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Oh, oops, maybe he's being more dramatic than the situation calls for. Yeah, it's important, but it's not life or death important. Then again, her suggestion to use the lab actually solves a few issues. For one, he doesn't think he could survive the pressure during a drive to wherever else they would go. Prolonging the conversation like that sounds like the exact opposite of fun. Secondly, he doesn't really want to go home yet, nor to her house. Both for the same reason. Their houses are empty. So far as privacy goes, it's convenient. For now, though, he just wants to ignore the fact that his parents aren't there. It's not an uncommon occurrence, but it doesn't get easier to deal with. Plus, if this conversation does go sour, it'd be awkward to have to drive her home afterwards. He hopes it goes well, though, or as well as it could. She's his best friend. That alone has to count for something. He clears his throat, feeling a little ridiculous in the face of her calm demeanor. Is he overthinking this? He and Sky have been friends forever, so they've had their ups and downs. Nothing's truly hurt their friendship before, though, so why is he so worked up over this? All he can think of is because he lied, and he doesn't lie to her. Even still, he hasn't outright lied, but he's evaded the full truth and used careful sentences. So, he's still been holding back from her, which isn't any better than lying. "Um, yeah, that would be good," he agrees evenly, making an effort to match the tone of her voice. With another cursory glance around the hallway, he starts off towards the science hall. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Freak her out, freak himself out, he's not sure what exactly he should choose to say there, so he leaves it open. "How's your project going?" he asks, since they're on the topic of the lab. "Is that what you had planned for today?" That would mean that either she was looking forward to the chance to work on an experiment, which is probable, or she was looking forward to seeing Nathaniel. Less probable, but after what he saw at the mall, he's not sure anymore. That's probably part of his guilt. It's not just that he's been keeping things from her, but he hasn't been checking in on what's going on with her, either. It feels like he's been neglecting their friendship in favor of someone else. And while his situation with Jessie is new and addictive, he's never let someone distract him so much from Sky before. He hasn't let someone get close enough to do so in a long time. After his first few serious relationships, he shut himself off in that aspect. It would be really nice to talk with Sky about his conflicting feelings on how open he's being with Jessie.

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---science project--------【 tag | Jessie 】【 location | school 】

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Nathaniel waits, watching Jessie come to the realization of what she missed at lunch today. His grin is more natural now, and he can tell that she wants to ask about it. She doesn't though, which is for the best. Audrey should be the one to tell her, and right now, he's more interested in what Jessie wants to say to him. His smile falls a bit when she reveals that she's not sure how he's going to take it. As uncertain as that makes him feel, he does appreciate that she's keeping true to her effort to keep in communication with him. Whatever it is, and however he takes it, he hopes she knows that her being open means a lot to him. He matches her gaze, taking in how serious she looks. He almost wishes she would just blurt it out. The curiosity's killing him. Apparently it's a long story, though, so he nods and stuffs his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, of course." Then he tries to think of a private place around the school that won't have the random student or teacher passing through. There's actually a few options, considering most everyone's already left or will be busy with clubs and sports. The hallways, however, are not exactly private. "Wherever you want to go. There's, um, the courtyard, the stairs..." He almost offers up the lab he and Skylar were going to work in, but she's the one who reserved the room. He wouldn't want her to walk in for whatever reason while he and Jessie were talking. Especially not if Jessie thinks he won't take it well. She doesn't say that outright, preferring to phrase it more diplomatically, but her hesitancy tells him as much. He hopes she's not too nervous about his reaction, though. Even if whatever she wants to tell him is something he might not want to hear, he'd be as nice about it as possible. He hasn't known Jessie all that long compared to most of his other friendships, since she just moved here, but he treasures their friendship. He's also certain that she'd never intentionally hurt anyone, so it can't be that bad. He had to take some time to adjust to the idea of her reaching out to Clayton when she needed help, her actual nemesis, but he's come to terms with that news. After all, she had a point when they talked at the aquarium. If he and Skylar can make nice, why not her and Clayton? He can't think of anything else in their friendship that's caused a rift between them, and frankly their friendship isn't old enough to really have anything else. That thought is more troubling than reassuring, though, because it makes him wonder if this important long story of hers has anything to do with Clayton.

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-------the third-----------【 tag | Michael 】【 location | school 】

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Hearing Michael's thoughts on being questioned, Audrey can't say she disagrees. Sure, she would have liked to have been able to tell Jessie about it, but she's not really close enough with anyone else to want to discuss it in depth. Not yet, anyway. This relationship is only a couple days old, and she's still adjusting to the idea of it. There are some questions she's sure she wouldn't even have an answer for. "Oh, I know," she agrees with amusement, knowing exactly which nosy friend he's referring to. Audrey knows that Sky's relentless interest comes from a place of friendly concern, so she can't be bothered by it even if she wanted to be, but she doubts his use of the word 'bombarded' would be an exaggeration. Even just their conversation at the mall was almost overwhelming. She doesn't regret it, though. The warning helped to give Audrey some perspective, and who's to know how the date would have gone if she hadn't been talked to that day? Skylar gave her a lot to think about. She nods seriously at his continuation of her joke about their importance, elated to have made him laugh with it. In all honesty, though, it really must be because everyone else was preoccupied. Not necessarily because she and Michael are so fantastic, but the switch from overly interested to total silence is quite a flip. Why was Jessie avoiding them at lunch? Audrey presses her lips together and glances at Michael, nodding in answer to his question. "Usually," she agrees. "She said she had to study, but..." Audrey still doesn't buy that excuse. Well, perhaps Jessie did study during that time, but she doesn't think that's the main reason she didn't join them during lunch. Nathaniel and Jessie have been acting weird around each other for a while now, and paired with the discussion she and Jessie had on Friday, she thinks that whole situation probably has a lot to do with it. She tries to remember exactly what Jessie said to her, and it takes a moment, but then it comes to her clearly. Monday after school, that's when she planned on telling him. That's today. "Oh, no, I completely forgot," she groans, cursing herself for not catching on earlier. She could have been there for Jessie, given her support when, clearly, she's been stressing out about it all day long. She pulls out her phone and, with one hand and not breaking her stride, manages to type out and send Jessie a text: You've got this! Nath's a softie. Then she tacks on three thumbs up emojis. It's entirely possible that Jessie's already talking to him and won't see it in time, but just in case she'll see it, Audrey wants to offer some form of encouragement. She puts her phone back in her pocket, realizing she should probably clue Michael in. "She told me on Friday that she was planning on telling Nathaniel about her and Clayton today."

[lucky ⋆]

❅ Jᴇssɪᴄᴀ Sᴄᴏғɪᴇʟᴅ ❅
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[ meetings in the park ] [ location: school ] [ tagged: Nathaniel ]

Nathaniel's receptiveness to her request reminds Jessie how nice he is. She feels like she should be getting a little more flak for avoiding him all day. Instead, he was more so worried about her absence. This just makes her feel even more ridiculous about her behavior. Nathaniel has always been so understanding and kind, being one of the first people to reach out to her during her first few weeks here. Even so, his initial reaction when she told him about Clayton is etched in her brain. It's part of the reason why she can't help but fear the worst, especially since she feels like this is adding to that initial response. There's nothing really she could do to help make that better though. All she could do is lay it all out there and hope he understands. "Oh, uh, I know a place," she tells him sheepishly as he starts suggesting where they could go. She leads them to the stairwell she spends her lunch. It's a little out of the way, in an odd corner of the school. She knew it was one of the less frequented stairs since there are much more convenient paths to the upper hallways. She has actually known about this secluded place for a while. During her first week of school, she was able to test out a couple of stairwells. It was initially so she didn't feel awkward eating lunch by herself. After she drew quite the attention from the first time she met Clayton, it was so she had a place to hide away from all that. The chances of people using that stairwell, especially during this time of day are pretty low. But on the off chance that someone does, it would be pretty noticeable. The doors are loud enough that they should hear someone opening them up even from upstairs. Taking one last glance through the glass, she leads Nathaniel to the alcove between the stairs and the exit doors. She could feel her phone buzz in her bag as she walks towards the wall, but doesn't take it out since she wants to focus on getting this done. She's afraid if she doesn't power through this, she'll lose her nerve again. Once they settle in, she takes a small breath before facing Nathaniel. "I guess I should start," she says with an awkward chuckle. She opens her mouth again to start before realizing she didn't know where she should start. Remembering Audrey's advice, she tries to start in the beginning. The only problem is, she doesn't even know what the beginning is. After a moment of contemplation, she decides to let him know the subject of conversation first. "So, um, this is about Clayton and me." she explains before asking, "Do you remember what I told you guys at the aquarium?" She figures this would be a good way to establish what he knows already, so they don't end up rehashing what they already have. And she'll know what holes she needs to fill to help make a timeline for him.

