A Date at the Circus

Who: Kyle and Alexis
When: Evening
Where: Ze Circus!

It was close to six by the time Kyle knocked on Alexis's door. He'd taken a few extra minutes getting ready that evening, since he was pretty sure the entire evening was a date-type thing. Kyle always cared about how he looked, even when he was just out with the guys, but when he was going to be out with a cute girl he was a bit more picky about what button down to wear, which cologne to put on and what sneakers to wear. He smoothed his hands over his hair while he waited for her to answer and then wondered if he should have brought her flowers. His mind raced until he came to the conclusion that a nicer date to dinner and a movie might be more flower oriented than smelly animals and a rowdy party. And that was all dependent on if they both had fun tonight to begin with.

No matter how much time Kyle might have put into fixing his hair and deciding what to wear, Alexis was sure she'd spent more. She'd torn her closet apart trying to decide what was appropriate for the night-- for a date, a circus, and a house party. Jeans seemed appropriate, and she finally settled on a v-neck sweater in baby blue. For all the time it'd taken her, it seemed like a pretty simple outfit. When he knocked at the door, she grabbed her jacket and said goodbye to her dad, hoping that this wouldn't result in one of his protective parent maneuvers. It was a first date and he didn't need to interfere. "Hi," Alexis smiled, stepping outside as she shut the door behind her. He smelled good, better than usual, and she'd have noticed by now, sitting next to him every day in class.

"Hey." He grinned at her, his eyes wandering over her in instinctive boy fashion. There was something about a cute girl in a nice pair of jeans. "You look really nice." Hot was more like it, but he wasn't so sure how that particular comment would fly over. "You ready to go? It's not too far to walk, I promise." At least he was able to bypass the meeting of parents this go around.

"Thanks," she grinned, a light pink spreading to cheeks. Get over it! Usually she didn't let such a simple compliment fluster her, but she didn't get them often from guys about to take her out! "I'm ready. And it's a nice evening. Don't mind walking in the least." As she headed down the sidewalk with him, she looked back to catch her dad peering out one of the windows. Alexis waved to him, then shooed him away before turning back to Kyle. "Did I tell you that I made the dance team?" she grinned.

"You didn't tell me that," Kyle said, smiling over at her. "So congrats. Does this mean I'm going to be listening to dance-type things all through Chemistry and then again at the end of the day in computer class with Lily?" He chuckled, but didn't really mind it. Neither girl annoyed him in the least, and it was fun to watch a girl talk about something that excited her. "When do you start practice?"

"If there's something to talk about, maybe. But more importantly, it means you'll get to see me shake my ass at the hockey games," she teased. "Lily's pretty determined to take over the choreography, which is a plus. The girl rocks. I'm so glad we have her. We start practice next week, so hopefully we'll be ready to perform by your first game." She was still super nervous about it, but excited at the same time. It wasn't like she'd be out there by herself, so it couldn't be too bad, so long as Breezy made sure they got new uniforms.

"I'm hoping I'll see you shaking your ass at my basketball games too," Kyle said and then he laughed. "Sorry, that wasn't very gentlemanly of me." He had to remember this was a date. He was used to flirting with Alexis in class, but this was out of school and something very different now. "But yeah, Lily seems cool. I'll be looking forward to seeing what you guys put together. Maybe you can show me some of your dancing skills at the party later."

It was one thing for her to say it, and another for him to say it. Alexis felt about twelve years old with the way her face turned red and she laughed softly. "It's okay. I'll let that one slide," she said. "I'm sure you'll get a chance to see us dancing at the party, but I hope I can grab you for a dance or two. Or are you one of those guys that doesn't dance?" She knew some guys only did the slow dancing thing, but it was so much more fun when they'd get out there for the fast songs as well.

"I can't dance the way you probably can. I can move without looking like an awkward white guy, but don't expect to see any shiny hip hop moves coming from me." He was more about getting up close and personal with a girl, rather than trying to show off moves. "So I think there's a very good possibility for us to dance later. Are you expecting any of your friends to be at the party tonight?"

"Shiny hip hop moves aren't necessary," she grinned, pleased that he would dance. That would make the evening so much more fun! "I don't know," she said. "They were going to look for costumes to that thing at Babylon tomorrow night. We're all gonna go, but I'll just have to shop with them tomorrow morning. They said they'd hold something for me if they found anything exciting. Have you heard of it? Were you gonna go?"

Kyle nodded, his hands tucked in his pockets. "Yeah, I heard of it. I've seen the fliers, but I'm still iffy on actually going. I guess I'll be deciding at the last minute. Any idea what you want to go as or are you one of those that you just shop for costumes until you find the right one?"

"I'm not sure. I kind of need to see the selection. I don't wanna get my heart set on something and then not be able to find it. At least we're coming up on Halloween, so I should be able to find something," she said, tucking her hair behind one ear. "But I'll let you know what I go with, just in case you decide to go."

"Yeah, let me know!" He was still debating whether or not to do the party thing. Honestly he probably would because his friends were going to go, and if Alexis was going, it'd be fun to track her down. "So what do you want to see first? The main show? Or do you want to grab some fattening food? Or I can try my hand at winning you some really big, cheesy looking teddy bear?"

