Prom Week discussion

It's a large coniferous forest, commonly popular in New England. This forest is filled with trails for hiking and biking. There are a few clearings. Sometimes students will host a large bonfire in on the of few large clearings.

It was a little warm outside, but comfortable enough that Laurine was able to wear a baggie hoodie and skinny jeans without feeling too hot. She looked around as she walked down a trail devoid of life, searching for a good place for her to sit so she could write in her journal without fear of someone stumbling on her--though if someone did, Laurie would just get up and go find another spot to sit in solitude. The journal was pressed close up to her chest, her arms holding it close to her as if she was scared someone would come by and try to rip it right out of her hands.
Obviously Laurie wasn't supposed to be out in the forest on a school day, she was supposed to be in school sitting through her AP Calculus class as Mr. Dexter droned on about integrals as if he actually knew what he was talking about. However she wasn't feeling up to dealing with anyone in the school, so she was out in the forest instead.
The fresh air, the strong smell of pine, the dirt, the animals chattering, the birds singing--this was where she belonged. These sounds, these smells made her feel at ease unlike the heavy stench of fear and puberty that reached even the farthest corners of Salem High.

Laurine walked off the trail, going down a familiar path she charted herself one day with little shells she brought from home. Finally she would a small clearing where a lone tree stump sat in the middle; enough sunlight managed to filter through the canopy of leaves that hung over her little place. Walking over to the stump, Laurie took a seat, scooting far back enough that she was able to bring up her legs and sit cross legged before opening up her journal to begin writing down her latest thoughts, which have taken quite a dark turn lately.

(ugh sorry wasn't sure what to write so i just wrote Dx)

Contrary to most of the population that might be skipping class out in the woods, this was Roman's P.E. period. Why they even had the class, he wasn't sure. Most everyone sat outside on the bleachers and socialized, since the only rule of the class was to be doing something 'productive' outdoors. All those popular's could make very convincing arguments to how productive their conversations were.

It wasn't that Roman didn't like socializing, he really did excel at it... he would just rather spend his time running. He was looking forward to his time after graduation, he was hoping to make a career as a professional athlete. Accenting his dreams, was some pretty tough training. Which lead to his current state of being; which one might consider not very attractive.

Roman wore mesh gym shorts and a sweatshirt, bright green Under Armour trecking shoes completing the sweaty ensemble. He'd been running for a while now, so it was only to be expected his clothing was a little damp with perspiration. He continued to follow the trail, ignoring the dull pain from his ankle. In his concentration, he almost didn't notice Tiffany as he ran the opposite direction as he. "Hey." he said, nodding politely as he approached her.

Roman chuckled lightly, nodding. "Wanna' join me?" he asked, guessing her answer. He slowed to a jog, then ultimately started walking--turning around so his strides matched hers in the same direction. He wasn't trying to be invasive or anything, he just thought it would be nice to have a conversation, she had appeared rather bored before... "Well, you actually seemed like your dressed for a different occasion. Why are you so-" he looked at her outfit, searching for the right words, "pretty-like in the woods?"

"And now you're stuck with me." he pointed out, making it sound like such a terrible thing. Of course he was only teasing, she didn't have to stick around and talk to him if she wasn't up to it. It actually seemed like she was more than disappointed with whoever had canceled with her. Roman shrugged, running a hand through his damp hair. "I'm guessing it's a guy?" he asked, probing for information in an attempt to help out.

Roman glanced at her, wondering what exactly she meant by the guy from South Africa. It seemed like, by the way she spoke, they were in some kind of relationship. He wasn't going to ask though, that might be a tad insensitive. "Fresh air is always nice." he agreed, unsure what else to say. He was always worried about offending someone without meaning to. "If he canceled, he's missing out."

He held his hands up, backing up slightly. "All right, I get it, I knew you couldn't handle my swagger." he joked, taking the non sublte hint she had just shot his way. Roman picked up his pace as he turned, tossing a smile over his shoulder. "It was nice talking to you." he called, shifting back into his work out mode.

It was that channel again, fourth on that dreaded Monday as usual. A small class called some along the lines of physical education. Though what education they were getting and how was a wonder to Dmitri, who was jogging along the trail. It was not that Dmitri did not like gym. No he was a fan of it, as it was really the only time of the day he could go for a run and clear his head. In the mornings he was busy helping getting the kids ready and then after school he had work with his father and then it was taking care of the kids again. Which he loved but a run during the day by himself was also a wonderful break. What he dreaded about the class were all the students who refused to change or participate and felt the need to complain about being asked to go out and run and then still complain when they went and sat at the bleachers in the football field. It just irritated him that they had the energy to keep ranting on and on about why they shouldn't run when they could run a lap or two and then complain. Like, at least have a reason. Oh well. It would be their loss when they had to double up on gym next year or couldn't graduate because they were too lazy to get their gym credit.

