Patching Up

Who: Tad and Kaysen
Where: Chem Lab
When: After the meet and greet (Note: before the Tad / Dean scene)

Tad was smiling a little from meeting Jerilyn, who he'd connected with quite well. Which was exciting because, well she was a girl, and Tad had managed not to make a complete fool of himself. Perhaps there was hope for him yet in the world social commentary. Looking around as people moved out the auditorium, Tad tried to spot Kaysen, but wasn't having much luck. He knew full well that he wasn't supposed to talk to her at school, yet he was still hoping to find her somewhere, if only to keep an eye on her like he usually did.

Kaysen had meant what she said before, that she was going to look at the stupid scrapes and shit, so she sort of ghosted up after everyone else was out. "Find new bffs?" she asked, having noted he'd been spending a lot of time talking to people. for a guy who claimed he was friendless, he certainly seemed to have the hookup rocking.

He might have jumped just a smidge when she wandered up from out of nowhere and appeared next to him. "BFFs? No, just being friendly, like you said. Plus Jerilyn, she's got diabetes too," he explained as he motioned towards the crowd in front of them, without actually pointing towards Jeri. Was Kaysen jealous? No, not Kaysen.

"whatever, looked like things were friendly. That's not a bad thing." Kaysen pointed out. He'd probably have friends then. Like, he could hang out with them, and eventually he'd forget about her or some shit. But then Kaysen always made that assumption. Up til this year it had always been true. Though since summer, she'd met kind of a better grade of people, so maybe not. Tad did have a wicked crush on her after all. "There's a first aid kit in the chem lab. I don't think there's a class in there right now."

"Well yea, I mean they're cool, but you know Dean's like a bazillion times cooler than I am. We just have a class together and a giant ass project to work on. And Jerilyn, I just met her," Tad explained, trailing behind her, not entirely sure why he was explaining himself at all. It just felt like he needed too. The halls were essentially empty as they made their way towards the chem lab. "Did you talk to anyone else?"

"...not really." Kaysen said. Though she'd noticed Thom there, so that made her feel tons better. Thom, Porter, Tad...she wouldn't be alone, anyways. "And Dean, yeah. I met him before. Like this summer. Sucks, what happened to him." she said as she peeked into the classroom--which was in fact empty, then she ducked in and shut the door after she pulled him in with her.

"His girlfriend dying right?" Tad was pretty sure Kaysen had pointed out the connection between the girl that had died and Dean. "He seems alright though you know? I guess he's dealt with it alright or something." Today seemed to be a day for her dragging him around so he let her tug him in and did his best not to topple over her as he went.

"Wasn't his girlfriend. She was dating some like, Irish guy. Guess she had a thing for dudes with accents or some shit, whatever. But yeah his best friend or whatever. He kinda y'know. Followed her around like a puppy." Kaysen commented, dropping her backpack down on an empty desk, and she crouched down to dig out a first aid kit from a cabinet. "And yeah, I guess, if you say so. I haven't like, talked to him or anything. So...good on that, I suppose."

"Right, best friend." Tad thought about it and realized that, well that sort of sounded like him and Kaysen. Go figure. "Like I said, he doesn't seem like bummed out. I mean he's a bit odd cause he doesn't usually bother with showing up at classes, and he's like English or something. But he doesn't seem depressed." Which is how Tad figured he would feel if he lost Kaysen. He dropped into another desk so he and Kaysen would be closer to eye level.

"Well, it's been like a couple months." Kaysen said, pausing to think about it, then nodding. "Yeah. A couple months. I think it was like, August or something when she got killed. My parents really freaked over that. It was weird. Like, they suddenly realized they had a second kid and something awful could have happened, and they went all weird on me. I mean, nice weird and shit, but weird. They kinda used to not pay that much attention to me." she explained, standing straight as she got the kit, and she nodded to the countertop. "Sit." she commanded.

