Halliday University - Hallways and Lounge Outside Classrooms

[Hollywood Heidi]

Hallways and Lounge Outside Classrooms

Hallways and lounge areas within the building holding the classrooms where students can wait between classes at Halliday University, located in Columbus, Ohio.

[Ariel]

Students in the corridor swiftly passed by the couch that Emmett occupied, though he was too immersed in his own little world to notice. Anyone who saw the boy intently staring down at his Finance Essentials textbook would have assumed that he was hard at work, wrapped up eagerly in his studies. Although his own little world was buzzing, his mind was far from absorbing the techniques of forecasting. He didn't understand why in the world he wasn't able to grasp onto this material so easily. He sought to believe that the first year nerves were getting to him and he just needed to relax. That he would become management material soon enough, just as his father groomed him to be his whole life. But for the first time in his life, his dad wasn't here telling him who he should be and what he should be doing and Emmett struggled with one thing - his identity. If he did come here only to end up failing and disappointing his dad, who was he without the family business?

Emmett's head finally snapped upward at the abrupt sounds of shuffling coming from the classroom door. World Religions class was wrapping up, which meant Ray would be out soon. Shaking off the doubts that circulated his mind, he closed his book and placed it in his backpack before swinging the bag over his shoulder and rising to his feet to meet up with his friend.

[Anduin]

*** Ray and Journey enter from World Religions Class ***

Well, it was an honor to be praised by Professor Ganon and also rewarded.
Even if Ray tried to be cool in the presence of the teacher he grinned like a Cheshire cat when they left the room.
"Wow, could you believe that Mr. Ganon commend us?! But maybe he should have deliver us from this essay… "
No matter how moved he felt like the Boy was always in the mood to make some jokes.
Then he spotted his friend.
"Hey, there’s Emmett. Come! I have to tell him what happened." 
Suddenly he took Journey’s hand without thinking too much and head over to his friend.
"Emmett, how’s your day so far? You won’t believe what happened to us," he started enthusiastic to tell his buddy.
And he didn’t really recognize that he still hold Journey’s hand.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"Wow, could you believe that Mr. Ganon commend us?! But maybe he should have deliver us from this essay… "

Journey laughed. "You're pressing your luck, Mr.," she teased. "These OASIS credits are pretty cool." Her personal attachment to these credits given to the schools to encourage students only served to make her even more proud of it.


"Hey, there’s Emmett. Come! I have to tell him what happened."

His enthusiasm only bolstered her already high enthusiasm. Always eager to meet new people and make friends, she beamed and excitedly followed as he took her hand and led her to meet a friend of his with a familiar name. One she'd only heard two other places in her life.


"Emmett, how’s your day so far? You won’t believe what happened to us,"

"Doc?!" she said excitedly upon realizing that her classmate's friend was one of the very two Emmett's she'd immediately thought of when hearing the name. "Oh my gosh, how've you been?" she asked, releasing the hold she'd still had on her classmate's hand in order to give Emmett one of her friendly, outgoing hugs. She stepped back, beaming at both of the guys. "You guys know each other. Small world!"

[Ariel]

"Emmett, how’s your day so far? You won’t believe what happened to us,"


"Ray, my man!" Emmett grinned widely as Ray stepped forward from World Religion class. He was going to shake his friend's hand before realizing that the hand was occupied by that of a girl. But turns out that it wasn't just any ordinary girl, but a girl that Emmett knew incredibly well.

"Doc?!"

"No way! Journey?!" Emmett couldn't believe his eyes! Journey Watts, the very girl he grew up with in school was attending the same university! What were the odds?! Amidst the sea of strangers, Emmett was glad to see a familiar face as she embraced him in a hug.

 "Oh my gosh, how've you been?"

"I've been great!" Emmett shook his head in surprise as he was psyched to see his longtime friend in the same place, "Better than great, actually!" He took a few steps back to take a more observing look at Journey. She had changed since the last time he had seen her. But it was a good change, for they both had grown up a little since high school graduation.

"You guys know each other. Small world!"

"Yeah, it's a small world after all that's for sure," Emmett chuckled as he scratched the back of his head, "So how did you two meet?" Emmett asked before remembering Ray's comment from earlier, "Oh! Yes! Right, um, what exactly had happened to you guys anyways?" Emmett asked nervously as his hand gestures managed to take over the conversation.

