Highmauve: Library, Study Room D

Tobi watches their exchange out of the corner of his eye, feeling satisfied as Noelle dismisses Evan. A little bit of that pleasant curl of satisfaction shows on his face, just a tiny smirk behind his phone and the sandwich on his lap. He can't help the look in his eyes as he tilts his head more fully to watch as he gets up, as he hopefully leaves. Once he's gone, maybe he could take Noelle out for coffee and a little bite to eat. Spend some time with her, maybe take a walk outside; the day is gorgeous, and the sun's just starting to sink low in the sky. It won't be dark for a little bit, but until then the sky would be dappled with burning oranges and saturated pinks. Or even just walk her to her dorm; girl looks like a soft push would be all it too to get her to fall over. She needs sleep, and he just wants to make sure she's alright.


And then Evan kisses her.


He hadn't expected this. His face falls as his eyes widen fractionally, surprise subtle but there. All his previous thoughts come to a grinding halt as something in him drops, both mentally and physically. He's falling deeper and deeper out of his body and into the world, and he can't control how fast or how far. Outside, the world comes a sickening halt. The trees fall silent as the wind peeters out, fading into one final whoosh. Birds and animals sit silent, sitting quietly as students look around in alarm at the sudden quiet. The lack of sound causes students from inside to open doors and look outside to investigate.

Inside, Tobias swallows the feeling, as difficult as it is, steels his expression back to its baseline. The wind picks back up as he comes back to himself, though inside he's still frazzled. He hasn't done anything like that in years, and he can already feel the pain blossom behind his eyes. He closes them to block out the light of the library around him. 'Pathetic,' he thinks tiredly. 'Little crush got me all worked over.' He misses the stupid look on Noelle's face, the surprise and the shame in her expression. Misses the way she kisses back only on reflex. Misses all of that to the dark comfort of his closed eyes.

'God damn,' he thinks as he rubs at his eyes and feels the sudden rush of nausea. 'God almighty, damn it.'

This wasn't right.

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

And the world stops around her. But not like it does in the movies. There was no sound, no life. She felt numb. She felt sick.

A tight grip on her throat, she breaks the kiss, staring at Evan, who is smiling at her. Couldn't he see that she didn't want that?

Next, her eyes flick to Tobi, who looked like he was in physical pain. Was the stillness him? She shook the thought out of her head, looking back at Evan who had also looked at Tobi. He smirked, smugly "I'll see you later Ellie." And with that, he walks out of the room, giving Tobi a look that clearly said 'Your move.'

Noelle watches him leave, frozen. Then she goes over to Tobi, as quickly as her feeble and tired body would allow her. She kneels down, looking up at him, gently taking his hand. It isn't really a romantic gesture. Of course, she had realized that she had romantic feelings for him. But at the moment, all she cared about was that he was okay. "Hey. Tobi?" Her voice is small, broken. No matter what anyone would tell her, this was her fault.

Tobi groans softly at the sound of her voice. He hated migraines, hated the pain, the nausea, the sensitivity to everything. He rubs at his eyes a little harder, as if a little pressure would be enough to rid himself of the searing, heavy weight pounding on his skull.

He shifts to a sitting position and ignores the rolling nausea that accompanies the motion. He's got to get back to his room, bury himself under some blankets, and just sleep for the rest of the day. Maybe the next day too. And the next? 'Sounds nice.' he thinks. Noelle's hand is in his though, and she's asking him a question, most likely how he's doing. The pain's making everything a little fuzzy. He tries to open his eyes, tries his best to offer a reassuring smile and a few comforting words.

"I'm fine." he manages to get out. "y'alright?" he asks her.

Noelle knew a migraine when she saw one, and she wanted to help and get him out. She squeezed his hand gently.

“I’m fine. But let’s get you back to your room? Okay?” Her voice is the softest it’s ever been. She strokes the back of his hand with her thumb, rhythmically. She slowly stands up, holding his hand in her own.

She didn’t want to think about Evan right now. All Noelle wanted to focus on was making Tobi feel better- whatever that entailed.