"Yea I remember when the stuff was on the news or whatever. I know Grams got worried like nothing else in the world for at least a month or two. But I don't do anything or go anywhere, so it was pointless to worry right?" Tad took her direction and got up from the desk, sitting on the countertop. "Yes dear," he teased.

"I dunno. I don't think there wasn't any reason to worry. It was fucking freaky. Like, who just gets shot in the middle of the street?" she asked. "She wasn't that bad, either. She was in my grade. She never like, picked on me or anything." she added. She shot him a glare at the 'yes dear' thing. "And you can just keep that shit to yourself, or you can clean up your own damn wounds." she told him, even if she wasn't actually serious about that. She opened the kit and pulled out a cotton ball and she dabbed disinfectant on it, before she reached up to start blotting it on his scrapes.

"Seriously, especially in a town like this. Even with the gang thing, which you're telling me isn't true anyway, this isn't really a drive-by type town." Tad grinned at her glare though. "You know I kind of like that 'what the hell' look of yours. I think I'm getting used to it." He winced when she dabbed his scrapes. "Damn, that kind of hurts."

"Yeah, well, if someone wasn't a dumbass, he wouldn't be feeling all stung right now, because he would have cleaned this shit up last night." Kaysen said. "But what do I know, right? Whatever. Duck your head down a little." she said, giving him a hard time, but there wasn't any venom in her tone. She was just being Kaysen at him, she wasn't actually upset about anything.

"I know I was a dumbass, you don't have to remind me. But I was a little messed up. With the crazy run in with Mr. Hunt, who wasn't acting like himself at all. It just reminded me that no one seems to be what they seem. Not you, not me, not Mr. Hunt. Not even my own parents. I dunno. I was messed up. Porter and I'd been talking about what happened between you and I, which I think just pointed out that I've no idea what I'm doing here at all." Doing as she said, he ducked lower until she dabbed a really sore spot. "OUCH!" Without thinking his hand was on her wrist, trying to pull the cotton swab of pain away from his face.

Kaysen winced slightly. "Jesus, calm down." she said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit your pansy bitch button." she said, frowning and she after a moment attempted to take her wrist back. "...you talked to Porter about what happened?" she asked tentatively, since she wasn't sure how she felt about that. She didn't know if she had anyone to really talk to about Tad, but they were dudes. So...yeah, whatever, she guessed it made sense. It just made her wish she had someone to get a second opinion on things from.

Tad didn't let go of her wrist right away. For just a moment too long he held on, considering the moment, but letting it pass and flushing slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell." Shrugging he answered her question. "Yea, I mean I was going just a bit nutty about it. I felt like I was going to explode if I didn't talk to someone about it. Is that bad?"

She eyed his face for a moment, then put the disinfectant down, and instead took out one of those instant crackable icepack things and she did that instead, reaching up to hold it to his cheek where the swelling was. Maybe that'd numb it out a little and he'd feel less twitchy about getting disinfected. It was a theory. "No, not bad, just...I dunno. It's not every day people just up and tell me that they were talking about me, ya know?" she suggested. She sort of half looked away, mildly troubled over it.

Tad stopped short of pointing out that that wasn't entirely true and that the rumor mill saw to it that she was a topic of conversation far more often than she'd like. "Kayce, it's not like that," he explained, bringing his hand up to cover hers on the ice pack. "I just...I've got no idea what I'm doing. Mostly the conversation was about me, and how I'm about as naive when it comes to this as possible. I mean come on, I straight up told you I'm into you."

Kaysen shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah. But whatever, I mean, Chance kinda did too." she said. He'd had to, Kaysen was a little on the oblivious side. She still didn't know how to behave at the moment, though. She wasn't sure how everything ought to work. She noticed his hand was over hers. "...what'd Porter say?" she asked hesitantly, not even sure she wanted to know.