[Anduin]

"You're pressing your luck, Mr.,"
Ray chimed in her laughter.
"These OASIS credits are pretty cool."
"Yeah, I know. Still couldn’t believe it… "


Suddenly something strange happened. 
"Doc?!"
"No way! Journey?!"
"Oh my gosh, how've you been?"
"I've been great!"
Wait! What was happening here?
Ray stared at those two because he was more than a bit confused.
And to be honest he was more than a bit jealously because Journey gave his best friend a hug.
"You guys know each other. Small world!"
"Yeah, it's a small world after all that's for sure," "So how did you two meet?"
Ray still watched forwards and backwards between Emmett and Journey with eyes wide open in surprise.
"Um, well, we’re class mates," he mammered while he still tried to get back his usual coolness.
But that was not as easy as he wished it to be because he wasn’t prepared for news like this.

"Oh! Yes! Right, um, what exactly had happened to you guys anyways?"
"Ah, yeah, you won’t believe it!," he took up the thread again and cleared his throat.
"Mr. Ganon told us that we’re his best students and," while speaking Ray whipped the OASIS credits card from his pocket and showed it to Emmett, "gave THIS to us in reward! He said we were the only ones who scored a hundred on the last quiz in every single class he has!  Cool, right?!"
His proud obviously rang out in his voice.
And he also found back to his habitual manner.
"Oh, and he wants us to write a long long essay for homework… Oh boy, that suckz! "
After he gave a short sigh he added: "But now I think it's your turn to tell me how you two have met?"

[Hollywood Heidi]

"I've been great!" "Better than great, actually!"

When Emmett took a step back to assess how she'd changed, Journey danced in a circle as if showing off a new look, though besides her features maturing a bit, her geek style, outgoing and bubbly attitude, and the enthusiasm with which she lived life that some said made them feel exhausted just as the observer remained the same.


"So how did you two meet?"

"Um, well, we’re class mates,"

Journey enthusiastically nodded confirmation of Ray's reply.


"Oh! Yes! Right, um, what exactly had happened to you guys anyways?"

"Ah, yeah, you won’t believe it!," "Mr. Ganon told us that we’re his best students and," "gave THIS to us in reward!

Journey simultaneously retrieved and held out her own card, still beaming.


He said we were the only ones who scored a hundred on the last quiz in every single class he has! Cool, right?!"

"I mean, like, totally not a surprise," she said, playing an exaggerated boastful attitude as she tucked the card back into her pocket.


"Oh, and he wants us to write a long long essay for homework… Oh boy, that suckz! "

"Ugh," she said with a dramatic roll of her eyes. "You just had to kill the buzz by reminding me of that." Journey gave Ray a light, playful punch on the arm and smirked.


"But now I think it's your turn to tell me how you two have met?"

"We went to Ogden High together!" she said excitedly, hopping to Emmett's side and throwing a companionable arm around his shoulder with a look of gleeful nostalgia as she continued. "Doc showed up to class one day wearing this awesome retro Iron Man t-shirt back from the RDJ days and I decided we were going to be friends. I didn't give him any say in the matter," she joked, tossing Emmett a smirk before looking back at Ray. "I mean, RDJ Iron Man! I had to be his friend! Anyway," she said, gesturing that aside with her free hand, "we bonded over shared geekdoms and swapped Oasis tips. Teamed up a couple times in the Oasis to earn a couple of cool items. Oh!" she exclaimed, hopping to stand sideways again between the two boys, her attention now on Emmett as recollection of their last Oasis brainstorming hit her. "Did you ever get that flute?"

[Ariel]

"Ah, yeah, you won’t believe it!," "Mr. Ganon told us that we’re his best students and," "gave THIS to us in reward!
"He said we were the only ones who scored a hundred on the last quiz in every single class he has! Cool, right?!"
"I mean, like, totally not a surprise,"

"Oasis credits?! That's crazy! I mean, not totally crazy, you guys are so smart but just, wow!" Emmett's gasped with excitement as his eyes lit up at the sight of the cards that Ray and Journey held up in their glory moment, "Man, Mr. Ganon is the coolest!" Emmett exclaimed with adoration. Sure, A+'s and gold stars are great and all, but Emmett had a level of appreciation for teachers that truly knew their students and how to motivate the minds of the young adults for the greater good of learning.

But now I think it's your turn to tell me how you two have met?"
"We went to Ogden High together!" "we bonded over shared geekdoms and swapped Oasis tips. Teamed up a couple times in the Oasis to earn a couple of cool items."


Peter nodded along in agreement with everything Journey had been telling about the story of how they grew to know each other. Peter sighed internally, for he wished that days were just as simple as back in high school when all they had to worry about was sitting in his basement and playing countless hours of Nintendo, or being first two in line for the midnight release of the newest hit superhero movie. Journey always had a love for the latest pop culture flicks, and Emmett always tagged along for the ride. Those were the days.