Wednesday, October 22nd

11:00 PM

Noelle is crouched down in the psychology section, one hand on the shelf, the other on the book cart, reaching for a large journal. She pulls the book in front of her eyes, and studies it, carefully. She is wearing a nice pair of black dress pants, a white blouse and a red cardigan with a brass name tag.

She had taken a job at the Library, mostly for the extra money, but also because the disorganization was driving her insane. She had spent so much time at the library, it only made sense to see if she could get paid to do so. When she saw a flyer for job openings, she went up to Ethel, the head librarian, and applied. She received the job almost immediately. Noelle attributed it to the fact that she was always here and kept her business to herself.

It was late. The only students left in the library were studying for tests that were only hours away, or working on long research papers, drinking their fifteenth cup of coffee. Noelle welcomed the quiet and peace. Out the windows, the waning moon lit up the dark sky casting light onto the near empty quad. There is a slight breeze, ruffling the trees and making the leaves dance across the pavement.

Noelle straightens the shelf out and finally stands up, pushing her glasses up, carefully. She begins to push the book cart down the aisle, straightening up as much as she could. Occasionally, she would take out an old feather duster and puts it to work. Once she gets to the end of the aisle, she leans against the shelf, looking at her watch. Another hour and a half. She begins to put her hair up, but settles with it being half up, half down. She hears some talking and retreats back into the aisle, listening very carefully.

Winter was talking to another student at a study table. She was dressed in black with white pokka dots fleece pajama pants and a black sweatshirt. The student across from her was a pale normal human with blue eyes and dyed black hair in a short mohawk who was wearing ripped jeans and a white tank top and a fleece lined leather jacket. They were speaking in hushed tones as they were speaking in a library. "Listen, I am not about to come out to my parents, Sienna. I don't care what you think. They think is all the devil's work and stuff. I like guys too, so I'll just stick with that."

Sienna looked at her exasperated. "But it's your truth!" She said urgently. "They should know."

Winter only shook her head. "Yeah? So what? This just might be a phase. We're just messing around. I really shouldn't be doing any of this. I'm not going to freak my parents out over nothing. Besides, they have enough to worry about with me being a mutant."

Sienna sighed. "Winter... You know that I like you. But I don't like that you're hiding who you are."

"yeah? I'm already in the token mutant kid. I'm not also being the token gay kid. That's it."

"You know that I don't see you like that." She said softly.

Winter closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know... I know... I get enough stares back home. I just don't want any more."

"Winter. They all stare at you cause you're hot. Plus you dye your hair. You're practically begging for attention."

"Even when I was twelve before I decided to change my appearance?" She said skeptically.

"Well...." Sienna couldn't quite come up with a reply to that.

"that's what I thought." Winter looked at her phone and started messing with it just for something to do. She did not what to be having this conversation. Especially not in a public place. Anyone could be listening.

Noelle freezes in her tracks, suddenly becoming hyper-aware to the situation. She felt how her clothes were scratching her, how her shoulders were tensing up, how the necklace that Tobi's mother had made her touch her skin under her shirt. She gulps and, begins to push the book cart into the next aisle, further away from Winter.

Noelle felt incredibly bad, listening into a conversation like that. It was incredibly personal and, from the sounds of it, painful for Winter to have. She had seen the other girl eyeing other girls before, heck, she though Winter and Agnes were checking each other out at homecoming. But she didn't want to assume anything, just like she didn't want anyone to assume anything about her.

She personally didn't have any problem with it- it wasn't hurting her and love was love. She had also read many studies about sexuality and attraction being on a spectrum and she couldn't help but agree. Her mother also taught her to never treat anyone badly for things that they couldn't help. But Noelle knew Winter didn't want the conversation to be heard, so she kept to herself.

Winter sighed and stood up. "I should go...."

"Winter... At least think about it..."

Winter made a non-committal sound as she gathered her things. "Yeah... Sure. I'll think about it."

Sienna stood up and walked around the table and kissed Winter on the cheek. Winter blushed and only squeezed her hand before leaving. As she turned the corner around the shelf saw Noelle. She froze and blushed. Shit. Did she hear?

The giant medical encyclopedia drops from her hands with a large thud that matches the rhythm of her heart. She keeps her face calm, as she kneels down to pick up her book. She doesn't meet Winter's eyes.

