Author's Notes: Here we go, a collection of simple, quick conversations. Just some setup and breathing room. Enjoy!
Little Talks
Izzy was half-running on the sidewalk, trying not to get shoved aside by the flow of bodies. His sectional students, curse them, hadn't pointed out that class was running over. Not only had he missed lunch with Amy, but he had just half an hour to eat something and get to his next class.
Normally, he ate in the cafeteria, where he could use the meal points granted him by his scholarships, but there wasn't time to walk there. The student union was right smack in the middle of campus, presumably for ease of access, and he was on his way there. The sidewalks near the student union were lined with tables. People called out to him, wanting him to sign this or donate to that or take a pamphlet, but he just wanted lunch, damn it. Couldn't he be left alone to walk in peace? Larger students elbowed him to the outer rim of the crowd entering the building, and he was nearly smacked in the face by a baggie filled with brownies. A smiling girl waved the bag unrepentently, leaned closer, and tried to get him to support something or other by participating in the bake sale. He shook his head, turned curtly away, and headed for the side entrance to the student union.
Finally, he was inside. The crowd around him split, with some breaking off towards the Starbucks, then the convenience store, and then, finally, the food court. Izzy muttered something foul under his breath when he saw the lines. He moved to the shortest one, squishing past more students, not caring what kind of food the establishment offered. It turned out to be the health food stand, which was fine with him. Maybe he could take a salad to go, although his professor might not appreciate the crunching.
He was staring at the back-lit menu when a tap on his shoulder had him glancing away. Shauna's face registered, her tan dulled a bit, those familiar sunglasses perched on her head.
You must be joking, his mind groaned. Why? Why must I continue to run into her? He was tempted to turn around and leave, but people had filled in the queue behind him, and his rumbling stomach reminded him that he did need to eat. A series of curse words flowed through his brain.
"Look," she said quietly, leaning closer. Izzy wanted to step back, but the girl behind him apparently had no concept of personal space, and was standing too close to allow any shifting on his part. "Don't look so freaked out. I'm not going to bite you."
Izzy said nothing. He was freaking out. What worried him most of all was that Shauna looked... strange. Perhaps it was just the dulled tan, but there seemed to be signs of fatigue on her face, especially around her eyes. The skin there was tight and dark. Her expression seemed dull, and Izzy slowly realized that there was no sparkle in her eyes or alluring animation to her face.
Small changes for most, perhaps, but they made a huge difference on Shauna. If it were anyone else, he would have asked if she was feeling well, or if she needed something.
She stared at him for a moment, then sighed, latching a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm glad I bumped into you," she said, but her reluctant tone seemed to negate the words. "I... I've been wanting to apologize. For Halloween."
Izzy blinked, then fought against the urge to ask for a repetition. He remembered that she had tried to apologize at that party, too, and that thought put him on guard. Could this be another argument in the making? It was possible, but something seemed different today.
She turned away long enough to shift forward in the line, and he followed, somewhat reluctantly. Frankly, he preferred keeping that distance between them empty, but the girl behind him was at his back, just a breath away from pushing him forward.
She was watching him, and Izzy sighed, realizing that staying silent wasn't going to help him escape this situation. "I must confess that I'm having difficulty forgiving your insults towards my girlfriend."
Her eyes shut, and a hand rose to her temple, rubbing it. "God. Yeah. Izzy, I was so drunk, I didn't- I shouldn't have- I didn't really mean it. I was just repeating Michael, and, well, you know he can be an ass when someone steps on his pride. But I shouldn't have said that. But- you just- You made me so mad!" Her hand fell away with a sharp motion, and suddenly, some of that old fire was back in her face.
Of course, Izzy thought, fighting for a neutral expression. Blame Michael. Blame me. Blame alcohol. In truth, he wasn't proud of his own behavior that night. Sharp, hurtful words had come out of him, and that was never in good taste. But he'd say more, and worse, at that, if she insulted Amy again. He felt something sharpening inside him, dulling the polite, mild side of his temperament.
His hands curled into fists, and he made no reply as Shauna placed her order. Then, the worker behind the counter was speaking to him, and he ordered reflexively, asking for whatever he had eaten here last time.
