Room 508, Thursday Afternoon

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy was trying to finish five more problem sets before evening; she had plans to go to the arcade with Travis and that was a lot more fun than studying for the SATs or the AP exams that were cluttering up her calendar. For the sixth time, she looked down at the page of her text book and tried to focus on the chemicals and symbols that made up the assignment. And for the sixth time, she drew a blank, unable to remember a single compound the minute she took her eyes away.

Ugh. Studying felt like such a waste of a gorgeous afternoon. Why'd she sign up for so many extra stupid classes anyway?

[Open, though Sparkle's thread comes last.]

Comments

[myownface]

Okay, so Sparkle was... a little antsy. A lot antsy. Sparkle was freaking out a bit. And what better way to get his mind off of his freaking out than by stopping by to pester his favourite... one of his favourite... the only girl he'd actually known was a superhero before she busted out the crazy powers in LA that one time?

"Knock knock, Mouse?"

[spin_kick_snap]

Oh thank god a distraction!

"Hey, Sparkle!" Kathy said, practically throwing open the door and giving him a huge grin. "How are you? What's up! Gosh you look great! We should catch up! Come on in!"

Don't leave her alone with her homework, Sparkle. That would just be cruel.

[myownface]

"Uh." Yeah, Kathy. That was worrisome. Or, at least, just plain weird. "You've been studying again, haven't you?"

What had he told you about that, Kathy? Huh?

[spin_kick_snap]

"...No?"

Ignore the piles of open notes and texts on her desk and scattered over her bed, Sparkle.

"...Maybe?"

And the flashcards. And the index cards. And the highlighters and their color-coded notes.

"The important thing is that you're here now. I can't possibly study with you here, can I? That would just be super-rude! I've barely seen you at all since break!"

[myownface]

Did you hear that snrk sound there, Kathy? That was Sparkle for 'I can't possibly imagine why.'

It probably said about as much, too.

"Speaking of, how did your break go, anyway? You didn't get stuck in any more dance clubs back there, did you?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"No more clubs, thank god," Kathy said. "But that doesn't mean that it wasn't...eventful." She went to flop onto her bed, but pulling herself up at the last moment with a bendy, almost unnatural-looking motion. "Went face to face with a creep named Painkiller--" she was still disappointed in you, Fernando! "--more specifically, face-to-face with his gun, and Gorgon ended up shot and I had to do emergency surgery in a motel room. That was fun."

No it wasn't.

[myownface]

Well, that was actually surprising enough to pull Sparkle out of his funk for a moment.

"Oh, shit, seriously? And here I am, and the most exciting thing I did all break was macrame."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I met two superheroes, too," Kathy said. "Have I told you about The Mighty Dragon? The biggest superhero in LA? He knew who I was!" That was still really huge for her. "We, uhh, exchanged numbers. So, I have his number. In my phone."

THEY'D TALKED ON THE PHONE. LIKE PALS. WOO!

"And also I sorta robbed the hell out of a drug store."

Her vacation had been weird.

[myownface]

Sparkle was going to take a minute to process... all of that.

"You robbed a store? I thought you were trying to be a hero."

He was confused, Kathy. So confused.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I was! I am! Augh!" Kathy shoved her books and papers aside to finally have that flop she'd been planning on before. "But I didn't have the money or the prescriptions for stuff I needed for Gorgon. I had to stitch him up and get painkillers and penicillin and stuff. I couldn't buy it all, even if I had all the money, so the best I could do was, well, steal a lot of stuff that I needed and then left all the money I had behind."

[myownface]

"I am so surprised at you," Sparkle decided, and damn, that flop looked tempting. He kind of needed to have one of those, too. Just... not right this moment. "But, like, it worked out, right? You're here and not completely losing your shit right now, so I'm guessing yes."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I had a couple of weeks to get over it," Kathy said, sounding glum. "I didn't like doing it--except that I sorta did." She look ashamed to admit that. "I was quick and smart and it was...fun. But I still felt really, really bad for it. But I talked to Mr. Spencer about it, which helped."

