Earl K. Long Library

[GGJ5]

The Earl K. Long Library, or simply referred to as Long Library, serves as a very popular and efficient place to study for UNO students. Non-students can also use the facilities, often coming to meet with friends at the round tables inside, making use of the many electrical outlets to stay connected to the Internet as they charge their cell phone and iPod. Many places are set up for people to study in isolated cubicles, around tables as a group with surprisingly plush chairs about them, or sleep if they are terrible desperate and the Union is too noisy.

Students can browse all the collections from DVDs to local law documents to journals and special collections, but of course, your usual novels and nonfiction.

Student workers most often populate the employee side of the library, very willing to help others out with computer problems or missing books, but sometimes things are over their heads and they'll redirect you to Mr. Wilkinson, the librarian you most always find around the place somewhere. He's efficient, but aloof and not the warmest of people.

(Student workers and Mr. Wilkinson are NPCs.)

[The Phantom of Paris]

OOC: Yumi/Alex fun! BIC:

Yumi Saito

Yumi sat fuming on a bench outside the library, waiting for Sunny to come out. Sunny had begun taking a couple of summer classes for credit at the University of New Orleans, leaving Yumi alone a couple of days a week with a month left in her time in America. Ordinarily that would be fine with her, but Yumi remained on edge even days after the fight with Erin. She was still uncomfortable to be left alone for long periods of time, worried Erin would find her again even though the thought of being afraid of that venomous snake made her sick to her stomach. To aid in this, Sunny had brought Yumi along for a day, inviting her to explore the college on her own while she sat through her classes. Yumi had tried it for a while, but eventually the heat had gotten to her, and she had to sit down in the shade, sipping absently at a strawberry smoothie she'd purchased in the student Union.

Even thinking about that fight sent a red-hot fury into her eyes, her face coloring. She pulled out a small heart-shaped compact mirror from her purse and clicked it open, examining her face for the thousandth time that day. One of her eyes remained slightly purple and swollen, even though she couldn't remember for the life of her whether punches had been thrown or not. The whole thing was almost a blur in her memory, with only flashes of action here and there remaining for her to reflect on. Spensersan's words, though, were there still, burned into her mind to replay over and over. Maybe I hit my eye when I fell or something. Erin's brutal scratches decorated her face and, even though Yumi couldn't see them in the mirror, her neck, some still angry and red while others had the half-healed look to them that scratches get after a few days. The whole effect was something like a grotesque Halloween mask, and no amount of makeup seemed to be able to cover it. Yumi snapped the mirror shut again and tossed it onto her lap, cursing Spenser Erin under her breath. If I ever see her again, she's going to be sorry.

[GGJ5]

Alex Pierce

As much of a pain as summer intercession courses could be, cramming an entire semester's worth into three weeks, Alex had signed up for another course in the summer in the hopes it would bump up his GPA and get him out earlier than 2012. At least the class was kind of fun. It was actually a lot of fun, really-- a whole class on zombies in literature. Except for the fact that any time something became an assignment, it automatically became less fun. So reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies suddenly seemed a lot less appealing. And actually, he'd liked the classic Jane Austen novel, not that Alex went around admitting that to everyone... but still, seeing the Bennets as zombie slayers should have been at least mildly entertaining. Right?

He had a certain spot in every place on campus that he liked-- a certain place in the Union, a certain place in the computer lab, a certain place in the library, and a certain place outside of it. The fact that a girl was sitting right by that spot didn't bother him so very much-- at least, it didn't deter him from sitting there. She looked like she could be an older high schooler or a freshman, it was hard to tell. He was just about to sit down when a thought occurred to him and he looked at the girl to get her attention. "Is someone sitting here?" Alex pointed at the nearby seat.

[The Phantom of Paris]

Yumi Saito

Her fingers itched to pick up the mirror again, but she struggled to fight against that urge. She knew what she would see if she opened up that compact again, the visible manifestation of her stupidity stamped across her face for all to see. The scratches would still be there, brilliant and bright across her face for all to see, whether she looked at them or not. She sighed, taking one final sip of her smoothie and fiddling with the straw in an attempt to give her hands something to do besides dragging out the mirror. Spenser Erin. Stupid, stupid Spenser Erin. I'm going to...I'm going to...

But even Yumi couldn't finish that sentence. She had no idea what she would do if she ever saw that sorry excuse for a human being again.