Shauna pulled her wallet out of her purse and shifted through it, frowning at the money. She paused, and, for a moment, Izzy was afraid that she'd ask him to cover her expenses, as she always used to. But her fingers extracted the bills, and she handed the money off.
"Well, that's really all I had to say," she continued, making room for him in front of the cash register. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. I'm sure your girlfriend is..."
The pause had Izzy grimacing in anticipation. Shauna tipped her head, and her glance moved over him, then fell on his eyes. He wanted, quite dearly, to look away, but pure pride kept him firm, steady, and silent.
A boy behind the counter called a number, and Shauna turned. She grabbed the bag he was holding, and then she moved away, quick and skittish.
Izzy exhaled slowly. He felt shaky, uncertain, a bit overwrought. What was he supposed to make of their exchange? Was there any merit to her apologies? Should he even care?
Soon, he was accepting his order, and he walked away from the counter in something of a daze. He startled when he found Shauna waiting for him, standing smack in his path.
"I didn't know it back then," she said, the words spilling out in a rush, "but lately, I can... Maybe see..." Her fingers worked her hair, mussing it up, running through it from the roots. "She's lucky. Your girlfriend. And I'm sorry I did what I did to you."
Something twinged in Izzy's chest, a battle between hardness and a desire to believe her. He tried to phrase his reply carefully, expressing his doubt without being openly cruel. "An apology doesn't count if you'd repeat the infraction, if given the chance."
Her eyes pinched shut, and her arms jerked, jostling the bag with her lunch. "Why do you have to talk to me like that?! God, I'm trying to be nice, and you make me feel like an idiot-"
Ah. She needs a translation. It was something that had happened a lot when they were dating, and Izzy never realized at the time that she resented it. "I'm saying you'd do it to me again, if you could. That makes your apology pointless."
There would either be a denial, an explosion, or both, and he waited, muscles tense. Her eyes widened, and color moved into her cheeks, but the hysterics never came.
"Fine," she said at last, turning away. The milling crowd of students swallowed her almost immediately, and Izzy stood, shocked and still, until the jostling of the crowd set him in motion again.
He really wasn't sure what had just happened, but he sincerely hoped that he wouldn't run into her like this again. I don't seem to be having much luck with that, he thought glumly as he moved towards the nearest exit.
Another Day
Tai slipped into his room and fell straight on the bed. He had just finished a particularly trying soccer practice, and bed was all that freaking mattered.
Maybe that was why he didn't notice the low thrum of a bass guitar until he was comfortable. He rolled towards Matt's bed, swallowing a groan as his muscles protested.
"Man, I just assumed you died," he said, grinning at his roommate. The blond snorted, not looking up from his instrument.
"So nice to know you care." His brow furrowed, and he repeated the last bar. Well, maybe. The bass just sounded like an identical string of 'bm-bm-bm' to Tai. He had no idea why anyone bothered with it, not when the electric guitar could sound so cool.
Matt made a vague, muttering sound, then reached for the paper waiting on his desk. His fingertip wandered over it, and then he erased something and started to write.
"Uh, dude. C'mon." It pissed him off to be ignored after days of being unable to find his roommate. "This is where you tell me where you've been."
"Huh? Wait a sec." Matt continued scribbling, then put down the pencil and offered Tai an unimpressed look. "I told you, I wrote a few songs over the break. I've been trying to put together a new band. There are a lot of people to meet and listen to and..." He exhaled strongly enough to move his hair, although the gelled roots stayed in place. "Well, argue with, mostly."
Tai's fingers gripped his comforter. "What's there to argue about?" he asked, mostly as a distraction. God damn it, Tai. You're not sixteen anymore. Stop getting all shitty about Matt and his stupid band. Besides, at least he has a girlfriend, now. Maybe the fangirling won't be as obnoxious this time. His eyes passed over Matt's form, bending so naturally over his instrument, and he knew that the girls would keep falling all over him, even if he had a freaking harem.
"The usual," Matt replied. "People expect different things from where the band might go, they want to talk about stuff like dividing payment before I've even decided if I want to work with them, they want copies of my songs before I've got them copyrighted or anything, they want to pull me into their band instead of coming to mine… This was so much easier when we were a bunch of idiot kids just messing around."
Tai felt his head spin just listening. "Sounds like they're making it too damn complicated. I mean, who even knows if the band would get off its feet? Why worry about that crap upfront?"