♛ Sᴋʏʟᴀʀ Jᴀᴄᴏʙs ♛
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[ the science project ] [ location: school] [ tagged: Clayton ]

Watching Clayton's reaction carefully, Skylar hopes her approach is the right one. She's not hundred percent sure how sensitive this news is going to be. She's prepared to pivot if she needs to, not too worried if she misstepped initially. They have a close enough relationship that shouldn't be too big of a problem in any case. It seems the right way to go though as she sees Clayton seem to relax a little. She blinks as he clears his throat, looking a little sheepish. Reading his expression, it looks like he might have overreacted a little. Despite this, Skylar is still staying on guard. Even if he didn't mean to make it seems so desperate, there's a reason that he felt that way at the moment. So, she feels she should still be delicate in this situation. Following him towards the lab, she gives him a small nod at his apology. She's guessing he didn't mean to start this conversation like this. At least it seems to settle into something more casual now. When Clayton asks about her project, she realizes how little she talked about it. His question makes it sound like she's still in the middle of working on it and not almost done with it. "For the most part," she confirms with a shrug. "We're pretty much done with it." she explains, adding offhandedly, "All we have left is putting the last part together, so we probably would have done something else." It's what they have done the last few times they met up for the project. At this point, it seems like a given they would have ended up hanging out afterward. It's been so routine that she doesn't realize how strange it would sound to other people. She briefly wonders what they would have done today if they didn't have to reschedule. At that thought, she could feel the twinge of disappointment that she suppressed before bubbling up a bit. Pushing the feeling away again, she has to remind herself that they will be meeting up tomorrow. Whatever they couldn't do today could be done tomorrow. A few steps after she finishes answering, they arrive at the lab. The room key hangs on a hook next to a timesheet listing who has the lab booked for the week. Taking a glance at the schedule, she sees that she's the only one that has booked the room for today. The lab is available for two hours after school and she only booked the first hour since she didn't expect to stay for too long. Lucky for them then, they don't have to worry about being interrupted if this ends up being a long thing. Taking the key, Skylar unlocks the door and flicks on the light as she lets Clayton in as well. When they're both in, she locks the door and put the key away. Heading over to her usual seat, she gestures towards other seats. "Well, make yourself comfortable." she sighs, taking a seat. "What do you need to tell me?"

☀ Mɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ Hᴀʀʀɪsᴏɴ ☀
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[ the third pair ] [ location: school ] [ tagged: Audrey ]

Michael didn't think much of it when Audrey initially told him Jessie skipped out on them during lunch to study, but her skeptical tone makes him curious. He didn't know Jessie well enough to know if that was a common thing for her or not. It doesn't seem like it, judging from Audrey's contemplative expression. He waits for her to work out whatever she's thinking about. It seems like something clicked in her brain as she mentions forgetting something and begins to pull out her phone. Not sure what exactly she realizes, he raises an eyebrow as he watches her swiftly type something and send it. Amid his curiosity, he's pretty impressed that she did all that with one free hand while walking. Once she finishes, he looks at her in anticipation, hoping she'll let him know what's going on. Luckily, she doesn't disappoint. He blinks at what she says. "Oh?" he remarks simply before her words fully set in. "Oh..." His eyes widen briefly in surprise. "Huh..." he says absent-mindedly as he slows down to a stop. So, that's happening. He wonders briefly if that means Clayton doing the same with Skylar before realizing that there shouldn't be any doubt that he is. Even though they only briefly talk about it, given their history, he doubts Clayton was enjoying keeping things from Sky. He assumes it was for Jessie's sake. If Jessie told Nathaniel about them, they would have probably talked about it and he doubts Clayton would be okay with Skylar being the last one to not know in their group. Realizing he has stopped for far too long, he takes one last glance at the school before he explains, "Sorry, was just thinking that probably means Clayton is telling Skylar too." He resumes their path to the parking lot. "Well, hopefully, it goes well," he says. "For all of them." He can't comment on Jessie and Nathaniel, but he doubts this would do too much to Skylar and Clayton's friendship. She might be a little angry at first, but mostly because she missed out on all the relationship talk she could have had with her best friend. Having to recall his conversation with Clayton and having their names brought up, he remembers Clayton's concerns about Skylar and Nathaniel's friendship. He hasn't realized now how little he knows about what's going on between those two. Skylar hasn't said anything about it at all. He hasn't exactly asked. He has been a little preoccupied with everything else. But he thought he would hear something at least. He's still not sure how they were so friendly in the first place. Friendly enough to have him change her mind about Jessie. He wonders if it's the same as Nathaniel. "Speaking of them though, I'm curious if you heard anything since we have been a little neglectful of them," he questions, "But has Nathaniel talked about Skylar at all?"

[adheline]

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----park meetings-x------【 tag | Skylar 】【 location | school 】

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As she says it, Clayton supposes that it makes sense for her project to be nearly completed. It's been a while since he checked in on it with her, and if they've been meeting up regularly they'd have had ample time by now to work on it. Plus, if he had to go to anyone for help with chemistry, he'd go to Sky. And, her partner's a well known science nerd. Between the two of them, any science project should be a breeze. What really catches his attention is that last bit of what she says. They would have done something else? She mentions it so casually that he gets the feeling her and Nathaniel hang out almost frequently. Outside of their project. It sounds so strange, but he has no room to judge it. After all, it can't be any stranger than him and Jessie hanging out. So, he doesn't say anything about it. Just eyes her for a moment, trying to read her expression. He doesn't see anything in particular there, so he figures he'll have to ask about it once they get this talk out of the way. Assuming, of course, she's in the mood to tell him afterwards. His news has the potential to make her pretty angry, mostly just for the fact that he's kept it from her. He still doesn't think this will really hurt their friendship, but it could hurt her feelings, which is the last thing he wants to do. He takes a moment while she unlocks the door to try and remember how he decided to approach this conversation, then remembers that he never came up with a plan to begin with. Nothing he thought of sounded good, and just trying to find a place to begin is nearly impossible. Clayton takes a seat when she tells him to, though he's not sure how comfortable he can make himself until he can get this secret off his chest. "Um. Well, it has to do with Jessie," he starts, figuring that's as good a place as any to do so. "When we were on the field trip and talked about her, and I said there was stuff I couldn't explain yet, that's what I'm trying to explain now. I guess." Okay, so he's got the preface out of the way. Now what? Ah, screw it, he's just going to throw it out there and then she can ask questions if she wants to. "We're... it's um..." Hm. Easier said than done, apparently. This is ridiculous. He can tell Sky anything. With that in mind, he puffs out a breath and faces her directly. "Jessie and I are more than friends. It's not defined or anything, but we're together. We didn't say anything because we were trying to figure out what exactly was happening between us, but I hate keeping anything from you." He pauses there, wanting to let that sink in with her before trying to go into details.

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---science project--------【 tag | Jessie 】【 location | school 】

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When he and Jessie reach a secluded stairwell that he honestly forgot all about after he used it once in freshman year, Nathaniel raises a curious eyebrow. It seems strange that Jessie's so familiar with out of the way stairwells, but then he supposes it's a nice, quiet place for a quiet person. Before they became good friends, he didn't see her very frequently throughout any given school day. Maybe she made use of places like this. Maybe she made use of a place like this at lunch today. Without really knowing why, he's hit with a little burst of guilt. For some reason, she felt more comfortable being alone than with him today. It feels like it's his fault, but he can't think of what he's done wrong. He waits for her to sort out her thoughts, leaning one shoulder against the wall. When she tells him who they're going to be talking about, his gaze drifts to the wall across from him, catching on a chip in the tile. Of course it's about Clayton. "Yeah." How could he forget? That day is burned into his memory, for so many reasons. "He helped you when your friend passed away." He turns back to her, wanting to make sure she knows he means this next part. After that day, he'd thought long and hard over the situation. His feelings on the matter shifted constantly, but he'd settled firmly on the fact that what really mattered was Jessie, and that she had comfort when she needed it. "And I'm really thankful that you had him when you needed someone. I still wish I'd been able to do something but..." he shrugs. His attention drifts again to the tiled wall as he remembers where the conversation turned from there. Basically, Jessie launching to Clayton's defense. It stung in the moment, but she was right. He had no room to doubt Clayton when he's seen firsthand how Skylar's made an effort. After all, those two are really pretty similar. "Then you said that you've been meeting up, and that he's trying to be better." If this is going to be a continuation of that, it's possible that things have changed again. Nathaniel pushes off from his lean against the wall, eyeing her. "He's still doing better, right? You're... okay?" If Clayton's really making an effort here, Nathaniel's willing to put their differences behind them and work on that unpleasant jealousy that keeps creeping up on him. And although the vague nature of Jessie's statement makes it a concern, he doesn't get the impression that Clayton's giving Jessie a hard time again. But if it's not that, what is she going to tell him? He gets a sinking feeling that it might have something to do with the prolonged stares he saw at the mall and the few inside jokes he'd witnessed at the aquarium. But, he doesn't want to get ahead of himself here.