Yumi hadn't been sitting there long when a voice interrupted her angry musings, politely asking, "Is someone sitting here?" Yumi looked up, embarrassed, at the American boy standing there, gesturing to the seat next to her. His blue eyes looked friendly enough, although slightly indifferent to his surroundings, and Yumi blushed. "Yes," she said softly, her accented voice sounding flustered even as a small smile crossed her face. "Yes, of course."

[GGJ5]

Alex Pierce

"Is someone sitting here?"

The small Asian girl looked up to find him there. She looked startled, really, and the little thin wounds he saw about her face made him wonder about unhappy things. He also wondered if that meant he should back off and let the girl alone, not that he found himself particularly intimidating, but--

"Yes."

She was quiet about it, but still, she said it was all right, and if he moved away now, it would be rude. He couldn't do that to her. She must have sense his moment of hesitation, because she gave him a little smile, as if to encourage him. "Yes, of course."

Alex returned her smile, and gave her a little nod. "Thanks." He sat down by her, but definitely not right next to her so that she wouldn't be invaded, and pulled out his book. He'd only made it through the first two chapters, but he was a pretty quick reader when he wanted to be, and with the word "zombie" or "undead" or "brains" in every other line, it wasn't exactly a mental challenge. But the more he read it, the more he started missing the original. Sure, it was a parody and that was nice and all, but Alex was sure Austen would go into a fit if she knew such a book existed. He liked it less and less as he kept on, and eventually had to put it down for a minute. Alex placed his bookmark in it and let the novel rest on his knee as he rested his head again the wall behind them.

[The Phantom of Paris]

Yumi Saito

The voice that had spoken to her seemed friendly enough, but Yumi still couldn't help feeling startled at the sudden interruption. She watched as his eyes roved unchecked over her beaten, scratched face, and she felt a heat rising in her cheeks. All day she'd been receiving looks like this, but somehow it felt so much worse from this American boy, sitting here with nowhere to run from. She knew what must be running through his mind right now, and it almost made her feel sick to her stomach. It's not what you think, I promise...but you'd never believe me if I told you, would you?

Still, despite her mortification, Yumi managed a small smile at him as she answered his request with a quiet, "Yes, of course." The fact that he'd asked instead of just sitting down stuck with her somewhat, as well as the fact that he'd waited so long for her to give him permission. It wasn't as though she owned the bench or anything...Hmm...

"Thanks," he said, returning her smile before giving a nod and sitting. She only smiled shyly, giving a nod of her own in place of a bow as she would have perhaps done back home. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the boy pulled out a book and began to read, looking slightly frustrated with the words he saw on the pages. Wanting to not seem like she was staring at him, Yumi pulled out her cell phone to check the time, wondering when Sunny was going to show up again. She replied to a few texts sent by her Amerikajin friends, and even risked sending one to Sunnychan, asking her when her class got out so they could go home. She got nothing in response--Sunny's phone must be off, or else she was ignoring her texts. Yumi let out a quiet sigh.

When she put her phone away, the boy next to her had closed his book. Yumi found herself curiously eyeing the cover, looking at the strange skeleton-girl in the old-fashioned dress. From her angle, she couldn't read the title that well, but the book looked familiar to her somehow--maybe she'd seen someone reading it at school. "What are you reading?" she asked quietly, pointing to the book.

[GGJ5]

Alex Pierce

The reading was going a lot slower than Alex wanted, and he kept re-reading the same line over and over again a few times. It really wasn't all that interesting to him, actually. It just felt like they replaced the word "Darcy" with "zombie" or something and published it as a new book. And Jane Austen would probably die a second death if she knew.

"What are you reading?"

Alex looked up, glancing at the girl who had let him sit near her. "Eh, just a book for school..." He turned the cover to her so she could see. "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies... And it's sadly not as entertaining as I thought it would be." He smiled, giving a little shrug. "I don't think the original author would be too happy with it, either. Seems to uproot why she even wrote it..." He trailed off before he would bore her to death.

Casually, he slipped his bookmark in the pages and set it to the side. "It's lost my interest, anyway." A pause and another look at his fellow bench-occupant, Alex started with hesitation, "Please don't think I'm prying, or be offended... did some-- something hurt you?" He'd cut himself off before saying "someone"-- that was too presumptuous. But there was that sincere little tugging that he should ask. Hopefully the girl wouldn't get up and storm off...

