Just for a second

[Apollo Wilde]

Smiling, she scooted her chair closer to him, their shoulders touching.

"There is pro volleyball, don't get me wrong, but an athlete doesn't have a long shelf-life. Something blows out, and if you're lucky, it doesn't require multiple surgeries. Besides...." and she looked down into her coke before taking a long swig, "I love volleyball. I don't want to get burned out on it. I play like I do because there's nothing like being out there on the court, the moment when you know everyone is cheering for you and your body just becomes this machine. You act without knowing why. It's this huge rush."

At the mention of writing, she blushed a little. "I do...some writing....but I doubt I could ever be professional. I like talking about works that other people have done. There's so much fertile ground within one of Shakespeare's sonnets; I could just mull over them forever."

Now, a comfortable silence fell across the two. She didn't know what else to really say to him, but she enjoyed the silence as well. It was nice....she hadn't really been able to talk to anyone like this in a long time.

"You know..." she said at last, "I really want to thank you for coming out with me tonight. We should do this more often - if you can pencil me in between your video games," and the smile she gave him was good natured, not mocking or malicious.

 

[musicankane]

Jake glanced over at her, unsure of what to make of this. On one hand she had only come up to him because she needed something. To get his help in math. Yet she seemed to want it to become something more, but what? He took a deep mental breath and tried to piece it together.

He had gotten her to flash him her breasts, though still held within a bra, it was still kind of a sleezy request to make. Then it hit him, this inviting him out and this drink and such. She was trying to get him comfortable around her, lulled into a fake friendship so she could get the rest of the lessons she needed from him without further payment. Sneaky sneaky.

Did he really care though? He had to admit to himself that hanging out with her wasnt all that bad. He was a bit nervous, err rather shy was probably a better word, but still it was kind of good getting out of his shell. The looks he got from people were kind of fun too. How many people were wondering just why the hell was the hottie sitting next to him even here with him.

"I suppose I could fit you in between dragon slayings." He told her, "But I cant ever do Thursdays because I have prior commitments on Thursday nights. Just a warn because I am nothing if not commited to my nerdom."

He nudged her and asked, "So you're a literally type but with the athletic prowess of a female Micheal Jordan. You've seriously picked interests out of a hat." He smirked. "Im kidding. But think about it. People into sports like sports related things for the most part. If you saw a biker like a real tatooed, bearded, ripped son of a bitch you would never peg him for someone who runs like a preschool day care or something. Not saying it couldnt happen but you get the metaphor right."

He took a sip of his drink and grunted as the jack burned straight down. "So what kind of movies do you like? I mean stuff not based on literary works."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Selina herself had learned a long time ago that people usually approached you when they wanted something - but the something that they wanted could be a good thing. Like, time or affection. It was only when the things they wanted were material that it usually didn't end well. True, she had approached Jake because she thought he could help her, but she was actually enjoying her time with him. It was nice not to have to feel like she had to be "on" for anyone.

When he nudged her, she nudged him back, mirth sparkling in her brown eyes. "Oh, well, I would like it if you could fit me in. Between the dragon slayings and damsel rescuing that goes with it. And I like what I like," and believe it or not, she pouted a little. She was so used to taking anyone saying anything about her interests as an attack she began to wonder if she was too quick in giving Jake a chance. Funny that even the "nerd" would have something to say about what she liked. But then he smirked...and she was set at ease. He was just teasing her. "I guess that makes sense. And most of the people on the team are like that. I guess I would just fall into that groove."

Before she could get to his question about movies, HE came in, and she stopped mid sentence. Toppers was unusually quiet, but that didn't mean it was deserted. He was about 6'2, tan, dark blonde, with baby blue eyes and a lean muscular build, confidence exuding from every movement. He was Robert "Bobby" Evans - captain of the school's swim team, and probably THE most popular guy on campus. It was no surprise that he had girls throwing themselves at him - but he would always kindly turn them down. Despite his refusal of the constant barrage of girls, there weren't any rumors about him being gay. If anything, he got the free "He works so hard" pass to do what he wanted.

