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Laney had made it through most of the day with nothing major happening.  Aside from what happened at lunch.  She's on her way out of the building when she bumps into John.  "Sorry."  he says, his body shifting like it might if any person bumped into any other person.  But she knows he's not any person.  "Oh, hey!"  he says, "Just the person I was looking for."  He guides her out of the flow of bodies to a doorway.  He shifts his pack and fishes around inside it, pulling out a pair of magazines.  "These are old copies of the Journal or Medicine.  They have some articles on that probability study I mentioned.  Not too technical.  I thought you might like to read them.  And."  he hands her the magazines.  "Sammy had to cancel practice Saturday, so I was wondering if you wanted to do something?  Maybe.  With me.  Saturday."

Laney was pleased and squinting at the titles of the magazines, about to flip them open to see what other articles she'd find, murmuring her thanks, when the rest of John's words settled in her little brain...

Amazing that shade of pink, all the way to the tips of her ears.

"Yes, I'd love to!  I thought Sammy was going to ask you to come with us and...She said we should invite the others and...Oh, dear.   She...She didn't tell you, did she?   Oh, hell."     Laney slumps against the door frame, letting her backpack slide to her feet.

"Um...well...I'd...um...It'd be nice if you came with us but if she didn't tell you then...Well, listen, Nick invited Sammy and Elrod to this film festival Saturday.  I don't even know what time or where.   Then he invited me.  Then Sammy freaked out and didn't want it to be just the three of them and said we should invite more people and that she was glad I was going to, because she used to date Nick and...and...I really, really don't want Nick thinking it's a double date or anything like that.   I thought she was going to ask you and the others to go, too.  I'm sorry.  Um....Oh, hell.  I'm so much trouble."

John looks at her as she speaks.  "You're not as much trouble as I am."  he smiles, "I'd love to go to a film festival."

Laney certainly isn't looking back at him, staring miserably at her shielded toes, very glad she couldn't eat her lunch earlier for surely she would've lost it by now, as stressed as she is.

"But she didn't even mention it to you!   Why not?  She told me that...Oh, hell.  There can't be five of us, then.  We have to ask the others, so it's a larger group.  You don't understand.  Sammy was all upset, something about too many guys...or not enough guys...or...I don't even know...Can we um..."  She looks around at the other students passing them, distracted by the chattering and realizing she's only adding to the senseless noise.

"I'm sorry.  I would um...I'd like you to come with us, but now I don't know what's going on with Sammy - No, that's not true.  I do know.  I just don't understand.  She said one thing, then another, then...I'm horrible with people, John.   I'm sorry.  I think...I think I really want you to come with us, though."

Then she does look up at John, and there, once her babbling ceases, the worry lines melt away and she smiles; it is a glorious thing to see, her eyes ignite with life.

"I understand.  As rare as that is, I think I actually do understand.  I'll talk to Sammy.  It's probably not as confusing as....no, it is confusing.  But it's fine.  I'll talk to Sammy.  And I'll see you tomorrow."  He waves to her as he moves back into the flow of bodies.  And she watches as he shifts in the crowd when people bump him.  He's doing it on purpose, to seem normal.  Then she watches him walk out the doors.

She almost calls Sammy right then and there to confess her crime, but when she's staring at the radiant screen of her cell, walking towards the bus, she's shoved to the ground, struck by a pair of boys in pursuit of another.  A backward glance, a yelled, "Sorry!" and they take off again after the collision.     
Laney forgets about her phone call the rest of the evening.

Sammy gets a text message that evening from John.  Can I see you?

OOC: Assume this happens on a night after the message from Colin.

OOC:  Should I wait until the message thread is further along/finished?  Also, "a" night or "the" (same) night?  I'm getting some temporal confusion.

No, nestordrod, temporal confusion was not another attempt to give the gm ideas.

OOC: "A" night.  And we should be able to move forward with this with no trouble.

Meu nome é Samantha Jameson. Eu sou um cidadão americano.  "Meu nome é Samantha Jameson. Eu sou um cidadão americano."  Onde fica a estação rodoviária?  "Onde fica a estação rodoviária?"  When her phone vibrates, Sammy stops the language lesson and stares at the message on the phone's display.

Her first impulse is to ignore it.  I could be asleep, she rationalizes.  Or not know that there's a message.  But what if he's looking through the walls even now?  He'll know I'm dodging, or lying.  Better get it over with.  But see?  I don't know about that.

She decides on a half-way solution.  She calls him instead of texting.

"I'm at home.  What's up?"

