Halcyon Halls

Who: Easton and Ita
When: Late afternoon/early evening
Where: The library

The past few days hadn't exactly been the best that Easton had ever endured, to say the very least. Frankie and her Patron had definitely helped matters, but eventually it seemed a bit too much to continue locking himself away. Of course he was hurt, he was angrier than he'd expected, but moping about wasn't going to accomplish anything. That didn't mean he was quite yet ready to head out and socialize as surely he would in time, but at least vacating his dorm room for a bit seemed like a good start. That left the question of where exactly to relocate to...the common rooms were hit or miss usually, either completely devoid of people or filled with random students who wanted a bit of space from the close confines of their dorms as well. Outside didn't really strike his fancy at the moment either and East was sure everyone would be shocked to hear that his appetite was failing a bit a the moment. That left....the library, it struck him out of the blue and seemed like the perfect solution. He was a book worm, after all, why hadn't he thought of that?

A shower was in order first, a bit of drying for those curls that had started to get a bit out of control again. Perhaps it was time for a hair cut, he mused as he dressed and grabbed his keys. He'd find a book in the library - he'd read all of the ones on his shelves, after all, and nothing seemed interesting enough to take a second trip through at that moment. Shutting off the light, he stepped into the hall and pulled closed his door, making sure to lock it behind him before he set off in the direction of the library.

He'd expected it to be rather empty, and it was, the quiet more than welcome as he entered. Of course, now came the question of what exactly would he fill his time with? He hadn't read any Molière lately and the chance to sit down and read something in French might keep his mind engaged enough to keep from wandering. Thankfully it only took a few moments to not only track down a collection of the playwright's works, but to find out of the little reading lounges that was relatively empty. Stretching out across the couch on his back, Easton cracked the book and turned his attention to the words before him. Hopefully, this would fill his time a bit better than simply moping around his room had. He had a feeling that Frankie was going to drag him kicking and screaming out of there if he didn't pull himself together relatively soon.

When: 7PM
Where: French restaurant in the city
Who: Sam, Easton, Kate and Rufus

Sam had spent the past few days being a wreck. What had happened with Kiernan had been completely out of character for her and the guilt was almost unbearable. How could she have done that to Easton? He had been nothing but fabulous to her and she had to take it and just throw it out the window. And right before his birthday too! Karma was no doubt going to push her down a flight of stairs later, she could just feel it.

But even with a confusing mixture of emotions swirling about her mind, she had one hell of a birthday to plan. She owed Easton at least that much. So she had worked her ass off on the gift she had been making for the past few weeks and made an extra effort to look presentable for the evening. Black dress, black shoes and a red handbag, couldn’t really go wrong there! Or so she hoped anyway. She really should have checked with Kate to figure out how dressy she was going to be. Oh well.

As soon as she was ready and it was time to go, she hurried down to the designated meeting place and couldn’t help but smile. Her heart even gave a familiar flutter and she felt warm. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!” It wasn’t an easy feat in heels, but somehow she managed to run and essentially launch herself into his arms. “How’s it feel to be old?” she laughed as she kissed his cheek. “Is that gray I see?” Her eyes twinkled as she teased him but there wasn’t much time so she grabbed his hand and started to pull him along. “Come on, I don’t want us to be late!”

A black town car was waiting for them at the entrance and once they were inside, she popped open a bottle of champagne and handed him a glass flute for a toast. “Happy Birthday, Easty.” The bubbly was sipped but sadly there was only enough time for one glass. “Okay close your eyes, we’re almost here.” Sam made him keep those eyes closed as she helped him out of the car and into the restaurant. Inside awaited their other guests in a sectioned off back area that was littered with balloons and flowers. So maybe she went a little overboard. Oops. “Surprise!”

