AN: Thank you for the reviews. This chapter goes through a normal Saturday in our character's lives and introduces a few new faces. They are:
Tyler James Williams as Edison Chambers
Josh Hutcherson as Britt
Raja Fenske as Tal
I hope you guys enjoy it! Please review!
The alarm sounded with the clock reading 8:00 AM Saturday. A tanned hand crept out from underneath a mass of light green blankets to slap the top of the alarm, halting the annoying sound. Soon the mass of cloth began to move and from underneath it emerged Dianna Fabray-Berry, her hair a mess and eyes droopy as she shifted to the edge of the bed. After one failed attempt at standing up she finally stood up, forgoing slippers as she walked out of her room, painted a bright green with posters depicting every band and artist she liked and a wall adorned with vast amounts of pictures of her with friends and family.
She barely dodged a small blonde dressed in purple pajamas running passed her shouting. "Nuh uh Cass, I get the remote this morning and we're watching cartoons!" Dianna yawned as an identical blonde dressed in pale yellow pajamas ran around her. "Lexie, get back here! I don't wanna watch cartoons! I want to watch Barbra!" The teen stumbled into the kitchen where she barely registers her mothers' conversation as she shuffles over to the refrigerator.
"Quinn, no grading papers at the table. We have a rule." The older blonde shook her head and looked up from the paper with a big C- on it. "If I get this done now, we'll have all the time in the world to spend on just us. Don't you remember how much fun I can be when I have nothing on my plate?" She waggled her eyebrows at her wife standing at the counter, causing the older brunette to blush.
Dianna walked right between them carrying a carton of milk, leaning up to open the cupboard and pull out a box of Choco-Crispies Cereal before sluggishly moving to the table and sitting down. "Fine, but just this once. It has been a while since we've gotten to go out. And even longer since we've gotten the house to ourselves." Rachel said, leaning down to peck Quinn's lips before handing her a cup of coffee then leaning over to hand the groggy teen a spoon.
She accepted it with a small grumble and began to chow down. The two older women shared a smile before Quinn went back to grading papers. Rachel cleared her throat, trying to get the younger brunette's attention but it was to no avail as the girl continued to look down into her cereal bowl as she munched on her breakfast. Rachel sat down at the head of the table to spread butter on her toast, smiling at her daughter.
"You know Dianna, it's really nice of you to babysit your sisters for us tonight." As expected the teen sputtered out her cereal and turned wide brown eyes on her mothers, first Rachel and then Quinn. "What? No! I never agreed to that, you guys can't just take away my Saturday! I respect the fact that you guys haven't gotten to go out in a while but shoveling those beasts into my lap when I already have plans! Why would you-"
The riled up teen stopped when she saw the mischievous glint in Rachel's eyes and the smirk on Quinn's face as she checked off another paper. She grunted before turning her attention back to her cereal mumbling. "Tricky moms. Always messin' with me." Both of her mothers laughed lightly. "Oh honey, I'm sorry. I just had to wake you up somehow. Don't worry about your sisters, your Aunts Santana and Brittany will be taking them for the day."
Dianna nodded and took another bite. Quinn looked up from the paper in her hands for a moment. "So what're you doing today? Hanging out with Izzy?" The teen shook her head. "Oh. The boyfriend then?" She said unenthusiastically, garnering her a look from the young brunette. "That's one of the things I love most about you Mom. Your subtlety." Rachel covered up her smirk as her wife shot a glare her way. "Well you know how I feel about him. About High School boys in general. There's a lot of potential for this whole 'Us letting you date' thing to go horribly, horribly wrong and as much as I love saying I told you so to your Mama, I don't want to be right in this situation."
The teen rolled her eyes, chewing another mouthful of cereal. "I told you guys you don't need to worry. I have him totally whipped and thanks to the two of you I literally have the hardcover on 'What Not To Do In High School'. Not to mention all of the your articles you not so sneakily leave in my room." She grinned and raised her eyebrows as she stared down her blonde mother who shrunk back slightly.
