Amber seemed confused about the class, and the reason soon became clear: she was writing for some internet site. Aaron suddenly understood completely. She was probably writing some sort of horrible, pornographic fanfiction about characters from a TV show or something. Getting caught at that had to be really embarrassing. He wondered what sort of steamy detail was so important that it merited instant notation, then dismissed the thought. He really didn't need to know.
Amber seemed eager to move the conversation on, and Aaron obliged.
"Oh, yeah," he said, "we were discussing being abandoned in the mall by sorry excuses for friends and family."
His family wasn't really that bad, actually, just inconsiderate and overbearing. Sometimes they drove him crazy, but that too could have been worse. He could have been stuck in a country where parents couldn't be questioned, or his could have actually interfered with his life more than occasionally.
"By the way," he added, moving the conversation away from the ground they had already covered, "are you guys getting excited about graduation? I am so ready to be out of Bayview, and away from Mr. Alpert."
The math teacher was the closest thing to a nemesis Aaron had, in that he seemed determined to make simple concepts incomprehensible and good grades unattainable.
Stranded in this Shopping Hell
Open
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
-
Acelister†
- Posts: 245
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:04 am
Rizzo was glad that the conversation seemed to be moving away from him and their crappy days. At least looking towards the future was a good step away from it.
"I think I'm ready for the real world..." he nodded. "I don't know what I wanna do at college though..."
Aaron seemed to have a thing specifically against the maths teacher though. Probably gave hard homework or something - it wasn't like maths was an easy subject, even with caffeine pills.
"Totally not maths." he added. "I had enough of that four years ago..."
"I think I'm ready for the real world..." he nodded. "I don't know what I wanna do at college though..."
Aaron seemed to have a thing specifically against the maths teacher though. Probably gave hard homework or something - it wasn't like maths was an easy subject, even with caffeine pills.
"Totally not maths." he added. "I had enough of that four years ago..."
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Acelister. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
"Mr. Alpert? Oh hell yeah! He's so confusing; I swear I don't know half of what he's on about!"
Not that maths had ever been her forté, the conversation was hardly the key thing on her mind right now! The topic was changing away from the much more important facts of the relationship, and if she didn't change it back carefully, her entire cover could easily be blown!
Her next move would have to be planned very carefully...
"I'm pretty excited about college, myself. I mean, we get to be more independent and stuff, and there's plenty of stuff on campus to enjoy! I'm pretty sure I'll end up doing a course in journalism, or whatever they call it at Univeristy."
Stay focused Amber: you've managed to get on their good side, and you're in a conversation, but damn it if you don't have a job to do in here! You better fall back on the crude methods.
"What about you, Tony?" Amber asked, looking at Aaron.
It wasn't the most graceful way to get information, picking a random name out of a hat and hoping they correct you, and it was especially volatile if you weren't on good terms. However, she seemed to be getting comfortable enough with them, so with any luck they wouldn't be too annoyed at her mistaking their names, and if whoever Tony was corrected her, she wouldn't have much trouble making sure she had gotten the little one's name right too.
Not that maths had ever been her forté, the conversation was hardly the key thing on her mind right now! The topic was changing away from the much more important facts of the relationship, and if she didn't change it back carefully, her entire cover could easily be blown!
Her next move would have to be planned very carefully...
"I'm pretty excited about college, myself. I mean, we get to be more independent and stuff, and there's plenty of stuff on campus to enjoy! I'm pretty sure I'll end up doing a course in journalism, or whatever they call it at Univeristy."
Stay focused Amber: you've managed to get on their good side, and you're in a conversation, but damn it if you don't have a job to do in here! You better fall back on the crude methods.
"What about you, Tony?" Amber asked, looking at Aaron.
It wasn't the most graceful way to get information, picking a random name out of a hat and hoping they correct you, and it was especially volatile if you weren't on good terms. However, she seemed to be getting comfortable enough with them, so with any luck they wouldn't be too annoyed at her mistaking their names, and if whoever Tony was corrected her, she wouldn't have much trouble making sure she had gotten the little one's name right too.
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
Rizzo and Amber both agreed about the evils of mathematics, Amber specifically sympathizing on the subject of Mr. Alpert, which pleased Aaron. Amber then went on to say she might want to do something with journalism in college.
