Friggin' Finals (Open)

[Benjamin Park]

It was near the end of the year, and like most students, Benji was spending a good portion of his time studying for his upcoming finals.  Being the son of two University professors, he had grown up having good study skills pounded into his head - even with his bad-boy reputation, he still wanted (and needed) to keep his grades up.

It didn't mean he particularly enjoyed it, though.

With a sigh, the dancer walked into the library, backpack slung over one shoulder and sunglasses perched on the end of his nose as he looked around for a place to sit.  He wanted to study outside, but there was a high pollen count in the air, and he didn't want to risk getting all itchy and sniffly just for the sake of being in the sun.  So he sauntered over to an empty table and flopped his bag into a chair, taking the seat next to it.  Benji rifled through his books, pulling out his chemistry text and notes and setting them on the table.

Then, he kicked up his feet and rested them on the edge of said table, leaning back in his chair with one arm behind his head and the book in his lap.  There was plenty of room for someone else to sit at the table, if they wanted - Benji even eyed people as they passed by, giving a quick up-and-down if they happened to be an attractive female.  Damn, there were a lot of pretty girls at this school.  Then again, a good portion of them weren't entirely human...

[Deleted]

Sera needed to study. Sure, she wasn’t in any danger of failing. She could probably ditch on all the finals and still pass her classes. But if she wanted to maintain her academic standing with her 4.0 average, then she couldn’t afford to slack for even a minute. Not until she knew that she was going to ace these exams with hardly any effort, and that meant knowing the material backwards and forwards, and that meant keeping up with her study routine even when it bored her to the point of tears. There would be plenty of time for extracurricular activities and other more enjoyable activities once she had completed her regimen.

Sera came to the library at the exact same times every day, textbooks in hand, so that she could complete her assignments and then review. She hated when her routine was interrupted for any reason, because the more time that was spent chatting or being distracted, the less time she had in her allotment to study. And if she had less time in her allotment, that meant that she had to dive into her spare time which she reserved for sewing or for shopping or for anything else other than this stupid studying!

She didn’t know why it even mattered, it wasn’t like she was graduating this year anyway. Maybe with the academics, but her powers were still less than under control, according to her trainer. Just the thought of having to needlessly stay for another year flared up her irritation, and those books she was carting around started to chill and frost over without her knowledge.

The icy girl stepped through the library and focused her eyes on the spot where she usually sat to conduct her studying. There was someone else already occupying it…which only sparked further irritation in the girl. She took a breath, attempting to keep her demeanor calm, and continued to the empty space at the table, never once looking up to acknowledge the boy who shared it. When Sera released her breath, it came out as a chilled cloud of white. She set down her books and opened them, the slivers of frost dropping off onto the table’s wooden surface.

[Benjamin Park]

Benji's gaze lifted as he heard someone approach - no, more like felt. A sudden chill invaded his space, and he involuntarily shivered, peeking up from his text to get an eyeful of this chilly specimen. Wow. She looked like some sort of ice goddess or something. A model, that was obvious. There sure were a lot of those at Hammel.... But damn.

He made no effort to hide his staring as she approached the table and sat down, letting out a silent whistle as the very air from her lungs came out in a frozen puff. Wow.

Even her books looked icy. Benji propped himself up a little, leaning in his chair so he was nearer to the chilly girl. "Hey, beautiful, did you step out of that one Disney movie or something?" What was it called? Frozen? "Because... Wow, that is something else." He kicked his feet down from the table and picked up one of the shards of frost. "Aren't you cold?" Benji was wishing he'd brought a jacket now - he had goosebumps on his arms.

But that was probably a dumb thing to ask. Someone with cryokinesis, they must've had some weird mutation of their metabolism, or something. Benji wouldn't know. His dad might. "I'm Benji, by the way," he offered a hand along with his name, preparing for a frozen touch. He flashed a bright smile along with it.

[Deleted]

Sera never paid attention to how her power was affecting the world around her. Why should she anyway? She knew what her trainer would say, but clearly her trainer never had the same problems with controlling her power. It was easy for her to say something like “don’t let it get out of hand” or “you have to control your emotions better”, but Sera was convinced she never actually had to do it before.

Sera didn’t notice the staring of the other boy at the table. She only had the vague impression that there was someone else there at all. As soon as it started to irritate her that he even dared to exist at her table, she blocked him out entirely. Sera had more important things to do than indulge the childish prattling of some person who thought they mattered to her.

Even if she was paying attention(because she totally didn’t hear him!) Sera didn’t even understand the reference. At least not completely. “Never saw it,” she stated, not looking up from her textbook. She pulled out her notebook and produced a pen. “No.” Of course she wasn’t cold. Idiot.

She did not offer her hand to shake. The boy was lucky she even answered at all. That was his prize for having the courage to speak to a woman of her stature at all. There would be nothing more, not if she could help it. Sera had to study.

[Benjamin Park]

Well, then... This girl was cold, not just in the literal sense. Apparently her ability fit her personality; either that or she was just having a bad day. Still, Benji didn't let himself be put off by her short, unamused answers.

