Curiosity rarely kills anyone [Roxanne]

[Elijah Emerson]

Class was boring, yet the overwhelming need to do well and please his parents struck deep within Elijah. He didn’t particularly care for Math, any type of it, but he was good at it. But it bored him even still. Copying notes and listening vaguely to the drone of Ms.Moore’s voice, he zoned out. It wasn’t uncommon. She was an excellent teacher, and extremely hot, but it didn’t stop it from being boring. And with his lack of focus to begin with, it wasn’t a good thing. But he usually got through the lesson fairly easy, as he had on that day. As he finished the last problem assigned in the lesson for homework, he looked up at the clock. Class was almost over. He grinned and sat back, occasionally glancing out the window near his seat and looking down at bustling students who should or should not have been in class. Ugh, shoot me now, I’m so bo—, his thoughts were cut off by the sight of someone he’d only seen a couple times before.

He really couldn’t remember her name. But even still he got antsy and he sat up and began putting his things away quickly, as he waited for the school bell to sound allowing their release from class. He glared up at the clock. Two minutes….two minutes, and it’s taking this long? Someone needs to fix that clock… he thought, folding his hands underneath his chin. His foot beat the ground in short, sporadic beats, sort of like a metronome on drugs…or a broken one, take your pick. Elijah wasn’t exactly sure why he was so curious about someone he hadn’t even said two words to, or why he was getting so worked up about it. But it was highly and exceptionally irritating. No matter, it’ll blow over. Gazing back up at the clock, he had one minute to spare, one small minute to spare and he was going to use it to scheme.

If I follow her, I’ll seem like a stalker, so maybe I could just follow her inconspicuously and no one will notice. Maybe blend in with the crowd, take short glances at her, walk along the lockers. his mind was racing, thoughts flickering back and forth as if they were on shuffle. What if she’s not even there anymore…thirty seconds….I’ll bump into her. Like they do in movies, cheesy and so unlike me but effective. Knock a few of her books over so I can pick them up for her. Attempt not to look under her skirt, if she was wearing one. Hand over her belongings and—Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiinnnnngggg The brazen bell rang, shocking Elijah out of his thoughts. He quickly grabbed a hold of his sac, slung it over her shoulder and joined the rest of his classmates in shuffling out of the door. Walking in the direction in which she’d lead only a few minutes before, he hoped that she hadn’t disappeared from sight. He was usually curious about people, but not until the point of stalkerage. That was way out of his comfort zone and if he weren’t so intrigued, he’d probably be scared for the sanctity of his mind. Ha. So maybe there was barely anything holy about his mind, but you get the picture.

His eyes scanned the hall furtively, looking for any signs of the girl. Pacing a bit slower than the normal hallway speed, he found her, standing not so far away at her locker, and he grinned…or smirked…which ever was more mischievous. He went to work, setting up his plan to make the contact seem natural and unplanned. So much effort for someone who usually didn’t care enough. Odd but, strangely amusing. He took his first step towards her, looking down at his shoulder when someone bumped into him and then back up at her but he quickly diverted his gaze. Soon enough he had his plan and he was following through with. He “stumbled” into her right side so she’d miss the door of her locker if it had bounced open. Grinning for a split second as he watched a couple of items fly to the floor, he looked up at her with a sincere expression though his mind was laughing so hard that he was surprised at his own ability to keep the laughter out of his features. “I am so sorry. Jeez, what’s the need for shoving?” He said aloud, noting the small amount of insincerity that leaked through some of the blockades in his mind. Crouching and reaching for her things, he looked up at her and smiled, his charming smile. The one that always kept women fascinated enough to talk to him. “Hi, I’m Elijah, I’m sorry about that. Let me make it up to you.”

[Roxanne Emerson]

Roxanne was not a beginner when it came to Photography. Since the age of twelve, she'd taken class after class, always getting better results than the rest of the kids who took the class with her, getting great comments from all the teachers she'd had, and even managing to get some from her father who was anything but expressive. Photography was one of her biggest passion and she knew she'd never let go of it even if whoever she married decided he wanted her to stay at home and take care of the family, and didn't want her working. She would agree to it, of course - what other choice would she have? And in her mind, it would only be normal anyway. Why wouldn't a man expect everything to be in order at home when he came back from a long day of work? No matter how 50s that sounded, it was simply the way to go in Roxie's mind. And no matter how strong her passion for photography was, she'd content herself with taking pictures of birthday parties and summer holidays if she had to.

So, when Roxanne had entered the photography classroom on the very first day and seen all the exposed pictures around the room, taken from various students from previous years, and some from the professor himself, she hadn't quite felt overwhelmed yet. Of course, they were great photographs, but hers weren't quite that bad either, and all those people had much more experience than she did. This class would be easy, like any other she'd taken. She'd do well, she'd make her parents proud without too much effort and she'd be able to have fun while doing it at that! All would be well. The first class had done nothing to make her think she was wrong on that either. The professor's little speech didn't seem to be completely meant for her, though she was convinced she would improve - she just didn't think she needed that much improvement to be as good as professional photographers.

