Touching Base

Who: Claire and Joshua
When: Afternoon, between classes
Where: the phone!

So there was snow. Lots and lots of snow. Apparently over two feet, just like that! The weather had said the possibility of snow, not the certainty of a complete white out. The school was buzzing with the news that the administration would probably keep students over night, it was just that bad. Which meant... sleeping over in the school. Which Claire was so not wanting to do, but what choice did she have? Even if she could walk out to her car, it would take forever to shovel her car out of the snow, and then trying to get home? Impossible, if the news was right. She at least had Gabe around to keep her company, but it sucked because she had wanted to see Joshua after school. And now that looked like it wasn't going to happen.

Toward the end of the school day, Claire found a quiet place just before last period to call Joshua, hoping that he wasn't stranded somewhere himself. She would give anything to be home right about now. Or at his place. Punching in his number, she sighed and stared outside the windows to the blanket of white.

Sean, ever vigilant, had interrupted Joshua in one of his early classes to pull him off campus as soon as the snow had really started to come down. No way in hell was he letting them be separated overnight just for inclement weather. So Joshua had gotten home -- halfway frozen -- just as the roads were getting too bad to drive on, and it looked like they were going to be stuck there a while. Luckily there was a supply of frozen pizzas in the fridge. Still, it was a bummer, because he figured he probably wouldn't be seeing Claire that day. He'd really been wanting to.

Her call came late in the afternoon and he wasn't surprised by it. He'd been watching the news and tempted to call her many times, but didn't want to get her in trouble at school or anything. Joshua answered on the second ring. "Hey, you okay?" he asked first, hoping she wasn't trying to get home and stuck in this shit or anything.

"I'm okay," Claire said with a small smile. He sounded okay, so that was good too. "Just stuck at school. I think they're keeping us here tonight, which blows. It's bad enough being here for most of the day, but sleeping over? Worst slumber party ever." She sighed and wished she had super snow boots or something. She didn't mind trying to walk home, but it would take forever and she would probably freeze halfway there. "What about you? Did you manage to get home?" That was the nice thing about college... you could leave when you needed to.

"... big high school slumber party," he said, glancing out the window. The world was nothing but white. "Sounds kinda like the worst idea ever and a good one at the same time." Joshua chuckled a bit. He didn't want her going anywhere with the weather like it was, as long as she was sheltered, warm, and safe, that was good enough for him. "Yeah, Sean came and pulled me outta class pretty early. Guy gets glued to the weather channel minute he smells somethin' like this comin'. So we're home and okay. Sorry for you, though, I'd hate havin' cafeteria food twice in one day," he joked.

"Ugh, shut up," Claire groaned. "I'm so jealous. Being snowed in somewhere I want to be sounds really fun. Here? With these people? Not so much. Ask your guardian angel if he has any brothers or sisters who would be willing to take on a rainbow leecher, because then I could be home during the next blizzard too. I have my book here though, and a candy bar, so it won't be all cafeteria food. I'm hoping if we're stuck here tonight, they'll cancel class tomorrow so we can all go home. Stinky, pubescent teenagers sleeping in the same building... fun, right?" She paused for a moment. "I really wanted to see you though."

Joshua had a niggling thought in the back of his head about her spending the night with that Gabe kid, but pushed it away. It wouldn't do him any bit of good to start down that line of thought again. It had gotten him nothing but trouble the last time. "Yeah, here's hopin'. At the very least let you all go home to shower and change. They got cots or somethin' for you? I've slept in enough school desks t'know they're not comfy," he said. "I really wanted to see you too. Maybe tomorrow, if they get the roads clear? I'll even let you take a shower first."

"They might. I haven't gotten any details yet... all I know is that the halls, the gym and the auditorium are going to be packed. Maybe I'll find an empty classroom or something and just... hide. But yes, I definitely want to see you tomorrow if I'm able to." She smiled a touch. "But yes, only if I get to shower first. Maybe you could call me tonight, or text or something... keep me occupied?"

"Sure, Leecher," he said with a smile. "Not like I'm doin' anything anyway. So you call me or I'll call you, and I'll watch TV and tell you what you're missin'." He grinned on his side of the phone, aware of how titillating of a time that didn't sound like. But he looked forward to spending time with her, even if it was just on the phone. At least they could still talk, thank god they lived in the era of the cell.

"Oh! Good... I'll get you to watch something funny, and you can recite the whole thing to me, so it'll be like I'm watching it with you. Who knows? Maybe you have a flair for the theater," Claire teased. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure there wasn't anyone close enough to hear her. "Or we could just have phone sex. That would keep me busy." She was joking of course, but she tried to at least sound serious... it would be worth it to hear him stammer on the other end.

There was a silence where Joshua's jaw dropped open and no sound came out. It was followed up with a nice warm flush through his stomach. He knew she couldn't be serious, but good goddamn did it get the imagination flowing. "Um ... er, yeah, that would ... " he tried, and then just ended up laughing, because yeah. He didn't have any sort of witty comeback for that. Joshua rubbed his hand over his face and hair and just shook his head. "I wonder how long you'd have detention for that," he said after a beat, grinning like an idiot.

"Months, probably, but it would be so worth it," Claire said demurely before she found she couldn't contain her own laughter. "Okay, so the school isn't the sexiest place to do something like that. That doesn't mean I wouldn't," she added after a beat. "Naughty texts are probably safe though." Ugh, it just sucked being stuck here. So hard. "I miss you though... so naughty texts or not, it would just be nice to hear from you."

Joshua was trying not to seriously thinking about being in a nicely locked and private room, talking dirty to her on the phone. He wasn't positive that he could really get through that without his head exploding with all the blushing or something similar. But it would definitely be kind of fun to try. "You will most definitely hear from me," he promised her with a chuckle. "And it'll just be a surprise if it's naughty or not."

"I love surprises," Claire replied. Smiling, she glanced over her shoulder again. "I have to get to class... but I'll text you when I know what's going on and where I'm going to end up. Enjoy your holed up time with Sean though... I'm sure you two will have an entertaining time together."

He chuckled a little. "Oh yeah, masters of conversation," he said with an eye-roll. "Get to class, though, young lady, your education comes before phone sex. Take care, though, really, and I'll talk to you later." It sucked that he couldn't see her later, but such was life in this part of the country.

"Maybe I'm going to sex ed," Claire pointed out before grinning. "You take care too... tell Sean I said hi. Stay inside." Though she knew he would... Sean would make sure of that. "I'll talk to you later." She was also of the mind that it sucked that she wouldn't see him after school. Maybe Tuesday. As long as nature didn't dump two more feet of snow on the town. She guessed they would just have to wait and see.