I Hate That I Love You || 1x1

[adheline]

♠ C L A Y T O N ♠
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tagged⇨ everyone locale⇨ aquarium role⇨ meetings in the park boy

The same old, coming from Sky, meant that she was running metaphorical laps around Michael's brain. Confirmed by his own confessions. Clayton grinned, even if he wasn't given specifics. It's just nice to see them having a good time and joking around after all the tension from earlier in the day. When he notices people are looking at Jessie for a decision, he glances over, too. As expected, she seems a little put on the spot. Though he keeps an ear out for everyone else, including Skylar's idea and Michael's snarky return, he absently keeps an eye on her. She was much softer than him, in many ways. More deer-like, he thought. Wide eyed under attention. The surprise expressed by Sky earlier really was warranted. They were hardly alike. When it came down to it, though, that was probably a good thing. They didn't need another person like him wandering around, harassing all the Jessies of the world. He managed to turn his eyes away, towards the others when they settled on the plan of wandering towards the exit. Good enough for him. He settled into step next to his friends within their troop, hands comfortably resting in his pockets. He blinked when he heard a squawk just ahead of him, and he saw Nathaniel skirt away from a fuming Audrey. Being so close to their interactions was interesting. It made him realize how their friendships didn't really function any differently. Curious, Clayton turned to Sky. "How much longer are you doing that project with Vise?" A project during which time they seemed to be bonding or something. It was still somewhat of a revelation that Skylar came out with her big apology due to the likes of her bookish lab partner. Any conversation beyond short material measurements or scathing insults was unbelievable enough. Heart to hearts were an amusing image. Clayton raised a playful eyebrow at her. "More quality bonding time to look forward to?"

✬ N A T H A N I E L ✬
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tagged⇨ everyone locale⇨ aquarium role⇨ science project boy

When Jessie blurts out a noncommittal answer to Audrey's question, Nathaniel tries to come up with something to input to draw the attention off of her. Nothing immediately comes to mind, so he's thankful that Skylar has a good idea prepared. Considering the time, which he checks on his phone, it's logical. Time really does fly on field trips. It's a nice break from the monotony of school, even if he doesn't usually mind it so much. He takes in the dim blue glow lighting from above the tanks, and the water imitation decorating the tiles beneath his feet. He doesn't go to places like these much. Exploration for him roved the outdoors, where he could trek around on his own without the buzz of other people. It was enjoyable to do things like this every now and then though, see the other side of outings. The things most other teens would turn to. His lips tip into a mild smirk as he watches Audrey mentally catalogue every little detail of every species she came across. Or, that's what it looked like she was doing. Her attention was focused enough. Sidling up beside her, he reached out and jabbed a finger into her side, skipping away with a snicker when he gets a noise from her. Her shove makes him stumble a little, but he recovers with a quick step and grins back at her. Not that she sees, her eyes are trained on her shoes. She was too easy to catch when she was in a zone. But now he didn't want to linger in case she chose to retaliate in some way. So, opting for safety, he rounds back over to Jessie. He gestures to her camera. Jessie has definitely been seen around with a camera or two in the time he's known her, but he can't say he's seen much of her work. Though it isn't anything he's overly eager about, or anything he thinks he could ever be enthused with, he's definitely at least curious to see it. "Getting anything good?"

⊰ A U D R E Y ⊱
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tagged⇨ everyone locale⇨ aquarium role⇨ the third girl

Slowly sweeping her gaze over each of her companions, Audrey pressed her lips together. Quite the indecisive group. She watched Michael and Skylar go at it again, deciding not to give her input this time. It seemed more like an old type of exchange they went through as friends, between them. Still, her lips twitched amusedly to find that Michael was back in the game. He was a good sport, at least. Despite pouting, he took the jesting in stride. "I like the sound of that," she agreed easily to Skylar's proposal. Michael really was right. She could get along with this girl. She certainly had enough of a brain. Now that her wits were being put to a better use than to insult Audrey's friends, she was actually shaping up to be someone Audrey might eventually consider a friend. Seems to position of friend had been opening up a lot lately. Once she heard a few more expressions of agreement to Skylar's plan, Audrey began wandering in the direction of the exit. Slowly enough to remain with the group, but she didn't attach herself to anyone. Hands clasped in front of her, she kept curious eyes on the aquatic creatures around her, bouncing over to an informational board where it showed up and skimming the text. Museums, zoos, aquariums, she loved them. Zoos and aquariums, of course, were a double standard. Some of them cared poorly for the animals and didn't give them the space and love they deserved. Those, she avoided. But aquariums like this, devoted to nature and learning who cared for the creatures they housed, were institutions she marveled at. Before her were fish and mammals that, were it not for the tanks in front of her, she would never have been able to see on her own. Each with a unique habitat and lifestyle. Suddenly, while squinting at a tiny blue fish, there was a poke in her side and she jumped with a tiny yelp. Whirling on Nathaniel, she flushed and shoved his retreating back, avoiding looking at anyone else.

((Sure, sounds good.))

[lucky ⋆]

❅נєssιcα scσғιєℓδ❅

|| meetings in the park || location: aquarium || tagged: everyone ||

As the group move towards the exit, Jessie tries her best to keep in step with the rest of the group. She can't help but flutter around, trying to take as many photos while she can. Occasionally, she gets too caught up just staring at the pretty marine animals, momentarily forgetting what she was doing and catching up with the group. While she was mostly focusing on the little fishes, she also took some photo of the scene of people visiting the aquarium. She snaps some photo of her company as well but tries to not be too obvious about it. Seeing them near the entrance of the aquarium, she was taking one last shot of the aquarium when there is a sudden shout. She jumps slightly before looking up towards the direction. She watches Nath escape from Audrey towards her. A smile grows on her face as he approaches, realizing what he has done. “Nathaniel, that’s not very nice.” she scolds, trying to give a disapproving look and tone, but she can't keep in her amusement. At his question, she looks down at the camera she was holding as he motions towards it. She can't exactly say she can confidently answer him. She's been mostly just been going with the flow and hasn't really look back through them yet. She can say that she likes them at the moment, but she can't really say if they are good or not. “Um, I think so,” she says, a little uncertain. She glances down at the last photo she took just to get a general feel of how she did with this session. It was a just a sweeping shot of the aquarium. Looking more closely at the details, she notices that she took the photo right when Nathaniel give a little jab to Audrey's side. While it's not the central focus, you can see them in the very corner of the frame. "Well, I think this last photo is a pretty good one. Looks what it has captured in the corner." she guides the camera towards him to show him.

