Scottish Ghost Angel (sadboyband) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-07-17 19:40:00 |
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Although Thalia was at the university bookstore, she wasn’t actually there for books. Her classes were over for the summer, and she wasn’t crazy enough to to take summer classes. Annabeth was, though, and they’d agreed to meet up for lunch, so Thalia had gone to campus. Since she was early, she decided to pop by the bookstore first - not for the books, but for the coffee. The coffee shop tucked into the back of the bookstore had the best lattes in the city. Or maybe she just thought they did, because she was usually sleep deprived whenever she came here. Which was what she was now, despite not having to pull an all-nighter or get up for an early class. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Waking up one night to find your boyfriend bleeding all over the bed would do that to a person. Sometimes she worried about falling asleep for fear of what she’d find when she woke up. So sleep-deprived she was, and stumbling her way to the coffee kiosk. With her hood up and faded jeans, she looked like any other student on campus. Only a closer look would reveal the bright blue eyes she was famous for, and the face that never failed to sell tabloids. George was trying to get the lay of the land. The uni here was far larger than the prestigious boarding school he had attending. He was beyond happy there wasn’t some stiff dress code, he could finally wear whatever he wanted. Which was why he was wearing khaki shorts, a polo shirt, and a pair of flip flops. Yeah, really branching out there. At some point he planned on trying to get some more relaxed clothes, things that didn’t scream he was used to money. He let out a faint yawn as he ducked into the bookstore. As soon as his class list was finalized he’d have to pick up textbooks. An odd thing for him since up until now he had always been given books. America school was very different. The siren call of caffeine wafted through the air and he found himself following that smell. Soon enough he was staring at a coffee kiosk. “Bloody hell,” he breathed out in his Scottish lilt. There were so many types of drinks listed for such a small place! An eyebrow inched upwards as he tried to find the teas. He moved a little closer and nearly knocked into a girl. “Sorry, luv. Wasn’t paying attention, was acting a bit like a loon.” George had been raised to have manners and honestly did feel bad that he had almost run into the sleep-deprived bonnie lass. Auw, he was so Scottish it was cute. Thalia turned around with a grin. “Hey, no worries.” She'd been solidly planted enough that the light bump hadn't moved her much. “This isn't the first time some sleep-deprived student’s run into me.” Some of them had been on purpose as an excuse to strike up a conversation with her, but this guy seemed genuine enough. His eyes widened slightly when the lass turned around to say it was alright. She was attractive and had the most stunning eyes. George found himself at a little loss for words, but he quickly recovered. “Sleep-deprived, aye, student not quite yet. I start in the fall. Getting the lay of the land so I am not a right twally when the fall starts.” A slightly confused look passed over his face before he just kind of shrugged. She seemed familiar, but he didn’t know anyone in the States yet. Well, he had talked to people on the network. That just wasn’t the same though. “Have we...met before? If not, I’m George. Whit like? I mean how are you. Sorry, haven’t quite gotten rid of all the slang from back home.” George was trying to cut back on all the Gaelic and slang terms he knew, but it was harder than he thought. It wasn’t like he was ever going to sound a hundred percent American anyway. His accent was too strong. “You're adorable,” Thalia said with a laugh. There was no flirtation in her tone; she was just stating it as a matter of fact. Because he was adorable. And his accent was super cute. “I wouldn't get rid of that accent too soon. Girls like that kind of thing. Or boys,” she added, because this was California. “Anyway, welcome to Irvine. Did you just get into the country?” His cheeks flushed a faint red colour, but he couldn’t help the tiny little half smirk that formed on his lips. “Thanks,” he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his shorts. “You’re pretty bonnie yourself.” He was also just stating a fact. Her eyes really were stunning. A startled laugh escaped him when she said he should keep the accent. “That’s barry advice, luv. And, thanks for the welcome. I arrived a week ago. Been traveling the world with me mum and da. You go to this Uni too?” “Ish,” Thalia said with a shrug. “I take some courses here and there. Not over the summer though.” She'd rather not spend more time in a classroom than she had to. But as a trust fund baby, she had to do stuff to keep herself busy. Classes were as good as anything to give her something in common with her peers. She didn't want to get a job yet. “Ah,” George smiled at her. “So you go here mair for something to do. Looking for a degree, luv?” He was sort of undecided at the moment. Part of him wanted to go deeper into Folklore, but the other part wanted to become a celebrity blogger or something. It was while he was thinking about his degrees that it suddenly dawned on him. A look of pure surprise washed over his face as he could only stare at her. “Thalia, right? I knew I had seen you somewhere before. I used to read blogs a pucklie. Oh, shite, sorry. I am acting like a complete roaster now, amen’t ah? You don’t need me oogling you.” “Shh!” Thalia glanced around quickly, but fortunately no one was paying attention. “The paps stalk this place for stories you know.” She wasn't the only tabloid bait to take classes at UC Irvine, but for some reason, the paparazzi tended to focus on her. “And by the way,” she added. “None of the stories are true. Well, maybe the punching of photographers. But the affairs and the DUIs? Completely made up.” George quickly threw his hands up in defense before miming zipping his lips shut. Bloody hell, he didn't have enough caffeine in him yet to deal properly! He also hadn't known that attending this Uni would result in run-ins with the paparazzi. Not that they'd bother him, he was just some rich Scottish kid. “Hey, you live however you want, luv. I'm not judging!” His eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled at her. “No judgement here. Also, will try and keep my gawking to a min.” He wasn't acting starstruck, but inside he may have been jumping for joy. “I don't mind being judged,” Thalia said dismissively. That had happened all her life, and she suspected it would happen even if her parents weren't famous. That was just life; people judged other people. “I just want to be judged for things I actually did, you know? Not made-up crap. Anyway…” She'd gotten to the front of the line now, and after she gave her order she turned back to the Scot. “Nice to meet you. Welcome to America and all that. See you around.” She hoped she did, too. While she didn't share contact info with people she'd just met, she did hope she'd see him again. He was adorable, and he was nice. There was a shortage of those types of people around here. |