"Ah Porter." Tad chuckled a little. "He mostly suggested that I not push you, but when the moment is right, just go for it. I asked if I could wear body armor." Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he half rolled his eyes. "The guy is completely love struck and I think he really has started to believe that life can have moments like they do in the movies."

Kaysen sighed and let him have the ice to hold it up while she fussed with the kit a little more. "I dunno. Maybe it can. I mean, like, not my life. Unless my life is copying a horror flick, not a fucking stupid romance movie." she said. "Maybe his life. Dunno about yours." She didn't know what to tell him on the making a move thing. She had an idea of what would happen if he did, though that was purely because she was a fire elemental, and didn't have the best control when it came to some things.

"Doesn't the guy get the girl in the horror flick too though? You know the last two that survive usually hook up," Tad offered. "As for my life, it's certainly not one of those happy movies. More of an indie flick that focuses on an orphan with a disease and a bruise under his eye. In the end shit works out for the kid but you cry once or twice on the way there." He grinned, trying to avoid that she hadn't commented on the body armor quip. That led him to believe he wasn't too far off in that he might need protection if he tried to make a go for it.

"No. People die choking on their own blood." Kaysen said. "I mean, maybe, like, in the begining, the dick guy gets the slut chick. I don't think either of us fit that description." she pointed out. Or, more, she kinda fit hers. In her own estimation. Granted she'd only ever been with Chance, she'd only kissed him, and she never did anything with anyone else despite all the rumors, but...yeah. There was that fire elemental thing. In fact, it was in this very room that she'd practically jumped Chance before. Which had her blushing a bit.

"No, no. The couple that has sex always dies. That's standard hollywood fare. But in the end, the innocent couple, the ones that fought for their lives the whole way? They get together. Or well maybe that's just in the cheesy teen flick ones, but we'll take what we can get right?" Catching the blush, Tad slid off the counter to move closer to her. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Maybe I just watch more brutal movies than you do. Most of the ones I watch like, everyone dies. Or most everyone." Kaysen said. Though she'd watched a few that ended just like he said as well. She blinked as he hopped off the counter and got closer. "...no?" she suggested, glancing up at him. "Everything's fucking peachy, why?" she asked. "Put the ice back on your face."

Automatically he put the ice back on his cheek, but he didn't give in. "You turned pink a little there, what did I say?" He'd gone over what he'd said quickly and couldn't place what had caused the flush.

Kaysen internally winced, and she looked away, turning redder. "It wasn't anything you said, Mr. All About Me." she muttered. "Just thought of something, that's all. It's nothing. Leave it alone." Yeah, she didn't want to go into how she'd made out with Chance in here, and a few of the plastic bins on the shelf she'd melted by accident, and how if she'd had her way? She totally would have jumped him and the only reason it didn't happen was because he had the good sense to stop it before it went too far.

"Ok so it's not about me," Tad responded. Briefly he wondered if he should push the subject, she was turning farther away from him. "Just tell me everything's ok," he asked, reaching out for her again. His hand grazed her shoulder, clutching it a little.

"Do I look like I'm having a meltdown, Ghostal?" Kaysen said. "So I got a little hot in the face, doesn't mean anything at all is wrong, or you did anything, or anything! Jesus, tone it the fuck down, okay? If I have to face the fucking inquisition every three seconds from you for stray thoughts, I'm so finding somewhere else to be." she told him. You can drop it now! Pretty please! she thought. God. How damn embarrassing. Which wasn't making her cheeks go back to normal at all.

"No you don't look like you're having a meltdown, granted you are turning an interesting shade of red." He felt that, the way she was pulling away from him. "I'm not trying to give you the fifth degree, just wondering. I promise, that's all. I just wonder what you're thinking. Promise." Tad wanted to do more than just hold on to her shoulder, he wanted to drag her closer, but the wall that kept him from doing any of it stayed strong. In the end he just let go of her all together. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, just...I dunno. Work on your approach or something." Kaysen suggested, which she knew was probably really dumb coming from her, but still. "I'm fine. Just...have a pretty vivid memory of this room, that's all. A blush-inducing memory, obviously. It's kinda...y'know. Not really that shareable." she mumbled at the end, ducking her head.