Who:  Ita and Easton
What:  Notes and foooood
Where:  Kitchen
When:  After the lunch rush

Ita had finished unpacking this morning.  Normally, she wasn't one to bring loads of suitcases with her, but she had brought some of her most unique or expensive cooking materials with her, which took up a single suitcase by itself.  Another suitcase was packed with various items for her room - pictures, posters, books, DVDs, etc.  Then she had two more suitcases - one with clothes, and the last with personal items.  She had unpacked the bare necessities the night before, including her laptop, and spent the night online as she worked at unpacking spottily.

Now that she had finished unpacking, and her room was set up just the way she liked it, she headed down to the kitchens to get some fish and chips ready for Easton.  She smirked to herself, wondering if he was British.  It always amused her how different regions had their own little vocabularies.  She sliced up two different kinds of potatoes - golden and sweet potato.  Sweet potato wasn't traditional 'chips', but she loved the way they tasted.  She made up her own batter and fried up the fish.  Even though Catalina had said the food was for student use, Ita figured she'd replace the fish at the least - it was expensive.  While the fish fried, she made up some tartar sauce, and got out other various condiments, setting them on a table near the kitchen.  Soon as it was all ready, she set out two plates.  The chips she left on a plate in the center of the table, since she wasn't sure if he'd even want to try the sweet potato ones.  She covered everything, to keep it warm, and hoped Easton showed up soon.  They hadn't exactly specified the time of arrival.

To cover up the fishy smell, and because she couldn't stop with just the main course, Ita had also made up a strawberry rhubarb pie.  She left the water in the sink she had filled - part of her paranoia over fires.  She could manipulate it from the sink to the fire, if there ever was one.  And she had moved the fire extinguisher closer to her while she cooked.  Last night she had nightmares again.  They were always beyond terrifying, and she usually woke up drenched - she tried to put out the fires in her dreams, apparently by using the water in the air around her.  The nightmares came and went, but they usually were strongest when she started sleeping somewhere new.  Hopefully, they would calm down soon.  She really wanted to try to do well here.  For her parents.

Now that everything was as ready as it could be, she took a seat and waited.  Her notebook and pen were resting on one of the extra seats at the table, but she figured they'd get to that after eating.  She was hungry by now.  She didn't have any junk food in her room to tide her over between meals, yet.  She'd rectify that before dinner - take a trip into town and go shopping for a few things.

Who: Alana and Easton
Where: Corridor near Zephir house
When: Wednesday Early Evening



Knock. Knock. Knock.

There was no answer. Alana's face screwed up in a frown. No one ever seemed to answer the doors she knocked on. Of course she had already tried the handle that had been the very first thing she'd done, rattling the knob until she was absolutely certain that she wasn't going to get into the room. What room was it? Alana wasn't altogether certain but that was far from the point.

The point was that she wanted in! And she wanted in NOW. before that yicky funny smelling old lady that babysat her on Wednesday's came around. Alana knew it was wrong to have run off from her again. But she'd left a crayon scrawled note that said.

GON TO DADS CLAS

That explained it all didn't it? She was off to find daddy's class. It had to be more interesting than what she'd been up to which was nothing. First Ms. Crabbypants had said she'd watched too much tv already so no Dora, then she said she didn't need anymore sweets, THEN she said that she didn't want to dress up with Alana and play fairies. What was she supposed to do then? Be quiet? NO WAY. Alana had managed to color for a few minutes... well color and hatch her plan that came to fruition when the old lady went to the bathroom like she always did. Note left, Alana scampered out of the room.

Now just to find the classroom. Alana had thought she'd known where the class was but as she kept walking and walking she was pretty sure she didn't know where it was! NO GOOD. She hadn't given up yet though, she was wearing her lucky tutu that Sam had got her for her birthday as well as the Dora the explorer t-shirt she'd bought for her at the show.

Dora would be able to find the room... so could Alana!

The sound of one of the doors she'd already tried opening up caused Alana to spin around. Tutu flying out and all. "WAAAAIIIT!" She called running toward the man that was coming out of the doorway.