"I haven't seen it either, actually," he replied, leaning back in his chair again. Benji flipped his pen absent-mindedly in his hand. "Too childish, you know?" Yeah, which was why he'd made the reference in the first place (sarcasm). Good going Ben. "Oh, wow... Well, I wish I had an ability as stunning and powerful as that. It really suits you, babe."

And cold. Sooo cold.

Ben tapped the end of his pen against his lips, wondering how much prodding he could get away with before she snapped at him. He retracted his offered hand, frowning slightly, and instead swept it through his hair. "You want to study. I get it. Sorry for bothering you, ah... Maybe I can have the pleasure of getting to know you when you take a break?" Another smile, as he leaned against his arm and watched the frost dripping around her. Wow. He was in love.

[Deleted]

Ugh…that’s what she got for indulging people with even the smallest answers. Did the boy not understand basic body language and cues that essentially said, “go away”? He must be a special needs student, Sera decided.

Even so, his prattling was distracting Sera from her reading. As soon as she started a sentence his voice would start kicking to the surface of her attention like some child throwing a tantrum. Then she would have to start it over again. This grated on Sera even more.

The air around them started to grown colder.

“I don’t take breaks.” Maybe if she abolished all hope, he would back off without further argument. She really needed to get through this review!

[Benjamin Park]

Benji totally got the vibe that this girl wasn't interested. That made it a challenge. Sure, he enjoyed messing around with girls that were giggly and easy to flatter and please, but it was cases like these that Benji got the most satisfaction out of, if he ended up winning.

Was it getting colder in here, or was he imagining it? Benji shivered and pulled on his jacket, wondering if the mystery girl would be smug about it.

"You don't take breaks?" he said incredulously. "But... It's beneficial to take breaks. Your brain gets overworked if you don't." At least, that's what his parents had always told him, and they were professors. They knew what they were doing. Of course, breaks only came after a long period of intense studying, but still... "Just one break. I can get you a coffee, or tea, or whatever you'd like." Benji's smile had returned, hoping to make some sort of breakthrough.

"You're driving me crazy just sitting there. I'm sorry if I can't help but be blown away."

[Deleted]

The cooling air was gone almost unnoticed by Sera. She didn’t feel it, nor could she control when it flared up with her emotions. It wasn’t a deliberate action therefore it brought her no amount of satisfaction or acknowledgement that her “companion” was being affected just like she “planned”.

But it was this idiot’s endless chattering that was bringing her mood down along with the temperature. “There will be plenty of time for leisure and coffee after I finish my review,” she commented, immediately regretting it because no doubt he would take that as an invitation to meet up with her later. No, she had other places to be once she was finished here. And she’ll be damned if this adolescent kept her from her schedule.

Sera kept her eyes on her text and notebook.

[Benjamin Park]

Brrrr.... Benji couldn't help but think this girl would be great to have around when the weather got really hot. Talk about a personal air conditioner, right? He had to get her number or something. "After?" he repeated, immediately perking up and latching onto the word. "I can wait. I'm very patient." Yes, he totally had her! (no he didn't) "However long it takes, beautiful. I'll let you get back to your work so you can focus."

He went quiet after that, returning to his own studying, but unable to keep himself from peeking over occasionally. Damn, he kept thinking. He was totally in lust with this chick. Even the way she blew him off and studied was hot. He enjoyed the irony.

If she made any indication that she was finished studying after a while, Benji would perk up and drop everything to return his full attention to her. "So, coffee?" he asked with a beaming white smile. "I'll pay."

[Deleted]

It was true though, that Sera had the tendency to get invited out to places more often in the middle of summer than in the middle of winter. Again, as she didn’t feel the change in temperature unless it got too hot, Sera didn’t realize that that was the reason why she suddenly got so popular over summer break…or she did realize and just simply didn’t care because, hey, if it got friends on her list then did it matter how they got there? Sera didn’t care as long as it was added to her final count. She just didn’t like being bothered by people when she was trying to do things that she needed to do, like studying. Most of her “friends” knew this and knew how to work around that schedule of hers as tactfully ask her to go out when they knew she was available. Or if it were an event that she particularly wanted to attend, then Sera would adjust her schedule accordingly, assuming she was given enough time prior to the event to made such adjustments. Sera did not do well with spur-of-the moment changes and spontaneity.

Great. He did think that she was going to come around as soon as she had nothing else to do. Oh well, if it got him to shut up for the time being then fine. Let him think that. Sera would set him straight once she was done.

As time went on with the studying, and without the constant bother, the cold temperatures surrounding the icy woman finally started to ebb as she genuinely lost herself inside her books and reviews. She didn’t particularly like studying, but once she gained focus it was hard to think about anything else that was stressing her out in life. When she finally finished, Sera closed her book with a loud thump, releasing a sigh of relief for finally getting through what she intended. Sera had almost forgotten about the irritating boy.

Sera looked at the boy who had been speaking to her earlier, a sliver of her previous irritation pricking away at her, but….she took another breath. “Fine. Just coffee, though.” It didn’t matter that he offered to pay. She could easily pay for herself, but since he made the offer, Sera wasn’t about to take that away from him. “Where?”

