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Post by Golem on Feb 8, 2024 6:56:55 GMT -5
| WHEN I WAKE UP, I'M AFRAID, SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT TAKE MY PLACE... |
Adam's brows furrowed as he tried to concentrate on the next book that the Bayville High book club was reading. The last book had been the Hobbit, and with that book being 75 or so years old, almost everyone knew the plot without reading it. This book was a bit more complicated with the characters and the dates of the chapters. While Adam was enjoying the style of the words, he had to be extra careful reading every page lest he miss an important comment.
He finished one of the chapters and gently shut the paperback book, leaning against the bench he was sitting on. It was a bit of a chilly, late autumn day and the park wasn't too crowded. At the very least, there was definitely more room here than the Brotherhood Boarding House. Not that the house was bad, of course, but Adam liked being outside. If he could sit with his toes in the grass and dirt just to read rather than do homework, then he was happy.
Adam shut his eyes, enjoying the weak sun rays on his face. He could totally fall asleep like this.
190 words | open! | Sun Nov 19, 2023 LAIKA OF THQ
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Post by Nightcrawler on Mar 1, 2024 7:53:29 GMT -5
There was still a chill in the air, but Lauren was totally fine with the autumn day as she jogged through the park. She had her earbuds in, an energetic rock song playing on her phone, and espresso in her system as she easily ran along the park's sidewalk. She didn't need to worry about work or homework (which, actually, she still needed to do, but it could wait), and she gleefully took the opportunity to have a stress-free jog.
There were a few people in the park today, others brave enough to enjoy the cool air. She gave brief smiles to fellow joggers and restrained herself from stopping to ask to pet every dog she saw. There was even someone sleeping on one of the park benches!
Lauren initially snickered to herself at how someone was peaceful enough to sleep in the park, but she did slow down as she suddenly wondered if he was alright. The guy was vaguely familiar, probably someone from the high school but not in any of her classes. He was built like a jock, something that Lauren appreciated with a once-over. And he had a book! How often did a girl find a guy who read recreationally?
"Uh, excuse me," Lauren said, pulling out one of her earbuds and lowering her iPod's volume while gently poking the guy in the shoulder. "You okay there, guy?" ( Golem, open)
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Post by Golem on Mar 2, 2024 10:09:34 GMT -5
| WHEN I WAKE UP, I'M AFRAID, SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT TAKE MY PLACE... |
Right before Adam completely dozed off, someone interrupted him. He lazily blinked his blue eyes up at the girl standing about a foot away from him and he raised a dark eyebrow at the poke he had received.
"...'M fine," he said before glancing down to be sure he still had his copy of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus in his hands. It wouldn't do to lose that before the next book club meeting.
He looked up again at the girl, someone that he probably saw around the hallways or the cafeteria of Bayville High. He could faintly hear some guitar-filled melody coming from the earbud that she held in her hand. Was that going to be the extend of their conversation? Would she move on now?
"...You want something?" Adam asked, trying to determine if the girl was trying to get something more out of him. Why would she bother with him anyway?
153 words | Nightcrawler:weaver, open LAIKA OF THQ
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Post by Nightcrawler on Mar 2, 2024 20:55:31 GMT -5
Holy whoa, his eyes were the bluest blue Lauren had ever seen...!
He was definitely a soft talker, though, as he brushed off her concern with a monosyllabic response. He immediately looked down at his book, presumably checking that it was still in his hands, but Lauren was sure no one would ever dare to try to steal something from a young, good-built guy like that.
Lauren was suddenly careened out of her thoughts by the guy asking something else, asking her if she needed something from him, and she rapidly shook her head. The action made her second earbud fly out of her ear and she fumbled with it before it hung limply in front of her while blasting the next song. Pretending that she wasn't embarrassed in front of a hot guy, Lauren reigned in her earbuds and put her music on pause.
"Sorry," she said, "but you weren't moving, so I just wanted to make sure you were, you know, okay. Which is kind of silly, seeing how fit you are, meaning you're totally in shape and, uh..."
Yeah, she can go and die in a hole right now.
Speaking rapidly, she tried to recover from the fact that she had all but admitted to checking him out, Laurent pointed to the book and blurted, "That's one of my favorites. Are you enjoying it?" ( Golem, open)
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Post by Golem on Mar 8, 2024 19:03:34 GMT -5
| WHEN I WAKE UP, I'M AFRAID, SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT TAKE MY PLACE... |
Adam raised an eyebrow, wondering if there was something wrong with the girl. Perhaps there was something on his face. She was definitely staring an awful lot at him.
She fumbled, one of her earbuds flying out of her grip, and his gaze followed it to her hands when she tried to reign it back in. She then rambled for a moment and a corner of his mouth twitched up when she specifically mentioned how "totally in shape" he was. He stood up, almost dwarfing the girl, and gestured to the other side of the bench, offering her a seat.
"I'm fine," Adam repeated, keeping his voice low with a hint of a teasing note after the girl's ramble. He sat back down and glanced at his copy of The Night Circus.
"I think I am?" Adam answered her second question. "I just started it, so I don't really know what's going on just yet."
154 words | Nightcrawler:weaver, open! LAIKA OF THQ
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Post by Nightcrawler on Mar 10, 2024 7:08:10 GMT -5
Was he teasing her? Had there been a small hint of a teasing tone in his voice? Lauren totally hoped her face wasn't going all red, especially when he stood up and totally towered over her. For a moment, she was worried he might beat her up or something for bothering him, but then he gestured to the bench and she recognized it as an offer to sit with him.