Before becoming a teacher Quinn had been a fairly prominent writer for numerous magazines, primarily writing on teenage and High School issues that ranged from dealing with feelings of inadequacy to how to come to terms with sexual orientation, and several award-winning articles on dealing with teen pregnancy. Quinn sighed and looked back down at the paper in her hands. "Mistakes can still be made. All it takes is one moment of poor judgment for you to make the wrong decision."
Dianna shrugged before continuing. "I know that and you know I'll make mistakes. But you also know that I'm not going to make a colossal mistake like getting pregnant. I'm smarter than that, I may roll my eyes but I read all your articles. I've read the book twice. And I looked at Mama's charts which are all incredibly frightening." Rachel shot her a small smile before taking a sip of coffee. "Point is I won't screw up my life for some boy, no matter how much I like him." She nodded confidently.
Quinn smiled softly as she wrote a big F on a paper, setting it down and smiling at her daughter across the table. "Rachel when did we raise such a reasonable and intelligent daughter?" Rachel laughed as she went to refill her cup. "Well she's our daughter so she's argumentative, somewhat organized, and thinks she's smarter than she is."
The teen rolled her eyes as she took the last bite of her meal. "You won't be alone with him though, will you?" Quinn raised one eyebrow as she questioned the younger brunette who sighed. "We were planning to get a room for the afternoon at one of those really nasty and shady roadside motels but now that I know you're worried I think we'll just go to the mall with Arianna, Tal, and Mickie instead." She placed her bowl in the sink as she grinned back at her mother who stuck her tongue out at her. A tiny stomp from across the room drew all their attention to the tiny six-year old blonde with arms crossed as she looked up at them.
"I appreciate heartfelt family moments however I request your assistance." Said the blonde adorned in yellow pajamas. To say that she had inherited Rachel's mannerisms and personality would be an understatement. Rachel smiled and swooped down to pick up the child, holding her against her hip. "What's wrong Cassandra?" The blonde pointed back at the living room with a pout. "Lexie insists that we watch cartoons but there's a Barbra Streisand Special on right now!" Quinn smiled but rolled her eyes at the tiny blonde's reasoning.
"Cass I know you want to watch it but it is your sister's turn to choose what to watch this morning. But I know for a fact that they're showing it again tomorrow. We'll watch it together then ok?" Rachel placed the nodding blonde back down. "Crisis averted. Now go endure your sister's cartoons alright?" She rushed back into the living room with her sister as Dianna smirked.
"Well it's been real but I'm going to go join them and veg out in front of the TV for a bit until it's time for me to get all pretty." She smiled back at her mothers and exited the room, leaving both older women smiling.
Mason Chance sat at his kitchen table, looking down at his food with a bemused smile. "Yeah. My week didn't really get much better. I really didn't want to bother you but I just don't know what to do. I mean I've never had trouble breaking the ice with students before. Plus all these kids seem intent on not learning anything. Any advice Uncle Will?"
Sitting across the table from him was an older Will Schuester, looking quite well for being north of fifty. A soft smile came over his face as he poured out another drink for his nephew. "Well your friend was right when she told you not to take it personal. You'll just tear yourself up if you do. There were tons of times when I was teaching at William McKinley High where I wanted to tear my hair out. But I endured and adapted and they became some of the best years of my life."
"But that was you Uncle Will. You! You've always been so confident and you've always known exactly what you wanted and how to move forward." Will reached over and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Don't get aggravated. Just calm yourself down and think clearly about all the things you need to deal with. They don't seem to know the basics, they won't ask or answer questions, and they don't pay attention or do the homework. Now just think of how to deal with one of those things first."
Mason nodded and looked to be thinking hard but after a few moments he grunted and slumped back against his chair, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Gah I just can't keep my head clear. I'm all frazzled. I can't think straight."
