Chicks Dig It

“Well that was relatively painless.” Dannie said standing up with a stretch. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed how Rob watched the arc of her back as she stood.

“Relatively, unless boredom is pain.” Rob jerked his head at the cheerleaders who were fleeing toward the door, probably to go smoke a cigarette and forget all about this.

“Yeah.” Dannie agreed.

“So where are you parked?” Rob asked.

“North student lot.” Dannie said with a shrug.

“Why? The faculty lot is so much closer.” Rob asked cocking his head curiously.

“Because if you park there when Madame Mussolini is monitoring, you're likely to get detention again.” Dannie pointed out.

“Ah, I never manage to pick up detention when Mrs. Moschella is monitoring.” Rob pointed out.

“Lucky.”

“Luck has nothing to do with it, I know which weekends Mrs. Moschella is monitoring and I make sure I don't do anything that'll net me Saturdays when she's going to be there.”

“Wanna share that list with me?” Dannie asked as the library door shut behind them. “I think, other than the lack of sleep, Saturdays wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to see Hitler's little friend every single one of them.”

“Why don't you go to bed early then?”

“Well, last night it was Jess.” Dannie said, hugging her arms across her chest. It was more than a little scary watching Jessie fall apart like that.

“What's wrong?” Rob asked, touching her arm just lightly. She turned and looked into his depthless eyes. God, Dannie thought, you just can't get that color anywhere, like chocolate and coffee swirled together with little almost gold flecks. Like falling into that chocolate river in Charlie and the chocolate factory, drowning in sweetness, yet there's just a hint of something else there, like waves of black coffee, just a hint of bittersweet, as if to remind you...

“Dannie?” She embarrassedly put a hand to her head. “Are you okay?” Rob asked,

“Just thinking.” She shook her head trying to get the cloying images out. Out! Out! She thought, the thoughts however didn't listen.

“Is something wrong though?” Rob's hand was resting on her bicep as they walked toward the door.

“It's Jess, and I don't think I should talk about it.” Dannie shook her head.

“Something that happened this summer?”

“It seems a lot longer ago than just that.” Dannie said carefully. It had, in fact, been 1500 years, but there was no way she was going to be able to say that.

“Yeah.” Rob agreed, though probably not understanding.

“I thought you said you were parked here.” The only car she saw in the empty lot was Ms Vernon's. Rob pointed at the motorcycle.

“Your parents let you have a motorcycle? Wicked!” Dannie exclaimed.

“Actually, my parents are less than thrilled, they wanted me to take the money I got selling paintings and invest in a nice sensible sedan with standard safety features.” Rob said with a laugh. “But it was my money and I wanted one, so... Although I do actually own a bit of a beat up scandalize the neighbors car for rainy days, that doesn't make my parents feel any better, they call it a deathtrap.”

Dannie laughed, too bad, sometimes, that nothing seemed to tweak Granny's nose. Oh well, it was in the end probably better that she had someone who looked out for her and cared about her, and accepted her quirks like Granny did. After all, look where tweaking Bors' nose seemed to get Lynn.

“So what do you think?” Rob asked swinging a leg over the motorcycle seat.

“It's hot.” Dannie said, walking around it. It was black cherry red and black with lots of chrome, the seat black leather. While she was looking at the back of it, she took a moment to admire Rob a little too. His long hair in silky curls that made her hands itch. The line of his back more muscular than his lean frame would have given idea to, his—her face went pink and she deliberately forced her mind away from that.

He grinned at her. “It seems a shame for you to have to walk all the way to the student lot. I could give you a ride.” Dannie hesitated for just one second, it really wasn't that far, then figured you only lived once and swung her leg over the seat behind him. He grabbed her hands from where they were resting on his shoulders and brought them around his waist. “You wouldn't want to fall off.” He said over his shoulder then started the motorcycle. He backed up then took a wide arc, going completely the wrong direction to get to her car.

“Rob! My car's that way?” She called over the rumble of the engine.

“We'll take the scenic route!” Rob called back. Dannie laughed as the wind whipped through her hair and he accelerated more once he turned onto the highway and didn't have to go thirty-five miles an hour anymore. She pulled herself a little closer to him, her sweatshirt not quite equal to the wind created by the bike's passage, but loving every minute of it, even as the wind pulled her hair from it's braid and fluttered out behind them. She closed her eyes and inhaled all the smells of autumn mixing with Rob's musky, woody cologne. “Head back?” Rob called as Dannie shivered unable to help it really.

“Yeah.” She said, knowing it was the smart thing to do, even if it wasn't quite what she wanted to do.

..~..~..~..

He could still feel her shivering, but she pressed her body against his back, hands locked tightly around his waist. He could feel the warm gusts of her breath in contrast to the wind still stirring their hair. And knew he'd probably remember all of this... in his daydreams... and his sleep... for a week... if not longer. And then it was over cause the high school was right ahead and he was pulling back into the parking lot. There was Dannie's SUV.

She stood up easily swinging a leg over the motorcycle seat and leaned against the door of her car. He was a little surprised, most people had a hard time standing up the first time they rode a motorcycle. She must have seen something in his face cause she grinned.

“Jess and I rode horses a lot at her father's house, motorcycle's easier than a horse.” Dannie said with a grin.

“Right.”

“Listen—uh—,” Dannie licked her lips and pushed her hair, rather windblown at the moment, unlike her usual artful disarray, back from her face. “What are you doing for Halloween?”

“Answering the door with candy?” Rob suggested back. “I didn't have any plans.”

“Wanna make some?” Dannie asked an easy grin on her face.

“With you?” Rob asked with interest, cause it sounded like she was... asking him out. Which would be awesome, cause truthfully he'd had what he thought was an unrequited crush on her since last year when she was dating Alex Nilsson and then she was gone over the summer. (He'd spent it painting and working on his deathtrap, also hitting that Trick Pony/Joe Diffie concert.) Since the start of the year she hadn't been going with anyone, except friends, and had seemed to, in her effort to be “there” for Jessie, not really seemed interested.

“No, with Kayla.” Dannie drawled sarcastically. “Yes, with me.”

“What did you have in mind?” Rob asked stroking his chin thoughtfully.

“I dunno, Halloween's just next weekend so, I thought, sounded like a plan. We could find a costume party to crash.” Dannie suggested. “So how bout it?”

“Sure, I'd like that. Even if we don't end up crashing anything.” Rob said. “Gallo's or something.”

“Or we could go desecrate some temples or something, live up to our reputations.” Dannie suggested wickedly.

“Or we could go help little old ladies across the street and rescue kids out of trees and scare people that way.” Rob laughed back.

“We'll find something.” Dannie agreed.

“I'll leave the arrangements to you.” Rob suggested. Dannie nodded.

“Find a costume though.”

“Costume?” Rob asked cocking his head to the side and arching his eyebrow.

“It's not Halloween without one.” Dannie said. “I'll see you later, Rob.” Dannie said opening the door to the SUV and tossing her books inside. Oh, no, I see I got that all wrong. He noticed.

“Oh brother.” He muttered under his breath as Dannie pulled out of the parking lot.

He was going to have to get back home pretty quick, fix a certain portion of his sketch. I wonder what I should do for a costume. He thought trying to pull his mind—unsuccessfully—off of that... sketch...