((Jeremy Frasier's Sadie Hawkins adventure, continued from The Second Mistake))
"And we're here!" Jeremy exclaimed, extending the second word of his sentence as he tapped his hand on the door to the school gymnasium. While the gym was a place Jeremy actively tried to avoid if he could (PE prac not being very fun unless the sport he was doing was something he liked, such as badminton or tennis), tonight seemed to have changed Jeremy's feelings about the place, if only for a short time. He turned his head behind him quickly, making sure that BB Gunnerson - his date for the night - was still right behind him. He snorted, slightly. Making sure that he didn't outspeed her had been a lot harder than he thought it would. He was a fast walker, and he tended to not waste time when the bell rang, meaning that he normally got to places faster than his classmates did. It was a talent that was great for his academics, but it wasn't that great when he needed to be with people. Maybe that was why he was alone in the cafeteria that day? He knew that most of the people he regularly hung with took their time getting to other places, so it wouldn't really be a surprise if that was the reason he ended up sitting with her.
After their chance meeting at the record store, the two had started emailing each other, hashing out the plans for what was happening at the dance and sharing a small conversation on which bands Jeremy liked. The plan was that BB would pick Jeremy up at 5:30 PM, and that was exactly what happened. She drove up in front of his house, Jeremy said bye to his parents, and he exited his house wearing a formal black shirt and peacoat. He told his parents that the occasion wasn't that important and that BB likely didn't really give a shit about the way he dressed (not with that wording, of course) but they wouldn't budge. Jeremy got in the car (front seat, of course; there was no point in sitting in the backseat when you had nobody to sit with), they drove around for a bit, and then they got here.
"But anyway, um..." Jeremy didn't really have an idea of what he was going to do now he was at the dance. He had the idea that he was going to have to dance at some point, given that this was the Sadie Hawkins dance and all, but he had neglected to tell BB that he... kinda danced like a lumberjack with no legs. He was actually surprised that he got a B when he had to dance in PE, and considering that unit he had a reason to avoid the gym during that time period. Still, he could manage this. Maybe they could go to one of the snack tables and just hang there the whole night. That'd be fun, and it would mean that Jeremy wouldn't be able to embarrass himself in front of BB. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. He'd need to see the inside of the place before he could work the plan out. He stepped to the side, gesturing his hands towards the door.
Hopefully this would go okay for him.
"Ladies first?"
She's Stupid Pretty, He's Pretty Stupid
Oh no! Now I seem to be unable to think of a topic subtitle! Whatever shall I do?
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MurderWeasel
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((BB Gunnerson continued from The Second Mistake))
BB was trying to keep up with Jeremy, really, but she wasn't someone who wore heels a lot and that made the difference in their paces even more notable than it otherwise might have been. In fact, BB had paused for a second as Jeremy got out of the car to slip into her shoes; she'd driven barefoot and had a pair of sneakers stashed in the trunk just in case things got unbearable.
She didn't drive that often. Her family had two cars, but her parents didn't really like her using either unless it was a special occasion or she was running an errand for them, and for the most part BB was totally fine riding her bicycle. Tonight, however, she had her mom's sedan; her parents had taken her dad's car and said they were going on a romantic getaway to some sort of show in Las Vegas or something and had told her to have fun and be safe. Her mom's car was the older and crummier of the Gunnerson vehicles, with a scrape of silver cutting into the red paint above the left tail light and these sort of ugly fuzzy beige seat covers that were in part to cover where BB had spilled a cup of grape juice in the backseat when she was eight. That all actually made her feel a bit better, though, because it meant if she did ding it up somehow her parents wouldn't be quite as furious. Still, in an effort to avoid anything of the sort, she'd not even tried to drive in heels.