"Oh. Hey. Can I help you with anything?"

Noelle's voice is small and feeble, as she stands back up, starting sort. She didn't want to bring up the obvious, feeling guilty about overhearing Winter's problems.

Winter blinked. Maybe she didn't hear anything... But she was shy all of a sudden. Winter blushed like mad and turned a bright red.

"Uh.... No... I uh.... I didn't know you worked here..." She scratched the back of her neck. "I'm just... Gonna go..." She said as she started to move around her.

"Okay... Um, hope you have a good night."

Noelle still doesn't meet her eyes and straightens out the next shelf. Each movement is deliberate and precise, almost graceful. She's in her element as she organizes and cleans off the shelf, but she seems distracted. She knows the other girl, Sienna, was nearby. She didn't want to make things more awkward than they were.

She nodded. "Uh yeah.... You too.... Have a good night." She quickly moved around her. She hugged her things close to her chest and left. She was sure that Noelle heard. She wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. She stopped at the end of the book case and looked back. "Noelle? Are we... Okay?" She asked softly.

Noelle considers this, staying absolutely still, watching her carefully. She bounces the question in her head for a little too long before saying, softly "Yeah. We're fine. Sorry, I'm just... tired. Are you okay?"

It's a genuine question. She's not trying to pry any information out of her, but she wants to make sure that Winter was okay. she owed her for that.

Winter waited for Noelle to answer her. She stared at the floor. Noelle was taking forever. What if they weren't okay? Did Noelle think she was weird or something? Then she finally answered. Winter let out sigh. Good.

Winter then smiled her classic grin. "Yeah. I'm just tired too. Everything is just peachy with me." She said, though she was lying. She was still flustered from her conversation with Sienna and the fact that she accidentally outted herself to Noelle.

"Okay. Well. If you need anything."

Noelle turns her cart away. She knows Winter is lying- she wasn't a good liar. But she didn't want to force her to do anything. Noelle starts going down the next aisle, straightening everything out, counting backwards in her head from 100, trying to ignore the elephant in the room.

Winter smiled. "Of course! I'll see you around." She turned away again and walked off. She hunched her shoulders and walked out of the library quickly. Shit shit shit shit. Noelle knew. Her own family didn't know. Only one who knows was Sienna and that's because she's been kinda her guide to figuring all this out. She chewed on her lip. Shit... and it's dark outside. She stayed close to the light poles and created a glowing orb to help light the way back to her dorm. She hated being out this late.

Noelle watches Winter leave through the large window on the north side of the library. She frowns slightly. MAybe she could have handled that better...

Well, Winter knew where to find her if she needed her. Noelle sincerely hoped that she figured out what was going on soon- she was definitely a little more complex than what Noelle had initially thought. But Noelle couldn't help but think that Winter was overthinking this- coming out was a significant event, but you get to choose who you are out with. And while some people might out you, you have some control over it in some cases.

Of course, Noelle never struggled with this side of self-discovery. In fact, she hadn't really looked at boys at all until she came to college. Mainly because she found that the real thing didn't compare to her books. Chivalry was dead and all that.

Well, maybe not dead. She had found a knight in shining armor of her own recently. She smiles to herself as she continues her crusade of organization and cleanliness.

Tuesday November 11th, 2008

9:00 pm

Winter and Sienna were sitting on a couch in the library as they did their respective homework. Sienna sat close to Winter almost hip to hip, trying to lean into the other girl. Winter... didn't quite match the other's need for intimacy. In fact, she was leaning on the armrest and away from Sienna instead of towards her as she used to do. It was a subtle change. One that started since she actually talked to Agnes in person at Family Day.

It's been a little over two weeks since Winter met up with Agnes under the old tree in the quad... and then proceeded to make out, like.... really make out with her. After that, she and Agnes text each at least once every day. Agnes's teasing still made her blush even over text. Winter found that she kinda enjoyed Agnes's teasing. She found that she actually liked Agnes... a lot. Her confidence was unmatched by anyone she knew and she was just so... sure of herself. Winter envied it a little. She admired it even more.

