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 Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:39 pm
The Sports Shack down at the Destiny City Mall had done good things for Zachary: in the two years he'd worked there, he'd gotten discounts for all of his gear, clocked in enough hours to save up for half of a car, and learned how to manage himself in a working environment. All in all, it had been a positive experience. It had also been the place where he'd first set eyes on that Crystal Girl.
Removing his name tag from the company polo for the last time, he frowned as he looked up at the neon logo overhanging the parking lot, shaking his head. Of course Hillworth boys wouldn't have the time for a job, considering they never got the chance to leave campus, but his manager had nevertheless tried to give him a weekend spot in the hopes that Zachary would continue to work, but the boy turned him down. Zachary found that he'd rather just start over in all aspects, since they were making him start over everywhere else.
One of his coworkers had coated his lacrosse sticks in Hillworth green tape while he'd been on shift, and so he examined the new color as began to make his way to the bus stop at the other end of the mall. He looked up from under his oval-shaped glasses, idly wondering if he should eat before he left. Eventually, he shrugged inwardly and continued on through the more populated areas of the shopping center, a hand tightly clutched to his lacrosse stick and his pace comfortable, if not somewhat slow in comparison to the speed-shoppers that weekend.
For just this one moment, it seemed to Zachary that perhaps the oncoming change would not be as extreme as expected.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:29 pm
Surprisingly, for a mall, (and most Crystal girls said this with a hint of disdain) The Sports Shack carried excellent quality equipment. While some of the girls ordered their sticks and masks through highly reputable companies, Rea found that the brands sold at the Sports Shack, although sometimes smaller, much less known companies, were just as sturdy, and had treated her well. It was this that kept her coming back, time after time. Whether she broke her stick or needed to replace the grip tape or ripped her gloves, it was always to the Destiny City Mall that she went, mostly out of habit.
It was the latter which had brought the eldest Marshall girl to the mall that afternoon, her eyes scanning the shelves, idly browsing the sports equipment. Soccer balls to ping pong balls... the selection of color, size, shape, and quality, while hardly endless, was certainly formidable. Running her fingertips over a shelf mid-level, the redhead continued down the length of the shop slowly, stopping at the gloves. Here too there was a wide variety of colors to choose from, from hot pink to Hillworth green to cream and white for Meadowview. Rea skipped them all, stopping only when she found a particular one, sliding them on experimentally. They were primarily white, a teal and pale blue trimming the outer edge. It was more plain than it's flashy counterparts, which suited her just fine. She didn't feel the need to invest in complex patterns of stars and hearts and bright purple skulls.
Checking out at the counter, she gave a polite nod towards the cashier before exiting the store, heading back towards the bus stop. It was only then that the girl noticed Zachary, and, recognizing the company polo, blinking in surprise. She had seen him before, albeit the times were few and far between -- it would have been impossible for them not to have seen each other at least once or twice, all things considered. Still, it was not the fact that she recognized him that caused her to pause, but instead the green-taped lacrosse stick in his hand.
Hillworth green.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:59 pm
Normally Zachary would have carried on to his destination without so much as a pause, but he just so happened to spy a rack of composition books out on display in front of a general goods store, where they were advertising school supplies for the upcoming year. The boy paused, wondering if he would need a new journal any time soon, and it was in this moment that he caught sight of someone in his peripheral vision, turning his head in curiosity. He'd seen the girl a few times, remembering her only because of the lacrosse merchandise in her hands, but he had no way of knowing which school she belonged to. Even at Meadowview, he hadn't bothered learning the faces of the girls team unless they made an effort first. There were simply better things for him to be doing.
Nevertheless, he wondered if the look she was giving him was due to a mutual recognition, or because she recognized him for his less-than-saintly reputation. He could only hope it was the former and not the latter.
"...You've shopped at the Shack before, right?" His voice stumbled with the awkward weight of the conversation, and he mentally kicked himself as he realized that of course she'd shopped there before, she was holding a bag in her hands. "You look familiar, that's all." He held up his stick, as if to prove a point. "I, uhm, play lacrosse, too. You play lacrosse, right?" If the boy weren't trying to maintain appearances, he would have been shaking his head. He knew better than to try and make conversation with other people.
