(( you think you're cooler than me ))

[Flame]

She chuckled. ”Hm. Well I’m sure I could be annoying and get my students to do that over and over again to you.” she said simply. It was nice being loved for teaching. She hadn’t realized how much she’d craved teaching until she’d had her son, and came here. Now she had realized that she did love teaching, and watching students blossom and grow.

”True.” she said laughing, not able to say anything else as they walked. The hair thing made her grin, evilly, and she reached up ruffling it, and backing up. ”HA! So you DO Have a weakness!” she chortled.

[Centrinity]

The was a rather loud mix between a squeal and a squeak as she reached for his hair, hands flying up but not fast enough to stop her. The sound echoed down the halls a bit as he pulled to a stop, peering a window to find a reflection, fingers scrambling to fix it, slowing down as it neared perfection again, carefully putting it back into place, not avoiding the soft little whimper of a sound that came out when he had first looked at the reflection and had noticed it... well, everywhere.

That's not cool. I thought becoming the teacher meant I could avoid the bullies for once.

He mumbled softly, mournfully even, as his fingers carefully combed through his hair, smoothing it carefully into place, then brushing his bangs to the side to overlay the rest of his hair as they always did. He cast a distrusting glance over his shoulder at her before he turned and kept walking, quite clearly sulking, and narrowly avoiding pouting.

[Flame]

The young woman giggled, something very feminine, and altogether odd. To anyone who actually knew her it would have gotten a very odd look. But they weren’t around. ”I’m not being a bully. It was cute and adorable. I swear I won’t do it again unless you REALLY annoy me.” she said truthfully, reaching up and helping him replace the hairs. ”Better?” she asked with a grin at him. She followed. ”Everyone’s got to have a little fun. I usually do that to everyone. Including my son. He seems to love it.” she said simply. ”Some how I managed to get Hunter, which was funny because he was like ‘wait… you did something… what was it?’”

[Centrinity]

He whacked her hand away when she almost touched one hair that was already perfect right where it was. Mind you, there was absolutely no strength behind the hit. He simply didn't have the muscle for there to be any strength behind anything he did, at least physically.

There. Just... leave it. It's fine... Now.

He grumbled, not really mad, just sulking still. It was his hair, his precious hair. It was his baby, practically. Or, as close as he got to having a child. That and his laptop were his prides and joy.

Still think you're being a bully.

He mumbled, glaring over at her, but he'd stopped watching her like she was going to kill him. It was a start back to where he used to be attitude-wise. Before the hair incident. He glanced over at her, pout slipping out.

And it isn't funny.

[Flame]

She laughed at his second comment, ignoring the first. ”I’m no bully. I’ve been bullied. You just made it to good to pass up. I’m a new jersy girl what do you expect?” she asked with a slight smirk. She was to. New Jersy was her home state. She hated the place but still. She smirked. ”It was funny, and adorable.” she said following him. She eyed his pout. ”If you were Robin I’d tell you to not pout.”

[Centrinity]

He glared at her again, though it was becoming rather half-hearted. He couldn't stay mad or annoyed at anyone for long. Then, he sighed and gave in, shaking his head. Then a sly little smile crept on his face and he glanced over at her.

Adorable, huh?

He watched her a moment, letting the hair incident pass by now as he got distracted with something else; her comment. He may be foolish, and he may be twenty five, but that didn't make him any less a guy.

[Flame]

She matched his grin. ”Yes adorable. It was cute like when you pet a cat in the middle of their cleaning? They have to clean themselves all over again. It was like that.” She grinned as she walked a little faster, past him, waiting for him to chose weather that was a compliment or not. To her it was either. Which ever he took it as.

[Centrinity]

He grinned, catching up with a bit of a jog, most definitely taking it as a compliment. Probably way more than he should have. But she couldn't stop that. He chuckled softly, but was distracted yet again by a hallway which seemed rather... small, considering most of the hallways. Not even thinking, he grabbed her hand to drag her that way.

Ohhh what's over here?!

It was only a few steps down the hall before his excited speed slowed, turning hesitant, grin falling as the smell of chlorine reached his nose. He came to a stop, hand not falling away, though he wouldn't even have noticed if she pulled her hand away. He blinked twice in silence before slowly moving forward again and pushing through the door, eying the water and nearing it, kneeling down, fingers dipping in.

A pool... should have guessed they'd have one.

[Flame]

She watched him go from man to boy in almost two seconds, as he grabbed her hand, and dragged her down the hallway. Mainly because he’d surprised her. A lot. Finally he stopped and she took her hand back. ”It’s a pool.” she said simply following him inside. She loved swimming. ”Most of us here know how to swim. I come in early in the morning and do so. You never know when your going to need to know.” she said simply, grinning. The day before she’d gone swimming and one of her sr students had scared her and she’d gotten into a splashing fight with them.

[Centrinity]

He had only been half listening, head tipping to the side as he thought, memories swirling. Most of them good, surprisingly. Eric had always loved the pool. A slightly sad smile flickered onto his face, his fingers still making swirls in the water.

I never learned how. Funny, really. Grew up on the California coast. My little brother, Eric, he always tried to drag me in, teach me how to swim. I was always happier in a chair reading a book, though.

