((Michelle Wexler continued from It's Traditional To Nap in Gazeebos))
Michelle's alarm clock rang, shook, and rolled off her shelf. Presently she opened an eye and saw her cat trying to catch the alarm clock as it rolled back and forth across her room. She jumped up and ran after her cat who was running after her alarm clock, catching Napoleon just as she started chewing on it.
"Thanks Poli Pants," she yawned. She wrenched the clock away, turned it off to stop its noise and shaking and stuck it on the shelf again.
She stretched, pulled back the curtain on her window and went to her closet. After brushing her teeth she pulled out a light brown dress. She slipped it on along with a green vest, gold fish earrings and finished by sticking a green hair pin in her hair.
It was the big day today. She looked at herself in the mirror. Michelle smiled and cocked her head to one side. Today was the first cookie order day. Michelle found she usually got more sales at school if she was dressed somewhat like a girl scout. When she went around asking people to buy cookies in a five-year-old Old Navy shirt and ripped pants she felt skeevy. It was like she was going to ask people if they wanted to buy in a hushed tone and then open a trench coat to reveal it was lined with cookie boxes.
"I'm gonna do awesome today. Right?"
Michelle picked up the Spock plushie on her desk and squeezed his hand.
"Tricorder is reading some kind of life form in the area," said Spock, his face blank.
"That's what I'm talking about!" she enthused back.
Michelle checked her folder to make sure all the order forms were in there and stuck it in her back pack. She was about to head out her bedroom door when she remembered she hadn't cleared a path through the junk the previous night to get to the font door. She looked around for a moment and headed for her window. She gave her cat, now curled on her bed, a quick kiss on the head that she did not acknowledge, slung the back pack on her shoulders, jumped out her bedroom window and scaled a small wall to get to the street.
_________________________________
"Hey! Do you guys wanna buy some girl scout cookies? $4 a box. I know they seem pricey but where else are you gonna get girl scout cookies other than an honest to gosh girl scout? I've got samoaaassssss."
Michelle was working the lunch room. She'd had some decent success so far. She'd long since quit the door to door racket once she figured out how much teens were willing to spend on cookies.
The last group had bought three boxes. She penciled it in on her order form and stowed the cash in her coin purse. Off to a good start.
C is for Cookie
Open
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Ruggahissy
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MurderWeasel
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((Emily Nakoa continued from Monochromatic Living))
Emily was eating lunch in the lunch room, mostly because she'd slept too late to both prepare some actual quality food and also shower, and hygiene had taken priority. She didn't feel like taking the time to go somewhere to buy some better food, either, as that would eat up most of her lunch period. She'd purchased some cafeteria food, and had then found herself lacking any real motivation to even take it somewhere nicer on campus.
Emily was a little bit tired, having been up late the night before actually working on schoolwork. A math test was coming up, and she just couldn't keep all of the trigonometric functions straight. She'd known this last year, and had forgotten it over the summer, figuring she'd never have to deal with it again. For reasons she would never fully understand, Mrs. Havok had decided that it was something important to review prior to college, and most of the class, like Emily, seemed to be in the awkward boat of learning the whole subject all over again.
As she took a bite of rather sorry potatoes and gravy, the acronym flashed through her head once again: SOH-CAH-TOA. She was pretty sure she had some of the weird cases down, too, the ones where the functions returned zero and one and the like. She was also pretty sure there weren't very many situations in life where she'd know the lengths of every leg of a triangle, have no access to a calculator, and desperately require the exact angle of one or more of the sides. Emily figured she could probably take a slacker math class when she got to Bellvue and then kiss the subject goodbye for the rest of her life.
She tried to push math out of her head, though. She'd already had Mrs. Havok's class today, and she knew she'd end up studying tonight too, so there was no reason to let the subject ruin her lunch. She let her attention drift, taking in the sights and sounds. Some music was playing, something poppy and fun. It perked Emily up a bit. She came even more fully to attention when she saw a girl in a rather unusual outfit making the rounds talking to people. Emily was pretty sure her name was Michelle, and she was also pretty sure the girl wasn't on yearbook. Maybe she was with the school paper, then. She was certainly taking notes on something.
Emily kept an eye on Michelle, waiting to see if the girl would head towards her table. She was rather curious about what was going on, and hoped for an opportunity to ask. Maybe she'd even get up and approach her if Michelle didn't come closer.
Emily was eating lunch in the lunch room, mostly because she'd slept too late to both prepare some actual quality food and also shower, and hygiene had taken priority. She didn't feel like taking the time to go somewhere to buy some better food, either, as that would eat up most of her lunch period. She'd purchased some cafeteria food, and had then found herself lacking any real motivation to even take it somewhere nicer on campus.
Emily was a little bit tired, having been up late the night before actually working on schoolwork. A math test was coming up, and she just couldn't keep all of the trigonometric functions straight. She'd known this last year, and had forgotten it over the summer, figuring she'd never have to deal with it again. For reasons she would never fully understand, Mrs. Havok had decided that it was something important to review prior to college, and most of the class, like Emily, seemed to be in the awkward boat of learning the whole subject all over again.
As she took a bite of rather sorry potatoes and gravy, the acronym flashed through her head once again: SOH-CAH-TOA. She was pretty sure she had some of the weird cases down, too, the ones where the functions returned zero and one and the like. She was also pretty sure there weren't very many situations in life where she'd know the lengths of every leg of a triangle, have no access to a calculator, and desperately require the exact angle of one or more of the sides. Emily figured she could probably take a slacker math class when she got to Bellvue and then kiss the subject goodbye for the rest of her life.