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:17 pm
The redhead paused a few moments after Zachary did, maintaining a fair distance between them as he looked at an advertisement, still just watching him idly. She hadn't had any compulsion to talk with him (why would he care, and what would she say anyway?) but as it happened he noticed her, speaking up regardless. "I can see that," Rea responded, mildly amused by the obvious statement, her eyes glancing at the stick, darkening a little as she was reminded that it was green. That shade of green was so unholy. Well, at least, Crystal Academy seemed to think so. Letting her eyes wander from the stick, she assessed the boy in front of her, her head tilted slightly to the side as she thought. Brown hair, brown eyes... athletic, but not over-built. He certainly didn't look like a meat-head, but it was a hard call to make just based on looks alone. He dressed respectably too... well, at least he didn't SEEM like a troublemaker.
"Yeah, I play for Crystal," She responded coolly after a few moments, eying the green lacrosse stick again warily, "You play for Hillworth?" This was interesting. On one hand, here is a boy who isn't stuck up, doesn't seem obnoxious or hell-bent, who plays lacrosse. On the other, it was obvious he was from Hillworth -- there was little doubt about that. He also didn't exactly seem eloquent... although, to be honest, that last point was kind of endearing.
Offering a small, private smile, Rea approached slowly, holding her hands behind her back, the bag hanging off one of her wrists.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 11:12 pm
Zachary's eyes narrowed from under his glasses the moment he heard the name 'Crystal', but he tried not to let it show too much otherwise in his posture. Nevertheless, he still had to remind himself that this girl didn't have to be like the other, and he took a soft breath to maintain his composure, focusing instead on trying to figure out if he liked the way she was looking at him. In all honesty, he had no way of knowing if the looks were good or bad.
"I go to Hillworth," he amended, "I don't know if I'm playing for them yet, though. I used to play at Meadowview, though." He wondered if that would jog her memory to any sort of gossip around the school. After all, he certainly knew about how the gossip had spread around Meadowview like a wildfire, painting grotesque images of the boy in everyone's mind. Part of the positive in going to Hillworth is that he probably wouldn't have to deal with the estranged looks ever again.
He tensed as the girl approached, though slowly he let down his guard again, deciding that there wasn't much worse she could do, and that he wasn't breaking any rules. After a moment, he did his best to return the smile, though it was admittedly as awkward as his conversing skills. There wasn't much he could do about it, though: at least he was trying.
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Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 2:38 pm
Rea stopped short as soon as she saw the narrowed look of his eye, going shock still and not going any closer. Well. It seemed he held a grudge against Crystal. Not that that surprised her -- it's not as though Hillworth and Crystal were siblings schools or anything. In fact, they usually hated each other quite fervently.
"You're transferring?" She replied thoughtlessly, genuinely surprised, although there was no malice in the look. Realizing how rude that seemed, she gave him a slightly embarrassed look, trying to cover up her mistake as well as her embarrassment by sliding her hair behind her ear. "Admittedly, I haven't heard much about the Meadowview boy's team... although your name seems familiar. What position did you play?"
Another probing question. It wasn't like her. Even so, she still had a dozen more. She knew he worked at the Shack... wasn't his shift usually around this time? Why wasn't he at work? Instead, he was walking away from the place... perhaps she just had the times wrong. Scolding herself mentally, she brushed her hair off her shoulders in another irritated gesture at herself. It was none of her business.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 10:24 am
"I played midfielder for a while, but they put me on defense last year," Zachary responded flatly with a shrug, choosing to ignore the question about his transfer. If she realized who he was, then she would probably politely excuse herself and take a brisk walk to wherever was farthest away, in typical Crystal girl fashion. Granted, this girl seemed more genuinely interested than most Crystal girls, but then again, so had she...
To distract himself, Zachary began looking at composition books again, turning a plain black and white one in his hands as if he were looking for something in particular. "What position did you used to play?" Zachary finally asked nonchalantly, never looking up from the oval rims of his glasses. He seemed not to be interested, but in the back of his mind, he thought back to the Crystal and Meadowview game from last year, trying to remember if he'd seen her before. It was too long ago to remember faces, but it was all too easy to imagine that light blue uniform.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, as if he had a headache. It was too much to be thinking about for something so inconsequential.