"Oh!" "Did you ever get that flute?"

A sudden realization washed over Emmett as Journey triggered his memory, "Oh yeah! Stupid me, I keep forgetting to tell you guys -," His eyes shifted from Journey to Ray before peering over his shoulder left then right to see if anyone was listening in before motioning the two friends to come in closer, "The last time I was in the Oasis, on a quest, I received a tip from a villager that spoke of a legend of a magical flute being encased somewhere in a stone castle ruled by a spike shelled dinosaur that calls himself 'The Sorcerer King'," Emmett spoke lowly as he confided this information in Ray and Journey, "The whole place is apparently filled with traps and ghouls, many players have gone in, yet none have emerged with success." Emmett spoke in a rather discouraged tone, for the quest would be impossible to fulfill alone. The thought of all three of them going into the castle together would be a dream for Emmett, yet he was too shy to ask as he didn't want to put anyone on the spot.

[Anduin]

Sometims strange things were going to happen.
Who’d have thought that his best friend and the girl he admired also knew each other?
Well, what a coincidence!
He should be pleased but there was a silence voice somewhere in his head that tried to wreck this moment. He felt the sting of jealousy.
But he gave it his best shot trying to hide that feeling. And his friends‘ euphoric manner went towards ignoring that little voice in his head.
At least they were all nerdish geeks!
So "What a coincidence!" was all he said. No more words needed. He also smirked.

But before he could ask anything else Journey changed the topic.
"Oh!" "Did you ever get that flute?"

"Oh yeah! Stupid me, I keep forgetting to tell you guys -," "The last time I was in the Oasis, on a quest, I received a tip from a villager that spoke of a legend of a magical flute being encased somewhere in a stone castle ruled by a spike shelled dinosaur that calls himself 'The Sorcerer King'," "The whole place is apparently filled with traps and ghouls, many players have gone in, yet none have emerged with success."

"Wow, sounds like a real challenge! Why didn’t you told that earlier, Doc?!"
This time it was Ray who gave Emmett a playful punch.
Then he took his arms around Emmett's and Journey's shoulders and started to speak to them in a conspiratorial tone: "You guys guess what we’re going to do now?! Let’s go have a meal and talk about the new Trio infernal who’ll be the first group rockin‘ that quest. What do you think? Are you in? We should talk about our strategy and, maybe, how we could use our new credits. Oh, and we need a real cool name of our group."

[Hollywood Heidi]

Ray had read her mind. And her stomach. She'd been just about to suggest the three of them team up and make plans over a meal. The brilliant idea of giving their trio a cool name, however, hadn't dawned on her.

Ray had placed an arm around her and Emmett's shoulder as he spoke. Journey responded to Ray's friendly gesture by looping her arm around his waist then beamed up at him from her place tucked into his side. "Hells yes to all those things!" she said enthusiastically. Journey started propelling the linked group toward the food court. She leaned her head forward a bit to glance around Ray to address Emmett. "I like your friend. Where've you been hiding him all this time?" she teased.

[Ariel]

"Wow, sounds like a real challenge! Why didn’t you told that earlier, Doc?!"


Emmett let out an awkward chuckle as he rubbed the spot where Ray playfully jabbed him, "I uh..I mean...," Yet before Emmett could make up any sort of rambling explanation, Ray carried on as he offered an idea that Emmett could have only dreamed of hearing.

"You guys guess what we’re going to do now?! Let’s go have a meal and talk about the new Trio infernal who’ll be the first group rockin‘ that quest. What do you think? Are you in? We should talk about our strategy and, maybe, how we could use our new credits. Oh, and we need a real cool name of our group."


"Hells yes to all those things!"


Emmett's growing smile dropped open slightly with excitement as Ray
and Journey called dibs on being in on the mission. He never had any friends from the real world join in on any of his quests, so the fact that Emmett was going to show them his little world in the Oasis left him feeling incredibly excited. "You guys! Really?! Ah, this is going to be amazing!" Emmett was stoked beyond belief as the three of them made their way down the hall, "We have so much ground to cover, tactics to discuss! But first, an egg salad sandwich from the food court sounds mighty fine right about now!" Emmett announced as he lead Ray and Journey down the hall and towards the food court.

*** Emmett exits with Ray and Journey to the Food Court & Dining Hall ***

[Hollywood Heidi]

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Thursday comes to an end.

It is now late afternoon on Friday, September 26th, 2070.

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[Hollywood Heidi]

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The weekend passes.

It is now the morning of Monday, September 29th, 2070.

