sorry this was uploaded late! but here it is anyway :)

title taken from: Technicolour Beat (again by Oh Wonder)

Although it had only been a few days since classes begun, Pam was already settling back into the swing of things at school. She and Kelly had reentered into the same comfortable routine they had been in before the break - when not in class or hanging out with Jim, Pam was mostly in their room doing homework or studying, and Kelly spent most of her time running around with Ryan (surprisingly, they seemed to still be going strong) or in the small local town.

When they did see each other, it was predominantly Kelly who did all the talking, with Pam nodding along and pretending to understand whatever story she was telling. Kelly did still enjoy teasing her about their mutual friend (only occasionally) but for the most part, everything was fine.

"So, what do you think you'll be doing for Winter break?" Her roommate asked one afternoon, on a rare fifteen minutes where they both happened to be in their room at the same time.

"We just got back from Thanksgiving break." Pam reminded her, flipping the page of her textbook over. She'd been studying ever since her last class ended, and presently she was so bored that her 'reading' had become mostly just skimming the page, not really focusing on anything. Honestly? She was grateful for the distraction Kelly provided.

"Yeah, I know that." Kelly replied with her trademark combined eye-roll and hair flip. "But, like, the Winter break is just around the corner, Pam." She tapped the side of her head. "Gotta plan ahead, you know?"

"I guess." Pam frowned, finally giving up on any illusion of studying. "Well, it's Winter break - I'll be going home again." She shrugged.

"Sounds fun." Kelly tipped her head to the side, as though Pam's answer wasn't adequate enough, as if there was something missing.

"What?"

"Nothing." She lied. "Just, I thought maybe you would want to do something with all of us before we leave." She sighed dramatically. "But, I guess not…"

"What did you have in mind?" It was now Pam's turn to roll her eyes - Kelly pulled something like this whenever she wanted Pam to do something, and by now she had gotten used to it enough that it didn't have as much of an effect on her as it might one have done.

Kelly brightened immediately, bouncing a little on her bed with excitement. "I'm so glad you asked, Pam! Phyllis - you know her, right, she said you guys were in a class together? - is hosting a small get-together at her house, just a little way off campus." At her roommate's raised eyebrows, she added: "Just a small, tasteful Christmas party. I promise!"

Pam considered the options. If she didn't go, Kelly likely would give her the cold shoulder for at least a week. If she did go, it was sure to be underwhelming at best, and terrible at worst.

Then again, she probably would only have to stay for a couple of hours…

"Fine," she relented with a sigh.

Kelly let out a high-pitched squeal of excitement. "Oh, Pam, thank you so much! You won't regret it, I promise!"

Whatever.

"Hey, quick question." Jim tapped her on the arm as they headed out of History. It was Pam's last class of the day (thank God) and so she had decided just to go back to her room after it.

"What?"

He tipped his head back in the direction of where Mr. Scott and the faculty dean were standing talking. The dean seemed to be lecturing him on something, as Mr. Scott's back was arched down and he was staring resolutely at the ground.

"What about them?" Pam asked, again, not exactly seeing what her friend was getting at.

"Scott and the dean!" He whisper-exclaimed. "Don't you think there's something going on between them?"

"Ew," she grimaced. "No. Definitely not." The faculty dean had only starting appearing in History lessons the past couple of days, presumably due to some student complaint about Mr. Scott's incompetence. She sat in on the class, taking notes, and watching their professor like a hawk. Mr. Scott constantly addressed her when teaching, even though she asked him not to at least twice per lesson.

Jim was still watching the pair from across the hallway. "Don't you think they'd be kinda cute together?"

She had to check to make sure he was only joking. Thankfully, he was - the grin on his face showed it. "Shut up."

She glanced back to them. Mr. Scott seemed to now be pleading with her. "Jan, come on!" "Don't call me Jan when we're at work, Michael."

"I really, really hope there isn't anything going on with them." Pam shook her head, trying in vain to get the images out of her head. She started walking again, knowing that Jim would be close behind her.

"Is this your last class?" Jim asked when they had turned the corner and were approaching the exits.

"Yeah." She nodded, and was about to turn back to the direction she was heading in before when Jim stopped her.

"Sorry if this is weird or anything, but… I was just wondering, 'cause Kelly was badgering me about it earlier - are you going to the party at Phyllis' house?"

"How do you know Phyllis?" She asked, even though the appropriate response to what he said was probably answering the question he asked.

He shrugged. "I've seen her around. We've spoke a few times."

"Oh."

"So, are you?"

It took Pam a second to remember what he was asking. "Oh! Um, yes. Yeah. Kelly seems to be forcing me."

"Okay, then." He shot her a wide, yet nervous-looking smile, and nodded once. Curt. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"See you tomorrow." She gave him one last smile before turning and walking back to her dorm room.

What was with him today? He sounded way too nervous - was there something going on?