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Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:16 pm
Rea kept quiet as Zachary responded, noting the flat sound to his voice and keeping quiet. He didn't seem too thrilled to be talking to her. Perhaps it would be better if she left. Nice to see you, good talking to you, hope to see you never? She was getting that vibe from him, so when he asked her what she played, the strawberry-blonde girl seemed surprised, taking a moment to regain her footing before responding.
"Forward, for a while," She replied with an equal amount of nonchalance, giving a weak shrug of her shoulders before continuing, "They seem to like to bat me back and forth between midfield and forward, depending on their mood. They almost seem annoyed when I'd rather have an assist than a goal."
"I'm Rea," She offered, contemplating whether or not she should extend her hand before ultimately keeping it clasped behind her back. He seemed even more withdrawn than she usually was, and if she applied her own comfort level in this situation, she probably wouldn't have wanted a handshake either. With his obvious dislike of Crystal, it was probably better this way, although it had certainly put her on the defense.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 11:45 am
Zachary nodded, at least sympathetic to how fickle captains could be in placing positions for the seasons. Granted, if he had stood up for himself he could have had his pick of the positions, given his seniority, but Zachary was not that type of person. No, it was easier to allow the captains to put him where they needed him best, and that way it was out of his hands if he played poorly. He only had to be responsible for his own actions, and that's how the boy liked it the best.
At the mention of her name, Zachary finally looked up from his convenient distraction, watching her fidget awkwardly in the conversation. A part of him suddenly felt guilty for subjecting this girl to his subverted anger. After all, hatred wasn't going to undo what had happened that spring, nor was it going to reverse his upcoming situation in the fall. And so it was with that thought that he put down the composition book and, after a moment's hesitation, extended a hand.
"I'm Zachary. I'm sorry if I've been rude. It's just been a very long day." Never mind that it was still only the afternoon--it was the best he could do.
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:36 pm
At first, she hadn't thought he was going to respond.
Rea seemed a little surprised by the hand, extending her own hesitantly and taking it, shaking it firmly a few times and offered a small but understanding smile. "Don't worry too much about it. I've given my share of rude responses. You're in good company," she replied, letting her hand fall back to her side.
She really knew how he felt. Or relatively well, at least. She understood his hesitance. She herself wasn't exactly a social butterfly. In fact, many girls at crystal would call her a few terrible names for it, the one most often being 'cold hearted b***h.' She didn't really warm up to people all that often, which made this situation a little interesting. And awkward. Extremely awkward. It was times like this she wished she had her roommate Eve's personality.
"Heading to the bus stop?" She asked after a few seconds, pausing for a moment before giving him an awkward look, "My friend's picking me up over there, is all..."
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:54 pm
"You're in good company."
Zachary put his hand down by his side, thinking about the statement for a moment. Was he really in good company? The last time he opened himself to a Crystal girl, he found himself in quite the situation, and for all her efforts, the boy was still wary of her intentions. However, something in him decided that there wasn't much worse that the establishment could do to him for talking to a girl, especially one that was willing to shake his hand. Trying to put his past behind him, he did his best to realize that she was being friendly, not just polite. That had to be a good sign.
"...Yeah," he responded, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Do you want to head that way?" He took a step towards the general direction of the buses, looking back at her curiously. Was he really doing this? Was he really going to walk down the mall with a Crystal girl? Well, only if she said yes. Would she say yes? Part of him hoped that she would.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 1:10 am
"Sure."
The reply sounded weak, even to her... or at least it sounded weak when really she was breathing a sigh of relief. Rea didn't know why she was so worried -- the worst he could have said was no. Still, she felt considerably better, even happy that Zachary was relaxing a little. Although it certainly wouldn't have been the first time, she would have felt terrible if this whole thing had ended in some embarrassing scene. Like him giving her a weird look and just walking away or laughing in her face and walking away. Hey, she was allowed to be a little insecure. She didn't do this very often.
"I've seen you at the Shack before... working, I mean," She started after a few minutes, the conversation starting to come a little bit easier. She didn't want to outright ask him if he wasn't working there anymore, but curiosity was getting the better of her. Instead, she changed the topic to something a little safer, effectively shoving back her curiosity, "It's a great place. Most crystal girls won't shop there, but they have good quality things. The customer service is always very helpful too..."