Who: Vinnie and Easton
When: Lunchtime
Where: The cafeteria

This week was turning out to be a lot better than the last for Vinnie. Granted, that didn’t really take a whole lot considering the week he had had. His first week of school had been full of a bunch of not so good surprises. First, he found out that Frankie had her first ever boyfriend and had also broken up with him within the first 24 hours of Vinnie having arrived at Halcyon. Then, he found out that their cousin Cissy was gonna be attending Halcyon and she was gonna be rooming with Frankie. That was a fight waiting to happen and who knows if it had or not. Frankie still hadn’t updated him on what happened when she and Cissy talked the night before.

As if that all wasn’t enough to drive the poor boy crazy, he also found out on Saturday thanks to a gossip column that his sister lost her virginity in a club to some whorish older dude. After reading that, he confronted Frankie about it and got into an argument with her about how disappointed he was in her. Once all that cleared up, another bomb was dropped on him. Frankie told him about how Cissy had had an affair with their papa’s best friend who was married with kids. Way too much to handle in one week.

Hanging out with Rain the night before had definitely helped clear his mind of all those worries. The girl was really cool and down to earth and not to mention cute as hell. He really hoped that he would get to see more of her in the future. Frankie approved of her after all.. not that he needed her approval for that but you know, it made things easier. He didn't like it when she ragged on the girls he dated and he hated having to defend them from her.

It was lunchtime and Vinnie was sitting in the cafeteria at a table by the window with only one iPod earphone in while he read his text for Supernatural Races: Fact or Fiction. He hated having to read while he ate but seeing as he skipped out on doing his homework last night to hang out with Rain, now was the only free time he had to do it before the class. Grabbing the burger he was eating, he took a bite as he turned the page of his textbook, accidentally splattering a bit of ketchup on the corner of one of the pages. “Damn..” He put the burger down and scrambled to grab some napkins from the dispenser on the table to dab the ketchup off. Hopefully it wouldn't leave a stain. See, this is why you should never have to read and eat at the same time.

Who: Sam and Easton
Where: A little Italian place in town
When: Dinnertime
What: Discussing things

For the first time in a long time he was dreading dinner with Sam for a number of reasons, though the chief among them was rather easy to pin down. He'd felt a bit on edge all day, the anticipation of that evening's activities hovering over head all morning. He wasn't quite sure what to expect from their meeting, what either would really get out of it. It was still such a bloody mind fuck just trying to figure out how he felt about the whole mess. Alcohol seemed to be quite helpful in that department lately, though East was aware that he was starting to verge on pathetic drunken loser and drift farther and farther from that handsome broody guy at the bar. He hadn't had anything today, he wanted to have all his wits about him when it came to meeting Sam.

He hadn't shaved in a few days, not that the dark stubble lining his chin bothered him in the slightest, and his hair was growing out to an unruly point - again, not something he was overly concerned with. In fact, he didn't bother to try and fix either before he moved to get dressed in time to meet Sam in town. He pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a plain white button down, sliding on a tan blazer before he moved to grab a pair of shoes. Before long it was time to take a deep breath and set out for the night.

Thankfully it was easy to catch a cab, they were hovering rather close to the school now given that students would start leaving soon for break. It made the trip into town seem to go by that much quicker. East directed the cabbie where to drop him off, leaning forward to pay the fare as the cab rolled to a stop just outside the restaurant he'd agreed to meet Sam at. Climbing out, he took a quick glance around before heading inside. He hadn't spotted her yet and so he went ahead and got a table for them, one out of the way so they could talk, and ordered a drink while he waited.