Then she asked what Tony wanted to do. Aaron missed a beat before he realized she was addressing him.
Tony? Who on earth is Tony?
Aaron wasn't even sure there were any Tonys at Bayview. He certainly didn't know any. Maybe there was one in the Junior class or something. It really wasn't important. Everyone made mistakes from time to time, and, now that he thought of it, he'd avoided giving Amber his name. He'd been trying to make her feel awkward. That had just backfired pretty nicely.
"Er, Aaron, actually," he corrected, smiling, "Aaron Hughes. And I'm not sure. I've got a lot of things I like. Maybe something with mythology. Really, though, I'd love to be a game designer."
Aaron paused for half a second, frowned slightly, remembering he wasn't dealing with his normal group of friends, and realizing they probably wouldn't have any idea what he was talking about, then elaborated.
"Roleplaying games, I mean, not video games. Dungeons and Dragons, that stuff. You need to know how to write well, how to design things, and, above all, you need to be willing to do a lot of research."
Or just make crazy stuff up and hope no one notices it doesn't make sense...
Then she asked what Tony wanted to do. Aaron missed a beat before he realized she was addressing him.
Tony? Who on earth is Tony?
Aaron wasn't even sure there were any Tonys at Bayview. He certainly didn't know any. Maybe there was one in the Junior class or something. It really wasn't important. Everyone made mistakes from time to time, and, now that he thought of it, he'd avoided giving Amber his name. He'd been trying to make her feel awkward. That had just backfired pretty nicely.
"Er, Aaron, actually," he corrected, smiling, "Aaron Hughes. And I'm not sure. I've got a lot of things I like. Maybe something with mythology. Really, though, I'd love to be a game designer."
Aaron paused for half a second, frowned slightly, remembering he wasn't dealing with his normal group of friends, and realizing they probably wouldn't have any idea what he was talking about, then elaborated.
"Roleplaying games, I mean, not video games. Dungeons and Dragons, that stuff. You need to know how to write well, how to design things, and, above all, you need to be willing to do a lot of research."
Or just make crazy stuff up and hope no one notices it doesn't make sense...
-
Acelister†
- Posts: 245
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:04 am
"Really, though, I'd love to be a game designer."
"Awesome job." Rizzo grinned. He liked videogames - though to make them you needed to know programming languages and artistic crap.
"Roleplaying games, I mean, not video games. Dungeons and Dragons, that stuff. You need to know how to write well, how to design things, and, above all, you need to be willing to do a lot of research."
Rizzo's grin dropped, but he didn't say anything. That was less awesome... By quite an order of magnitude. On tv and in movies, you always saw the cool kids playing videogames. Who played D&D? Nerds.
It wasn't that he had anything against nerds. But, like homosexuals, he just didn't want to become one himself.
He quickly took the last bite of his sub, more to fill his mouth and stop him from remarking on the Dungeons And Dragons comment. It wasn't rude to not say something about a topic, if your mouth was full.
"Awesome job." Rizzo grinned. He liked videogames - though to make them you needed to know programming languages and artistic crap.
"Roleplaying games, I mean, not video games. Dungeons and Dragons, that stuff. You need to know how to write well, how to design things, and, above all, you need to be willing to do a lot of research."
Rizzo's grin dropped, but he didn't say anything. That was less awesome... By quite an order of magnitude. On tv and in movies, you always saw the cool kids playing videogames. Who played D&D? Nerds.
It wasn't that he had anything against nerds. But, like homosexuals, he just didn't want to become one himself.
He quickly took the last bite of his sub, more to fill his mouth and stop him from remarking on the Dungeons And Dragons comment. It wasn't rude to not say something about a topic, if your mouth was full.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Acelister. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
"Er, Aaron, actually, Aaron Hughes.
Haha! Her gambit had worked out fantastically! One down, only one more to go.
Aaron began speaking before she had a chance to put out the second part of her scheme, so she would have to hold off on the coop dee grace in finding out the short one's name. Only a matter of time, though, before the conversation ended in a way that she could change the topic without raising too much suspicion.