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[Ariel]

*** Emmett and Ray enter from Substitute Professor Brian O'Neal's Classroom ***

Emmett and Ray walked through the hallway, finding themselves in the lounge area which was bustling with students. Taking a seat in the closest available chair, Emmett plopped his bag down by his feet and waited for Ray to take the seat across from him. "Well that was interesting," Emmett remarked, still in disbelief that Brian was subbing for their class. Then again, Brian had never really told Emmett what he did for a living. He felt as if he was in some sort of weird episode of the Twilight Zone.

[Anduin]

The situation was a bit strange. They hadn't talk on their way to the lounge. Not a single word.
Although there were a lot of questions running through Rays mind.

Finally they placed their butts on some chairs. And finally Emmett broke their silence.
"Well that was interesting,"
Ray looked at his friend with an arched eyebrow.
"You know what, pal? You sound like a depressed old man!"
He friendly pattet Emmett on his back.
"Maybe you wanna tell me the whole story, hm? You just mentioned a girl you've visited. A girl Journey also knows. And then there was something strange going on with you two because of our new Sub..."
He made a short pause because he wasn't sure if he might be too curious.
But he wanted to know what was going on.
"Don't get me wrong, Bro - you two can have your little secrets. But I feel like I totally missed something. Maybe something... important?"

[Ariel]

"You know what, pal? You sound like a depressed old man!"
"Maybe you wanna tell me the whole story, hm? You just mentioned a girl you've visited. A girl Journey also knows. And then there was something strange going on with you two because of our new Sub..."
"Don't get me wrong, Bro - you two can have your little secrets. But I feel like I totally missed something. Maybe something... important?"

"Ray! You're one of my best pals, of course I will tell you what's on the up and up!" Emmett exclaimed, he didn't like the fact that Ray was feeling like he was on the outside of things. It made Emmett felt like he was being a negligent friend. Perhaps he was at times, being overwhelmed with school and the many social interactions he faced on a daily basis. That was his fault, and his alone. And he felt bad for it, "So there's a girl I have been visiting for volunteer hours during one of my extra curriculum classes in the hospital. Her name is Jewel. She is sadly in a coma right now, and her dad is Brian. The sub that we just had. I had been getting to know him, like, really well. To the point where I might consider him as a, well you know, like a friend. It was just bizarre to see him as a teacher in our classroom setting. And I guess Journey knew Jewel through some program, I didn't quite catch all of it. But it was just such a weird happenstance." Emmett shook his head as he unloaded everything onto Ray, "Sorry to dump this all onto you bud. It's just lately, I have been thinking about Jewel and Brian and, well, I've just been down about the fact that there's nothing I can do to change things. Nothing I can do to bring Jewel back." Emmett shook his head as he hung it low towards the ground, authentically sharing how he truly felt on the situation at hand.

[Anduin]

"Ray! You're one of my best pals, of course I will tell you what's on the up and up!"
Good to hear that, that warmed up Rays heart.

And then Emmett told him the story about that mysterious girl and their new sub.
If it hadn't been Emmett who told him these story he might have said he would lie.
What an odd coincidence. But it looked like it's a small world.

Ray noticed that his friend really worried about Brian and his daughter - and that he felt helpless at this point.
He clapped Emmett on the shoulder.
"Hey, I think I can imagine how you feel right now. It still sounds like a very strange happenstance but at least it may be..." Ray paused for a moment because he wasn't sure if Emmett would think of him as an dreamer if he went further into his own thought. But then he bore up and finished his sentence.
If there was one who not think anyone else was a dreamer it was Emmett! Because somehow his friend seemed to believe in many things most people would call pipe dreams and so on.
"Maybe it is fortune!"
He also tried his best to give his friend a cheering smile.
"We should take it as a chance to help them. You know, like a sign of the universe..."
Ray looked up and all around.
Luckily there was no one nearby who could hear their talking.
He didn't want to be bullied by other sappy students.

"Okay, we still have some time until next classes. And we also promised Journey to wait, right? So if we'll be too late - we'll be too late together!"
This time there was a big grin on Rays face.
But then it turned back to normal and his voice got a conspiratorially tone.
"We should concentrate on what we already know. What about the reason for Jewel's coma? Did Brian tell you something about it?"
It felt a little unusual to call their new teacher by his forename but it was easier this way.

[Ariel]

"We should concentrate on what we already know. What about the reason for Jewel's coma? Did Brian tell you something about it?"

Emmett shook his head negatively, "No. He never went into the details, and I never really felt like there was an appropriate moment to ask," Emmett sighed, as he always had wondered himself what exactly had happened to Jewel to be landed in a comatose state, "I just feel bad because there's nothing I can do to help either of them other than being someone to talk to while Brian visits his daughter. I guess that's something at least." Emmett confirmed as he rambled on, "I wonder what Brian's going to say during the next hospital visit, about all this." Emmett chuckled. As weird as it seemed to him that Brian was their substitute, he kind of found it funny in a way and hoped Brian would too.