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-------the third-----------【 tag | Michael 】【 location | school 】

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Audrey comes to a stop as he does, tilting her head and watching him think. She wonders what's rolling through his head. Maybe that day that she was with Jessie, when Michael and Clayton were together, the two boys talked about something similar. Maybe so, since he seems to think Clayton's going to be fessing up to Skylar as well. Or, maybe it's just a safe assumption because of how the two friends have been tied at the hip for as long as Audrey can remember. She never interacted with them much before this year, but anyone with eyes and ears in the school could tell you that Clayton and Skylar are as close as friends come. Honestly, for a while she just assumed they were dating. While Audrey knows that Nath might be a little crushed at the news that Jessie and Clayton are an item, she's not as sure what Skylar's reaction is going to be. She didn't seem super thrilled when it was revealed that the two were secretly friends. "Hopefully," she agrees. Knowing what she does, though, that Nathaniel values Jessie too much as a friend to let this ruin what they have, and that Skylar and Clayton have been close since, well, forever, she's actually pretty optimistic that things will work out in the end. Of course, things may be awkward and tense for a while, but eventually it'll settle. "Um, no, not really," she answers slowly to Michael's question, trying to think of anything that might have come up in conversation. Between her situation with Michael, and the Jessie/Clayton drama, it didn't occur to her to be too curious about Nath and Skylar. Which... makes her feel like a lousy friend. "They've been working on a project for chemistry together, but that's all he's said about her. To me, at least. They did seem to get along pretty well at the mall, though." Other than a few awkward moments. "Why do you ask?" She wonders if he's heard anything about them, and if so, what that is. Or, if Skylar said something about Nathaniel. Audrey stops walking when they get to the curb of the parking lot, not having paid attention to their walk and realizing suddenly that they're outside. This was the extent of her plan so far, heading to the parking lot. Now what? "We should actually figure out what we're doing today." Wandering around and going with the flow is new to her, but she doesn't mind it. That said, they need to leave the school property, which requires some sort of destination. A thought occurs to her from one of their previous conversations, and she turns to him hopefully. "Is it too soon to ask you to cook for me?" She's been looking forward to it since he agreed to it, but she also doesn't want to impose. If he's not ready or it's a bad day for it, she understands.

[lucky ⋆]

❅ Jᴇssɪᴄᴀ Sᴄᴏғɪᴇʟᴅ ❅
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[ meetings in the park ] [ location: school ] [ tagged: Nathaniel ]

Jessie could see bringing up Clayton still affects Nathaniel. His expression only shifts a little though, so she can't exactly tell what's going through his head. She nods as he recounts the events that happened at the aquarium. Her eyebrows furrow slightly when he mentions still wishing he was able to do something for her. She realizes she neglected to address those concerns when they initially hash this over. She gives him a smile at the sentiment, but her eyes are still concerned. She doesn't interrupt him as he continues, listening and nodding along. She blinks when he questions how well Clayton's been doing. Not wanting him to make the wrong assumption, she hurriedly exclaims. "Oh, yes! He's doing fine. He's been doing fine." She follows it up with a frantic nod. Recalling his words, she realizes he just had the bare minimum of what was going on between her and Clayton. How did she think leaving things on this note was okay back during the field trip? Was she that distracted by Clayton and his confession? "But if you had to ask that, I guess I didn't explain it too well in the first place." she sighs with a small frown. "It's not your fault. I was being a little too defensive back then." Her newly discovered feeling colored her vision a little. She jumped to Clayton's defense immediately when she should have been thinking more about Nathaniel's feelings. "And you did do something when I told you at the mall," she assures. "It might seem small, but it all mattered to me." It might have been the main thing that help her move on, but she was still grieving and it helped. "But let me start from the beginning with Clayton." she starts, pausing briefly before she begins to explain. "That first night I planned to be all alone. Clayton just stumbled upon me, crying in the park. He didn't even realize it was me at first. I thought he would have left seeing it was me. I didn't think he would have approached me in the first place." She lets out a soft chuckle as she shakes her head at how different things are now. "But he didn't, he stayed. He asked to stay." She feels the need to emphasize this. It was him that reach out first. "We talked. And it wasn't like he said anything extraordinary. He just let me quietly grieve." Up to this point, she didn't have a plan for what she was saying. It's the first time she tries to put all her emotions about that night in words. Saying it all out loud made her realize why it was so easy to rely on Clayton again. Almost as an epiphany, she gasps out, "From that, it was like there was this sense of understanding I felt with him. And it was easier to go back to that than having to explain everything again and again." Looking down briefly as she considers everything she says, she asks, "Does that make any sense?"

♛ Sᴋʏʟᴀʀ Jᴀᴄᴏʙs ♛
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[ the science project ] [ location: school] [ tagged: Clayton ]

Skylar noticed while they were sitting down that the seats were arranged across from each other. Usually, they are set up next to each other, but she guesses whoever was here last liked it this way. Sitting across from Clayton as this feels almost like an interrogation for some reason. She expected him to move the seat next to her, but instead, he just shuffled into the seat without much thought. Whatever he needs to tell her seems to be weighing on him, which seems to occupy most of his thoughts. She raises an eyebrow as he begins to tell her this big massively important thing by mentioning it's about Jessie. She thought they had already gone through all that at the aquarium. She guesses this could be an update on his progress. But wait, he bringing up things he couldn't talk about during the field trip yet, so this isn't something new. Skylar watches as he struggles to spit whatever needs to be spit out. For something that he so desperately needed to tell him, he sure is taking his time with it. Then it all comes out. He says a lot more, but all she can focus on is 'Jessie and I are more than friends.' It echoes in her mind. "What?" she says flatly at first, not fully registering what he just said. As his words slowly sink in and they repeat in her head, her eye widens and her head leans towards him in shock. "What?!" she exclaims, slamming her hands on the table and she stands up. Marching around the table and up to Clayton, she gets up close and personal, so she can make sure he can hear her questions. "What do you mean you and Jessie are together?!" she practically screeches. When did this happen? She just found out about his crush. She starts pacing back and forth around the table, considering what else he just told her. She had so many questions. Stopping beside him, she asks, "What does not define, but together mean???" Before he could answer though, she begins pacing again. She feels there's something much more important she's not addressing. Remembering his initial few words, she stops in her tracks and exclaims, "Has this been going on since the field trip?!" Was all that crush stuff he told her even relevant at the time he told her? Marching up to him once again, she asks, "Did my matchmaking attempts even matter?!" There's so much she needs to ask. Gritting her teeth, she gives him a glare and almost growls, "Ooooh, Clayton Fortescue, you going to tell me every single thing you kept from me." Stepping a chair from the other table, she sits right beside him. "Starting with the field trip," she demands, "What the hell happened that you decided not to tell me?" She makes sure to point at him and herself respectively to get across how urgent this is.

☀ Mɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ Hᴀʀʀɪsᴏɴ ☀
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[ the third pair ] [ location: school ] [ tagged: Audrey ]

Michael's not sure what he expects to hear from Audrey about Skylar and Nathaniel. It makes him feel even more in the dark than he already did. That wouldn't be too out of the ordinary if this wasn't Skylar. Who regularly talks his ear off about this kind of thing. And with Clayton's concern, it seems that he's also out of the loop here. That is even weirder since he knows Clayton gets it worse than him when it comes to Skylar's venting. So, when Audrey tells him it's the same case with her, he can't help but feel a little disappointed. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he expected something. Hearing that they seem to be getting along makes him perk up a little. He was starting to be a little concerned like Clayton about the whole situation. He didn't get a chance to see them interact at the mall since he left them pretty quickly with Audrey. He was generally pretty preoccupied with Audrey that whole day. He blinks when Audrey asks why he brought this up. Realizing he has been kind of staring into space for a bit, he lifts his head and gives her a reassuring smile. "Oh, just curious since me and Clayton haven't heard much about it from Skylar," he says with a shrug. It's still something he's itching to know, but it's not something to bother Audrey with. He'll have to talk to Skylar later even if he has to get through her barrage of questions first. "It's good that they seem to be getting along well though." When they pause by the curb, Michael begins to look around for his car, not realizing they haven't made a plan until Audrey brings it up. He was about to consider some options when he sees that it seems Audrey got an idea. His eyebrows raise at her request. He didn't expect her to remember him agreeing to that. He didn't think she paid attention to him like that. It makes him smile, which stretches into a grin. "Hm, inviting yourself over so soon, huh?" he questions impishly. He gives her a playful nudge before letting out a chuckle. "Sure thing." he agrees. "I'm not sure what I have in the fridge, but I should have enough to whip something up." That hasn't been a problem before. There have been plenty of times when he just had to come up with a dinner plan off the cuff for himself and his siblings. The only problem would be if he has enough to cook something. Luckily his dad didn't forget to get groceries this time and stocked the fridge a few days ago. Now, the location has been set, they have to decide on transportation. For the first time in a while, he got to drive his car to school. "Did you drive here?" he asks. "Or can we use my sweet ride today?" His car isn't as impressive as Clayton's and he doesn't have a personal chauffeur like Skylar, but he thinks he's doing pretty well for himself.

[adheline]

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----park meetings-x------【 tag | Skylar 】【 location | school 】

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From the very first, and very flat, word that comes out of her mouth, Clayton knows he's in for it. He winces when she repeats it, eyes darting to her hands on the table. He tracks her movement with his gaze, leaning back a little when she invades his space. He just sits there and takes the barrage of questions, though, silently letting her think out loud. The pacing gets dizzying to stare at after a while, so he's actually thankful that she stops, even though it comes with a command laced with warning. It stings, too, even though he knows he deserves it, the way that she emphasizes that this involves him and her specifically. He's the one who broke the trust of their friendship, a relationship that they both value. "It actually starts the day before the field trip," he corrects cautiously, spinning his hands in a nervous gesture that vaguely resembles the concept of rolling back time. "And way before that, even, I guess. Because there was- it led up to, um. Let me start again." He clasps his hands together, puffing out a frustrated breath. "Through that whole helping Jessie grieve situation, we became... friendlier. I guess. And we started bumping into each other more, and finding out we have things in common, and, I don't know. I can't really say we were friends, but it almost felt like it." They talked, and joked, and flirted more than was really called for. "So, the day before the field trip, we bumped into each other again and then ended up at her house, playing video games. And one thing led to another and... I kissed her. And then she kissed me. And then her dad walked in and kicked me out." He pauses there, regretting again that her parents hate him, but not in the least regretting why he upset her dad. He grins a little at the memory of the look on Jessie's face after he kissed her cheek, then glances up at Sky and clears his throat, dropping the expression. "Anyway, so that's why I needed to talk to her alone the next day, because we didn't have the chance to discuss what happened when it did." Although, having the night to think it over was helpful. It was probably better that they weren't able to talk until the next day, anyway. "That's when I told her I liked her, and she said she probably liked me. The whole situation was weird so we agreed to test it out. We haven't been dating, per se, but we've been, yeah, together. I'm not really sure how else to phrase it." Perhaps he could have asked Jessie her opinion on what to call their situation, but he has a sneaking suspicion that the question would have just made her blush and she wouldn't know what to call them either. "She agreed that we should tell you and Nathaniel, so I think it's safe to say it's going well. But I do have dinner with her parents coming up, so that's subject to change." He can handle any adult so long as they're not parents, frankly. "Those are the main points, what do you want me to explain first?" Because he's sure that she's got a hundred more questions lined up, but he can't answer them all at once.

