Chapter 7: First Conversations Aren't Always Fun

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"Oh, thank God!" Brandi let out when the bell rang. That chemistry class was killing her little by little.

She closed her book and notebook slowly, got her bag and stood up. When she was trailing out of the classroom, she stopped. A figure stood by the door. She looked down and continued walking. 'Don't give into temptation.Be cool. Be cool.' she thought while walking out the classroom.

"It sure takes you a lot of time to gather your things up."

"Yeah." she still was looking down and didn't stop walking, trailing now to her locker "So, did something happen?" she asked as she opened her locker.

"No, why you say that?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just that you were waiting by the classroom. Who were you waiting for?"

"Well, you." Seth smiled his sweet smile. Brandi's heart melted a little bit, but she hid her smile behind the locker door.

"Yeah?" she still had the smile on.

"Yep. I was wondering if we could have lunch together."

"I don't know, Seth." she closed her locker and started walking. Seth followed her.

"Come on. What's the harm in that, huh? I can assure you you'll get some laughs."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I don't mean to brag, but I am entertaining."

"Oh, you don't mean to brag, huh?" Brandi smiled.

"See? I didn't even start and you're already smiling!" Brandi shook her head "Come on! Have lunch with me."

"I'm not even hungry." she lied. Except for the day before that one, Brandi was always hungry.

"Just sit with me, then."

"Seth…" she started, but Seth cut her off.

"I can't take no for an answer. You said no to the mall yesterday and you can't say no twice in a row."

"Says who?" she grinned.

"Says me. Now, let's go." Seth grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her into the cafeteria.

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"So… no band t-shirts today, huh?"

"That's not all I wear, Seth." they placed their trays on the table and sat down.

"What else do you like to listen to, besides Green Day."

"I actually don't have a favorite band."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. What I do have are favorite lyrics. There are too many songs that I can relate to. There's always a new song coming out that express exactly how I feel at a certain time of my life, you know? I love music, but the lyrics are what mean the most to me. I'm always paying attention to them, so if I feel it matches me and my personality or some phase in my life, I'll download and burn it. Still prefer to listen to CDs than iPods for some weird reason I'm still not sure of." Brandi started to eat her salad. She looked up and Seth was smiling "What?" she asked.

"It's just that I feel like that sometimes. About lyrics, I mean. I'm all for the iPod. But I do have my favorite bands…"

"Like what?"

"Death cab for cutie, The Hives, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Noah and the Whale…"

"Basically hipster, then?" she grinned.

"I'm an hipster boy, what can I say?"

"I assumed you were."

"What gives?"

"In New York, there are thousands like you. So it was no brainer for me to know you were one of them."

"One of them? Now we're being labeled? Are hipsters part of a gang I'm not aware of? Or a club? Should I be calling someone about a membership card?"

"Oh, come on! You know you always were!" Brandi giggled and Seth chuckled.

"But you said New York. Do you go there a lot?"

"Well… I used to live there."

"Oh, yeah?" Brandi nodded "That's so awesome. New York seems so awesome."

"And it is."

"And you, coming from New York, I assume you hate this place."

"More than anything, yeah." she smiled.

"Come on, there must be something you hate more than California."

"At this particular moment, there is not."

"But you don't have Seth Cohen in New York."

"That's what makes it even more beautiful." Brandi smiled big.

"Oh, so you're a funny girl, huh?"

"I have my moments." She looked down and played with her salad still with her smile on.

Seth just observed her. He had never met a girl with such amazing hazel eyes. They were so bright that they were almost golden. She had a flawless ivory skin. Seth also noticed behind all that hair of hers, she had 3 piercings in each ear and a little star pierced on her nose. He had noticed it the day before, but now it was clear that her style was really laidback. She was wearing cargo pants, just tight enough to show her nice body, a vintage green t-baby and white Adidas sneakers. She was almost like a tomboy. Seth smiled. She was definitely different from all the Harbor High girls.

"What?" Brandi asked "I hate when people stare, so just tell me what it is."

"Nothing, it's just that… the way you dress is just…" Brandi bit her bottom lip. So he didn't like how she dressed. Great! But she wouldn't change her style just for him.

"What about it?" she asked worried.

"I really like it. It's so not California."

"Oh…" Brandi blushed a little.

"Are you blushing?" Seth pulled her chin up.