Who: Easton and Shoko
Where: The beach
When: At night
What: Commiserating? East is miserable, for sure

He was starting to understand why alcoholism was such a raging disease; he couldn't speak for druggies, but that blissful nothingness you felt after having one too many was a pretty welcome sensation right about now. What Sam had told him, what she'd done and everything that it meant...all of that was too much to deal with. It was too much to ask him to feel the loss of everything he'd foolishly assumed that they would have. Then again, when you're madly in love with your best friend, the person you don't think would hurt you in a million years, perhaps being an idiot comes along with the territory. Easton certainly felt like a bloody wank about now; he'd been able to sense that attraction, the sexual tension between Kiernan and Sam from day one and still he'd said something when it was obvious (now) he should have just kept his mouth shut. Here he was a day later and he hadn't heard a word from Sam. He half hadn't expected to - she was free now, if it was Kiernan she wanted, she could go after him. If their positions had been reversed, there was no way he would have stayed away, stayed quiet this long. His apologies would have been never-ending, he'd be out there ready to do anything to prove to her how much he really did love her....cut the other person from his life, lose all ties with them, and focus entirely on Sam. Maybe their relationship was more one-sided then he'd thought.

Sitting on the beach in the dark, welcoming the cold wind that blew in off the water, Easton's thoughts took a rather depressing turn. It was in large part, he assumed, to the bottle of whiskey clasped in one hand, nearly half-way empty by now. Then there was the matter of that new little voice that had popped into his head, the one that kept reminding him of that knife dug into his back, unable or not wanting to let that hurt begin to heal over anytime soon. You did everything for her, gave her everything!, that little voice hollered, And what did you get in return? He shook his head against it, as if some physical movement might banish it from his brain, but it didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

He'd been boxing up the things Sam had left in his room, preparing them to leave for her the next day, when it had all hit him again. He'd been handling it as well as could be expected, still managing to attend class - save for Blades - and going about his daily routine. Feeling nothing, thinking about nothing but the classwork seemed to help keep him occupied. Sitting for too long with nothing to fill his time is when it would hit, when he would remember how much things had changed with one bloody full moon. He'd lost more than just the girl he'd always assumed he'd marry in all of this, he'd lost his best friend as well. He'd always told Sam nothing could tear them apart, but then he hadn't for a moment considered that she would ever cheat, especially not with someone she'd worked so hard to convince him was just a friend. And the worst part was that he believed her, he'd let go of whatever issues he'd had with Kiernan - or tried to - and chosen to trust Sam instead. And look where that had gotten him.

East raised the bottle to his lips again, took a long swallow as he watched the waves roll in, barely able to make out the white foam of their crests as they headed for shore. He savored that alcohol burn as it sank down his throat, settling int he pit of his stomach. He hoped they were fucking happy together. He hoped ripping his heart out and destroying everything between he and Sam had been worth it.

When: After classes
Where: Common room on the south side
Who: Sam and Easton
What: =(

Sam had felt physically ill the day after the... encounter with Kiernan. Guilt had started trying to eat its way through her from the inside out and it had taken what little energy she had left to drag herself outside for the shift. Even with the moon pulling her forward, she had lacked her usual intensity. The beast had struggled to engage her, get her to let go and enjoy the night but she ended up just going along for the ride and not caring about what the outcome would be. Part of her wished for oblivion, for something to happen so that she wouldn't have to face Easton and confess what she had done. She could already see the disappointment in his eyes, it haunted her.

Like a coward she had hid out in her room under the guise of being too exhausted to function. God she hated herself. Monday morning had found her far paler than she should of been and her stomach churned from the lack of food over the weekend and the self loathing. Sleep had also been nonexistent because every time she closed her eyes she relived that night. "Dirty" didn't even begin to describe how she felt and she just couldn't get the water hot enough to wash away her sins.

As she made her way from one class to the next, she couldn't even bring herself to make eye contact with anyone and when she saw Kiernan at the end of the hall, she turned and practically ran the other way. Hiding out in the bathroom wasn't exactly her style but there was a first time for everything. What could she possibly even say to him? What she had done had been so out of character and wrong and...Hiding was good.

