Disclaimer: Daine and Numair do not belong to me. Neither do cell phones, or I'd be rich.

I know I already had one DN story out. But I replaced it with this one, because I'm awesome that way. hehe

Also, this was based off something I heard on the radio, not at all on The Jacket by Sparrow (which is fanfrickingtastic, by the way), so don't tell me that please. D

Daine brushed her brown hair out of her face as she wiped the table. She was working a night shift as her local dinner.

She really did hate the job- every evening, fat, noisy tourists would come in and she'd sit them to a table. After that she would serve them, get them their food and for what? A little extra cash.

"Grab number eight, will you?" Darlene, another waitress called to her. Daine grimaced, and nodded. She had already done three extra tables for Darlene that night, and she had a lot of people to take care of.

She was almost done though, only forty five more minuets until closing time, then she could do what ever she wanted.

Which was namely, sleep.

"Sorry about that witch." Miri held up the salt and pepper shaker for Daine while she wiped the table.

"Oh, it's no problem." Daine smiled at her.

"Daine, you've already done five other tables for those women- tonight!"

"So I'm earning my keep." Daine shrugged.

"You're earning everyone's keep!"

"They've got children to take care of, that's got to be exhausting."

"Because they got knocked up in the back of a truck some night! Honestly, Daine." Miri threw her hands up.

"That's not nice." Daine grinned impishly.

"You're not nice." Miri stuck out her tongue.

"Wasn't this about how I was being too nice?"

"Details, details."

---

Daine was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she headed to her first class of the day- psychology. Apparently you needed it to become an major on most animals. Or at least, it helped a lot on job resumes.

"So, how's it going?" Perin, the latest boy friend of Daine's asked, and slugged an arm around her shoulder.

"Fine." She replied absently, moving her hand around in her bag, checking to see she had everything.

"Ah, that's good. Wanna go out to dinner tonight?" He said coolly.

"Can't, going shopping with Miri." Daine was glad she had an excuse, she didn't really like Perin, but didn't have the guts to break up with him. The truth was she was only dating him because Miri told her too. Something about being lonely with out a soul mate.

"How about lunch then?"

"Homework that needs to be done." She replied, instantly. It was the excuse she always used.

"Oh." He said, defeated. "Bye, then."

Daine waved her fingers ironically in the air. "Tata."

She stepped into the classroom and slid into her seat.

Okay, this is going to be a surprise to all you readers, but no, Numair is not her teacher.

Mr. Bindley was though, and an odder teacher you'd never meet. Daine supposed that was why he was teaching psychology.

"Hello children!" He boomed in a deep tenor. "Get out your assignments! I might even give you a sticker if they are A plus, plus, plus material!"

All the students warily pulled out the homework. Even the lazy ones always had this classes' homework.

"EXCELLENT!"

"Mr. Bingley?" One student raised her hand in the air. "I have a question."

"If it's that important, you can research it and do a report on it." He looked at the student disbelievingly. He thought everything was a trick to get easy answers.

"But it's about the assignment…"

"Then you could ask me after class. Do not interrupt me again, or I will have to send you to the dean's office." Mr. Bingley glared.

The student gulped and nodded. "I'm scared." She whispered to Daine.

"Sorry, Miri." Daine whispered, eyes downcast, minding the guilty by association rule.

The rest of the class went by smoothly for both Daine and Miri. As she bent over to pick up her bag, she heard her phone ring. Grinning apologetically to Miri, she ditched her and went into the woman's bathroom where it wasn't as noisy.

She frowned at the number, it wasn't one she knew, and pressed the talk button. "Hello?"

"Thom?" A confused voice said over the phone.

"No. I think you might have the wrong number." Daine shrugged.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. This is 390-8764 though, isn't it?" The voice asked.

"Yes…" Daine cocked an eyebrow at the air.

"Hm. Orzone must have given me the wrong number…"

"Must have." Daine agreed readily and prepared to say good-bye. In her book, any one who was associated with that particular specimen of man was tainted with evil.

"Do you perhaps know a Thom?" The voice asked.

"Sure, Thom's the brother of Alanna, and certainly you've heard of her." Daine shook her head. Who on campus didn't know Alanna's brother?

"Phone number, by chance?" He asked.

"Not a clue." Daine told him.

"That's fine. Though this may mess with things a bit…"

"What things?" Daine asked.

"Well, you see, me and him were working on this project together, about platypuses, and their habits-"

"Oh! I know about that one. But I thought the only person working on it other than Thom was Nu… This is Numair, isn't it?" Daine's ecstasy at knowing something that pertained to the stranger was quickly rushed away when she realized who she was talking to.

"Hello…" The newly identified Numair said awkwardly.

"Thanks for telling me who it was." Daine's voice was dripping with sarcasm and she headed to the bathroom door, deciding the conversation was going to end very soon.

"Welcome…"

Daine racked through what she knew of Numair in her brain. She knew he was popular, he was practically Orzone's best friend! A sure sign of evil, she told her head confidentially. He was smart, and rich. Beyond that, she didn't know much more. She didn't know what he looked like, since she had never met him. In fact, all her information was coming the common gossip. Still, everything she thought was true was pretty believable.

"Umm-hum." Daine mentally slapped her self when she let her annoyance at the man get to her voice.

"I'm sorry, did I annoy you?" He asked.

"Of course not." Daine pushed through some people to get to her next class.

"Daine…" The voice's intimidating tone was completely ruined when he ended with a: "That is your name, isn't it?"

Daine couldn't help it, she giggled. "Oh no, it's Cordelia."

"Oh really? I thought you said Daine… Oh well." Numair hit himself on his head with his fist, unknowingly walking closer towards the girl he was talking to.

"I didn- Umf!" Daine smashed into someone, and her books fell to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Daine apologized to the person she had run into. She immediately recognized him as one of Miri's crushes, by the way Miri had described him. Tall, dark hair and eyes, dreamy features. Daine maybe wouldn't put it that far, but he was good looking.

"It's quite alright." He smiled at her and helped her get her books.

"Thanks." She smiled and grabbed her phone, which had spilled along with her books.

"Hello? Sorry."

Numair looked between the girl he ran into and his cell phone. Was that the girl…

"Cordelia?" He asked tentatively into the phone and the air.

"Yes." Daine said, and then gasped, realizing the voice was coming from behind her and from her phone.

"You're Numair?" Daine asked, incredulous, after she spun around. Miri was dumb enough to have a crush on this guy?

"The one and only." He fell into step beside her.

"If you don't mind me, I'm late for class." If she didn't want to talk to the guy over the phone, she certainly didn't want to talk to him in person.

"What class are you taking?" Numair asked.

"Advanced biology. Now if you don't mind…"

"Ah, but I do." He said cheerfully. "As I happen to be in the same class."

Daine gaped at him. "You are? But your five years older than me! You're working on your masters!"

"How did you find that out? And in response to your question, I'm taking it as a refresher course."

"You have the money for that?" Daine replied disbelievingly.

Numair cocked his head and nodded.

Daine coughed. No wonder Miri liked him. "Well."

"Well?"

"Well."

"Ah." Numair frowned. "I see."

"No you don't." Retorted Daine.

"No I don't." Agreed Numair.

"Would you quit copying me?" Asked Daine, aggravated.

Numair grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

There. Done. Vamos. It's 12 and I still have a school paper to write.

Daine grinded her teeth. "No you aren't."