Will looked sadly at his nephew, patting his shoulder. "Look you're just going through a funk. It happens to everyone. After everything that's happened you're entitled to feel a little off. Are you sure you didn't go back to work too soon?" The younger man smiled across the table at him and took a small sip. "I was excited to get back to work. Now I'm not so sure." He looked down into his drink, swirling it around a little. "You're not considering quitting are you?" Asked the older gentleman.
"No, definitely not. I just don't know how to crack these kids. I've dealt with these awkward classroom silences but eventually someone always speaks out eventually. These kids are an enigma wrapped in an infuriating puzzle box. And I've seen them around the school, arguing and laughing. Being lively. Yet when they're in my class….nothing." Will nodded as he listened to the young math teacher, sighing lightly. "Well I know what you're going through. Not everything of course, but some of it. You just need to think up a way to get to them. A way to catch their attention."
Mason nodded as his uncle continued. "It's obvious they don't care about math. Maybe you should make them care about you. Make them pay attention to you. You used to be great at that." The younger man looked thoughtful for a moment before grimacing. "I don't know, becoming their friend might not be the right strategy."
Will shook his head. "You don't necessarily need to become their friend. Just someone they pay attention to, someone different than all the other boring, monotone teachers that they suffer through all day." As Will spoke a thought popped into Mason's head and he broke out into a smile before laughing and hopping up from his seat. "You're a genius Uncle Will! I know exactly what I need to do."
The gray-haired man smiled up at Mason as he began pacing back and forth, his hands shaking in excitement. "Why didn't I think of it before? I need to wake these kids up! If they won't pay attention to math they'll sure as hell pay attention to my class. I'll give them something to remember." He walked out of the room as his uncle finished off his drink, shaking his head and smirking at Mason's newfound excitement.
Izzy sat behind the counter, head rested on one hand while the other flipped the page of her comic. She leaned down to take a sip from her soda through a neon green silly straw. She looked up from the book for a moment to see the leering eyes of a prepubescent boy who quickly averted his gaze when she saw him. Unsurprised she returned her gaze to the comic and flipped another page. A stocky bearded man walked out from a door to the right of the counter she was sitting behind and scoffed when he saw her.
"You know Isabelle, you could at least make it look like you're working. You look unprofessional like that." She gave the man with graying hair a look, raising her eyebrow as she cracked a smile. "Uh Doug, I work in your comic book shop, not the U.N. I don't think I'm offending anyone's ideals on the professionalism of comic book shops." She smirked and pointed over at two leering boys. "It's not even all that busy today anyway."
He grunted out something unintelligible as he placed a box down in front of her. "Fine. At least go refill the Eaglemoss Statue shelves. We're out of Silver Surfer, Thor, and Quasar so get a few of those up and write down whatever else we might need." As he was talking she ripped into the box, making the older man sigh. "Look the Karolina statue isn't out yet. It's not out until next month."
"We both know they screw up and send them out early sometimes. I need to make sure I get my hands on it before any of these grubby little-" She reached into the box and Doug slapped her hand, receiving a glare from the blonde. "You only get one if we have enough, and if you do a good job, now shoo." He waved her off and took a seat behind the counter as she rolled her eyes and picked up the box, walking over to a set of shelves against the wall in the far corner of the store.
The shop was divided in two parts, one half held all the comic books, trade paperbacks, hard covers, manga, actions figures, statues, DVDs, cards, and various other geeky paraphernalia while the other half of the store was made up to be a small café with a small counter towards the front as well as couches, tables and booths. With a notebook in hand Izzy began to fill the shelves, taking down notes on what was in and what was out when the jingling of the door and a voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Hello my people! How are you all on this fine Saturday afternoon?" Yelled out Ollie as he stepped into The Comic Café, winking at a girl sitting at one of the couches alone. Predictably he received no answer from the other patrons except a small "Shut the hell up!" from an unseen customer.
