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At some point later in the week Sammy and Laney manage to get a date and time worked out to go over math.  The questions are, will it be at Laney's so her guardians can meet Sammy.  At Sammy's, or at school somewhere.

Sammy is agreeable to any of the places.  She'll let Laney choose.

Laney prefers someplace away from the school and crowds, someplace where she'll be able to concentrate better.   She will, however, meet wherever Sammy wishes.

The deadlock sets Laney giggling.  ((But if we're combining option c) ...))  She offers to either get permission to ride the schoolbus to Sammy's stop or come over as soon as she can change and get Jean's car.   She anticipates the daily ruin of her clothing as one expects the sun to rise and set.

Sammy says, "If you want, I could fly you to my house.  Its safe."

OOC:  I'd bet that Nick lives near you.

((What are the odds?))

Laney's thrilled with the suggestion of flying - though now the idea of going home to change first has set in her little brain...as does the stress of trying to explain to her protective aunt what transportation has been arranged...

She asks for a flight home, and then she'd drive them both to Sammy's.  This way Sammy can meet Laney's relatives, and they won't be bothered by Laney's cousins while studying.

 ((Anyway, stick this wherever it fits in the timeline))


The house...
This is the home of Mike and Jean Davis and their sons, Mikey (9), Rick (7), and Joey (4).   

It's small by the standards of this middle-class neighborhood, two stories, with a two car garage and a white picket fence bordering a flower bed.  In the front lawn, nestled in well-packed snow, is a faceless snowman leaning precariously over a lump which might be a dog or a horse...something grand in a child's mind, no doubt.

The interior is obviously divided into territories based upon expected behavior: the living room is neat, barren in its immaculate state; the office door closed, off limits; the kitchen tidy but warm with smells and activity; the den is the unquestionable domain of the boys with game controllers in a mountainous tangle before the television, socks and Nerf guns strewn on the floor amidst couch cushions. 

Before entering the home, Laney curtly explains Jean is her father’s younger sister and Mike won’t be home for a couple more hours.  Laney looks nothing like her relatives.   Where she is dark haired, her aunt, uncle, and cousins are fair; Laney’s features are sharp and angular, her aunt’s plump and cheerful.  Jean is nothing but friendly, accommodating, and makes very few demands of her niece, only asking that she give her a call if she won’t be home for dinner.   Sammy’s pampered with cookies and offerings of soda or milk, etc.   Laney tries to slink away to change clothing, but her aunt sends Sammy right along with an amiable, “Why don’t you show Sammy your room, honey?   Quick now, before Joey finds out we have a guest.  Then he’ll be crying when you don’t take him with you.”

Upstairs is Laney’s room, what used to be the guest room and, in spite of Jean’s efforts, it still looked like a guest room.   The room looks untouched, almost unlived in; certainly nothing indicating a teen resided here other than textbooks resting on a newly added and empty bookshelf.   Oak and white lace, with a colorful patchwork quilt neatly folded at the foot of the bed.  It looked ancient, that quilt.   In a simple wood frame on the bed side table is photograph, obviously taken for Christmas at a studio, one of the ones sent as postcards: a man who bears resemblance to Jean in his coloring and smile, a woman who could be Laney in twenty years save for her eyes, a blonde boy perhaps Mikey’s age, a toddler whose grin reaches from ear to ear, and Laney herself.  She is younger in that picture, fuller of face, and happy.

Laney replaces her muddied cashmere with a pale blue, hooded sweatshirt, roughly pulls her hair into a ponytail, shoulders her backpack again, and says, “Ready to go?”

Sammy makes the flight take about as long as it would to walk there, so there's a little bit of time to just enjoy the view.  They go on a quick aerial tour of Oak Park.  Sammy won't try any fancy aerial maneuvers unless she's absolutely certain that Laney isn't going to freak out.  She also avoids any large flocks of birds.   :scared:

They land in a protected spot a few blocks away from Laney's house.  Sammy apparently knows this neighborhood.  After they get to the house, Sammy makes nice to aunt Jean, complimenting her on the cookies and gladly accepting a glass of milk to go with them, telling her how grateful she is that Laney is willing to help her with this part of math.  She does her best to behave in a way that will ease any of the aunt's potential worries about Laney's new friend.  She doesn't say a single negative word about the bedroom, just comments that she can never keep her own room this neat. This girl needs some happy things and some color in here.  Maybe I'll teach her how to knit or crochet.


"Yeah, let's go."  She follows Laney to the car. 

Shivering though she was, Laney thoroughly enjoyed the flight, babbling how she'd love to be able to do that and how, if she'd known it was like then she'd have painted her seraphim with smiles - and more clothing.