And so, her disappointment had of course been very obvious today when Mr. Dale had asked her to come to his desk to talk to her privately while the other students started on their assignment, telling her he'd looked through the photographs she'd sent along with her application in order to be accepted at the Academy, and what he had to say about it was nowhere near a praise. He'd told her she'd have to work very hard to be of level with the other students in her own class! Of course, her pictures were very well taken, the colors were well balanced and the image was clear, those weren't a problem, not at all. But there wasn't any personality in her pictures, no passion, nothing. She'd listened to his advices just like any student would have had, her face void of any emotion though shame was mixing up with anger inside her. No personality, indeed! Well, that was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard, no doubt. Besides, was this man even qualified to teach photography in such a place? He hardly looked older than a student himself. Really, who did he take himself for, telling her that her photographies lacked passion?! She'd gone back to her desk without a comment, sulking through the rest of the class and only feeling glad when she heard him say that they could leave early today.

Huffing as she made her way to her locker, she shook her head. Unbelievable, really. What did he think anyway, that she would have a grand career if she tried to put personality in her photographs? Come on, seriously... ridiculous was the only word that came to mind. Shaking her head, she decided not to dwell on it for so long. After all, he was the professor, and he was only trying to help her. She'd need help though, obviously, and that wasn't necessarily something she was overjoyed with. How could you even put personality in a picture? It was a piece of paper with an image on it! Sighing exasperatedly, she opened the locker that'd been assigned to her - even though their dorm rooms were in the buildings right next to the Academy, the staff here had probably figured they wouldn't want to carry their things all through the day - she placed her camera inside carefully, but before she could find a place for her books, someone bumped into her and she gasped slightly in surprise, letting go of everything she held and turning around to see who had collided with her. Normally, she would surely have said something not so nice, especially seeing as she wasn't in the best of mood already. However, when she saw the smile the boy gave her, her mind lost its train of thoughts and she could only stare wordlessly for a few seconds, biting on her bottom lip lightly. "It's... it's fine," she said finally. "Just books, not as though you could have broken them," she added, smiling a bit at him as he introduced himself. "My name is Roxanne. I'm new here," she added, not really knowing why she'd felt the need to add that - maybe he'd suggest giving her a tour of the school if she mentioned the fact that she hadn't been here very long and sounded confused too?

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[Elijah Emerson]

He handed her a book and a pile of neatly stacked papers and everything else she’d dropped. Keeping the last book and turning it over in his hand, he wasn’t really paying attention to it however, rather than her outfit. Nice and clean, good change from the rest of the chicks at this school.He’d notice the peeved expression she’d worn moments before and how it’d changed with the sly smile that he’d thrown her.Worked every time, like a charm. It was nice to know that he still had that amazing effect on women…and…gay guys…but that wasn’t his style. Nodding at her words, he grinned. “So sorry, people are in such a hurry to get to lunch. Understandable however, I’m quiet famished myself.” He spoke, grinning lightly as he reached to grab the last pencil. Hmmm, maybe I should bang my head against the door of her locker as I stand up…have her fawn over me so I can…yea…that might also make you seem like more of a stalker idiot. Not to mention, possibly knock you out and make you look like the biggest dumbass of the century. Yes, let’s think this through, he thought, as his smile became wider. “Right no harm done, you okay though?” he asked, standing up and touching her arm in a sincere way. It was probably the first time he’d been earnest since their meeting. He had hit her pretty hard, football was a dangerous sport. Ha. Smiling as he entwined his fingers behind his back, he leaned against her open locker and couldn’t help but glance into it.

He listened to her words as she spoke them, his eyes were glued to her camera. When he spoke, it was light and distant. “Photography study.” He said lightly, his tone hinting at the fact that he was barely paying attention to much else. So she liked taking pictures. He wondered if she was good at it. When his attention turned back to her, he grinned, adjusting the strap of his bag. “Roxanne.” He repeated, toying with the way it rolled off his tongue. “Nice name.” he added, nodding his head in genuineness. He wondered briefly if he should mention the fact that he was sort of new as well, or leave the air open so he could lie later when she figured it out. Hey, he was still curious as to who she was, and so he’d take any moment he could get to figure it out. One of his hobbies, people watching. He was always intrigued by the ones who stood out the most. And in this environment with all the different people with different fields of study, and different but similar senses of style, Roxanne stood out. He was just trying to figure out if it was in a good or bad way.

“So how do you like the school so far? Meet any new people that hold your interest?” he asked her, turning slightly away from her. “Like…moi perhaps?” he chuckled, shaking his head humourously. “Just kidding.” He said truthfully, afterall, it wasn’t everyone’s hobby to be intrigued by the people who held attention the most. He just couldn’t help his weird fascination with watching people’s routine. Though he usually did things like that from afar. He’d never really cared enough to get close to the target, but like he thought earlier, she stood out more, she was different. He just wanted to figure her out more. And he would, it never took him long to differentiate the fake people and the sincere people. All he had to do was pay attention. He was good at that…when it came to things he liked to do(which obviously didn’t include Math). “So Roxanne….” He spoke gingerly, holding out his hand to offer carrying her books if she so needed it. “How would you like a tour of the school. Offered by me and apparently my conflicting stomach.” He laughed as his stomach growled letting him know that he really should get food.