Matt offered him a grin. "Well, musicians are proud. Most of us think that anything we touch will turn to gold."
Tai was laughing before he could think better of it. "Not like you, right?" he asked. Matt tsked and tossed his hair out of his face. "Hey, why don't you just get Amy to play guitar for you? Skip all the drama, free vocals. Haven't you already forced her to play all your new stuff with you?"
Matt's eyes turned to his, his expression cautious. "Look, Amy's a phenomenal vocalist. But her guitar playing is just…" He lifted a hand and waggled it a little. "So-so. I mean, it's solid, there's nothing wrong with it, but she couldn't handle any demanding solos in a rock song. And anyway, don't you think she would sort of… stick out in a rock band?"
"Dude," Tai began, rolling his eyes. "That thing you had in high school? That was not a rock band. It was a boy band."
Matt sucked a breath in through his teeth, and Tai felt himself smirking. This was a familiar argument, one of the few that could always get under Matt's skin, no matter how mature he thought he was. "In a way, you're right. We were boys. Kids," he said at last, gripping the neck of his bass. "All things considered, I think we did well. It was a solid base to grow from. And that's what I'm going to do."
There was a pause, and Tai's grin faltered. Getting to someone was no fun when they shut things down on him. But Matt was starting to smile now, and Tai felt his muscles tensing. He knew the look of his best friend getting ready to bite back. Maybe we'll have some fun, after all.
"You never did say how your… Event went the other day."
Ah, now this would be fun! Tai suspected that Matt was ready to hear that he had gone home empty handed, which was far from the truth. "Yeah, that's because you pulled a disappearing act, man," he said, rolling carelessly onto his back.
"Yeah, well, I'm here now. So…?"
"Soooo, a hot girl took me home." He couldn't seem to stop his eyebrow from waggling at the ceiling.
The sound of Matt strumming his bass came to a stop. Glancing over, Tai saw him balancing the instrument against his lap, his expression serious. Annnnd, here we go, Tai thought, fighting not to launch into defensive maneuvers. The judgment, the holier-than-thou.
"Nothing weird happened?" he asked, tapping his fingers against the guitar.
And, of course, his idiot brain went right where it shouldn't. "Matt, I'm not gonna tell you if a girl wanted something freaky."
His best friend groaned. "Tai. Seriously. Not what I meant, dumbass."
"Alright, alright," he replied with a grin. "No, it was good. We were both straight forward about it. Sex, one night, no attachments, that's it, wham, bam, have a nice life. It was great, she was amazing, haven't heard from her since." He lifted an arm into a lazy flourish.
The pause that followed was so long that Tai turned towards Matt. His eyes were at their darkest, most serious shade of blue. "Would you want to?"
Tai sighed. How like his best friend to shoot straight for the freaking heart. "Honestly, yeah, I have considered trying to find her again. She apparently goes to all of the soccer games, someone might know her. And it's not like the campus has a ton of 'Dyanis.' But she was pretty clear about not wanting a boyfriend, so…" He shrugged half heartedly. "Shame. She seemed really cool."
"So… You would be interested in dating?"
Tai's eyebrows shot up. "Uh, well, yeah. It's not like I prefer one-night stands to a girlfriend."
"Hmm… Maybe you should talk to Sora. She's been trying to rope girls from her tennis team and some of her classes to model for her in a fashion show at the end of the semester. Maybe she can think of some way for you to help her out, and you can meet all of those girls in exchange."
"Oooo, models." Tai grinned and folded his harms behind his head. "I'm all about that. But what kind of help would Sora need from me at a fashion show?"
Matt shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she'll need some muscle, carting materials around. Maybe she'll need a gopher. You never know. I'm sure whatever it is, it will be worth it to meet the girls, right? When you're this desperate, anyway."
"Ass," Tai said easily, rolling his eyes. "I'll think about it."
"Alright. I'll talk to Sora, then."
There was a pause, and Tai tried not to sigh. He could sense that Matt wanted to talk about his band some more, and, while it dug at his nerves, Tai knew how important this stuff was to him.
"So, uh, have you met anyone good? For your band?"
The question set off a long monologue, and Tai did his best to listen.