♛sкчℓαя נαcσδs♛

|| the science project || location: aquarium || tagged: everyone ||

Skylar smiles triumphantly as everyone else agrees to her plans once again. She glances towards Michael with a smug smile even though he seems unfazed by it. She follows the group along with her friends towards the exit, glancing at the tanks and information boards occasionally if they catch her eye. She was zooming out a little as she absentmindedly looks around, so when there was a sudden squeal ahead of her, she was a little startled. Glancing towards the direction of the yell, she finds herself smiling a little when she sees what exactly happened. She doesn’t have much time to stare at the playful interaction as Clayton spoke up beside him. Turning her attention to her friends, she thinks about his question for a minute. She was mildly distracted as Michael stalk away from them towards Audrey, she raises her eyebrow slightly at this action. She squints at him at his next words. She’s not exactly sure what he is trying to imply, but she is sure that there is something with the way he said it. She doesn’t like his tone. Because of this, she stares at him briefly before starting to answer. “We’re supposed to hand in and present our assignment the week before winter break, so there is still more than a week left,” she says. As she spoke, she realized how ahead they were in their project, considering they have finished all the major parts already. “I wouldn’t call it quality bonding time though.” Even though he was the major reason for her apology today and because of that, she could see how they have been more open to each other. However, their interaction before today is still barely above civil. Although, considering how well they were getting along when they were doing their assignment, she could see their project meeting head more into the ‘quality bonding time’ territory that Clayton described. “Although, that might change after today.” she muses before raising a similar playful eyebrow at him. “But, I don’t think we’re going to be bonding like the rest of you though.”

☀ мιcнαєℓ нαяяιsσи ☀

|| the third pair || location: aquarium || tagged: everyone ||

Michael gives Skylar a blank stare when she looks back at him. She was really too competitive for her own good sometimes and that's coming from him. He walks alongside his friends, absentmindedly looking around. Again, aquariums aren't exactly his scene, so he didn't care to linger on anything too long. He was glad that most of the group seem to have a similar mentality, so they were moving along pretty quickly. He snaps out of his distracted daze when there is someone suddenly let out a yelp. Glancing towards that direction, he smirks when he sees Audrey ducks down and flushes. This combined with Clayton starting to question Skylar about her project with Nathaniel, made him decides to move towards embarrassed blonde instead. Just because he was much more interested in teasing and talking to Audrey than hearing about Sky's science project. Plus, he's already wrapped in the drama of one other pair in this group, look at where that got him. He doesn't want to deal with more of that. Anymore, he'll be in everyone's business and he can barely deal with his own stuff. He speeds up his pace to a mild jog before slowing down again once he reached Audrey. “Sounds like you're having a good time.” he teases her mildly with a smirk. He figures he'll just keep it light for now. He could see a brief glimpse that glass door in the entrance as well as one of the bright yellow buses that were parked in front of it. Seeing that the buses have already arrived, it confirms that their trip was about to be nearing its end. It also reminds him of their seating arrangement earlier today. She implied that they were going to sit together again when she told him that he'll get the window seat on the way back. He wasn't sure if she was going to follow through with that though. It could have just been something she said to appease him, but he's going to try to go with it. “So, I’m getting the window seat, right?” he asks nonchalantly.

[adheline]

♠ C L A Y T O N ♠
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tagged⇨ everyone locale⇨ aquarium role⇨ meetings in the park boy

Clayton can see Michael start to leave in his peripheral, and he turns his head briefly to watch as he says something to the conservative blonde. His attention is returned to Sky in time to catch her expression, though, and he blinks back innocently. Seems he set something off up in that overworked brain of hers. He must have been too obvious in his question. Her time frame makes his eyebrow raise, only because when she says it there's no bite in her voice. He would expect her to be bitter or upset about having to still meet up with Nathaniel for more than another week. That's what she'd expressed initially. On top of that, aside from learning that Vise was the one to encourage her apology, and seeing them head off together in the aquarium, he had yet to actually witness them say anything remotely nice to each other. Or even non-partial. When Clayton made the joke about bonding, it was mostly just in reference to her big attitude change. Certainly, he wasn't expecting her to confirm that something might become of the suggestion. The expressions drops into something more sheepish when she compares it to him, and he rubs the back of his neck. Bonding, indeed, and she didn't even know the half of it. He's debating a 'we'll see' joke, not sure if it still qualifies for their current playfulness. Ultimately, he decides to go for it. "I don't know, Sky, don't jinx yourself." Clayton flashes her a conspiratorial wink. "I hear close bonding is spreading like a disease around these parts." Arguably, it was. Starting with, well, it was hard to say with all the secrecy going around. But Audrey and Michael were inexplicably inseparable now, and Jessie and himself were starting something new in their forever changing relationship. Skylar would only be following a trend. Amusing of a thought as that was.

✬ N A T H A N I E L ✬
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tagged⇨ everyone locale⇨ aquarium role⇨ science project boy

Jessie's chastising did little to damped Nathaniel's self-satisfied grin. Especially since he could that she was amused herself. Audrey was such a stick in the mud most of the time that playing with her every now and then was just too tempting. He definitely didn't make a habit of it, since he wasn't usually the type to mess around with people anyways, but it made for a decent bout of amusement in a day full of serious conversation. He raises an eyebrow at the insecurity in her voice regarding her photos. As far as he's seen in photographers, they had it boiled down to a fine balance between art and science, and could usually tell right away if a photo was good or not. That was the image he had in his head. Then again, those references were limited in number, and Jessie was shy about a lot of things that could be used to grade or judge her in any way. He leans over to get a better look at the camera screen, smiling when he finds what she's referring to. It's Audrey and him, caught at the perfect moment. "Gallery quality, in my professional opinion," he declares, casting a glance back up to Audrey. She seemed to have gotten over her embarrassment, having been sufficiently distracted, so he thinks it's safe to assume he's out of the dog house. It also served for him to notice that they were at the doors already, the afternoon sun glaring off the yellow of collected school buses. When the day started, he had hoped to stick largely to Jessie's side, use the trip as another excuse to hang out outside of school rather than just being a clingy friend. So many wrenches had been thrown in that plan, and in the end, any hopes he had for becoming anything more than friends were surely and utterly crushed, little by little with the things she said over the last few hours. But they got a lot out in the open, and Nath saw it as a growth point in their friendship. More than anything, that was important to him. He's almost glad to be leaving, though, so he can begin to sort things out to himself. He's going to need a little time to think.