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:54 pm
Once the two of them began their walk, Zachary seemed to relax, his shoulders easing from their tense posture and his expression fading from wary to content. The mention of the Sports Shack seemed to lift his eyes, and he smiled despite himself, not thinking of the fact that his job of nearly two years had just ended when he'd left through the door. The manager had been kind enough, letting him keep the job for the summer, but even though he could have worked weekends in the fall, the line had to be drawn somewhere. The Sports Shack could not be a place of employment for criminals on record, and Zachary knew that.
"Yeah, I've been there for a while," he admitted easily, seeing no need to elaborate that he had effectively just quit. "We get a few Crystal girls in every now and again," he paused, his lips tightening, "but most of them won't shop there, like you said." His expression lightened again afterwards, as if he himself had personally been complimented, and he shrugged. "We try. Maybe it's just me, but were the situation in reverse, I'd want someone to at least be friendly." For Zachary, cordiality was a matter of principle less than an actual personality trait, but he exercised it nonetheless.
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:32 pm
"Definitely," Rea replied with a nod of agreement, sliding the plastic bag helpfully labeled 'Sports Shack' a little further up her wrist, trying to get it to where it was comfortable, "I'm almost glad other Crystal girls don't go in there -- they tend to be rather... self important. Not to mention rude."
At this, Rea's own expression went surprisingly blank, her ire hidden to everyone except the most observant. Among her friends, (which were few,) it was not a secret that the strawberry blonde girl did not get along with other Crystal girls very well. The fact that most of them were catty, haughty, tended to gossip and self important did not help the matter, and the fact that Rea not only did not even attempt to take part in their games, but denounced their games publicly, did not endear her to them. Such had begun the rivalry between... well... basically all the popular girls at Crystal vs Rea.
Unfortunately, one against many did not often work, and this was not one of the times it did. Much name calling and slander was spread on their part (Rea said nasty things too, although not often to anyone else -- they effectively squashed her faith in most of Crystal), cold-hearted b***h being their favorite.
But this was neither here nor there.
Sighing a little, the Marshall girl stopped when they arrived at the bus stop, turning a little to extend her hand to Zachary, a small smile curling the corner of her lips. "At any rate, I appreciate your civil attitude towards them... us. It can't be easy... and I'm sure it'll probably get worse as you become integrated at Hillworth. They're... not too keen with us over there either."
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 9:10 pm
Zachary supposed that he, too, appreciated the fact that few Crystal girls went to the Sports Shack, and nodded (mostly to himself) as he shambled on, his thoughts too introverted to note the sudden silence of the girl beside him. He also supposed that he should be proud of himself, if for no other reason than the fact that a Crystal girl was talking to him now without any hints of revulsion or other Crystal-like behaviors. But she wasn't just a Crystal girl, he thought, she had a name and a personality like everyone else. And granted, if she had just thought of him as a Hillworth boy, then there was every likelihood that she would have treated him with some disdain, and with good cause. With a reputation like Hillworth's, it would be hard not to snub one's nose a bit. Zachary knew that he couldn't help but do it himself sometimes.
The bus stop came sooner than he thought it would, and Zachary found himself in a disappointed state of mind as he turned to give Rea a farewell. It was rare that he found someone of a similar mindset to talk to, and the prospect of never meeting her again felt like such a shame. He almost wanted to ask for her number, just to have someone to talk to, but he knew it would be taken the wrong way. None of his actions were perceived as innocent anymore. Nevertheless, he took her hand with a gentle shake of farewell, and smiled from under his glasses, a rare and sincere expression that shattered when he saw the bus begin to pull in from a distance.
"And I'm glad the sight of green doesn't make you utterly sick," he responded, shuffling his hold of the lacrosse stick in his hand. "That can't be easy, either." He pulled away his hand, looking down at his shoes for an awkward moment until the bus pulled into the station, and gave her one last look. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Rea." And with that, he took the stairs up to the burly driver, showing him a bus pass and taking a seat towards the back as the doors slid closed, the bus slowly revving into action and away from the Destiny City Mall to home. He did, after all, still have many more preparations to make.
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