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---science project--------【 tag | Jessie 】【 location | school 】

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Well, his worries are for nothing, it seems. Jessie assures him emphatically that Clayton's still doing his part to make amends. Which is good. He appreciates her telling him that what he said to her at the mall was helpful, when she told him about the funeral, but he feels that it's probably only a fraction of what Clayton's done for her. It wouldn't do any good for Clayton to revert now, not when Jessie's grown to need him in some way. So, yes. This is good news. And now he gets the whole story. A small part of him wants to stop her when Jessie says she's going to tell him everything from the beginning, because he's still a little sore from the subject. The larger part of him, though, the part that cares more about Jessie and mending their friendship, listens openly. He doesn't interrupt, noting every intonation of her voice and expression that crosses her face. She seems quite... fond. Of Clayton. Nathaniel's rather surprised to learn that he was the one to take initiative, actually asking to stay and talk when he realized it was Jessie he stumbled upon. He'd almost expect Clayton to use the opportunity as fodder in any future altercations. Not because he wants to think badly of anyone, Clayton included, but that's more in line with the way Clayton treated Jessie up until then. "Yeah," he agrees when she stops, rubbing the back of his neck and running her last few sentences through his head again. He supposes that if he were in a similar situation, he wouldn't want to have to explain it more than once, either. "That makes sense." Just hearing that Clayton helped her grieve and they began to meet up came as a shock to him, something he couldn't really fathom. Hearing the details makes it easier to understand. "I guess I was kind of unfair in how I reacted to everything at the aquarium. I was just um, well, I don't know. I guess it was hard to connect the dots." That, and, he was a smidgen, or more, jealous, but despite Skylar's urges otherwise, he'd rather not admit to that. "Thank you for explaining it to me." On the one hand, being best friends, he feels they should have open communication about this kind of thing. On the other hand, maybe it was never his business to begin with. Especially since, however close they are, in reality they haven't known each other very long. But you were going through a lot, I could have been more understanding." Which he's trying his best to make up for now. He's not going to say a single cross word about Clayton today. He's going to trust Jessie and give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, it was her that had a big problem with Clayton, anyway, not him. Or, well, Clayton didn't really bother with Nathaniel until Jessie came around and poked the bear. Nathaniel crosses his arms and leans against the wall again, squinting a little as he looks at her. There was more that she told him before, too. When they were all at the mall the other day. "You met his dog, right? So, you've been spending a lot of time together since then?"

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-------the third-----------【 tag | Michael 】【 location | school 】

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Although Michael dismisses her query regarding his interest in Nath and Skylar, Audrey thinks about it a bit more. He wouldn't have asked if there wasn't something to the subject. Probably. Then again, he's just as nosy as her, so honestly someone could have just used their names together in a sentence and made him curious. That someone being Clayton, apparently. Very interesting. Audrey commits right there to pester Nathaniel about it next time she sees him. For the time being, she has to focus on not letting the grin Michael shares get to her. He's so unfairly pretty, and it's especially unfair when he's teasing her. She rolls her eyes when he nudges her, but she can't help but smile, too. He can razz her all he wants, as long as he agrees to cook for her. Which, to her immense pleasure, he does. "Yay," she celebrates quietly, but enthusiastically, grinning up at him. She hopes to uncover all of his talents, eventually. They seem to just keep coming, each more surprising than the last. Getting fed is great, and all, but more than anything she's excited to watch the process. To see him in his element, doing something that he simply enjoys. A secret hobby she gets to keep insider knowledge on, because he found her worthy enough to tell about it. Even though it 'messes with his image,' is what she thinks he said. Maybe he's just more relaxed with her, for some reason, but she's almost always considered him to be a bit silly, so she's not sure what image it's messing with. She can see how he's cool and popular, but still. He's funny, and kind, and honestly a little dorky sometimes. Not that there's anything wrong with that. He's utterly charming. She sends him a raised eyebrow at what he calls his car, though. "We can take your sweet ride," she answers on a light laugh, scanning the partially emptied parking lot until she finds it and starting off in that direction. She remembers what it looks like from the other two times he's driven her, and she has to admit that it is a very nice vehicle. Much unlike hers, which ironically happens to be the reason that she'll be walking a lot in the foreseeable future. "My car is officially scrap material. We had some good times together, she attacked this annoying boy I work with, but she died before I could make it down my street this morning." She sighs dramatically. "It's for the best, though. I need to get a normally functioning car this time, now that I can afford it." She's refused from the very beginning to let her parents help pay for her car, wanting to own it in her own right. As much as she can own it until she turns eighteen, that is. Between working at the cafe, tutoring, and her staunch budgeting skills, she's able to commit to her plan of automotive independence. Plus, her birthday's coming up in a little over a month, so the title really will be all hers soon.

[lucky ⋆]

❅ Jᴇssɪᴄᴀ Sᴄᴏғɪᴇʟᴅ ❅
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[ meetings in the park ] [ location: school ] [ tagged: Nathaniel ]

Jessie can see that Nathaniel is still not completely comfortable with the topic, but despite that, he listens intently to her every word. Once she finishes this first part of the whole situation, she gives him time to process what she just told him. She gives him all the time he needs since she did spill a lot to him. Perhaps a little too much considering how much she talked. But she was also working out her thoughts throughout, so it ended up a bit rambling like usual. She needs to make sure to give him time to interject more now that she got things started. She breathes out a small sigh of relief when he tells her that it does make sense even though her explanation wasn't concise. She frowns when he brings up his reaction at the aquarium, shaking her head at his assessment of his behavior. "No, no, it's not your fault," she assures him once again. "Like I said I was being a little too defensive and didn't explain anything." It honestly feels a little embarrassing to think back on. Not that she didn't believe what she said about Clayton, but it shouldn't have been her priority. And the Skylar comparison wasn't her best work either. "I should have said told you this instead of bringing in Skylar." There's a lot that could have been done to make that conversation a lot better. No wonder she felt so wry about the whole thing even though they technically wrapped it up. They didn't resolve anything. She can't but think how that's typical of her when it comes to dealing with conflict. She blinks when Nathaniel brings up her meeting Tamerlane, remembering how she just blurts out to him about that just a few days after the aquarium stuff. Another embarrassing memory. "Ah, yes, we have," she confirms, trying to not blush thinking how much time they spend together. She knows she had never suppressed a blush before though. "It started just being chance meetings." she starts to explain further. "We would bump into each other and it was awkward at first, but there was this new connection between us that I think we both wanted to explore." She always felt like there was an odd bond they formed that first night. A bond that's hard to put into words. "We bond over some shared interests." she continues. "Turn out he is also into photography." She remembers finding that out when he tried to casually question her about it. Before she knew it they were having photoshoots together. "Eventually, the meetings felt a little more purposeful. It felt almost like we were friends." There was always something a little off about that label though. "That is until..." she pauses, thinking how to reveal the next part. She should tell him about what happened the day before the field trip. Not all of it, just the important parts. Before that though, feeling like she has painted a decent timeline. She needs to tell him the most important part of all this. She's gone on long enough without. "Until we became more than friends." she finishes, voice barely above a whisper. She watches him cautiously, checking his reaction.