"Roleplaying games, I mean, not video games. Dungeons and Dragons, that stuff. You need to know how to write well, how to design things, and, above all, you need to be willing to do a lot of research."
Hm, slightly interesting. She had heard of her online game buddies talking about stuff like Dungeons and Dragons occasionally, but she had never played it herself, although she wasn't completely against the idea of trying it out once or twice. Most MMOs these days were a lot like it, apparently.
"Is there any money in that? I mean, doesn't that guy who invented Dungeons and Dragons make all the money?"
That was a question of general curiosity, rather than another probe. Aaron, despite having started out as a pawn in her game, was still a moderately interesting person. It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened, but hey, that's life for ya.
Haha! Her gambit had worked out fantastically! One down, only one more to go.
Aaron began speaking before she had a chance to put out the second part of her scheme, so she would have to hold off on the coop dee grace in finding out the short one's name. Only a matter of time, though, before the conversation ended in a way that she could change the topic without raising too much suspicion.
"Roleplaying games, I mean, not video games. Dungeons and Dragons, that stuff. You need to know how to write well, how to design things, and, above all, you need to be willing to do a lot of research."
Hm, slightly interesting. She had heard of her online game buddies talking about stuff like Dungeons and Dragons occasionally, but she had never played it herself, although she wasn't completely against the idea of trying it out once or twice. Most MMOs these days were a lot like it, apparently.
"Is there any money in that? I mean, doesn't that guy who invented Dungeons and Dragons make all the money?"
That was a question of general curiosity, rather than another probe. Aaron, despite having started out as a pawn in her game, was still a moderately interesting person. It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened, but hey, that's life for ya.
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
Rizzo and Amber both seemed to express interest in Dungeons and Dragons, Amber even asking for more information on it, and Aaron found himself smiling broadly. These people were actually pretty cool. Also, they were interested in a subject he could explain quite well. He took a couple of seconds to prepare for his little speech. There was no point getting his words muddled and confusing things.
"Well, that's not exactly the case," he began, "The guy who wrote the first D&D books, Gary Gygax, wasn't the sole inventor of the game. It was based off some stuff that he and a few friends did. They were all miniatures gamers."
The distinction between miniatures gamers and roleplaying gamers seemed quite obvious and intuitive to Aaron, so he didn't bother explaining it.
"Now, Gygax published D&D, but there was too much stuff for him to do it all, so a lot of the early expansion books were written by his buddies. Then, as the hobby grew, Dragon Magazine was founded, and started accepting submissions. A lot of people started writing D&D stuff for the magazine, and then got hired to write actual books. At the same time, a bunch of other companies were trying to get in on the roleplaying game game, by putting out their own systems. Ever heard of Tuneels and Trolls?"
Not waiting for an answer, Aaron continued. "Then, in the 80s, Gygax sold the company and the new management ran it into the ground over the next decade. By the late 90s, it was going bankrupt. At the same time, other competitors, like Vampire, had actually gained some popularity. TSR was sold to Wizards of the Coast. They're the ones who make Magic cards."
Aaron paused for just a second, planning the remainder of his explanation.
"WOTC made a whole new version of D&D, third edition, which was the best. They just came out with fourth edition, which is an absolute joke. Anyways, third edition had this thing called the open game liscense which said that anybody could write books for third edition and sell them, as long as they didn't use any material put out by WOTC, beyond what was in the SRD. So, I could write a book and publish it online right now, and it would be perfectly legal. With fourth edition, of course, they did away with all that, as well as any quality of product."
Aaron took a deep breath. There. Now they'd know exactly what he was talking about. He'd didn't have the slightest idea that he'd been droning, or that he'd only defined half of the technical jargon he'd used.
"Well, that's not exactly the case," he began, "The guy who wrote the first D&D books, Gary Gygax, wasn't the sole inventor of the game. It was based off some stuff that he and a few friends did. They were all miniatures gamers."
The distinction between miniatures gamers and roleplaying gamers seemed quite obvious and intuitive to Aaron, so he didn't bother explaining it.