One two three breathe. One two three breathe. Caylee counted the times her feet pounded on the ground in her head, using the consistency to keep her breathing even. That was the problem with most people--they slowed their pace and then ended up trying to suck in more air than they needed. She'd done it enough times to know. Caylee was a senior, and this was her third year of gym. It was almost always the same thing--running for an hour. Sometimes, there would be a substitute, and they'd get to play dodge-ball or something, but not today. It was better than playing Basketball though, so Caylee wasn't complaining. One two three breathe. It was actually pretty nice. No pressure of being on a team, and no one cared that she wasn't talking about the newest episode of Pretty Little Liars or how Taylor Swift broke up with some guy for the millionth time.

Dmitri kept an even pace as he jogged along the path, a slight breeze going through he hair, feeling cool against his body as he moved forward with each step. When he reached the end of the trail, now at the edge of the forest by the school's property, he took a short two minute break. He turned and started to jog back, but instead of heading down the same way had before, he turned into an alternative trail that would lead him back to the field. On his way he spotted a familiar, tall brunette. Dmitri slowed his pace and smiled. "Hey, Caylee. Mind if I run with you?" He asked as she neared, ready to turn and start jogging with her.

One two three br-wait what? Caylee blinked and looked up seeing Dmitri. He'd said her name, but they weren't really friends. Was she in his way or something? Then the rest of what he'd said registered in her brain. "I- It's fine." Caylee stuttered, unsure what he wanted. They were both seniors, but she wasn't going to let him copy her history homework or anything. Other than asking about his kids, she didn't even know what they could possibly talk about. To say this was unexpected would be an understatement. She kept jogging, trying to find a rhythm again.

@ Star:

Oh yeah. There was Laurine, all peacefully enjoying her escape from Salem and it's student body, walking though the forest with an almost smile and ideas flowing through her head like clouds through the sky.....and what should happen? Hmmm oh yes. Henry Hampton should happen. Poor guy, all he'd been trying to do was get closer to the red breasted swallow that he'd seen. And somehow he ended up chasing it through the trees, tripping over a tree root, cutting his forehead on a branch and falling into a wild blackberry bush. So needless to say that when he burst out of some trees and into a clearing, whooping, and cheering, under the mistaken idea of being free from the forest...he may have looked a little like a crazy person.

His chestnut hair stuck up in all directions and some dried blood was on his head and cheek. Not to mention that his grey t-shirt was ripped and now stained with the dark reddish blue juice of black berries. His jeans were smeared with dirt and his shoelaces were undone on his left foot. The moment he spotted Laurine though....and realized he wasn't quite out of the forest, but rather stuck in a clearing he straightened his posture and blushed, rubbing a hand behind his head and along his neck awkwardly.

"So.....I suppose you saw that, Miss?" He asked, his tone abashed, obviously feeling awkward for his moment of whooping in glee like he'd won the superbowl or something of equal importance. After all, a guy should only act like a fool after he's known the person for at least a day. Otherwise one risked scaring away potential friends. And Henry right now? He felt like he could've traumatized Laurine. At least a bit. After all....it wasn't every day that guys burst out of the forest cheering like they were part of some ancient war tribe and looking kinda homeless.

Miss.You.Love.Me. wrote: "One two three br-wait what? Caylee blinked and looked up seeing Dmitri. He'd said her name, but they weren't really friends. Was she in his way or something? Then the rest of what he'd said registe..."

Dmitri smiled. "Thanks." He said, turning and within two strides having caught up with her. He slowed his pace down so he was running side by side with her. Trying to be friendly and polite he tried to start up a conversation, "So, do you have gotten accepted anywhere yet for college?" It was a simple question and conversation that most seniors would have. Well most seniors who weren't exactly friends, yet were running together would have. Dmitri had been accepted into NYU, New York University. But he was still waiting to here from BU or UCONN, wanting to be somewhere closer to home. If he got into BU he would just drive. If he got into UCONN they would most likely go back to Norwich, Connecticut and he would commute from there.

Caylee nodded once, unsure why he was thanking her. All she'd done was slow him down. "Oh. Umm." So that was why he wanted to talk to her--bragging rights if whatever school he'd gotten a reply to was better than the ones she'd applied to. His friends were probably bored after hearing about whatever University he'd gotten into, so she was the next best person to talk to. Too bad, considering her schools were a completely different style from his. Caylee was more of a quiet dog-walker, girl next door type of person while he was the type of kid to get his girlfriend pregnant. She wasn't judging him, it was just interesting that he wanted to compare their lives and plans for the future when they were already so different. Caylee realized she hadn't replied, and did so in a rush, "University of Michigan has a great Marine Engineering program, but there's a school in New Orleans that's a bit cheaper, so I'm not sure where I'm going yet."