[myownface]

Sparkle nodded a little.

"Yeah? That's..." He sighed and leaned against the door frame for a moment. And then stepped into the room, pulling the door shut behind him. "Can I talk for a minute? Like, something just between you and me?"

He was going to hate himself for this.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Of course, Sparks," Kathy said, shoving the rest of the books off her bed to make room for him. She wasn't one to normally treat her schoolwork so cavalierly, but Sparkle looked like he really needed someone to talk to. "Is everything all right? Is this about LA and the club?"

[myownface]

"Yes...?" Sparkle flopped down on the bed beside Kathy, eyes on the floor. "No. I don't know? It's..."

Shit. Shit, how was he going to get this out?

"... There's this guy I know? And he needs me to do him a favour. It's like super important. Life and death super important."

All true, so far.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Go on," Kathy said, leaning over to reach for one of Sparkle's hands. "Is this a favor I can help with? You don't even have to ask, Sparkle. If there's something I can do for you, you can just say so. I'm not gonna let any harm come to a friend of yours."

NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

Sparkle made a little whimpering sound in the back of his throat. Yeah. Yeah, a friend of his. That was what...

What this was all...

"They have something he needs," he blurted. "There's a hard drive, and they have it, and it's got some really seriously big-time dangerous information on it, and they have it, and I have to get it..." This next word, this was the horrible one. The one that made this from the truth into one big mess of a misleading lie. "... back."

He needed to get it back. Which took it from a truth with creative omissions to a flat-out lie. Which he was normally so okay with. But some lies were damning.

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

"Get it back?" Kathy asked. "Some people stole a hard drive full of, like, corporate secrets and stuff?"

Which was true enough in its own way.

"Do you know what all is on it?"

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

"I know," Sparkle replied, nodding a little. "But it's... dangerous. It's bigger than corporate. It's one of those things where, the less you know about it, the better."

And that, too, was true enough.

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

"Which is why he went to you and not the police or something," Kathy hazarded. "Because he needs to get it back quick and quiet and cops'll just make too much noise and possibly want to look. You can just get in and get out with no one the wiser."

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

"Yeah," Sparkle agreed, because, hell, Kathy's speculation was a hell of a lot better than any lie he could conceivably come up with at this point. "And I'm... sneaky, you know? It isn't like it'd be my first time breaking in somewhere."

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

"It's risky," Kathy said, chewing on her bottom lip. "If we get caught...I'm seventeen, so my record will get sealed. But you're an adult now and if you get caught doing a B&E..."

Well, Sparkle knew the consequences better than she did. So instead she asked, "Is it worth it? To help out your friend?"

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

Sparkle looked down at his knees. And then he nodded.

"I just have to not get caught, that's all."

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

"We just have to not get caught," she said, squeezing his hand. "Obviously I'm going to help. That's what friends do. You help your friend and I help you, see?"

Besides, odds were she was at least friendly towards this person anyway. It was a tiny island. How many friends did Sparkle have that were this important to him that she didn't know?

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

... Under most other circumstances, Sparkle would actually find that super reassuring.

Mostly right now he just sort of felt sick.

"You... yeah? I mean, like, it'll involve breaking into a place, it's not the sort of thing you want to get tangled up in. I know my way around a B&E, that doesn't mean you should have to. Mostly I was just... you know... venting."

This was not actually him saying no to her.

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

"Well, no, it's not my usual activity or anything, but one of the classes I'm in this year is all about teaching us stuff like that, so I have a better idea of how to break in to a place than I ever would have before. And you know that if there's any way I can help, I'd rather do that than just sit around and worry." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and added, "Besides, if I help, you'll have someone to watch your back in case of trouble. You can work faster with someone there."

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

Dammit, Kathy. You were right. And so, so wrong. And Sparkle felt like a complete heel when he lowered his head and sighed out a, "Thanks."