“And if you don’t mind the tour with a quick detour to the lunch room, then I will be your guide.”

[Roxanne Emerson]

She smiled a bit as he gathered her things and handed them over to her, holding them close to her rather than putting them away in her locker just yet as she watched him a bit curiously. He seemed to be nice and also good mannered, though she couldn't really say if the fact that he'd handed her back her books was out of politeness or simply because he felt bad for making her drop them. At this point, it could be either seeing as she didn't know him at all. He definitely seemed like an interesting boy though, and she wouldn't mind getting to know him better - of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that he was so very attractive... nothing at all. Well okay, maybe a little. After all, she was a very easily impressed teenage girl - she'd never really talked to boys all that much before and though she'd had a few (very few) boyfriends, she sometimes actually wondered if they could even be called that. And they were nothing like him either, but then again, her parents had always forbidden her to date anybody who was older than her, and there was a huge difference between a boy of twelve and a teenager of seventeen. And the best about it all - she was actually looking up at him! Being a tall girl, finding a guy of her age who was actually taller was quite a task seeing as most boys didn't grow quite as fast as girls. Grinning a bit as he spoke, she gave a small nod to let him know she was fine. "Absolutely, no harm done," she told him, pressing her books a bit tighter to her chest in a slightly nervous way. Geez, even his voice sounded better than what she was used to hearing.

She bit down on her bottom lip lightly as he glanced inside her locker, glad that she wasn't a messy person and that she kept it in order. Though when he noticed the camera and mentionned photography, she really hoped he wouldn't be getting on that subject - it was still a bit sore from what had happened not so long ago and she didn't really want to talk about it. However, it would be rude not to answer his questions if he asked anything about it so she would end up talking about it anyway if he was curious about it. It would be a bit embarassing though, admitting to a complete stranger that her professor thought her pictures weren't all that good and needed a lot more work. She wasn't overly proud, but that would still be a bit too much to take, especially if he laughed at her for it. As he repeated her name - and for some reason it sounded so much different when he said it - and said it was a nice one, she couldn't help but blush lightly, smiling a bit. "Thank you," she said, looking up at him. "I quite like it myself," she added. "I suppose I should thank my parents for picking it out."

The blush that hadn't quite left her face yet from the mention of the fact that he liked her name, or at least thought she had a nice one, increased a bit when he asked if she'd met any people who held her interest, like him. She knew he was kidding and he confirmed him himself hardly a few seconds later, but the blush was mainly from the fact that he had indeed held her interest in less than five minutes, and he was the first one as to now. "I like the school, it's very nice," she said, careful to choose her words so that she wouldn't sound too enthousiast, or not enough. Sometimes it was as though she'd taken lessons to learn how to talk and some people got annoyed by that, but at this point she really couldn't help it. She always talked in a way that wouldn't give people a wrong opinion or offend them - she knew that words had a lot of power and she was always extremely careful in chosing them. Once he held out his hand to offer carrying her book, she smiled a bit at him but kept them with her still, for some reason she had the need to clutch to something at this point. "Oh it's fine, they've not heavy," she assured him before he suggested giving her a tour of the school. Grinning lightly, she gave a small nod. "Sure, I would like that," she said happily before realizing she'd actually let out some emotion there, biting her bottom lip lightly. "I mean, it would be nice," she corrected herself, smiling a bit as he mentionned doing a small detour by the lunch room. "That's fine, I'm a bit hungry myself," she admitted, closing her locker door.

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[Elijah Emerson]

“I think I might be hurt that you don’t like my name.” he said, putting a hand over his heart and pouting over at her. Her height was new to him. Well he’d been around tall girls before, but short ones always held his fancy. Maybe it was because he enjoyed towering above people, gave him a small sense of superiority. Don’t get him wrong, he was in no way one of those people who thought they were better than everyone else, but he liked having an advantage over people. Could have also been because shorter people were easier to maneuver in bed. Hehe. But he wouldn’t voice that opinion. He smiled in response to her turning down his offer to carry her books, not many girls did that, so he nodded. “I suppose they’re not very heavy.” He replied, as he looked up at the ceiling waiting for her to accept or decline his second offer. The grin that etched vaguely across her face was enough of an answer, and he smirked back as she nodded. He waited until she closed her locker and then started walking further, as she accepted his offer aloud. He wondered briefly why she had corrected herself. Something about it seemed rehearsed.

“But I’m glad you like the school so far, I do too.” He said with a nod, noticing that she was clutching her books pretty tightly. “You okay?” he asked, concern etched in his words, especially after he noticed her reddening skin. “You look a bit…well I don’t know, you looked fine a few minutes ago.” He said, resisting the urge to laugh aloud. So maybe he was concerned for the first few seconds before he realized what was happening. Subtly allowing his eyes to scan her form, he noticed her attire was completely different then that of the norms. He was so used to mini-skirts and tank-tops even if the weather was cold, that it was odd seeing a girl in anything more conservative. And oddly enough it was refreshing. Though her clothes resembled something his mom, or his grandmother might wear, it was a lot more stylish and expensive looking than that. The only thing he was dissatisfied by, was the fact that her ass was a lot less noticeable than the asses he’d seen on a lot of other girls. Oh well, he’d deal.