⊰ A U D R E Y ⊱
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tagged⇨ everyone locale⇨ aquarium role⇨ the third girl

Forcing herself to look up from the tile, Audrey was vacantly watching the fish as she passed them. As awkward as it occasionally got, she was pretty satisfied with the trip overall. Her assignment was going to be amazing, too, with all the information she got down about the turtles. The thought didn't do much to distract her from that hideous noise she let out, though. Nathaniel would definitely be on the receiving end of some sort of revenge. She only spares Michael a miffed glance when he shows up and pokes fun at her. That comment, she decides, won't be graced with an answer. As if he even needed anything new to bother her about. She embarrassed herself plenty around him. It doesn't escape her notice, however, that his tease is somewhat gentle. She might have expected anything from a simile on what animal she sounded like to a patronizing question of if she was alright. But, none of that. When he moves on to the window seat, she realizes that they're pretty much at the exit. That last bit of time went by fast. Well, if he can have his fun at her expense, she would return the favor. She doesn't look at him when she answers at first. "I don't know, you should probably ask whoever's unfortunate enough to sit with you this time." For a moment, she keeps a straight face, but her mouth curves up jocosely. Sitting with him on the bus wasn't the worse thing in the world. And, she did promise him the window seat. She bumps her shoulder lightly to his so that he knows she's joking. "Yeah, you get the window seat." Her hands laced behind her back. Since they're back to the entrance, there isn't much to look at, so the rest of the way to the door is made pretty quick. Audrey spares a quick moment to make sure everyone's still together before making to open the door and leave.

[lucky ⋆]

❅נєssιcα scσғιєℓδ❅

|| meetings in the park || location: aquarium || tagged: everyone ||

An amused grin spreads on Jessie’s face at Nath’s response to her photo. “I can’t disagree with you there,” she says, following his eyes towards the other subject of the photo. “But I know someone would.” Glancing away from Audrey, she realizes that they were already at the entrance. Today has been really something. It somehow feels like it flew by and dragged on at the same time. She pauses in her step briefly, placing the camera back into her bag carefully. Once she has done that, she follows the group outside and towards the bus. It seems that just as they left the building, all the other students begin to rush out as well. After she grabs a seat on the bus, she immediately starts feeling sleepy, which always seems to happen when she’s heading back from any sort of trip. She tries her best not to fall asleep the way back.
Shuffling through her locker, Jessie lets out a small sigh of relief. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was expecting when she came into school this morning, but honestly, she should have known what was coming. After strolling through aquarium as a merged group, it wasn’t too long before pretty much everyone caught wind of it. It really isn’t that big of a surprise since rumours seem to fly in this school. They weren’t exactly trying to hide their grouping. Luckily, it seems that nobody saw her and Clayton’s little exchange early on. Not that it was that any easier on her. She doesn’t know how many people she passed and heard whispering. The bolder ones would even come straight up and starts to bombard her with questions. It was really too much. She hasn’t felt like this since the beginning of the school year. She spends most of the day trying to avoid crowds of people. Hopefully, this will die down soon once everyone finds something else to talk about. Closing her locker door, she pulls out her phone and scrolls through her contacts. She’s barely seen anyone today with all the dodging and hiding. Although, she can’t really spend time with any of them right either. She’s pretty both of them are busy, Nath with his project and Audrey probably has worked. She pauses in her scrolling, letting out another sigh. Looking at the names, she landed on, one catches her attention. Clayton. She blushes briefly. She has to admit that she definitely is disappointed that she saw him much. It’s like that she misses him even though she just saw him in class this morning. She bites her lips as she presses on the name. She’s a little surprised when she sees that there are no messages between them. She guesses they never really did contact each other through phone other than that one time she accidentally dials his number. Realizing this, she feels way more nervous about texting him than before. Her thumb hovers the keyboard as she debates whenever to do this or not.


♛sкчℓαя נαcσδs♛

|| the science project || location: aquarium || tagged: everyone ||

Skylar smirks at his reaction. While she still not used to the idea of Clayton liking Jessie, in any way, it’s kind of endearing to see her best friend having a crush. Her expression changes into one of doubtfulness at his response though. His statement wasn’t far from the truth with all that’s been happening behind the scenes. But her and Nathaniel getting to that point. She scoffs at the idea. No offence to Nathaniel. He’s got plenty of desirable traits. They just not made a great pair in that way. Or at least she doesn’t think so. She glances towards the boy as she boards the bus, trying to think about how it would be like to date him. She catches herself before she thinks too far, but can’t help but think about off and on during the bus trip.
Skylar stands in front of the same room that Nathaniel and she have been meeting in for their project. Today should be another work day for their project as they planned. Although they made quite a good amount of progress with the assignment already, they could probably lessen their meetings. There was quite a stir at school today. Although, she’s not surprised. She knows how much this school loves drama. After all, she’s usually in the center of them. She was a part of this whole new drama as well, but she’s not really fazed by all the whispers and questions. Besides, people usually know not to push her too far, so she’s not too worried about the whole thing. Soon enough they’ll find something new to talk about. If not, she can always make something new to talk about. She’s also a bit more concerned about another thing. After Clayton’s little suggestion yesterday, she can’t stop thinking about her and Nathaniel potentially becoming a couple. She doesn’t know why she can’t get it out of her head. All it should take should be a simple dismissal of the idea. It might be because as she thought on about it, she can’t simply dismiss it. While they haven’t really gotten along, it was mostly her fault with her insecurities and jealousy. And she knows when they do get along and work together, they do great work. So, she can’t exactly say, they aren’t compatible. After realizing that, she then tries to argue that he isn’t her type, with herself. Not that she really has a type. She has ‘dated’ a few jocks here and there, but they were never really serious. She slowly starts to realize that Nathaniel would be the perfect long-term partner for her. This lead to an assessment of how she feels about him. Now, that everything with Jessie out of the way, she can’t really say. Because before she only hated him because he defended Jessie so much. But that grudge is no more, so what now. She grips her arms as these thoughts arise in her mind again, trying to prepare herself for Nathaniel’s arrival.