She tried to push math out of her head, though. She'd already had Mrs. Havok's class today, and she knew she'd end up studying tonight too, so there was no reason to let the subject ruin her lunch. She let her attention drift, taking in the sights and sounds. Some music was playing, something poppy and fun. It perked Emily up a bit. She came even more fully to attention when she saw a girl in a rather unusual outfit making the rounds talking to people. Emily was pretty sure her name was Michelle, and she was also pretty sure the girl wasn't on yearbook. Maybe she was with the school paper, then. She was certainly taking notes on something.
Emily kept an eye on Michelle, waiting to see if the girl would head towards her table. She was rather curious about what was going on, and hoped for an opportunity to ask. Maybe she'd even get up and approach her if Michelle didn't come closer.
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Ruggahissy
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Michelle looked over the order forms. She chewed on the end of her pencil for a moment and then folded the paper. It was super important she sell well because that money would determine how much money the troop had to work with the next year for activities and trips. This was her last year as a girl scout since she was going away to college next year so Gracie would step up next year to look after her ducklings. She owed it to them to leave them enough!
Thin mints accounted for 25% of total sales with Samoas coming in second with 19%, so Michelle was trying to push some of the less popular cookies first since inevitably everyone would buy up the Thin Mints and Samoas. Almost half the cookies sales right there in those two! Michelle stopped her cookie calculations when she saw someone looking at her.
Emily! She probably thought she looked like a weirdo. Or maybe she wanted some cookies? Or maybe it was both. Hopefully it was some thought combination that included buying.
Michelle waved franticly and walked over.
"Err, um, hi Emily," she said. Michelle knew her but she didn't really talk to her much. She hung out with the cheerleaders and popular kids. Michelle had some friends that were cheerleaders or in the popular circle but tended to skew more nerdy.
"I'm selling girl scout cookies. Would you be interested? We only sell them a limited time out of the year. Money goes to help my troop and they're delicious."
Thin mints accounted for 25% of total sales with Samoas coming in second with 19%, so Michelle was trying to push some of the less popular cookies first since inevitably everyone would buy up the Thin Mints and Samoas. Almost half the cookies sales right there in those two! Michelle stopped her cookie calculations when she saw someone looking at her.
Emily! She probably thought she looked like a weirdo. Or maybe she wanted some cookies? Or maybe it was both. Hopefully it was some thought combination that included buying.
Michelle waved franticly and walked over.
"Err, um, hi Emily," she said. Michelle knew her but she didn't really talk to her much. She hung out with the cheerleaders and popular kids. Michelle had some friends that were cheerleaders or in the popular circle but tended to skew more nerdy.
"I'm selling girl scout cookies. Would you be interested? We only sell them a limited time out of the year. Money goes to help my troop and they're delicious."
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MurderWeasel
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Michelle waved, basically brimming over with enthusiasm, and Emily gave a little wave of her own in return. She'd been caught staring, but at least the girl didn't seem offended. Emily couldn't honestly say she'd've felt the same in Michelle's shoes, dress, or (especially) vest. Confidence was probably a prerequisite to eccentricity, though. That, or a total lack of understanding of fashion and the meanings of other people's reactions.
Then Michelle was coming over. Emily smiled and waited, battling down the slightest hint of an urge to get out while she still could and avoid what could become an awkward conversation. She didn't have that many friends in common with Michelle, and she was pretty sure she'd never given the girl any trouble, but it was no secret that Emily cared about fashion and standing. She hoped it hadn't looked like she was judging Michelle, even if that was a definite component of what she'd been doing.
Reaching Emily's table, Michelle started talking. She sounded a little bit nervous or uncertain. The reason quickly became clear: she was trying to sell Emily something. This was a situation Emily had absolutely no idea how to deal with. When accosted on the street, she usually just politely declined to give money to bums. This was a bit different, though. Michelle was a classmate. She was a pretty nice girl. The money was going to, well, at least a decent cause. It wasn't like Emily didn't have any cash on her, either.
She wasn't about to just commit, though. She'd never been in the girl scouts as a kid, but she'd had the cookies from time to time. Some types were really great. Other kinds she struggled to stomach. Emily wasn't particularly into sweets anyways.
"Ooh," she said. "That's so cool. What types do you have? Do you have the ones with peanut butter?"
Emily was pretty sure a few types of girl scout cookies had peanut butter, but she didn't know if Michelle would know what she meant if she asked for peanut butter Oreos, which was the closest she could come to describing what she was looking for.
Then Michelle was coming over. Emily smiled and waited, battling down the slightest hint of an urge to get out while she still could and avoid what could become an awkward conversation. She didn't have that many friends in common with Michelle, and she was pretty sure she'd never given the girl any trouble, but it was no secret that Emily cared about fashion and standing. She hoped it hadn't looked like she was judging Michelle, even if that was a definite component of what she'd been doing.
Reaching Emily's table, Michelle started talking. She sounded a little bit nervous or uncertain. The reason quickly became clear: she was trying to sell Emily something. This was a situation Emily had absolutely no idea how to deal with. When accosted on the street, she usually just politely declined to give money to bums. This was a bit different, though. Michelle was a classmate. She was a pretty nice girl. The money was going to, well, at least a decent cause. It wasn't like Emily didn't have any cash on her, either.