“So, Roxanne. What do you do for fun?” he asked her, brushing past rowdy kids rushing to get to lunch. Shaking his head he scoffed. “Always in a rush to get nowhere of importance.” He grumbled under his breath. He was a bit tired of getting shoved out of the way because people weren’t able enough to slow their paces. Lunch wasn’t that big of deal, that’s why he always kept food in his dorm. Small portable, Chef Boyardee meals. Childish, but it didn’t stop them from being delicious. His mother had gotten him a whole bin full of his favorites, and he intended to keep that bin full. Looking over at her, he waited for her to answer his question, while he thought. He figured she was religious. Partly because of the way she dressed, but mostly from the rosary beads hanging from her neck. It also connected the way she spoke a bit. So proper, and seemingly practiced. He could tell she liked to look good. Her hair looked so soft and the make-up that she wore was abundant, but it still looked natural. It was easy to tell when he stood so close. He did wonder how she’d look without it on though, maybe hair messy, in a pair of sweats. Chuckling aloud, he looked ahead of them. “Where are you from?” he asked, hoping she wouldn’t notice that his tour was lacking the proper guide chat. He wasn’t pointing anything out, and he wasn’t exactly concerned with anything but connecting her dots.

[Roxanne Emerson]

"I didn't say that," she said hastily once he said he might be hurt she didn't like his name, shaking her head lightly and trying to figure if he was just teasing her or if there was something she might have said that would have made it sound as though she didn't like his name, though at this point she really couldn't remember. But she guessed he was just playing around with her a little, at least it seemed like that... she couldn't really say he was making fun of her exactly, but he sure did seem to be teasing her. At this very moment she was wondering a bit if the whole thing was just a joke but she figured it would be good to go around the school anyway, she didn't really feel like getting lost in the Academy and looking like a fool because she couldn't find her way when everybody else did. Smiling a bit at him as he answered to her response about the books, she held them tighter against her chest, following him as he started walking. It was a bit strange for her to be given some attention by a boy, especially when it came to someone she didn't even know. Well, they'd been introduced the hard way of course, but still, he'd then offered her to give her a tour and everything so she figured he was pretty nice. She wasn't entirely sure her parents would have approved of that, because they wanted her to wait until College for dating - because in her mind, there wasn't really any other option than dating when it came to boys. She didn't really have friends that were boys, that was just... weird.

"It is a very nice school," she said with a slight nod, glancing around the corridors as she said so. In all honesty, she was yet failing to see what made it so different from other boarding school, except for the fact that of course, all the students were so incredibly talented. And well, the all art school concept, but still that wasn't an unique concept, she knew there were some others around. So why did everybody want to come here? That was currently the big question in her mind, but she didn't want to ask it. She was a bit afraid to ask it actually, because everybody seemed to think that this school was the best thing ever, and they'd probably think her strange for not figuring out what made it so amazing. And being seen as strange was not something Roxanne appreciated. As he asked her if she was fine, she glanced up at him with a slight nod, smiling. "Yes, I'm alright," she said, not really adding anything else. After all, what could she say about it? 'Sorry, I'm blushing so bad cause well, you're pretty cute and you're giving me some attention'. Okay, so she wouldn't exactly have said it quite like that, though she'd have thought it like that - she edited her thoughts a lot to make them sound more proper.

"Well..." she began, unable to finish as she moved a bit closer to him with a light gasp, feeling someone running past her, almost colliding with her had she not moved in time. She sighed a bit frustratedly and shook her head, definitely agreeing with what he was saying about people always in a rush. She didn't exactly like being thrown to the ground because a silly teenager couldn't think of anything else but his stomach. "Sorry," she said, realizing she hadn't answered his question just yet and offering a small smile as she moved back to where she was before, putting a more reasonable distance between them yet again. "Well you've seen my camera, so you've probably figured that I love photography," she smiled a bit. "I also paint a bit, play the piano and sing from time to time," she added. Painting was mainly something she did because her parents wanted her to. She enjoyed playing the piano as well, though really the only thing she really loved to do and did for fun, and not by obligation, out of those, was singing. "What about you? What's your talent here?" she asked a bit curiously before smiling lightly as he asked her where she was from. "I'm from Boston, in Massachusetts," she answered. She liked her hometown, and she missed it a bit right now, but Kansas City wasn't too bad at least.

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[Elijah Emerson]

Elijah grinned when she moved closer. He knew it was because of the person who’d almost ran into her. But he’d play it as something completely different. “Come on Roxanne.” He mused, smirking over at her. “We haven’t even been on a date yet, and you’re already puttin’ the moves on me? Well…I’m shocked.” He said with a gasp, shaking his head mockingly. He looked over at her and frowned playfully. “ I understand why. I’d want to be next to me too if I were you.” He added, holding his head up mightily. He waited a few minutes before he gave up the charade and began laughing. “That sounded so conceited didn’t it?” he asked her running a hand through his short hair. “I’m nothing like that, I swear.” He laughed, putting his hands up defensively. “It was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Besides, my sense of humor is based on the people I am forced to see everyday. So instead of being irritated by the snobs and vain people, I get a good laugh out of it, and remind myself that becoming like that is not on my list of priorities.” He yawned with a nod, shaking his head and holding up a hand as he waited for the yawn to cease. “Sorry about that, I might be a bit tired.”