It's a dark green '98 Honda Accord, about to celebrate 100K miles, for which Laney keeps the key on the same chain as her house keys.   The fact that they hit every light on green compensates for Laney's extremely cautious driving.

She'd prepared for tutoring, and, once settled in a private place, she proves to be a methodical teacher with seemingly infinite patience, willing to go over hard points as many times as Sammy needs - as long as they're not interrupted.   Laney does not handle distractions well...


((But I'll pause here, just in case Nick's around.  ;D ))


Edit:
((It occurred to me to add that no, one should not speak to Laney while she's driving.  It would be...bad.))

Sammy smiles back.  "It does get cold.  I'm going to miss the heater when John figures out how to fly on his own."


OOC:  I'll  hold here, for the same reason.

Mom pokes her head in.  "Sammy.  There's someone here to see you, but he doesn't want to come in the house."

Laney looks curiously at Sammy when John's name is mentioned, but then:

"Oh!  I'm sorry.  We could have done this a different day if you had plans with someone else."

Dylan? Logan?

"I didn't have any plans.  Just you, me, and geometry.  I'd better go see who it is.  Its freezing out there!"  She gets up to go to the front door.

Laney quite politely remains wherever she was.

Nick is there, doing the dance that people do when they're freezing outside.  He's dressed for the weather, but it's still pretty cold out.  "Oh.  Hey."  he says, as though he's surprised she came to the door.  "I."  He looks around.  "I was going to send you a DVD apology.  But then I started trying to figure out what I would say, and it kept getting really nonsensical.  So I thought I'd just invite you, and Elrod, to a film festival at the University Saturday.  Sort of a history of Romantic Comedy."

Sammy is very surprised to see him there.  Were there flies this time of year, she might be in danger of catching some.  She regains her wits and puts her hand on his arm.  "Th... thank you.  Come on in.  You're freezing."  Sensing a touch of reluctance, she keeps working on him.  "There's a new girl at school.  She's inside, helping me with my geometry homework.  Come on in the kitchen, thaw out a little bit, say hi.  She needs some friends, and she used to do stuff for plays at her old school.  Please?"  She's not sure if she needs to pull out the big guns, but its freaking cold out here and she'll feel horrible if he loses bits of ear and nose to frostbite.  "Please?  I've missed talking with you."

Nick has a moment where Sammy is sure he's going to bolt and run.  Then he nods and comes inside."  Th.thanks.  I think I'd have frozen to death walking back home, and then birds would have used me as a perch.  Not how I want to die."

It the room where she sits, Laney quietly studies the patterns in the flooring, where it's worn, where it's discolored, where the softest touch mars the surface.   The wind gusting outside distracts her from this; she's sure there's a rhythm to it, very difficult to detect - impossible with the door opening and closing like that.   She looks up and smiles at the pair when they enter, eyes sparkling curiously.

"No.  I don't want you to die either."  She takes him into the kitchen.


"Laney?  This popsicle is my... this is Nick.  Nick, Laney.  Talk for a second; I'm gonna get you a blanket."  She turns and runs up the stairs to her room, pulling the warm knit throw off her bed.  She runs back down and stands ready to toss it around his shoulders as soon as his coat is off.  While she's running she thinks romantic comedy festival with Elrod and Nick.  Eek.  All I need is John to complete the setup for the nervous breakdown.

Nick immediately extends a hand, "Laney.  I'm Nick Hurley.  Actor, comedian, singer, dancer, and all around wonderful person.  I'm also humble, but don't tell anyone."

Laney accepts the offered hand, but his charming introduction has her blinking confusedly.

"Laney Brennan," she mumbles.

Nick looks over the assembled books and papers.  "Hmm, math.  The language shared by all mankind.  And laughter.  Hey!"  he says brightly, "How about you come with us Saturday to a film festival.  History of Romantic Comedy.  It'll be great."

"Yes, I was helping Sammy with...um...Us?  Who us?   Um...I guess...What do they do?  Play movies all day?"  You can shut up, now.  You've given him a sufficient idea of just how stupid you are.  "Where is it?  I mean who's running it?"

Nick smiles and leans forward, "You're silly.  I like you."  he says, in a voice that's cartoon character quality.  "Yes, they show movies.  and by us I mean Sammy and Elrod and me.  And now you.  You said yes after all."  His voice works it's way back to normal.  "I should get home.  Sammy needs all the help she can get with this stuff."  He says grinning.

Laney can't even raise a smile at that, and she looks helplessly in the direction Sammy disappeared, stammering, "Sounds like fun.  Um...I don't know...She seems to be doing alright with it, doesn't need my help much.  Did you need me to um...go someplace else for a minute while you two talk?  You came all the way over here..."