Selina just stared at him. You could almost see the little cartoon hearts coming from her eyes and floating around her head. It wasn't like she was meaning to be rude to Jake at all, but she just had this thing for Robert. Selina and the opposite sex didn't really get along as far as the "dating" thing went, but she was often surrounded by guys as much as she was by girls. The reason being was that Selina was solidly one of the "bros." A friend zone for chicks, if you will. But, being naturally shy and painfully ignorant of the rules between the sexes, she really hadn't noticed. She just wondered why no one asked her out like they seemed to ask out her team mates.

Even the waiter setting down the pizza couldn't really distract her from her gazing. And then, Robert was joined by another figure. If Robert was who all the girls wanted, then the girl that came in with him was who all the guys wanted. That would be Kate Green - the quintessential blonde (eerily like Robert - what was it with blondes? Geez). She had shoulder length blonde hair, big brown eyes, and a bust to match. She was one of the cheerleaders for the school - and not the typical high school-eseque cheerleader. They competed regularly in gymnastics and acrobatics well. Seeing Kate, Selina's shoulders visibly sagged, and she turned back to her coke, idly blowing bubbles in it. Like she would ever have a chance with Robert. She was, well, muscular and not the most feminine in the world. Who would want a volleyball player over a cheerleader? Come on now. Well, at least the smell of the pizza served as a distraction. Her stomach growling lightly, she reached over and helped herself to a slice.

"Oh, I guess I like action movies," she said around a mouthful of warm cheese. She sounded much more half-hearted than she had before, but she didn't want to just start venting to Jake. She'd just met him, and she was sure that he was focused on Kate as well. That's what she did to guys. Maybe one day Selina could say that she did the same. "Like, I love the 'Die Hard' series. And the old Rambo movies, too!" But at this point, she knew she was fighting a loosing battle. Jake would probably be glued to Kate and forget all about her. Well, it was what it was. If that was the case, she'd eat, pay for everything, and head out. She'd have to do a few laps around the track anyway to burn this stuff off.

Of course Robert and Kate weren't alone; they were joined by their respective team mates. Although Jake had been amused by the looks they were getting, they were soon becoming the focus of the room.

"Hey Selina, how's it going?"

And she stopped mid-bite, coughing a little. Just because she got goo-goo over Robert and felt stupid for not being able to hold it together didn't mean that he responded in turn. In fact, him and Selina actually spoke to each other on a semi-regular bases - much more than many other people got to. Not because she was "special" - or that she knew of-, but because they were usually in the gym at the same time (which was all of the time). As serious as she was about volleyball, that's how he was about swimming. She didn't see Kate that often (generally because she was in a different part of the gym), but she was friendly with the girl as well. Even though Kate probably had the guy she had a massive crush on hooked by the nose.

Oh well.

"Oh, Bobby...." she managed out, between coughs, before taking a giant swig of her coke. "It's....going." Robert didn't know about her grade problems - no one really did, with the exception of her best friend, Amanda. And, obviously, the teacher. Their friendly banter didn't go THAT far into personal lives.

"Good to hear it," and something in his blue eyes said that he didn't believe her. Before he could probe deeper, Kate flopped down next to Jake. "Heya 'Lina, mind if I steal some of this? I'm famished!" Kate reached across Jake to the pizza, giving him a good eyeful of her chest. She wore a low cut pink top that brought out her tanned skin, and a blue jean skirt. Around both of her wrists sparkled an assortment of bracelets, and she smelled of perfume and tanning lotion. "I'm so sorry," she said, sitting back up straight and looking at Jake, "I usually don't act like this, I promise. I'm Kate Green," and she offered him her hand. "I think I've seen you around before in the back of one of my classes." Unlike Robert, Kate had...well, a reputation. And it wasn't really a good one. She was indeed the bitchy cheerleader - and the main reason why she was being half-way decent to Jake was because he was with Selina. Selina could be known as a bitch, but most people on the sports teams around the school who had gotten used to her refusals of parties knew that she was actually a very nice girl. Kate would often use that to her advantage - and because Selina was so distracted most of the time, Selina never really saw Kate for what she was, and was nothing but friendly to her.

Shaking his head a little, Robert sat down next to Selina, the rest of their respective crew dispersing in Toppers. "So I caught the last part of the game - you really killed it. You're playing like you've got everything on the line." He crossed his long legs, straightening out his jeans. He wore a dark green shirt, jeans, and flip flops, and this close to Selina, she could smell the shampoo that he used in his still damp hair.

"Yeah, you don't even know the half of it," Selina muttered into her coke.