As Ollie approached Izzy held out a small box to him. "There you go, the new Valkyrie statue. Now go!" He smiled at his friend as she tried to wave him off. "Hey, come on. I'm not that bad, am I?" Ollie put on a look of mock offense as the blonde nodded, still preoccupied with putting up the small statue boxes. "You do remember that Doug kind of hates you right?" The bespectacled young man shrugged, his smile never wavering.
"No way. He's totally over it by now. He knows I didn't mean to knock over that stack of books, I just really, really needed to scope out this piping hot betty in the other aisle." She moved over as she went to refill the other shelf. "Yeah and you almost killed the aforementioned betty. You know, you're real lucky no lawsuits came out of that. Now please take your figure and go." Pleaded the blonde, stopping for a moment to look up at her friend.
Ollie sighed and nodded. "Alright. But know this, work has made you a total square. Pre-Work Izzy would've found that hilarious. Just like this. Ohh ohh." Ollie began to attempt a moon walk and several pop and locking techniques with all the grace of a toddler trying to walk. Izzy hid her smirk but after a few more 'Robot' moves she busted out laughing. "Ok, ok! Stop, just go pay before you break anything else. I'll see you later."
"There's no stopping this robot. Not for a second." Ollie danced over to the counter, placing the statue down and turning to look at a girl a few feet away. "Hey there. Impressed by these sweet moves of mine?" Ollie sprang out into the running man and received a look of disgust from the girl before she walked out. "Man some people just need to loosen up, right Dougie?" He turned to look back up at the man behind the counter with a smirk which was wiped from his face the second he saw Doug's glare. "Uh that'll be $13.50, right?" Doug nodded and Ollie handed over a few bills. The exchange was silent and Ollie exited swiftly, escaping the man's gaze.
As he left Izzy stepped back in front of the counter, placing the now empty box on the counter with the notebook. She took her soda from the counter and started sipping on it as Doug looked over the list. "What do these asterisks mean?" She raised her eyebrows before answering. "Oh. Those are the ones I want." Doug just sighed again and nodded his assent. "You're lucky you're the best damn worker I have or else I'd take it out of your paycheck."
"You know you love me Doug. I'm your ace, your all-star. The one you can depend on to-" He took the soda from her hands "To be a pain in my ass? I know. Now go and tell Edison to get out." The blonde rolled her eyes as she looked over the older man's shoulder to see a young smartly dressed black teen sitting at one of the tables in the café. "Why the hell can't Shania do it? Or Ron? They actually work in the café part of The Comic Café. I'm comics, they're café, see what I'm getting at here."
Doug nodded and turned to look over at the café too. "Yeah but you're the only one that's ever been able to get him to leave. Remember he made Ron cry and got Shania to quit for a week?" The tiny blonde huffed and nodded, Doug gave her a small 'Thank you.' as she made her way over to the table. She looked down at the young man, who was too preoccupied with his book to acknowledge her.
The blonde rolled her eyes and pulled out the chair opposite him and reached over to grab his cup which was empty. She cleared her throat but still got no reaction from the boy. Finally she reached over and pushed his book down, earning a glare from the young man on the other side of the table. "What do you want Isabelle?" She groaned at the use of her full name. "Same thing as always Edison. You have to leave." He scoffed and went to raise his book back up but she held it down. "I'm serious, up and at'em buddy. Scooch. Sayonara. See ya next week. Scram."
He sat back and crossed his arms with a bemused smirk on his face. "I don't think so. Nice try though." She sighed and pulled his book away from him, smiling as he narrowed his eyes. "Look, you know the rules. If you want to hang out here, you have to buy something. No shoppy, No chill spot. So buy something or leave."
He lifted his cup and shook it back and forth. "The girl at the counter filled my cup with water, doesn't that count?" She shook her head. "It technically makes me a patron of the shop. I received service. Just because the service was free doesn't make me any less of a patron. If I was sitting here with a coffee I got for free because I had a coupon would you still be trying to kick me out?"
