Students' Parking Lot

[GGJ5]

Behind the school is where the students and teachers share a parking lot. The teachers do get the better spots-- under trees or beside the buildings. But most of the students have the better cars. Oh, the ironies of the educational system.

After school students like to gather around their cars and dawdle before heading off.

[The Phantom of Paris]

Shelby Wright

She didn't really want to have to go through the parking lot to get home--she could be too easily spotted and snitched on by one of her 'friends' or something--but if she wanted to get there efficiently, there was really no way around it. She pulled her sweatshirt back on again, despite the heat and humidity that made her feel like she was underwater with every breath that she took, and yanked the hood up over her head, so if someone did see her, at least the red hair wouldn't be a dead giveaway that the now emo and silent, formerly bubbly and goody-goody Shelby Wright was ditching class for the first time in her life.

The afternoon classes had just started, so the student lot was more or less deserted, cars waiting patiently for their owners to return to them at the end of the day. She crossed her arms in front of her and stared at the ground, fuming. What did Yukito think she was doing, anyway? Just because he was vaguely acquainted with her and her sister (Really, Yukito was the person she had to thank for semi-introducing her to manga and anime, for it was after meeting him that she had discovered the genre, but Shelby was in no mood for technicalities), he felt like he could just barge in and tell her how to live her life? He couldn't even live his own--he had thrown away his relationship with Erin, and if the rumor mill could be believed, he was taking it just about as well as Shelby was. Wait, no, that's not right, because I'm taking this just fine. I'm okay. Cassie's okay. Everyone's okay.

It's just that no one else seem to think so.

Al's sensible tone cut through Shelby's brooding. "Shelby, are you really okay? You don't have to lie to me. Or lie to yourself."

Shelby sighed. Alphonse, I love you, but please...shut up.

He did, and Shelby walked on, lost in her thoughts and still ranting to Yukito in her mind, completely and utterly oblivious to the world around her.

[Elda Forever]

Preston Brailsford

He tapped his left foot a little to the beat of the music blaring out of the stereo. His dad sat in the passenger seat, looking bored, as they pulled into the parking lot of the school. "I think I did a good job today at practice," Preston said lightly, trying to make at least a little more of a conversational attempt before he went back to school. "I beat out Jess, and he's been on the team longer than me."

"You'll get better, too," his dad said quietly, looking over at him and sending him a little smile, "If you keep working hard, you'll become the star of the team. I know you will."

"Ahh..." he said with a smile, "I'm just glad to be on the team." He met his dad's eyes with a smile, "It's a good excuse to miss some school, isn't it? So much practice needed, you know..."

His dad chuckled, "Yeah, I wish I'd had that excuse when I was in school."

Preston was still smiling when he turned back to look ahead, one foot still keeping time with the music. When he'd first joined the team, he had worried about him missing so much school, but Preston had talked him into it after explaining that it was just one class every other day, and the rest of his practices would take place on free time. He'd also promised to study on hyper-speed when he did have time, so his grades wouldn't suffer. And they'd both been happy about it, so it hadn't been too difficult to convince him.

Okay, so maybe he didn't study for homework as much as he should have, but his grades weren't anything to really be worried about. He didn't have to have great grades or anything, anyways. He was gonna go to college on a scholarship. He wanted to end up at the top someday, and be known for being awesome at something he loved to do the most - to play the sport that was fun and forget about everything, everything else. He was happily on the way to doing that, and even if his dad was perhaps a little distance most of the time, he always pulled through for him when it came to things he needed, like someone to help him get to his extra practices.

That's when he saw her. She seemed to just suddenly appear between the parked cars, right from his blind spot into direct path of the cool-blue Mustang, and he slammed his feet on the brakes. Oh my God! I didn't realize how fast I was going! It wasn't a speed to be really afraid of, but he knew parking lots were dangerous, he shouldn't have been moving that fast. But where did she come from? His dad's hands gripped the dashboard, and Preston stared, mouth agape, at the girl. Oh my God! Quick as a wink he leapt out of the car to make sure that he'd stopped plenty soon enough.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

[The Phantom of Paris]