"Now, Gygax published D&D, but there was too much stuff for him to do it all, so a lot of the early expansion books were written by his buddies. Then, as the hobby grew, Dragon Magazine was founded, and started accepting submissions. A lot of people started writing D&D stuff for the magazine, and then got hired to write actual books. At the same time, a bunch of other companies were trying to get in on the roleplaying game game, by putting out their own systems. Ever heard of Tuneels and Trolls?"
Not waiting for an answer, Aaron continued. "Then, in the 80s, Gygax sold the company and the new management ran it into the ground over the next decade. By the late 90s, it was going bankrupt. At the same time, other competitors, like Vampire, had actually gained some popularity. TSR was sold to Wizards of the Coast. They're the ones who make Magic cards."
Aaron paused for just a second, planning the remainder of his explanation.
"WOTC made a whole new version of D&D, third edition, which was the best. They just came out with fourth edition, which is an absolute joke. Anyways, third edition had this thing called the open game liscense which said that anybody could write books for third edition and sell them, as long as they didn't use any material put out by WOTC, beyond what was in the SRD. So, I could write a book and publish it online right now, and it would be perfectly legal. With fourth edition, of course, they did away with all that, as well as any quality of product."
Aaron took a deep breath. There. Now they'd know exactly what he was talking about. He'd didn't have the slightest idea that he'd been droning, or that he'd only defined half of the technical jargon he'd used.
-
Acelister†
- Posts: 245
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:04 am
Rizzo didn't realise he had drifted off until Aaron took a deep breath. What was he talking about? Miniatures and books and editions... What a load of crap.
"Hell, everything interests someone." he shrugged before realising that might come off as an insult. "You know, if they hadn't written those books 'cause they thought someone might wanna play it, we might not have all those imitations and shit. So, you could even write your own imitation, kinda thing."
He glanced over at Amber, seeing if she understood what Aaron was drivelling on about. If she didn't, maybe Aaron would drop this D&D thing and talk about something else. School was sounding interesting right about now...
"Hell, everything interests someone." he shrugged before realising that might come off as an insult. "You know, if they hadn't written those books 'cause they thought someone might wanna play it, we might not have all those imitations and shit. So, you could even write your own imitation, kinda thing."
He glanced over at Amber, seeing if she understood what Aaron was drivelling on about. If she didn't, maybe Aaron would drop this D&D thing and talk about something else. School was sounding interesting right about now...
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Acelister. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Amber listened for a while to Aaron, and at first it made sense. Gary Gygex had invented D&D, which Amber carefully calculated probably stood for Dungeons and Dragons, with a bunch of his friends and then it got bigger. Made sense, really.
Then he started using loads of abbreviations, and Amber got a little lost. She didn't exactly claim to be an expert, so it would've been nice if he'd been a little clearer...
Oh well, that was hardly the concern.
"Hell, everything interests someone."
So true: Amber's interest was in the guy sat next to her.
Nodding and smiling at Aaron, having not really understood the latter half of his sentence, Amber spoke to him:
"You know, that was really informative Aaron. Now I know all about D&D." Sort of. "So, wait -"
At this point, she turned to Rizzo.
"Sorry, I got Aaron's name wrong the first time, so I'm just gonna be sure: you're Jake right?"
Hey, it wasn't the most subtle approach, but she seemed to have Aaron on her side now: if he reacted badly, then Aaron would probably come to her aid!
Unless they were pals, in which case it was unlikely that he'd pick her over him. But oh well, you got to take a gamble sometimes!
Then he started using loads of abbreviations, and Amber got a little lost. She didn't exactly claim to be an expert, so it would've been nice if he'd been a little clearer...
Oh well, that was hardly the concern.
"Hell, everything interests someone."
So true: Amber's interest was in the guy sat next to her.
Nodding and smiling at Aaron, having not really understood the latter half of his sentence, Amber spoke to him:
"You know, that was really informative Aaron. Now I know all about D&D." Sort of. "So, wait -"
At this point, she turned to Rizzo.
"Sorry, I got Aaron's name wrong the first time, so I'm just gonna be sure: you're Jake right?"
Hey, it wasn't the most subtle approach, but she seemed to have Aaron on her side now: if he reacted badly, then Aaron would probably come to her aid!