Elsewhere
Mimi opened the door to Sora's room halfway, knocked, then opened it entirely. The sound of a sewing machine reached her. Sure enough, Sora was bent over hers, coaxing fabric under its needle.
"One second." Mimi nodded and made herself comfy on Amy's bed. A few minutes later, Sora turned around, then smiled. "Alright. Thanks for waiting. Hi, Mimi."
"Hi yourself!" Mimi cried, rolling onto her back. "I haven't seen you in forever! I was getting worried, you know?"
The smile faded from Sora's face. "Ah... I'm sorry, Mimi. Matt keeps trying to tell me that I'm being too scarce, and I think I'm driving Amy nuts with the noise from the sewing machine."
Mimi grinned and waved a hand carelessly. "Eh, that's okay. It pushes her into Izzy's room a lot more often, and honestly, I think she benefits from that. She's even wandered into my room a few times, which is like a minor miracle."
Sora shook her head and smiled. "Well, at least there's that."
"Right. But why are you suddenly holing up in here, girl? Lemme see your pretty face more!"
"Mimi." Sora sighed, but it was an affectionate sound. "I don't mean to be a hermit, but… One of my professors is really interested in my work."
"As she should be, because you're amazing. Seriously, I get some of my things tailored, but that dress you made for me? Perfection. I want to wear it all the time." It was true. She had spent way too much time lately trying to find someone to make clothes just for her, the way Sora had made that dress. The general sizings from stores and boutiques just weren't good enough anymore.
"Oh!" Color rose to Sora's face. "Thank you. You're so kind."
"Pff, please. What's so nice about the truth? Hold your head up, girl." It always annoyed Mimi a little when someone got flustered from a compliment, at least when it was one they deserved. She liked to see her girls owning it.
Sora laughed faintly. "Okay, okay. Well, this professor says I have talent as a designer and a seamstress, and she wants me to put together a lineup for the fashion show for the more advanced students at the end of the semester." She took a deep breath, and a hand was suddenly tangled in her hair. "Um, apparently local professionals will be in the audience."
Mimi twisted and sat up. "Sora!" she cried. "That's amazing! Congratulations!"
"Thanks. I'm happy for the opportunity, but, well, it's a lot of work to finish by the end of the semester. It's definitely taken a toll on my social life."
"Well, let's at least grab dinner tonight, okay? Even if it's at the cafeteria."
"Sounds good. Sorry for disappearing on you."
"Nah. You're following your dream. I get that." It was a lot easier to forgive Sora for this sort of thing than Joe, although Mimi didn't know how to explain it. She was mostly focused on the sudden melancholy spreading over her. Sighing, she fluffed Amy's pillow, then sank into it, directing her gaze out the window.
"Um, are you alright, Mimi?"
"Hm? Oh. Sorry. It's just, the more I talk to everyone, the more I realize that everyone is... You know, working really hard for their futures. You and this fashion show, Matt and his band. I think Joe is literally always thinking about becoming a doctor, and his grades and schools and volunteering and all of that. Izzy skipped all of those classes and is working so closely with a professor, and Amy is always working on her music and watching her grades. God," she added, dropping a hand on her face, "even Tai. Did you know that he meets with coaches to plan out how to get into the starting lineup here, and how to balance classes with sports? Apparently, he'll be traveling a lot when he gets promoted on the team? He's such a screwoff academically, but he's doing everything he can to be able to play soccer professionally."
There was a long pause. "Is that so unusual?" Sora asked gently. "We're college students. We're less than four years away from the next steps in our lives."
"Uuuugggg." Mimi's hands moved down her face, drawing skin with them. "It's just... Something Amy said to me a while ago got me thinking. What am I going to do when I'm done here? I always knew that I wouldn't ever need a job, not for money, but I think it's finally sinking in that I won't be a student forever." Part of her knew that talking like this was an easy way to get under someone's skin, but she wasn't one to censor herself. If someone didn't like her, then they could take a hike, and Sora was nice enough not to judge.
"Hmm... Well, what do you have an interest in?"
"I dunno," Mimi said airily. "At first I thought, maybe party planning. I love parties, you know? So exciting. But can you imagine keeping track of all those annoying details?" She waved a hand dismisively. "So I thought, maybe I could do hair or makeup, or maybe I could be a professional shopper."