Her phone buzzed and she looked at the text and smiled. Agnes never ceased to make her smile. Her baby crush on her turned into a massive crush. They weren't dating. Not yet at least... but they were 'talking'... a lot. Sienna noticed the smile as Winter read her text and quickly responded.

"Who's that?" She asked.

Winter shrugged. "Just a friend."

"Oh... okay."

Winter was too embarrassed to tell Sienna about Agnes and her budding feelings for the fellow mutant. She was frankly afraid of Sienna's reaction to it all. After all... Sienna was the one who helped Winter discover this side of herself. She was also one of her first friends here at Highmauve. But after all of the mutant 'occurrences', Sienna has been making some subtly bigoted things towards mutants but quickly assured Winter that Winter wasn't one of "them", the "bad mutants". Winter ignored it but after the dining hall fiasco... it got worse.

After a few more moments and a couple of texts received and sent from Winter's phone, Sienna spoke up again. "Winter. We should finally go on a date together. I mean, we've been hanging out long enough together. We obviously have something between us right?"

Winter looked up from her text, a teasing and somewhat suggestive text to Agnes, and blinked. "Uh.... what? A date? I uh...." She blushed. How does she explain that she didn't like Sienna like that?!

Sienna only raised an eyebrow. "Come on... I know you're shy about being gay and all that... but you don't have to hide that from me. Your eyes are super sexy." Sienna winked and leaned forward towards Winter.

Winter held up her hands. "Sienna... listen... I'm not... I just..." She blushed even more and looked away, clearly uncomfortable with this whole thing. "Listen I... I can't right now. School work and all that has me super busy. I don't have time for a date." She tried to smile.

The other girl only rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. You're just shy. I know you like me. Come on, we've kissed already, messed around and all that. We might as well make it official."

Winter's eyes widened. This was not what she wanted to be talking about right now. "Listen... Please. I'm not into you like that. I know we messed around but it was just that, right? Messing around? nothing serious. We're just friends."

"Friends? Do you kiss all your friends?"

"Well... no.. but I-"

"Then we aren't just friends. We've lovers." Sienna wiggled her eyebrows at Winter.

Winter shook her head. "Sienna, come on. You're being a little dramatic here. Besides, I don't think you want to be dating a mutant, right? Especially after everything..."

Sienna rolled her eyes. "Winter I told you... you aren't like them." Winter blinked. There it was again. 'Them'.

"Them? Who's them?" Winter asked, not sure if she really wanted the answer.

"The scary mutants. The bad ones, you know? Magneto.... Avalanche... Trevor.... Tobi.... You aren't one of them. You're a good one."

Winter blinked. "Tobi? He's not a bad mutant. He stopped Trevor from hurting anyone else and -"

"And he also destroyed the dining hall along with that quiet mutant girl. They're always hanging out together, she's probably a bad one too." Sienna then smirked at the stunned Winter. "So... how about that date?"

Jake was sitting, head down, at a nearby desk. He had been pouring over his math textbook for what felt like forever. In reality, it had been about a half hour. He began to seriously consider just giving up and going home. But, Noelle was supposed to be working tonight, and he had wanted to talk to her about something. Something secret, he thought with a half smile.

Tobi's birthday was coming up, and Jake had recruited Noelle to help plan a small party. Now, Jake's idea of an ideal birthday party had a lot of junk food and music and a lot of alcohol. But Jake was sure that Tobi would only appreciate one of those things. So, he was picking Noelle's brain to create the best night ever. But the girl had been busy herself. With what? He wasn't sure.

Speak of the devil, he heard Tobi's name had been spoken. He looked up and looked at the girls on the couch. Winter, he knew from the program. She was cheery and bubbly and Jake had meant to get to know her more, but schedules and life got in the way. But he had no clue who the goth girl was. She was cute-ish, but was trying very hard to show her anti-establishment schtick. Which Jake found enthralling. Until he heard the topic.

He frowned, his brows furrowing and continues to listen, but his fists are balled up.

