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 Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 9:02 am
(( ooc: Silv, we're almost out on the ice! xD; Dani is just so talkative, augh. ))
Well, Parker had been easy. That, or Dani had severely underestimated her cuteness factor, which she didn't think was the case, but then, she was pretty darn cute. Either way, as the helpful attendant had promised earlier, she was pleased as punch, and not afraid to show it. Her smile was fast and bright, and before he could change his mind, she'd leapt up, good hand clenched into a fist in front of her.
"Awesome! I'll go get the chair, okay?" It would be fairly obvious to anyone who looked over that Parker had pretty much made Dani's day. If it was awkward for Tallulah and the cute blond to be out on the ice alone, how awkward would it be to be the third wheel? She could handle it, of course, but seriously, it would be nice to have Parker out there.
It didn't occur to her that anyone would make snide or disparaging remarks about Parker using the chair, as they were all on friendly enough terms, and friends didn't tend to do that sort of thing, right? She knew she was only rude and nasty to people who deserved it, and those people tended to not be her friends. So, she had absolutely no reservations about giving him one more pleased look and dashing off to the counter for her skates and his chair.
Excited, she found it a little difficult to stand entirely still, and began to bob her head a bit to the music that was playing in the rink. It was a popular song, one of the newer ones that all the teenage girls seemed to enjoy, herself included. It made the wait in line go faster, anyway, as she soon began tapping her foot in time to the music.
Apparently, it was a pretty big skating rink, and there were other areas that hadn't been rented out by Tallulah, because the people she was standing behind didn't seem to be there for her party. Still, it wasn't like only she and Parker were going to show up, right? Well, aside from the maybe-but-not-quite-boyfriend.
A hand rested on her shoulder, and she turned, surprise on her face. Her first thought was that Parker had come up to tell her to forget the whole chair thing, and she was completely ready to argue. The hand led to an arm that was attached to an entirely different boy, however, and her surprise turned to puzzlement. Did she know him?
"Hi?" She tipped her head, taking a step backward when the line moved.
"Oh, sorry." He grinned, a handsome smile in a handsome face. "I thought you were someone I knew."
Giving him a critical eye, Dani judged that he was a little too old for her, but kept a smile in place nonetheless. "Easy mistake, I guess? Do you know many people with blue hair?"
"One, hopefully two." He slid his hand into his pocket, gestured to her arm with his chin. "What happened to your arm, babe?"
Oh, great. He was one of those guys. The ones who didn't bother to ask your name, and were totally staring at your chest while they spoke to you. Losing interest fast, Dani half-turned away, moving up in the line again. Hey, at least it was going fast.
"Oh, you know. Accident." As it was her turn, she ordered her skates, a size eight for her (semi) non-dainty feet, and the chair for Parker. As it was wheeled out, the boy looked at her in surprise, then looked around.
His gaze fell on Parker, and he asked, "Oh, the chair for gimpy?"
Brows drawing down, Dani corrected, "The chair is for Parker."
"He your brother or something?"
"No. He's my --" She hesitated, settled on, "Friend."
Leaning over her slightly, causing Dani to arch her back as she leaned away, he said glibly, "Well, if you want to actually skate, come find me, babe. I'll show you a good time."
Irritated, she shouldered him out of her way, pushing the chair toward Parker's table. Seriously, boys these days. The only one she'd met that seemed any different was Parker, but that could possibly be because he was gay. It was a thought she was beginning to entertain, especially considering his apparent disinterest with her - and his inability to maintain eye contact for any appreciable length of time - but at least he was different. She liked him well enough to be friends, and it'd be a relief to have someone around whose goal, first and foremost, was not getting into her pants.
She dropped heavily into a chair, giving Parker a look that said it all, complete with an eye-roll. "'I thought you were someone I knew.' Seriously, lamest line ever." It was a little difficult to put her skates on with only one hand, but she kicked off her tennis shoes well enough. "Cute people think they can get away with anything, I swear."
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 10:28 am
Parker knew it would please Dani that he wanted to skate, and so he did not jump at her joyful celebration. Honestly, the more time he spent around Dani, the more he got used to her perpetual bubbles of happiness and excitement. He had seen her be a bit more serious at the hospital, and he had liked that. A part of him wondered what it would be like to see her cry, to see her angry. It was a curiosity that told him to push her buttons, but Parker resisted. He had no desire to chase Dani away.
Nodding as she went off to get the chair, Parker sighed, sinking farther down on the bench. He was more or less willingly agreeing to be carted around the ice rink in a special wheelchair by the peppiest girl he knew. Who was this person and what had he done with Parker? Time ticked by slowly without Dani there, and so Parker found himself turning around repeatedly to check on her progress. One time when he turned, he saw an older guy talking to her. Anger, jealousy, and distrust bubbled up in Parker like tea pot reaching its boiling pot, and he immediately scowled. He wasn't the aggressive type so there was no way he was actually going to go over there, but still... it bothered him to see someone very clearly hitting on her. At least she didn't seem to like it. Even seeing her obvious avoidance of the guy, Parker felt insecure. Maybe she did like that guy? Maybe that was her type? If that was what she wanted, then there was no way Parker would ever be on the radar for her. But -- that was what he wanted, wasn't it? Friendship -- friendship that couldn't be destroyed by a botched relationship...?
