Creepy yet Sexy

Who: Jessalyn and Gabe
When: After lunch
Where: Algebra

There was a definite benefit to getting to class early. There weren't many people around so there wasn't much noise, and Jessalyn could sit in her seat and draw designs in her sketchbook, or work on a hat, or pair of gloves she might be crocheting for people. When she tried to do it in a busy classroom, sometimes people stared at her, or snickered, though she could never figure out why. She supposed some people saw crocheting or knitting as something old women did, but she found it fun and it was always rewarding to be able to hand people the tiny gifts she made. Right now, however, she was busy trying to figure out what she wanted to make herself for Halloween. She was running out of time, and she knew if she wanted to have a fun costume, she needed to design it, buy the materials and sew it together soon. Sadly, all she found herself sketching was a bumblebee outfit, and that wasn't exactly original or fun.

Lunch had been highly entertaining, watching Breezy out at the flagpole, ranting about Aaron and the fact that he hadn't shown. Gabe wondered what would have happened if he had actually come out for the fight, if Breezy would have thrown the first punch, or if it would have ended up a lot of trash talk. He certainly couldn't respect a guy that hit a girl, but he wouldn't have all out missed it completely. Hell, he'd gotten in public arguments with Chrissy often enough, though he doubted that Breezy's tactics would be anywhere near the same. It would have been quite a show, but when nothing ever came of it, Gabe headed on in to Algebra early. "What'cha working on?" Gabe asked, nodding towards Jessalyn's drawing as he passed by her desk to get to his own. They didn't talk all that often, but with no one else there yet Gabe was willing to talk to anyone.

Jessalyn looked up from her book, confused for a brief moment over whether or not Gabe was talking to her. But after a quick glance around the room, she realized there was no one else he could be talking to. "Oh! Well... I'm trying to figure out what to be for Halloween. I keep drawing a bee, but I think that's pretty unoriginal and I think someone would steal my stinger if I tried it." She smiled brightly at Gabe, her eyes watching him as he went to his seat. He always smelled so nice when he walked by her. "I also thought about Little Red Riding Hood..." Which was on the page before her new bumblebee design and she flipped the page back to study it. It was great fun to her, thinking about that costume, given she was a werewolf. How funny would that be! Only she would be the only one who got it other than her parents and Ransom. "What do you think?"

Gabe's idea of someone stealing her stinger was, well, slightly inappropriate. He tried his best to contain his amusement, which resulted in a rather amused grin. "Unless you want people fondling your stinger, I'd go with Little Red Riding Hood," he said. "There's a lot of flexibility with the costume, and you can spend the evening hunting down a wolf. Could be fun." Even if he wasn't sure that Jessalyn was the type to hunt down a guy at any point, let alone while dressed in a short little dress with a red cape. "You plan on making it yourself?" he asked, coming up to sit on the desk next to hers so he could have a better look at her sketches.

Oh dear, he was moving closer and Jessalyn could feel those senses start to tingle inside of her - the desire to grab him and bury her face in his neck to inhale his scent. She hated it when boys did that to her. Licking her cherry red lips, Jessalyn shrugged, still smiling despite the discomfort. "I wouldn't mind the fondling, but with a stinger, I wouldn't be able to see who was doing the fondling," she joked. She ran her fingers over the sketch of the red cape and nodded. "Yes, I think it would be fun too... and if I can find an actual wolf? It would be destined, I think. He might not think so, but I suppose I will just have to convince him." She looked up at Gabe and her smile widened. "I always make my costumes. Well, not always... ever since I learned how to sew though. So yes, I'll be making it myself. I was just trying to decide between this and the bee, but you've helped me, so now I just have to get the materials." She turned her sketchbook toward him so he could see. "I can sew almost anything, though I guess that sounds like I'm bragging. What will you be for Halloween?"

He supposed that would be annoying, to have people tugging at her backside without the ability to see who it was. Little Red Riding Hood seemed far cuter. "I'll be on the lookout for a wolf then, to send your way. I haven't figured out a costume for myself yet," Gabe smiled. "I can't sew, so I'm probably looking at something store bought, but I don't want it to be cheesy, you know?" He'd love to have a really awesome costume, but he really wasn't sure which direction to go. Scary was fun, but not if he scared off the girls. But he wasn't going to be prince charming or something stupid like that. It was really a hard decision to make. Gabe reached out, flipping between the sketches with a smile. "Got any ideas for guy costumes?"