"I guess that depends on whether or not you were still being you usual charming self. And you know that's different, the coupon counts as cash exchanged. The water is less of a service and more of a courtesy, courtesies don't count as purchases." Edison clasped his hands together as he looked at the blonde girl across from him. "Well this establishment hasn't really made that clear has it? Why should I be penalized because you were non-specific on the difference between a service and a courtesy."
Izzy sighed, growing tired of the exchange. "Oh don't go getting all righteous. You don't have a leg to stand on here. Last thing we need is another silent protest of principles by a party of one named Edison Chambers." He shrugged and plucked his book from her hands. "I just don't want to be expelled due to a tiny technicality. I have as much right to be here as your precious comic fan boys. They haven't even paid for those books yet."
She cracked a smile. "Well you see unlike you, they know better than to try and pull something over on us. Just because you can intimidate and outsmart the Barista Buddies back there doesn't mean you can do the same to me. Please just leave, there are dozens of other coffee shops in town for you to terrorize with your over rationalization and refusal to partake in the many lovely beverages offered." He looked down for a moment before nodding.
"You know what? Ok. You win the day. Mostly because I know how annoying you can be until I leave. I will be back next week though, this week's debate was lacking. Goodbye Isabelle." Edison stood and grabbed his book and cup before exiting the shop. Izzy stood and approached the counter of the café. "It's ok to come out now." A blonde head popped out from behind the counter, gripping the edge and looking around nervously. "Are you sure? He's really gone?"
She nodded, playing with two of the straws on the counter. "Yep. The Big Bad is all gone Ron, you can get back to work now." The blonde boy stood fully, towering over Izzy as he leant over to hug her tight. "Thank you so much. H-He's inhuman. T-too smart." She nodded and patted to overly sensitive boy on the back. "There, there big guy. He won't hurt you anymore but if this hug lasts any longer you'll have to buy me dinner."
Bored brown eyes watched on as two adults stood across from him, both holding open books in their hands as they talked animatedly. The brown eyed young man rolled his eyes, unable to hear the argument but aggravated by it nonetheless. He ran his hand through his combed down brown hair.
"'No honey, the majesty and romance of Venice is completely understated in this book. If you can even call it a book!' 'But love, the author is merely trying to give the reader a more well-rounded view.' 'Life is about extravagence, not balance!' Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera." he said, acting out the two adults' conversation. A small laugh to his left caught his attention as he craned his neck to see who it was.
A leggy brunette dressed in a very short denim skirt plopped herself down on the spot beside the boy. "That was really funny. I'm guessing those are your parents?" She crossed her legs, letting her foot bump his knee as she leaned closer to him. He nodded, giving her a confused look. "Yeah. They always do this. They just have to review every travel guide they see."
The beautiful girl laughed again and put her hand on his knee, causing him to clear his throat and shift back a little, the same look of confusion still on his face. "Oh I know. Parents can be such a hassle. Every time daddy throws a charity ball for whatever cause is 'in' at the moment he's unbearable. And don't even get me started on mom. She's always rushing us from store to store trying to find the right dress and I'm just like, 'Mom, chill! We look good in anything.'" She smiled again in his direction, seemingly enjoying her own story.
To his credit the boy half smiled at the girl, nodding along with her. "Ha uh yeah, I think we have very different problems. But that's really…..interesting? Yeah, interesting. Anyway, you're Adrianne right?"
"It's Arianna. You're Britt, right? You just started at Quigley High." She began to rub his knee and he shifted fully away from Arianna, standing up. "That's me. Nice to meet you." She stood up with him, stepping closer. "Nice to finally meet you too, I apologize for being so rude and not introducing myself to you sooner. I'm usually much more polite and…accommodating."
Britt looked over her left shoulder, then her right to see his parents in the checkout line, still arguing. "Ah ok, well thanks for being so nice. I guess. I'll see you around school but I have to go." The brunette cheerleader put on a small pout and put her hand on his shoulder. "Aww, so soon? How come?"