She wasn't about to just commit, though. She'd never been in the girl scouts as a kid, but she'd had the cookies from time to time. Some types were really great. Other kinds she struggled to stomach. Emily wasn't particularly into sweets anyways.
"Ooh," she said. "That's so cool. What types do you have? Do you have the ones with peanut butter?"
Emily was pretty sure a few types of girl scout cookies had peanut butter, but she didn't know if Michelle would know what she meant if she asked for peanut butter Oreos, which was the closest she could come to describing what she was looking for.
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Ruggahissy
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Michelle allowed herself a small half smile. Emily was willing to buy. Well, that was pretty much the best outcome she could have hoped for. She even said it was cool, but she was probably just being polite.
"Mmm hmmm," she said, pulling out the list of cookies. She had a sheet with a picture of the cookie, the name and the ingredients.
"For peanut butter we've got...." she searched the list.
"Tagalongs and Do-si-dos. The Tagalongs are the ones with chocolate on the outside and peanut butter on the inside. The Do-si-dos are the ones with cookies on both sides and peanut butter in the middle. Four dollars for a box of cookies, they come with 16 a box and I get the cookies in about two weeks so you'll have to let me know some place you'll be on campus in two Mondays."
Michelle paused to take a breath in her pitch. She was a horrible public speaker but she could manage okay one-on-one. She'd also been shilling cookies for 11 years so it was almost second nature by now.
"It's more than a bag of super market cookies but they taste better, I think and there's no trans fats if that's something you care about. Plus 20% of the money goes to my troop to help the girls fund activities and trips. Pretty much all our spending money for the year comes from cookies."
"Mmm hmmm," she said, pulling out the list of cookies. She had a sheet with a picture of the cookie, the name and the ingredients.
"For peanut butter we've got...." she searched the list.
"Tagalongs and Do-si-dos. The Tagalongs are the ones with chocolate on the outside and peanut butter on the inside. The Do-si-dos are the ones with cookies on both sides and peanut butter in the middle. Four dollars for a box of cookies, they come with 16 a box and I get the cookies in about two weeks so you'll have to let me know some place you'll be on campus in two Mondays."
Michelle paused to take a breath in her pitch. She was a horrible public speaker but she could manage okay one-on-one. She'd also been shilling cookies for 11 years so it was almost second nature by now.
"It's more than a bag of super market cookies but they taste better, I think and there's no trans fats if that's something you care about. Plus 20% of the money goes to my troop to help the girls fund activities and trips. Pretty much all our spending money for the year comes from cookies."
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MurderWeasel
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Michelle seemed to have her sales pitch down pat. She consulted her charts, then told Emily that there were in fact two types of peanut butter cookies for sale. The kind Emily liked were called Do-si-dos, which struck her as a pretty stupid name and something she'd have never guessed and didn't particularly want to say out loud. The cookies were also pretty pricey. It wasn't a huge surprise that girl scout cookies were a total racket. They were one of those things where people got to indulge their bad habits while at the same time feeling like they were doing good deeds.
Of course, Emily did have some questions. She decided to go ahead and place an order first, though, so that they'd come off more as polite conversation and less as skeptical interrogation.
"Can I order a box of the sandwich ones?" she asked, digging in her purse for some crumpled dollar bills.
"Oh, and have you ever seen anything with trans fat? I can't remember ever seeing anything that actually had trans fat in it."
Emily wasn't quite comfortable enough with Michelle to joke with her, which was what kept her from suggesting that trans fat might not exist and could just be a conspiracy among food companies to make their products sound healthier. Emily had managed by and large to avoid the worst of the dumb-cheerleader stereotype, and she wasn't about to risk being misunderstood and branded an idiot.
Having found four ones, Emily held them out to Michelle.
"That's eighty cents for your troop," she said, smiling. "What does the rest go to?"
Of course, Emily did have some questions. She decided to go ahead and place an order first, though, so that they'd come off more as polite conversation and less as skeptical interrogation.
"Can I order a box of the sandwich ones?" she asked, digging in her purse for some crumpled dollar bills.
"Oh, and have you ever seen anything with trans fat? I can't remember ever seeing anything that actually had trans fat in it."
Emily wasn't quite comfortable enough with Michelle to joke with her, which was what kept her from suggesting that trans fat might not exist and could just be a conspiracy among food companies to make their products sound healthier. Emily had managed by and large to avoid the worst of the dumb-cheerleader stereotype, and she wasn't about to risk being misunderstood and branded an idiot.
Having found four ones, Emily held them out to Michelle.
"That's eighty cents for your troop," she said, smiling. "What does the rest go to?"
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Ruggahissy
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"Oh yeah, sure!"
Michelle pulled out her order form and wrote Emily's name, the number 1 and checked the box for do-si-dos on the paper.
"Ummmmm...."
She had to think about the math. Also about transfats. she chewed on her pencil again trying to figure out he answers to those two questions.
"Well, 50% is used just to pay for the cookies. Of the remaining half my troop gets a portion and the rest goes to an account the local Girl Scout Council has. They decide how to dole out the money for activities to troops in Seattle or if we want to have a city wide event or something involving all the troops. They give us some of that portion too, so we end up getting a little more."
Michelle was pretty sure that was right.