And the whole thing dawned on Tad. "Ohhh. Right. One of those memories. That would explain it then." Now it was his turn to flush a little and turn away, wondering how on earth he'd missed that and how on earth he'd be able to live up to Chance. She had memories that made her flush like that, and prior to holding her hand he'd not done something like that since it was required for walking in a line down the hall with his class. "Wanna know something really funny, and really, really pathetic?"

If it gets the subject off of me and my wildly inappropriate activities at school, you bet your ass I do. Kaysen thought. "Um...sure?" she suggested, at least managing to look back at him and not flit her attention away again. She leaned against the counter, and tried to focus on Tad, and not at all where her head had gone.

"I have never kissed a girl." Tad tossed the statement out there the same way someone would rip off a band-aid. Quick with only a slight wince. "Well minus this girl Jessica in like first grade, but I don't think that counts."

Kaysen arched a brow at him. "Seriously?" she asked. "...well. That's not so bad. I mean...I never kissed a guy til Chance, and that was just this summer." she admitted. And she'd been fairly convinced that she'd never have a boyfriend in her life. And then after that she'd been convinced she'd never have another boyfriend after Chance. Now, she was aware she could probably just totally nab Tad here if she wanted, she just didn't know what the fuck she wanted, and she was still weird over Chance. So. Yeah. Who knew where life was going. Hers had certainly taken some wacky turns.

"Seriously. I got weird when my parents died, I mean I was like ten, so it makes sense. I lost whatever friends I had at the time, and then I didn't know how to make more after I got better." He considered what she'd said about her own history, and in some way it was a relief. If anything ever did happen between them, he perhaps wasn't as bad off as he thought. Some relief, but not much. "I should point out though, that you're younger than me. And girls who are innocent is like, sweet and cute. With guys everyone thinks you're gay."

"I'm pretty sure anyone would get weird after their parents kicked it, and if they didn't, I'd start looking for markings of the beast." Kaysen said firmly. "And ya know, I never got that. I mean, you're right. Girls are meant to be virgins. Like all of us. Flat out, we're meant to be all virtue and shit, and guys are meant to be gettin their freak on all the fucking time, but who are they doing it with? Each other? Like the one chick who says fuck it, y'all can do me, I don't care if I get the rep of a huge slutbag for the rest of eternity? Makes no sense."

"That is a valid Catch 22 that I haven't thought of yet. But yes I guess either the on slutty chic. Or older slutty chics. You hear about that a bunch. Bored college chics wanting to hook up with younger guys," Tad mused. "Of course all of this is just based off the string of bad high school movies, and not actual first hand knowledge."

"I think people are doing it all the time, they're just like, quiet about it." Kaysen said. Like she had been. She hadn't been shouting it from the rafters or anything that she and Chance weren't the purest anymore. People assumed that all on their own. But like, she also knew that Isaac had been with his woman and shit too. So, she figured that was what was actually normal.

"I figure that's probably how it is. Not that I can actually weigh in on that first hand either, but in the movies, there's always the cute couple who debate about doing it the whole movie and then usually end up in the end. No one pegs her as a slut," Tad rambled, slightly uncomfortable talking so lightly about sex with the object of his affection. "There's far too many after school specials and 'think before you do it' and abstinence preaching for people not be doing it all the time."

"Yeah, well, no one pegs her as a slut cuz no movies ever really cover the whole 'and this is just how bad it really is' aspect. It's just gone. It's all golden years and everything works out in the end like some bloody fairytale that's just stupid. But whatever...why're we talking about this?" she asked, kind of latching onto the fact that she lost track of the direction their conversation had taken.