His smile didn't fade as he stood up, shaking the water droplets off his fingers, then drying them on the edge of his sweater. His gaze stayed down at the water as his hands found his pockets again.

I should have let him.

His smile faded then, a bit. He'd always thought that maybe if he'd given in, hadn't been so stubborn, let Eric teach him how to swim, maybe he would have been in the water. Maybe he would have kept a better eye on him. Or maybe him, Rory, the child with the health and school problems, would have been taken instead. Eric would have made something of himself. Rory... hadn't. This had all been a series of mistakes. Fortunate mistakes, yes, but mistakes. Then, he flashed a smile.

Oh well. Too late now.

And indeed, it was too late for Eric to teach him. It had been too late for fifteen years now. The appeal of swimming had since died. The appeal of water in general, even. He had showers, but no baths. Never baths. He admired the bodies of water from afar, but he never stepped foot in them.

[Flame]

She watched him, then the water, almost wanting to jump in. She had grown up near the ocean, and that was where she’d learned to swim. And she’d loved it. Like a dophin really. ”Not everyone is set out to swim.” she said simply. ”Plus ocean water is cold.” she added with a grin. Eric. Interesting. A little brother. She liked learning things (obviously) and so that was useful. But there was sadness there. Which bothered her. The part of her that hadn’t died when those she loved died wanted to comfort him, but it was squished under her own sorrow. ”never to late to learn.” she said with a slight smirk.

[Centrinity]

He shied away from the water then. It had never done anything to him, or to anyone he knew, but the connection it had to probably the worst moment of his life made it terrible. A dark, terrible, twisted thing. There was a flash of fear in his eyes, but it disappeared quickly.

No. No, I don't want to.

His voice was tense, syllables kept short and curt and to the point, the words coming fast. Yes, he could lie, when he needed to, but he tried not to. He glanced down at the water, ignoring his bangs as they slipped in front of his eyes. He didn't brush them aside this time when he looked back up. The fact he was distracted enough to avoid that was a clear indicator he really, really meant it.

It's... too close.

He murmured, taking a deep breath in, taking back control, looking away from the water at her, a shrug, a small, sad smile again gracing his face.

He was... taken... from a pool. Just... bad memories. And I'd really rather not learn.

Still, he did love the smell of chlorine. He'd probably be here often, relaxing off to the side in a chair with a book, or assignments to grade. Something like that. As long as he wasn't in the water, he'd be just fine.

[Flame]

She frowned now confused. ”It’s ok, you don’t have to.” She was going to step forward, but she decided not to. Let him deal with it on his own… That wasn’t the old her at all. That was the loss of Malcolm talking. But it didn’t matter. His next words helped. ”Then you don’t have to.” she said softly, letting him think it over.

”If it’s ok.. What kind of bad memories?” she asked softly, not fully sure she wanted to know. And suddenly wanted to call her big brother. William. Will Scarlett to her at times. Just as she was his Robina Hood. The nicknames they’d called one another. They’d been each others favorites before the death of their family, and still were. But she watched Rory.

[Centrinity]

He sighed softly, but he didn't actually mind her asking. He was used to it. The questions. The inquiries. Still, he took to the habit he had had in the offices of the multiple therapists. Wandering around the room, hands in pockets. It didn't help. It was just a habit.

He was eight. I was ten. I was supposed to watch him, but I was so close to finishing a chapter in my book. When I finished, I looked up. He was gone. Two days later... well, he was found in a ditch on the side of a road. They didn't think I saw him, but I did, hacked into the database. A child's morbid curiosity. He was so...

It was at that point he choked up. He didn't cry, or stutter, he just... stopped. He finally fixed his bangs out of habit, noticing he'd wandered back and was standing in front of her again. He shrugged, a if it didn't matter, but it did.

They had to run a DNA test to confirm it was him, he was so injured. Coroner's report said it was almost all antemortem and perimortem. I didn't know what it meant at the time, but dictionaries are always readily available. It didn't take long to figure out what that meant.

He finished, distancing himself from the events as bet he could, but he'd never been good at it. Yet, there was a single tear. He'd never cried. He'd screamed, angry at the world. He'd cut himself off, locked himself in his room, thrown tantrums until his asthma kicked in and he fainted from lack of breath. But he had never once cried. But he was snapped out of the thoughts and the memories in a moment as he felt a tightness in his chest that he recognized far too well. His hands flew out of his pockets, trying to remember where he'd put his puffer, the thing he half the time forgot because he didn't get stressed or active enough for the attacks to happen. His fingers fumbled for it in his jean pocket, pulling it out and taking two puffs quickly, taking a few deep breaths, reveling in the miracle of easy breathing for a moment. He waved the puffer for a moment before shoving it away again.

Sorry. Happens sometimes.

[Flame]

The woman watched him, listening in horror. But it was hidden behind her own mask. She’d been fifteen when her father, brother and sister had died, and had come out mangled. You couldn’t identify them, at all. Of course the guy who did it got out alive. She had a feeling that Will made sure he hadn’t stayed that way.

She looked down as he stopped infront of her, almost crying. ”So that’s how you started hacking.” she said finally, watching him. Then he went for something, and then showed her it. ”Don’t be sorry for something you can’t control.” she said softly.