♛ Sᴋʏʟᴀʀ Jᴀᴄᴏʙs ♛
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[ the science project ] [ location: school] [ tagged: Clayton ]

Clayton's correction did not make things better. So, he kept this away from her even longer, Skylar was thinking. At least he seems guilty about it by his nervous gesture. She glares at him when he pushes back the timeline even further. Just how long has he keeping this away from her? As he begins the situation, she keeps her glare on him, expression barely changing. It only did when she learns that when he told her about his crush, he has already gone and kiss the girl and establish a whole relationship thing. Her face only scrunched up further. When he finishes, she needs some time to process everything he just told. She hold her hand up, signaling for him to wait a moment. Because she does has questions, but she needs to sort out her thoughts first. "All this happened the day before the field trip!?" she asks incredulously. It's the first coherent thought she has about everything. After a moment of reflection, she realizes that she pretty much missed out on everything. "Oh, okay. So, it sounds like I just missed everything." she chirps forcibly. Her anger boiling back up. She's trying not to blow up again, but you can practically see the smoke coming out of her ears. "So glad you guys decided to tell us now." she tells him sarcastically before muttering under her breath, voice laced with concern, "Oh, Nath's going to be crushed." She'll have to check up on the poor boy later for sure. She just hopes he receives the news delicate and not like how she did. Right now though, she has to deal with her supposed best friend here. Oddly thinking about Nathaniel help cool her head a little. It help redirect her emotions. She's still not pleased with Clayton, but staying angry at him will do her no good. He clearly feels bad for this given how he easily spill the beans. She could use this to her advantage ans get all the dirt on this. He deserves a punishment after all. "Okay, so, I'm not happy. Obviously." she begins to suggest, gesturing to her expression. "But I'm not going to hold it against you if you answer all my questions, no matter how embarrassing." She gives him a warning look just to let him know what he's in for. "Because you owe me so much girl talk." Usually she tries to be a little less obnoxious about this when she drag him into talking about their relationship stuff, but she's not holding back this time. He's getting the treatment that all her girl friends get whenever they get together. "Let's see what do I want you to explain first." she considers, as she taps on her chin. There is so much to ask, but she is a little curious about the words he was stumbling over when began explaining. "How about the beginning?" she suggests. "Because apparently it was happening even before the day before the field trip." She's so curious what he meant by that, especially it seems that he struggle to put it in words. "You couldn't stand this girl a few weeks ago!" she exclaims before leaning in inquisitively. "When did you start thinking she was so kissable?"

☀ Mɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ Hᴀʀʀɪsᴏɴ ☀
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[ the third pair ] [ location: school ] [ tagged: Audrey ]

At Audrey's quiet celebration, Michael can't help but stare fondly as she grins up at him. He doesn't think he has seen her react so adorably before. It's honestly making him a little flustered from being the one that incited that reaction from her. He's hoping that he'll continue to draw out more reactions like that. When she laughs at what he refers to his car as, he frowns slightly, mildly offended. He smiles along with her shortly after though since it's not that serious. His eyes widen slightly when he hears that her car is officially out of commission. He guesses it should have been expected since it was in rather rough condition since he last saw it. He chuckles when she mentions the incident he had with her car door, shaking his head slightly. "Ah, that's too bad. I only spend a short time with her, but I have fond memories of her." he sympathizes, matching her dramatic tone. "At least it won't be attacking anymore poor innocent boys." Being annoying isn't a crime. Hearing that she's planning to buy her car is expected, considering her work ethic. It's still impressive nonetheless. "Hm, saved up to buy your car, huh?" he praises. "Look at you being all independent. I wouldn't expect any less from you." It reminds him that he was trying to do that too when he first got his license. He work extra shifts for a month or two before his birthday when his dad surprised him with a new car. "I was doing too until my dad surprised me with my current ride for my last birthday," he mentions. His dad said it was because he was proud of him for taking the initiative to save up for something so big. However, he wonders if all the exotic car magazines he had laying around helped push his dad into getting him something sensible. "I think he was worried I was going get something super outlandish even though there was no way I could afford something like that." After weaving through a couple of rows of cars, they finally get to his. He tends to park at the far end of the parking lots since he is usually one of the last few people to arrive. So, by the time he gets here most of the spots near the school would be taken, leaving only a couple of spots quite far away. Once they get near his car, he digs into his pants pocket with his free hand for his car keys. He unlocks it from a few steps away, so they can get in swiftly. Now that he can, unlike yesterday when she had to rush in to avoid her parent's questioning, he makes sure to open the door for her. Letting go of her hand regrettably, he watches her settle in before looping around to hop into the driver's seat. Starting the car, he begins to drive them to his house. As he's pulling out from the property, he asks, "So, is there anything, in particular, you want to eat? Any particular cravings?" He might not be able to make exactly what she might want to eat, but he can probably think of some alternatives that could work. He just wants to make sure she'll like this meal.

[adheline]

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----park meetings-x------【 tag | Skylar 】【 location | school 】

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Gaze flicking to Skylar's upheld hand, Clayton sits patiently and lets her process the information dump he's just tossed at her. As expected, she sounds exceptionally angry with him. He should have told her sooner, and he's wanted to tell her about it all as it happened. But, that said, it wasn't just Jessie who had hesitations. Not only was Jessie Sky's number one enemy until just a week ago, the whole evolution of his situation with Jessie was bizarre, and personal, and it makes him nervous even now. He would have liked to talk through the strangeness of it all with Sky, but he also struggles with the actual talking part of that. While communication is important to him, the details of his own personal feelings aren't something he's very good or comfortable with discussing. He much prefers to sum things up in nice, simple sentences that just gloss over the main takeaways. It's only because Sky's dragged her chair so close to his that he catches her mumbling about Nathaniel, but the sentence strikes him in so many ways. First of all, since when is he 'Nath' to her? Second, through all her indignation about Clayton's secret keeping, she manages to think of how her project partner's going to react to the news. And then, perhaps most notably, she utters the sentence with an alarming amount of concern. Just how much does she care about Nathaniel's feelings? He wants so badly to ask about Nathaniel, now more than ever, but she continues on and he knows it's going to have to wait until he gets through all of her interrogating. Clayton stares, surprised that she's angling towards forgiveness this quickly. She's giving him an opportunity to make up for this colossal mistake, and although he's sure the questions will get pretty embarrassing, as she says, he'll take it. He does owe her, after all. Which he has to remind himself of once she voices her first question. He tips his head back and eyes the ceiling. Normally if she'd tossed this question his way, he would just roll his eyes and change the subject. That's not really an option now. "Right," he mutters, reminding himself that he deserves this. He's also perfectly aware that he's not going to get away with minimal specifics, either. She's going to want every mortifying detail. "I don't know exactly when it started. We got closer over photography, and we found that we understand each other despite our differences. Then there were little things that just... I don't know." Ugggh this sucks. He finally dares himself to look at Sky. "That flustered me, I guess. And I didn't really realize what it meant. At some point we made a competition out of trying to fluster each other, so I don't know exactly when my feelings changed from that challenge into something real. I almost kissed her, like, three or four days before I actually did. Even then, I didn't really think it meant that much at the time." The very same day that Michael snooped on them in the park. Regardless, he supposes that's when he started thinking she was kissable, even if maybe it was after he started feeling that way. He's not sure if the answer's good enough for Sky, since all he really said was 'I don't know.' He pauses for just a second to think about how to give any sort of detail. Something comes to mind, but he absolutely does not want to voice it. "That day... I'd said something terrible to her. But she forgave me, almost too easily, then she said she liked spending time with me. Isn't that weird?" he questions, mostly to himself, feeling annoyingly exposed for having hinted at this insecurity of his, even though Skylar understands it in a way no one else could. When people hang out with him, aside from Sky and Michael, it's rarely for him, rather than his image or possessions. Again, mostly his fault. He hides behind his own image. But Jessie's seen beyond the front, and she actually likes what's there. She makes him feel warm and wanted in a way he hadn't realized he's been missing.

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---science project--------【 tag | Jessie 】【 location | school 】

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So far the conversation seems to be going well, even if it's taken a turn towards excessive apologies. That's good, though, that they're both acknowledging their mistakes in the situation and being forgiving about them. Her mention of Skylar distracts him for a moment. He wonders if she's getting a similar explanation to things right about now, or if she already knows everything. The way she talked about her friendship with Clayton, it sounded like the two weren't the type to hide things from each other. Then again, Skylar clearly only first heard about their park meetings at the same time he did. His situation with Sky is actually quite different from Clayton and Jessie's, even if on the surface it's the same turning of attitudes. He and Skylar were forced to spend time together, and toleration turned into something more voluntary. Jessie and Clayton did a complete one-eighty out of the blue. It is kind of curious to learn that the popular boy is a fan of photography. It's so far from the aloof, rich boy image he has in school. Nathaniel's interest peaks when Jessie gets caught on the word 'until,' if only because she sounds so hesitant about how to finish that sentence. He guesses this is the part she wasn't sure he'd take very well. In actuality, he almost misses what she ends up saying, since she says it so quietly, but the words seem to echo around them. He stares, unable to make the small sentence click in his brain. "More... than friends," he repeats dumbly. She just said they were almost friends. How do people go from almost friends to more than friends? She skipped a step, there. And, what, that means they're romantic? That's... that's, yeah. That's what that means. More than friends. "Oh," he responds simply after a long moment of unpacking the meaning of the phrase. He's sure that he looks as stupidly stunned as he feels, but he's slowly beginning to register other emotions as well. Like the hurt of realizing that, from what it sounds like, Jessie and Clayton have been more than friends for a little while now. And she kept that from him. Just like she kept that they were almost friends. Then there's the jealousy and the dull ache of his feelings for her being smothered by her relationship with another guy. If she's with Clayton, she's likely never even thought of Nathaniel in that light. They couldn't be more different. In fact, although he's aware of Clayton's new attitude and changed behavior, he was still harassing Jessie until just a few weeks ago. Unless they were lying, then, too. "I... honestly don't know what to say to that." He doesn't know what he wants to say, what he's supposed to say, or what he should say. He can't say that this was entirely unexpected, he had seen very small hints, but it's still a lot to take in. He isn't trying to be facetious, either, he's just genuinely at a loss for words. "When did that happen?" he asks slowly, wondering suddenly if those hints he's seen were from before or after. Wondering just how long she's been keeping this from him. He supposes it's better late than never, but, wow. He also can't fathom why it was kept a secret, either. It's not like he'd have ended their friendship if she told him that she was friendly with Clayton, or that she, for some inexplicable reason, had feelings for him. The only reason he can think that she might be hesitant is if she knew about Nathaniel's feelings to begin with, which would suck. He may be getting ahead of himself here, though. It certainly sounds like they've been more than friends for a little while, just from the way she said it, but she hasn't said as much yet.