"No! Stop it!"

"Yes, you are! You're blushing! And for a comment on your clothes!" Seth grinned.

"That's not it. I often get pinky because of this damn weather. That must be it."

"Yeah, ok." Seth decided to let that go "So… tell me about New York. I've never been there, but I would love to go."

"Oh, ok." Brandi agreed to talk about it, mainly because New York was her favorite subject. She could go on and on talking about it for hours.

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"Look." Marissa pointed at something with her head to Ryan.

"Oh." Ryan nodded and they sat on a table far from the couple.

"It's the same girl he was talking to yesterday, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"What's going on between them?"

"I don't know. It's Seth."

"Come on, Ryan. You know something and you don't wanna tell me."

"It's just that… he's obsessed with getting Summer back and now he has created this ridiculous plan of finding a girl to make Summer jealous."

"Is that what it is?" Marissa looked at the couple and they were both laughing, "It doesn't seem like it. It seems like they are genuinely having fun there."

"Well, he's also trying to prove to me he can be friends, and only friends, with a girl."

"Oh, but he can't." Marissa stated.

"Thank you!" Ryan exclaimed, "That's what I told him last night."

"Well, maybe something will come out of it and they'll start dating, which is a good thing, so he'll get over Summer already."

"Do you really think it would be a good idea for them to start going out?"

"Well, what's the harm?"

"I guess… But I'm afraid he'd do it for the wrong reasons, you know? He's not over Summer yet and…"

"Where's Cohen?" Ryan got cut off by Summer tapping her foot by the table.

"Why?" Marissa asked.

"He bought a CD last night and it must have been mixed with my own shopping and so I have it, and I don't want this stupid "The Walkmen" CD! Ew!"

"Oh… I can give it to him if you want me to, I don't know where he is and…"

"There he is." Summer said "And… he's with that girl from yesterday." she said lower, almost only to herself. She bit her lips.

"Summer, I can give it to him if you…"

"No, I'll give it to him myself." Summer propped up her head and headed straight to where the couple was seated.

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"And then there's Brooklyn and the underground scene, that I think you would enjoy the most, because, you know? You're a hipster."

"Ouch! I'm starting to feel a little discrimination here and that's not cool, Miss Jackson. Not cool at all."

"Me? No! Never!" Brandi giggled.

"Oh, that's not…"

"Cohen!" Seth got interrupted by Summer.

"Summer, hey!" he abruptly stood up.

'So,she's Summer. Marissa is the blonde one's girlfriend. Ryan's girlfriend.' Brandi thought to herself, making the connections.

"Here." Summer handed him a bag with a CD inside.

"What's this?"

"The CD you bought last night and I don't know how it ended up with me, so I'm giving it back to you."

"Oh, ok. I don't know how it ended up with you either, but thank you." Seth took the CD out and showed it to Brandi "The Walkmen. They are awesome." he said and smiled down at her "You'll like their lyrics too. There must be something you can…"

"Cohen!" Summer exclaimed almost as claiming for his attention.

"Yes, Summer?" he turned his head back at her.

"The bell already rang, didn't you hear it? You're gonna be late for class."

"Oh, it did? I didn't hear. Brandi, did you…"

"Cohen, it rang. You better hurry."

"Ok, but I didn't introduce you to Brandi yet. Brandi, this is Summer Roberts. Summer, this is Brandi Jackson. She just moved here from New York and…"

"New York? Ew!" Summer said looking at her and then turned her gaze again at Seth "Class, Cohen. Get to class." and she left the place.

"Ok." Seth frowned and sat down again "What was that all about?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but if I saw my boyfriend talking to another girl, I'd flip out too." Brandi looked down, kind of sad.

"That wasn't it." Seth still frowned.

"How come it wasn't it?"

"She's not my girlfriend."

"What?" Brandi asked and showed too much surprise on her voice "I mean… what?" she asked more calmly.

"She's not my girlfriend, so it can't be what you said."

"So you don't have a girlfriend?" Brandi asked.

"No. She was, but not anymore. Long story." Seth was still looking to where Summer had disappeared to. Brandi didn't feel good sitting there, watching Seth watch his ex-girlfriend leave.

"Well, but she's right. You should go to class. And I have to go to mine too, so, I'll see you around." she left the table in a hurry and didn't even hear when Seth called out her name.