He listened as she spoke, nodding his head where times called for it, stealing small glances out the corner of his eye. Amused to see her move back to her original place, leaving a space big enough for an elephant(so maybe he was exaggerating), he grinned. He was about to open his mouth to tell her that he didn’t mind her being closer than she was, but she beat him to the punch and began speaking again. So, she sings. That’ll be interesting. Painting…hmmm, I can’t paint to save my life. Only if stick figures and shapes count. Piano….nicee., he thought, looking over at her, as she asked what his talent was and then said where she was from.” Niccee. I knew I heard the accent there.” He laughed, adjusting the strap cutting into his shoulder. “Well…my talent is Vocal. I sing.” He told her with a nod. “All my life I’ve been into music, guitar, piano, et cetera, et cetera…” he added, looking down at his shoes. “I can draw a little too, but painting is not my thing. And I like to take pictures, I’m not good at it though, and I prefer the digital kind.” He smirked, running his fingers over the necklace he was wearing. “So that’s what you do for fun. None of those really require contact with human beings to they?” he asked, tsking and shaking his head. “Have you ever played any contact sport? Soccer? Powder-puff football? Go-kart racing? Anything?” he asked her, his voice peaking with a sudden edge of curiosity. Curious wasn’t anything like it. More like enthralled. Most girls their age were out doing god knows what. Sex, drugs, blah blah blah. Hell, most people their age had already had sex, but by the looks of it she hadn’t. And she seemed so religious something else that was dying out more rapidly. Customs and religion.

But not for her. She seemed to be one of those people who didn’t get out much, have fun, view the world. Proper and raised a certain way. Too afraid to break out of a shell that she didn’t create on her own. And that was what made him so curious. He wanted to see if he could fix that. Get her to live a little. Corrupt her, even just a bit. Of course some of her values were honorable and he respected that about her, but it didn’t mean she didn’t deserve the right to have fun. And so he’d stick with it, and become her friend, and get her to loosen up and break out of that bubble. Zoning back into the present, he threw a huge grin her way, sly and full of pretense. Ah, this was going to be fun.

[Roxanne Emerson]

A deep blush appeared on Roxanne's face as he mentionned her moving closer to him, looking down at her feet slightly as he spoke. She didn't really know what to say to deny it, because she wasn't sure if he was being serious or if he was teasing her. At that point though, she really did hope he was teasing because he sounded a bit... well, full of himself. And that wasn't necessarily the best personality trait known to most people. At the same time, she felt a bit silly for even moving closer to him - she was sure that kid wouldn't really have bumped into her after all, maybe she'd been too hasty to move out of his way... and now her movement was being interpreted in a completely different way than she'd meant it, if he was being serious. What kind of girl must he think she was? After all... she'd hardly ever done more than holding hands with boys. She was very relieved when she then heard him talk some more, figuring it meant he was indeed joking, though instead of going back to normal, her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red now because she'd probably looked very silly when he'd teased her. And then he must also be thinking red was her natural color.

She smiled a bit when he said he'd recognized her accent, nodding slightly. She never tried to cover it up or anything like other people did, she liked the place she came from and she didn't really see any point in trying to hide it or anything like that. Besides, she'd never been laughed at because of it, not that it was a very funny accent in her opinion, but then again she hadn't often talked with people who weren't from Boston as well, so who knew what would happen now. But people in this school came from everywhere and anywhere, and all had different accents, so she didn't think it would really be something they'd make fun of when it came to other people seeing they were the same way. She hadn't yet met many people who came from the same place, unless they were siblings, and even people who actually lived in Kansas City didn't seem to be very numerous. Her smile grew a bit when he named his talent, thinking she might like to hear him sing sometime - of course he was here so he must be very talented, but still she liked his voice when he talked so when he sang, it must be beautiful. "Digital cameras do have their good points," she said with a nod after he mentionned liking photography. "All kind of cameras do actually, if they are of good quality." She was about to add a bit more when he got on the subject of sports. Darn. That really wasn't a subject she wanted to go onto. "Well, I've sang in a choir in my church before so that has human contacts there," she said, biting her bottom lip lightly and sighing. "But I don't do sports. None at all," she admitted. It was really to the point where she had absolutely no talent at it. She didn't even know how to swim or how to iceskate. She tended to stay away from water in any form when it wasn't for drinking or washing.

"Do you like sports a lot?" she asked him, hoping that if they got on the subject of what he liked, he might not ask more about her on the sports subject. He did seem like someone who would enjoy sports, or at least working out in some form - he wasn't bulky or anything, but he did look fit and that was... well... nice. Pushing those kind of thoughts away from her mind before she said anything she'd regret, she simply turned to look at him, waiting for his answer. After all, most boys seemed to enjoy sport so it didn't really mean anything that she would ask. She was simply returning the question. It really didn't have anything to do with the fact that his body did look muscular and it looked great. None at all.