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-------the third-----------【 tag | Michael 】【 location | school 】

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As Michael reminisces about his trials with her car, Audrey finds that she's pleased to have found someone to joke around with like this. She's considered herself for a while now to be a very serious person, perhaps sarcastic, but never particularly comedic or dramatic. Conversing with Michael as she is now, though, is honestly fun. It always has been, even if the comments on her end used to be more biting than friendly. She suspects that's just it, though. He's always had a comeback, or a challenge of some sort, and it's intrigued her from the very beginning. Over time, everything on her end shifted from an effort to deter him to attempts to keep him coming back. Mission successful, apparently. "Maybe," she muses in response to his suspicions about his dad wanting him to have a sensible car. If she had to guess Michael's car before seeing it, she has to admit she would have chosen something sportier. "Or maybe he wanted to reward you for working, and helping with your siblings, and getting captain of your team," she lists off. "Maybe both." She shrugs. Having only briefly met the man once, she can't exactly say for sure what his motives are. Regardless, Michael does more than people really give him credit for. More than he seems to give himself credit for, even. She's sure that his dad recognizes this. Buying someone a car is a big expense, usually it comes with more reasoning than just wanting to curb any 'outlandish' desire. "Either way, it's an awesome car. That was really nice of him to do that." It's quite a trek to Michael's car, Audrey realizes as they get close to it. She usually parks right by the building. Then again, she typically comes rather early out of habit, and sometimes earlier if she has a tutoring appointment. The lot's pretty empty at that point. When he opens the door for her, she thanks him and gets in, strapping the seat belt while she watches him walk around to his door. The gesture of opening her door doesn't give her pause like it did the last time, but it's still something she actively notices. It's a little thing, but for her that's almost more substantial than the big things. Little things are less obvious, so they result from an attentiveness that's, honestly, quite flattering. She thinks for a second after he poses his question, nothing coming to mind. Frankly, she can't think much past him cooking for her. That's what she's most excited about, regardless of what he actually ends up serving. "Oh, I'll eat anything." Which is true enough, but she doesn't want to leave him with absolutely nothing to go off of. "Though, I guess I prefer healthier foods. Do you have anything you're especially good at making? Like, a signature dish or something?" Audrey's not the most savvy when it comes to the technicalities of cooks and chefs, but she does know that when her parents host pot lucks, everyone's got a signature dish that they refuse to stray from. So do chefs in cooking shows, sans refusing to stray from them, but that feels like an entire other world from cooking at home so she's not sure she wants to draw that comparison here. Nath's mom has her casseroles. Audrey, herself, doesn't have one, though, unless one were to count wraps with precooked or deli meats.

[lucky ⋆]

❅ Jᴇssɪᴄᴀ Sᴄᴏғɪᴇʟᴅ ❅
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[ meetings in the park ] [ location: school ] [ tagged: Nathaniel ]

Watching Nathaniel carefully, Jessie sees her words sink in slowly as he repeats them. For a moment afterward, she thought that perhaps time stopped as he simply stood there with a stunned expression. She begins to worry as he doesn't respond with any more than just one syllable for what seems like forever. Her eyes dart across his face, trying to figure out if she should be saying anything more. When he finally speaks more, it doesn't help as he doesn't seem to know what to say either. She supposes at least he doesn't seem to be angry with her though that's a pretty low bar considering from her experience, he's not the type to get angry easily. As he asks when everything happened, she realizes she didn't provide enough context. She thought she established enough to build up to the announcement, but looking back on it, she kind of just blurted it out. She was hoping the summary of them getting close would get the point across just how much their relationship developed. Not. She's not sure why she thought it would considering they just established that Nathaniel barely understood why she was hanging out with Clayton. She just didn't want to make this a whole big drawn-out where she goes through every detail and makes him anticipate something like this. She feels like that would been mean of her to do. She also wants to keep most of those moments to herself. A lot of it should just be for her and Clayton to share. She can answer Nathaniel's current question though. That much she should do. The answer isn't as it should be though. "That's okay! You don't have to say anything," she assures him first, making sure he knows his reaction is valid. "I'm sorry... I should have provided more context before telling you. I just didn't want to drag you through the whole story and make this a big drawn-out announcement." She hopes that gets her intentions across and he can understand where she is coming from here. Now onto his question of when things happen. She shuffle through the various events in her mind, trying to figure out what would be considered the start of everything. Realizing she really couldn't pinpoint that, she decided to just go with her when they addressed everything. With how complicated things are, that's the easiest answer. "It kind of started the day before the field trip," she explains with slight uncertainty. "But we decided to try things out officially on the field trip." Not wanting to leave anything out this time, she feels the need to explain why things went the way they did during the field trip. "It's kind of the reason why we decided to tell you guys about our friendship since it was too much to hide." she continues her explanation, thinking back to the mess of what happened during lunch that day. "I shouldn't have made you think I revealed everything to you while still keeping a secret though." She remembers feeling conflicted about that and even more so when she learned that Clayton shared more with Skylar. "I just wasn't ready yet. I was still confused about my feelings towards Clayton, not realizing I had been developing a crush on him this whole time. I mean we barely figure out friendship between us. It was too much to tell everyone at once." she finishes, rambling off about how she felt in that moment.

♛ Sᴋʏʟᴀʀ Jᴀᴄᴏʙs ♛
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[ the science project ] [ location: school] [ tagged: Clayton ]

As Skylar waits for Clayton to ask the first of her many questions, she pulls her arms up above the table and rests her elbows on it. She rests her chin on her hands as she watches him with a small smirk at his exasperated expression. As usual, he clearly isn't enjoying this kind of talk, but this time it seems like he knows he can't get out of this as he actually begins to answer. Her eyebrows raise a little, curious about what he going to say. His answer at first isn't super enlightening. It sounds like he's figuring it out as he's answering. She guesses he hadn't thought about it until she asked. Or have thought about it and couldn't make sense of it himself. The way he's saying all this though is very telling. It's almost like he's shy, which isn't something she would ever call Clayton. But him describing all this, barely looking at her, she feels that's a pretty apt description of him right now. She bites her lip when he finally does look at her, trying to not look too amused by this. As he goes on, things definitely get more interesting. Her eyes widen as she learns about the flirting competitions and an almost kiss just days before the actual kiss. Clayton glosses over them, but she's definitely keeping notes for her long list of questions. Before she could though, his tone shifts. She blinks as he seems to almost questions himself. She stares as she realizes this is one of the rare moments that she sees Clayton being vulnerable. It's an even rarer moment of him being vulnerable and wanting to talk about it. As much as she wants to dig for more juicy stuff and she's going to, she needs to make sure he's okay and knows his worth first. "Hm," she sincerely considers his question for a moment. It does take long for her to come up with a conclusion though. "Not really." She shrugs before straightening up. "Sounds pretty in line with her character." Thinking back to her own experience with Jessie and how her own apology went, it sounds like exactly what that girl would do. That's not the main point here though. "I don't know what you said to her, but it sounds like she saw through your words and saw your true value," she tells him softly, giving him a pat on the back. "You're not giving yourself enough credit for being yourself." She takes a moment to make sure that he registers that completely. Not for too long though since he is still on the hook. After a brief pause, she leans back in her chair, crossing her arms. "Pretty rare of you to be so vulnerable," she notes, her smirk growing again. "I like it, but I'm here for more deets." She appreciates him opening up, she really does. But he barely answered her question. No matter, even with the little bit he gave, she already got a couple of things she can press him on. "I mean how did you say something terrible to her to almost kiss her on the same day?" she begins. "What did you say anyways? How did you not think that meant anything? Was there really nothing between you two before that?" He described everything so vaguely and it just makes her more curious about it. "And this flustering competition. How did that start? I can definitely see Jessie get all flustered by you, but how did sweet little Jessie manage to fluster you?" she questions, voice trailing off into a whine. "Come on, you got to give me more."