He smiled uneasily before taking a few more steps away from her. "Well my parents in line and your boyfriend looks kind of pissed." Britt made his escape as Arianna turned to look back at her boyfriend, who looked to be fuming, and her friends, who seemed bored except for Mickie, who was giggling as she flipped through a book pointing out passages and showing them to Dianna. She put on a bright smile as she walked back over to them, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hey baby."
"Don't 'Hey baby' me. You were just all up on that vanilla pop tart over there. What the hell Ari?" The tan skinned boy looked down at his girlfriend incredulously. He could hear a small 'Here they go again.' from Dianna as she and Charlie stood behind them. Arianna just shrugged, her smile never wavering. "Oh, that? Tal, baby. Don't worry. That was nothing, I was just passing the time."
He shook his head and scoffed. "So you pass the time by just going around flirting with other guys?" Arianna just nodded and took a step back. "I do when my boyfriend's being an ass. You haven't complimented me enough today and you aren't holding all my bags. And don't think I haven't seen you scoping out every girl that walks your way Tal." The football player gulped and held his hands out and back up a few steps.
"You know what? Fine, whatever. Hey Charlie, let's hit the Sports Authority." Charlie sighed and kissed to top of Dianna's head before following Tal as he stalked off angrily. Arianna watched them for a moment and shrugged again. "That boy, can you believe him? Getting all huffy like that. It's unseemly." She smiled as she saw Britt and his parents leaving the store, shooting one last wink at the boy.
"Yeah, totally uncalled for. Charlie and I hit on other people all the time." Dianna said sarcastically. Arianna just laughed it off as Dianna looked around. "I'm just trying to keep my man on his game. The more threatened he feels, the more attention he pays me. Plus getting him riled up before a football game makes him play better. Besides, if he ever breaks up with me I need to have some guys on deck, a girl like me can't be single for long. You should be taking notes." Dianna rolled her eyes as she continued looking around the bookstore. "What the hell are you looking for?"
Arianna tried to see what the other brunette was looking at but couldn't see a thing. "Mickie was here a second ago, I don't know where she got off to." Dianna said, drawing a groan from Arianna. "Aw crap. I hope she didn't find the storeroom again. That got us kicked out of American Eagle. Who knew they had so much to hide." The pair of brunettes stalked off in search of their bright red haired friend.
If Izzy had known the rest of her day was going to go by this slowly she would've let Edison stay. At least he had provided momentary distraction from the monotony of restocking the comic book shelves and manning the check out counter (a coincidental name considering the ogling she received from several boys throughout the day). She had to strive to keep herself from falling asleep as the store went through the Saturday Slump they always experienced after 3 PM.
At the moment she was sitting at one of the couches in the café, sitting across from Shania who was excitedly chatting away about the new pet she'd adopted. "My mom wasn't all too supportive but after she read the pamphlets I printed out and saw the blueprints I'd made out for his living quarters and made her understand that I could cover all the expenses, she caved! What do you think I should name him?" Izzy shook her head as she took another sip of her tea. "I don't know. I'm still stuck at the part where you said you're adopting a raccoon. By the way, what is this?"
The blonde pointed down at her drink and the girl across from her smiled again, sipping from her own cup. "It's a Jasmine Strawberry Lemonade Green Tea Blend. What's wrong? Don't like it?" Shania looked over at her friend, eyebrows furrowed until Izzy shook her head. "No. I love it. I don't know how you do it but you always know exactly what to get me."
Shania just giggled and held her hands out, shrugging. "I have a gift for saving the world and making fantastic tea blends. It's what I do." Izzy laughed at her friend's confidence before taking a moment to turn and kneel in her seat, looking back at the barren counter of the comic store portion of the shop. "Are you sure it's ok for you to be over here?" The blonde nodded as she sat back down.