Sora started to laugh, then cupped a hand over her face to stifle the sound. "I'm sorry, a what?"
"A professional shopper," Mimi repeated, her brow furrowing with annoyance. "You know. They keep track of what's trending and choose what their stores keep in stock."
"You know what," Sora said suddenly. "After seeing you pick out that dress for Amy and style her hair and makeup... Maybe you should be a fashion consultant. You know, help people find their style and teach them what flatters their body and complexion."
"Hey, that's a good idea!" Mimi said, sitting up. "I'll have to look into that. It could be fun."
Sora smiled, then started to tap a finger against her knee. "Well, in the meantime, if you're not busy... I hope it's not asking too much, but I really need some models."
"Models?" Mimi repeated. "Like, for your fashion show?"
She nodded sheepishly. "I hate to inconvenience people, but I need volunteers to walk the runway in my show."
Mimi stared at her for a moment. She was imagining loud music, lights everywhere, crowds watching her strut down a walkway. It was a visual she could very much get into. "You know I'd help you out," Mimi said at last, trying to stay calm. Despite her sudden excitement, the success of her friend's show came first. "But I've never been on a runway before. Will you lose points if I do something wrong?"
"Oh, no, don't worry about that. I don't get graded on my models, except that my clothes have to be designed properly for their body types. I was actually hoping to get Amy to model for me, too."
It might have been insensitive, but a laugh popped out of Mimi. "Amy? On a runway? Sora, you know she might fall. You know that's a complete possibility." She paused, then held her hands out. "She would totally fall."
Something between a grin and a grimace formed on Sora's face. "Well... Yes. I know. But I want to work with all kinds of body types, because I want to make clothes that people will actually wear. And not everyone has the typical fashion model's build."
Mimi breathed out slowly, then shook her head. "You should probably make sure I'm around when you ask her. I have the best chance of convincing her to do something she doesn't want to do."
Sora shook her head anxiously. "I don't want to pressure her..."
Mimi shrugged. "Look, pressure is the only way to get that girl out the damn door. I love her up and down, but what's the point of all that sweetness and talent if she's always bent over a book? She'll survive a little pressure. She'll survive a little modeling."
Mimi sensed that Sora was considering arguing, but she ended up shrugging and glancing back at her sewing machine. "Well, let me know if you're interested in modeling."
"Sure, I'll give it a shot. Who knows, maybe I can make some contacts. For now, dinner at six?"
"Alright. Sounds great."
Sensing that Sora wanted to get back to work, and having her promise of dinner secured, Mimi hopped off of the bed and headed towards the door. She was almost on her way when Sora called her name. Backtracking, she popped her head back into the room.
Sora hesitated for a long moment before she said anything. "For what it's worth, I think you'd do great at whatever you choose. And, if I ever need a little… pressure… I can count on you, right?"
Mimi wasn't sure whether to smile or coo. "You do realize what you just got yourself into, right, girl?"
Sora sighed, long and low, then turned back to her sewing machine without comment. Mimi grinned wickedly as she shut the door. How long until you regret that, I wonder?
Another Day
Hana was in the cafeteria, weaving her way between students in the dinner rush. Sadly for her, the group of girls she normally ate with was scattered today, and she was beginning to consider taking her food back to the dorm.
The crowd pushed her towards the back of the cafeteria, and Hana aimed for the hidden stairs there, mostly because there was an exit on that landing, and there was no way she could get to the front doors anytime soon. She twirled her body around, narrowly avoiding an elbow, then leaped onto the first stair, clearing herself from the press of bodies. A frustrated sigh slipped out of her as she ascended.
The second story was cooler, quieter, and darker, and Hana squinted as she walked into the room. She almost went straight to the exit, but a head of bright, blood red hair caught her eye. Only one person she knew had hair like that, and wouldn't it be fun to pop in on his dinner?
Hana headed for his table, her plans already completely changed. As she approached, she was surprised to find that he was with two other people. For some reason, she had imagined that Izzy would be staring into the screen of a laptop or the pages of a programming book, but he was speaking to two other people, his eyes mostly focused on the girl beside him. Due to her angle, Hana was very close to the table by the time she recognized her.