"Technically I'm a girl scout AND a boy scout. I'm in the sea scouts which is like, water and ocean activities and we have competitions, but to be one you have to sign up as a boy scout. So I'm really only a boy scout in name. I don't go to meetings or do anything with them. And I can never advance in the boy scout ranks on account of....well...me being a girl. As far as trans fats, I'm not even really entirely sure what those are. I think they are like...used in deep frying but that's kind of it. I usually include it in my little schpiel since there's not much else I can say we don't have in the cookies. We don't make fat free ones or low calories ones or gluten free ones so I try it as a selling point and hope maybe people convince themselves they aren't so bad and get them anyway," she said with a laugh.
Michelle pulled out her order form and wrote Emily's name, the number 1 and checked the box for do-si-dos on the paper.
"Ummmmm...."
She had to think about the math. Also about transfats. she chewed on her pencil again trying to figure out he answers to those two questions.
"Well, 50% is used just to pay for the cookies. Of the remaining half my troop gets a portion and the rest goes to an account the local Girl Scout Council has. They decide how to dole out the money for activities to troops in Seattle or if we want to have a city wide event or something involving all the troops. They give us some of that portion too, so we end up getting a little more."
Michelle was pretty sure that was right.
"Technically I'm a girl scout AND a boy scout. I'm in the sea scouts which is like, water and ocean activities and we have competitions, but to be one you have to sign up as a boy scout. So I'm really only a boy scout in name. I don't go to meetings or do anything with them. And I can never advance in the boy scout ranks on account of....well...me being a girl. As far as trans fats, I'm not even really entirely sure what those are. I think they are like...used in deep frying but that's kind of it. I usually include it in my little schpiel since there's not much else I can say we don't have in the cookies. We don't make fat free ones or low calories ones or gluten free ones so I try it as a selling point and hope maybe people convince themselves they aren't so bad and get them anyway," she said with a laugh.
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MurderWeasel
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Michelle had way more information about the allocation of cookie funds than Emily had expected. She'd pretty much been prepared for the whole thing to be some scam backing a giant corporation, but it sounded like it really was by and large for the benefit of the local scouts. Michelle also explained that she was technically a boy scout as well, due to some intricacies involving eligibility for the sea scouts. Emily gave up trying to wrap her head around the logic behind the organization's structure; really, it sounded like something set up in the Fifties which nobody had ever bothered to modernize.
Michelle also elaborated on the trans fats. Apparently she hadn't seen them in anything, except maybe fried stuff. That made enough sense. Emily was pretty sure they'd been popular a few decades ago, before it was discovered that they caused cancer or heart disease or obesity or some combination thereof.
That had pretty much resolved all their business as far as the transaction went, but Emily had actually become fairly intrigued by the conversation and Michelle's stories.
"Are you the only one in town who's a boy scout and a girl scout?" Emily asked. Then, after a second's hesitation, she added, "What do girl scouts do, anyways? Besides sell cookies, I mean."
Michelle also elaborated on the trans fats. Apparently she hadn't seen them in anything, except maybe fried stuff. That made enough sense. Emily was pretty sure they'd been popular a few decades ago, before it was discovered that they caused cancer or heart disease or obesity or some combination thereof.
That had pretty much resolved all their business as far as the transaction went, but Emily had actually become fairly intrigued by the conversation and Michelle's stories.
"Are you the only one in town who's a boy scout and a girl scout?" Emily asked. Then, after a second's hesitation, she added, "What do girl scouts do, anyways? Besides sell cookies, I mean."
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Ruggahissy
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Michelle counted the four singles, folded them up and put them her coin purse, a small cloth pouch with a stylized octopus on it.
"Mm?"
Emily wanted to know more about girl scouts. Michelle chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. It didn't sound like she was making fun of her. She seemed sincere. Michelle's scripted interaction had already ended so she felt herself slightly at a loss. No one knew more about girl scouts than her, except maybe someone in corporate or something, but she was afraid she'd sound stupid when communicating it.
She eyed the room on the bench and sat down a socially acceptable distance from Emily. She didn't want to come off as personal bubble intruding, though she frequently tended to be. With familiar people Michelle was always hugging them and hanging off of them and resting her head on their shoulders and pinching their cheeks and poking so for unfamiliar people she had to make sure she wasn't off-putting because her sense of personal space was somewhat different than the average person.
"All the girls who are sea scouts have to be boy scouts and I think some of them are girl scouts so I'm not the only dual scout. That's like...maritime activities. We learn to sail boats and swim and stuff and compete. The girls are always jazzed for competing because it's on a navy base and there's cute navy dudes judging. I do cloud identification and swimming since I uh, I'm like, captain of girl's swim....here"
The last part was said quietly as if she were embarrassed by it.
"It depends on the particular troop leader what you do. So like, some boy scouts think we just sew patches and make scrap books all day because that's what the girl scouts they know do. My troop is pretty cool so we do stuff that the boys would do. We go camping and we start fires and build shelters. Sometimes we'll take a trip and go berry picking at a farm for the younger ones. I got really good at tying knots. I know there's a troop up in Saint Louis that has a robot building program."
Michelle was fiddling with the friendship bracelets around her wrist, turning them around so the patterns lined up.
"And then yeah, we have turf wars over cookie territory and cut fabric off our old uniforms and sell them to girls who wanna be sexy girl scouts for Halloween"
"Mm?"
Emily wanted to know more about girl scouts. Michelle chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. It didn't sound like she was making fun of her. She seemed sincere. Michelle's scripted interaction had already ended so she felt herself slightly at a loss. No one knew more about girl scouts than her, except maybe someone in corporate or something, but she was afraid she'd sound stupid when communicating it.