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[Elijah Emerson]

He watched silently as the blush rose beautifully across her pallid skin. Noting that he liked that color against her face. He would definitely try making her blush more often. Especially because it obviously wasn’t very hard. Half of him wondered what was running through her cryptic mind, while the other half wanted to know more about her. Her hobbies, her photography, why she was so amazingly alluring, why he found her lips quite enticing. He wanted to know what perfume was wafting up towards his nose, and scattering his senses and temporarily killing his train of thought. The reason that she was so timid and recluse and so shy around him. Why her eyes never really lit up with any sort of emotion, or why he didn’t catch it from her. What was it that made her hide who she was, why she felt the need to wear a mask in order to fool the people around her. Why wasn’t he fooled by it? He wanted answers as to who she was on the inside and out, behind closed doors when no one was watching and judging her beauty or her presence. When she didn’t need that mask to hide who she really was from the scrutinizing eye. When she was at her best. He wanted to know all of that, and would do his best to find out. He just wanted to know her. Snapping out of his quiet reverie, he addressed her.

“Yes, I can honestly say that I love sports. If sports were a woman…” he trailed off with a swift look her way, “...well let’s just say that I would no longer be single.” He answered, grinning slyly at his corny pun. It was obvious that she wanted to divert the attention from her lack of sporty ness to his love of sports. His gaze caught her own when he turned and noticed she was looking at him. Her face was still scarlet with the blush had crept slowly into her cheeks by the mere mention of their proximity. It was cute really, though he’d choose not to address the situation and instead, stare back at her until she broke the gaze. Smiling slyly at her, he decided to address one of her earlier points. “Choir, hardly counts as human contact.” He said with a small laugh. “If I were sitting in the chair next to you, or standing next to you, the most that would happen is the grazing of knees, or bumping of elbows.” He laughed, jamming his hands in his pocket. “I really don’t think you can get away with calling that contact sport. Besides singing isn’t a sport, it’s an art and a talent. I don’t think it counts.” He added, smirk twisting at the corners of his mouth. “You can think that all you want, but at the end of the day, that ain’t a sport.” He told her, his voice holding an edge of sarcasm as he regarded her with amused eyes. “Sports are awesome, why don’t you partake in any of them? Horse backriding? Ice skating? Girl sports?” he laughed, looking down at his feet.

“I really think that you should try it, you’re obviously not a very competitive person.” He told her, shaking his head mockingly. I aim to change that, he thought inwardly, making a mental note to have her try some sort of contact sport when they got better acquainted. But for now, he didn’t want to talk about himself at all, he wanted to know more about her. “What do you do for hobbies? Other than the obvious.” He wanted to know why he found her so damn interesting, why someone so completely opposite of him, held his attention so tightly in her grasp. A mystery he was willing and needing to solve.

[Roxanne Emerson]

She glanced at him sideways as he started speaking, smiling lightly as he said he'd probably no longer be single if sports were a woman, though it wasn't because she found it amusing - she was quite surprised by it because she didn't usually react to those kind of things, but the reason behind her smile was because he'd said he was single. That was definitely shocking though how a boy like him had no girl around... well, he probably did a lot of flirting, and maybe even more... maybe he just didn't like committed relationships. Or maybe he prefered guys... okay so he didn't really seem like it, especially because she was almost certain she'd caught him looking at her butt at least once, but some people did a pretty good job at hiding it, especially thorough teenagehood because they were scared of other people's judgement and such... Shaking her head slightly, she quickly chased that thought away, figuring it didn't matter what his sexual orientation was anyway. It wasn't as though she'd get to him. After all, she didn't know many guys of that age who were okay with dating someone who wouldn't let them have sex. But somewhere in the back of her mind she really hoped he wasn't like that... or actually, she wished she wouldn't be the way she was. Cause God he was good looking... and there were somethings which she surely wouldn't mind.

When she realized where her thoughts were headed, she turned a deep shade of red and looked away, though it could easily be seen as shyness because he'd been staring at her for a few seconds now. At least, she hoped he'd think it was because of that... hoped really, really bad. "Well if you mean human contact like that, it wouldn't count that's sure," she said with a slight nod, waiting until the blush had faded from her cheeks, or at least she hoped it had, before looking back at him. "But it's still a form of contact to talk with someone, and in a choir you talk with the other people you're singing with," she pointed out. "Besides, you never mentionned you meant sports by asking if I did anything that required human contact, you asked both questions separatedly," she added. She blushed slightly as he went back on the sports question, mentally kicking herself. She really wouldn't get away from it. Sighing lightly, she looked down slightly and shrugged. "I just never really learnt any sports," she said, biting on her bottom lip lightly. "I don't really have much coordination either," she added. "I don't know how to ice skate... I don't even know how to swim," she admitted, her cheeks reddening a bit more at that. Well, that was embarassing and oversharing. Honestly, he didn't have to know that she couldn't do such simple things which pretty much everybody else had learnt to do early in their childhood. She'd just never had the occasion to do it herself.

"I don't know how well that would turn," she said with a small shake of her head when he suggested she should try doing sports, but she was very greatful when he changed the subject and moved onto hobbies. Now that would be a bit less embarrassing... at least she hoped so. "Well I mentionned most of it earlier," she said, trying to think of some more to add to the list. "I like cooking too," she added. So that was a bit of a lame list of hobbies, but in all honesty, she really didn't do much. Sing, play the piano, paint, do photography and cook. Yep, that was pretty much it. "I read a lot too," she then added. "When I have the time." At home she rarely did, she was often asked to help around the house during summer.