Shelby Wright

She kept her eyes on the ground as she walked, not wanting to risk the chance of someone recognizing her and asking her where she was going, why she wasn't sitting in class like she should have been. People skip school all the time. Cassie's bound to have done it at least once, so why can't I? Honestly, what difference will it make? I only brought my English stuff anyway, not anything else I need for this afternoon...no math, no chem. Crap, I think we actually have a test in chem today. Last big one before finals, isn't it? Ah, well, it's not like I studied for it anyway... Usually, chemistry was one of Shelby's favorite subjects, because of it's parallels and references to alchemy, but ever since Halloween, school hadn't been holding her interest like it used to. Homework was procrastinated on and put off in favor of watching more anime, tests and projects were all but forgotten by her, no matter how much her mother nagged and yelled. Her grades were falling rapidly--her A's and B's of the past had been replaced for D's and even F's, and for the first time in her life, Cassie with her C-B average was getting better grades than Shelby was.

I just don't care anymore. Is that such a problem?

She almost didn't see the car until it was too late, she was so lost in her thoughts. It seemed to come out of nowhere--where a moment before the lot had been empty, now there was a blue car coming towards her at seemingly impossible speeds--Hey, look. It's a Mustang. Shelby stopped short, her hoodie falling off of her head as she did so, seemingly transfixed as the car continued to come nearer.

She had heard of people in situations like this having their lives flash before their eyes--the car seemed to come at her so fast she had no doubt in her mind that the driver wouldn't be able to stop in time--but instead, Shelby found herself imagining her funeral. How many people would be there? Would her mom cry and blame herself, or use the patented statue method for hiding one's emotions? Would Cassie and her dad beat themselves up over it? Would they talk about the Shelby she had once been, or the Shelby she had become now?

She heard the screeching of brakes reluctant to be put into use so quickly, and the car slowed to a stop a mere half a foot in front of her. She blinked in surprise. Well. That was interesting.

The car door opened, and a guy ran over to her, concern evident on his face. "Are you alright?"

Shelby did a mental inventory and nodded, not meeting the guy's eyes. "Am I that invisible?" she mumbled to herself.

[Elda Forever]

Preston Brailsford

The girl didn't even try to move out of the way, blinking stupidly at the car as he leapt out of it. "Are you alright?"

A slow nod, making her red curls bob up and down, and across her shoulders. She didn't even lift her head to look up at him. "Am I that invisible?" she muttered quietly, in a hoarse and scratchy voice that made Preston wonder if she was really alright. Maybe she was one of those nutcases that didn't actually hurt anybody, but just did themselves harm with their zombie-lifestyles. Preston hesitated to move, unsure of himself.

"What? You're not invisible... It was my fault completely. I wasn't looking where I was going..."

"Preston, we gotta go!" he dad said, looking pissed as he sat in the passenger seat. His dad was a get-it-done type, and once he assessed that there was no blood on the pavement, he was ready to roll.

Preston held up a finger to warn his dad to wait just one minute, then laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright? I can give you a ride, if you need it. You look..." Like you haven't slept much in a week, like your whole life just crumbled around you..

"I'm really sorry..." he mumbled.

[The Phantom of Paris]

Shelby Wright

She remained focused on the road in front of the school, the road where she would soon make her escape home, instead of on the guy's face. "What? You're not invisible..." he said, his tone sounding confused. "It was my fault completely. I wasn't looking where I was going..."

Yeah, neither was I. Guess we're both clueless. Or invisible. She gave another shrug as an impatient voice cut through the parking lot, calling Mustang Guy from inside the car. "Preston, we gotta go!" That would be Mustang Guy's dad, then, she assumed, already fed up with the would-be accident and eager to get his kid wherever it was he needed to be. Preston? she thought, almost amused by the name.

Mustang Dude--Preston--held up a hand to the car, the universal sign for 'Just one more minute, Parent, pleeeeeeeease?' Shelby had to suppress a sigh from escaping her lips. You've seen I'm fine, you can go now. Can't you just go on your merry way so I can go home?

Shelby stiffened as Preston laid a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up, making eye contact with him for the first time. He looked nice enough, for a clueless would-be murderer, she decided as sea-green eyes met brown ones. If Cassie were here she'd say he was cute. But I most certainly am not Cassie.

"Are you sure you're alright? I can give you a ride, if you need it. You look..."

"I'm fine," she croaked out immediately. "Just not feeling well is all...I'm gonna head on home now..."

