A.N. Well the reviews were good and no one told me to stop writing
altogether. No one even asked me to stop writing 'Holly' Stories. In fact
obviously some people still want to read more. Okay, every review wanted
her to remain human. And nearly every review wanted her to remain
oblivious, for now at least. Well, your wish is my command. I doubt I can
leave her oblivious forever, but for now she will be. However, not being an
idiot and the mutants always so 'careful' I imagine it will eventually be
inevitable that she finds out.
Holly Harding was once again amazed at the fact that once you meet a person; you seem to run into them everywhere. After cleaning up after their food fight, she had run into the Institute and Brotherhood kids again the next day in detention. Now, later that same day, while working at Taco Bell, who should walk in but some of the Institute kids. It was Scott, Jean, and it looked like Bobby was tagging along. He didn't seem too happy about tagging along but then, being a fifth wheel never is fun. Holly wasn't quite sure how she felt about this. She had learned during detention that they weren't so entirely bad, but still they had given her a rough time the night before which was how she got detention in the first place. She decided to play it by ear.
"Hi!"
They seemed a little surprised to see her, they must have not thought she'd be working. They also said hi, and asked her how she was before placing their orders. One thing, she refused to give them sauce. She didn't even ask if they wanted any. And perhaps remembering the night before, they didn't ask for any.
Now if she understood correctly, Jean was supposed to be going out with some football player and Scott was supposed to be going out with a friend of Jean's. However, if Holly was reading things right, they were more than a little interested in each other. Considering the looks on Bobby's face, ranging from bored to a little disgust, he seemed to think so to.
Holly was washing tables by now, and Bobby, seeing that the 'lovebirds' were not paying him the slightest attention and that Holly looked their way a few times decided that an audience, of any sort, was not to be wasted, and he started making funny faces at her. She tried not to smile as that would only encourage him, found that a few times she had to look down, hair in her face and bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud.
The one time she did laugh, Jean and Scott stopped talking looked at her, and then at Bobby, the latter managed to pull up such an innocent looking face that you knew he had to be up to some thing. Just then her manager called her in. Since she had worked so late the night before, they were letting her off early today so that she wouldn't wind up with overtime. She went in the back to count her drawer to make sure it was correct. After she finished that and was punching out she noticed Bobby standing around looking bewildered.
"What's wrong?" Holly asked.
"Do you know where they went?"
"Who? Jean and Scott?"
"Yeah, I went to the bathroom and when I came back they were gone."
"Hmm. Were they mad at you?"
"No. I don't think so."
Holly was starting to feel bad for him. "Could they have forgotten somehow that you were here?"
"I suppose they must have. Are you leaving now?"
"Yeah, they let me off early because I was here so late last night. They don't want me running into overtime."
At the mention of the infamous night before Bobby winced. "I don't think I ever apologized for that. I'm really sorry. I guess I should be glad we could still come in here. I think we forgot."
Holly had mostly forgiven them for the night before but she still had to get a point across. "I can't stop any of you from coming. And I can't make your groups get along. BUT if there is another fight, food or otherwise, I will call the police. I have to."
Bobby winced again. "I understand. Hey, how about, to prove to you how sorry I am, I'll treat you to ice cream."
There was an ice cream store across the way a bit. Holly thought for a minute. Finally deciding that it was perfectly safe, (and never turn down free food!) she agreed. At the ice cream store, she looked at all the choices trying to come to a decision. She hated making decisions. She still hadn't made up her mind when it came their turn, and remembering how much she hated it when customers couldn't make up their minds, she just picked the first flavor that came to mind. "Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough." Then came another difficult choice. One scoop or two. Remembering that she wasn't paying she thought perhaps one would be best. Bobby however had other ideas.
"Hey, I'm trying to prove that I'm sorry. If you want two, get two." She tried to tell him that it was fine. "Does it still hurt?"
A bit mystified, "Does what still hurt?"
"From slipping on the ice." As if it were the most natural thing in the world. Why was he so hung up on the ice? So many things had happened that they could be held directly responsible for, why was he so hung up on the one thing he had nothing to do with, she wondered. But she still didn't want to tell him that she was still pretty sore. But she couldn't lie either.
"I'll be fine."
He took that to mean she was still hurt and ordered two scoops. Holly had a bit of a headache from work and decided not to argue with him anymore.
While they were eating their ice cream they talked. Nothing earth shattering, just the usual. Mostly school. By comparing notes, they discovered that they had the same math and English classes. Since Holly did well in English and lousy in Math, and Bobby did well in Math and not to good in English. They agreed to help each other out. They weren't in the same grade. Holly was one year older and one grade above Bobby. She could see how he got into a more advanced math course, but wasn't quite sure how they wound up with the same English class. After the finished their ice creams, eating outside so they could keep an eye out for Jean and Scott; the aforementioned couple still hadn't made an appearance.
So Holly agreed to drive Bobby back to the mansion. She tried to ask him some questions about life in the mansion but he didn't seem to want to talk about it much. He tried, but every time he tried to tell her something he had to stop part way through. She was curious now but decided it was none of her business. And was it just her, or was it freezing in the car. She turned the AC down a notch so she wouldn't start shivering. Bobby seemed oblivious to the cold. What was really strange was the fact that it felt warmer almost immediately after she asked him if he was cold. She decided that her mind was playing tricks on her and to concentrate on driving instead.