Jeremy was dressed nicely, which was good. BB hadn't really expected him to make much or any effort for this, but she'd dressed nicely herself anyways because there wasn't really any point going to a dance in jeans and a t-shirt, and her date won points for following suit. Getting a decent outfit had entailed a run to Ross, because most of her old dresses were too small or sort of ugly, but she'd found something nice. She'd taken a long time picking out the perfect thing; she wanted something a little sexy but not slutty like a bunch of the other girls would probably be wearing, something a little formal but not uptight. She'd settled on a sleeveless teal dress that flared out a bit below the waist and ended just above her knees. It was snug but not tight, comfortable enough that she could actually move in it, made out of this slick satin or something, and it had only run her a little over twenty bucks. She'd rounded her outfit out with silver stud earrings and a matching bracelet on her left wrist.
So everything was going well as she shuffled along after Jeremy. Cochise High School looked different after dark. It was probably just that she wasn't even near here often after normal school hours, let alone walking into the building, but it almost looked like a place where fun could be had. She wasn't expecting tonight to be mind-blowing or anything—she didn't even know for sure if any of the people she liked hanging out with would be showing up, and the outlook for good music was dire—but she was feeling optimistic nonetheless.
"Thanks," she said, flashing Jeremy a smile as he beckoned her inside. He'd been good company so far, so that was another front on which the evening was looking good. BB slipped past him and into the gym, but quickly turned around, raised an eyebrow, and waved Jeremy to join her.
BB was trying to keep up with Jeremy, really, but she wasn't someone who wore heels a lot and that made the difference in their paces even more notable than it otherwise might have been. In fact, BB had paused for a second as Jeremy got out of the car to slip into her shoes; she'd driven barefoot and had a pair of sneakers stashed in the trunk just in case things got unbearable.
She didn't drive that often. Her family had two cars, but her parents didn't really like her using either unless it was a special occasion or she was running an errand for them, and for the most part BB was totally fine riding her bicycle. Tonight, however, she had her mom's sedan; her parents had taken her dad's car and said they were going on a romantic getaway to some sort of show in Las Vegas or something and had told her to have fun and be safe. Her mom's car was the older and crummier of the Gunnerson vehicles, with a scrape of silver cutting into the red paint above the left tail light and these sort of ugly fuzzy beige seat covers that were in part to cover where BB had spilled a cup of grape juice in the backseat when she was eight. That all actually made her feel a bit better, though, because it meant if she did ding it up somehow her parents wouldn't be quite as furious. Still, in an effort to avoid anything of the sort, she'd not even tried to drive in heels.
Jeremy was dressed nicely, which was good. BB hadn't really expected him to make much or any effort for this, but she'd dressed nicely herself anyways because there wasn't really any point going to a dance in jeans and a t-shirt, and her date won points for following suit. Getting a decent outfit had entailed a run to Ross, because most of her old dresses were too small or sort of ugly, but she'd found something nice. She'd taken a long time picking out the perfect thing; she wanted something a little sexy but not slutty like a bunch of the other girls would probably be wearing, something a little formal but not uptight. She'd settled on a sleeveless teal dress that flared out a bit below the waist and ended just above her knees. It was snug but not tight, comfortable enough that she could actually move in it, made out of this slick satin or something, and it had only run her a little over twenty bucks. She'd rounded her outfit out with silver stud earrings and a matching bracelet on her left wrist.
So everything was going well as she shuffled along after Jeremy. Cochise High School looked different after dark. It was probably just that she wasn't even near here often after normal school hours, let alone walking into the building, but it almost looked like a place where fun could be had. She wasn't expecting tonight to be mind-blowing or anything—she didn't even know for sure if any of the people she liked hanging out with would be showing up, and the outlook for good music was dire—but she was feeling optimistic nonetheless.
"Thanks," she said, flashing Jeremy a smile as he beckoned her inside. He'd been good company so far, so that was another front on which the evening was looking good. BB slipped past him and into the gym, but quickly turned around, raised an eyebrow, and waved Jeremy to join her.
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Yugikun
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BB walked past him, flashing a smile as she did so. He returned it, smiling back at her as quickly as he could. Did he look weird when he smiled? He didn't really know. If he did nobody told him that he did, although to be fair he rarely ever smiled anyway. Not in a "I HAVE NO EMOTIONS BECAUSE MY CHARACTER TRAIT IS THAT I'M A MASSIVE EMO" way though, more that his default facial position was a slight frown. It wasn't really something that bothered him, so he didn't really do anything about it. Anyway, going back to them smiling at each other. Jeremy felt a kinda tingly feeling as he did so. He dismissed it. This wasn't like, a romantic date or anything; this was just two recent friends doing something fun with each other. This was casual, fun, nothing more. Lay all your thoughts and emotions on the table because there was nothing to hide there.