Trevor wasn't a "bad" person. He just got fed up with how he was treated and did a bad thing. And Tobi? That boy was the nicest, most polite person that Trevor had met. And he was a protector, not a fighter. Didn't this girl realize what he and Noelle did? How many students they had saved? Of course not. They were labeled as the mutants, and while some people had rallied behind them in a strange way after the battle in the dining hall, some ignorant idiots decided to become even more offended.

Winter only blinked. Sienna was seriously asking her out on a date after she just insulted two of her friends who just so happened to be two of the nicest people ever. She looked at the girl with a look of confusion, hurt, and from finally... Rage. Winter gritted her teeth. That was the last straw. One thing if you were bashing actual bad people. That's fine and understandable. But once you start generalizing and making assumptions about a whole group... That was another thing.

As calmly as possible, Winter spoke. "Sienna... I'm one of those mutants. I could be a bad mutant if I'm pushed too far. That's what happened to all of those bad mutants. Even Trevor. He was bullied over and over again because of how he looked. His mutation isn't 'sexy' like mine. He was pushed to far. Tobi... You got him all wrong. He's not a bad guy at all. Yeah, he destroyed the dining hall but he always stopped a disaster from getting worse. So please.... Don't talk about my friends that way."

Sienna only rolled her eyes. "Friends? You call them your friends? You're crazy. You'll gain perspective once we become an official thing. you'll see."

Winter growled. Why wasn't she getting it?! She took a deep breath and focused herself. She can't snap. She would only prove her right. She took a moment to breathe before speaking again.

"Sienna. They are my friends. They are apparently better friends than you since they support people they barely know. I am eternally grateful to you for helping me discover more about myself but I don't want to date you. There's actually another girl who I want to date."

Sienna only laughed off what Winter said. "Oh Winter, they messed with your heads. I'm your best friend. You surely don't want to date anyone but me."

Winter started packing up her things. She had enough. "I do actually. Especially after this conversation. Shes a mutant too and she understands me more than you apparently."

Jake couldn't take it anymore. He stood up to his full height, towering over the two girls, and looks at them. He stares at Sienna "Hey. Maybe you should stop. I mean, I think it's pretty clear Winter is not interested. Unless you're blind or deaf. Which, if you are, I am so sorry."

He's smiling still, but his eyes remained fixed on Sienna. He leans back on the desk, drumming his fingers "Also, funny thing about mutants. We aren't 'good' or 'bad'. We're people. Like you. And like you, we make good decisions and stupidass decisions. And when I say stupidass, I mean stupidass. Like this one time, I decided to stop a Burger King/Taco Bell Express and tried to put a crunchwrap in a whopper. A stupidass decision, right? But, I've also made the decision to dip my fries in my milkshake. Just because I made that decision, doesn't mean I'm bad. Also-" Jake hoists himself up, sitting on the desk now "You should know that Tobi and Noelle, the quiet mutant girl, saved a lot of people. People who would have gotten hurt. And Tobi freaking saved them by distracting Trevor. Didn't even hurt the kid. Crazy, right?"

He pauses, rubbing the branded ankh on his forearm, and he speaks again "So, even though you made the stupidass decision to talk shit about my friends, Winter's friends, I don't judge you. I don't think you're a stupid ass. I think you made a stupidass comment. But that doesn't make you a stupid ass. Do you get it now?"

Jake's smile has grown now, and he decides to end this speech with his favorite punchline "And yeah, I get it. My mutation isn't cute purple eyes like Winter's. But I'll have you know,  my mutated red hair has become quite the commodity nowadays."

Sienna raised an eyebrow. "Oh come on, Winter. Don't be like this. It's me. You know that Im only joking."

Winter stopped her packing. "Sienna. Girl. We both know that you aren't joking. Stop lying." Before Sienna could respond, Jake approached. Winter barely knew him. All she knew was that Trevor and Jake had been friends and that Jake was a mutant in the program. Right now, she was grateful for us help or else she would have snapped.

She continued packing as Jake spoke to Sienna. Sienna could only stare up at the mutant boy. She recognized him to. He always hung out with Trevor. If Trevor was a bad mutant then he probably was too!

"Now listen. You should mind your own business, mutie." So a said. Winter groaned. Why was she friends with her? How did this even happen?