She eyed the room on the bench and sat down a socially acceptable distance from Emily. She didn't want to come off as personal bubble intruding, though she frequently tended to be. With familiar people Michelle was always hugging them and hanging off of them and resting her head on their shoulders and pinching their cheeks and poking so for unfamiliar people she had to make sure she wasn't off-putting because her sense of personal space was somewhat different than the average person.
"All the girls who are sea scouts have to be boy scouts and I think some of them are girl scouts so I'm not the only dual scout. That's like...maritime activities. We learn to sail boats and swim and stuff and compete. The girls are always jazzed for competing because it's on a navy base and there's cute navy dudes judging. I do cloud identification and swimming since I uh, I'm like, captain of girl's swim....here"
The last part was said quietly as if she were embarrassed by it.
"It depends on the particular troop leader what you do. So like, some boy scouts think we just sew patches and make scrap books all day because that's what the girl scouts they know do. My troop is pretty cool so we do stuff that the boys would do. We go camping and we start fires and build shelters. Sometimes we'll take a trip and go berry picking at a farm for the younger ones. I got really good at tying knots. I know there's a troop up in Saint Louis that has a robot building program."
Michelle was fiddling with the friendship bracelets around her wrist, turning them around so the patterns lined up.
"And then yeah, we have turf wars over cookie territory and cut fabric off our old uniforms and sell them to girls who wanna be sexy girl scouts for Halloween"
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MurderWeasel
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Michelle fiddled with the money for a bit, then tucked it into a fairly cute if somewhat unusual coin purse and launched into an explanation of the girl scouts and the sea scouts and everything related to them. Emily kept her smile up and nodded a bit as Michelle talked. The whole thing actually was really interesting. Michelle had also taken up station a bit closer to Emily. They were talking as classmates now, not as customer and salesperson. Emily liked it better that way. There was less pressure, less expectation of her. She'd already kicked in her money, so now they could be relaxed in their interactions.
She found the whole idea of the girl scouts pretty cool, actually. It must have been nice, to grow up as part of an organization, to make friends and compete with them and mentor younger people. She almost wished she culd have been a part of something like that.
Emily also found out some other interesting things. Michelle was captain of the girls' swim team. Emily knew of the swim team only insofar as she knew that the school had one. It was totally outside of her typical athletic interests and experiences. As far as she knew, swimming never got cheerleaders sent for its events. It wasn't like there was much room for acrobatics beside the pool, and besides, it'd have been awkward for the cheerleaders to not be the most scantily-clad girls at the event, even considering how decidedly un-sexy most sports swimsuits were. Emily occasionally went swimming for exercise, but she liked her lap-swimming suit a lot less than her fun swimsuit.
Michelle ended by talking about uses for old girl scout uniforms, and that got Emily to laugh. She was no stranger to slightly-trashy costumes, but the idea of sexy girl scouts was strange to her.
"Seriously?" she asked. "I mean, wouldn't that draw the wrong kind of attention?"
She found the whole idea of the girl scouts pretty cool, actually. It must have been nice, to grow up as part of an organization, to make friends and compete with them and mentor younger people. She almost wished she culd have been a part of something like that.
Emily also found out some other interesting things. Michelle was captain of the girls' swim team. Emily knew of the swim team only insofar as she knew that the school had one. It was totally outside of her typical athletic interests and experiences. As far as she knew, swimming never got cheerleaders sent for its events. It wasn't like there was much room for acrobatics beside the pool, and besides, it'd have been awkward for the cheerleaders to not be the most scantily-clad girls at the event, even considering how decidedly un-sexy most sports swimsuits were. Emily occasionally went swimming for exercise, but she liked her lap-swimming suit a lot less than her fun swimsuit.
Michelle ended by talking about uses for old girl scout uniforms, and that got Emily to laugh. She was no stranger to slightly-trashy costumes, but the idea of sexy girl scouts was strange to her.
"Seriously?" she asked. "I mean, wouldn't that draw the wrong kind of attention?"
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CondorTalon
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- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
((Yukiko Sakurai continued from A Casual Question.))
Yukiko yawned.
As she exited Mr. Teitel's classroom, she mentally scolded herself for staying up late at night to watch anime. It was good, though. She was glad she had caught up on Detective Conan episodes, but still, two in the morning was not a good idea. She'd barely managed to follow Mr. Teitel's lecture, and was pretty apathetic throughout the work period. Never again, she told herself.
Still, it was lunch break, which meant that it was a perfect time to relax and rest. As she pushed open the door to the lunch room, scanning her eyes across the room the see where she could sit. She'd brought her own lunch, because the cafeteria food was not worth thinking about. Thankfully it was Kaoru's turn to make the lunches, which meant that she could look forward to something delicious. As her eyes swept the room, she saw someone familiar over at a table off to the side. Michelle! Fellow swim team member. There's someone she could talk to. Of course, she looked like he was talking to someone else. That someone else was Emily Nakoa. Yukiko didn't know Emily that well. She apparently had a bit of a reputation. However, she didn't really seem like the type that Yukiko would really clash with. Even if she was, Michelle was there, so she doubt things could go too badly.
Smiling, she walked over to their table just in time to hear the last bit of Michelle's speech.
"...and sell them to girls who wanna be sexy girl scouts for Halloween"
Yukiko raised an eyebrow. This should be interesting.
"Sorry guys, but do mind if I sit here?" she asked, smiling, "That last line of yours has intrigued me."
Yukiko yawned.