When the time to meet up with Easton had finally come, she half considered hopping on a plane and flying to the ends of the earth. But he deserved better than that. He deserved better than her and deserved to know just how far she had fallen from the person he thought her to be. Her heart ached as she took a seat on one of the couches in the common area and she knew that this was going to be the end of them. There was no way he would ever forgive her and she didn't have any right to ask.

Who: Davia and Easton
When: Wednesday Evening after Sunset
Where: In town

A small frown pursed her lips as she looked at the shelves of hair coloring products in the store where she stood. It was too bad that she didn't have glamour also because then she could avoid this all together. What exactly constituted Strawberry Blond and how did one streak their hair exactly? Davia picked up a box for a closer look, looking at the things written on the back, her brow furrowing in frustration. With a roll of her eyes, she sat the box down and shook her head at herself. Just because someone made the suggestion didn't mean she had to do it. She was fine the way she was, right?

A short walk down the aisle took her to the other hair care items. There were brushes, barrettes, headbands, and hand-held mirrors, one of which she caught a glance of herself in and then paused, taking a better look. She was pretty the way that she was, but maybe she could try something a little bit different. She grabbed a few packs of barrettes, some headbands, hair ties and clasps, and tossed them into the basket that she held on her arm. After getting a few more things, shampoo and conditioner that was supposed to make blond hair shine, and some new body spray, gummy bear scented, she headed out of the Health and Beauty Aids section and continued to browse through the store.

Clothes. Her wardrobe could use an update, consisting of mostly dresses, as that was what her father preferred her to wear, and a few sweaters. She lost herself in the women's clothing, finding a few shirts, some jeans (something she had never worn before in her life), and a new swimsuit, a two piece, in case she decided to take a swim one night, with a matching wrap. And then she came to the lingerie section.

Davia was a modest girl. She had never dressed in anything too provocative unless her father requested it and that was just for practical purposes. Most of the underclothes that she owned were simple, white cotton save for a pair of silk stockings with a seam up the back that she wore sometimes when they went hunting. By now, her basket was full, and it was about to get fuller as she decided to indulge herself and find some pretty things to wear, not that anyone would see them, but maybe it would help her to feel more pretty for a change.

With her basket overflowing, and a few things draped over her shoulder, she made her way to the checkout at the front of the store. Thankful that her father had left her a bank account with quite a bit of money in it, she made a small dent in that and found herself laden with bags as she made her way back out onto the street.

Oh how she wished she had a car and knew how to drive, because as she made her way back towards the school, she found the bags much heavier than she had initially expected. And then she dropped one, and of course it had to be the bag full of the more provocative clothing she had bought, lace panties and bras in various cuts and colors. Her face was flushed with embarrassment as she rushed to pick them all up and shove them back into her bag. How embarrassing!

Who: Frankie and East
When: Tuesday evening (before dark)
Where: heading out to the beach

Frankie was more than pleased with herself for getting East to cave in and agree to put his books down for a while. She was a studious girl, but everyone needed to let the brain rest from time to time. There was only room for so much information in there, and she didn't want Eastie's lovely head to burst. He was too cute to be disfigured like that! He also sounded like he'd forgotten how to just relax, so she felt it was her duty to offer a refresher course.

She and East hadn't spent much time together lately. Wasn't that they weren't close anymore, she made sure to check in with him every so often. It was just, well, they'd both sorta started up relationships around the same time. He was with Sam, and she had Clove. Ok, well, she did have Clove... past tense. Now she had tequila and doubts. Not a good mix. In fact, it was sure to make her do something stupid and wake up with a hangover and a lot of regrets. Oops!

That didn't stop her from throwing a large bottle of the liquor in a shoulder bag and heading off to meet her friend. She also brought a big blanket and a sweater. Once the sun set, it would likely get a bit chilly out by the beach. She wasn't sure about his choice of a location, but so long as they didn't get too close to the water, she'd be fine. Though... sometimes that damn wind carried the misty sea breeze a good distance, and she wasn't looking to be damp and salty.