"Michigan? That's pretty cool. New Orleans sounds pretty cool too. I always wanted to go down there for one of their Jazz Fests." He said with a simple nod. "I just go accepted into NYU." Dmitri added, mentioning the school of his dreams. Or his old dreams. Things had changed ever since Evelyn and Ezra had entered the picture. Not that he was too upset about that. "But I'm hoping to hear from Boston or University of Connecticut. Somewhere close enough to commute." He said simply. "To be near the kids." He said matter of factually, not hanging his head in shame or turning away as he had seen most of the teen moms or occasional dads who helped out do. Dmitri was proud of his kids and had absolutely no regrets. He had no fear of being judged. Because others didn't matter to his kids, he as their father did and as long as he was with them and loved them and they loved him he was happy and no one else in the world mattered. And perhaps that was the best thing he could do for his children.

Caylee nodded again, a small smile crossing her face when he mentioned the Jazz Festivals. She didn't say anything though, since like she expected he was talking about the schools he'd gotten accepted to. Of course, it was a bit unexpected that he was planning to stay close to home, but Caylee could understand why. She looked at him again, eyes narrowed just a bit. "Sounds fun." She stammered, slightly out of breath from all the running they were doing. He might have slowed down to talk to her, but she was going at her normal pace, which made talking a bit harder, though she still managed.

@JayLa


One second, there was a slight breeze and birds were chirping as usual, and then the next, there was loud cheers and a boy suddenly appeared almost out of nowhere. Eyes wide in fear, Laurine's entire body froze up as if he was actually some wild bear instead of some boy from her school. Yes, Laurine knew who it was, or at least she knew it was on of the Hampton twins, which one it was that she couldn't tell; she never spent a whole lot of time around them so how would she be able to tell? Then again she never spent a whole lot of time around boys at her school, or people for that matter, and that was for her own personal reasons.
Laurine held onto her journal tightly that her knuckles shone white, having already slammed it shut and pressed it close to her body as an automatic reaction. What was he doing here? Why was he shouting? Did he know he was bleeding? Probably, it must hurt. Even his shirt was ripped and stained, but she figured that the cuts were a bigger deal at this point. Though Laurine simply sat there as if she was a statue instead of a scared breathing human.

Was she breathing?

'Breathe, breathe! He's not going to eat you. And if he tries you can kick his ass... maybe.' Her brain was screaming at her to at least move, but Laurine couldn't even move to get up. However she did clear her throat and squirmed a little on the tree stump she was currently sitting on when he finally spoke to her. Why was he speaking to her? Most people never bothered, though she guessed this was very strange and he could be trying to explain himself, except he didn't and all he did was ask her a question. Laurine opened her mouth to say that it was kind of hard to miss but she quickly closed it and settled for nodding her head before averting her eyes to the ground.
She was sure he would be on his way so why bother wasting her breath on him?

Slowly turning those pale blues back to him, she held her notebook tighter to her chest. "A-ar-are you okay?" she asked, her voice just barely above a whisper; she would be surprised if he was able to hear her.

Miss.You.Love.Me. wrote: "Caylee nodded again, a small smile crossing her face when he mentioned the Jazz Festivals. She didn't say anything though, since like she expected he was talking about the schools he'd gotten accep..."

Noticing how she was stammering, he instantly slowed his pace slightly so she would be able to run and talk without wasting too much energy. Dmitri managed a shrug, though it hardly seemed like one. "I guess, it depends on your definition of 'fun'." He said, with a small smile. "So, you're planning on engineering? That sounds interesting." He said, making a comment on her earlier statement about marine engineering. "But please explain to me what exactly Marine engineering is?" Dmitri add, with a small grin and raised eyebrow, curious to know what exactly this field of science was.

Caylee noticed him slow down, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes and/or punch him. Just because she wasn't a guy who could run a mile in seven minutes didn't mean she wanted people to treat her like she was fragile. So, instead of slowing down--or even keeping her steady pace, Caylee sped up. She wasn't particularly competitive, but she wasn't going to be babied like she was one of his kids. Nu-uh no way.

"Well-I just mean you like your kids a lot, so spending more time with them...I get why you'd do that." She was still stuttering, but for Caylee that was pretty normal. She wasn't one of those confident people who could just say anything. If she knew Dmitri better, she might have gone into an in-depth explanation, but instead, she kept her summary simple. "Navel Engineers help create submarines, and sometimes Ships; if a cruise-line has some new idea in mind or anything. It's not like architecture though, because we have to double check the weight of everything not just make sure that it all fits." She glanced over at him, to see if that made sense.

@ Star:

Before this moment, Henry never thought that he could feel so bad and guilty that he wished he was dirt. In fact he didn't think he'd ever felt this awkwardly guilty in his life. Didn't even think it was possible to feel this way. Apparently it was though, because he was feeling it. The girl...what was her name? Leslie? Lana? Laurie? Laurine? Maggie? No. No definitely not Maggie. That didn't....no just no. But still this girl was standing there looking like she might keel over at any second. And here was Henry looking like some sort of deranged lunatic.