"Totally. No one's bought anything in over an hour. Doug knows better than to keep me cooped up like that." Shania played with her long braid, nodding. "That's true. I remember when you led that mutiny because he didn't let you have snacks behind the counter. The pirate costume was a lovely touch." They both laughed at the memory and turned to look at the door as it jingled and Izzy let out a loud groan.
"Remember Izzy, she's like a snake. She's cold-blooded and likely to strike from out of nowhere." The tan girl nodded affirmatively before taking another sip of her drink. Izzy seemed to be trying to shrink down in her seat. "Sure, whatever. Just duck down, I really don't want to have to deal with her today."
"Deal with what? Your scuffed sneakers, the fact that stripes are out or the horribleness that is these ever present head accessories of yours. Today it's a ribbon, how cute. Trying to look like a real girl for once?" Izzy groaned when she heard Arianna speak out and looked up to see the head cheerleader standing beside the table. The blonde just shrugged looked down, keeping her mouth shut. "What? No rebuttal?"
Izzy took another sip of her drink, still not addressing the brunette beside them. "Nice to see you Arianna but we're working. Oh, would you like one of our specials today. We have-" Arianna held out a hand, halting Shania's question. "That's enough from you Nutbar. What's wrong Izzy? No retorts? No fight? Oh, that's right. You can't talk back to me because until I leave I'm a customer. And just like me, the customer is always right."
Shania frowned and opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Izzy standing from the couch. The blonde moved to stand beside Arianna. "Welcome to The Comic Café, how may I help you today? We have a number of teas and coffees for you to indulge in and of course a wide variety of comic books and comic book paraphernalia." Arianna just smiled down at the shorter blonde. "God I love this place. Well aside from the general geek vibes, the ickiness of being near nerds, and the whole dweeb factor. Actually I don't need any of your little comic junk, I'm looking for Mickie."
"You lost her again? You guys ever think she does it on purpose? Like just to mess with you." Arianna scoffed and turned her head back and forth, looking for the girl's red hair. "Yeah whatever. Have you seen her?" Both of the other girls shook their heads. "Are you sure?"
"Are we sure we didn't see a girl with very red hair who would go gaga over that display of plush toys or flip over all the brightly colored baubles in here? Yeah, we're pretty sure." Izzy crossed her arms and nodded, looking tiredly at the taller brunette. Arianna groaned and walked over to another table. A moment later the door jingled again and Izzy smiled when she saw Dianna walking in, her eyes darting around the room before stopping on Izzy.
Dianna walked over to Izzy and greeted her with a short hug. "Hey. How's your day been?" They both let go and Izzy shrugged. "Same as always. I'd like to think you're baring the Geekdom just to see me but I'm guessing you're looking for Mickie." Dianna nodded, rolling her eyes as she looked over at Arianna, who was now sitting down with a pair of boys and sipping on a coffee they'd gotten her. "We haven't seen her."
The brunette moved to sit at the couch and Izzy settled down beside her. She smiled as Dianna grabbed her tea and took a sip. "Mmm Jasmine Strawberry Lemonade Green Tea. Another great choice Shania." Dianna pretended to tip her hat to the girl across from her who just smiled. Doug appeared on the other side of the café-comic shop divider, behind Dianna and Izzy, "Alright Shania, break time's over. Back to work."
Shania nodded and stood, giving the other two girls a small bow. "It's been fun, talk to you later Izzy." The blonde waved as Shania picked up her frock from the chair and flung back on as she walked away. Izzy turned to look at Dianna. "By the way, since when is it ok to just snatch up my drink." She snatched her drink back from Dianna's hand and took a sip herself, making the brunette laugh.
"We've been doing that since we were kids and I have no intention of stopping now. It's tradition." Dianna took the cup back, smiling over the rim as she took another sip. Izzy sunk further back into the couch. "What's mine is yours huh? Ugh it's like we're married but without the benefits." She crossed her arms as Dianna laughed. "Pft, like I'd want to marry you. I just want your stuff."