Unless they were pals, in which case it was unlikely that he'd pick her over him. But oh well, you got to take a gamble sometimes!
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
Rizzo made a slightly sarcastic-sounding comment after Aaron had finished. That... that wasn't what he'd been expecting. It wasn't what he wanted to hear, either.
Well, fuck you too.
He didn't want to write imitations. He wanted to do something exciting, original, unique. At least Amber seemed to appreciate his explanation and aspirations. Then she tried to clarify Rizzo's name, except she called him "Jake". It seemed the girl had a really hard time keeping faces straight.
A moment ago, Aaron would have stepped in to smooth things over. Now, though, Rizzo deserved a little awkwardness, so Aaron just finished off his burger, chewing so as to avoid having to say anything.
Well, fuck you too.
He didn't want to write imitations. He wanted to do something exciting, original, unique. At least Amber seemed to appreciate his explanation and aspirations. Then she tried to clarify Rizzo's name, except she called him "Jake". It seemed the girl had a really hard time keeping faces straight.
A moment ago, Aaron would have stepped in to smooth things over. Now, though, Rizzo deserved a little awkwardness, so Aaron just finished off his burger, chewing so as to avoid having to say anything.
-
Acelister†
- Posts: 245
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:04 am
"Sorry, I got Aaron's name wrong the first time, so I'm just gonna be sure: you're Jake right?"
Rizzo looked at Amber for a moment. Does he agree and let her look like an idiot in future? Or should he correct her and make her look a lesser form of stupid now?
"No." he told her simply. If she was going to just grab names out of thin air, why should he help her out? She was the enemy. A female Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Whatever 'interesting' thing she had written into the notebook, he was certain that - despite her claims of how interesting that was - it wasn't anything to do with Dungeons And Dragons. Version 3, 4 or made-up.
Rizzo looked at Amber for a moment. Does he agree and let her look like an idiot in future? Or should he correct her and make her look a lesser form of stupid now?
"No." he told her simply. If she was going to just grab names out of thin air, why should he help her out? She was the enemy. A female Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Whatever 'interesting' thing she had written into the notebook, he was certain that - despite her claims of how interesting that was - it wasn't anything to do with Dungeons And Dragons. Version 3, 4 or made-up.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Acelister. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
"No."
Fantastic! Now he could correct her, and her mission would be complete!
...aaaaany second now.
Amber continued looking at Rizzo, only shifting her eyes every now and then the check that things around her were still moving.
It wouldn't be long now...
Okay, what the hell?
"Okay..."
You know, the nice thing to do here is politely correct a person in this situation, asshole.
"Sorry, I dunno why I thought Jake. What's the name I'm looking for again?"
And this time don't screw it up: there's a story to be written already!
Fantastic! Now he could correct her, and her mission would be complete!
...aaaaany second now.
Amber continued looking at Rizzo, only shifting her eyes every now and then the check that things around her were still moving.
It wouldn't be long now...
Okay, what the hell?
"Okay..."
You know, the nice thing to do here is politely correct a person in this situation, asshole.
"Sorry, I dunno why I thought Jake. What's the name I'm looking for again?"
And this time don't screw it up: there's a story to be written already!
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
Rizzo responded in the most offensive possible manner. It gave even Aaron, who was at least somewhat used to brusqueness and rude behavior (though he never tolerated it when it was aimed at him), pause. Had Rizzo really just shut Amber down like that? What the hell was his problem?
Amber tried to salvage the situation, asking nicely for the boy's name. Aaron took a deep breath. He wasn't too pleased with Rizzo at the moment, and he certainly wasn't going to step in to bail him out, or smooth things over. No, he deserved whatever was coming his way. In fact, Aaron was quite tempted to give him a little lecture on manners himself. It seemed like half the population of Bayview was comprised of creepy social rejects. One Jacquard Broughten came to mind.
Still, there was no point getting involved yet. He'd give Rizzo a couple of seconds. If he kept up this weirdness, though, Aaron decided to get to the bottom of whatever Rizzo was on, or failing that, to put some distance between himself and the boy. If that meant going to some stupid clothing store and hiding in the bathrooms for an hour, then so be it.