The mansion wasn't too far away so they got there in pretty good time. She said she'd see him tomorrow and drove off.
Holly Harding was once again amazed at the fact that once you meet a person; you seem to run into them everywhere. After cleaning up after their food fight, she had run into the Institute and Brotherhood kids again the next day in detention. Now, later that same day, while working at Taco Bell, who should walk in but some of the Institute kids. It was Scott, Jean, and it looked like Bobby was tagging along. He didn't seem too happy about tagging along but then, being a fifth wheel never is fun. Holly wasn't quite sure how she felt about this. She had learned during detention that they weren't so entirely bad, but still they had given her a rough time the night before which was how she got detention in the first place. She decided to play it by ear.
"Hi!"
They seemed a little surprised to see her, they must have not thought she'd be working. They also said hi, and asked her how she was before placing their orders. One thing, she refused to give them sauce. She didn't even ask if they wanted any. And perhaps remembering the night before, they didn't ask for any.
Now if she understood correctly, Jean was supposed to be going out with some football player and Scott was supposed to be going out with a friend of Jean's. However, if Holly was reading things right, they were more than a little interested in each other. Considering the looks on Bobby's face, ranging from bored to a little disgust, he seemed to think so to.
Holly was washing tables by now, and Bobby, seeing that the 'lovebirds' were not paying him the slightest attention and that Holly looked their way a few times decided that an audience, of any sort, was not to be wasted, and he started making funny faces at her. She tried not to smile as that would only encourage him, found that a few times she had to look down, hair in her face and bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud.
The one time she did laugh, Jean and Scott stopped talking looked at her, and then at Bobby, the latter managed to pull up such an innocent looking face that you knew he had to be up to some thing. Just then her manager called her in. Since she had worked so late the night before, they were letting her off early today so that she wouldn't wind up with overtime. She went in the back to count her drawer to make sure it was correct. After she finished that and was punching out she noticed Bobby standing around looking bewildered.
"What's wrong?" Holly asked.
"Do you know where they went?"
"Who? Jean and Scott?"
"Yeah, I went to the bathroom and when I came back they were gone."
"Hmm. Were they mad at you?"
"No. I don't think so."
Holly was starting to feel bad for him. "Could they have forgotten somehow that you were here?"
"I suppose they must have. Are you leaving now?"
"Yeah, they let me off early because I was here so late last night. They don't want me running into overtime."
At the mention of the infamous night before Bobby winced. "I don't think I ever apologized for that. I'm really sorry. I guess I should be glad we could still come in here. I think we forgot."
Holly had mostly forgiven them for the night before but she still had to get a point across. "I can't stop any of you from coming. And I can't make your groups get along. BUT if there is another fight, food or otherwise, I will call the police. I have to."
Bobby winced again. "I understand. Hey, how about, to prove to you how sorry I am, I'll treat you to ice cream."
There was an ice cream store across the way a bit. Holly thought for a minute. Finally deciding that it was perfectly safe, (and never turn down free food!) she agreed. At the ice cream store, she looked at all the choices trying to come to a decision. She hated making decisions. She still hadn't made up her mind when it came their turn, and remembering how much she hated it when customers couldn't make up their minds, she just picked the first flavor that came to mind. "Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough." Then came another difficult choice. One scoop or two. Remembering that she wasn't paying she thought perhaps one would be best. Bobby however had other ideas.
"Hey, I'm trying to prove that I'm sorry. If you want two, get two." She tried to tell him that it was fine. "Does it still hurt?"
A bit mystified, "Does what still hurt?"
"From slipping on the ice." As if it were the most natural thing in the world. Why was he so hung up on the ice? So many things had happened that they could be held directly responsible for, why was he so hung up on the one thing he had nothing to do with, she wondered. But she still didn't want to tell him that she was still pretty sore. But she couldn't lie either.
"I'll be fine."
He took that to mean she was still hurt and ordered two scoops. Holly had a bit of a headache from work and decided not to argue with him anymore.
While they were eating their ice cream they talked. Nothing earth shattering, just the usual. Mostly school. By comparing notes, they discovered that they had the same math and English classes. Since Holly did well in English and lousy in Math, and Bobby did well in Math and not to good in English. They agreed to help each other out. They weren't in the same grade. Holly was one year older and one grade above Bobby. She could see how he got into a more advanced math course, but wasn't quite sure how they wound up with the same English class. After the finished their ice creams, eating outside so they could keep an eye out for Jean and Scott; the aforementioned couple still hadn't made an appearance.
So Holly agreed to drive Bobby back to the mansion. She tried to ask him some questions about life in the mansion but he didn't seem to want to talk about it much. He tried, but every time he tried to tell her something he had to stop part way through. She was curious now but decided it was none of her business. And was it just her, or was it freezing in the car. She turned the AC down a notch so she wouldn't start shivering. Bobby seemed oblivious to the cold. What was really strange was the fact that it felt warmer almost immediately after she asked him if he was cold. She decided that her mind was playing tricks on her and to concentrate on driving instead.
The mansion wasn't too far away so they got there in pretty good time. She said she'd see him tomorrow and drove off.