[The Phantom of Paris]

OOC: I apologize for what Yumi says...or thinks, in this case...about Erin here! BIC:

Yumi Saito

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Yumi with her cell phone and the blond boy intently reading his book. Or maybe not so intently, as something in the way he was sitting, the way his eyes moved back and forth across the pages, made Yumi think he was agitated about something. Eventually he closed the book, leaving it sitting there face-up as the cover illustration caught Yumi's eye. Something about it seemed familiar enough to pique her curiosity, so much that she dared to voice, "What are you reading?" Her accent made the words seem strange, out-of-place, but at least it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been. Still, Yumi couldn't fight the blush that came over her face as he looked over at her.

"Eh, just a book for school..." he said vaguely, showing her the cover. Now she could see the words in the title, reading along, her lips mouthing the words, as he too spoke them aloud. "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies... And it's sadly not as entertaining as I thought it would be."

Yumi looked up at him in confusion. "Zom...Zombies?" she asked, frowning at the strange word. She thought for a minute, then smiled. "Oh, yes. Not-dead, right? Is that what they are?"

The boy offered up a little smile at that, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't think the original author would be too happy with it, either. Seems to uproot why she even wrote it...It's lost my interest, anyway."

"I think it looks...interesting, but maybe scary," Yumi offered, still looking down at the book.

He gave her a strange look then, almost like he was worried. Yumi felt a frown come over her face as he said, "Please don't think I'm prying, or be offended... did some-- something hurt you?"

Yumi's face fell, and she turned away from him to look down at the ground. See? I shouldn't even have come here. I've been kidding myself this entire time to think that no one would ask me about it, and now he's gone and done it, and I have to answer him, and...I hate that Spenser Erin! That *****! I hate her!

"Well," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, but...it is fine. All fine." She looked up at him again. "I am fine."

Not really, but she won't be 'hurting' me again, if that's what you mean, so...so it is fine, I guess. But not quite.

[GGJ5]

Alex Pierce

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies..." Alex said aloud, gesturing with the book's cover. "And it's sadly not as entertaining as I thought it would be."

The girl looked confused. She had an accent. She probably didn't know the word, but the picture on the cover would be enough, Alex was sure. "Zom...Zombies?" Alex waited, and as he thought, the term clicked. "Oh, yes. Not-dead, right? Is that what they are?"

He laughed a little, smiling at the shy definition. "Yeah." He shrugged, adding, "I don't think the original author would be too happy with it, either. Seems to uproot why she even wrote it...It's lost my interest, anyway."

"I think it looks...interesting, but maybe scary," the girl said quietly, eying the book.

"Yeah, I guess it could be, but it seems too big of a joke to me. Too much blood, and... violence," he said slowly, knowing how it made himself sound kind of pathetic, but he had learned he wasn't fond of reading about staking mobile corpses or beheading the undead. Or, actually, the undead in general. And he was taking a zombie class... he should have known better.

Alex's gaze had landed on the girl, whose markings sparked unpleasant memories. "Please don't think I'm prying, or be offended... did some-- something hurt you?" And by something, I mean someone, because you shouldn't be allowed to be in that kind of situation... He was giving her the chance, and just like last time, if she needed help, she would take the signal. At least, Alex hoped so.

The girl's face fell, and he hoped he was wrong.

"Well," she began, very quietly. "Yes, but...it is fine. All fine." She looked up at him again. "I am fine."

Well, of course she wouldn't say more than that. She didn't even know who she was talking to... He held out his hand, just remembering to introduce himself. "Sorry, I should have told you my name," he rushed out to cover his mistake. "I'm Alex Pierce. Are you a student here, or...?" If she felt better around him, then if she did need help, maybe...

[The Phantom of Paris]

Yumi Saito

The whole time the boy was talking, Yumi was wracking her brain trying to come up with some excuse, some way to escape and look for Sunny before he asked her another question, or worse, noticed her face. She felt all of her insecurities come flooding back to her the longer she sat there, listening to him describe the strange zombie book he apparently had to read. Her curious side was winning out, though, much to Yumi's dismay. "I think it looks...interesting, but maybe scary," she said quietly, sending him into another shower of words that rained on Yumi with little or no comprehension on her part. Yes, her English had improved, but she was too anxious and the boy talking too fast for her to really understand more than half of what he was saying. Don't encourage him! Then you'll never make it out of here. Just...find Sunny and leave. Or say that something's come up. Just quick, before you say something you'll regret, Yumi, come on...