Izzy let out a mock gasp. "Gold digger! I feel someone should warn poor sweet Charlie." Dianna offered the cup to the blonde who snatched it right up. "You know, I can never tell if you like him or not." Izzy shrugged as she played with the straw, shifting in her seat a bit. "I like him fine. Probably as much as I can like any jock, it helps that he's more bearable. At the end of the day though, he's still a jock and I still think you should be careful."
"Gah, you sound just like my mom. I can't believe I shared your drink with you. You just need to get to know him better." Izzy shook her head as she placed the tea back on the table. "I don't think so. Prolonged exposure to football players can lead to adverse side effects. I grow irritable and potentially violent." Dianna slapped her on the arm playfully and shook her head. "Come on, join us after you get out of work. We're going to see 'Pete and Polly' then we're going to dinner."
"Ew isn't 'Pete and Polly' that new yuckity yuck romantic comedy? All sweetness and melodrama, no substance. Yeah, gonna have to decline the invite. Sorry." Izzy stood up from the couch and started walking towards the comic counter. Dianna rolled her eyes and quickly followed after. "Oh come on, I'm sure you'll like it more than you think and even if you don't at least you'll know exactly how to dissect it so you can make fun of it better."
Izzy went to sit back behind the counter and started to check out the couple standing in front. "I don't think so Di. Maybe some other time. As it stands, me, Ollie, and Shania are already going to movies. We're seeing 'March Madness'. Have a nice day." She turned to the couple momentarily and handed them their bag before looking back at Dianna. "Isn't that a movie about basketball?" Izzy looked down at the other girl with an offended look on her face, scoffing and putting a hand to her chest dramatically. "Yuck, no. It's a new thriller about a serial murderer who only kills during the month of March and the female detective who's spent her career chasing him." Dianna let out a yawn and the blonde glared at her. "Sounds way lame. 'Pete and Polly' will be number one in the box office this weekend. When it is, you have to come with us to the movies next week."
Izzy grinned. "Alright, but when it isn't you have to have a geeky movie marathon with me." Dianna groaned but nodded, holding out her hand for the blonde to shake. Arianna stomped over to the pair a second later. "God I don't get how you're friends with this freak. Let's go Di, someone said they saw her over at Build-A-Bear." The head cheerleader exited the store and Dianna sighed. "Alright Iz, I'll see you later."
"Later?" The blonde raised her eyebrow questioningly. Dianna stopped at the door. "Yeah, my moms are having 'alone time' today so you're moms are watching Cass and Lexie and there's no way I'm going home tonight. Don't worry, I'll bring some Breadstix from Breadstix." The brunette grinned as she exited, the door jingling behind her. Izzy groaned, Dianna knew she couldn't resist Breadstix.
Izzy watched as a tall blonde walked up to the counter, smiling as she put down a few items. She started checking each item when the girl spoke up. "So was that your girlfriend?" Izzy started coughing, eyes wide as she looked up at the other girl. "Uh n-no, why would you even think that?" The short blonde shifted in her seat as she put the purchases in a bag. The taller woman shrugged her shoulders. "You two just seemed really comfortable is all. Damn shame though, she's missing out."
She shot Izzy a wink and the girl's cheeks went blazing red. Izzy just held the bag out, looking down. "That'll be uhm, $20.31." She quickly handed the taller girl her change, still looking down as she walked out but looked up just in time to see the other blonde shooting one last glance in her direction. Izzy hunkered down in her seat, cheeks still warm. Shania walked up to the counter, surveying her friend with a look of concern. "Izzy, are you ok?"
"Just fine! She wasn't hitting on me!" Shania looked at her, head tilted with a confused expression on her face. 'Ugh I must be the worst closeted gay ever.'
AN: Another chapter bites the dust and even more new characters were introduced. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Pleeeease keep reviewing, I know there hasn't been much in the way of plot thus far but I'm still laying down the foundations of the characters and whatnot so please stick with me, I have lots of plans.