☀ мιcнαєℓ нαяяιsσи ☀

|| the third pair || location: aquarium || tagged: everyone ||

Michael isn’t too fazed at Audrey’s first response. He has a feeling that she wasn’t being serious and he was right when her expression shifts into something more playful. His smile widens when she bumps his shoulder and tells him that he gets the window seat. He bumps his shoulder back into hers and says, “I thought so.” He makes his way onto the bus before the entrance of the aquarium gets too crowded. The bus ride back was fairly uneventful, especially since he pretty much fell asleep right away.
Michael strolls through the hallway to his locker. There was a bit of a buzz around after everything that happened yesterday at the aquarium with his friends. Even though he was technically involved in the whole thing, he’s largely unaffected since most of the attention is on Skylar and Jessie. Thankfully, so he doesn’t have to worry about that much. He is taking his time to his locker since he doesn’t have work today. He can’t believe that he is almost upset at that fact for the lone reason that he wouldn’t able to spend any time with Audrey. No, he’s spending time with his little sister instead, which he should be happy about. He has to pick her up from school and babysit her sister today. Usually, the twins would do it, but they had a five-day school trip starting today. His dad did switch shifts with a co-worker for this very reason, but being the scatterbrain he was, he messed up with the dates of the trip, thinking they were supposed to leave tomorrow. So, since it was too late for him to make the switch, he asked Michael to since he heard the café was lacking customers lately. He called his manager last night about it and they were surprisingly cool about it. He mentions something about that they might not even open today since they were going to redecorate or renovate or something. He was little hope that they were going to be closed because that would mean that Audrey would not have work and available to hang out. Even though he wouldn’t even be able to hang out, either way, the prospect would make him feel better. He could ask her if she wanted to help him babysit, which it’s hanging out in a way. He doesn’t really think that’s a very appealing offer. But He didn’t hear anything else about it, so he’s fairly sure the café was still open today. There was still some time until he had to pick up his sister since her school day ends a little later than his. And with his car back, he didn’t have to worry about missing a bus or anything like that. After dragging his feet along through a couple of halls, he makes it to his locker. He sighs a little, he was hoping that catch Audrey as he walked around since he didn’t really have an excuse to go bother her, but alas.

[adheline]

♠ C L A Y T O N ♠
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tagged⇨ Jessie locale⇨ school role⇨ meetings in the park boy

Anyone who dared come up to Clayton regarding the sightings of the small group yesterday was met with one of his patented sneers of disinterest. For the most part, he was left alone. Likely because of his glower and mostly the fact that he had little to do with the more interesting faction. Sky and Jessie were the talk of the school. A school that, frankly, needed to calm down. Teenage drama in a high school always seemed to magnify itself into a live soap opera. But under the grumpy mask he wore all day to ward off gossipers, Clayton was somewhat blissful. He had lay in bed last night, smiling at Tam like an idiot, unable to stop himself from replaying the day over and over in his head. More specifically, Jessie. He actually had a chance for something here. Of course the dog did little more than yawn in his face, but Clayton couldn't be put off his good mood. It didn't seem like anyone aside from Michael, and Audrey as he suspected, knew anything about the two of them, which was good. Jessie needed to sort herself out, and being under the scrutiny of the general public would only make the fact worse and more forced. He did, though, feel bad about her and Sky having to face the hordes regarding their truce. That, the girls wouldn't be able to avoid. Everyone had seen that, or heard about it in the least. Clayton shut his locker door, tucking his keys into his jacket. The one with a million zippers, as he'd promised Sky. Weaning. Late last night, his dad left on a five day business trip, leaving Clayton in the house alone with his mom. Which essentially equated to himself, since she had been working in her office more often lately, as opposed to her study. If he cared for parties, he's sure he could throw one. Against every stereotype, he wasn't fond of them. Anyways, even though he wasn't sure what to do, he was free from paperwork for his dad until he got back. Which freed up his evening considerably. On his way to the door, Clayton caught sight of Jessie at her locker. Finally at liberty to be friendly with her in public, he decided to exercise that new right. He cast around a brief look before curving his path towards her. She looked awful intent on her phone. Quietly, he peered over her shoulder. On the screen was his contact name. He smirked. "What are you gonna say?" he asked in a staged whisper.

✬ N A T H A N I E L ✬
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tagged⇨ Skylar locale⇨ school role⇨ science project boy

By the time Nathaniel's meant to meet up with Skylar after school, he's wondering if they're even going to need to meet up after today. The rate they work at, they could probably knock out another experiment entirely before their project was actually due. All through the day he's seen people gossiping around, sticking their noses into business that wasn't their own. He was mostly spared anything direct, since the chatter centered largely on the group's two main rivals. Rivals turned... friends? God, he was in the group and he didn't even know what was going on. He hurried through the halls to get to the science rooms, which were almost entirely across the school from his last class, hoping he wasn't keeping Skylar waiting. Not that he cared, no. It was more of keeping his personal image up, because lateness was a poor quality and- sure. Fine, he'll admit it. He didn't hate Skylar. He'd say it out loud, too, if someone asked. He still didn't particularly like her, but she had redeemed herself enough to the point he can figure her worthy of not standing around waiting for him to show up. Much beyond that was yet to be determined, but he'd had a personal glimpse into her vulnerability. She could be nice when she wanted to be, but she was too guarded to let it show. All he had to do was coax it out of her. He paused. That sounded an awful lot like he wanted to spend personal time with her, which couldn't possibly be true. In any case, their conversation outside of the experiment was apparently stilted and awkward. If the dinner was anything to go by. Whatever had possessed him to go through with that had better be out of his system by now, there was no way he was doing that again. He hiked his bag higher on his shoulder and rounded a corner, finding Skylar soon after. "Hey," he calls, making his way to her. With a halfhearted, somewhat apologetic smile, he opens the classroom door and holds it open for her. "Sorry you keep waiting on me."

⊰ A U D R E Y ⊱
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tagged⇨ Michael locale⇨ school role⇨ the third girl

Just before her last period, Audrey had gotten a call from her manager telling her the cafe was closing early to start on some renovations. Or something like that, it wasn't anything she'd heard about before. In any case, it cut off her shift, so she had the afternoon free. Having intended on going to work, she was at a loss of what to do. Also, feeling the loss of something else. Shoot, she was beginning to look forward to time spent with Michael. Even during the dull shifts at the coffee shop. Truth or dare, at least, had proven to be both amusing and revealing in equal capacity. Both were things she appreciated. She stayed after her last class with her teacher for a good while, talking about the next assignment like the ultimate brown-noser she was. The day off gave her time, at least to get ahead in her classes. That she was already ahead in. She was running out of school work. The thought made her sigh as she walked out of the classroom backwards, waving distractedly to the teacher. Maybe she could go out and buy some new boots, an idea she immediately shot down. She didn't need anymore boots. Nor did she need to spend any unnecessary money. Nathaniel was busy with his experiment, perhaps she could accost Jessie and attempt to steal her away. Or that boy from her English class had asked for some help with his essay, she could text him. Fred, Ted, one of those. Too lost in thought to realize she was still backing up, she bumped right into somebody at their locker. Alarmed, she jumped away and whirled around. "Oh, geez, I'm so sorry. I wasn't even paying attention..," she trailed off, finally actually looking the person in the face. "Michael," she observed, blinking when it came out kind of breathless. She grossed herself out with this ridiculous crush. But, maybe he was the cure to her boredom. "I, ah, the cafe. It's. Closed." Biting her lip, she waved her phone around, like it would help her explain. "So if you wanted to..." Audrey let the sentence drift away. She was about to ask him to do something, having absolutely nothing in mind. Further more, he quite likely wanted to take advantage of this time with some better friends. Not lounging around with a stick in the mud like her. She shook her head and pointed behind her. "Well, I won't bother you, I'm just gonna go. Find Ned, I guess." Ned. That was it. She turned promptly, squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment for a moment, then started to step away.