[Anduin]

"No. He never went into the details, and I never really felt like there was an appropriate moment to ask,"
"I just feel bad because there's nothing I can do to help either of them other than being someone to talk to while Brian visits his daughter. I guess that's something at least."
Ray pattet his friend on his shoulder. "I'm sure that it is something,", he agreed to Emmett's assumption.

"I wonder what Brian's going to say during the next hospital visit, about all this."
Suddenly Ray had to smirk. "Well, at least he won't throw a piece of chalk at you again I guess. But maybe you should keep an eye on him that he won't be able to grab a anesthetic syringe..."
Of course, Ray was sure that Brian won't get that far but he couldn't help to make this joke.
But then he tried his best to turn back to austerity.
"Don't worry too much about it, Doc! Most of the times you puzzle your head over everything way too much and in the end it wasn't that bad."
Yet this attribute was one of Emmett's bests combined with his compassion.
Ray seemed to be the opposite of his friend when it came to part of thinking too much about things.
But he also did some times.
For example about nearly everything concerning their friend Journey. He still wondered what had become of her date at the recent weekend.
However Ray always tried to deal with his matters on his own.

"Hey, you know what?!", he resumed their talk. "I'm still sure that this is no happenstance. Universe gave you a sign. There's a connection between you, Journey, Brian and his daughter. And - if you want me to help you - we'll find out what's going on together! And I already got an idea. We should start a research if there had been any similar cases to Jewels. Maybe we can find a clue somewhere."

[Ariel]

"Hey, you know what?!", "I'm still sure that this is no happenstance. Universe gave you a sign. There's a connection between you, Journey, Brian and his daughter. And - if you want me to help you - we'll find out what's going on together! And I already got an idea. We should start a research if there had been any similar cases to Jewels. Maybe we can find a clue somewhere."


Emmett nodded into reality the moment that Ray made the suggestion. It brought him back to the present, while his mind had been boggled with a bunch of different thoughts all at once. He made eye contact with Ray, affirming the suggestion he had just made before finally forming a response, "Yes! There has to be a clue, somewhere...," Emmett exclaimed, before slipping back into a slight of dismay, "But the question that stands...where exactly do we start?" Emmett commented, before letting out an audible sigh. He was so appreciative of Ray's supportive help, but he was at a loss in regards to where they were to start with the research portion of their new operation

[Anduin]

"Yes! There has to be a clue, somewhere...,"
"But the question that stands...where exactly do we start?"
"Hey, buddy - don't throw in the towel before we even have started!" Ray also jumped up from his chair to underline his enthusiasm.
Some other students looked at them - especially him - but he didn't care at the moment.
"First of all we've to do a lot of background checks. I mean if there had been similar cases, ya' know? And then we've to find the similarities between all these happenings to get to know more about the reasons and perhaps even about the perpetrator - just in case if there is one, of course."

Suddenly someone coughed slightly next to them.
It was Misses Marshall, one of their teachers at the University. She was one of the youngest professors here and very good-looking. And she was popular because she always acted very kind to her students.
"Mister Johnson, Mister Rodgers, it's good to see that you two are doing well," she adressed them friendly. "But Ray, I wish you would put just a little bit of these energy in trying to be punctual to your classes."
Ray tried his best to not get embarrased or at least to not let anybody see it while he also wanted to appear as cool as possible. "Don't worry about me, Misses Marshall! The last shall be first."
Misses Marshall supressed a laughter but she couldn't hide her grin. "After all you are a smart cookie, Mister Johnson." She took a look at her wristwatch. "I've to go now. Enjoy the rest of your recess. We'll see us next time in our class."

Ray waited a moment until she had passed them before he continued to speak.
"Well, I think she bamboozled me a bit. But I think we'll have to do our researchs during our free time. So for now we've to wait until school's out..."

[Ariel]

"Well, I think she bamboozled me a bit. But I think we'll have to do our researchs during our free time. So for now we've to wait until school's out..."


Emmett nodded in agreement after Ray's professor came along to give him a nudge to get to his next class on time. Getting through the rest of the school day first was top priority, even if the current situation still continued to plague Emmett's mind, "We'll make a plan to meet soon regarding our little operation. But this day by far has exhausted me already," Emmett claimed as he stood upwards and grabbed his bag, "I'm gonna game later. You in?" Emmett proposed the idea, knowing that he had been running himself ragged and needed to find a way to relax. 

