[Q] perfectionistically PETRIFIED (Sawyer)

[averygrant]

i love that you're never satisfied
face painted with wisdom and your happy lies

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The first day of college was not going well for Avery. She'd gotten lost and shown up late for her first class. As if being late wasn't bad enough, she'd been forced to take the last open seat in the room, which was right smack in the middle. She always sat in the first row, but would now probably be stuck in the seat all semester.

Three hours and two more classes later, she was rushing to the cafeteria, hoping she wouldn't miss lunch. Cold food would do nothing to make her day get any better. So she was moving down the sidewalk rather briskly, looking down at her schedule instead of where she was going when she ran smack into someone with a thump. Her books, notebook, and schedule fell to the ground and she bent down to scramble for them. "I'm so sorry. I should have been watching,"

[/b] she said, without bothering to look up. If she had looked up, the stranger might have seen the tears that she was fighting to keep from forming in her eyes.
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but you take what they say
and go back and cry

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COMPLETED

[/b] with 185[/b] words, just for SAWYER[/b]!
PS - QUICK FLICK!![/b]

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[LOKI!]

Have you ever seen, the stars so bright.
With a night like this, wish it'd last for weeks

He bent down to help her pick up the scattered books and papers. All he could see was the blonde hair moving quickly from side to side, "Accidents happen, that's why they call them . . . Well accidents." He stood with her books in his hand. "So are you a transfer? I don't remember seeing you around here before."

He didn't really have anywhere to be, he only had two classes this semester. He could tell she was in a hurry though. He handed her books back, "I'm Sawyer by the way. Would you happen to have a name?" He wasn't good with first impressions, even if they did run right smack into his chest.

It soothes the soul. Takes us back in time
when we walked in fields of gold

[averygrant]

As a masculine voice answered her and she saw his hands reach down to help, she felt even more awful about it. She wasn't exactly good with guys, and her sister would never let her live this down if she found out about it.

She stood, brushing her black skirt against her legs as she wished he'd just hurry up and give her books back. "Thanks for helping. I could have gotten them on my own though."

[/b] She realized she probably sounded really rude and ungrateful, and immediately felt sorry. "Sorry, it's been a rough day,"[/b] she added, with an apologetic smile. "No, not a transfer. I'm a freshman."[/b] She blushed, feeling both young and naive, and slightly elated that someone had thought she was older than she was.

He finally handed over her books and she smiled. "I'm Avery. And I guess you're...not a freshman. Or a transfer."[/b] She quickly did the math and knew the guy must be at least 3 years older than her, and once again felt like an idiot for running into him.
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[LOKI!]

He smiled weakly, sensing her unease. He tried desperately to lighten the mood, "I've been here for a bit. I remember my first week though. This place can seem very intimidating, can't it?" He was trying way too hard, he could feel it already. He stepped aside a bit to give her room to run if she felt the need. "So where are you heading now? I can run interference to prevent anymore run ins?"

He laughed nervously at the lame joke as he tried to read her mood. He was having a little easier time talking to her. He didn't know if it was her evident embarrassment, or the fact that he was so much older than her. But whatever it was it did feel kind of nice. "So how about an escort?"

[averygrant]

Avery laughed at his joke. The way things were going it probably wouldn't hurt her to have someone running interference. Then again, she highly doubted anything would prevent her from continuing to make mistakes.

His offer to escort her made her smile. She was glad he wasn't too mad at her for slamming into him with a pile of books, and decided it wouldn't hurt to let him tag along. Oh, who was she kidding. She would love her sister to walk in and see her sitting with a guy. Especially a cute one. She knew he probably had no real interest in her other than feeling sorry for an awkward freshman, but so far she wasn't exactly becoming popular, and a friend might be nice.

"Sure,"

[/b] she spoke with a nod. "I was just heading to the cafeteria to get lunch before they quit serving and everything gets cold."[/b] She twisted up her face in a grimace, showing her displeasure at the idea of eating cold leftovers. No thanks. The way her day was going, she really needed something to warm her spirits.

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[LOKI!]

He quickly checked his watch, "No wonder you're in a hurry. But if you wanted to get there while they still had good food I can tell you you're at least a few years too late." He stepped out of the way to let her pass.

"So that's a lot of books for a freshman. What do you want to be when you grow up?" A smile started to flash across his face, before his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. "I didn't mean to say you were young or anything, I was just . . . uhh . . .should we just go then?" He offered her his arm as they started toward the cafeteria.

[averygrant]

She already knew what he meant about the food, since she'd eaten there the 3 days she'd lived in her dorm so far. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. However, most mediocore things taste far worse when cold, and she wasn't ready to test the cafeteria food out on that one just yet. She smiled, and began walking as he began talking again.

She nodded, but then her smile faded as she wondered if he really did just think of her as a kid. As quickly as it had come out, he hurried to correct it, so she tried to brush the nagging fears aside. "20 credits,"

[/b] she spoke with a laugh, "I know, I know. I'm an overachiever. But I'm actually still undecided."[/b] She didn't mention the fact that being undecided was about as hard on her as...well, not sitting in the front row. But Glencarry wasn't exactly the most prestigious school in the country, and she wasn't sure what her best option would be yet. She loved music and dance, but she was quite smart and knew she wanted to do something else with her life.
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[LOKI!]