[lucky ⋆]

❅נєssιcα scσғιєℓδ❅

|| meetings in the park || location: school || tagged: Clayton ||

Staring at her phone screen, Jessie begins to feel a little ridiculous about this. It's not like she hasn't done this before. She has asked him to hang out previously. Although she guesses things are a little different between them now. Okay, a lot different. But still, this isn't something that she should maul over for this long. She lets out a frustrated sigh before beginning to type something out but was stopped when there is a sudden whisper beside her. She jumps, clutching her phone to her chest before whirling around to see who was behind her. She flushes when she realizes it was Clayton. She had a little time yesterday to assess her feelings towards him. While she didn't figure out everything, simply because there was a lot to sort out, she definitely realized she had some strong feelings towards him. Now, the simple thought of him left her all flustered. As she tries to unscramble her mind from his appearance, his new attire catches her eye. Simply because it's another new jacket. She wonders if he's been shopping recently. She personally likes the green bomber better. Not that this one doesn't look good on him, it's just a bit of a strange design with all the zippers. He can probably make anything look good. She always knows he was attractive, she was just attracted to him. Until recently that is. Seeing his new jacket makes her wonder if she should update her wardrobe. Her closet was mostly just filled with oversized sweaters and shirts with some tights and jeans. She was wearing one of those sweaters today. It was a light pink and had a cute duck pattern on it. Realizing she's been quiet for too long, she quickly tries to spit out something. "I-I..." she starts. She glances around for a second just out of nerves. She realizes she should have check if there was anyone around in the first place. There doesn't seem to be anyone though. She should have guessed considering she didn't hear any whispers or gasps. She puts her phone away and looks towards Clayton with a determined look. "I was just wondering if you were free right now." she finally blurts out. Wincing at her sudden outburst, she begins to lower her gaze to the floor. "Because, I, uh, we could maybe do something together," she suggests, fidgeting with her fingers. She was sure that she was as red as a tomato right now.


♛sкчℓαя נαcσδs♛

|| the science project || location: school || tagged: Nathaniel ||

As Skylar waits, she feels the need to reach for her phone and distract herself. Because whenever her mind was left to wander on its own she would get back on the same train of thought. She doesn't get a chance to do so though as she hears a familiar voice approaching. Her eyes widen and her grip on her arm tightens slightly. She tries to composure herself before she looks at him, keeping her expression placid as she does. When her eyes land on him though, she finds her thoughts completely freeze for a second. All she could do was stare at him. Her gaze focused on his half smile and follows him as he opens the door for her. She gets stuck on the gesture for a moment. Realizing she's been just looking at the door for a good minute, she thinks she should probably do something. Like, go into the classroom. For their project. "I-it's no problem." she quickly says before ducking and hurrying through the door. Damn, these weird thoughts. This is ridiculous. She blames all of this on Clayton. If he hadn't made that stupid comment yesterday, she wouldn't be thinking like this. She curses him wherever he is. That made her feel slightly better. Letting out a brief sigh, she focuses her attention on their project instead. She takes a seat at the table nearest to the door. She begins taking out her notes. All they really have to do now is to organize all the data they collected into a report and presentation. This may be their last meeting if they make good progress. They may meet up to practice the presentation, but other than that they were pretty much done. She feels oddly disappointed for whatever reason. She frowns at this thought and shakes her head. "So, uh, how are you doing?" she asks as she flips to the appropriate page of notes. "Not just about the whole school being nosy pests, but about yesterday and the whole thing between..." she trails off, but he probably knows what she's referring to. "I noticed that you didn't take it very well." She hopes he doesn't take this the wrong way. It was pretty obvious he didn't take the whole thing very well and even though Jessie seems to talk him through it, he still seems quite affected by it. Then with what she learnt about Clayton's feelings, she is genuinely concerned about the boy.

☀ мιcнαєℓ нαяяιsσи ☀

|| the third pair || location: school || tagged: Audrey ||

Michael quickly gathered up his things and stuff them into his backpack. It didn't take too long considering he didn't have much to gather. He didn't take notes in class or anything, so he just has one notebook that's been barely used since the beginning of the school year. He has a couple of pencils scattered in his bag along with an eraser. Other than he just had random assignment papers. Just as he zips up his bag and went to close his locker door, someone backs into him. He jumps slightly before turning to see who it was. To his surprise and delight, it was Audrey. Surprise, because he wasn't expecting anyone to be bump into him while walking backwards, especially not Audrey. Delight, because it was Audrey and he was hoping that he would see her. "That's me," he confirms with a grin when she notices it was him. She doesn't seem to hear him though as she continues on a semi-coherent spiel. From what he can gather though, it seems like the café was closed, probably for the renovations he previously heard about. He was a little curious about what they were planning to do and why. But he was more curious about Audrey's unfinished question. It seems like she suggesting something with him. But then, she's walking away. Also, who the hell is Ned? He stood there for a minute watching her step away, a little confused about what just went done. He tries to process through all her words before finally coming to the conclusion that the café is closed and she was probably free and looking for something to do. Potentially with him. Too bad, he has to take care of a sister, he doubts she would be interested in doing that with him. He knows most of his previous interests didn't. Although she may not be too against that after all she seems to like his sister. Well, since she's free anyways, so why doesn't he take the chance. He closes his locker door, he jogs up to Audrey and grabs her arm to stop her. "Hey, so you're free?" he asks to just to confirm once again. "Want to spend some time with me? I'm sure it would be more fun than whatever you have planned," he suggests with a slight smirk. "You would also be spending it babysitting with an eight-year-old. Much more exciting than trying to find Zed," he says in a sing-song voice, trying to make the whole babysitting thing a benefit and not a burden.