[Anduin]

"We'll make a plan to meet soon regarding our little operation. But this day by far has exhausted me already,"
Ray just nodded. There had been no words needed because Emmetts emotions were obviously seen on his face.
"I'm gonna game later. You in?"
"Are you kiddin' me?! Of course I'm in!", he answered and also stood up. "See you later, alligator," he added with a cool wave of his hand.

He wanted to wait for Journey a while longer. She should also join their plan to rescue Brian's daughter.
And - maybe the most important reason - he was curious about her date at the weekend. But he still wasn't sure how to start asking her about it. Perhaps she'll start to talk about it on her own... He somehow hoped so.
But why didn't she already mentioned her date? Could it be that it hadn't been a good one?

Ray sat back - this time on the table and placed his feet on one of the chairs. He rummaged his backpack for his sketchbook and a pencil. It had been a while since he had started to draw but he had become better and better. He changed pages until he found a blank one. Many of his drawings were fantasy creatures but there were also a lot portraits - most of them showed Journey. Now he just started with a new one of her...

[Ariel]

"Are you kiddin' me?! Of course I'm in!" "See you later, alligator,"

"In a while, crocodile!" Emmett held his bag over his shoulder and turning his upper body around from the side angle in which he was standing at, he smiled and gave Ray one last wave before he turned around and began to head down the hallway.

*** Emmett exits ***

[Hollywood Heidi]

***Journey enters from Halliday University - Sub Professor O'Neal's Classroom***


As Journey stepped out of the classroom, she saw Emmett disappearing in the distance. Ah well, she'd missed saying a proper goodbye, but she'd be seeing him later today. Besties who saw each other so often didn't really have a need for goodbyes. Shifting her eyes to the side, she saw Ray sitting on a table, engrossed in writing something in a book resting on his lap.

Stealthily, Journey made a wide angle and sneaked up behind him. She angled her head to the right to glance beyond his shoulder and saw that he wasn't writing, but sketching. Though the drawing was too early into its development to see all the details or exactly who he was drawing, she could tell she may have just discovered another talent. There was really a lot she didn't know about him.

Ray still hadn't realized she'd sneaked up on him, which was making a gleeful chuckle want to bubble up at the anticipation of his surprise and she barely managed to hold it back. "Who are you drawing?" she asked quietly right next to his ear. His startled jump broke the flimsy control she'd been maintaining and her gleeful amusement rang out in laughter as she took a few steps back in case he was the type to take instant playful revenge. "I'm sorry," she said, holding her hands up in surrender, not sounding very convincing as she'd barely managed to get it out between fits of giggles. "You just looked so serious," she said the last two words with exaggerated seriousness as she put on an exaggerated serious face before breaking into another giggle, "that I couldn't help myself."

[Anduin]

He had been sitting here and drawing for a while, actually he couldn't say how much time had passed.
But suddenly he heard a silent voice right in front of his ear.
"Who are you drawing?"
He knew the voice. Journey.
But he didn't expected her to sneak up on him.
He had been lost in his own world for a while and so he jumped up freaked.
"Gosh! You..."
Although she said "I'm sorry," she absolutely behaved like she was not.
But, of course, Ray wasn't cheesed with her.
It was just her natural behavior. And it was one of the many things that made her so cute and adorable.
"You just looked so serious that I couldn't help myself."
"Um, okay... you've got me there", he responded while he put his sketchbook back into his backpack. It was obvious that he felt a bit embarrassed but he managed to cover up.
"It was just a random doodle to practise. Nothing special." He also tried to deemphasize it with a gesticulation of his hand.

It was time to change the subject.
"But enough of me - what about you? How'd your date go?"
WHAT?! From all questions he could have asked her he chose THIS ONE? What the hell was going on in his head?
But now it was too late to back the truck up. Words had already been spoken.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"Um, okay... you've got me there"

Journey could tell her antic had caused him some embarrassment, but he graciously covered it up, saving her from feeling too embarrassed for having pulled the prank in the first place. She didn't know him all that well, but there was something about people who seemed to live life too seriously that made her want to help them lighten up. Laughing, especially at oneself, was a good way to stop taking oneself so seriously.

But she should tread carefully when it came to Ray. For years, he'd avoided her as if she were the plague, only ever spending time near her when their paths unavoidably crossed due to their shared friendship of Emmett. To his credit, he'd usually been civil toward her, more open and friendly conversational when Emmett was within earshot, but the rare times they'd be stuck just the two of them, he'd usually be quiet, but direct and to the point when not. She had always appreciated his blunt honesty when asked his opinion or advice, knowing that she'd get the truth and not a white lie with the good intention of sparing her feelings.