"You definitely want to void the cheese," Jessalyn agreed, pleased that he was at least looking at her designs without laughing at her. "And you have to be careful with store bought stuff, because chances are someone else might buy the same thing. I guess there's a chance another girl could be Little Red Riding Hood, but her costume won't be the same as mine, you know?" She quirked her brows together as she studied Gabe intently. "I think it would depend on what kind of costume you would want. Something funny? Scary? Something to make the girls giggle with desire - if girls actually do that - and stare at you all night?"

"I'm always up for something that gets the girls' attention, but I don't want the guys laughing either. A little creepy is fine, but is there such thing as creepy sexy?" Gabe asked. He wasn't sure that was possible. For a girl, it might be like a stripper zombie or something like that, but there was no way in hell Gabe was going that route. His mind rolled around to Silent Hill, but that reminded him of Claire and he wasn't sure if it was a route he should go or not. He wanted her to notice him, but he didn't want to look like he was trying too hard. He'd already tried too hard.

Jessalyn giggled and nodded. "Yes, you don't want your friends to make fun of you. So I am guessing that dressing up as Romeo is out of the question. If you want to do creepy and sexy at the same time, the obvious answer would be a vampire. But not like, Dracula with the velvet cape and stuff, but like... more of a modern vampire. If you wanted something simple and sexy, you go for the black jeans and leather jacket with sunglasses, hot spikey hair and fangs with a bit of blood at the lip? So people think you're this hot biker guy, or a greaser, until you smile and have the fangs, then it's like... eek!" Her eyes widened with surprise as she shrieked a bit with a smile, and then shrugged. "I think you could probably pull off a zombie look too, but not go too grotesque with it," she suggested, tapping her sketch pencil against her cheek. "I think it's harder for guys to find a balance with sexy and creepy than it is for girls."

Though he'd always thought Jessalyn was weird, Gabe was finding himself quite entertained by their current conversation. She was creative and honest and incredibly helpful. And also very talkative. He figured she'd said twice as much as he had since he arrived, but that didn't bother him. It was fairly normal that girls ran the conversation. "Those are both good," Gabe nodded. "There are very few instances where a guy can get away with leather and make up, but I think both of those could be fun. I'll need to see what I can come up with. Thanks," he smiled. "So what do you normally do for Halloween?" he asked.

She was obviously pleased that she had managed to help him out, even if he ended up not actually taking her advice. "The right guy with the right look can get away with just about everything." And it was true - at least in Jessalyn's mind. Gabe was maybe too pretty for some things, but he could definitely pull off the sexy vampire look. She had a feeling if he tried it out, the girls in their class would probably act like even bigger morons around him than they did now. "Me? Oh, you know..." Waving her hand, she smiled and thought back over the last couple of years. "Sometimes I dress up and take my little sister trick or treating, but she thinks she's getting too old for it now, so I'm not too sure about this year. Uhm... if someone has a party in town, I sometimes go if I'm invited? I never really know ahead of time what's going to happen, but it's always nice to be prepared." She trailed off and motioned to the sketch of her costume with the pencil. "What do you do?"

While Gabe wasn't one to brag, he knew when he fit the mold; he'd always been one of those guys that could get away with just about everything. And he used it. It was almost impossible not to. He knew his limits and he did his best not to cross them. "I party," he grinned. "If I'm not invited to one, I make one myself." He knew Kavin was thinking of having a party, or possibly Kyle. No matter what, he'd be somewhere having a hell of a good time, that was certain. "I'll let you know what turns up. You should come. Go through all that work to make a costume and all." While he was aware she wasn't the most popular person to invite, people in costumes hardly noticed. Plus, the parties were usually so big that no one knew who was there anyways.