[adheline]

♠ C L A Y T O N ♠
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tagged⇨ Jessie locale⇨ school role⇨ meetings in the park boy

Clayton bites his lip, hiding a smile at her reaction. That will never get old. He does begin to wonder, though, if he might have startled her too much. She's silent for a beat too long, and he presses his lips together. When she does utter something, it's nothing substantial. He follows her fluttering gaze, glancing around at the hallway. More or less empty, just like the aquarium. They sure were lucky on that front. Even the park had been silent when they met up, and were it not he doubts they ever could have gotten to this point. What they've built up relied on an openness that they didn't have in front of other people. Until now, they never would have allowed themselves to get close if somebody was watching from afar. He wouldn't, anyways. He was as tight as a clam most days, unwilling to disclose aspects of his life if they even barely broached the topic of emotions. He hated that kind of vulnerability. Unless he was with Jessie. Clayton smirks at her suddenness when she asks if he's free, and the shyness that follows it. "I would like that," he agrees, leaning easily on the locker next to hers. He slips his hands into his pockets and crossed one foot over the other. Even if he didn't want to do something with her, which he definitely does, he knows Sky has her project. Michael... he needs to investigate, but Clayton doesn't want to 'hang out' with him at the moment. Nor is he in the mood for any of his other superficial friends. "My house is empty if you wanted to go there," he suggested. "Could play more games, foosball, table tennis, watch a movie. Peruse my camera collection," he shrugs. He had a heated pool if she so wanted. Never a bored night in the Fortescue household, that was for sure. Although, being alone with him in his house might not be a comforting idea to her. "Or we could go out somewhere. Ice skating, bowling." Hopefully he's not scaring her with his very date-like suggestions, but they're things he's done with his friends, too. More than anything, he wants her to enjoy herself. She's a fair bit more conservative than he is, so he wants to make sure he isn't bringing her into an unfamiliar situation if she isn't game for it.

✬ N A T H A N I E L ✬
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tagged⇨ Skylar locale⇨ school role⇨ science project boy

Nathaniel eyes Skylar curiously, wondering why she wasn't doing anything. Silence certainly wasn't something he would attribute to her when she had the chance to say something snarky. Even if it were, the startled expression on her face concerned him. He's not sure if he wants to know what's running through that pretty little head of hers. As she rushes through the door, he strays behind a moment and watches her. Odd. Deciding not to dwell on it for now, he follows after, shutting the door behind him. He had always assumed that she could face gossip without much issue, but he also knew how tiring the recent chatter might be. Not knowing how bad it must have been for her, being the center of all the attention, he chalked her distraction up to that. In any case, they had a project to get to. Nathaniel sits down next to her, pulling out his materials. He's opening his notebook to the last used page, the one with their data collections, and clicking his pen when she speaks up. He pauses, sending her another weird look, though it quickly falls into something more blank as she continues. Right, Skylar seemed to have a special perception when it pertained to him. If he were the teasing type, he might ask why she's so interested. Frankly, he doesn't want to know. He takes a moment before responding, clicking his pen again. Then again. Finally he sighs and stares at the whiteboard in the front of the room. Why not, it's not like he has anyone else to talk to about this. "I'm jealous," he admitted honestly, shrugging helplessly. "Clayton was there for her when she needed someone, he was the one she kept going back to, she didn't tell me about him. I just feel like a lousy best friend." He ran his hand through his hair. But then the worst of it: "And I realized she'll never like me the way I like her," he confided. He couldn't give her that push and pull that she wanted, and he suspected that's where her friendship with Clayton came into play. Feeling exposed, likely the way Skylar had after how own confession of jealousy, he cast a wayward glance towards her. "You didn't seem too thrilled, either, what about you?"

⊰ A U D R E Y ⊱
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tagged⇨ Michael locale⇨ school role⇨ the third girl

Goodness, Audrey had never felt capable of stumbling her words before. She was confident and cool, and nobody shook her into a fluster. Nobody but Michael. It was infuriating. She hears his footsteps, but doesn't stop until he's taken her arm. Expectant and hopeful, she turns to him. She doesn't know what he's about to say, but it seems like a good sign that he bothered to catch up with her. It wasn't too long ago that she would feel the exact opposite, but she wanted him to ask her to do something with him. For a platonic outing, of course. She nods to affirm the fact that she's free for the day, trying not to appear too eager. His cocky proposal makes her raise an eyebrow in amusement, though she's certain he would have to use his charm to convince a lot of other people. Audrey, however, finds Michael's little sister positively charming. She may not be very experienced with kids, but babysitting doesn't sound like a terrible way to make up for an empty day. "Ned, she corrects idly, smiling. Glancing around, she tapped her fingers on her bottom lip in the appearance of considering the offer. Ned was a little too interested in her anyways, and she had preferred the presence of Michael regardless. "Tempting, tempting. I do like your sister, she thinks I'm pretty," she mused, fluffing her hair jocosely. "You on the other hand, are another story." Although to be fair, if she was using her vanity to decide whether she liked people, he had implied that he was attracted to her already. And she him, but that was best forgotten. She shrugged and gestured towards the school's exit. "But I suppose I'll bless you with my company. If you don't mind driving me home after, that is. I walked to school today."

[lucky ⋆]

❅נєssιcα scσғιєℓδ❅

|| meetings in the park || location: school || tagged: Clayton ||

Jessie feels relax as he agrees to do something with her. She turns to him, moving along with him as he aligns himself against the locker beside her, mimicking his movement and leaning on her own. Her eyes widen slightly at his suggestion of going to his house, simply because of nerves. Since she's been to the house of... Well, he's not exactly a boyfriend or anything. They're... as confusing as always. But the point is that she's never been to the house of anyone one like that to her. She does perk up when he mentions his camera collection though. Not just because she's a camera nerd, but also this could be an opportunity for her to see more of his work. Her nervousness about the whole thing doesn't fade though. His next suggestion doesn't make her feel any better, she bites her lip at his suggestions. Not because they don't sound fun or anything. And she would love to do any of those with him, but currently, she isn't so sure about them hanging out in such a public place. Only because of all the gossips the school's been stirring up with yesterday's events. While she and Clayton have been seen on more friendly terms today, she knows that it would still cause a big commotion if people saw them hanging out together by themselves. She can barely deal with the current situation, she can only imagine how much fuel this would add to the fire. "Your house." she blurts out as the thought of the rumours starts to build more stress on her. Realizing how that hurried her answer was she amend it. "I mean your house would be fine. I just prefer if we had more privacy," she explains. She hopes it doesn't sound like she doesn't want to be seen with him. They did agree to keep whatever's going on between them on the down low though. It would be more comfortable for them anyways. They won't have to worry about anyone seeing them in case they get too close, which they tend to naturally do when they're alone together. "Just for now. And that camera collection sounds really interesting," she adds with a smile, just to clarify that she's cool with his suggestions.