Naturally his first thought upon seeing her reaction to him wasn't a good one. Something along the lines of:

Oh God, she looks so scared. I must look like a psycho killer or something. Gee she's getting pretty pale....are her lips turning blue? Is she dying? Can one die of fright? What if someone finds us and she's dead and I look like a psycho homeless freak.....Jesus, don't let her die. I can't be arrested for scaring someone to death. I'd go to jail....and then...Oh gosh, then Damien would feel so guilty and embarrassed. Related to a murderer. He'd probably never visit me....he'd probably dye his hair red to stop looking like me. Ahh what a terrible choice. We'd be terrible gingers. Oh crud...I think she said something. Her mouth moved....crap. I missed it. What do I do?

Clearing his throat awkwardly he put his hands in his pockets to keep from running his hand through his hair. He'd read somewhere that that can lead to early bald-ness. And he liked his hair. "Uhhh...I'm sorry Miss, but can you repeat that?" he asked offering up a sheepish smile before it quickly faded away as he realized that a messy guy jumping out of the woods and smiling was probably more scary than just a messy guy jumping out of the woods.

Miss.You.Love.Me. wrote: "Caylee noticed him slow down, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes and/or punch him. Just because she wasn't a guy who could run a mile in seven minutes didn't mean she wanted people to treat her..."

Dmitri nodded as she finished her explanation of what a Naval engineer did, a better idea of the job forming in his mind. "That actually sounds pretty cool. Are you considering joining the Navy after college as an engineer?" He asked curiously. It truly sounded like an interesting profession and to some degree even fun, if you were the person who like all that engineering stuff. But that really wasn't his fort. Dmitri had considered joining the army once though. The military had always interested him, but that would mean too much time away from the kids. And if he were injured or killed his kids wouldn't even have a father anymore. So that idea had been thrown out the window.

Caylee shrugged, wondering why the urge to speed up had possessed her. Join the army? When she was having trouble running quickly for P.E. Class? Ha-Dmitri had to be joking. There was just no way she'd be able to manage all the push-ups and waking up early for boot vamp or whatever. "I haven't decided." She replied, instead of pointing out her un-athleticism. Really though, Caylee already knew that option wasn't one she would consider for her future. "What about you, what are you doing after college?" She wondered if he had seriously already planned it out, and her eyes narrowed doubtfully.

"I'm going to major in business and minor in film. And afterwards, I'll probably work with my father as a business consultant." He said simply. Of course, Dmitri had always wanted to go into film and direct, but the chances of getting a successful career in that, even with his father's help, wasn't great enough that he knew he would be able to provide for Evelyn and Ezra. Dmitri didn't just want to live off of his father's money. He wanted to make his own living, provide for his own children and make a name for himself. He wanted to be the one supporting his father, not the other way around.

@JayLa (xD awwwwwe he's adorable btw)


Laurine wanted to run away. Laurine needed to run away. Far far away from this boy. Why wasn't she running away? She should just turn around and run for the hills, or back to school. Just run away. He was well a guy and guys were evil. Pure evil. Except he didn't look pure evil standing there before her. Then again most didn't, which was why guys were so dangerous; they were able to go around looking all innocent when there was a demon lying in wait deep inside. Laurine didn't like demons, she didn't like boys, she didn't like this. Yet why wasn't she running away? Why wasn't her body moving away from him? Then again she wasn't moving towards him, and heaven forbid if he started moving towards her.

When he spoke to her again, Laurine immediately looked down and shook her head as if to tell him it was nothing. She hardly ever spoke in the first place, and she never spoke to people of the opposite gender, so why start now? Well she already started, but this would be the perfect time to stop, right? She wasn't sure. It was confusing as hell. Normally it wasn't this confusing when she was around guys, or confusing at all because guys are evil and she stayed away from evil. Yet it was a little different around this guy, or at least it felt different? She wasn't quite sure, and it was simply making her more scared than she already was. Shivering a little, Laurine kept her eyes on the ground and kept her lips sealed so that she wasn't tempted into saying anything else to him. Maybe if she didn't speak he would just go away on his own?

@ Star: [Thanks ;) He tries to be that adorable twin, Damien is the more serious one xD]

Looking at Laurine....yes he had decided that she was indeed Laurine, Henry felt like something was wrong. Other than the many things oh so wrong with this scenario. Just looking at her she seemed to be getting smaller, or at least withdrawing into herself. And now she wasn't even looking at him, looking down at the ground and shaking her head. Was that a 'its-not-important' head shake? Or a 'geez-what-an-idiot' head shake? Or even a 'oh-my-god-why-can't-this-guy-just-leave-me-alone.-Doesn't-he-know-I-hate-him' head shake? Still he felt rather guilty about standing there and he started to shift his weight uncomfortably.