☀ Mɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ Hᴀʀʀɪsᴏɴ ☀
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[ the third pair ] [ location: school ] [ tagged: Audrey ]

Michael wasn't expecting Audrey to counter why he thought his dad brought him his car. He especially didn't think she would do it by listing off what he would have been rewarded for. He opened his mouth briefly to rebuke her with another joke but felt the words get caught in his throat. He's not used to people paying attention to him in that way. He makes me feel warm, but also a little nervous. So, he just clears his throat with a nod after she finishes talking about his car. As he drives down the familiar route back home, he listens carefully for Audrey's preference since he wants to impress her. He wasn't surprised to hear about Audrey's preference for healthy foods. It just seems to align with what he knows about her. He knows he probably seems like the type of meat and junk food lover, which they would have been right when he was younger, but he has a much wider taste palate now. Partially because he got more serious about soccer. He needs to keep up a good physique for that and a good diet is important for that. Also partially because of his younger sister Emily, who had decided to try a vegetarian diet for the past year since she had been getting into learning about the environment when she entered middle school. He could see her becoming a future environmental activist when she grows up. She tried to rope the whole family in, but everyone else wasn't willing to give up meat so easily. Michael remembers how disappointed nobody had decided to join her, so he had come up with a compromise for her, where there will always be a vegetarian option for her and that they will have a fully vegetarian dinner every week. It has been an interesting challenge for him, but a good implement in the end. He got to learn a whole list of recipes, which just so happened to help whenever he had to train for soccer as well. It also pays off now, because he has a lot more options than he would have to cook for Audrey now. He glances towards her briefly with a raised eyebrow when she asks about a signature dish. "Signature dish? Uh, I don't have one of those," he tells her after thinking about it for a minute. "I don't like making the same thing over and over again. So, I don't have a specialty." As much as he likes cooking, it's not a hobby for him. He doesn't have time outside of the usual times to be experimental, so he always tries to cook something new. Sometimes he just picks out random ingredients and tries to see if he can get something out of them. He has surprisingly good luck with that. He doesn't think he has made anything nobody wants to eat. But he guesses that could be because he's gotten pretty good at this thing after all these years. "I don't think I was ever bad at making something though." he still brags, mostly jokingly since he wouldn't be him if he didn't. "Something healthy though, I can work with that." He is hoping for more though. Anything could be made healthy with the right ingredients. He's looking more for a flavourful profile to work with. "But it is a little vague though. You got to give me a little bit more," he says. He figures rather than asking what she wants to eat, he should have what she likes to eat. "What are your favorite dishes? Anything one dish you're willing to only eat for the rest of your life?"

[adheline]

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----park meetings-x------【 tag | Skylar 】【 location | school 】

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As Skylar says it, Clayton supposes that generous understanding is notably very in line with Jessie's character. Maybe, then, it's worth noting that he simply hasn't met anyone with her kind of character before. Or, at least, he hasn't gotten close enough to them to know it. It isn't easy for him to ignore the fact that there are fewer people who truly know him in his life than those who know his rich boy image, however. He's given himself a bit of a complex over the statistics of that, apparently. He feels more likeable when he's a jerk. His tense shoulders relax when Sky pats his back and mentions his true value, feeling not for the first time that he's very lucky to have her for a best friend. But then she smirks and teases his 'vulnerability,' and he leans back with a grimace. Ah, well, poking fun at each other is part of the beauty of their friendship. He shakes his head slowly through her endless list of questions, somehow still amazed at her gossipy nosiness. "Oh my god, Sky," he groans, slouching back in his chair and rubbing at his brow. "Is this what girl talk entails? Do you seriously make your other friends answer this many questions? I might actually feel sorry for them." He regrets ever being curious how girls talk about relationships. While he promised to answer all of her questions, it does feel weird to divulge the details of a relationship that belonged solely to him and Jessie up until now. Well. Save for Michael and his nosy coworker. Regardless, he likes having a few secrets just to them. He guesses her first question doesn't really hit on any secrets, though. The whole class was witness to what he said to Jessie that day, and Michael already knows some of what happened after that. "Fine," he grumbles, sitting back up and resting his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands and feeling very much like he's on trial. "I... flirted with her a little in class that morning. Just slightly. Without really meaning to. So to cover my tracks I said she must not be used to it." It feels scummy to admit, but then again, both he and Skylar have said worse. It's not like she has room to judge him here. "We met up after school and I apologized, and after a while of hanging out I kind of flirted again. And she flirted back, then..." he trails off and shrugs. "But it was just because it caught her off guard. It was kind of like getting in the perfect quip when we fought at school, except flirting's way more effective. She gets all red, and stutters." He smirks. "It's cute. But she doesn't let me win, either, so that's how it became a competition. To see who can knock the other off kilter." She's getting better at it, too. Gaining confidence as she gets to know what makes him tick. He thinks back to that day in her living room, when she startled him by saying that she liked him, even when he knew she wasn't being serious. And the other day picking her up from her house, and the following photo shoot. She knows how to exploit his ego. "I guess it might not seem like she'd be able to fluster me, but you'd be surprised. In fact, that's probably it. She surprises me." He really hopes Sky doesn't expect him to give a detailed example of that. Geez, okay, what else did she ask? He feels like he's going to miss something. "Um, was there anything between us before that? I don't know. Maybe, but more of, like, I don't know. Liking the tension?" He skims a hand through his hair, entirely unsure how to word this. "Rather than each other. And then, you know, as we got to know each other better it evolved?" He sighs, on the verge of embarrassment. "This is awful, by the way. I hope you're happy."

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---science project--------【 tag | Jessie 】【 location | school 】

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While the delivery of the news leaves him stunned, he is grateful that she's trying to do it in the most tactful manner she can. He nods in understanding of her explanation. Even if the whole Clayton situation is hard to digest, Jessie's genuine approach is familiar and welcome. That, at least, doesn't surprise him. The secrets do, however. Then again, she didn't tell him about her friend passing at first, either. Which is an unfair thought for him to have, and he regrets it the moment it crosses his mind. That's a tough thing to go through, and he seriously doesn't hold it against her. Her relationship with Clayton is almost a direct result of that, though. He shouldn't hold this against her either, and he doesn't want to. It's just a bit harder for him to take in. Especially when he learns their relationship had surpassed friendship before they told everyone they were friends. That's not even an omission of truth anymore. That's an outright lie. Nathaniel raises his eyebrows at the timeline, staring at the steps while he tries to recall the specifics of that day on the field trip. Honestly, he's done his best to forget about it. He doesn't think they even said they were friends or anything, just that they were on good terms or something mild like that. Actually, every phrase she's used to describe them, even now, has been mild and noncommittal. Better terms, almost friends, more than friends. What's up with that? "Wow," he expresses, voice flat. Somehow, he's at even more of a loss for words than he was before. They've been together this whole time. He attempts to picture this situation were it anyone else. Some other, perfectly amicable guy. He'd still be bummed, sure, but the fact that it's Clayton stings the most. The guy's a jerk. Or was. Or is, to everyone but Jessie? He doesn't even know. But if it were anyone else, he'd shove his disappointment aside and be happy for her. So, that's what he should do here. Right? Except, as many times as Jessie says Clayton's not as bad as he seems, Nathaniel still has yet to see it for himself, and it leaves a pit in his stomach. Normally he wouldn't require proof of character, except he does have proof. Months of targeted interactions. And yet, Jessie chose that over the perfect harmony of their friendship. Right, though, he thinks. She chose that. He really needs to stop thinking about himself and take her feelings into consideration. He guesses the best way to do that is to try and get a better understanding of this relationship of hers. With a small sigh, Nath picks his gaze up from the ground and turns it curiously on her. "So, you were confused, but you're not now?" If that's why she didn't tell him before, but she's doing so now, that must mean she's feeling a little more secure about it. "I mean, 'more than friends' is kind of vague. Are you still at the point of just trying things out?" he probes, picking up the phrases she used to describe her situation with Clayton. Is she only telling him now because she's ready to solidify the relationship? If they tried things out and it didn't work, would she have ever told him? He doesn't voice these questions, though, not sure he wants to know. They do bring up other questions, though, because Jessie might also have the motive for pulling him aside now so that he knows before the general public does. As in, they really might be about to become official. Clayton has someone to pull aside and tell, too. "And what about Skylar? She'll flip. Unless she already knows. Is that why she dressed you up like that at the mall? Because she knows?" The timing of Jessie's makeover and Clayton's subsequent entrance was spectacular, and he saw clearly the way Skylar lit up at Clayton's reaction to Jessie's new look. He also recalls the lack of suspicion on Audrey's part when that happened, and he thinks of other times she acted notably underwhelmed while Nathaniel's alarm bells rang. Does she know, too? His heart sinks at the possibility. "Please tell me I'm not the last to know."

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-------the third-----------【 tag | Michael 】【 location | school 】

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Given her limited knowledge on the fine art of cooking, Audrey hadn't really considered the idea that someone might get bored with a singular dish. It makes sense, though, and particularly when it comes to Michael. He's not exactly known for his attention span. Audrey tends to make the same few things over and over only because she isn't good enough at cooking to make anything else. If she had the required patience and skill, she supposes she would want to make as wide a variety of foods as possible, too. She glances over at his brag, lifting an eyebrow. Such an ego. Still, she likes that ego, if the grin tugging at her lips is anything to go by. Gosh, if she smiles any more today her mouth will get stuck in the expression. She feels a little ridiculous for how giddy she is. Before, back when she'd never liked anyone at all, she thought she'd be above all the new relationship bubbly nonsense. Apparently not. Audrey presses her lips together at his continued questioning, both thoughtfully considering her answer and smoothing out her expression. "Just one dish for the rest of my life? That sounds awfully boring." She cups her cheeks, thinking very seriously about her favorite foods. She hasn't really thought about it like this before, not categorically. She'll either just pick up something she's in the mood for when she's helping her parents grocery shop, or pick what appeals most from a menu. She also likes to explore new foods, so she tends to gravitate more towards what's unfamiliar to her rather than any go-to meal. But to pick favorites with no limitations, out of any existing food in the world. Hmm. "I guess... hm. Well, tacos are always fantastic," she begins, going to the last thing she picked out at one of those grocery trips. Her family goes all out on taco night, filling up the kitchen island with bowls of every filling imaginable. That's actually something that appeals to her about the meal, too, is the family tradition of going full send into it. They're not particularly close as a family, so her memories of everyone getting together and watching a movie or playing games on a taco night are especially warm. "And, um, sarma. Dolma. Honestly, cabbage in general. Kimchi? So good." She pauses. Is it weird that she likes cabbage? Old people like cabbage. She should transition away from it. "Actually, I guess Korean food is probably my go-to takeout vote. I like the spices they use. And I like tofu for my protein just as much as meats." Of course, she's not always in the mood for spicy foods, though more often than not she is. Sometimes, when she just wants to gorge on a big bowl of something comforting, she might turn towards a thick serving of mac and cheese, or a creamy soup. But spices are crisp and sharp, which she prefers, and there's always new ways to combine them. She supposes that's another thing she likes about tacos, then. It's a different profile of spices, but just as fun. "The more I think of, the more I'm sure I could never pick just one thing to have for the rest of my life," she sighs, looping back around to that particular question mostly just because she's curious now if he could pick something himself. He says he doesn't like to make the same thing, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a favorite dish that he'd eat over and over again. Then again, this is Michael. She's becoming well familiar with what similarities they have, and she has a hunch that he'd be just as bored as she would be. "How about you? Anything you would be willing to have alone for the rest of your life?" The question doesn't serve to help him pick what to cook, but she wants to know for herself.