"...Too much blood, and... violence," he finished. That Yumi more or less understood, and she gave a little wince at his use of the word violence. She had had her own fair share of that lately, and she couldn't blame this boy for not liking to read about it all the time. Stupid Spenser Erin...stupid jealous selfish Spenser Erin...I hate her! I hate her I hate her I hate her I hate her I...

But as much as it pained Yumi to admit it, she didn't hate her. Not entirely. Deep down, there was another feeling there, something that fell just a little short of admiration. Admiration for the confidence Erin carried with her all the time, for the way she was willing to put herself in harm's way like that in order to defend herself and Yukito against Yumi. Not that Yumi considered herself all that much of a threat anymore, but still. Erin had started the fight and had refused to give up. No matter what else Yumi thought about the girl, there was something admirable about that. Something incredibly brave.

Stupid and reckless, but brave.

"Please don't think I'm prying, or be offended... did some-- something hurt you?" the boy asked, confirming Yumi's worst fears. Her heart sank. I should have left when I had the chance! "Well," she said finally, wishing that the ground could swallow her up so she couldn't be seen anymore. "Yes, but...it is fine. All fine. I am fine," she added as an afterthought, hoping her voice sounded more confident to his ears than hers.

"Sorry, I should have told you my name," he said, holding out a hand to Yumi. She shook it warily. "I'm Alex Pierce. Are you a student here, or...?"

She shook her head, feeling flustered. "Oh, no. Am in high school. I am an exchanger," she said, using the nickname all the American kids gave the exchange students at school. She blushed. "I mean, exchange student. I'm waiting for my host sister, she is taking a summer class here." She gave the tiniest of smiles. "I am Yumi Saito."

[More than Music]

OOC: Yay for border-line stalker-dom! xD I think he's gonna get himself a reputation or something... lol~
BIC:

Raiu Wahei

Interesting people went to the library. Raiu sat with his sketch book hidden behind a big book on major chronic diseases, peeking over at the people around him. He really wanted to draw something he didn't draw often.

Oh. A girl came in and sat down across from him. That was it! He hadn't drawn many people lately. This would do the trick.

He roughly sketched her face, clear lines coming down for her shoulders and arms. Hm, she was kind of pretty. The more detail he did on her face, the more she seemed a bit familiar. Had he seen her before? He peeked over again. She was one of the Wright girls, wasn't she?

The bad thing was, he couldn't really figure out which one it was. Hm.

Raiu added some more details to her smile and eyes, trying to discern by her features whether or not she was the older one or the younger one. If he could just remember her name...

He took off his glasses, setting them down next to him, his gaze steady and intent. He added that light in her eyes and...

That was it. She was Cassie. It was the light in her eyes that did it. Shelby was too quiet and reserved to have that lovely light in her eyes. He smiled a little, proud of himself.

Someone came too close to him, knocking over the book that hid his work. Raiu turned to them slowly, eyes narrowed.

"Sorry," the young man whined. "Your chair's too far out!"

Not happy, Raiu scooted himself closer to the table without taking his eyes off the intruder. "You knocked over my stuff."

"You knocked over mine!"

He looked down. "So I did," he sighed, getting up and scooping the books into his arms quickly. "Here." The guy looked a little confused, but Raiu just sat down.

The stranger's eyes fell on his work, then shot over to Cassie, then back to the drawing. It all connected for a moment. "Oh... Sorry..."

Raiu smiled a little. "It's a little late for that." He turned to Cassie, who had definitely seen the drawing by now, smiling a little tightly as he sat down. "Hi."

'By the way, I'm not a stalker. You're just pretty and I remembered your face and... yeah, whatever. I needed something nice to draw.'

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

With college looming ahead of her in just a few short weeks time, Cassie had gone into panic mode. She had gone online and found as many syllabii and reading lists for her classes as she could, paying particular attention to her English class and her two art history classes, and gone on a book-buying spree at both the university bookstore and Augustia. With only a few more books left to find on her list, Cassie had decided to make her way to the college library, figuring if she couldn't find what she was looking for, she could at least familiarize herself with the library itself.

