The Troubled Student (closed)

[scarlettnuit]

Dani could only raise her eyebrow in mild amusement when he asked about her history with the illustrious Cindy.

“No. We used to be friends when we were younger, but she hasn’t talked to me in…God, ages…and I’m more than ok with that,” she told him, and it was true.

When he spoke of his preference to hang around her she started to feel uncomfortable. She wasn’t used to people being nice to her, especially those of an authoritative nature. She discretely chewed the inside of her cheek, something she often did during points of anxiety, and was glad her gloves were securely in place as she felt her hands start to cool.

“Anyway,” she began, her back straightening and going rigid, “is there something I can do to get out of this bullshit?” she asked, realizing she had gone from somewhat pleasant to seemingly angry like a car in a drag race.

“I don’t need a babysitter, I just need to be left alone and get everyone off my back. If necessary I’ll just take the fucking GED test,” she added, hoping that her attitude would make him willing to get rid of her and not press her presence in these little after school sessions.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Trevor didn't get the sense there was much more behind this little thing with Dani's old friend than she claimed, so he let it drop for now.

Dani's attitude, however, had gone from warm to cold, whether triggered by the incident or something else he couldn't make out from her surface thoughts and emotions. She was all over the place, torn between liking and distrusting his attention, and an acute displeasure at her situation. Years as a high school teacher had hardened him against that sort of mindset, though, and he didn't take any of it personally.

“I don’t need a babysitter, I just need to be left alone and get everyone off my back. If necessary I’ll just take the fucking GED test,” she said.

Trevor frowned at her casual swearing, even if it might be a sign of comfort with him rather than an attempt at sounding aloof and mature. Her surface thoughts echoed her spoken sentiments, yet underneath all that he felt something else. His "bridge" with Dani was giving him insights into things much deeper, a glimpse at her subconscious even she might not recognize. It felt invasive to read her like this, but he had no control over the formation of the bridge or the insight it granted.

Need. Desire. Acceptance. Independence. Validation. So many things warred deep within this young woman. Normal things, granted, but things she might have greater need of than many given her family situation and intellectual ability to compartmentalize and rationalize things away. If she were to ever be whole, ever to realize her full potential, someone would have to crack open that shell.

Him. Trevor knew it was foolish, but that bridge went two ways. It chipped away at his own instinctual response to her - desire, protectiveness, lust. Those feelings gnawed at him, making his palms sweat like a nervous schoolboy trying to ask a girl out for the first time. His heart pounded and his groin tingled.

Trevor shook his head, trying to reign himself in. His eyes had wandered across her body, taking in both her exposed flesh and covered but suggested curves. He forced himself to look her in the eye.

"No," he said, steadying his voice. "You don't need a babysitter. But you do need something. You need someone. Someone in whom you can confide, in whom you can lose yourself."

What the hell was he saying? The bridge was overwhelming his own good sense, almost becoming its own conscious entity in control of his mind and body.

He stepped closer to Dani and lowered his voice.

"And so you'll keep coming here, every day, until you accept that I'm the one you can trust to tell about...this."

Trevor reached out and took one of Dani's gloved hands in his, almost afraid of the chill he knew might be there.

 

[scarlettnuit]

She hated the war she constantly fought within herself, the need to be self-sufficient and closed off so that she could save herself the pain of being hurt by others, and the need to not be alone. It often caused her to stop herself in the middle of whatever course she was on, whenever she felt that she might find someone to confide in, she slammed on the proverbial brakes and back away.

Only now, as Trevor stopped her, she felt there was something different about him, not that she could put her finger on it. When he reached for her hands, her nerves caused her stomach to tighten into a nauseating ball. When he took her hand, there was a thick layer of frost on her gloves that she knew she couldn’t explain. She pulled her hand away from his touch and held it for a moment. After several moments of contemplation, she slowly removed her gloves to reveal her hand, at the moment, a pale shade of blue pooling down from her elegant slender fingers and into her palm.

“They…they get cold…and they freeze things…” she admitted as she looked down at them in shame and embarrassment. “Most of the time I can control it, but when I get nervous…” she paused and didn’t know what else to say.

She looked up at him and waited for the verdict. As she prepared to be reported and carted off to some government agency, she willed the rest of her body to remain normal, even as she felt the temperature of her hands drop.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Trevor marveled at the color of her hands, the cold palpably radiating off them. He'd crossed paths with several others with various powers, all of whom kept a low profile for many of the same reasons Dani was, but never one quite like this. The science teacher in him wanted to know how it worked, what her limits were, but he put that aside for the moment.

Dani was afraid, ashamed, and nervous. Yet, she'd complied rather than hide or deny.

"That's amazing," Trevor said, honestly. He reached back out, this time touching her further up the arm and slowly sliding down toward her hands until it became so cold he feared suffering frostbite. Her flesh had to be astonishingly cold to be so painful on contact. No wonder she was afraid of what she could do, especially if she sometimes lacked control. He slide his hand back up to her elbow where he could still tolerate the cold.

"Your secret is safe with me," he said, looking her in the eyes. "No one will come cart you away. Not if I can help it. Besides, they'd have to get through me first."

Trevor wanted to give her more assurance that he wasn't just saying the words. Did he risk revealing his own abilities? How would she react? Few were comfortable around those who could read their thoughts. Still, the longer he waited to tell her, the more it might come across as a betrayal.

He tapped his temple. "Trust me, if someone came here and meant you harm, I'd know. You're not alone..."