He led the way trying to steer her around obstacles and other undergrads. "20 credits, man if I had the stomach for that I may be out of here by now." He laughed slightly, "but hey, if I wasn't here who'd be looking out for you right now?" As they got to the cafeteria he led her to the shortest line. "Well I think we got her quick enough for it to be slightly edible."

Now that they had arrived at the cafeteria, he couldn't help but feel torn. He hadn't eaten all day, and he would love to join her for lunch. But he didn't want to overstay his welcome either, or worse make her think he was just some kind of creep prowling for naive freshman. He tried to read her thoughts to see if she even wanted him to stay.

[averygrant]

She laughed. Yes, she'd heard from everyone that she was crazy for taking so many classes, but she liked studying so she figured she'd be fine. Avery followed him to the line and picked up a tray. She reached up and brushed her straight blonde hair out of her face and smiled at him. "So I guess you can tell me what's best on the menu today?"

[/b] There were about 10 students in front of them, and until they got closer she wouldn't even be able to see what the options were.

She realized he hadn't grabbed a tray yet and she wondered if he was trying to come up with an escape. Of course, it figures. The first person who actually talked to her would want to leave her as soon as possible. "Not eating? It's okay, if you have somewhere to go I'm sure I can find something edible myself. I can't expect you to give up your whole day after all."[/b] Her pale blue eyes met his buttery brown eyes and she felt herself wishing he could give up his whole day. She was hoping he'd become a friend, and she couldn't deny that she liked having a good looking guy following her around for the first time in her life. Maybe her day was starting to look up.
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[LOKI!]

He grabbed a tray as relief flooded over his body. "I think we may just manage to find something edible here." He smiled as their eyes met, it was the first time he had seen them. They almost hypnotized him. "So where do you have to be next?" He checked his watch again, he knew he was free the rest of the day. But he didn't want to seem too anxious. "I'm sure I may be able to escort you there too. For your own protection of course."

He settled in line behind her as they slowly worked their way through. "That is of course, if you'd be seen with an old man like me?" He smiled almost sheepishly at her. He didn't know if he would ever see her after today, but if he did this semester just might be so bad after all.

[averygrant]

Avery offered him a sincere smile. "Of course I don't mind being seen with you."

[/b] The idea that he might think otherwise was kind of stunning to her. Did he not realize almost any girl would die to be seen with an older guy? She really didn't care about her image or what people though of her friends. In fact, in high school she'd been friends with the crowd most people referred to as the "geeks" or "nerds," but to her they were just nice people she enjoyed being around.

She tried to remember where she had to go next, but couldn't remember the building, only the class. "Uhh, I have History next. I don't remember what building it's in though,"[/b] she said as she blushed. She was sure he would know right where it was. It was a fairly small campus, and once you knew where the building for history was, well, it would always be the same. He probably had a better chance at remembering who taught the class than she did too. Small schools were both good and bad. Glencarry wasn't tiny by any means, but it certainly wasn't one of those expansive campuses where you had to take shuttles from one building to the next.
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[LOKI!]

As they set at the table he shook his head playfully. "I'm sure we can get you there, it's not that difficult." He couldn't help but steal another glance at her eyes. He sat in silence for a few minutes trying to work out the words in his head. He wasn't sure exactly how to phrase what he wanted to ask. "So do you have any plans this weekend?"

He blushed as the words came out of his mouth. He had danced around the question he wanted to ask, but it least this way he had some deniability. He tried to deflect the awkward pause with another joke, "Or are those books going to occupy all of your time?"

[averygrant]

She couldn't help but smile, a bright grin that lit up her blue eyes. Was this his way of asking if she wanted to hang out? No, don't be silly. He was probably just trying to make conversation and had no idea what else to talk about.

"Well, unless something more interesting comes along, the books probably will occupy all of my time."

[/b] She knew she sounded like a total nerd, but why dance around the obvious. She was plain, shy, and boring. She didn't exactly have a line of exciting prospects banging down her door on Saturday nights. With any luck, Riley would be out doing something that was actually fun, and Avery would cuddle up with a blanket and cup of hot tea and watch a movie. That was the just the way the world she lived in worked.
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[LOKI!]

He noticed the change in her eyes. "Well if you don't have any other plans, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out?" He smiled rather sheepishly as he waited for her answer. It felt like time was standing still, and it was just the two of them.

Time, he thought, "Shoot, I am so sorry, we probably need to get you to class before you're late. That would not be a good way to start the year off, now would it?" He hurriedly scooped up their trays and took them away. He turned back half expecting she had taken the chance to run off. Seeing her still sitting at the table brought the smile back. "So after you? Or am I leading this trip?"

[averygrant]

She laughed, "I guess I could fit you in somewhere between all my studying."

[/b] A blush rose into her cheeks and she looked down at her tray. Why was she opening up to this guy already? She didn't even know him.

Then he reminded her about her class, which she'd all but forgotten in her anticipation of the fact that he might actually want to be friends. She stood up at his last comment and brushed her skirt back in place before reaching down and picking up her tray. "Well, after I get rid of this, maybe you could show me where the history building is?"[/b] She took the tray over to a counter and then looked at her schedule so she'd know what room to go to once she found the building. She still had 20 minutes before her class started, but she always liked to get there at least 5 minutes early, if not more. Looked like she'd make it just in time for that.
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