She giggled through her smile and nodded. Yes, she knew Gabe liked to party. All the popular kids did, after all. As much as she didn't like to admit that she paid attention to what people did, she couldn't help it. And the popular kids were the easiest to watch. "I think that might be fun," Jessalyn said, hopefully containing the excitement in her eyes well enough not to let it show to him. It had been a very long time since she had been invited to a party. She usually just slipped in unnoticed if it was big and racous enough. "Maybe. Yes. I suppose I'll need to wear my costume somewhere. Would feel strange to dress up with nowhere to go. I still think you would make a good vampire. Just imagine all the girls asking you to bite them. You wouldn't be alone for a second, you know."

Gabe noticed the flicker of excitement, secretly pleased to receive such a reaction. It was always nice to know an invitation was appreciated, and he hadn't been all that sure that Jessalyn would be interested. Now he could tell that she was, and he'd have to remember to get the details to her once he knew them. "That's good," Gabe smirked. "That's the point of a costume with sex appeal." He wondered if Claire would let him bite her. For a second his mind wandered off, little visions of a rather erotic fantasy flashing through his mind. He pushed them away quickly, deciding it could be better thought on later, when he didn't have an audience.

"Totally... it's much sexier, I think, to do a subtle sort of sexy rather than putting all your junk out there on display." Jessalyn arched an eyebrow curiously, noting the change in his heartbeat. She wondered what he was thinking about, but knew better than to pry. Plus there were other kids starting to wander in who could easily overhear their conversation. She smiled at him though, and tried not to lean in too far. She could smell him fairly well where she was, but it was nothing like being able to grab his arm and bring his hand to her nose. Which she was chomping at the bit to do. "If you decide to go with one or the other and need help finding the right kind of costume, I wouldn't mind helping. I know a couple places with some good deals on stuff, and a couple stores I know the owners pretty well, I could probably help you price wise too." It sounded like a good incentive, and Jessalyn was always eager to please people.

He laughed, though he definitely agreed with her; there was no way he was going to be putting his 'junk' out there on display. That would be a bit too much. "Really?" he asked at the offer to help him with his costume. "Let me get your number then, just in case. I don't know what I'm gonna go with yet, but once I know I'll give you a call." Maybe. He couldn't promise anything, but at least he'd have her number, should he want to take her up on her offer. Gabe's phone was full of numbers, containing almost the entire senior and junior classes, but he was pretty sure he didn't have Jessalyn's. In fact, he was fairly certain this was the most they'd ever spoken.

Her phone number... did he mean her home number or her cell number? She reached into her book bag and pulled out the small phone she had gotten a couple months ago. It was a reloadable phone with only a certain amount of minutes, since she couldn't really afford a nicer phone with the contract and everything. And honestly, she didn't know how to use the phone other than placing calls. "I don't really know how to put phone numbers in this thing," she admitted with a self-deprecating smile. "But I do know my number." She placed her phone on the desk and scribbled her number on a piece of her sketchpad paper before tearing it out and handing it to him. "I can totally help you and everything, if you need it. I really don't mind!" It was a weird feeling that anyone would want her phone number, especially Gabe Winters.

"Let me see," Gabe said, picking up the phone. He wasn't awesome with technology, but he could usually figure out something as simple as a cell phone. It took him only a second to enter in his number and save it, amused that he was now the only number saved in her address book. "When you put in a number, hit this button over here and you can save it to the phone," Gabe said, leaning in to show her. As people started to arrive, he realized he'd have to move soon, since he was sitting at someone else's desk. He picked up the number she'd scribbled down, planning to add it to his own phone as soon as he sat back down. "I'll let you know," he grinned, rising to his feet. He might have stayed a little longer, except now he really was blocking someone from taking a seat.

She studied the button he had mentioned once she took the phone back and began to play with it, pleased that she could now figure out how to put... well, Ransom's number in her phone. Of course, then she would have to figure out how to get to the number in the address book. Baby steps, she supposed. She didn't get cell phones anymore than she got computers. "Thanks, Gabe." She smiled brightly up at him. Between talking to both he and Kavin without either one of them making fun of her, or looking at her oddly, Jessalyn was extremely pleased with herself. She would have to make Gabe some kind of present soon, once she figured out what he might like. Until then, she was going to finally figure out her cell phone.