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Post by Clarissa Swanson on Jan 29, 2009 19:29:55 GMT -5
"Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, and as of March 2003, has 52 confirmed satellites."
Clarissa turned her head to see a picture of the giant planet flash across the screen as the voice in the speakers continued.
She was sitting cross-legged on the carpeted ground, not really caring about what people would think. Besides, no one was here, anyways. She sighed and leaned back, supporting her weight with her hands. As the announcer continued to describe the "beauty" of Jupiter, Clarissa sighed and closed her eyes, enjoying the peaceful blackness that surrounded. Nothing but her and the "sky" overhead. A shooting star flashed across the pretend sky.
Minus the giant planet that was blocking her view, this was just like the sky back home. Without light pollution, Clarissa could see... everything. As a little girl, she and her brothers would sit outside and watch for shooting stars, laughing and drinking sodas well into the early morning. If only she could do that now....
"What's gotten into you, Clarissa?" she muttered, shaking her head. "You came here to explore the world... why are you homesick?" She frowned and kept her eyes closed. It didn't really matter whether they were open or not - she could still see the sky either way. The one on the screen and the one she missed.
((Sorry it's short for a beginning... I've gotta run!)) |
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Post by Alec Bryant on Jan 29, 2009 19:42:08 GMT -5
Alec continued walking, he had an open book in his hand. His eyes scanned the page, how he hated studying. He bit his lip stopping to let someone by, he heard someone talking. He jerked his head up looking around, he did a complete circle before looking to his left. He smirked and crept over. He cocked his head as she talked to herself, he sat next to her. "I heard homesickness is common in freshmen."
He opened the book again and continued reading, he could talk and read. He blocked out the noise of the announcer. "I thought you liked Theaters? Why are you in the Science center?" he held back a chuckle. He turned the page, 'Chlorine' was at the top. He groaned and tried flipping to the next chapter, the Chlorine chapter never seemed to end. He shut the book and leaned back, he flicked the hair from his face, but it only held for a moment before falling back in front of his eyes. He raised an eyebrow, awkward silence always got him. [/font]
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Post by Clarissa Swanson on Jan 29, 2009 21:14:32 GMT -5
As another voice interrupted her thoughts, Clarissa's eyes shot open and she jumped nearly a foot in the air. She turned to the speaker and glared at him, irritated. "You could have given me a heart attack!" she gasped, her heart still beating faster than normal. She put her right hand over her heart, like children did when they said the Pledge, and waited for it to slow.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, not wanting this person to think she was a jerk or something. Her mother had always said that first impressions were the first step to friendship. "I'm here because I like the quiet and darkness," she said, her voice low and calm now. "And why are you reading in the dark? You'll kill your eyes." She smiled and looked at his book.
A moment of awkward silence passed, and Clarissa remembered that she hadn't introduced herself yet. "I'm Clarissa, by the way," she said after a moment, and held out her hand. "You?"
She was the kind of girl to fall for a boy easily, and he was no exception. Back in her small town, people didn't dress like he did. In fact, people would gawk at him if he were to walk down the streets. So many people, so many strange faces she wasn't used to seeing here.... |
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Post by Alec Bryant on Jan 29, 2009 21:27:01 GMT -5
Alec chuckled shaking his head. The awkward silence always seemed ot linger. He smirked,"Kill my eyes? Nooo..." he said in a mocking manner. He chuckled. "Nice name, by the way." he said turning his head to look at her. "Alec's the name. Alec Bryant." he shook her hand, gently, calmly.He let go of her hand and looked away as he stood up pulling his jeans back up, they always slid down showing some of his boxers. He sat back down,"So uhhh, What's with Jupiter?"
He listened for a minute,"So you like quiet and darkness. That's new..." he said. His voice always soft with a quick end. People described it as a calm, almost breezy voice. One you wish would continue talking, one that never got old. He smiled and flicked his hair from his face with his right hand. Suddenly it dawned on him,"Sorry if I'm annoying you or bombarding you with questions....I'm just bored." he said smirking, he looked at her again before glancing off somewhere else. [/font]
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Post by Clarissa Swanson on Jan 29, 2009 21:39:35 GMT -5
She smiled at him as they shook hands. She liked his name. Short. Simple. Easy to remember. As he stood up, she wondered if he was leaving, but quickly looked away, blushing, when she saw that he was pulling up his pants. It wasn't something she was used to, though plenty of other students had sagging pants as well. She was just a farmer's daughter, not used to the rest of the world. Yet.