"Course! I'd love to see you there," she grinned. If he didn't go, then that was cool, but if he went and made an effort to find her, Alexis considered that a good sign. "I think maybe we should grab some fattening food, then head on to the main show. That way, when we're done, we can decide if we wanna play around on the games, or head on to the party. But funnel cake is a must," Alexis smiled. "Unless you're just itching to carry around a giant teddy bear the rest of the night?"

Kyle laughed. "No, see, if I won it for you, I'd make you carry it around. It would seem only fair, you know? But funnel cakes are a definite. Anything else you might want, just let me know. I'll probably grab a candy apple after we're done and on our way to the party." Might as well fill up on junk now before he started drinking. It would help him hold his liquor better.

"You'd make me carry it?" she asked with a laugh. "That's not how it works! See, now you have to win something for me, because if it's huge you have to carry it. And if you don't win, I can tell all your friends that you couldn't." Alexis grinned, amused at the turn this discussion had taken. "I'll see how I feel after the funnel cake. If it's after the show, I might want a bite."

"Oh! Is that how it works?" Kyle asked teasingly. "And here, I've been doing it wrong this whole time. But if you tell my friends I could win a ring toss game, I'll go buy a huge teddy bear and whack you on the ass with it." The circus was coming into view and he smiled over at her, really hoping he could show her a good time of some sort. "Seriously though... anything you want, just point to it and it's yours. Candy, food, sickly lizards... just say it."

"You've still got it wrong," she laughed, getting excited now that she could see the tent and hear the music. "I don't wanna be whacked with anything. And why would I want sickly lizards? Gummy frogs, maybe, but lizards? Blech. So is that what'd you'd choose? The ring toss?" she asked. "I thought you'd go for shooting baskets or something? Have any hidden talents?"

"I would never lose at shooting baskets," Kyle countered. "I had to choose a game where there was a possibility of me not winning. I just think it's cool that you can win sickly lizards at the circus. Can't find those at the fair, you know? And all my talents are pretty much on display." There was mock bravado there, and he hoped that she knew he wasn't that conceited. "What about you? What can you do?"

"Well, then we'll have to go with the ring toss," she laughed. "Wouldn't want it to be too easy for you. Then you'd show up all the little kids." The bravado was charming in small doses, and she hadn't gotten the feeling that his ego was inflated. Now, if all he talked about was himself, that might be another issue, but he was asking about her, so Alexis tried to come up with an answer. "I'm a good shot with a gun," Alexis answered, biting her lip to see how he'd react to that one.

"Nah, I wouldn't want to show up the kids... that'd just make me a dickhead." He laughed a bit and got out his wallet to pay for their admission. His eyes lifted to her face, one eyebrow cocked curiously. For a brief moment, he had a flash of Gabe and Jules and how Gabe had told her she pulled out a gun the morning after they'd slept together. Somehow he couldn't see Alexis doing that. "Is that right? What kind of gun?"

"I dunno," she shrugged. "A pistol? Or a revolver? Little guns, not big ones. The kind you'd use at shooting ranges. Like police carry. My dad used to take me out for target practice aaaaaand I just got a bit creepy, didn't I?" she asked, curling up her nose as she made a face. "I promise he's not waiting at home with a shotgun. I just think that's what he's taught me, since he doesn't know girly stuff, like shopping and makeup."

"Not creepy," he assured her, thanking the guy at the ticket window before he placed a hand at Alexis's back to lead her inside. The lights were bright and there was definitely more noise, so he stayed in close to her so he could hear. "But remind me never to piss off your dad. Or you, for that matter. Is your dad a cop, or something?" Had she told him that already? He couldn't remember no matter how hard he tried to think back over their past conversations.

Her back tingled a little where he placed his hand and Alexis smiled. Something about the gesture seemed gentlemanly and made up for anything he said that wasn't. "If you pissed me off, I wouldn't come after you with a gun," she said, rolling her eyes. "And neither would he, for that matter. He's a salesman, travels a lot. It's more a hobby, I guess. Plus, with all the being on the road, I suppose it's good that he can defend himself. You never know who you might run into." Her eyes lifted and excitement filled her as she looked around inside the gates. The atmosphere is energizing and her steps had a bit of a hop to them.

Kyle chuckled and shook his head. "I know, I was just kidding. If I seriously thought you might come after me with a gun, I'd probably be walking you back home." Chicks and guns were more up Gabe's alley, but since Alexis didn't know that particular story, she wouldn't get the joke. He dropped his arm away from her back to take her hand in his. "Come on, let's get you filled up in funnel cake before the show starts."

"Just as long as you share it with me," she said, a smile lighting up on her face as he took her hand in his. It really was embarrassing how the little things made her this excited. It probably meant nothing to him, but she had butterflies in her stomach. "I don't need a whole funnel cake to myself. We've got candy apples later, and dancing, and beer," she laughed. They had a busy night ahead of them and she was looking forward to every single minute.