[lucky ⋆]

❅ Jᴇssɪᴄᴀ Sᴄᴏғɪᴇʟᴅ ❅
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[ meetings in the park ] [ location: school ] [ tagged: Nathaniel ]

The creeping dread Jessie felt earlier in the day was returning bit by bit as she waited for Nathaniel's reaction. At his flat response, she feels it all flooding back. She wants to run away and just hide in a corner, fade into the shadows if it is physically possible. His questions ground her slightly. She can at least sort of answer those. The first inquiry makes her bite her bottom lip because even though she's ready for a more concrete label for her relationship with Clayton or more specifically Clayton himself, it doesn't make what they have anything confusing. She was prepared to tell Nathaniel this, but his continued questioning made her pause. She wants him to get all the questions he has out. She's ready to answer whatever he asks. His plea following his questions makes her stomach drop though. Immediately, she felt the panic rise to her neck. This is exactly what she didn't want to him feel like. On a technical level, he isn't the last to know since Clayton's telling Skylar right now. But does that even matter, it just means they're both the last to know in reality? And there's also the fact that Skylar was somewhat clued in on Clayton's side of things. So, he is the last to find any details of this. Jessie lets out a shaky breath before she starts apologizing once again. This time much more desperate than before. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen this way." She blinks rapidly, trying to not completely fall apart. It's not working. "You're not technically, but the technicalities don't mean anything right now." Even in the case he wasn't the last to know her, she still would have made him feel that way. That she intentionally left him out. That she didn't trust him enough to tell him. That his friendship doesn't mean enough to her. In reality, it should be the other way around. He has every right to toss her friendship away at this point. "But no, that's not why Skylar dressed me up. She didn't know the full extent of things back then. Clayton is telling her right now." she tells him, words tumbling out. For a moment, she wonders if he's doing as poorly as her before realizing that's a ridiculous thought. She knows how strong their friendship is and Clayton has been much more forthcoming than her about this. "She dressed me up because Clayton told her he liked me at the aquarium after the whole thing at lunch." She still remembers finding out and panicking about not telling Nathaniel anything. Clayton soothes her worries back then, but at this moment she kind of regrets not rectifying that. "And Audrey and Michael found out accidentally. They were snooping around and saw us at the park and kind of misunderstood what they saw." Even at this moment, she can't help but blush, thinking back to that moment. "But that misunderstanding kind of became a reality, so Clayton ended up telling Michael, and Michael in turn told Audrey." she finally began to slow down. "You're actually the first person I told..." she trails off as she first realizes that's the case. It makes her wonder what that says about herself. She already spiraling, she can't go into another runt. This shouldn't be about her anyway. "But still, I made feel you like the last to know and you have every right to be upset, angry, absolutely furious at me." she lists off before closing her eyes and hanging her head down.

♛ Sᴋʏʟᴀʀ Jᴀᴄᴏʙs ♛
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[ the science project ] [ location: school] [ tagged: Clayton ]

Skylar rolls her eyes as Clayton slumps back in his chair incredulously at her extensive questioning. He should have fully expected this after she stated the condition of his punishment. "Of course!" she exclaims, giving him a light shove as he rubs his face. "Obviously, they get to ask me questions too. It's mutually beneficial procedure." She's not as badgering with her girls, she has to give them their time for questions too. That is unless something juicy comes to light, then she chasing that down like a hound. "You don't get that privilege, because this is a punishment," she tells him off as she leans back with her hands on her hips. She gives him a disapproving look before relaxing in her seat and mutters under her breath, "Not that you would have anything to ask because unlike someone here, I haven't been keeping secrets like this from their best friend." Not intentionally anyway. She grits out that last sentence. As he begins answering, she props her chin onto one of her hands again. Hearing him talking about flirting with Jessie is weird. Especially since she's just supposed to believe that it just happened without him meaning to. It's not outside of his normal behaviors, but just thinking about this particular situation, she feels like there must be more to that. Seeing him talk about Jessie being cute with the expression he has as he says so makes her grimace in disgust. While she enjoys seeing him so smitten since she can tease him about it after the fact, she realizes she doesn't really want to hear all the mushy details about their relationship. In the end, she still feels like he's being a little vague about some things, but it's definitely a step up from before. "I am, very. Thank you very much," she taunts, looking very smug before giving him an almost dangerous-looking smirk. "But this is just the beginning." Given all that she heard, she has a very specific question on her mind right now. It's not going to be an onslaught of questions, but she thinks this one question and the potential follow-up question will have the same impact. "I'll spare you from divulging more details." she pauses briefly. "For now." Turning her gaze away for a brief moment, she says to herself under her breath, "I'm not sure I want to hear them anyway." Clearing her throat, she turns back to Clayton once more. She tries to sound casual and nonchalantly at first to give him a sense of false security. "So, sounds like you have been flirting with Miss Little Jessie for a while now." she considers, pretending to count out the days in her head. "I mean you say this day was the day you started thinking she was kissable, but you somehow unintentionally flirted with her and almost kissed her the same day." Here's where things just don't add up to her. This somehow happened all in one day. "I know you flirt generally, but considering the situation, you had to make a conscious switch. That means there must have been some sort of build-up beforehand." She refuses to believe there wasn't anything. And what he said about liking the tension. First of all, what does that even mean and second of all, uh, please elaborate. Turning directly towards Clayton, she gives him a scrutinizing look. "So, tell me Clayton, how long were you in denial of your feelings?" she asks. "And how did you break out of your idiocy and finally kiss the girl?"

☀ Mɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ Hᴀʀʀɪsᴏɴ ☀
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[ the third pair ] [ location: school ] [ tagged: Audrey ]

At her initial response, Michael was a little worried that he wasn't going to get a more illuminating answer. Luckily for him, she continued and didn't disappoint. He didn't expect her to consider his question so thoroughly. And while she didn't exactly answer his question, not how he thought it would answered, her thought process is giving him some decent ideas. The immediate idea he has is some Korean tofu tacos. He had actually made tacos like that before though he used beef rather than tofu. He definitely is not an expert in terms of Asian cuisine, but he's quite familiar with it. It was one of the first cuisines he sought out to learn vegetarian dishes since he had thought they used a lot of soy products. Despite that, he quickly learned that while there do seem to be a lot of seemingly meatless dishes, there is often hidden meat in the sauce or broth they are cooked in. It helped him get more comfortable experimenting with flavours that he wasn't as familiar with, which helped him later on when he got brave enough to cook fusion food. Interestingly enough, one of the first fusion foods he tried to make was Korean and Mexican fusion food after hearing about a popular food truck selling that kind of food. It's been a while since he made that, so he's kind of excited to try to make a variation of that. That is if he has all the ingredients. He knows they always have tofu in the fridge since it's just an easy vegetarian substitute. Everything else though is up in the air. If not, hopefully, they at least have cabbage, he could wipe up some nice cabbage rolls too. He shakes his head slightly when she says she can't choose one thing to eat for the rest of her life. He fully agrees with her, but he's just amused by how long-winded her answer was just to not have a concrete answer in the end. They turn onto his street as she directs the question back to him. If he were to actually answer the answer, he'd probably have to say fish and chips. Only because that's what he and his grandma would have every time she took him out as a child. It would be undoubtedly unhealthy. However, since she didn't really answer his question, he figures he has a bit of wiggle room in his answer too. "I guess noodles, probably, since I can have it so many different ways." he shrugs as he pulls into his driveway. There's no way he would be bored with the amount of different noodle dishes out there. And it could be a balanced meal depending on what type of noodles they are. "I know I'm not playing by the rules, but when do I ever," he tells her, shooting her a grin as he turns off the engine and hops out from his side. He rushes around to her, opening the car door for her, and says teasingly, "You weren't either with your answers too." Once they're both out of the vehicle, he leads her inside his house. His usually busy house is quiet today. It just so happens all of his family had some sort of plan after school today. "Welcome back to my humble abode," he announces with a sweeping gesture. "Everyone's out and about today, so we should have the house to ourselves for a while." The implication of that flies over his head as he is instead preoccupied with the task given to him at hand. So, he starts heading towards the kitchen without much thought. "Let's see what we're working with."