After letting the heavy silence flow through them awkwardly he sighed and then cleared his throat in a way that seemed entirely too outrageous and awkward. Maybe it was the silence? Maybe it was the way he looked like a hobo? Maybe it was the way that Laurine was avoiding him like he was going to give her the plague? Either way that simple clearing of his throat felt far more awkward than usual. He paused and wrung his hands together as he waited for her to look up and give off some sort of sign of acknowledgement towards him. After a few moments he sighed and then spoke, deciding that the worst she could do is run away. "I uhhh need your assistance in leaving the woods. I'm kind of lost." He nodded and gestured to himself making it seem like he was visible proof that he was lost. He did look like he had been lost for awhile.

Sadiya wrote: ""I'm going to major in business and minor in film. And afterwards, I'll probably work with my father as a business consultant." He said simply. Of course, Dmitri had always wanted to go into film a..."

Caylee nodded once, taking a awkwardly deep breath. "Sounds fun." She replied, with a fakely jaunty attitude that she wasn't quite able to pull off. It was too forced, and not serious enough, but whatever. It wasn't like Dimitri would know her well enough to call her on it or anything--this was probably the longest conversation they'd had since being partnered for a project Junior year. She rubbed the back of her neck, grimicing at how sweaty it felt. How long had she been running for? Too long apparently, because that was the moment she tripped and fell face-first.

Dmitri smiled at her trying to fake her tone and fail. He wasn't sure if she was seriously trying to appear that way or was just joking. He decided to go with the latter as otherwise he would have to point out her failure. Sure, Dmitri wasn't good friends with her, he wasn't with a lot of people but he treated them like they were. There was a short silence after she spoke and they ran quickly for a few strides, their feet hitting the leaves and twigs on the path making a crunching sound along with footsteps. When she fell, or was falling, his hands instinctively reached out and he caught her and it had been a lucky catch as her face was an inch from the ground. As he had been in mid stride when he caught her, he was a bit off balance and it took him a moment to get back on both feet before he could help her up. "Are you okay? He asked with concern.

Caylee winced, her face about an inch from the ground when he managed to catch her. Huh. She hadn't expected that. Not that she thought Dimitri was the kind of person who would let someone fall, but he had to have reacted rather quickly, since it wasn't like she'd given him any warning. She kept her eyes on the ground for a moment, then looked him over again, narrowing her eyes in thought. "Huh?" She asked, not having listened to his question. Caylee wasn't really used to talking anyways, so having to answer questions almost always caught her off guard.

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Not the best thing oxygen wise for someone who had been running mere seconds ago, but she felt a bit flushed, and wanted some sort of trick to become more like her usual self. Honestly, the last time she'd tripped had been ages ago, so what had happened? Caylee looked back down at the ground, taking another deep breath.

Dmitri let go of her after a few moments before realizing he was still holding him, his right hand brushing through his hair while his left went back to his side. For some reason, he felt awkward with what had just happened. "Are you okay?" He asked, the concern still hinted within his voice and his eyes as they met hers. "Your ankle, did you twist it or are you fine? That was a pretty bad fall." He said. If she had fallen because she tripped over a root, she could have hurt her foot, maybe even sprained it. He wanted to make sure that she was still able to walk before just going back into their run.

Caylee nodded, still looking down, and moved her feet experimentally, going into the first ballet position with her toes pointed outwards. "I'm not hurt." She answered, looking up at him. Caylee was pretty sure her face was still pink, but at least it had faded some. She met his gaze for a second, then shoved her hands in her pockets, since he'd let go and she had been standing there awkwardly. "What time is it? I bet class is over?"

She didn't really care if it was, since it was the last period of the day and she didn't have any plans, but going home did sound kind of nice. Maybe watching some T.V. would give her some time to figure out why he'd wanted to talk to her.

Dmitri watched her move her foot and was glad to see that she could move it effortlessly. "Uh.." He glanced down at his wrist watch. "We have about fifteen minutes. Enough time to head back and get changed." He said, his tone switching back to sounding casual as the concern was now not needed. He ran a hand through his hair once more out of habit. "Want to use this route? Or the other one?" He asked, since they had were close to another path. The other path was a bit more overgrown and not the best for two people to walk side by side but it was much faster. Whereas, the route on which they came was wider and cleaner, so to speak.