The library was bigger than Cassie remembered or even really expected. She had gone here a few times as a kid, she knew, but the memory hadn't stuck with her. Not being much of a reader, Cassie had relied on her school library for the books she needed and the bookshelves at home for the things she read over and over, like her tattered, ancient copies of Little Women and A Christmas Carol and Shelby's Harry Potter books, which Cassie borrowed when she was feeling nostalgic. She browsed for a while, walking through shelves and shelves of classics, thick nonfiction books that seemed too boring to even look at for more than a few seconds, and sappy young adult books brimming with life lessons and snarky characters. She found one of the books on her list and picked up a YA novel that looked interesting, something about a kid stealing a bolt of lightning from the Greek god Zeus, figuring at the very least it would do to pass the time when she was procrastinating on homework.

Cradling her books in her arms, Cassie made her way over to a table that only had one other person at it--a dark-haired, possibly Asian boy who was looking rather too intently at a very thick book--and sat down, taking her book list out of her purse and marking off the book she had found. Only two more and I'll have all I need for the semester, not counting that one textbook that the bookstore didn't have. I don't even know if I need to buy all these stupid things, they'll probably have copies of the novels for English at least, but I like to mark up books that I have, write notes in the margins and stuff. I can't do that in a school book. So this is good...right?

She spent some time doodling on the edges of the book list for a moment, then opened the Percy Jackson book and tried to focus on the words on the page. It was difficult, as it usually was--Cassie often had trouble reading unless she was in complete silence, and she'd never mastered what she envied so much about Shelby, the ability to envision everything in her mind as she read it. She persevered, though, and in a few minutes was mostly absorbed in Percy Jackson's trip to a museum and the unfortunate incident with his pre-algebra teacher being, well, a monster.

A loud thump brought Cassie's nose out of the book, and she looked up in alarm just in time to hear a not-very-sincere voice say, "Sorry. Your chair's too far out!"

"You knocked over my stuff." This voice came from the Asian kid across from her, glaring up at the other boy. Cassie watched curiously, not really knowing which guy she should feel more embarrassed for, as the Asian boy put his books back on the table. There was the heavy one, the one that looked intimidating and torturous...but what was that on top of it?

"You knocked over mine!"

"So I did. Here."

This exchange of words sounded muffled and distant to Cassie, whose eyes were fixed on the sketchbook in front of her. She didn't even here the strange, flustered apology from the boy who'd started this whole thing. She sat, staring at the drawing of what could only be her, absorbed in her thoughts and oblivious to the world. Because that is me, isn't it? He...he captured me almost perfectly. Scary, but sort of incredible at the same time...

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and slowly raised her eyes to meet his as the guy sat down. "Hi."

"Um, hi," Cassie said softly, an embarrassed half-smile coming over her face. She pointed to the drawing. "That's me, isn't it?" Idiot. Of course it's you, who else could it be? "Sorry, stupid question. You're really good."

[More than Music]

Raiu Wahei

Her eyes were definitely locked onto the sketch. Great.

"Hi."

"Um, hi," she said, looking a little embarrassed.

You're not the one that just got sold out.

She pointed to the drawing. "That's me, isn't it?" He paused a moment, then nodded. "Sorry, stupid question. You're really good."

He smiled a little, sitting up straighter. "It's not a stupid question. I need to get better. Your face is a little hard to capture on paper." Then he shrugged. "I'm not as good as you think." Raiu paused for a moment, then looked back into her face. "Don't you draw or paint or something? Can't remember where I know you from, but I definitely know you. You're Cassie Wright. Your sister is Shelby." He thought. "I know you dated Clarence... he's my cousin. But I don't know where I met you." He tilted his head to the side. "Maybe you remember me?" He held out his hand across the table. "Raiu Wahei."

[GGJ5]

Alex Pierce

"Please don't think I'm prying, or be offended... did some-- something hurt you?" As soon as the words left Alex's mouth, he regretted them. It was easy to see the hurt in her face that hadn't been there before. But he couldn't take it back now, and he was concerned...

"Well," the girl started almost hesitantly, "Yes, but...it is fine. All fine. I am fine."

Alex nodded a little, showing acceptance of her answer. Inwardly, though, he frowned, unsure. She didn't sound quite all right... but who was he to judge, really?

"Sorry, I should have told you my name," Alex started by way of covering. And maybe smoothing over the social faux paux he'd just made. The girl didn't seem enthused. "I'm Alex Pierce. Are you a student here, or...?"

She shook her head. "Oh, no. Am in high school. I am an exchanger."

The word didn't register with Alex until just as she started to explain, and the realization hit. He nodded a little as she explained, "I mean, exchange student. I'm waiting for my host sister, she is taking a summer class here." She gave the tiniest of smiles. "I am Yumi Saito."