Crushes sprang up in Parker periodically, but it was very rarely for someone he actually knew. He frequently fell in love with historic characters -- some of the suffragettes, certainly -- or characters from movies, books, and games. It was a way of protecting himself almost; he could care about them all he wanted, but there could never actually be a relationship. There could be no pressure, no pain, no annoyance. Parker largely thought of himself as a lone wolf destined to be solitary for all of his life. Why did Dani have to come along and be so persistent in seeing him, in butting into his life? Tingles of desire whispered in Parker, and they were quite clearly directed toward Dani. It made Parker feel... powerless. This guy hitting on her only made it all the more obvious.
Parker noted Dani heading over his way. The wheelchair was tricked out with giant ice-skate blades instead of wheels, but it sat on top of a small rolling platform so that it could be pushed over the carpet easily and without destroying anything. Parker stared at the thing and made a displeased face. It was one thing to burst out agreeing to ride in it to appease Dani, but it was another to actually face the reality of getting in it.
When she spoke, Parker was pleased to hear she did not like the pick-up line. He even smiled a little. But then she called the boy cute. The smile slowly melted off of his face. Parker did not want to comment on it, or to risk having Dani talk more about how attractive she found the other guy. Instead, he went to his comfort zone: discussion-style commentary. "Males are biologically predisposed to seek out females in an ephemeral sense. It's the go spread your seed mentality," he said, shrugging. "That guy is just playing the odds. If he hits on enough girls, eventually one will react positively to his advances. It's a good strategy, from a statistical point of view." Parker paused and glanced over to Dani, as if to welcome her thoughts on the matter. It didn't seem like Dani was into him, but she had called him cute and Parker was very insecure. Was she this guy's lucky shot that had paid off? Parker didn't want to think about it.
Getting slowly to his feet, Parker took the chair from Dani, using his broken hand to push one side while his good one did the steering. He maneuvered them over to the edge of the rink where Jaimie and Tallulah were. "They have banished me to a wheelchair," he said to the pair, chuckling awkwardly. This made it easier, right? If he pointed out the obvious before they could make fun of him? "I think Dani is going to risk further injury willingly." He gestured idly to the skates that dangled over the girl's arm, and then glanced back to Tallulah, and then Jaimie. "Hey, Jaimie," he said, as if a more vocal greeting was required. The boy was his roommate after all. Shifting awkwardly, Parker waited for someone else to take the lead. He had no desire to rush into the chair. Yep, they could take their time chatting as loooong as they wanted.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 1:41 pm
In Tallulah's opinion, the chair looked silly but was a thorough and creative compliance to the Americans With Disabilities Act that they had discussed in MUN. She gave Parker a thumbs up. "I don't think it's that bad," she said. At least the rink was thoughtful that way. "And it can't be a wheelchair if it's got runners like a sled."
The repressed, reckless part of her gave momentary consideration to stealing the chair and using it outside once it snowed a few times. She giggled and banished the thought. It was wonderful that Parker could be included - she would have felt awful and awkward if he were forced to sit the whole afternoon out. "I think it's cool that they're so accommodating," she said happily, motioning to the chair. "Get in!"
She skated slightly shaky circles around them while she waited. Every so often she would scan the entrance to see if anyone else had arrived, but for the most part her attention was present. "It's not risking injury unless you're reckless," she sighed, coming to a stop beside Jaimie. "But we're not reckless, right?"
This was going to be a fun, safe party.
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 12:51 am
Dani was getting frustrated trying to get her skates on, though that was almost to be expected, considering they weren't the easiest shoes to manipulate in the first place, and she was going at it one-handed. Still, she listened to Parker, a frown line etched between her eyebrows, growing more and more displeased as the seconds ticked past. The evidence was piling up against him, and she'd just about come to the conclusion that Parker was gay. Well, that was fine; she had nothing against gay people, really, she just didn't... really want to see them making out in front of her, or anything. Heck, she'd even help him find a boyfriend if he wanted her to, though going to a school like Hillworth, that probably wouldn't be too hard. Maybe?
Were there a lot of gay boys at Hillworth? She had absolutely no idea.
She was pretty sure she'd found at least one, though. Not to be overconfident or, you know, completely full of ego, but she was pretty damn cute. To not have him even bat an eye at her? He was either 100% not interested in her, which made no sense at all considering they got along well and were both at least reasonably attractive, or he was gay.
And anyway! He'd said she was cute, when he was high on drugs. And he'd held her hand. But, that kind of thing... a gay guy would totally do that too. And the hand holding had been more comfort than anything.
"By that standpoint, I need to find a rich, buff dude and start having babies." Thoroughly irritated now, both with her skates, her arm, and males in general, she huffed, giving Parker a particularly ill-humored look. "Which, I am not planning to have babies for years, and I don't need to be taken care of by anyone, so that's bogus for me."
Considering the topic sufficiently closed, she hooked her skates over her arm and stood, following Parker to the edge of the rink. Already she was eager to get out on the ice and show everyone that she knew what she was doing, especially Parker, who seemed to think she was going to fall and hurt herself. She really wished she'd chosen to tell him a different story, though whether he remembered it or not was still up for grabs. They actually hadn't spoken about the hospital trip, really.
She was going to have to bring that up eventually. After all, she knew things about him that she shouldn't, and it was making her kind of uneasy to have them bouncing around in the back of her mind. She'd feel better when everything was aired out and they had an understanding about it. Sure, it might be kind of awkward and embarrassing for Parker, but in the end, it would turn out for the best.
She offered a smile to Tallulah, pleased to see that she was having a good time. "No way, I'm not going to hurt myself. I just need to get my skates on and I'll be out there."
So saying, she dropped to the floor, beginning the one-handed battle once again. Though she was struggling, she didn't ask for, nor want, any help.
She could do it on her own. Really.
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