With supplies in hand, cellphone and keys in her pocket, she skipped off to meet Easton by the main door. It was still light outside as she looked through the windows in the entry hall, which was always weird to her, but definitely welcome. It was wonderful having those extra hours of daylight, because there were few things Frankie loved more than basking in the sun. After her classes, earlier in the day, she'd spent an hour just lounging in the grass in her shorts and a skimpy tank top. Right now, she was wearing jeans out of practicality, but she'd still gone sleeveless, picking a powder blue silk camisole which matched her ballet flats perfectly. It was all very girly.

She spun around a bit as she waited for East. He wasn't late, she was just early... and she'd gotten an early start on her drinking as well. He'd have a little bit of catching up to do when he arrived.

Who: Nyobe and Easton
Where: Karaoke night! at ye local pub
When: Thursday Evening, after dinner/meeting with Ada
What: Friendly? Karaoke champion? Nyobe Whyte, you have many talents!

The pub wasn't far from Halcyon and, only by a fluke, did Nyobe enter. They had karaoke, she didn't see any reason to hang around the city, but the prospect of cheap beer and nostalgia dragged her in. It was a definite secret, but Nyobe loved karaoke and everyone who was close to her knew that, while she did, she fought this love with everything she had in her. On rare occassions she decided that it was time to open up the cover and show people what was under the paling of her serious face. Those small moments when her insecurities, the shoring of her defensiveness, lifted fully and showed them who she may have or might be if she'd let herself.

All in all, the crowd wasn't so aytpical. Even if the duo of male elves had an atonal quality to their rendition of ABBA's Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) may have been cultural, their love for ABBA, and probably other male elves, still transcended through. The place also had a monster of a selection, as long as you understood the essentials of karaoke: classic rock, disco, and pop with a good dose of modern hits. Unfortunately, it was also run by a pushy faerie. or pixie. or sprite. Nyobe had found a book about identifying different races by their wings, but she'd be damned if she wasn't using it like a sleeping pill.

After her second boor, plied into her hands by the bartender after showing him her ID (that shit worked!), Nyobe found herself staring dully at said organizer. She was wearing so much mascara the clumps would have weighed down her eyelashes if they weren't cemented that way to her eyelids. Finally, after a lengthy debate, Nyobe ascented to be the Jody in someone's Shalamar. Halfway through the song, the other two stepped back to allow their surprise star room. She rocketed through the rest of Dancing in the Sheets to loud applause and more than enough hoots. When she'd first stood up there, so stiff, people thought they'd see a stiff fish, but once the first note came out of her throat, rich and melodic, she was more than she appeared. And that chorus; Nyobe couldnt' help but move a little bit.

Then there was just no getting rid of that organizer this time. Her lime mini-dress, a cheap mod/60's costume was like day-glo in the dark by her table. She even went so far as to lug the massive binder over to her. With the care of a bomb technician, she chose her next, and first solo track. Trying to ignore the fact that most of these people were Halcyon students, she got up on stage. After all, the force had mostly stopped calling her songbird after she'd sang How Will I Know? for them after seven tequila shots, didn't they?

Fittingly, Kelly Rowland Featuring Eve's Like this. Because y'all didn't think she could bump like this. Feminine she was not, but she had swagger and sway. Miss Nyobe Whyte pulled a mean swerve and busted into that verse like she was coaching Destiny's Child herself. There were (off-key) shouting from the ABBA twins as soon as she hit the bridge. Never would she admit it later, but it gave her a rush that pushed her further. That were blood let her dance and sing like never before. This was nothing compared to what she did to her body every morning..and afternoon...and in class. Someone threw a flower from their table vase when she told them in the rap portion that she was N-Y-O-B-E and finished it point-perfect. Three minutes and twenty seconds after the song had begun, it was fading out and the woman on stage was as if transformed. She told y'all she was gonna bump like this.