"Oh, I don't mind questions," she said, laughing quietly - almost nervously. "Questions mean answers and usually that means getting to know people better." She smiled again, wondering if she was talking too much. Stupid southern draw, she said in her mind. She wished she was born somewhere fancier. A better heritage. A richer family. Maybe some magical place like New York or England. Somewhere... important. Who'd ever heard of Round Top, Texas?
"So if you don't mind me asking... where are you from, Alec?" she asked. |
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Post by Alec Bryant on Jan 29, 2009 21:52:20 GMT -5
Alec smirked,"Where I'm From?" he echoed, he cocked his head as if thinking. "What's that place called, oh right...Los Angeles." he said with a smirk. He had hated it there. He looked at her again,"And you?" He asked, he smiled as he said it. He liked her voice, it was amusing, yet new.
"You must have come from somewhere special." he said adding that. He watched her for a minute before looking away, he looked around. No one else was around. It felt awkward suddenly, but he ignored that feeling. "So what do you do for fun around here?" he asked her, looking at her. [/font]
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Post by Clarissa Swanson on Jan 29, 2009 22:00:03 GMT -5
Wow. Los Angeles, she thought, a little envious. So that means he's got all sorts of exciting stories to tell. She looked down at her lap, embarrassed for some reason, but she didn't know what.
"Texas," she answered. "Round Top, Texas. Nothing special." She grimaced and shrugged. Even the name sound stupid. Why name it Round Top in the first place? Why not something fancy and exciting? She wished it were something close to San Antonio or El Paso. Now that would sound more... Texan.
She looked back up at him as he switched topics. She liked the way his voice sounded. She liked the way he looked. Even though her mother would probably not approve and her brothers would tease her nonstop. Did they expect her to marry some redneck farmer? "Well... I don't really come here often. Something just told me it would be nice and quiet here," she admitted, her smile returning. She smiled too much. "I'm usually outdoors, to tell you the truth." |
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Post by Alec Bryant on Jan 29, 2009 22:06:29 GMT -5
Alec nodded. "Texas is cool." he said looking at her again,"Sooo, You are telling me you feel out of place? Well hell....you being new is what makes it fun! You get to see exciting new people." he smirked and bent his knee so he could rest his chin on it.
"Of course, that makes sense, you are from Texas. If I wasn't studying, I'd have been outside, and like, that would have meant I wouldn't have been talking to you. Instead I'd be with my skateboard.....that'd be boring compared to this." he cocked his head. "So what do you do outside?" he asked, it was a lame question, but he planned on getting to know her. [/font]
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Post by Clarissa Swanson on Jan 29, 2009 22:34:23 GMT -5
She shrugged at his observation. Texas was cool... if you knew where to go. Like Galveston. Or Dallas. Or San Antonio. Round Top was just Round Top, however. A small town nestled in southeast Texas. She looked back at the artificial sky, her eyes following another shooting star as it streaked across the ceiling. She wondered if it would really count if she made a wish on one of these stars.
She listened as he continued talking, not really caring who spoke. She liked the sound of his voice. It was... different. Not different in a bad or weird way. It had a nice ring to it. She wouldn't mind if he kept talking and talking. She laughed as he finally asked her a question - lame, yes, but she didn't mind.
"Well... they don't have much to do on campus," she said with a sigh. "But back at home, I would follow what my brothers did. Let's see... there was horseback riding, wrestling (but I always lost), archery, climbing trees, running... and swimming." She smiled and leaned back, resting on her arms again. She could almost imagine the cool water of the stream splashing her skin.
Suddenly she was dragged back to reality and she remembered him sitting next to her. "Oh! Sorry if I'm babbling... I do that... often," she said, blushing. She hoped it was too dark for him to see the rosy hue that painted her cheeks. |
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Post by Alec Bryant on Jan 30, 2009 9:45:14 GMT -5
Alec grinned,"I knew it! Horseback riding!" he cocked his head when she suddenly apologized. "Babbling? Why are you sorry for talking? You're clearly homesick, and staring at Jupiter isn't going to help that...." he watched her for a moment. He didn't noticed if she blushed, and wouldn't have cared if she did. He blushed a lot, he blushed around friends. He stood up,"So you like outdoor hobbies, have you signed up for any sports?"
He had not, not yet. He planned on either cross country or swim team. He wasn't sure just yet. He bit his lip and looked at the ceiling. He watched the shooting stars, he wouldn't know to make a wish on any of them. He flicked the hair from his face and looked around again, he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He rolled his eyes and shoved it back in. He crossed his arms in front of him, he looked at her. He seemed to enjoy watching her, too much for his own comfort. [/font]
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Post by Clarissa Swanson on Jan 30, 2009 17:28:52 GMT -5
Clarissa laughed at his sudden exclamation, not really knowing why she found it so amusing. She looked up to see him looking at her and blushed again, looking up towards the stars. The announcer was no more than a background noise now.