♛sкчℓαя נαcσδs♛

|| the science project || location: school || tagged: Nathaniel ||

Skylar watches him hesitates after her question. She starts to wonder briefly if she should have asked anything. They weren't exactly friends, so even with her rephrasing, her questions could come off as hostile. That why she ask though, so perhaps, she could turn this around and follow through with what she promised with her apology to Jessie. She follows his gaze towards the whiteboard after he doesn't answer for a while. Her gaze turns back to him as he starts to answer. His response isn't too surprising. The last thing he mentions catches her attention though. In two ways. The first, the way he said it, it's like he's just crossing off another point the list. The second is how exactly he knows that. Did she express interest in anyone else? She's only interested in Clayton's newly revealed feelings. She's got to watch out for her best friend. She doesn't really have much more time to think about or question it as he turns the question on her. "Yeah, it's not exactly because of jealousy like you though, but similar with the whole thing about being a lousy best friend," she says briefly, not wanting to linger on it too much since she was more interested in what he just said. She does pause to briefly think back on the whole thing. It still kind of baffles her. For the longest time, the only people the two of them could open up to was each other. Now Clayton's found someone else and it was Jessie. She knows it's different compared to them, but still. "Well, maybe there is a bit of jealousy there. But we worked it out," she adds. It really feels like they both been through a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Perhaps, they need a bit from everything. That thought gives her the weird urge to suggest they ditch this and do something else. Although, she wants to figure out something first. "Uh, what did you mean when you said Jessie would never like you back. Do she like someone else?" she asks, a little too eager. She back off a little, she doesn't want to pressure him to answer if he doesn't want to. "Sorry, if I'm prying too much. It's just it caught my attention with how casual you said it."

☀ мιcнαєℓ нαяяιsσи ☀

|| the third pair || location: school || tagged: Audrey ||

Michael shrugs as she corrects him on the name of whoever she was going to find, because who cares. He grins as he watches her try to decide whether to take his offer or not. He lets out a small chuckle as she references what Mel said to her when the little girl first met her during the weekends. He was about to say that he thinks she's pretty too and asks if that helps sweeten the deal more, but it seems like he didn't need to mention that since agrees to his offer pretty easily. It seems like babysitting didn't seem to be that unappealing after all. He's got to thank his sister though, it seems like she helps in convincing Audrey with her overall cuteness. "That's no problem," he tells her, as he reaches into his pockets for his car keys. He jingles it in front of her face. "I got my baby back, so there is no worrying about transportation." He straightens, begins to walk past her towards one of the exits. "So, let's go then," he suggests, glancing her way briefly before continuing his steps. His locker was unfortunately in one of the places where there was no convenient exit nearby. He was complaining about it earlier in the year, but he's gotten more or less used to it. They had to pass a couple of hallways to get to the parking lot where his car is. He slows down when he hears a couple of voices as they pass through a hall. Peering into the hall, he jumps slightly at the sight of Clayton and Jessie. Mostly just at Clayton. While he and Clayton seemingly have been cool this morning, but he knows that Clayton still has some suspicion on him. He's going to try to avoid the topic as much as he can for the moment. Luckily, the two of them seem pretty focused on each other for the moment. He hurries past, ushering Audrey in front of him as Jessie spoke. Once they get to the parking lot, he leads Audrey to his car. He unlocks the door before walking towards the passenger side. He opens the door for her, just as a reflex, but he figures it might be something to hopefully leave a good impression on her too.

[adheline]

♠ C L A Y T O N ♠
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tagged⇨ Jessie locale⇨ school role⇨ meetings in the park boy

It seemed like Jessie had a few thoughts to run through, but her short answer makes him look at her curiously. Seemed like a solid answer, in any case, and she explained it so at least he had an idea what she was concerned about. Clayton was very used to letting his appearance dictate what he did. He had an image to upkeep, after all. So even if she didn't have that same concern per say, he definitely knew what she was talking about. If even just one person say them getting a little too close out in public, the whole school would know by the end of the day. People who were as well known as them, especially for fighting with each other, were something of a topic of conversation. Even with just stopping the fighting, they were causing whispers. And not-so-whispers. Privacy would be nice, yeah. They seemed to do best on their own. What's more, they did things that were a little more than friendly, and since they weren't actually dating, he wasn't entirely sure how to explain that to anyone who might see and ask about it. He smiles back, nodding his head down the hall before straightening and starting to leave. "Alright, let's go." He pats his pocket to make sure he's got his keys. It's definitely not the first time he's brought someone to his house, it's just the first time he's done so when a parent was in the country. Usually, he doesn't like for his parents to meet an interest until he's committed, and most often that doesn't happen. He doesn't foresee his mom coming home while Jessie's there, but the thought of it makes him a little nervous. Since it's never happened before, he has absolutely no idea how the woman would react. Probably embarrass him greatly, however she decides to do that. More likely, it'll just be him, Jessie, and Tamerlane. He glances over at Jessie. "How are you with big dogs, by the way? Allergies at all?" The last thing he wants is for his dog to make her sneeze to death.

✬ N A T H A N I E L ✬
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tagged⇨ Skylar locale⇨ school role⇨ science project boy

Even if he doesn't have the deepest knowledge of Skylar's relationship with Clayton, she already said they were pretty close. So Nathaniel's glad he's not the only one feeling a little off about the whole thing in terms of best friend validation. He hasn't known Jessie nearly as long as Clayton and Skylar have known each other, so honestly he would have expected her to be more upset than him even. Then again, he always had a tendency to overreact to things. Added to that is the fact that Skylar isn't hopelessly crushing on her best friend. Nathaniel sighs when she asks about Jessie's feelings, glancing away again before shifting so he's facing her more directly. He squints at her. As nosy as it is, he doesn't think she's trying to get dirt on Jessie anymore. He thinks she's coming from somewhere a little closer to genuine curiosity. But he can't ignore the keen way she asked, or the fact that she focused in on that one thing he said. It's the most embarrassing part of it all. He wouldn't have brought it up at all if Skylar hadn't already made it abundantly clear that she knew exactly how bad he had it for his friend. His family wasn't quite close enough that he could bring it up with them, and Audrey would just pity him. But he needed to say it out loud to someone. "Um, if she does she didn't tell me," he answers, wondering if that was actually the case. If it is, he'll let her say something if she feels like it. As always, he isn't going to push the issue. And even if he did know who that person would be, he wouldn't spill that information to Skylar. Enemy right now or not. What he was actually told, however, isn't anything he would consider confidential. So he might as well get it off his chest. "She wants a relationship with a 'push and pull,'" he tells her. He props his elbow on the table, then his chin in his palm. "Which we definitely don't have. But honestly, I always kind of knew this was coming." Only once or twice had he let himself hope something would come out of his feelings, but he never let it become a serious thought. He shook his head. "And that's all I'm saying about that," he said, already feeling exposed.