He had to admit that she looked pretty good though. The blueish-green dress worked on her. Didn't really match with the colour of her hair but it was pretty despite that. He was pretty glad that his parents forced him into the peacoat now, because if he looked like he was going out to like, the corner store or something he would not fit with the person he was likely going to hang with all night. He would have also been likely to get mocked for it by someone like, Conrad or Darius or someone like that. Neither were people he really cared about but hey, avoiding it was a good thing, at least. Still, that wasn't really the point. Point was that she looked pretty and he at the very least tried to match it.
She then gestured for him to come with her, and that was what he did. He jogged slightly until he was right next to her and then matched her pace as he walked beside her into the hall. He noticed that their hands were kinda close to one another, and he decided to straighten his arm a little just in case she wanted to hold it or something? He was pretty sure that holding someone's hand had a romantic connotation to it and that was something he wanted to avoid and although he doubted that she thought it was a romantic thing it was better to give a signal just in case? He didn't really know. Going to dances with a girl was kind of a new thing for him.
So they walked together into the hall, with Jeremy trying to listen out to what songs they were playing in the hall and-
Wait, that was the song they were playing? Like, it was okay; did mood well and although it was a little melodramatic he could get behind the piano and the vocals, but this wasn't exactly the song he'd play at a school dance. It was far too dark in mood for the occasion.
"This song's kinda gloomy for a school dance," he said to BB, hoping that she'd agree. "Kinda does fit now that we've arrived, though.
He had to admit that she looked pretty good though. The blueish-green dress worked on her. Didn't really match with the colour of her hair but it was pretty despite that. He was pretty glad that his parents forced him into the peacoat now, because if he looked like he was going out to like, the corner store or something he would not fit with the person he was likely going to hang with all night. He would have also been likely to get mocked for it by someone like, Conrad or Darius or someone like that. Neither were people he really cared about but hey, avoiding it was a good thing, at least. Still, that wasn't really the point. Point was that she looked pretty and he at the very least tried to match it.
She then gestured for him to come with her, and that was what he did. He jogged slightly until he was right next to her and then matched her pace as he walked beside her into the hall. He noticed that their hands were kinda close to one another, and he decided to straighten his arm a little just in case she wanted to hold it or something? He was pretty sure that holding someone's hand had a romantic connotation to it and that was something he wanted to avoid and although he doubted that she thought it was a romantic thing it was better to give a signal just in case? He didn't really know. Going to dances with a girl was kind of a new thing for him.
So they walked together into the hall, with Jeremy trying to listen out to what songs they were playing in the hall and-
Wait, that was the song they were playing? Like, it was okay; did mood well and although it was a little melodramatic he could get behind the piano and the vocals, but this wasn't exactly the song he'd play at a school dance. It was far too dark in mood for the occasion.
"This song's kinda gloomy for a school dance," he said to BB, hoping that she'd agree. "Kinda does fit now that we've arrived, though.
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MurderWeasel
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"It sure does," BB said. "And hey, at least it's not, I dunno, 'Pumped Up Kicks' or something."
That was one that had been utterly inescapable for a while because nobody really cared all that much about lyrics. It wasn't even a bad song or anything, especially for super-mainstream pop, but it really grated on BB when people didn't pay enough attention to music to get the vaguest idea what it was about. She had this acoustic version she'd found on YouTube from some little radio station in Colorado or something that she liked playing for friends and family and anyone else who would listen, to help them figure out that, hey, this was a song about gunning people down.
Jeremy had his hand kind of awkwardly sticking towards hers so she grabbed for it. He seemed really uncertain and almost shy about this whole thing, actually, and BB couldn't quite place why. He'd been confident enough to joke around about some subjects that would've probably made half the class blanch, had seemed comfortable enough dealing with her when she approached him randomly around town, but tonight he appeared out of his element. She decided it was kind of charming, in a really unintentional sort of way.
