Tuesday, April 26, 2005

   more of the story ...

As promised, here is the next part our Cinderella story. Thank you Sagi-sama for being so nice as to edit (even though it's her story, too, so it's her responsibility to do it anyway ... *ducks objects that are suddenly being launched at my head and heads for safer places, sticking my tongue out*). Anyway, on to the story ... Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored. Ash wouldn't be able to take sitting and waiting for class to begin for much longer. It had taken him ten seconds to walk down the hall and sit down in his usual seat. So ... a five minute hall break minus ten seconds was ... an eternity when none of your so-called friends were in this stupid math class. He ran a hand through his shaggy blonde-brown hair before resting his head on his arm and staring at the empty seat beside him. These seats were funny looking. Blue butts and back rests, gray desks and lots of metal bar thingys to hold it all together in a strange G-curve. Who had come up with that design? Or, the better question - why buy it? Personally he himself would have invested in two person desks with barstool seats. Much more fun, though harder to sleep on. Fifty more minutes. Just five-zero more minutes. Well, almost. Now it was more like forty nine. But nearly fifty and those next forty nine minutes would be complete and utter agony. Was letting him run free too much to ask? Really? Honestly? He only wanted fresh air and natural light. A short, dark haired girl dropped into the desk beside him, letting her bookbag fall to the floor with a dull thud. Ash sat up a little. Boredom could easily be cured by one simple thing and usually readily attainable thing: conversation. "What's your name?" he asked, more than willing to accept the challenge of making a new friend of this girl. She stared at him as if there was no way he could be talking to her, although she did finally answer after a few seconds had passed. "Gideon." "Strange name for a female, but can't say that it sounds bad. I'm Ash. Named after a tree. Funny thing is my mom and dad did that to all five of us. Birch, Willow, Ivy and Daisy, though Daisy and Ivy aren't trees. But we're all plants. Strange parents equals strange kids is what Gram says. Do you know the woman who owns Expressions? Wonder what her parents must have have been like." Well, she would either run in terror or laugh at him. Hopefully the later as he did have a tendency to talk until he couldn't quit anymore. She blinked at him, but her lips turned up in a ghost of a smile. "Mr. Lansin is a retired elementary teacher. Mrs. Lansin used to do the same thing her daughter does now. Tina is a lot like her." "So you know her then? Gram won't trust anyone else with her hair. She always says that anyone who can dye her hair that well, many times, knows what she's doing. That and I think that she likes the free herbal teas." There it was again, death by asfixiation of the English language; but Gideon just laughed a little at that. "Gram and Papaw make their own tea most of the time. Gram grows all kinds of things in her green house and what she doesn't, Willow does. She took over Mom and Dad's green house a couple of years ago after she graduated.The Hot House is doing pretty well now." Gideon actually let him talk. Wow. Someone who doesn't think I'm a complete freak yet. Wonder how long it'll last. "All of us kids are nature nuts. Birch is even studying to be an entomologist, though why is beyond my mere mortal understanding." He couldn't help laughing at the memory of his brother digging around the farm. Gideon watched him, that tiny, surprised smile back on her face. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign, but he couldn't stop himself if he had really wanted to; but if he had really, really, really wanted to he supposed that be might be able to manage shutting his mouth for a possible ten to thirty seconds. Maybe even for a complete and full minute. On a great day he could even make it to five. "Birch is something of an oddity. I'm even thinking of asking his girlfriend to go to a therapist. Who, besides him, would seriously want bugs in their house?" "They'll be in containers," Gideon pointed out. "But still." He shook his head, mocking his elder brother's chosen profession. "Just imagine eating a plate of spaghetti and looking at the mantle only to see a big twenty gallon tank of worms. Dinner would be over." "Yeah, I guess it would," Gideon agreed, laughing. "You should see their apartment." He shuddered again. "I can't believe that my one and only brother wants to study the very things that destroy our crops and ruin our gardens and the girls' flower beds. I'm ashamed to call him family in all honesty. Bugs and plants don't mix. I'm a plant man and he can keep his bugs. Or we could always fight to the death. That would amuse Papaw." "Amuse him?" Gideon raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Well, until someone got hurt. He laughs at our mini-fueds rather than punish us. Gram's the one who, in technical terms, is the disciplinarian. Papaw tends to hate anything in the way of punishment. I'm beginning to think that he was a horrible child and was often chastised. Either that or he had enough violence when he was in Vietnam." "Would it be all right if I started class, Mr. Thompson?" asked Mrs. Johnson, raised her eyebrows at him over her glasses. "The bell rang somewhere in the middle of your speech." "Which part? There were many." Ash laughed, leaning back in his seat. He smiled over at Gideon, who he decided was now officially a friend, and she smiled back. Although ... she hadn't really said too much and he ... Well, he wouldn't think about that. He grinned at Mrs. Johnson with his most charming, heart winning smile. Mrs. Johnson shook her head at him, then started class by going up to the board and writing down a few formulas. "She's completely in love with me," he told Gideon in a hushed voice, trying not to laugh at the idea of himself. The woman would be a nerd if she were still in high school. She even had the spinster bun. Gideon slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing aloud. Mrs. Johnson kept scribbling, oblivious to the titters from the class. "See. She can't say anything because I'm her student," he told. He raised his head and his voice. "But she can't help but love me. I'm charming, handsome, adorable. Who wouldn't love a guy like me?" "Mr. Thompson," Mrs. Johnson warned without turning around. Gideon was starting to lose control, her shoulders shaking with laughter. "Are you trying to get in trouble?" Gideon whispered to him. "Nah. She'll play along for awhile," he whispered back. "Mrs. Johnson, when can I see you with your hair down? How long is it now?" Gideon burst out laughing as Mrs. Johnson whirled around. "Mr. Thompson, one more word out of you and you will be in detention, and I trust you don't want another detention, Miss Davis." Gideon lowered her head, silent now. That wasn't fair or just in any possible way. Half the class was giggling their heads off. Threatening to give Gideon a detention! The undemocraticness of all this! "You can't threaten her for your being in love with me. It's not her fault that ya can't take a little joke." "Detention, Mr. Thompson. Friday." "Come on. You've got to be kidding. It's not like I was serious or something." Gram was going to have cleaning out the stalls for weeks. And two detentions in one week equaled a one day in-school suspension. He couldn't do that to his new buddy. "I don't really think you're date worthy." "Come on, Ash. Let it go," Gideon whispered urgently. "What did you get a detention for before?" he whispered back after he had sat down, deciding that perhaps dropping it would be a better idea. If he got an in-school then he would never see the light of day again. If he made Gideon get another detention then he would never forgive himself. Girls didn't deserve detention for little boys' games. Well, some girls. Gideon was a girl. Gideon didn't deserve anymore trouble than she was already in for merely laughing at the old lady. "I've been late three days this week," she answered, staring down at her desk. Ash decided to leave things as they were. He was already in trouble, she was already in trouble. They were a perfect match. Two juvenile delequints just asking for more. *** Ash is quite a talker, huh? Gotta love 'im. ^___^ Just a little side note before I get kidnapped and dragged all over creation: I won't be able to get to your sites until later, but I will get to them. *hugs everyone* Have a great day!

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