Re: The Story Begins Here: NYU School Campus

[Tiger-Lily]

"Why am I getting a Godzilla vibe?" Luke asked her as they stood up and began to head across the quad.

[Guest]

Ashlee giggled, "Because everyone in that class is literally either I think because I can't tell the difference, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, and I just picked Japanese because I love Hello Kitty, and I used to watch Sailor Moon, and I think the Powerpuff Girls were Japanese... and so is Pikachu." Ashlee listed.

[Tiger-Lily]

Luke tilted his head. "The Powerpuff Girls were Jap?" he asked, bewildered. "When did that happen?"

[Guest]

"They were! Like there were signs in their city and stuff that had the Japanese symbols and stuff. " Ashlee pointed out.

[Tiger-Lily]

Luke shook his head. "I never paid attention to that. I always thought they were kinda ridiculous. They were a foot high!"

[Guest]

"Um hello! They were in kindergarten." Ashlee rolled her eyes, "Geez Luke! I loved Bubbles, she was my favorite! I was just like her when I was little she was always coloring, and I was scared of the dark and she had the cutesy voice. Although everyone told me I looked like Buttercup." She grumbled.

[Tiger-Lily]

Luke tried to imagine Buttercup wearing zebra tank tops and couldnt' see it. Then he tried to see Ashlee with a gruff voice and a badass attitude and coudln't see that either. "They were definitely off that mark," he muttered.

[Guest]

Ashlee nudged Luke, "That's what I said! They all wanted me to be Buttercup cause I had short black hair and my eyes looked "somewhat" green. But in reality I was Bubbles and I refused to be Buttercup. Then again I wanted to be either as long as I wasn't Blossom, I hated her, she was so bossy."

[Tiger-Lily]

"She was the boring one," Luke agreed. "But there's something to be said of her ability to keep Buttercup in line."

[Guest]

"Buttercup was bad ass though! She kicked butt, Blossom was always all like "I'm the leader listen to me." The only reason why I'd want to be Blossom is so I could wear the bow and the pink outfit. But Bubbles was so cute." Ashlee smiled, she thought it was pretty funny that Luke talked so nonchalantly about the Powerpuff Girls.

[Tiger-Lily]

Luke groaned. "Oh God, that attitude for the sake of clothing?" He shook his head in amusement. "Anyways, Ash, I gotta run. I'm already late. Talk to Ev when you can, though." He gave Ashlee a one-armed hug and, withdrawing quickly, headed off to his class.

[Guest]

Ashlee returned Luke's hug, nodding at him reassuringly to let him know that she would talk to Evelyn later, she walked towards her class and spotted the group of studious looking Asian students that she had mentioned to Luke earlier.

In attempts to be friendly Ashlee walked up to the group wrapping her arms around their shoulders, and beaming, "Konnichiha brothers! Ready for the big math test?"

They all seemed startled by her sudden appearance they all nodded, and some quickly walked into class to avoid her, and she winked at them, "Save me a seat guys!" Ashlee said waltzing into her math class.

[Tiger-Lily]

[[Evelyn from Dorms]]

Evelyn found the ATM, setting to work slipping her debit card in and punching in hr PIN. She tucked her unruly hair behind her ears. Knowing she'd be around Jake, she'd wisely let her hair down before he destroyed it.

She withdrew $500 and tucked them into her wallet, tossing the ATM receipt into a nearby bin after ripping it up.

[Guest]

[[James from School Days]]

James had re-read his conversation with Luke? Did Luke really think he was depressed??

James didn't think he was depressed, I mean yeah he knew he was upset with how things had played out between him and Evelyn. He found himself wincing at her name, but he wouldn't think he was depressed, how the hell could Luke even say he was depressed?

Was getting pissed off at your friends real easy a sign of depression? Okay sure he hadn't really eaten that much since he had been here, but Luke's stupid pancakes were gross.

James had been lost in his thoughts, and kind of forgot that he was walking on campus, full of people, as he walked he bumped into someone breaking out of his reverie, "Whoa sorry... didn't see you there." He said sounding distracted.

[Tiger-Lily]

"No problem," Evelyn muttered, bending down to pick up her purse, mildly annoyed. She'd been busy thinking about how she'd get Ashlee to give -

She looked up, meeting familiar blue eyes. For one crazy second, she sincerely prayed Seth had dyed his hair again.

Who knew I'd ever be that desperate, wanting Seth around?

She swallowed. These weren't Seth's laughing, clear blue eyes. These were a darker, stormy blue, instantly sucking her in before she could look away. Evelyn straightened up slowly, purse in her hand shaking in her grip. She wished she could look away from him. Her breathing became taut.

I guess it's now or never....

She had to swallow a moment before saying his name. "James. I..." Evelyn's nerve faltered and she cast around for her wall, praying it worked this time.

[Guest]

James heard the voice, and looked down and saw those enchanting emerald eyes, that always seemed to draw him in and leave him speechless, which was what was happening at this exact moment.

He heard his heart beating but he wasn't sure what to do, did he yell and curse at her? Did he stand here speechless? He was okay a few moments ago when Luke had made him laugh, and then called him depressed but now his emotions were on some crazy roller coaster.