The music that was playing was something BB could swear she'd heard somewhere, but it wasn't obnoxious so that was already a couple steps above what she'd been expecting. She wasn't so sure it was a the sort of thing that you could dance to easily, but that was expected and besides, if she had her way they'd throw on some nice quarter-hour drone suites and that would be equally unlikely to get feet stomping.
She scanned the gymnasium, trying to get a feel for the mood. They'd gotten here towards the earlier end of the dance, so everyone who wanted to be fashionably late had yet to manifest. The gym did look pretty nice; the lights were low and they had all this tacky space-themed junk around, but that was fun in a sort of ironic way where BB was pretty sure nobody was taking it seriously at all. Because this wasn't Prom, there were a bunch of underclassmen everywhere, and it was pretty funny to her how different from the juniors and seniors they seemed. Some of the freshmen still looked awestruck to be attending an actual high school dance, while most of the upperclassmen fell right into the swing of dancing or standing around being too cool to do so. There were some tables with food and beverages, and a bunch of teachers and parents hanging around on the periphery of the action, trying not to look miserable while they presumably watched for kids trying to sneak alcohol.
"I'm gonna be honest with you," BB said to Jeremy, "I didn't really plan this far. I've actually been pretty much winging all of this."
That was one that had been utterly inescapable for a while because nobody really cared all that much about lyrics. It wasn't even a bad song or anything, especially for super-mainstream pop, but it really grated on BB when people didn't pay enough attention to music to get the vaguest idea what it was about. She had this acoustic version she'd found on YouTube from some little radio station in Colorado or something that she liked playing for friends and family and anyone else who would listen, to help them figure out that, hey, this was a song about gunning people down.
Jeremy had his hand kind of awkwardly sticking towards hers so she grabbed for it. He seemed really uncertain and almost shy about this whole thing, actually, and BB couldn't quite place why. He'd been confident enough to joke around about some subjects that would've probably made half the class blanch, had seemed comfortable enough dealing with her when she approached him randomly around town, but tonight he appeared out of his element. She decided it was kind of charming, in a really unintentional sort of way.
The music that was playing was something BB could swear she'd heard somewhere, but it wasn't obnoxious so that was already a couple steps above what she'd been expecting. She wasn't so sure it was a the sort of thing that you could dance to easily, but that was expected and besides, if she had her way they'd throw on some nice quarter-hour drone suites and that would be equally unlikely to get feet stomping.
She scanned the gymnasium, trying to get a feel for the mood. They'd gotten here towards the earlier end of the dance, so everyone who wanted to be fashionably late had yet to manifest. The gym did look pretty nice; the lights were low and they had all this tacky space-themed junk around, but that was fun in a sort of ironic way where BB was pretty sure nobody was taking it seriously at all. Because this wasn't Prom, there were a bunch of underclassmen everywhere, and it was pretty funny to her how different from the juniors and seniors they seemed. Some of the freshmen still looked awestruck to be attending an actual high school dance, while most of the upperclassmen fell right into the swing of dancing or standing around being too cool to do so. There were some tables with food and beverages, and a bunch of teachers and parents hanging around on the periphery of the action, trying not to look miserable while they presumably watched for kids trying to sneak alcohol.
"I'm gonna be honest with you," BB said to Jeremy, "I didn't really plan this far. I've actually been pretty much winging all of this."
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Yugikun
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"Or Midnight Show," Jeremy replied. "Although I doubt that that would be the type of song people would dance to."
Oh, past Jeremy. He remembered when he had almost sung that for his school's talent show. In retrospect he was kinda happy that the song went over the three minute time limit, otherwise there was probably going to be a bit of uproar amongst the teachers at the event. Thank god past him decided to go for Alouette or Desperado or whatever song he played back then instead. Assuming that he played a song back then, of course. He remembered being backstage back then but that could have easily been because of his spot on the council back then. Whatever, it wasn't really relevant. Spoilers: Midnight Show was a song about a dude murdering his girlfriend, which was a meaning that Jeremy was totally unaware of until like, 2013 or something. Kinda made him feel dumb thinking about it, so he tossed it aside.