That's Amy! She paused, momentarily stunned by the random collision of two acquaintances. Small world, I guess. It's not too crazy.
"Hey Izzy, Amy," Hana called, walking right up to the table. She smiled at the other boy sitting with them. He was tall, tanned, and trim with wiry muscles. He's in great shape, she thought idly. Seems kind of familiar, too, buuuut I probably would have remembered that ridiculous hair.
They returned her greeting, with cheer on Amy's end and wary reluctance on Izzy's. Hana's grin grew in response, and she sat opposite the redhead without asking permission.
She turned to the stranger at her side. "Hey," she said, extending a hand. "I'm Hana. Nice to meet you."
He didn't answer immediately. His attention was fully on the hamburger he was eating, and he seemed reluctant to put it down long enough to shake. "Tai." He forced the name through a full mouth and grasped her hand. She tried not to grimace at the feeling of grease against her palm. As soon as he let go, she grabbed a napkin.
"So, not gonna lie," she said, shaking off her disgust and fixing her eyes on Amy and Izzy. "Kind of surprised to run into the two of you together."
They glanced at one another. "Hana's in one of my sectionals," Izzy explained. "I believe I've mentioned having a student that calls me at odd hours for programming questions."
Amy's eyebrows pressed down. "Oh... Is Hana the one that called the other day, when we were-"
"Watching a movie, yes." Izzy's voice rose to a volume that Hana had never heard from him, as if he suddenly thought they were all deaf.
Tai's eyes narrowed, and, miracle of miracles, he stopped eating. "How do you know Hana, Amy?" he asked, his voice just as overly loud as Izzy's.
"Oh, uh." There was a faint wash of pink over Amy's cheeks. Hana was certain that there were undertones she wasn't following here, but she was at something of a loss to explain them. "Whenever we both have downtime at the PAC, she helps me with my French."
"Which has gotten a lot better," Hana said, drawing her bowl of soup closer. "I do good work."
One of Izzy's eyebrows popped up, but he made no comment. Hana tried not to giggle at his unimpressed expression. "How do you guys know each other?" she asked.
"Tai and I are cousins," Amy supplied. A soppy, too-big grin overtook her face, and it took effort not to start laughing. Normally, Hana wouldn't have held back, but she wanted to hear the explanation. "Izzy's my boyfriend."
Hana's hand twitched, dumping the broth from her spoon back into the bowl. "H-he is?" There were so many problems with that statement that her brain didn't know where to start.
"That surprises you?" There was no mistaking the tartness in Izzy's voice, or the displeasure on his face.
"Well, yeah," Hana admitted. "I mean- Amy- I thought... Well, I guess I was wrong, and it's not like it matters anyway, but I just assumed that you were..."
Amy tilted her head, waiting for the rest, but Hana realized that she had backed herself into a corner. She tried to do damage control, but that had never been her strong suit. Flustered words started to pour right out. "Well, I mean, you seemed really... friendly with that girl at the Halloween party, and you're always complimenting me, it was sort of coming off as flirting. Just a little." She lifted a hand and made a small space between her pointer and thumb.
Tai snorted beside her, thankfully into a cupped hand. His eyes were slightly bugged out, and his broad shoulders were trembling. "What?!" Hana cried, her tone going defensive. "A girl stuck her hands down the front of her dress for, like, five minutes on Halloween, what was I supposed to think?"
"What?!" Tai echoed, his face going red. For a moment, all he could do was stare at her and stutter. "God," he groaned at last. "Mimi. When did that happen?"
Amy edged back. She looked a little overstimulated. "I was trying to forget about that," she muttered. Her glance landed firmly on her sandwich.
Izzy's eyes pressed shut. "As was I."
"Oh!" Hana recognized the look of a boy trying to redirect his thoughts. "Sorry, Izzy. Is that mental picture too much for you?" He offered her a deadpan glare, and she winked in return, suddenly delighted with the direction of the conversation. It wasn't every day that she was able to get this far under the nerd's skin.
Tai dragged a palm down his face. "God, I'm glad I was out of the room for that. The kissing is one thing, but..."
"Kissing?!" Hana spun around to look at Amy, who was going distinctly red in the face. "Are you sure you're not leading Izzy on?"