James was too close, he was standing too close and he couldn't think clearly, he cautiously stepped back from her rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "Evelyn..." He felt his body tense when he heard her name out loud, but right now that was all he could do.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn tried not to bite her tongue to shreds. She felt glad he'd moved back a little. She hadn't even noticed....

Focus!

She snapped out of the eerie daze she'd fallen into. Any second now, smart-mouthed, cold, New-York-City James was going to return and lash her spirit into pieces. Again.

"I have to give you something," she muttered, pulling her eyes from his and down to her bag. The instant she did, it felt like she'd broken the surface after a great stint underwater, suddenly breathing harder but able to think again.

She pulled out the wad of cash she'd just taken out of the ATM, handing it out to him carefully so he wouldn't touch her hand. "I owe you this," she said quietly, still keeping her gaze down, now aimed at his chest. She'd barely given his appearance any thought. He looked kind of hassled. Handsome as always but drained. Did he look thinner? She stopped herself there. Who cared?

[Guest]

James lowered his gaze from Evelyn to the wad of cash she had placed into his hand, he tried not to think that she looked pretty... no beautiful still. Even though she kind of appeared somewhat distraught. Had she seen? He was guessing she hadn't, but the money in his hands hefted some weight.

"What is this? Why are you giving me money?" He asked her, his voice distant sounding, and he finally looked up at her, wanting to know why she had just handed him what seemed like a few hundred dollars.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn licked her dry lips, feeling her her whole throat had dried up. She kept her gaze down. "You um, you gave this to me last...last year. I gave it back but that day you ca-came over...." She swallowed down a sudden painful lump, trying to push back nostalgia. "You must have left it the day I was tutoring you in French. So I figured I'd give it ba-back."

[Guest]

James didn't really remember at first what Evelyn had been talking about, and then it had hit him, more so vaugley. He remembered overhearing back in Ash Creek how she had financial problems since she had been living on her own far, before any of them ever had to.

He had given her five hundred dollars from when he had started working, to Evelyn to help pay for whatever bills she had at the time, but he in no way indicated in her having to repay him, but she had remembered, when he had forgotten?

James put the money back in her hands, "Its okay, I don't need it. You didn't have to pay me back, I honestly had forgotten I had even given you the money."

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn didn't take it, stepping back from him. "I told you, remember, that you should give it to me when I was done tutoring you. But I left for Seattle," she said quietly. She needed him to take it. She didn't want anything on her mind weighing her down where it concerned him.If she could, she'd go back and erase every memory she had of him but there were too many. This debt, she could clear, and so she had to.

And if she had to stuff it down his shirt, she damn well would. Evelyn's eyes flashed her characteristic anger as she finally tilted her chin up and met his gaze again, steeling herself as that familiar falling sensation caught her again.

[Guest]

James couldn't believe it, he didn't care and he wasn't going to accept money from her from something he hardly even remembered doing. Its not like either of them were rich, so they needed whatever money they had to survive in this stupid city. James met her eyes, and felt himself falling under her spell again and almost took the money, but he shook his head, trying to clear it of that feeling.

He reached over grabbing her wrist gently, and his fingertips seemed to tingle at the touch of her skin, he pushed down the feeling placing the money in her hand, "Evelyn just keep it, I'm not going to take it from you. Okay?"

James' blue eyes had darkened, he didn't care, he wasn't taking it and it was final.

[JulietsCurse]

[[Alexis from Dorms and Rosemary from School Days]]

Alexis rubbed at her head from an rather painful headache as she headed around the campus, very slowly calming down. She spotted a familiar red-head however, and squinted her eyes. Evelyn?

Nope. The face was way to different and.. freckly? She paused in her steps, thinking before grinning widely when the girl turned around, and she was positive of who it was. She took off in a slight run and practically glomped Rosemary, hugging her tight. "ROSE!"

Rosemary yelped in surprise and flailed her arms for a moment as she landed on the ground with her dark-haired attacker and tensed, looking down at her before relaxing. "...Hiya." Rose grinned.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn froze up, and almost jerked her hand away when he touched it. She bit her lip, feeling her fingers shaking violently as he held them. He'd feel them tremor. Evelyn swore quietly.

The instant he let go, she stopped holding her breath and in her extreme aggravation - more at the fact that she was even reacting to him after all that had happened - stepped forward so she was within a foot of him, jerked his collar and followed through with her mental threat, dumping the wad of bills into his shirt front. "I insist, dammit."

[Guest]

James' eyes bugged out, and he nearly jumped back when Evelyn had shoved the money down his shirt literally! He didn't know what to think, so he grabbed a few crumpled bills letting a few of them fall to the ground.

He narrowed blue eyes at her, and he said coldly, "I'm sorry you're probably not accustomed to taking money into your hands anymore, here let me give it to you in how you were taught." He pushed all of the sensations he had gotten looking at her, being just near her. Good thing she was wearing a tank top because this would have been more difficult.

But he did exactly what she had done to him, but he made sure to shove more of the bills down her chest, and pulled his hand back, "Keep the change for your next client babe." He said icily.

[Sponsored content]