Shut up and drive.....

[Dani]

Alexia gladly slammed the door to her locker and headed towards the entrance of the school. Due to the fact that it was 3pm on a Friday, she was actually in a halfway decent mood. The weekend was here, which meant that she didn't have to deal with any of her fellow peers for 48 hours. It wasn't long before she'd never have to see them again. Graduation was just a few weeks away and not too long after that, she would be on the road and out of Riverside, far away from any annoyance that seemed to occur in her daily life. Yeah, life was finally starting to get good again. Letting out a much needed sigh of relief, she leaned against the wall near the front doors and fished in her bag for her keys.

[Alisha]

It had gotten better, school. He joined sports, pushed on, even though the date loomed ahead of him. It was like a slap in the face, that date was. As soon as he would become happy, excited about it, it would hit him. It would knock the breath out of him. It was like he was drowning, pushing and pushing, and just when he'd get his head above the water something would grab his ankle and drag him back down. You see, he was graduating. Had it already been two years? It didn't seem possible to him. Eli trudged through the hallways, slinging his backpack onto his shoulder. Sports season was over. No practice. No distractions. Now what? What the hell was he supposed to do now? These were the thoughts that plagued him as he exited the school that Friday afternoon. Eli ran a hand through his hair and he stood on the steps for a few moments, just watching the people mill about around him.

[Dani]

After what felt like an exhaustive search, Alexia finally located her keys. She clenched them tightly in her fist and walked towards the steps, trying to remember exactly where the hell she had parked her car. Since she was a senior, she got to park in the main lot right in front of the school, but her class was packed to the brim with licensed drivers. In order to get a decent parking space, it required her to drive to school early, something which she neither had the time or the patience for. Frustrated at being unable to locate her unique car from a distance amongst the various sports cars and SUVs, she decided to head down to the parking lot for a closer look. Eager to get home, she quickly weaved her way through the crowd of her mostly nameless classmates and headed for the steps. As she turned to walk down them, she found herself looking at one of the few classmates whose name she actually knew. Ugh, it's him.... "Dog Boy," she said, accidentally voicing her thoughts out loud.

[Alisha]

A buzz from the pocket of his jeans brought him out of his thoughts, and he reached into it to fish his phone out. It was only a text from one of his cousins. You're on your own. He knew that could only mean one thing. It meant that he was stuck walking home because Mason decided that he needed to get it on with his on-again-off-again girlfriend. Some girl who had a weird name that started with a C. Rolling his eyes, he shoved his phone back into his pocket and shifted his backpack on his shoulder so he could pull his iPod out of the smaller pocket. It would be a long walk, especially because he had gotten his skateboard taken away earlier that day by one of the administrators. Who knew skating in the courtyard at lunch was such a crime. He was just about to shove the buds into his ears when she walked up beside him. Alexia. He stared at her blankly, a bit of a cold stare. "What is it, princess?" He didn't have to be rude, but it was just so easy to piss her off, and he actually kind of had fun doing it.

[Dani]

"Nothing," Alexia replied, casually covering up the fact that she had meant to keep her little remark to herself. "Just making a simple observation. I see a tree, I say tree. I see your face. I say Dog Boy. It's pretty much the same fucking principle." She knew perfectly well that his name was actually Eli and not Dog Boy, but it was easier to refer to him by the latter name. It was a habit that she couldn't shake, mainly because he always somehow managed to irritate her whenever they ran into each other. This time was no different. She rummaged around in her purse again and pulled out her cigarettes and lighter. No way was Dog Boy going to bring her down today. "Don't call me that," she muttered as she shoved the cigarette between her lips and lit it.

[Alisha]

He couldn't lie and say the 'dog boy' thing didn't annoy him. Maybe it was just the fact that she was saying it, but either way, he didn't like it very much. He didn't let her know this, though. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "Suit yourself. Whatever pleases Miss Howard." He said, his voice laced with sarcasm. Eli narrowed his eyes when she pulled out a cigarette and stuck it into her mouth. It was a disgusting habit, one he wished she didn't have. As much as he enjoyed pissing her off, it wasn't worth sticking around to witness. He shoved his one of his headphones into his ear, and was about to do the same with the other one when he saw the principle come around the corner, heading right for them. He made a quick decision, turning to Alexia, he pulled the cigarette out of her mouth and dropped it onto the ground, putting it out with his foot. He liked to piss her off, but he wasn't about to just throw her under the bus, especially with graduation so close in their future. Not to mention the trouble being caught with a smoker would get him into with the coach.

[Dani]

"Oh wow, Mr. Everdeen, when did we get so formal all of a sudden?" She hated that he got under her skin so much. Usually she could brush off other people's comments with witty remarks and the obsessive use of the f-word. Yet with him, it was difficult to shake some of the things that he said. It had been several months since he had referred to her as "a follower" and it still got on her nerves. It was like he knew which buttons to push. Attempting to block him out of her mind, she took a huge puff of her cigarette and put it back in her mouth. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it was on the ground and being crushed to death by his foot. Fucking shit! Her patience nearly shot, she glared angrily at him, her blue eyes squinted with fury. "What.....the.....fuck?"

[Alisha]

Eli really wanted to laugh at the deathly expression she had on her face, even though it was currently being directed at none other than himself, but he didn't. That emotionless state was back in place, and he fought the urge to roll his eyes. "In case you hadn't noticed, smoking isn't exactly permitted on campus." He said quietly, leaning a little closer to her so she could hear his nearly whispered words. "I was merely saving your ass." He gestured to the principal, who was now walking up the steps. Eli nodded at the nodded at the man, giving him a friendly smile. Once they were alone again, he dropped the smile, glancing at her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, as fun as this was, I've got a pretty long walk ahead of me." He said, giving her a halfhearted wave before turning to head down the steps, really wishing he had his board. He paused, turning to look at her again. "You know, smoking is a horrible habit. You should consider quitting."