"Of course not. It's just a thing Mimi does when she's drunk. Izzy and I weren't dating at the time." To her credit, her voice was fairly level, as if this was no big thing, but her skin seemed to be moving from pale cream color to the staunch white of milk beneath her blushing.
"Okay, okay," Hana said, holding her hands out. While she loved getting a good rise out of someone, she was sensing that she was roaming into territory that was a bit too sensitive. Izzy could take it, but she wasn't so sure about Amy. "Doesn't matter, anyway."
Amy held her glance for one more awkward moment, then sat her sandwich down. "My parents would disown me if I were gay," she said, shaking her head. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and Izzy placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Amy. I strongly advise against trying to convince your parents that you're homosexual."
Tai snorted. "Yeah, that would make things weird for Izzy. And they wouldn't believe you anyway, you're an even worse liar than Kari."
Amy's only reply was a long, beleaguered sigh. Okaaaaay, don't know what to make of this, now. Hana's glance drifted from face to face, but she wasn't able to glean any more information. It was time for a change of subject if she wanted to stay included in the conversation, and the idea she landed on had her grinning like a Chesire cat.
"Sooo," Hana said, leaning across the table, putting her closer to Izzy. "Now that we've cleared that up..."
"I'm not homosexual either." He didn't even look up from his stir fry.
"Oh, I would have guessed asexual for you," Hana said offhandedly. Tai fell into snorting laughter beside her, and even Amy had to push away a smile. "Which leads me to my next point." She smirked, dearly enjoying this chance to tease her TA. "Has Amy made you a man yet?" It was a pity he wasn't next to her. She wanted to dig her elbow into his ribs.
Several things happened all at once. Amy's eyes widened, and her hand jerked, knocking over her glass of water. Izzy was up in an instant, spreading napkins over the spill and coloring so strongly that it was difficult to see where his hair yielded to smooth skin. Tai made a choking sound and doubled over the table. His fist beat against his chest a few times, and then he swallowed hard. "God damn it, Hana!" he wheezed.
"Whoa!" Hana cried. While she had expected a satisfying reaction from Izzy, this was way more trouble than she had meant to start. "What's your problem?" Hana asked, raising an eyebrow. "We're old enough to bring up sex. And it's not like you're interested in Amy, Tai, don't go ballistic on me."
"She's my sister!" His fingers gripped the edge of the table, and, for a wild moment, Hana thought he was going to flip it. "I don't want to hear this crap!"
Hana swiveled around, facing Amy and Izzy. "Didn't you say 'cousin' earlier?" They nodded in sync.
"Long story," Amy explained, glancing up from her task of mopping the water. "But I spent a lot of time at his house growing up, and he's kind of a baby about this stuff."
Hana stared at Tai, watching his chest move with exaggerated breaths. Truth be told, she had marked him off as a jock at a glance, and, while this hyper over-sensitivity to his cousin's personal business was a bit odd, it was also kind of sweet. "Aww, you're just a big softie, aren't you," she cooed, punching his shoulder.
A muscle twitched beneath his eye, giving him a weird, manic look. "Would you just shut up?" he demanded. "I can't believe you two are friends with this crazy girl."
"It's most tiring," Izzy muttered, and Amy laughed.
"I dunno, I'm starting to warm up to her," she said, dropping her pile of soaked napkins onto her tray. "She stirs up so much trouble, it makes me miss TK a little less."
"TK?" Hana echoed. Izzy and Tai's comments didn't bother her. They just meant that she was succeeding in pushing their buttons, and wasn't that good to know?
Tai groaned, pushed his tray aside, and lowered his face onto the table, where it stayed for most of the conversation that followed.
Hana listened to Amy natter about this TK. She was very happy to have wandered into such an awkwardly fun group of people, and she fully intended to explore things further.
Izzy and Tai will be so happy, she thought with a smile.
Author's Notes: Oh, no. The gang has captured Hana's attention. There's no escaping now! Hahaha XD She can be such a silly little tease.
Okay, my next update will be for Growing Up with You. I'm still plugging away (slowly) at Seeking Resonance. Cheers!
I'd give you a teaser for the next Four Years chapter, but I don't know what's happening, either! HOORAY! XD I'll try to be less chatter oriented and make some stuff happen, okay? (Might be easier to do with Hana around, haha).
Thanks for reading!