Okay, if he insisted.
"Thanks," Lauren murmured as she took a seat. She wasn't exactly sure why, considering he didn't own the park bench, but it had been a nice gesture anyway.
The topic strayed to the book and Lauren was okay with the safe subject. "Yeah, it is a little weird with the dates and jumping around in locations and times," she said. "I think all you really need to remember is when you're reading in the past or the future. At the beginning it doesn't really matter too much, but as you go along, you'll see what I mean."
After a moment, she piped up with, "By the way, I'm Lauren. Lauren Weaver. Do you go to Bayville High? I think I've seen you around." ( Golem, open)
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Post by Golem on Mar 20, 2024 6:12:21 GMT -5
| WHEN I WAKE UP, I'M AFRAID, SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT TAKE MY PLACE... |
The other teenager took the offered seat with a murmur of thanks and Adam listened as she rambled about the book and its odd way of doing chapters.
"It is weird," Adam agreed. "I'm not sure my mind will be able to keep up with it... I guess I shouldn't worry about it right now."
He glanced over at her and said, "Sounds like you really enjoyed the story. At least I have that to look forward to."
The girl then introduced herself and Adam held out his hand for a handshake. "Adam Clayton. Yeah, I go to Bayville High. I'm a junior there and on the football team. Dunno if you're the type to go to the games or anything..."
He had to admit, he hadn't really seen the girl around much. As far as he knew, she wasn't in any of her classes, but he wasn't one to really look around and remember who was in what class anyway. If she had seen him, it was probably while he was playing football.
173 words | Nightcrawler:weaver LAIKA OF THQ
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Post by Nightcrawler on Mar 20, 2024 7:27:43 GMT -5
"I think you just need to be sure to keep the characters straight," Lauren said, regarding the book. "Once you got the characters down, you'll begin to realize where in time the chapter is. All the characters are pretty unique, too, so that helps. Well, they are in my opinion, anyway."
Adam. That was a nice name. And of course he was on a sports team. "I've been to a few games," Lauren said, although she was totally planning on seeing a few more now. "Generally I'm working though, either at Starbucks or my parents' cafe, if I don't have softball.
"Are you excited to be halfway through your high school years?" Lauren asked, trying to figure out what else to talk about with this guy. "I'll only be a sophomore next year, so if you have class recommendations for me, I'm all ears."
She paused a moment before asking, "Are you reading The Night Circus for the book club?" ( Golem, open)
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Post by Golem on Mar 24, 2024 9:01:26 GMT -5
| WHEN I WAKE UP, I'M AFRAID, SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT TAKE MY PLACE... |
"Keep the characters straight..." Adam glanced down at the book, really only having read the first few chapters that revolved around Hector and the man in the gray suit. "Does the gray suit guy ever get a name?" He could remember names. Names were easier.
Maybe if he had time, he could read through the book twice before they fully discussed it in the club.
"Never been to Starbucks," Adam admitted. "What's your parents' cafe?" He probably never had gone there either, considering that he didn't go out much at all, but it wouldn't hurt to know the name. Olivia, at the very least, liked to go out. Maybe she knew of it.
"What position do you play in softball?" he asked, interest perking with the sports. Sports he knew and could talk about with ease.
When the topic of the conversation turned to school, Adam shrugged. "Not really," he answered, but also wasn't sure if he should really admit that this was his first year in a while in a public school. "It's just another year. Forensics can be an interesting class and I like auto shop, if you're into cars and mechanics."
She mentioned the book club and Adam nodded. "Yeah, but I don't remember seeing you there at all...?"
211 words | Nightcrawler:weaver LAIKA OF THQ
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Post by Nightcrawler on Mar 26, 2024 6:22:51 GMT -5
Adam asked about the man in the gray suit and Lauren paused a moment to think of her answer. “You know,” she said, “I don’t think so. No, I’m pretty sure he never gets a name… I wonder why, actually. It may be because he’s kind of lost in time or--” She cut herself off, eyes wide, before giving Adam a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I won’t say anything more. I don’t want to accidentally give you spoilers.”
She gaped at Adam’s response to Starbucks. “Never?” she echoed. “You must be, like, the first person I’ve ever talked to that has never been there. I mean, not everyone likes it, but most have tried it. You should come in sometime. I’ll make you one of my favorite drinks to try.” Was that too forward?
“My parents’ café-club-thing is called The Mockingbird,” Lauren said, continuing the conversation as casually as possible. “It’s pretty chill and sells all sorts of drinks and typical burger joint food with an alcohol license for after nine o’ clock. Feel free to come in anytime.
“I usually play right outfielder,” Lauren said in response to the softball question. “Sometimes shortstop, if I’m needed.”
Okay, so he didn’t seem like the school-type, if his less than enthusiastic response about junior year and classes was any indication. “Forensics does sound cool, though,” Lauren said. “I’ll keep that in mind. If you like reading so much, do you write? Creative writing is a great class if you’re looking for any electives next year.”
Adam gave an adorable, crooked smile when the topic of conversation switched to the book club. “Softball practice interferes with the book club,” Lauren said a bit disappointingly. “Otherwise, I would have joined.”
Lauren glanced down at her watch and cursed the time. “I’m sorry, but I have to go,” she said, wishing that she didn’t need to meet her parents at The Mockingbird. “It was great meeting and talking with you, though, Adam. I hope we get a chance to talk again soon.”
With one last smile and wave, Lauren jogged off. She hoped she could get Adam into Starbucks or the club one day… ( Golem, thanks for the thread!)
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