As she exited Mr. Teitel's classroom, she mentally scolded herself for staying up late at night to watch anime. It was good, though. She was glad she had caught up on Detective Conan episodes, but still, two in the morning was not a good idea. She'd barely managed to follow Mr. Teitel's lecture, and was pretty apathetic throughout the work period. Never again, she told herself.
Still, it was lunch break, which meant that it was a perfect time to relax and rest. As she pushed open the door to the lunch room, scanning her eyes across the room the see where she could sit. She'd brought her own lunch, because the cafeteria food was not worth thinking about. Thankfully it was Kaoru's turn to make the lunches, which meant that she could look forward to something delicious. As her eyes swept the room, she saw someone familiar over at a table off to the side. Michelle! Fellow swim team member. There's someone she could talk to. Of course, she looked like he was talking to someone else. That someone else was Emily Nakoa. Yukiko didn't know Emily that well. She apparently had a bit of a reputation. However, she didn't really seem like the type that Yukiko would really clash with. Even if she was, Michelle was there, so she doubt things could go too badly.
Smiling, she walked over to their table just in time to hear the last bit of Michelle's speech.
"...and sell them to girls who wanna be sexy girl scouts for Halloween"
Yukiko raised an eyebrow. This should be interesting.
"Sorry guys, but do mind if I sit here?" she asked, smiling, "That last line of yours has intrigued me."
[[Nick Constantine - Start; with permission from Ruggahissy]]
The school day for Nick had been a microcosm of his senior year, much to his chagrin. Anybody wouild tell you that high school or anything would have droll days, but there had been a sort of deep, nagging annoyance, almost a sort of disappointment, that seemed to strike him whenever he stepped onto or exited Aurora's campus. Nothing all that memorable had happened- days ran into each other and with the exception of hanging out with friends or doing work for the school paper, Nick really couldn't tell anyone anything he remembered from last week. The calculus lessons he could recall- trying to remember what actually happened during said classes were a complete exercise in futility, though.
His final year was headed down the path that millions of senior students worldwide feared- it had become boring. It was as remarkable as a watching paint dry.
As he entered the lunchroom after- ....his last class was so uneventful he didn't even remember which one it was- Nick admitted to himself that there still was a decent amount of time left in the school year. Quality, not quantity was the mantra that any photographer would swear by. The prom was coming up soon, and there was still plenty of things to do on the weekends- it may not have been super common, but the time would come.
That was enough to quell his concerns for the time being, although he was still looking at another issue: Looking out at the table rows in the lunchroom showed fairly quickly that no one he really hung out with was there. Finding a seat was more or less a guessing game and hoping the person you're sitting next to vaguely remembers your face. Trying to carry the cafeteria tray in one hand and try and eat with the other wasn't going to work. He could probably just eat outside, but the weather wasn't pleasant.
Whatever, he'd roll the dice. He found an empty seat- the girls hanging out around it were people he were familiar with but didn't know much about.
Michelle Weschler and Yukiko Sakurai were members of the swim team, and Nick remembered their names from covering one of the school team's swim meets for the school newspaper, but that was the length of his knowledge about the two. Emily Nakoa was someone he kind of knew - she covered photography for the yearbook and had somewhat of a reputation for being wild- but, again, that was about it. They probably remembered just as much about him as he did them. Judging by the vest and the badges, Michelle was a scout. Nick probably had forgotten, but voice in the back of his head said forget it, I don't even know anything them and they probably don't remember me.
Fuck it, dude, just ask to sit down. Worst case is no, best case something interesting actually happens for once.
"Hey," Nick smiled as he swung around the aisle, cafeteria tray still in hand. "Not much space around, do you guys mind if I sit here?"
The school day for Nick had been a microcosm of his senior year, much to his chagrin. Anybody wouild tell you that high school or anything would have droll days, but there had been a sort of deep, nagging annoyance, almost a sort of disappointment, that seemed to strike him whenever he stepped onto or exited Aurora's campus. Nothing all that memorable had happened- days ran into each other and with the exception of hanging out with friends or doing work for the school paper, Nick really couldn't tell anyone anything he remembered from last week. The calculus lessons he could recall- trying to remember what actually happened during said classes were a complete exercise in futility, though.
His final year was headed down the path that millions of senior students worldwide feared- it had become boring. It was as remarkable as a watching paint dry.
As he entered the lunchroom after- ....his last class was so uneventful he didn't even remember which one it was- Nick admitted to himself that there still was a decent amount of time left in the school year. Quality, not quantity was the mantra that any photographer would swear by. The prom was coming up soon, and there was still plenty of things to do on the weekends- it may not have been super common, but the time would come.
That was enough to quell his concerns for the time being, although he was still looking at another issue: Looking out at the table rows in the lunchroom showed fairly quickly that no one he really hung out with was there. Finding a seat was more or less a guessing game and hoping the person you're sitting next to vaguely remembers your face. Trying to carry the cafeteria tray in one hand and try and eat with the other wasn't going to work. He could probably just eat outside, but the weather wasn't pleasant.
Whatever, he'd roll the dice. He found an empty seat- the girls hanging out around it were people he were familiar with but didn't know much about.
Michelle Weschler and Yukiko Sakurai were members of the swim team, and Nick remembered their names from covering one of the school team's swim meets for the school newspaper, but that was the length of his knowledge about the two. Emily Nakoa was someone he kind of knew - she covered photography for the yearbook and had somewhat of a reputation for being wild- but, again, that was about it. They probably remembered just as much about him as he did them. Judging by the vest and the badges, Michelle was a scout. Nick probably had forgotten, but voice in the back of his head said forget it, I don't even know anything them and they probably don't remember me.