Amber tried to salvage the situation, asking nicely for the boy's name. Aaron took a deep breath. He wasn't too pleased with Rizzo at the moment, and he certainly wasn't going to step in to bail him out, or smooth things over. No, he deserved whatever was coming his way. In fact, Aaron was quite tempted to give him a little lecture on manners himself. It seemed like half the population of Bayview was comprised of creepy social rejects. One Jacquard Broughten came to mind.
Still, there was no point getting involved yet. He'd give Rizzo a couple of seconds. If he kept up this weirdness, though, Aaron decided to get to the bottom of whatever Rizzo was on, or failing that, to put some distance between himself and the boy. If that meant going to some stupid clothing store and hiding in the bathrooms for an hour, then so be it.
-
Acelister†
- Posts: 245
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:04 am
"Sorry, I dunno why I thought Jake. What's the name I'm looking for again?"
Rizzo looked down after a second - enemy or not: manners never cost anything, his parents said.... And it's not like it was top secret.
"I'm sorry..." he said, looking back at her. "It's Rizzo. I think we have Chemistry together."
His eyes widened at that - that sounded different between his head and his mouth.
"The - the subject." he added quickly. "At school. But we're opposite ends of the classroom."
Rizzo looked down after a second - enemy or not: manners never cost anything, his parents said.... And it's not like it was top secret.
"I'm sorry..." he said, looking back at her. "It's Rizzo. I think we have Chemistry together."
His eyes widened at that - that sounded different between his head and his mouth.
"The - the subject." he added quickly. "At school. But we're opposite ends of the classroom."
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Acelister. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Amber sat there, feeling a little awkward for a moment as she saw Rizzo looking down at his plate, wondering what was on his mind. Was he about to come out and flat out insult her? Because that'd be a pretty dickish thing to do right now. Oh sure, she wasn't here to make any friends, but there were plenty worse ways she could've gone about her plans; she hardly deserved to be flipped off.
To her relief, he apologised for his rudeness as he looked up at her, which made Amber smile. Just goes to show that even if people have a moment of nastiness, it doesn't mean they automatically hate you. Heck, for all she knew he was having a really rough day and she wasn't helping. Who knows? Perhaps she was being a total dick right now.
And then she got it: the name! Rizzo revealed his first name to her without any more hesitation, as Amber spread into a grin! Although he hadn't given out his last name along side it, he had been so courteous as to remind her that the two were in the same chemistry class! Maybe. Well, as long as she could glance a look at the register next time, she'd be able to find out his last name in no time!
Well, she would. 'cept for the fact she was slightly less interested in her story now, and was a bit more interested in what was bumming Rizzo out. It could be her scandal about a threesome and betrayal and all that interesting phenomenon, but it was just as possible there was a slightly more down to earth story behind the border, and it was her journalistic duty to be sure that the real truth was exposed for all!
Too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice Rizzo's attempt to avoid an awkward implication, Amber turned back to smile thinly at him in an attempt to appear caring, now geniunely interested in what was upsetting him.
"Are you okay Rizzo? You've been seeming kinda down this whole conversation."
To her relief, he apologised for his rudeness as he looked up at her, which made Amber smile. Just goes to show that even if people have a moment of nastiness, it doesn't mean they automatically hate you. Heck, for all she knew he was having a really rough day and she wasn't helping. Who knows? Perhaps she was being a total dick right now.
And then she got it: the name! Rizzo revealed his first name to her without any more hesitation, as Amber spread into a grin! Although he hadn't given out his last name along side it, he had been so courteous as to remind her that the two were in the same chemistry class! Maybe. Well, as long as she could glance a look at the register next time, she'd be able to find out his last name in no time!
Well, she would. 'cept for the fact she was slightly less interested in her story now, and was a bit more interested in what was bumming Rizzo out. It could be her scandal about a threesome and betrayal and all that interesting phenomenon, but it was just as possible there was a slightly more down to earth story behind the border, and it was her journalistic duty to be sure that the real truth was exposed for all!
Too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice Rizzo's attempt to avoid an awkward implication, Amber turned back to smile thinly at him in an attempt to appear caring, now geniunely interested in what was upsetting him.
"Are you okay Rizzo? You've been seeming kinda down this whole conversation."