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[Elijah Emerson]

Elijah nodded as she spoke. Of course it didn’t count as human contact. You didn’t touch any part of anyone body. Or tackle, or shove, or…slap asses. His gaze moved down her body and back to her ass for a quick look at it. Nope, he seriously wouldn’t mind doing to Roxanne’s. Not in the least bit. His gaze shifted back to her face as she continued, nodding his head in agreement. That was a form of contact, but it was in no way a sport of contact. He laughed out loud as she said he hadn’t been specific in the question he’d asked. “Very clever of you.” He told her, scratching his head slightly. When she sighed, his gaze scanned repeatedly over her facial expressions and he wondered if asking her about sports had been a touchy subject. Or maybe it was because he’d pushed it. Whatever the case, he really hoped he hadn’t upset her. He really wished that she wouldn’t bite her lip like that. It only added to her attractiveness. Dear lord, he was wondering if she really knew what she was doing and just pretended like she didn’t. It was torture trying to figure her out and ignore all the sexual thoughts that she provoked with small things like biting her lip, or blushing whenever he said something.

He wasn’t overly surprised when she said she had no idea how to ice skate. Not many people did. But the shock came when she admitted not knowing how to swim. Trying hard to hide the fact that he was surprised the she didn’t know how to swim, he looked down. Couldn’t help but think that’d he’d never see her in a bathing suit though. That was disappointing. Especially because he wouldn’t exactly protest her wearing a bathing suit. “Well, I can teach you…for ice skating.” He said, quickly changing what’d he’d originally planned on saying so he wouldn’t offend her. Listening to her speak, he looked out the window, wondering if they should really head to the cafeteria. It was bound to be crowded, and long lines that Elijah didn’t have the patience to stand in. He was hungry, and when he was hungry he ate. Not waited in long lines behind indecisive people trying to decide over pudding, cake or jello. Yea, no. So she knew how to cook. That would come in handy. Though her short list of activities hinted at how she barely got out. He was inviting her out somewhere, and like…now. So maybe not now, but later.

“Okay so don’t take this the wrong way, but do you wanna stop by my room? You can wait outside if you’d like, but I really don’t want to stand in long cafeteria lines. And I have food there. You can choose, I promise not to hit on you or anything.” He laughed. To the best of my capabilities. “And we can leave the door open if you do decide to come in, you can rummage through my bins of goodies, supplied to me by my mother.” He added with a chuckle as he looked over at her. “And also, would you…like for me to teach you how to ice skate? Say…Saturday?” he asked, hopefully, as he watched her expression. So he’d tried to make it seem as if it weren’t date, but even she wasn’t that naïve. Hells yea, he wanted to take her out, and if she agreed he’d make sure to follow through with said plans.

[Roxanne Emerson]

Roxanne was a bit self conscious as she saw the shock on his face after she mentionned she didn't know how to swim. He probably thought she was a bit weird because of that, and he wouldn't be the first one. Sports like that were usually some that everybody knew how to do, which they'd learnt when they were very young, because knowing how to swim was always something that could turn out to be useful. Drowning was one of her biggest fears, and she realized how silly she was for not trying to at learn and get rid of that fear, because now if she ever fell into deep water and nobody was around to help her, she'd pretty much be screwed. She didn't really like seeing it that way, obviously. She knew her parents would think it bad for her to be scared of death, because it was the way life went, and if it was time for her to die, she couldn't go against it - it was God's will. She still didn't want to miss out on so many things by dying young. But those thoughts were morbid thoughts, and she didn't usually spend too many times dwelling on them. Especially not when she was standing next to an attractive guy who was actually talking to her. She only hoped he wasn't regretting it by now, but he'd probably have left her alone if he was, wouldn't he?

She bit on her bottom lip slightly when she heard him begin to offer to teach her something... she thought for a few seconds he was gonna suggest to teach her how to swim, and that would involve a bit less clothing obviously... that was slightly awkward. Okay, so it was just a bathing suit, that wasn't exactly so bad... especially seeing as she didn't wear bikinis, but it was still a lot more revealing than what she usually wore. She usually stuck to tankinis though, she didn't overly like one piece suits. And then, he'd be in a bathing suit too, obviously... and that was a very distracting thought. Shirtless... now that would be nice. She blushed deeply when she realized what she was thinking about, and even more when he completed his sentence and she realized he hadn't meant to teach her how to swim at all. She turned her head slightly, trying to hide from him the fact that she was blushing so much because he hadn't said anything that could have caused it. Well, still, she was glad that he was suggesting for the ice skating. She'd bought skates before coming here because she knew there were some lessons in the skating rink during winter in gym, and she'd need them even if she'd make a complete fool of herself.