"Yumi?" Alex echoed. He was terrible with names... she'd probably become "Yummy" or "Yolanda" in his head or something. "I thought you might have been a freshman here." He wanted to ask how long she'd been in the States, how she liked it... but it seemed that her time in the States had been marred by violence that she didn't really want to mention. So he went for a safe question. "Am I keeping you from your host sister? I should probably get back to reading, anyway..." He trailed off, waiting for the girl-- Y..Y... Yumi! Yumi to decide whether she wanted to keep talking or not. She seemed really uncomfortable around him, a reaction he wasn't used to. It started to make him uncomfortable.

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

Cassie stared down at the piece of paper on the table in front of her. The sketch wasn't quite finished, but it was evident in every inch of it, every stroke of the pen on the page that it was an image of Cassie, her eyes roving across the page of her own book as she tried to lose herself in the world of Percy Jackson. It was strange, seeing herself on paper like that. The only thing Cassie would liken it to was looking in the mirror but seeing not your reflection, but the way the world perceived you. Cassie Wright, as seen through the eyes of a stranger. Is that what people think when they see drawings I've done of them? It's so weird... She found herself thinking of her first conversation with Erin, how she had drawn her face before ever knowing just how much Erin would mean to her in her life. Cassie made a mental note to ask Erin if she remembered that day, and if she remembered how she had felt seeing her face appear in Cassie's sketchbook like that. I'll bet she doesn't remember, though...

In spite of herself, Cassie leaned forward in her chair, trying to get a better angle on the drawing. Forgetting the boy who had drawn it was still sitting there, she was about to reach out and touch it when his voice startled her.

"Hi."

Awkward, party of two. Can I take your order?

"Um, hi," Cassie replied, feeling the tension between them. "That's me, isn't it?" she asked, pointing. She shook her head. "Sorry, stupid question." Stupid person who doesn't know how to carry on a conversation, even though really he's the one who should be embarrassed here, not me... "You're really good."

Luckily, the mystery artist only smiled. "It's not a stupid question. I need to get better. Your face is a little hard to capture on paper."

Cassie gave an amused chuckle, raising an eyebrow. "Um...was that a compliment?"

"I'm not as good as you think. Don't you draw or paint or something?" Taken aback by the fact that he seemed to know her already, Cassie only nodded. "Can't remember where I know you from, but I definitely know you. You're Cassie Wright. Your sister is Shelby."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know you dated Clarence... he's my cousin."

Cassie immediately dropped her gaze. Oh great. His cousin. Well, he doesn't seem much like Clarence at all, but you never know...I should probably be careful...if I don't, Shelby will kill me. Cassie had had enough of Shelby's anti-Clarence speeches to last her a lifetime.

"Oh," was all she said out loud.

"But I don't know where I met you. Maybe you remember me?" He held out his hand across the table, and Cassie took it gently. "Raiu Wahei."

"Raiu Wahei..." Cassie repeated, trying to remember. "It does sound familiar. It's not really a name you can forget easily, no offense...were we in an art class together or something? I'm sorry, but I really can't remember...I know it was a few years ago though."


---

OOC: GG, do you maybe want to wrap this up? I'm not sure how much awkwardness we can drag out of these two...XD BIC:

Yumi Saito

Yumi could tell from the concerned look that remained on his face that he didn't believe one word she'd said. I'm not lying! As long as I stay away from Erin and she keeps her lying face away from me, I will be just fine. It's not like I'm going to go out looking to get in another fight again or something! That girl almost got me arrested--I could have been sent home early! I never want to see her face again. But if I did see her...no, stop that. I'm not out looking for revenge. That would be stupid. Still...she should know that she shouldn't mess with me..oh, shut up, Yumi! This is crazy! Just let it go! It's over and she won. The sooner you deal with it, the sooner you get over this thing...

Then the sooner I can go home and forget all of this ever happened.

"I'm Alex Pierce. Are you a student here, or...?" the boy asked, disrupting Yumi's thoughts. She shook her head no. "Oh, no. Am in high school. I am an exchanger." Quickly, she corrected herself at the confused look on his face. "I mean, exchange student. I'm waiting for my host sister, she is taking a summer class here. I am Yumi Saito."

"Yumi?" She nodded. It's not that hard to pronounce...

"Am I keeping you from your host sister? I should probably get back to reading, anyway..."

She shook her head shyly. "She said...that she'd find me here, I can wait..." she checked the time again. "She should be here in a few minutes."