"I just wanted to ask you about the movies.  You canceled flying so I thought I'd ask Laney if she wanted to do something.  and she got all...she got all Laney like and started talking about you and Elrod and Nick and some movies.  I told her I'd talk to you.  Would it bother you if I come along?  I'd hate to ruin any plan you might have to let Nick get to know Laney."

"Oh lord..." Sammy whispers.  "I'm not trying to fix up Nick and Laney.  Anything but.  It was already setting up to be a total hot room with him asking me and Elrod to go to those movies; then I left them alone for a minute, just a minute, and he's asking her to go, which is only going to make it weirder.  But she's so... lonely,  and lost.  I wasn't sure it was a good idea to go at all, but he didn't give me a chance to say no, especially once he asked her.  I couldn't back out then.  And then... well, I was getting stressed, and she said something about inviting you and I said sure, invite him, invite everybody.  Then I started eating lots of ice cream." 

She reviews his words in her head, and continues as neutrally as she can muster.  "But you asked her to do something before she asked you, and Nick asked her before you did.  So I guess its really up to her, isn't it?  I mean, if she thinks she has a date with Nick, and she said yes, it would be kind of impolite to bring you along too, right, unless she's sure its ok with Nick.  It's not my business.  But if it is ok with him, and since you already know it's okay with her since she asked, then it becomes totally up to you. If you want to do that with Laney... sure."  She started neutrally, but ends sounding worn out.  "Why not."

"You understand this is one of the reasons I've had two girlfriends in my whole life."  He sounds like he always does, confused.  "Wait, Nick asked her?  Oh!  What if it's an extension of her abilities?  How likely is it that I'd ask a girl out in the first place?  Is Nick the type to ask a girl he doesn't know out?"

"She... abilities?  What abilities?"  Frustration leaks through.  "I thought she wasn't sure if she even had any abilities.  How likely to ask any girl? Or how likely to ask Laney?  When you like somebody well enough, you'll move closer because you want that more than you are afraid.  You're the only one who knows the answer to that, even if its only a sick feeling in your gut that you're trying to ignore.  And Nick?  He was crazy enough to ask both me and Elrod to something, after everything that happened.  Asking Laney?  That's nothing compared to the other thing."  She almost harrumphs.  "So if its 'not likely' that you'd ask her out, and you don't think its likely that Nick would suddenly ask her out either, then what is it?" 

"I'm not sure.  Maybe I'm seeing things that aren't there.  Or trying to.  Maybe I'll just skip the movie thing.  It might be awkward.  Yeah."  He seems to be convinced, "Yeah, that'll work.  Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow at school.  Thanks."  He ends the call.

She puts the phone down and tries not to think about it, but that doesn't work.  About five minutes later, she calls him again.

"Yeah?"  he answers.

"I'm sorry!  I-- I didn't mean to say you couldn't go, or that I wouldn't want you to go, or... it might be better if a lot of people go.  It'll take the focus off... things.  Problems."  She makes a frustrated sound.  "You were right, what you found out about djinn is true.  I got independent data. My mom... its genetic, ok?  So from now on... I have to be so careful, if I'm not going to hurt anybody... but its going to be a long battle between my will and my... want?  I'm so afraid...  and this movie thing... but if you want to go, if its something you think you'd like to do, go.  Like I said, more people might take away the pressure; it'll be a group thing instead of a whatever the heck it is right now.  But... well, I'm sorry if I made you feel unwanted.  You're most definitely wanted."

"You didn't make me feel unwanted.  I do that all by myself.  But this time I was actually trying to rationalize it.  I don't want to make people uncomfortable.  And I just sort of sprang the question on Laney.  So I thought maybe if I didn't go it might be easier.  But, I can be your wingman.  Maybe we can get Greg to go and bring some of the drama gang.  Give Laney some other people to be around.  We're....as a group we're kind of intense."

"Yeah, we are."  There's silence as she twiddles with Mr. Patches ears.  "OK.  So you're going, right?  And we'll get a lot of other people to go too, so this is less... intense.  Maybe it'll be okay."

"Yeah, I'll go.  That sounds like a good idea.  And maybe we'll mention it at lunch and see who else wants to go.  Granted if some people say they want to go that will exclude others.  But that's the nature of us in general."

"Yes," Sammy agrees.  "We... yeah.  Nothing is easy, is it?  Thanks.  For coming, for helping.  For letting me talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the middle of the room.  Maybe now I'll be able to quit self medicating with desserts so I don't become the 800 pound gorilla."  She sort of laughs.

"Hey, if you can't confide in someone you end up.  Well you end up like me.  So feel free anytime.  I'll be happy to be your wingman, it's the least I can do."

"My wingman.  OK.  Good night then?"

"Good night."  and the call ends again.