"It was just a random doodle to practise. Nothing special."

Her amusement ebbed as she got caught up studying him while he stuffed the pad back into his backpack. "You're just full of surprises," she said in distracted intrigue. Well, of course he seemed that way to her. She hardly knew anything about him.

He shouldered his backpack and they automatically started moving in the direction of their next classes.


"But enough of me - what about you? How'd your date go?"

Ray usually tended to avoid getting personal with her, so the question caught her by surprise. "Oh, it went well, I think," she said, self-consciously tucking her hair behind her ear as she thought about how to expand on that. While she'd shown the giddy, bubbly side to the other ladies in her class who'd asked, Ray's blunt honestly made her feel comfortable expressing something about the whole event that bothered her. She gripped the straps of her backpack, squeezing a little for the courage to express her thoughts. "It felt... kinda weird, I guess? I mean, Lenon was nice and all, but..." While she'd found the courage to be open, she was having trouble finding the words. "It's the first time I've gone out since Joe."

Journey glanced over, grinning to show that she was alright and ready to move on, though there was a touch of sadness over the ghost of the past mixed in.

[Anduin]

"Oh, it went well, I think,"
It wasn't only her 'I think' that let him feel like she told him a fib. The way she played with her hair, her voice - there were so many little things which one could notice if they only knew her well enough.
And Ray had studied her since years.
But he wasn't sure if they were already close enough so that he could dare to ask her about what she was concealing.
Journey interestingly thought they were.
"It felt... kinda weird, I guess? I mean, Lenon was nice and all, but..."
Ray didn't interrupt her. He gave her a moment to find the right words for what she wanted to say. Or maybe the courage to spoke out loud what was going on in her head.
It was kinda interesting that they both seemd to have something in common when it comes to speaking about their inner feelings.
"It's the first time I've gone out since Joe."
Suddenly she glanced at him - at the very moment when he also glanced at her. Both of them didn't really notice that they had stopped walking.

Some years ago he would have told her rude things now.
He still remembered that he was a schmuck and tried to give her half-truth advices in the hope of keeping her away from other boys.
Nowadays he was more grown-up. Although he saw the little devil and the little angel in his mind's eye again he decided to be just a good friend at this moment.
"I'm sorry to hear that - I mean that you had felt weird." He hoped that his awkward smile would be able to gloss over his clumsy words.
"Want an honest advice?", he asked rethorically before he went on talking without giving her a chance to answer.
"Don't stress yourself out. You don't have to be in a relationship just for the sake of having someone at your sight." Suddenly he started to feel comfortable speaking about his own feelings in front of her without taking notice. "I mean - look at me: I often slipped from one relationship to the next but never felt perfectly happy. For some people it may be the best to not seek for love, I think. Maybe it'll click when you finally notice your Mister or Misses Right..."
Now he directly looked at her.
For the first time he showed an insecure face in front of his sweetness. He also blushed a bit.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"I'm sorry to hear that - I mean that you had felt weird." "Want an honest advice?"

She grinned at the first part, then gave a slight, serious nod at the second. She also hadn't noticed that the sudden serious direction of their conversation had brought them to a standstill and angled to more of a position of facing each other.


"Don't stress yourself out. You don't have to be in a relationship just for the sake of having someone at your sight." "I mean - look at me: I often slipped from one relationship to the next but never felt perfectly happy. For some people it may be the best to not seek for love, I think. Maybe it'll click when you finally notice your Mister or Misses Right..."

Jumping from one relationship to another could hardly be rewarding. But if you weren't finding happiness with a person, it was only fair to let them go so that they could seek happiness with the right partner. She'd always thought him wiser because of the experience of several relationships he'd had, but after having had a real one of her own, one that had been full of love and happiness, she had felt herself questioning this particular advice of his.

Journey searched his face, looking a bit sad for him now at his admittance that he'd never felt perfectly happy with someone. He always seemed so serious and blunt, so mature and wise, but now, with her own experience with love and with life, she felt as if her knowledge may have surpassed his in matters of the heart. All those relationships and it was obvious by his words that he'd never found love, otherwise he'd have found the real happiness he'd just told her he'd never found. Worse, he sounded as if he'd given up finding it for himself. Whether it was because he felt unworthy of it or had given up after many attempts at finding it, she had no idea. Racking her memory of him over the years, she felt that perhaps it might be fear. He seemed emotionally closed off, and because he was that way around her, she assumed it was how he was with everyone. "Ray," she began, her voice heavy with the emotional pain she felt for him as she stepped closer to take his hand into hers, squeezing gently. "Everyone deserves love. Don't be afraid to open your heart," she said, placing her other hand over his heart as her eyes looked pleadingly into his. "Let yourself love someone and let them love you in return."