Shit. Just, Shit. Fuck. Shit fucking fuck... Shit.

"So... tonight, after dark? You do all your bouncing and rainbows stuff after dark, right?"

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

"Yeah, though if we go after dark, I'm not gonna wear my gi. Bright white isn't so great for sneaking around, trust me." She frowned and asked, "So, what's the plan? Do you know their schedule or anything? Or are we just gonna wait until they leave or go to bed or...?"

Tell her you had a plan, Sparkle.

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

"The plan is..." Sparkle frowned a bit. Shit. Last chance to not get Kathy involved in this. "... The plan is, I can you when they're not home, and we bust in and make off with the hard drive. It's simple, but, you know... effective."

It's generally what he usually did when going on his little break-and-enter sprees, anyway.

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

"Well, other heading to the arcade with Travis, my day is pretty free," Kathy assured him. "And I can skip out on Baltimore tonight if we don't get a chance to get there before that. And wherever I am when you call, I can get to you in less than five, pretty easy. Ten if wherever we're going is on the complete other end of the island from wherever I am when you call."

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

"Great," Sparkle replied, giving her a grin in spite of the way his insides were doing somersaults. "Looking forward to it."

Lies.

"So... tell me about this thing with Travis."

LOOK A DIVERSION.

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

"Oh, it's not a thing," she said, instantly blushing as Sparkle doubtlessly expected. "I mean, I don't think so? We're just planning to go to the arcade tonight. He wants to show me Space Invaders before I kick his butt at DDR."

See? Totally just friendly fun! Really!

"...Though, like, if you'd feel better helping me pick out something to wear tonight, that'd be okay, I guess."

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

See, this, Sparkle could talk about without feeling like an absolute shit.

"Oh, I can so do that. Take me to your closet, Kathy, and let me do some magic, here."

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

"Can I show you my closet without you going into some kind of fit?" she asked, going over and opening the door. "Or are you going to fall back onto the bed and writhe around doing your best Wicked Witch impression?"

Again.

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

"What a wooooorld," Sparkle laughed, clutching at his heart. "C'mon. I'll behave myself. THIS time. Please just tell me you're not planning on wearing anything with kittens on it?"

For your own good, Kathy, Sparkle wasn't going to let you.

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

"But that dress is really cute!" Kathy protested. Because it was! "I mean, I wasn't gonna wear it because it's a dress and we're playing DDR, but it is really cute!"

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

"Not for dates, it's not," Sparkle declared, and then he stood himself up and marched over to the closet to go for a rummage himself. "Now, let's see what you can wear, look good in, and dance in, all without making me want to throw up in my mouth a little."

He was like this because he loved you, Kathy.

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

Why didn't all love come with warnings of vomit?

"Too kind," she said sarcastically. "And besides! This might not even be a date! We didn't, like, say it was or anything."

Holding onto her knees, she added, "Also, if, like, you wanted to pick out something kinda...eye-catchy and cute that I could wear just out and about? Umm, like, if, say, I wanted to catch someone's attention?"

Someone else, it should be specified.

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

"Heh, yeah. I think I can manage that." A beat. "How low-cut do you want that shirt again?"

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy looked down at her chest and wrinkled her nose. "Will a low-cut shirt do anything for me?" she asked. "I thought the point of those shirts was showing off what you've got."

And whatever Kathy had been meant to get, her sister had inherited instead.

Re: NFB From here, please!

[myownface]

Sparkle opened his mouth for a moment, and then closed it again, and then, wisely, decided not to comment.

Look, he wasn't on top of his game today, alright?

"I maintain that anyone can have kickass cleavage with the right bra," he informed her, "but... you probably don't have the right bra, so we'll work on showing off your ass, instead. You have a great ass. And amazing thighs."

Re: NFB From here, please!

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy flushed. Sparkle wasn't the first person to praise her thighs. "Too bad none of my yoga pants say 'Juicy' across the butt?" she joked to cover her consternation. "I've got some cute leggings in my closet? Got them off the internet."