He was looking around trying to see if any of his friends were here right when BB grabbed his hand. He jumped, slightly, turning his head towards her and then down to their hands. Okay. This was fine. He could like this. Her hand was oddly cold compared to his but it was still kinda comfortable. Really, the thing that kinda concerned him about this was the implications. Holding somebody's hand was typically a romantic gesture, right? Like, did this mean that BB liked him? Was this romantic? She had said in the emails that this was supposed to be a casual thing between the two of them but was it possible that she had a crush on him? He didn't know, and to be honest he wasn't sure whether he minded that or not. Going through the night, having fun with her and deciding later seemed like a good enough plan, though.
He looked through the gym, again trying to see if there was anyone he knew in the crowd. Nobody. A couple of faces he recognised but nobody he could walk up and start a conversation with. He turned his head back to BB, seeing where she wanted to go. He personally wanted to just kinda sit near a table but hey, tonight was the girl's dance. Better for him to give his date the choice.
It turned out though that BB didn't really have any idea on what to do either. Jeremy saw this as the chance to take initiative. Wait, was that the right way of saying it? He wasn't sure. Was there a way of saying it that didn't make him sound sociopathic? There probably was, but it wasn't coming to his mind at the moment. He was just going to have to take his own word for it.
"To be honest, me neither. First thing I was thinking of was going to one of the tables over there," He said, holding up his hand and-
Wait. Whoops.
"Sorry, wrong hand," he apologised, placing the hand holding BB's down and raising up his other hand. "One of the tables over there, wait until like, a good slash appropriate song starts playing," he said, pointing towards one of the tables on the far end of the hall.
Oh, past Jeremy. He remembered when he had almost sung that for his school's talent show. In retrospect he was kinda happy that the song went over the three minute time limit, otherwise there was probably going to be a bit of uproar amongst the teachers at the event. Thank god past him decided to go for Alouette or Desperado or whatever song he played back then instead. Assuming that he played a song back then, of course. He remembered being backstage back then but that could have easily been because of his spot on the council back then. Whatever, it wasn't really relevant. Spoilers: Midnight Show was a song about a dude murdering his girlfriend, which was a meaning that Jeremy was totally unaware of until like, 2013 or something. Kinda made him feel dumb thinking about it, so he tossed it aside.
He was looking around trying to see if any of his friends were here right when BB grabbed his hand. He jumped, slightly, turning his head towards her and then down to their hands. Okay. This was fine. He could like this. Her hand was oddly cold compared to his but it was still kinda comfortable. Really, the thing that kinda concerned him about this was the implications. Holding somebody's hand was typically a romantic gesture, right? Like, did this mean that BB liked him? Was this romantic? She had said in the emails that this was supposed to be a casual thing between the two of them but was it possible that she had a crush on him? He didn't know, and to be honest he wasn't sure whether he minded that or not. Going through the night, having fun with her and deciding later seemed like a good enough plan, though.
He looked through the gym, again trying to see if there was anyone he knew in the crowd. Nobody. A couple of faces he recognised but nobody he could walk up and start a conversation with. He turned his head back to BB, seeing where she wanted to go. He personally wanted to just kinda sit near a table but hey, tonight was the girl's dance. Better for him to give his date the choice.
It turned out though that BB didn't really have any idea on what to do either. Jeremy saw this as the chance to take initiative. Wait, was that the right way of saying it? He wasn't sure. Was there a way of saying it that didn't make him sound sociopathic? There probably was, but it wasn't coming to his mind at the moment. He was just going to have to take his own word for it.
"To be honest, me neither. First thing I was thinking of was going to one of the tables over there," He said, holding up his hand and-
Wait. Whoops.
"Sorry, wrong hand," he apologised, placing the hand holding BB's down and raising up his other hand. "One of the tables over there, wait until like, a good slash appropriate song starts playing," he said, pointing towards one of the tables on the far end of the hall.