"Uh." Caylee looked between the paths and shrugged. "The same way is fine." She wasn't really an adventurer, so she wasn't about to go a different path than the one she knew would get her back. It wasn't that she didn't believe Dmitri about the other path--she just didn't feel the need to try something different. She was pretty sure he'd only pointed it out because it was faster, but if he wanted to ditch her she wasn't going to stop him. Caylee watched him mess with his hair again and smiled lightly. Even if he did want to get away from her, Caylee could admit she though the habit was kind of cute. She started walking, since she didn't want to trip again

@ JayLa (He totally is the adorable twin x3 although I haven't rped with Damien, but Henry is cute<3 aha)

Laurine still wasn't sure whether this was Henry or Damien. It didn't matter when she thought about it, because she was never going to bump into him again, and even if she did he wouldn't know who she was, and if he did he wouldn't try to converse with her, right? There were so many questions floating through her head and so many strange scenarios of what could happen then and there, many of them ending up in her getting hurt; she tried to push them out of her head, but it was impossible not to assume the worst. After all, she was alone with a strange boy who was bleeding and his clothes were ripped in the middle of the forest where there was no one around for miles to hear her scream if anything were to happen.

Oh the places her imagination takes her.

Praying silently, she waited for him to speak. Or to just go away. She would have been happy if he would just walk away and leave her be, but something told her that wasn't about to happen. And when he made that little noise from his throat, she flinched in surprise--and a little in fear--but waited for what he had to say. Staring at him with those eerily bright blues, Laurine wondered for a moment if he could actually be a good guy. After all, he hasn't done anything to her so far, then again he could be waiting for the right moment to strike...

"I uhhh need your assistance in leaving the woods. I'm kind of lost."

Laurine took a moment to understand what he said. Well, she understood him perfectly since he was speaking English, but her brain was taking what he said in a completely different way. To her his words went more like this: 'I'm waiting for you to put your guard so I can hurt you without anyone around to hear you scream.'
How her brain translated what he originally said into that was a mystery, or at least it would be to anyone who wasn't Laurine. Though, against her better judgement, she nodded her head slightly while shifting uncomfortably on the tree stump. "Ok," she squeaked quietly.

Since he needed help out of the forest, that meant Laurine would need to get up and show him the way. Though she wasn't happy about the fact that he would be trailing behind her, but there wasn't much of a choice since she would need to lead him out of there. She could tell him maybe, but she didn't want to speak and she doubted he understood sign language. Moreover, it would be difficult to explain how to get out since where they were was dense and pretty deep into the forest. Forcing herself up onto her feet, Laurine looked at the boy for a moment before motioning him to follow her.

@ Star: [Haha mission accomplished ;)]

Wow...she looks really uncomfortable. Am I bothering her? Oh wow...I'm probably bothering her. She probably hates me....oh man...I don't wanna be hated... Biting his lip he paused and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. His eyes widened and he shook his head, licking his lips and biting on his bottom lip for a fraction of a second before dropping his hands to his pockets. "Nevermind. I'll just find it. I didn't mean to bother you, I'm really sorry about that, Miss Laurine." He nodded his head at her in a means of apology.

Gesturing to the clearing he nodded at the tree stump she had been sitting on. Obviously he meant for her to return back to her stump. Quickly he walked towards the edge of the clearing and into the denser foliage. Taking a step though he paused and then turned and looked at her face, his eyes clearly concerned and conflicted. "I uhhh....you-" Henry stumbled for the right words and ended up rocking on the balls of his heels for a moment as he tried to think of how to say this. "You shouldn't be out here alone!" he blurted his words coming out in an awkward rush.

Realizing he probably sounded crazy he hurried to explain, "I- Uhhh- I just mean- Well my Gran always taught me that a lady should be protected. That she shouldn't be left alone in places that she could get hurt. And I mean...you could trip and break your ankle and no one would hear you call for help. Or someone crazy could come along. And not that you couldn't- well...to be truthful you don't look that strong. I don't think you could handle fighting off a crazy person. And I just think you shouldn't be out here alone."

Blushing darkly with how ridiculous he sounded he shook his head, "I'm sorry. I ramble sometimes. Damien is always telling me I need to listen more and talk less..." He mumbled the last sentence his gaze dropping down to his shoes in an embarrassed sort of way. He stayed where he was, just at the edge of the forest. Not quite leaving, but not quite staying. Mostly because he was worried about leaving her out here alone.

Not that he was against women being strong and independent. But she didn't even have a means of defense. She was just....so frightened looking. It pained him to see her look so nervous. As if she was used to being treated terribly. She was like a bunny, and Henry was one of those people who hated to see others suffer. Somehow they always got him emotional.

When he was a kid, he would see an injured animal and then before he knew it he was crying. Damien always had to comfort him and tell him that it was okay, but Henry would always just complain about how it wasn't fair that people had to get hurt in the world. How it wasn't fair that people had to suffer. Henry had always been that kid bringing home all the injured animals and healing them before releasing them again. Damien usually persuaded Henry to release them, otherwise Henry would keep them all. Keep them safe and protected.