Standing so close and searching his eyes for answers as to what had made him the way he was, she realized that for someone who seemed so emotionally closed off, his soft, brown eyes were warm and inviting.


"Journey!"

Journey jumped, startled by the enthusiastic call of her name from somewhere behind her. She blinked away the confusion of the trance she'd unexpectedly been pulled into as she turned to look at a beaming Lennon approaching her. "Hey, good morning. You remember my friend, Ray," she said, also enthusiastic but a bit shy and uncertain of herself after their first date. She saw Lennon give Ray one of those macho guy ''sup' nods before she found herself in a hug.


After nodding his acknowledgement of Ray, Lennon pulled Journey into a hug, then shot Ray a look of warning over the close circumstances he'd seen the two of them in when tracking her down. "It is a good morning, now that I've got my girl at my side," he said, releasing her from the hug, then possessively wrapping an arm around her shoulder and tucking her into his side, just like the guy who'd just been too close to her for his liking had done the other day. But Lennon one upped him because rather than a kiss on the cheek like this guy had done, Lennon lifted her chin with a finger and placed a kiss on her lips. "Babe, can we talk?" he asked in quiet seriousness, looking down at her and ignoring Ray.

Journey blushed over the quick kiss that was over before she'd even realized it was coming. All that worry, and apparently, the date had gone far better than she'd thought and he liked her far more than she realized. She was slightly embarrassed and overwhelmed at feeling like she'd just gotten off an emotional rollercoaster, and there was this weird, stifling vibe of uncomfortable tension she thought she felt. It didn't make sense, so she chalked it up as her own emotional confusions playing tricks with her mind. "Um, sure," she stammered. "I've gotta get to my next class, so on the way?"

After a nod of agreement, she glanced over to Ray, some apologetic mixing in with her nervous smile. "Thanks for the talk. I'll see you soon." She'd have given him a goodbye hug, but Lennon's arm was wrapped tightly around her shoulder and she didn't want to embarrass him in their new relationship by shrugging away from it, so instead, she placed a hand on Ray's upper arm before Lennon steered them on their way.



***Journey exits***

[Anduin]

All of the sudden there was a deep emotional connection between them.
"Ray,""Everyone deserves love. Don't be afraid to open your heart,"
When Journey took his hand he felt his heart beating very fast. And when she placed her other hand over his heart it felt like it would stood still for some seconds.
She was so close to him now.
They also were so close to each other now in a way like they had never been before.
"Let yourself love someone and let them love you in return."
If the universe was willing to give everyone this one great chance in life this had to be his one! It just felt like the perfect moment! (Maybe it also felt like that moments in those good old teenage romantic stories - but hey, it was okay. Somehow that was just what it was right now, wasn't it?!)

Just as Ray started to lean even more closer to her, following his instinct to gave her a kiss (a kiss of true love - just like in the old fairytales), the universe gave him a big fucking one-finger salute!
"Journey!"
It was Lennon's voice. Why him of all people?
And Journey startled because of someone (or especially because of Lennon?) calling out loud her name and jumped back from him.
For the first time the little devil and the little angel on Ray's shoulder sang from the same hymnal: 'That would have been the perfect moment...'

"Hey, good morning. You remember my friend, Ray,"
Lennon just give him one of this ''sup' nods which he responded in the same way. Then the disturber grabbed Journey for a hug. Ray could somehow feel her uncomfortableness at the moment - even if he neglected his own jealousy.
But he also noticed the other guy's look. That aroused his defiance. He sent him a 'So what?!'-look back. But Lennon obviously didn't care and went on with his macho acting.
"It is a good morning, now that I've got my girl at my side,"
Ray felt like it made him wanna puke! And as if this wasn't enough macho-boy also placed a kiss on Journeys lips!
He really tried his best to not show his true emotions but he needed to clench his fists to fight down his anger.
"Babe, can we talk?"
How did he call her? Babe?! Really?!
Ray was sure that Journey was the last girl who'd like to be called so.
But sadly she acquiesced in this situation.
"Um, sure," "I've gotta get to my next class, so on the way?"
Did she somehow still liked that guy?

After all she, unlike Lennon, remembered him being also near to them.
"Thanks for the talk. I'll see you soon."
"Um,.. no prob. See ya."
It took him all of his self-control to act as normal as possible.
He also stood still and looked after them until they became out of his sight.
Suddenly he felt like he had been left out in the rain. (If he would compare this situation to movies again this was the moment when it would literally start to rain.)

*** Ray also exits ***