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Post by Jacky on Mar 7, 2009 21:57:56 GMT
"Yeah, sure." He agreed easily, really not bothering to form an opinion about the matter. It suited his role as the indifferent student, anyway, and it was close to the truth. He wondered what how big this project was going to be. Did this involve working outside the school time? Cos that would be good news - outside the school grounds people were usually more talkative about what was going on at school (ironically).
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Post by Jacksblackpearl on Mar 7, 2009 22:05:06 GMT
"Yes, miss Brandburg?"
"we would like to do topic 14" Roxy said and pointed it out for him
"Very well then" He smirked, happy with her enthusiasm. "Hand in a first draft in about two weeks, until then you can use the second hour of this week in class for the project, the first hour of the week I'll use for lecturing"
Roxy looked at Tom and smiled, not taking her e yes off him..
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Post by Jacky on Mar 7, 2009 22:15:57 GMT
He returned the smile and leaned back in his chair, figuring at least something was going well today.
A week later, Tom's investigation had progressed slightly. A few more people started talking to him. Mostly thanks to the fact that he helped out a few in the math classes, and made contacts that way.
He'd spoken to Mary, who was totally glad about it because she'd been as isolated as he was in the beginning. So he had his confirmation that the kid's death was the reason behind this silence.
The silence had broken slightly now though. Just slightly. Thanks to the tutoring, and meeting friends of the people he tutored, he managed to built some contacts with the relunctant students.
Moreover, in the guys locker room, after PE, he had learnt (by overhearing a conversation) that there were no drugs coming into the school anymore. But that it might 'change some time soon'. So that was useful information: the dealer lay low, but was coming back. Just the sort of thing Tom needed to know.
Apart from that, not much happened. He spend the classes he had with Roxy mostly talking with her. And over the week, he'd started to realize that she was in fact, really attractive. It wasn't just his imagination. He liked her. But knew better than to act to clearly on the matter. He wasn't stupid..
It was wednesday now though, lunchbreak just started. They had had Biology class in the morning. Their teacher had reminded them to start working on a first draft.. so in the break, Tom went looking for Roxy to see when she thought they should work on it.
He found her at the table with her usual friends (who still stared whenever they talked), and went over to them. "Hey," He adressed Roxy. "Do you have a second?"
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Post by Jacksblackpearl on Mar 7, 2009 22:30:25 GMT
Roxy thought she had made some progress, but not as much as she had hoped. Both on the liking-Tom-situation as with the drug-friends-issue..
Her friends were still not buying her idea of having to mingle more with newbies. Mostly because Roxy's father had not given Jacob green light to do so yet. They didn't trust Tom, especially not after Roxy had told them what Tom had told her on his second day about the cult stuff. They thought he was nosy andshould mind his own business. If he wouldn't then they would be more than willing to make him mind his own business.
Roxy had put an end to that big-talk of theirs and made them swear they'd not lay a finger on Tom. He was okay, she still needed to believe he was okay.
It seemed as if her believing in him had a positive effect on Tom because he hadn't asked anything weird over the past week. They were just hanging out like friends and talking about stuff friends were interested in, hobbies, small talk, that kind of thing. She really trusted him now cause he was as normal as any of her friends, if not more normal.
The progress of her crush on him was about the same as the other situation. She did not know how he felt about her, sure he hung out with her and had told her he liked her company, but there was no real flirtation coming from his sides, besides the occasional wink or poke. It was as if he deliberately tried not to be flirtatious, which she thought was odd. She tried real hard to get his attention, either by clothes/make-up and hair changes or through conversation and facial expressions, staring at him, smiling a lot at him, winking too much it hurt her eyeballs by now.
STill, he wasn't paying too much attention it seemed.
She wasn't ready to give up on either of the two yet though.
During lunch time she tried to give her friends yet another lecture.
"He is really nice and friendly and I think you should all at least say hi sometime.."she pouted
"I might, when yer dad thinks he's alright. Speaking of which.. when's the next stuff coming in ey?"
Roxy's eyes widened "Shut up! Idiot.. I don't know, Don't say that shit here man"
"Newbie, incoming"
Roxy turned around and saw Tom approach her.
"Hey.. sure, I'll be right back" she left the table and walked with TOm.
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Post by Jacky on Mar 7, 2009 22:38:44 GMT
Over the past week Tom had deliberately not asked Roxy any questions that might seem suspicious. He knew not to push his luck with one person, but rather just listen well to other people's conversations. If he had something to ask, he now divided these questions between the few contacts he had made. But not Roxy again, not so soon, not while her friends were obviously suspicious about him.
In fact, he acted as if he didn't even know about the death of that student a few weeks earlier. He had no reason to - nobody had told him, so he pretended to be in the dark about it completely.
It worked, so far. She'd not acted weird to him after that second day, when he had pushed his luck.
As they walked away from the table where her friends were, he spoke up, "We're supposed to start working on that Biology thing, right? I wondered when you're scedual has a window for some hardcore studying." He smirked.
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Post by Jacksblackpearl on Mar 7, 2009 22:50:51 GMT
"Right right, well.. I already did some research in the library" she pointed out "but of course I want to show you first before I type anything into a document. hm...I don't have any free time during school, cept that one biology hour... Could you perhaps like.. meet up after school some time? I mean, if it really inconvenient than it is impossible of course but..." She hesitated a bit, not sure if he would accept that invitation, since he had been so stuck on not flirting back, he might see this as a way to catch up with him or something.
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Post by Jacky on Mar 7, 2009 22:57:27 GMT
Tom had been so determined on not flirting because he actually liked her though. He didn't want to risk anything that would bring the investigation into trouble. Or even his focus on the investigation. Although, the last was already compromised whenever Roxy did as much as look his way..
He tried to forget about it. She was a 17-year old student, after all. But it wasn't easy.
Anyway, meeting up after school didn't seem too bad to him. He didn't want his determination to not get flirty get in the way of her study-results either.
"Yeah, sure," He agreed easily, because of that. "That's okay with me. When would work for you?"
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Post by Jacksblackpearl on Mar 7, 2009 23:01:30 GMT
"hm, any day but tuesday and saturday, cause then I've got Tennis practice and the weekly beauty day with my fathers girlfriend" she chuckled. "How about this afternoon then? Or is that too short notice? Tomorrow works fine too" She shrugged a little "You pick. We can meet at my place, my dad is usually at home but he's in his office, so we'd have the whole house to ourself... in a non date-kinda way" she laughed but blushed immediatly as she heard her own words. "Just.. work,yknow.. project" she tried to talk herself out of that one.
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Post by Jacky on Mar 7, 2009 23:05:53 GMT
He couldn't help it. Whenever she blushed she looked twice as cute as normally, so Tom momentarily forgot his decision not to be flirty. He grinned teasingly at her words. "Oh.. right. Project. We can call it that."
He caught himself doing it though, so he soon tried to cover it slightly by continuing the conversation. "Anyway. I'm busy today, but tomorrow sounds good."
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Post by Jacksblackpearl on Mar 7, 2009 23:11:24 GMT
Was that just flirting..
Or was it just Tom being Tom?
She couldn't tell...
"Okay, tomorrow is fine. Project, tomorrow" she laughed her blush away and playfully slapped Tom's shoulder "I should head back to the incredibly awesome lunchtable to receive more odd looks and silent glares. My friends are moody today" she shrugged a little.
Oddly enough, slowly but surely she started telling certain things about her friends to TOm, without him having to ask about it .......
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