⊰ A U D R E Y ⊱
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tagged⇨ Michael locale⇨ school role⇨ the third girl

Audrey leaned away from the keys as he dangled them right before her nose, glad he wasn't going to say that she actually had to drive them because he still didn't have his car. He really did want her over, ride or no ride. Even if it was to split babysitting duties. Brushing her bangs aside, she followed Michael through the hallways, realizing how long she'd stayed with that teacher when they don't really come across anyone. When she does hear a voice, it's clear Michael does, too, since he slows down. Letting him snoop on the people around the corner, Audrey's watching him absently when he physically reacts to who he sees, making her raise an eyebrow. When he moves her along and she catches a glimpse of who it was, she understands. Apparently Clayton was still suspicious of him, and Audrey didn't miss the occasional glance sent her way either. She can't say what's running through his head, but she doesn't think she's as cleared from guilt as Michael tried to make her out to be. They weren't caught sneaking by, though, so it isn't really an immediate problem. Seeing Michael approach the passenger side, Audrey slows a little, thinking there's something on the seat he needs to move. But the seat is empty, and she realizes he's just holding it open for her. Nobody's ever really done that before. It's a simple gesture, usually not worth much consideration, but it's a classic. Whatever she said to people, Audrey did in fact like to be charmed the old fashion way every now and them. Of course, she had imagined it happening several years later than now, but Michael was surprisingly good at it. Especially since his usual approach to things was more inactive in nature. That is, assuming he actually was trying to impress her and it wasn't just coincidental. She eyed him for a second, then slid into the seat. "Thank you." She buckled and waited until he was settled in himself before glancing over. "So how long are we babysitting for?"

[lucky ⋆]

❅נєssιcα scσғιєℓδ❅

|| meetings in the park || location: school || tagged: Clayton ||

Jessie feels herself relax when he seems to understand her concerns, even with her awkward outburst and wording. Although, she’s still a little nervous about the concept being in his house, alone with him. She'll probably get over after they spend some time there. But she feels like it's a little silly to feel that way. After all, he didn't seem to have any problem with going to her house. In any case, it doesn't really matter since she does really want to hang out with him. And even though it makes her nervous, it's probably the place that she feels the most comfortable apart from maybe her house. That's unfortunately not an option today since her dad has the day off and is at the house right now. She nods and follows him along when he starts walking toward the exit. She pauses briefly by the door to the parking lot as she listens to his question. “No, no allergies,” she answers before opening the door and walking out to the parking lot. She almost wondered why he asking, but the reason is obvious. Besides, she somehow already knew he had a dog. She tries to figure exactly how she knew that before remembering he mentioning forgetting to feed his dog that first day they met in the park. She even asked about them the morning afterward, albeit it was to change the subject. Goodness, that seems little ages ago. “Right, you mention having a dog before.” she lets her thought slip out. Even though she hasn't heard much about his dog, she's excited to finally meet them. She's never had any pets herself, but she's always been an animal lover. She hopes that they like her. She probably should some questions about them, so she can make a good impression. Especially since she really doesn't know anything about them. Clayton hasn't really mention much of them all this time she spends with him. “What’s their name? What kind of dog are they? How are they with strangers?” she asks, one question after the other, barely pausing at all. Realizing she’s getting a little too excited and not giving him enough time to answer, she shrinks back a little. “Um, so, yeah. I’m okay with them.”

♛sкчℓαя נαcσδs♛

|| the science project || location: school || tagged: Nathaniel ||

Skylar could see from Nathaniel's reaction to her questioning that she's pushing the topic too far. She really wants to know the answers though, so she just gives him a sheepish smile. Luckily, he seems to recognize her genuine curiosity and need to gets this off his chest. She breezes pass through his answer to her first part of her question since it didn't reveal anything. She raises an eyebrow when he tells her that Jessie wants a 'pull and pushes' kind of relationship. She just didn't expect from the meek girl. Then again, she knows exactly how feisty Jessie can actually be from her interactions with Clayton and occasionally herself. She guesses Clayton would have a pretty good chance here considering that's what their relationship mostly consists of. She feels a little bad from thinking this upon hearing his next few words. He sounds so defeated. She feels the need to comfort him even though she's obligated to root for Clayton, being his best friend. She gives him an encouraging smile, to hopefully lift his spirits and tell him that she's not going to question any further. "Well, that's not to say that it's impossible for her to like you that way," she tells him. She knows that the possibility is unlikely given the girl's preference, but there is still a possibility. "But in any case, I'm sure you'll find your match. There are plenty of people out there." She knows it's a cliche thing to say, but it's true. She looks back down at her notebook, realizing it's probably time they should start the project. "Right." she starts, but can't seem to continue. She's stuck on the brief idea that came to her before she asked him all that. She pauses. It's definitely a reasonable idea since even though they sorted everything this out, they definitely still have some of yesterday in their heads. They need to clear their minds. That's why she's suggesting this and no other reason. "So, uh, I think we both been through a bit of an emotionally draining day yesterday. Why we skip this meeting and do something else?" she ultimately decides to ask, trying to make it sound as casual as possible. "Together." she hesitantly clarifies. "We are ahead in our assignment."

☀ мιcнαєℓ нαяяιsσи ☀

|| the third pair || location: school || tagged: Audrey ||

It seems like opening the door for her was a more notable gesture than Michael thought it would be. He's kind of used to doing for girls on dates, so it was just second nature for him. He's not going to tell Audrey that though since he's pretty sure that she wouldn't be as impressive by the gesture. He'll just play it to his advantage. "My pleasure," he says with his classical smile before closing the passenger side door and going to around to the driver's side. He gets and buckles up before starting the car, heading in the directions of his little sister's school. He glances towards Audrey as she spoke. "Just a few hours until my dad comes home," he says. While his dad couldn't negotiate the day off, he did manage to switch some things around, so he can leave a little early today. "It shouldn't too much trouble in any case. I just got to make sure Mel gets to feed and does her homework," he tells her, just in case she's worried about this whole babysitting thing. They should have plenty of them just to themselves. He soon arrives by Melissa's school, parking in one of the stops near the entrance. "Wait here for a sec.," he says to Audrey before hopping out of his car to pick up Mel. He a little trouble at first finding where exactly the pickup spot is since it's been a while since he's done this. Luckily his sister help solves his problem by running up and hugging him. After saying goodbye to her teacher, they return to his car. Once getting her set in the back, he gets into the driver seat once "Alright Mel, you remember Audrey right," he says while he restarts the car. Melissa looks at Audrey beside him, squinting for a moment before her face lights up. "Oh, you're the pretty lady I met on Saturday! Hi!" she exclaims, making Michael chuckle slightly. "Well, she's going to be visiting our house until dad comes home, okay?" he explains to her. "Okay, sounds good." the little girl nods before turning her attention to Audrey. "I'll give you a tour of our house if you want?"