@Jayla


To say Laurine was shocked right then would be the understatement of the century. What Henry was saying was just...strange.
She could only assume this boy was Henry since he spoke about Damien, so Laurine figured it was safe to assume so. She's heard a lot about Henry before, or at least she has overheard some girls talk about him in the hallways--how he was a pretty sweet guy--ok well the girls would talk about how sweet he was for like a second before going on about how hot he was.

Focusing her attention back on what he was saying, she couldn't help but want to laugh a little. It was a little amusing how much it sounded like he was worried about her. The only people who were ever worried about her anymore were her parents, but she never allowed anyone get close enough to worry over her. Everyone aside from family stayed at least an arm's length away from her. Yet this boy seemed to genuinely worry about her even though he knew nothing about her. How...interesting. Laurine frowned at him, but mainly out of confusion since this was....all very strange to her.

"Why do you care?" She asked without meaning to. Her voice was loud enough for him to hear since she blurted it out before she could hold it in. Either way it was something she needed to know, why? Maybe he was just a nice guy, or maybe it was all a trick. As confused as she was right then, she knew that she could never trust a guy no matter how cute he was or how sweet he acted. Laurine just couldn't bring herself believing that he was an actual good guy--it was wrong, but could anyone really blame her?

@ Star: [Haha it's not short xD]

For a moment Henry could do nothing but blink. After all people usually didn't ask him why he cared about them, they usually just thought he was weird or they swooned when it came to his concern about others. Why did he care? Well he knew why....but saying it might make him sound like some sort of sexist asshole. He'd been told that before by girls. But he wasn't one, he was just old fashioned and while he respected a woman's independence it was always his first thought to help them and support them and take care of them. It was never to just let them run off....especially with potential dangers all around.

Sighing he bit his lip contemplating his words before he shook his head, ahh screw it. Might as well just say what the real reason was no matter how crummy it might sound to her. "Well because I don't want to see you get hurt. You've never offended me before, so as far as i'm concerned you're a good person. And good people shouldn't get hurt. I care because you're a good person." He nodded at her and then bit his lip as he waited for her response.

Henry really hoped she wouldn't be offended. He'd never really heard much about her, other than that she didn't say much. Really all he'd ever heard about her was that she was pretty much a wallflower. Of course with the way she tended to push everyone away it was hard for him to know any concrete information about her. About what she liked or what she thought was a good thing and what was bad. He just hoped that he hadn't offended her.

@Jayla (Dx im sorry it took so long!)


Laurine tilted her head a little as he spoke. Was he being serious? He thought she was a good person? Well, she technically was by his definition, she never hurt him before, but she wouldn't really hurt anyone unless they were asking for it.
Raising a brow at him, Laurine waited for him to say something more--nothing but silence settled between the two as she pondered over what he said. It was strange, no one cared about her just because she looked like a good person, then again no one aside from her family cared about her. People often said she looked like a scary person, but that was because of her dark clothing, but she wasn't quite sure if it was just that or that at all. Was there something else about her that chased people away? Did people at school just know to stay away from her?

It wasn't as if others haven't tried being her friend, but Laurine preferred keeping people away with a ten foot pole--it was plausible that word got around that she liked to be alone. And alone she was...until this boy literally came stumbling onto her.

With a sigh, she nodded her head, still not feeling comfortable around him. Despite all he said, Laurine didn't have any reason to actually trust him. Henry was a boy and boys can't be trusted. It was her personal mantra; she constantly reminded herself of this fact every minute of every day. Yet, despite this mantra that was deeply engraved into her psyche, Laurine muttered, "You're going the wrong way. Follow me." She turned her back to him unwillingly and began to walk in the opposite direction he was about to go. Perhaps it was time to go home anyways, hiding away from the world wasn't going to work today, especially if this guy was going to be so adamant about her being safe, which was still really strange but she was going to let it go for now.

What was she doing? What. Was. She. Doing? Seriously. She was going to just lead some guy out of the forest? Some guy she hardly even knew in the first place? Something was really wrong her, but she couldn't just run off and leave him defenseless. Plus, in her pant pocket there was a can of pepper spray, so if he tried anything she would have to be a little faster and get him before he did anything to her.
Great, now she wasn't breathing. Was her heart beating faster? Sweating? Really?
Stop being so scared, Laurine. You know how to defend yourself. You've gone to like a thousand karate classes by now. You know how to kick-ass. Have some back bone! She berated herself, loosing herself in her thoughts instead of focusing on Henry and what he could be doing.

Jenner walked along the path of the forest, staying a couple feet each way-but never letting it out of her sight. She had spent one night lost in the woods here, it had probably been one of the most terrifying experiences she had ever been through. So, when her teacher asked her to take some pictures of trees and wildlife, how could she refuse?