"I was just kidding.  I'm a comedian.  I may have mentioned that."  He smiles.  "Good, we'll let you know the time and everything.  It'll be wonderful."  He waggles his eyebrows and gives Sammy a hug.  "Gotta go Angel.  I just wanted you to know that, I'm sorry.  And, I just want to be Nick and Sammy again, you know?"

Sammy stands there rather helplessly with the blanket in her hands.  She looks back and forth between Laney and Nick, wondering what the heck just happened there.  Then he hugs her.  "But... but..." she sputters.  "You're still cold.  I got you a blanket," she says, in her new role as Queen of the Obvious.  She looks at the blanket, looks at Nick's grinning face, and continues to be confused.  Out of sheer reflex she wraps the blanket around herself.  She cues in on something else he said.  "I'm sorry too.  At least you had an excuse.  I'm not sure any more that mine was very good.  I guess I'll see you around then."

After Nick departs, Laney turns to Sammy and says with feigned cheerfulness, "So...That's Nick.  He seems...nice.  He um...said you were going to a film festival and invited me, too.   Look, if you need to go talk to him, it's alright.  I can go or wait or whatever.  I don't mind."

"No!" Sammy blurts.  "I mean, no, its ok, um, I just didn't expect to see him here.  I was just talking about him today, and then boom, here he is.  Took me off guard.  Something happened before you came to town, and it made things really uncomfortable between us.  Nick and me.  Elrod and me too.  But Elrod kept after me, so it worked out okay.  Nick got flustered and ran away.  I growled at him too, which didn't help.  So he wants to make us friends again now, and asked... he asked me and Elrod to a romantic comedy festival?  and you too?  Maybe he thought I was trying to fix you up with him?  That's not a bad thing," she adds hurriedly,"he's a really nice guy, really funny, and a good kisser."  She blushes. "I'm really confused.  Sorry."

"Oh!  He was your - Um...growled?"  and the tips of her ears darken, the color starts creeping down...


...until Laney's face is a lovely shade of red.   
She summarizes internally: A date with a guy she just met, who happens to be the ex of her new friend who will be joining them, at a strange place that will probably be loud and crowded, watching movies she's not interested in, when she's never kissed a boy that way in her life.

She can only repeat, "He seems nice."

"He is nice."  Sammy closes her eyes, and gets a grip.  "It's totally confusing.  I know.  I'm in the middle of it."  She opens her eyes.  "Well, Saturday ought to be fun.  Anybody you want to invite?  We could make it a big party.  John needs to get out more, and if I'm at a film festival, there won't be any Saturday morning flying lessons or all you can eat buffets for lunch.  He'll be free.  You should ask John.  And he can ask somebody too!"  She makes a little choking sound.  Was it a laugh or a sob?

Sammy goes over to the freezer and pulls out a frozen pie and three half gallons of ice cream.  She sticks the pie in the oven, turns it on, then pulls out three spoons.  "Mom!" she calls down the hall, "It's pie and ice cream time!"

Sammy puts the spoons and all but one of the ice cream cartons on the table.  She sits down, blanket still wrapped around her shoulders, and starts digging into her carton with her spoon.

She had just made the decision not to go when a twinge of guilt prevented her from admitting it: she couldn't leave Sammy to this nightmarish event alone.

"Yes, fun.  I don't know who to ask.  Um...John?   Are you alright?  If you need to stop for dinner, I can go.  I think you're doing fine with the geometry, but we could go over the next few textbook exercises another day, if you want to."

She reaches hesitantly to touch Sammy's shoulder in what she hopes is a comforting manner, but the appearance of the ice cream gives her pause; she can't connect this behavior with anything she's familiar with.

Sammy pauses in her shoveling long enough to say "Silly, this isn't dinner.  This is stress and anxiety, with a sprinkle of depression and a great big dollop of confusion."  Then she realizes that Laney probably has absolutely no idea why she feels this way.  "Um, you know how I told you I'm part djinn?  That makes my... love life?... a lot more difficult than it probably needs to be.  I struggle with it, but it seems I honestly can't help loving more than one boy at once.  Its even tougher when they love me back.  Right now I'm at a definite two boys with a possibility of a total of four, more if I'm totally honest with myself.  John figured out last weekend that djinn normally have multiple love interests, so I'm not a total freak.  I just don't know how to balance instinct and fairness to people who don't have that same instinct."  She gestures at the ice cream.  "So I'm hiding behind fudge ripple and not thinking for a while."

"So...Elrod, and Nick, and John, and who else?  Are your um...lovers?   Do they know or are you um...cheating on them...or all at once or...Oh."

Laney drops into a chair and stares at Sammy, absently raises a hand to her own cheek to cool the burning.