When it was done, she seemed almost startled back into place and hastily got off the stage. Back to her table she slouched a little and kept her beer near her mouth so she could adequately grunt at anyone trying to pester. And by pester she meant congratulate or generally try to act like she was anything more than she wasn't. God help them if they even suggested she might even be a little bashful. In a way, she was kind of glad when someone came up from the bar and pulled up a chair next to her. One person was better than many. Nyobe was out of her element.

Who: Sam and Easton
Where: Meeting in the common area, then out for the evening
What: Off to celebrate her birthday!
When: Early evening

** Warning: It's Gettin Hot in Hurrrrr **

Easton had arrived about ten minutes early to the meeting place that he and Sam had agreed upon. Tonight was the big night - her first birthday that they would spend together as an official couple. These nights had always been special, East was one of those people who saw the importance in celebrating a birthday and so he tended to go all out for such occasions...especially for Sam. She had been his very best friend before his girlfriend, after all - if anyone knew of all the things he was capable of pulling out of his sleeve, it was her. Tonight he intended for things to be made a bit more special than year's past. He'd sent a gift for many of the days leading up to the actual date of her birth, little token of affection that ranged in both size and cost. It wasn't about how much someone spent on a loved one, of course, it was about the thought that went in to things. If there was one thing Easton could give himself credit at, it was most definitely too much of a thinker for his own good.

He wore a simple black suit, short hair styled into some sort of order for the night. Her final present hung in a small gold gift bag in his hand, awaiting until they reached their secret location for the evening before she could have this last one. He was understandably a bit nervous as well - concerned that this evening he had tried so hard to put together into some flawless celebration would blow up in his face. His initial confession of his feelings had gone so well, after all. It definitely hadn't boded well for tonight, but he'd double checked all his plans earlier that day to make sure things were set. Their private car was due to arrive in ten minutes, to whisk them away to the island's plush hotel where said confession had taken place. In a private suite near the top of the high-rise, a candlelit dinner sat waiting. The menu consisted of Sam's favorites, along with a bottle of the French champagne she had seemed to enjoy so much nights before.

Gentleman that he was, East expected nothing more out of the night than dinner and a bit of romance. At first he had worried that renting out the room would send a message he didn't truly want to be so blunt in putting forth, but Sam knew him better than that. Of course he was interested, but the man had much more finesse, more tact than that. It was the sharp click of heels against the hardwood floor of the hall that drew his attention, assuming that it would be Sam arriving for their evening out. He turned to greet her, a warm smile already in place...

Here went nothing.

When: Evening
Where: A Gazebo
Who: Sam and Easton

Sam had taken her time and listed out the pros and cons leading up to the biggest decision of probably her life. Countless pieces of paper had been tossed into the wastebasket and redone because that’s just how she was and scribbles and scratch marks all over were unacceptable. A list of such importance needed to be pristine and accurate. Hell, she probably would have had it laminated or something so that she could use a dry erase pen for any notes. Fortunately she was somehow able to make it through it and a decision had been made. Now came the hard part.

A time had been arranged with Easton the night before and Sam picked probably the coldest place ever to have the little chat. She could have chosen some place warmer and inside, but she wanted complete privacy and everyone knows that the walls in the school have ears. What was a little frostbite in that case right? Exactly.

Her heavy pea coat was pulled on over a sweater and a pair of jeans and a beanie was pulled over her dark hair. Luckily she had a slightly higher tolerance to the cold so it wasn’t like she would freeze to death while she was out there pacing…right? And that’s exactly what she was doing five minutes before they were set to meet. The list was clenched between her small fist and she was trying to get her nerves in check. What if she was making a mistake? Had she thought everything through?

The time for second-guessing and additional questions was over when her nose picked up his scent and her ears caught the faint sound of footsteps approaching. Just remember to breathe. “Hey you,” she said with a smile as she turned to greet him.