The wet leaves and twigs made squishing sounds under Ben's feet, as it had rained once again only a few hours before. What was Ben doing in the forest, when he could have been shooting hoops with the guys back at the school's court? He really had no idea. Well, most of the guys had bailed. There was some big project due tomorrow that most had procrastinated on, but Ben wasn't in the class so he had nothing to worry about. He had some time to kill so he decided to wander into the forest.

With a practiced turn, Jenner scanned the area through her lens, looking for anything worth while to take a picture. And with a completely cliche and unoriginal twist, she found Ben. She bit her lip, then decided to take a picture... or two. After a moment, she let her camera fall--since it was connected to a strap that wrapped around her neck, and she started towards him. "Hey." she said after a second, offering a half smile.

((So... I figure they should have some history?))

((Sure, what kind exactly though?))

Ben emerged off the trail of the path, wandering to the uncharted trails of the forest where the only people to be found would be those native to Salem, or those who had lived there long enough. He heard footsteps approach him from his left, and out of the corner of his eyes he saw Jenner, who greeted him as their eyes met. He offered her a smile back. "Isn't it dangerous acknowledging a commoner as myself?" He joked, as he leaned against a tree.

((Well she likes him... or used to? We could use that))

Jenner rolled her eyes, making an obvious show of it. "I'm sorry, I don't speak peasant." she replied, obviously joking. She might insult someone else like that... but you know, this was Ben. He wasn't different. "And why do you think I stalked to you a secluded area, nobody's watching." she added, although there was a hint of seriousness to the situation.

Wasn't that like it was? Popular's hung out with the Worker Bee's outside of school so no one knew about it?

((hmm, true. Would he know/knows?))

Ben grinned and pulled out his phone and pretended to search something on it. "I'm sure there's a translator for that somewhere on here." He murmured, though it was loud enough for her to here. He looked up at her stalker comment and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's going to happen now, that no one's watching?" He said, stepping towards her with a mischievous smirk on his face.

((Sorry for the bad post. >< ))

((Yeah. Lets say she liked him in like... Junior year and they made out at a party. Then the next day she acted like it never happened because Alexis told her to.))

Jenner's eyes widened slightly, and she take a step back as she watched him. Her lips twitched with a smile and she grinned, crouching lower and taking another step back. She could feel a fun little game starting here. "I'm sure anything could happen... since no one's watching." she replied, mimicking his words mocking tone.

((Sounds good.))

"Anything?" He said, looking her up and down slowly, his eyes coming back and meeting hers, as he gave her a sort of challenging questioning look. He started to walk towards her slowly, forcefully, a hidden challenge in each step he took towards her. There was a soft breeze. It caused her hair to fly into her face. "No ones watching after all." He said, his signature mischievous smirk not leaving his face.

((I'm not good at this at all. I'm so sorry ))

((Not good at what? lol I love him <3 ))

She would have backed up, but Jen felt like if she did her legs would fail her and she'd fall to the ground. Her and Ben would always have these little encounters but they were usually awkward and only half-fun... this was different. What had changed? "So, no one's watching, we've confirmed that." she smirked, lifting her camera to snap a picture. "What are you gonna' do about it?"

((idk. This, flirty stuff. I fail so bad. I'm not worthy!
But thanks. I love him too!))

"Oh, I don't know..." Ben was a little less than a foot away from her, with one last step, he put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "... a little something like this." He said leaning down close to her so that they were eye to eye. His eyes drifted down towards her camera, which was the only thing that prevented them from being pressed against one another. "You know, I would love to take a look at this." He said, bringing his free hand up as if to take the camera.

Jenner smacked his hand away, grabbing the camera and putting it over her shoulder so it rested against her back instead. "No touchy." she reminded him, unable to keep from smiling at the situation. This was classic Jenner-- you could put your hands around her waist and dip her romantically, but when you tried to touch her camera...

((http://25.media.tumblr.com/c5531ab359... ))

"Why? What secrets are you hiding in that little metal box?" He asked, curiously, his face coming closer to hers and his voice lowering down to a whisper. His hand slowly moved from her waist up her back. When he reached the middle of her back, he pulled her into him, with the camera out of the way it was much easier. Ben wasn't sure what had come over him that he was doing this. Especially after what happened last year. Especially what probably would happen if something were to happen between them. And he wasn't sure what sort of feelings he did have towards Jenner. It was kind of neutral, but right now? He definitely felt some sort of attraction towards her. Ben was simply unsure if the attraction was something serious or something playful.

((That's exactly what I was thinking of when I had her say that!!!))

"I don't have secrets." she replied with automatically, but of course, that was a lie. That was a lie he knew to be one all too well... Ben was a secret. Or what happened with him was a secret--nobody else knew besides Alexis. Jenner bit her lip, eyes widening again with the sudden force that pressed her against his chest. She wasn't sure what was about to happen, but... she knew no matter what; this was the moment she was going to reply in her head for the next couple of days--whether it ended good or bad... she would not be forgetting this for a while.