Fuck it, dude, just ask to sit down. Worst case is no, best case something interesting actually happens for once.
"Hey," Nick smiled as he swung around the aisle, cafeteria tray still in hand. "Not much space around, do you guys mind if I sit here?"
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler RXK. 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.
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
"Errr....um, it was a joke," she said laughing nervously. "I tried to make a funny. Guess not..."
The further away they got from her prepared speech she knew by heart the more nervous she became. It wasn't that she didn't like Emily. Heck, she didn't really know Emily. It was just that she wasn't so great at talking to new people on the fly like that. Maybe it was a symptom of having tons of older siblings who did the introducing for you.
And then suddenly two more people materialized. Yukiko from swim was around to hear her bomb of a joke. Just great.
"O-o-oh no, of course not. It's a free lunch place. I was just....being a fail...."
Hey, an opportunity to go back on script.
"Oh, and um, trying to shill cookies for my troop. You guys want some?"
The further away they got from her prepared speech she knew by heart the more nervous she became. It wasn't that she didn't like Emily. Heck, she didn't really know Emily. It was just that she wasn't so great at talking to new people on the fly like that. Maybe it was a symptom of having tons of older siblings who did the introducing for you.
And then suddenly two more people materialized. Yukiko from swim was around to hear her bomb of a joke. Just great.
"O-o-oh no, of course not. It's a free lunch place. I was just....being a fail...."
Hey, an opportunity to go back on script.
"Oh, and um, trying to shill cookies for my troop. You guys want some?"
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
A new girl sidled up and asked if she could sit down. Yukiko was her name, Emily thought. Like Michelle, Emily didn't know much about her. She thought the girl was perhaps a bit geeky, but that could have been a bad recollection.
That was all washed away when Michelle said that she'd just been trying to tell a joke with the whole Halloween thing. That wasn't good. Emily had completely and totally misread that one. It was the sort of thing that sometimes happened when she was outside her social circle and let her guard down a bit. Sometimes she assumed that things worked just like they did with her friends, or else she assumed that they were completely different for no good reason.
There wasn't much she could do to salvage this, though. Michelle seemed slightly crushed, and yet another new person (Nick, she thought, again someone she didn't know very personally) had turned up, and she couldn't exactly apologize for missing a joke, not without dragging the newcomers into this and having to explain everything, and that would inevitably just make Michelle feel worse. Emily knew how bad it could seem, making some stupid little faux pas and then getting judged for it. She tried to figure out some way to convey that everything was okay.
Through her distraction, Emily nodded and smiled at Yukiko and Nick, letting them know it was okay for them to sit. Then, as Michelle started her pitch once again, Emily saw a chance to redeem herself.
"They're a really good deal," she added with a smile.
A little lie was fine if it was for a good cause.
That was all washed away when Michelle said that she'd just been trying to tell a joke with the whole Halloween thing. That wasn't good. Emily had completely and totally misread that one. It was the sort of thing that sometimes happened when she was outside her social circle and let her guard down a bit. Sometimes she assumed that things worked just like they did with her friends, or else she assumed that they were completely different for no good reason.
There wasn't much she could do to salvage this, though. Michelle seemed slightly crushed, and yet another new person (Nick, she thought, again someone she didn't know very personally) had turned up, and she couldn't exactly apologize for missing a joke, not without dragging the newcomers into this and having to explain everything, and that would inevitably just make Michelle feel worse. Emily knew how bad it could seem, making some stupid little faux pas and then getting judged for it. She tried to figure out some way to convey that everything was okay.
Through her distraction, Emily nodded and smiled at Yukiko and Nick, letting them know it was okay for them to sit. Then, as Michelle started her pitch once again, Emily saw a chance to redeem herself.
"They're a really good deal," she added with a smile.
A little lie was fine if it was for a good cause.
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BetaKnight
- Posts: 428
- Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2018 4:05 am
((Cooper Komorowski continued from Nevermind))
He had been sitting watching Emily from across the lunch room, trying to figure out the best way to approach her. 'Dude, go over and talk to her. You can't ask her if you don't go and talk to her,' he silently coached himself. Cooper nodded and wiped his suddenly sweaty palms on his thighs.
He even had the perfect opening, too. Michelle was doing the yearly Girl Scout cookie sale sign-up, and she and Emily were talking. He could just, you know, stroll on over there all smooth-like, order some cookies, and score himself a date with one of the hottest girls at school. A hot-ass prom date AND Girl Scout cookies. There wasn't a better combo anywhere.
But for some reason, he had not gone over and put his plan into action. Instead, he'd sat here, munched on some chips, and watched the girls talk like a creeper. 'Nobody likes a creeper, bro,' he reminded himself. Cooper was going to go over there and ask Emily out. In a minute. Or five. Just as soon as his palms stopped sweating.
As he watched, one of the other swim team girls came up. She was probably looking to score cookies too, which was awesome for Michelle. Priya had been a Girl Scout, so he knew that the more Michelle and her troop sold, the more money they go to do cool Girl Scout-y shit. His sister's troop used their money to go to some big Girl Scout meeting or something. Cooper hadn't really cared since he couldn't go.
Cooper took a swig of his water, swishing it around in his mouth. It wouldn't do to go over and talk to Emily with Dorito crumbs all over his teeth. That would be a complete turn-off. Just as soon as the other girl put in her order, he would....