"I'm really sorry..." he said quietly. He did look sorry, too, and for a fraction of a second she felt bad about how cold she was being. Shelby sighed. "It's fine. It's my fault too, I wasn't looking."

[Elda Forever]

OOC: Okay, I can edit and we'll do more if you want, or we can set up another interaction for these two, chicaaaaa... : DDD BIC:

Preston Brailsford

He silently gave his dad signal to wait one more minute, his focus still on the girl he could have very well flattened with his ride. Preston laid a hand gently on her shoulder, and felt her tense beneath his touch. Ooops. She looked up at him, and he saw her pretty face was hardened and distant. But her eyes weren't heartless, and he wanted to be sure she didn't need to be taken home. "Are you sure you're alright? I can give you a ride, if you need it. You look..."

"I'm fine," she cut him off, "Just not feeling well is all...I'm gonna head on home now..."

"I'm really sorry..." he mumbled lamely in response, feeling lost as to how to deal with this kind of personality. He allowed his hand to drop off her shoulder.

"It's fine. It's my fault too, I wasn't looking." The girl added, as if she had rethought her cold, get-the-hell-away-from-me stance. Preston suppressed a hopeful smile, nodding as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Maybe it was just one of those weird moments where we both spaced at the wrong time?"

"Preston!"

He took in a sharp breath of frustration, and let it out in the form of a calmed sigh. One of the perks of taking a competitive sport was you learned how to shut the crap out and deal with one singular thing.

Though he wished it was as easy as racing to the finish line to take away the awkwardness of standing there like an idiot. "I...I gotta go..." he mumbled, not really wanting to leave but knowing he had to, "You take care, alright?" He stood for a moment longer, feeling the tug of responsibility on a metaphorical fishing line, carried of course in the hands of his father, then he slipped back into the driver's seat, gripping the wheel as the red-haired girl walked away.

His disgruntled father watched her, too, and muttered under his breath. "Spaced out, I'll bet. She'd probably walk off a cliff and not even realize it."

"She looks like the girl I saw on the cover of a CD..." Preston commented, in a random way, "Red curly hair...and a pretty face. If it wasn't so..." He didn't even know the words for her expression, sitting there in his car without a clue how to form the right phrase for it. A grunt from his father, although this time it was a little more contemplative, and they were at the school. And he had to focus now, and make up for lost time.

He could always look her up later, to see if she made it home, or had, in fact, walked off a cliff.

Preston has survived the dreaded parking lot.

[The Phantom of Paris]

Shelby Wright

Preston-Guy nodded at her lame response, saying, "Maybe it was just one of those weird moments where we both spaced at the wrong time?" Shelby shrugged. Sure. Whatever. Call it what you will...just decide so I can maybe get home before someone else notices I'm leaving. Okay? Okay.

"Preston!"[/i] Shelby heard the guy's dad angrily shout from the passenger seat of the Mustang. She almost smirked in amusement at the familiar tone he used. Preston gave a sigh at this, then looked back over at Shelby. "I...I gotta go..." Really? I had absolutely no idea! Is that why your dad is yelling at you to get in the car? Wow. Shocking, truly. Now if you don't mind, Driver of the Mustang That Amuses Me, can you please listen to your parental unit and leave, so I can do as I wish?

"Shelby..." Al's careful voice cut through her sarcasm. "Please don't be like that. You're not that kind of person...it was an accident after all, and no one got hurt. Look at him, he looks like he feels really bad about the whole thing. Just...give him a chance and be nice, okay? I know you're hurting, believe me. I know. But...you're an amazing person, and you're not letting that show."

For the last time, I can take care of myself, Alphonse!

"All right. I'm sorry. But remember I love you, Shelby."

"You take care, alright?" Preston-Guy asked. Shelby gave a little nod, pulling her hood up over her head again and putting her hands into her pockets as she watched him get back into his car. Once she was sure he wouldn't be venturing back out to talk to her again, she adjusted her grip on her messenger bag and continued her trek towards home.

Halfway up the long, winding driveway that led to her house, she realized with a start that Adele and Halina would be home as well. Crap. There goes sneaking in unnoticed. She looked around the grounds of the mansion, seemingly unfamiliar to her after all the time she had spent shut up in her room. She caught sight of the towering, ancient trees, and grinned.

Well, there's always the tree house.

Shelby has left the parking lot.