"Have you signed up for any sports?"
She liked the way he seemed to jump from topic to topic, and wondered if he did it purposefully or just out of habit. "I signed for Cross Country just yesterday," she answered, her southern draw shining through her words, like they always did when she didn't keep a close eye on her speech. But she was comfortable enough around this boy to be able to speak freely. "What about you? Have you signed for any sports?"
She was having to tilt her head upwards now, since he'd stood up. She wondered if he was going to leave.... She watched him pull out his phone, roll his eyes, put the phone back in his pocket, and cross his arms. Was he waiting for someone? As he looked back down at her, Clarissa didn't look away. Her mind wanted her to drop her gaze, but she refused. Even when she felt her cheeks go warm. |
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Post by Alec Bryant on Jan 30, 2009 18:09:31 GMT -5
Alec shrugged,"Cross Country. I enjoyed it in High school..." he stated. He tensed his jaw, as he tried ignoring the fact he enjoyed talking to her. He looked away, he focused on something else. He wasn't sure he was ready to 'crush' on anyone, and yet he was. He easily did, and he felt it was too early. 'Love at first sight...' he'd never believe it. He never had believed it, and how come it seemed to be true now?
He bit his lip and let out a sigh. He put his hand in his pocket the other was holding the book,"Want to take a walk or something?" he asked looking at her again. Not once did he let any emotion show through his eyes, he couldn't risk it. A wrong idea would only make it awkward. He flicked the hair from his face stepping back, he looked around before looking back at her. "So why are you, like, alone? Don't you have like a boyfriend or something?" he said. Then it dawned on him, he immediately looked away. 'Way to go genius, niiiice slip. How awkward you idiot! Oh god she's gonna think you are sooo creepy...' he thought to himself. He tensed, and he was afraid his eyes would give it away. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, damn that was awkward. [/font]
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Post by Clarissa Swanson on Jan 30, 2009 18:27:22 GMT -5
There was no doubt about it. Clarissa was definitely crushing on this boy. She smiled and pushed herself to her feet in one swift motion, rubbing her stiff wrist. "Sure," she said, sounding a little too eager. She mentally slapped herself. Stupid! Don't scare him away! she snapped in her head.
She laughed nervously at his next question and looked down at her feet. Like a child, she rocked back and forth with her hands clasped behind her back, feeling oddly light at his previous offer. "Er... well... I don't really have a boyfriend," she said quietly, her face bright red. At least it was dark in this room, right? "I mean, who'd want to date a redneck like me?" She frowned slightly, remembering the last boy she'd gotten very close to. He'd turned her down and walked away, calling her a redneck. It wasn't a memory she liked to revisit.
"But what about you? Won't your girlfriend be angry if she saw you walking with me?" She smiled at him sheepishly, wondering if he even had a girlfriend. If he did... well, she didn't what. She just hoped he didn't. |
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Post by Alec Bryant on Jan 30, 2009 18:39:12 GMT -5
Alec frowned at her response,"Who would want to? How about, what idiot wouldn't want to?" he slipped again. He bit his lip, 'Damnit!' he cursed in his mind. 'Wheres like, the nearest trashcan?' he looked around again. "Wow I sound so creepy..." he said with a nervous laugh. He shook his head.
The next question came as a shock. "Girlfriend?" he shook his head and laughed. "Heck no. Who'd be interested in me? wait...don't answer that..." he pursed his lips. "No I don't have one, haven't had one in like...two years." he shrugged. No one was ever interested in him. He blushed himself suddenly, he looked at the ground. Thank god he had bangs that covered his face. [/font]
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Post by Clarissa Swanson on Jan 30, 2009 18:58:17 GMT -5
When was she going to stop blushing?! Clarissa laughed and ran her hand through her hair, something she did when she was nervous. "Well I'm flattered," she said sarcastically, batting her eyelashes.
She straightened and became serious (well, as serious as was acceptable for her) and smiled. No girlfriend? She wondered why.... "Well, why not? You're cute and sweet and funny..." she trailed off, feeling awkward. Idiot! she thought, mad at herself. Always saying the most embarrassing things! This is going to be the death of you, I swear....
There was an awkward silence as he looked down at his feet, and Clarissa wondered why. Is he... sad? she thought worriedly. "Hey... if I said something I apologize...." she began softly, bending closer to him so she could see his face. |
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