What. The hell?
Cooper choked on his water a bit as he stared at Emily's table. Did some other dude just roll up and sit with the girls? This was unacceptable. What if that other guy asked Emily to the prom? Who wouldn't want to ask Emily to the prom? She was smart and funny and a kick-ass girl. Even worse, what if she said yes? Of course she would say yes if the other guy asked her.
And all because Cooper had been sitting on his ass, killing time.
Well, that shit was *not* going to happen.
Wiping his face with a napkin, Cooper stood up and smoothed down his shirt. With a certainty he didn't feel, he made his way over to Emily's table. He nodded in greeting as he approached them. Cooper focused on Michelle first, running with the convenient excuse for coming over.
"Oh, hey, great. Girl Scout cookies. Love the organization and love the cookies," he announced in what he hoped was a suave tone of voice. "Put me down for a box of Samoas, two boxes of Tagalongs, and a box of Thin Mints, please?"
Without waiting for Michelle to acknowledge him, Cooper turned his attention on Emily. "Oh, hey, Emily. Didn't know you were here." He grinned a bit, hoping she didn't notice his outrageous lie. He could feel his palms getting damp again and he almost faltered.
What if she said no? He'd look like a total tool, epically failing in front of all these people. 'But what if she says yes? Fortune favors the bold, man.' Cooper soldiered on.
"Uh, hey, since you're here, and I'm here, I just thought I'd ask if you wanted to go to the prom?" He waited a beat, then added, "With me. 'Cause, you know, pretty much everyone want to go to the prom, unless you're some kind of anti-social weirdo. In which case, I don't think you need to worry about anyone asking you."
He was rambling. Oh, Jesus help him, he was rambling. And did he just imply that Emily was some kind of anti-social weirdo? This was not how he had planned it. "Not that you're a weirdo. At all," he assured her with a little wave of his hand.
Cooper cleared his throat as he tried to discreetly wipe his hands on his back pockets. "So, uh, yeah. Prom?" He flashed Emily a sheepish grin.
He had been sitting watching Emily from across the lunch room, trying to figure out the best way to approach her. 'Dude, go over and talk to her. You can't ask her if you don't go and talk to her,' he silently coached himself. Cooper nodded and wiped his suddenly sweaty palms on his thighs.
He even had the perfect opening, too. Michelle was doing the yearly Girl Scout cookie sale sign-up, and she and Emily were talking. He could just, you know, stroll on over there all smooth-like, order some cookies, and score himself a date with one of the hottest girls at school. A hot-ass prom date AND Girl Scout cookies. There wasn't a better combo anywhere.
But for some reason, he had not gone over and put his plan into action. Instead, he'd sat here, munched on some chips, and watched the girls talk like a creeper. 'Nobody likes a creeper, bro,' he reminded himself. Cooper was going to go over there and ask Emily out. In a minute. Or five. Just as soon as his palms stopped sweating.
As he watched, one of the other swim team girls came up. She was probably looking to score cookies too, which was awesome for Michelle. Priya had been a Girl Scout, so he knew that the more Michelle and her troop sold, the more money they go to do cool Girl Scout-y shit. His sister's troop used their money to go to some big Girl Scout meeting or something. Cooper hadn't really cared since he couldn't go.
Cooper took a swig of his water, swishing it around in his mouth. It wouldn't do to go over and talk to Emily with Dorito crumbs all over his teeth. That would be a complete turn-off. Just as soon as the other girl put in her order, he would....
What. The hell?
Cooper choked on his water a bit as he stared at Emily's table. Did some other dude just roll up and sit with the girls? This was unacceptable. What if that other guy asked Emily to the prom? Who wouldn't want to ask Emily to the prom? She was smart and funny and a kick-ass girl. Even worse, what if she said yes? Of course she would say yes if the other guy asked her.
And all because Cooper had been sitting on his ass, killing time.
Well, that shit was *not* going to happen.
Wiping his face with a napkin, Cooper stood up and smoothed down his shirt. With a certainty he didn't feel, he made his way over to Emily's table. He nodded in greeting as he approached them. Cooper focused on Michelle first, running with the convenient excuse for coming over.
"Oh, hey, great. Girl Scout cookies. Love the organization and love the cookies," he announced in what he hoped was a suave tone of voice. "Put me down for a box of Samoas, two boxes of Tagalongs, and a box of Thin Mints, please?"
Without waiting for Michelle to acknowledge him, Cooper turned his attention on Emily. "Oh, hey, Emily. Didn't know you were here." He grinned a bit, hoping she didn't notice his outrageous lie. He could feel his palms getting damp again and he almost faltered.
What if she said no? He'd look like a total tool, epically failing in front of all these people. 'But what if she says yes? Fortune favors the bold, man.' Cooper soldiered on.
"Uh, hey, since you're here, and I'm here, I just thought I'd ask if you wanted to go to the prom?" He waited a beat, then added, "With me. 'Cause, you know, pretty much everyone want to go to the prom, unless you're some kind of anti-social weirdo. In which case, I don't think you need to worry about anyone asking you."
He was rambling. Oh, Jesus help him, he was rambling. And did he just imply that Emily was some kind of anti-social weirdo? This was not how he had planned it. "Not that you're a weirdo. At all," he assured her with a little wave of his hand.
Cooper cleared his throat as he tried to discreetly wipe his hands on his back pockets. "So, uh, yeah. Prom?" He flashed Emily a sheepish grin.