Sienna looked at the mutant boy utterly confused as he droned on about Taco Bell and Burger King. What the hell was his problem? Then he talked about Tobi and Noelle. They all were bad mutants. She was sure of it. Especially with him defending them. She glared at him.

Then she noticed him rubbing his marks on his arm. "You better not use your freak powers against me, mutie." She said as she sat up tall. "I'll call the cops and have you placed I. A along with your friends."

"Sienna. Come on. Don't start a fight. Are you even listening? He's saying that you're being a stupid ass person by talking like this when you don't even know the whole story."

"I don't need to know the whole story. Mutants cause terror. that's that." Sienna spat back. Then Jake made a comment about his red hair. Sienna glared at him. "That's different and you know it." She snapped. She stood up and grabbed her things. "I'm getting out of here. The stink is unbearable. You coming Winter?"

Winter shook her head. "Hell no. I'm not going anywhere with you if you talk about my kind like that." She said, placing her hands on her hips.

Sienna growled and left in a huff and Winter sank back down to the couch. "Dammit. I'm beginning to think that this library is cursed for me." She said, rubbing bee forhead. She looked up at Jake. "Thanks. I don't know how you keep a cool head. I was about to punch her face. I just... I thought she was different." She looked down before looking up again. "I'm sorry for what she said."

Jake laughs at Sienna. He couldn't help it. This girl was the epitome and antithesis of who he was. She took this whole "mutant-hating" thing WAY too seriously. And Jake was ready to knock her down a peg. So, as she walked away, he couldn't help but yell back.

"YO! The real terror is coming from your mohawk. You should really get those edges fixed. And, yeah, I stink. But that's because I haven't showered in three days! So suck it!" Jake smiles at Winter, but she seemed to be bummed. While he only caught the tail end of the conversation, but the two girls were obviously involved. So, he sat on the floor across from her and shrugged  "Hey, you made a bad call. We all do that sometimes. Like, one time, I thought this Chinese food in the back of my fridge was still good, but 30 minutes later, I puked my GUTS out. And this was like, last week."

He shrugs, leaning back on his hands, staring up at her, his mouth still in a half smile. "I don't care what she said. Been getting it my whole life. It doesn't bother me anymore. Oh, also. There's this thing about curses. They are there to be broken. Just gotta figure out how."

Winter smirked as Jake called out after Sienna and insulted her mohawk. She couldn't help but to giggled at his neck comment too despite everything. Even though she barely knew him, she found that she liked Jake's attitude. She smrd again and laughed softly when he mwno him eating bad Chinese food. "Yeah... That was a pretty bad call. You have to do the sniff test first." She said

"I've been getting flack for being a mutant my whole life too. There weren't any around back home. I'm still not used to it. I shouldn't have to get used to it." She looked at the spot where her friend had just vacated. She rubbed her face. This sucks. Her one close friend at school was apparently a mutant hater this entire time.

She looked at Jake. "Break a curse? As if. I embarrassed myself in front of Noelle over there." She pointed by the shelves. "And I spilled my hot chocolate and burned myself over there..." She pointed by the computers. "Now this? I shouldn't come here at all."

"I did the smell test! It smelled fine! Well, it didn't smell great and I had a sinus infection, but it was very deceiving." Jake shrugs "Whatever, I got through it. Probably lost five pounds, but I got through it!"

He listens to Winter, tilting his head. Embarrassing yourself in front of Noelle? Par for the course when you are friends with Noelle. Also, that doe-eyed girl did enough embarrassing things to warrant it. And the thing about there not being mutants at home? While Tobi couldn't relate completely, he was the only strange looking mutant from home. His dad had told him to just suck up, that he should be proud that he has gifts. Gifts that make him blackout in pain. While his siblings get to look normal AND have useful abilities. Still, Jake found very early on that if he blamed his siblings for the rest of his life, he would lead a VERY bitter life.

"Aw, come on Winter. I want to have reasons to not go to the library just as much as the next guy, but don't give up. Here. Let's make a good memory while we're here together. Wildest, craziest, breakfast club-esque library-themed dream you have. And don't worry about getting in trouble. I know someone on staff." He winks. It's completely friendly and sibling-like.