[Dani]

Oh shit.... Alexia knew perfectly well that smoking wasn't allowed on campus. That's why she usually smoked under the bleachers on the football field where nobody could see her. He had frustrated her so much that she had forgotten exactly where she was. "Thank you," she said through her clenched teeth. Whether she liked it or not, he had actually helped her out and was owed at least a thank-you. Her politeness ended as soon as he made additional comments about her stress-inducing habit. "Hmmmmm I'll consider it," she replied, pretending to be in deep thought. "Okay, considered it. Not doing it." She walked down a few stairs and turned back to face him again. "It's so easy for you high and mighty non-smokers to pass judgement, isn't it? I take it you must be one of those super environmentally friendly tree fuckers that has a shit fit if someone so much as lights a barbecue grill. I guess you'd have to be one of those in order to want to walk back to Seaview Shores from here."

[Alisha]

It was surprising that she had even bothered thanking him. Eli didn't think she'd be appreciative of his simple save. As much as the fact that she smoked grossed him out, and that he probably would have thought she deserved getting the cigarette's taken away if she had gotten caught, he still helped her out. But why? Eli scoffed with her response to his genuine advice, just shaking his head. "Whatever, Alexia." He said, "You want to kill the shit out of your lungs? Go right ahead. Where are you going to be in ten years when you can no longer use that voice of yours to sing, huh?" Eli wasn't even sure why he was bothering with her. She wasn't going to listen to him anyway.He wasn't going to be able to get into that think skull of hers. He walked past her. "If you must know, my cousin bailed on me to go sleep with his girlfriend. My car is currently out of commission, and admin decided to choose today to confiscate my skateboard. So yes, I'm walking home." Eli said, his back to her as he continued to step away from her. "It has nothing to do with the environment, Howard." He chuckled at himself. "And I happen to enjoy barbecue, quite a bit."

[Dani]

"Yeah, that's right," Alexia said defensively. "It's America. I can do whatever the hell I want to my lungs. If I want to kill them, that's my choice." Of course, she didn't want to kill them. She was perfectly aware of the harmful effects of smoking, but it wasn't like quitting was the easiest thing in the world for her to do. She scoffed at his singing comment. "What do you know about my singing? You've never heard me sing a day in your life. If you did, you'd realize that my voice isn't worth building a future around." Despite her annoyance with him, she softened a little bit as he explained the circumstances behind him walking home. Why the fuck would they take away his skateboard? Stupid school rules...... "I can give you a ride home," she found herself saying out of the blue.

[Alisha]

Eli fought the urge to lecture her on the dangers of the cancer sticks she subjected herself too, most likely on a daily basis. He shouldn't care what she did to her body, so why did he? It pissed him off that the fiery girl was getting under his skin. He clenched his teeth, ready to just turn around and lay into her, but just blew out his breath with a shake of his head. He did stop in his tracks, turning around to face her, a challenge flaring in his green eyes. "Oh really? Your voice isn't worth investing in?" How could she have such low self esteem? It didn't seem possible with out much she loved to argue with him. "Prove it." Eli challenged, his face a mask of seriousness. "You can drive me home, and then you can show me what makes Alexia Howard so different than the rest of the people in this school." Eli stared her down, daring her to back off. Was she all bark and no bite?

[Dani]

"No, my voice isn't worth investing in. Plus, even if it was, having a nice voice isn't worth shit these days. Believe me, I know...." Alexia trailed off as she thought back to the memory of getting kicked out and replaced in her brother's band. She hated that she still let it phase her. It had been three years since the dream had died. She needed to let it go. "You're on, Dog Boy," she said, accepting his challenge. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to prove herself to him. He was just some random kid that she had met at a party one night who called her a follower. His screwed up opinion should not have mattered to her. "Let's go," she added with a slightly evil stare. She walked down the stairs towards the parking lot and motioned for him to follow her.

[Alisha]

Against his better judgement, Eli found himself wondering what had made her so unappreciative of herself, and the things she so obviously felt passionate about. He guessed she was much like he had been a year ago. Then, he wasn't even sure what the point of life was, when things could be taken away so easily. Eli smirked when met with her glare, secretly pleased that he could get such a rise out of her. He wasn't sure exactly what made it so damned entertaining, but he didn't plan to stop anytime soon. "Yes, ma'am." He drew out, following after the girl, eager to find out just what would come of his afternoon. Eli fell into step beside her, glancing at her after a moment of walking. "So, if you suck am I allowed to tell you so without fear of being drugged and sodomized?" He teased, the hint of humor glinting in his eyes.

[Dani]

Alexia practically froze in place at his question. It was one of the last things she expected to come out of his mouth. Despite his attitude towards her, she still expected him to be Mr. Innocent when it came to his choice of words. "Where the fuck did you get that from? Do I look like I'm into that kinky type of shit?" She turned around to face him, ready to hurl more words back at him when she saw the teasing look on his face. "Yes, if I suck, tell me," she said, fighting the urge to groan at him. "Honesty's the best policy." Hell, you've already insulted me....might as well keep it up.... Finally spotting her car, she headed over to it and unlocked it. "Come on Dog Boy, let's get this fucking show on the road."