"Lovers?  No.  I haven't done that with anybody.  El is my boyfriend and Nick was my boyfriend, yeah, but I tried to keep it to one at a time so that's not cheating.  And they definitely know about each other.  John's not even a boyfriend, never has been.  He's just... well, you know.  Yummy.  But honest, I'm trying really hard to be with just Elrod and ignore what I might feel about the others.  That's why this film festival is going to be so hard."  She eats more ice cream.

"Why are you going, then?  If Nick was your boyfriend and...and you still want him to be your boyfriend, but you're not going to let him be your boyfriend...That's not really um...Won't that hurt his feelings?" 

Hearing "John" and "Yummy" in the same sentence brought color to her face once again.   Sammy may find solace in the sweets when stressed, but as Laney's thoughts become more and more tangled in her anxiety she can't even bring a spoonful to her lips.

Sammy looks like she's in pain.  "Did he really give me a chance to say no?  I mean, he said something about inviting me AND Elrod, I said thanks then ran upstairs to get a blanket.  He had asked you by the time I got back, and was ready to head out the door.  And wanting and doing something about wanting are entirely different things.  Elrod's... there.  Solid.  Doesn't run away when things get scary.  Keeps coming back for me, when even I don't think I deserve it.  I want to try to be the girlfriend he deserves.  You'd think that would be easy, wouldn't you?"

Maybe that's Nick's plan.  Go with somebody, so that I don't feel pressure. Then maybe we can at least be friends again. 

Sammy belatedly realizes its sounding like she doesn't want Laney to go with Nick.  "It'll help if you go though.  He won't be free floating then, and I'll have a good reason to ignore some things; I won't cross a lot of lines.  You'll have fun with Nick, really.  He is a nice guy, smart and funny and talented.  The time will fly by."

"Um...alright.  I don't mind...I mean if you're going, too.  If it'll help.  And it'll be um...good to get out of the house."   Somehow, she thought her first date would be slightly different, but Sammy's distress has her concerned and wishing to help.

"He seems nice."

Sammy looks up again.  "Don't get the feeling Nick's just a leftover or a throw-away.  He's not.  I really do hope you have a good time with him.  I expect you will."

Laney fully expects the opposite, but smiles amiably.   "You should call Elrod and tell him he has a date."

"Yeah.  I will.  Later."

So, after finishing off a lot of ice cream all by her lonesome and achieving better living through fat-and-sugar-chemistry, Sammy calls Elrod.

"Hey.  I just wanted to tell you that Nick invited you and me to join him at a romantic comedy film festival this Saturday.  I wanted to check with you now, in case we need to say no for some reason."

"Sounds good.  I had no plans besides hanging out with you."

"Oh, OK.  I guess we're on then.  Laney will be there too."

*insert suspenseful theme music here*

"Sounds like it'll be fun.  I'll borrow something with four doors then."

"I don't know if we're expected to drive everybody... I don't think we are...

"I don't mind.  Unless, this isn't something we should do?"

Sammy stammers "Uh, no, if you want to its okay, but, well, yeah, okay."  Ice cream buzzes don't last very long.  Her voice trails off.  "It might be a little weird, that's all."

"And if we blow him off it will only get weirder.  You like him, I like him, he likes you.  No reason not to go.  Besides, if Laney goes maybe we can hook them up or something sinister like that."

Sammy doesn't really have a good answer for that, so she says "Sure.  OK." and doesn't push it any further.

"I'll talk to Nick and get the particulars and then we can figure things out.  Talk to you later."

Sometime between now and Saturday, Laney corners John long enough to hesitantly ask him if Sammy has spoken to him about the weekend, yet.  She mentioned asking others to go...

 ::)

OOC:  Yay you!  Let's put all the components into one test tube and see what happens.

OOC: Done here then?

((That depends on what you want to do about this.))

OOC: There are days between now and then  ::)

OOC: I think so.  I was considering having Sammy talk to her dad about all this, but figured it might be too unpleasant for him to process.

The only thing she'll say to John is that she's not going to be able to go flying/running off to faraway places with strange sounding names this Saturday.  That'll probably be in a text message.

((oooooo coward!  ;D))

(OOC: DING! give that Motley a prize!  Besides, it twists things up more if he doesn't know why Sammy cancelled.  But then again, it might not be all that important to him.  He might not even notice.)

Riiiiiight!


Wait.  I never said we weren't doing it.  I was joust going to wrap this thread up is all.  Jeeeze. ;)

((Give the guy a little credit.  He might clue in once Laney hits him with that question.  ;D))

Sammy texts:  John.  I have to take care of something on Saturday, so no flight school or lunch.  Very Sorry.


(OOC: There.  Neat and tidy lead in for Laney's question.)

((Oh, I'm just farming posts at this point.  Done with work early today.  *ahem*  Yes, thanks.  I believe this topic can be closed, now.))