"I think you were trying to make me feel better for being about as naive as one gets when it comes to girls," Tad laughed, relieved they were changing the topic. "So tell me, did you manage to fix the damage I did to my face?" He shifted the ice pack a little to cover another portion of his face that wasn't completely numb from holding the ice pack against it.

"Oh. Well...go with that then. Don't feel bad about it." she said, vaguely recalling that had been her point once upon a time. "And no, I didn't fix it. I just disinfected it, so hopefully it'll calm the fuck down now. Don't get into any more fights, or hit back next time." she advised. She started to pack up the kit, too, since she was done with it. There wasn't a whole tone she could do, anyways.

Tad smiled, enjoying her lectures on the topic of taking care himself. "Fights are unavoidable, but I'll try the hitting back," he told her, even if he didn't belive it. "I did a good job, over a week between them. This was the first one I've been in since you came along." He tapped his feet a few times, his standard nervous habit when he wasn't sure what to say. "We're cool right Kayce? Stupid, I know, but I guess...I worry that you're going to start looking at me differently."

Kaysen winced internally at the question, but knew it was a valid one. "We're cool." she told him. "I'm not gonna like...disown you or anything, so..." She didn't plan to, anyways. That hadn't so much crossed her mind, even. She'd not considered it at any point, so....yeah.

"Well shit, I didn't even realize being disowned was on the table," Tad said with sarcastically shocked tone. He gave her a sideways glance and a bright grin before looking away again. "I just don't want you to feel like you have to avoid me or something. Especially if you decide I'm not what you want. You're still my best friend, above all the other shit. I don't want to lose you 'cause I'm an idiot."

"Well, stop worrying about it." Kaysen told him. "I'm not gonna like, suddenly up and drop you. If I do, there'll be a big reason, and I'm sure you'll get more than an earfull about it before it happens anyways so..." Which was the truth, really. She didn't do things small.

He found himself nodding again with what she was saying. Tad didn't doubt her for an instant, she'd given him enough of an earful at the few slight offenses he'd made and he doubted she would pass up the opportunity to remind him of where he screwed up if he did. Sometimes it sucked being friends with someone so blunt, but given that Tad was awkard most of the time, it was often kind of helpful in the end. "Alright, I'll trust you." He wouldn't stop worrying about it, but he would do his best to keep his worries to himself. "Did you want to lay down ground rules for this whole overnight trip thing? I'm putting in a motion to change the standard operating procedure of pretending you don't exist, but I know you're going to fight me on it."

Kaysen sighed. "I dunno, Ghostal." she said. "Lemme think about it, okay? I don't even wanna go, and it's not like I've got some whacked rules system for this shit, I've never had to spend the night with anyone from school before." Well unless one counted Thom. But that had been during vampire hyjinks and she didn't count him as anything more than like a brother-figure. Plus, Tad had freaked the last time he was brought up so witness her not doing it again.

"Ok," Tad agreed, although he didn't seem enthusiastic about it. "I just hate you going in there, forcing yourself to be stuck alone the entire time. Especially when I'm right there." His tone was serious, but he still wasn't looking at her head on. "I dunno, maybe it won't completely suck." That was a completely ludicrious but he felt like he had to try and put a postive spin on things.

"Maybe." Kaysen said. "We'll see, I guess. But whatever, guess we should get back to class n shit." she added, dropping the kit back where she'd found it before she straightened again and grabbed her backpack. "I'll see you around...no more of that not taking care of your wounds bullshit." she told him, because she couldn't quite let that drop.

Tad grabbed his back off the empty desk he'd dropped in on and followed her lead, tossing it over his shoulders. "I'll be around," he told her, heading towards the door first, glancing out the small window in it to see if the hall was clear of faculty looking to make a dention slip quota. "I'll do better next time." He'd made the decision to call Mr. Hunt, and at least see what the man had in mind in the way of teaching Tad how to not get the shit kicked out of him. It was risky, and playing into his fears, but Kaysen was right. It was just about surviving and getting out; he had a reason to at least enjoy the ride some now.