"That would be nice," she said with a small nod, waiting until she was sure the blush had entirely faded away before turning her head back, smiling a bit. She looked at him with an eyebrow raised in curiosity as he asked if she'd mind stopping by his room, understanding what he meant after a glance at the cafeteria line. That probably explained why so many kids had been rushing to get there too, but she had to admit she didn't exactly feel like standing there for most of the lunch hour. "That's fine, I don't mind," she said, figuring nothing really bad could happen. "Though, am I even allowed there?" she then asked with a small thoughtful frown, pushing the thought away when he suggested to teach her how to skate this coming Saturday. She bit on her bottom lip lightly, debating inwardly for a few seconds before nodding. "Sure, though really, you shouldn't expect much," she said. She doubted her skating skills a lot.

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[Elijah Emerson]

Elijah watched her as she seemed to get lost in her thoughts. Not wanting to disturb her, he ventured into his own. Wondering about what he was going to make them for lunch. Probably some Chef Boyardee meal, since he had a bunch of them to choose from. Maybe some ramen. He was just really hungry, and he wanted food now. So he began to pick up his pace, though still slow enough for her to follow. As his stomach grumbled, he chuckled, turning to her as she spoke. “So you want to go?” he asked, a bit of shock etched in his tone. Changing his facial expression quickly, as if not to offend her over the fact that he found her agreeing to go out of character for her, he nodded with a smile. Then again he didn’t really know her any, so he wasn’t at place to think that. But it didn’t seem like something she’d do. But who cared, he’d just found something new to do Saturday night. “Well then I will pick you up at eight.” He told her with a small smile, as he held the door open so they could walk out of the building and take a couple strides over to the guy’s dormitories as she agreed to go.

Elijah chuckled slightly as she asked if she were aloud to enter the dormitories. It was funny sometimes how innocent she was. People didn’t really care about that rules, and usually no one really got in trouble for it, or what not. “Probably not, but are you hungry or not?” he asked her, grinning as walked through the door pulling her along behind him. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.” He laughed, as he continued down his path as she continued, talking about their date on Saturday. “Well, I don’t really mind, after all…it is just a lesson now? And you’re supposed to learn, right?” he asked with a small laugh. “So it’s okay, I’m a good teacher.” He told her with a reassuring nod as he removed his keys from his pocket and began looking for the right one. When he found it, he put it the lock and turned it, pushing down on the lever as he shouldered the door. Holding it open for her, he’d wait for her to step in before going over to his bed and pulling the bin from underneath it.

“I’ve got Beefaroni, Mini Ravioli, Ravioli, and Lasagna. They're microwaveable” he told her pulling out one after the other and nodding his head over at the microwave. “Which one would you like. Oh!” he said to her, moving over to the other bin and tipping it over for her to see a bunch of candies and junk food. “Haha, my mom went a bit overboard.” He told her pulling out a slim jim, and looking for a place for her to sit. Picking up strewn underwear and pants and such, he hummed and made small noises. When he cleared a space at his desk, he patted the chair and held the back of it for her.

[Roxanne Emerson]

Roxanne noticed the light expression of shock on Elijah's face as she agreed to let him teach her how to ice skate. Well really, it was all logical in her head. Maybe she would look like a fool in front of him, but at least then she wouldn't look like a fool in front of her entire freshman class when they started the skating classes during the winter. She wasn't looking too forward to that, though she'd already tried on the skates and had managed to walk around with them a bit. She knew it'd be completely different on ice, but she figured that if she managed to keep standing while wearing them at all, it was a good start. She'd also found that the boots definitely weren't all that comfortable and she quickly got a dull ache in her ankles whenever she wore them, but that could also be because she didn't know how to tie them up exactly. Whenever she tried, she felt that it must somehow be too loose. Maybe she'd have to ask him about that too when he tried to get her to not fall on ice. Well, that would be hard enough, so one more thing shouldn't be a problem really. "Yes, I do want to go," she said with a nod, smiling a bit as she looked down at her feet.

She smiled a bit shyly as she followed him outside the Academy, not really sure if she really ought to - after all, she didn't know him really and there she was going with him to his bedroom. That was making her a bit uncomfortable, but she knew that otherwise she'd have to wait in line for her lunch, and he probably wouldn't wait with her. With a light sigh, she kept up the pace, smiling a bit when he said that he didn't mind if she was a bit hard to teach when it came to sports. Well, he said that now, but he'd really have to wait and see for himself. It was, in all honesty, a bit pathetic. Okay, more than a bit. The only time she'd tried out a real sport, she'd ended up breaking her ankle and then her parents had told her off for even trying to do sports instead of trying to make her feel better. Though ice skating probably wouldn't be all that bad... she was really scared about the gym classes that'd be taking place in the pool. That would most likely not turn out very well. Pushing the thought away, she followed Elijah into his dorm building and then to his room, biting her bottom lip lightly as he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

She remained in the door frame at first, feeling a bit awkward about stepping inside. She smiled a bit as he named what food he had but quickly looked down at her feet with a blush when he started picking up his clothes that were laying around, seeing a couple of underwear in the bunch. "Erm... well, I guess I'll have some ravioli," she said, looking up again just as he finished cleaning a spot for her on his desk, giving a small smile and hesitating for a second before stepping inside the room and sitting in the chair he was holding out for her. "Thank you," she said with a small nod. If her parents knew about this, she'd never hear the end of it until she turned 18.

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