[Benjamin Park]

On the other hand, Benji was all about spontaneity. He loved doing things on a whim, especially things that got his adrenaline pumping and heart racing. He could definitely tell this girl wasn't that type, though. But that was cool, cool, he could deal. Benjamin had mastered the art of picking up girls of all different sorts (or so he told himself). If he really knew what he was doing, he likely would have dropped the conversation from the beginning so as not to make this girl dislike him more.

He did notice that the cold was easing away, though, after a while. Benji made a note to himself: Cold air = angry. Easy enough to remember. But it was nice to have an actual tangible cue if he was making this gal upset.

Ben still didn't even know her name... Sigh. How was he ever going to find her again?

The fact that she actually responded to his request - and even accepted! - made Benji's heart leap. "Just coffee," he agreed, eager to please. He quickly started packing up his things, having made some decent progress in his notes himself, despite the distraction. "Let's see... There's a neat little place just a few blocks into town. It's independently run, but I think their stuff is way better than anything you'd get at Starbucks." More expensive too, but that wasn't too big of an issue for the boy. "Sound alright to you?" Benji gave another one of his big, boyish grins.

[Deleted]

The boy was still annoying, but now that she wasn’t trying to do something else, he was a lot more tolerable at least. Sera cracked her neck casually, barely paying attention to anything he said, as she started packing up her things, stacking her books up and hefting them into her arms as she stood up at her full height of 5’8”.

“That sounds fine.” Sera didn’t like Starbucks much anyway so it was good that he didn’t suggest that they go there. While the boy was clearly getting his jollies out of this, Sera was more or less indifferent to the situation. It was something to do, she thought. The girl had no other plans after her study session except maybe to track down one of her friends to talk, but for other than that, there was nothing. “However I need to be back in an hour,” she instructed. That should give them enough time to go there, get something to go, and then come back. Yes, that was the most efficient way, especially since…

“I need to put my books in my room,” she announced. Because there was no way that Sera was going to carry these heavy books all the way to the coffee shop in her arms. She didn’t have a bag with her, not even a purse as she kept her wallet in her left back pocket and her phone in the other. It should take…15 minutes to get to the dorm, about 20 minutes to get to the shop, 5 minutes to get the coffee, and 20 minutes to get back. Perfect. “Let’s go,” she said in that same cold voice, and she started off without him. If he wanted to lead the way, then he should have done so form the beginning.

[Benjamin Park]

Benji hadn't realized how tall the girl was until she stood; she was only a couple inches shorter than he, and he wasn't too short. That's alright! He liked tall women! Well, he liked short women too, he wasn't all that picky really.

"Great," he replied, practically beaming. Benji was all for taking their time, maybe even taking a detour on the way to walk by some wildflowers he'd found the other day, but when he was given the time constraint, his smile faltered just a tad. "Oh, alright," he responded with a small nod. "An hour works. I can do that." An hour was far better than nothing. But hey, maybe she would change her mind and decide she liked him enough to stay longer!

"Ah, yeah, I better do that too," he agreed with a nod, slinging his backpack over one shoulder. However, he didn't want to risk splitting up in case she didn't care enough to find him again, so Benji set off after her and nodded down at her books. "I can carry those for you, if you'd like," he offered, like the gentleman he was. Bad boys could be good sometimes! Especially to pretty ladies. "And, ah... I still don't think I had the pleasure of knowing your name." Hopefully she would answer this time. Benjamin darted ahead a little to open the door for her, and would open every door along the way to the dorms if she allowed him to.

[Deleted]

The probability of Sera finding this interaction favorable enough to stay longer than she needed to, much less cutting into her own schedule, was extremely low. It was far more likely that Sera was going to turn back halfway through their trip to the coffehouse after deeming it a complete waste of her time. Still, it was only an hour and even Sera could stand to be patient that long, right? One would hope. “Good,” she said, once he agreed to her terms.

Sera looked at him when he offered to carry her books for her. “Fine,” she agreed shortly,and she offered them out to him. Sera had no qualms about making him carry them, he was the one who offered and if at any point he chose not to do so anymore, he merely needed to say so and she would take them back.

The same was with the constant opening of the doors for her as she walked through them. He didn’t have to, she wasn’t forcing him nor did she ask, he could stop any time he wanted to. Therefore she let him do so as much as he pleased without a word as they made their ways to the dorms. “Sera,” she said when he spoke of her name. She wouldn’t ask him for his, but if he offered it, she’d take it.

They reached the dorms and started up the stairs to the second floor where her room was. “You can set them on the desk,” she instructed once they’d gotten to her room. It was clean, tidy, with a bookshelf full of books and journals organized by author and genre and year. There was a large trunk at the foot of her bed where she kept her sewing supplies, a half finished dress hanging off the closet door, and a small domestic sewing machine with it’s own table in the corner next to the desk with a lamp between the two. She waited for him to follow her instructions. The sooner he did the sooner they could drop his stuff at his room and then head on their way.

[Benjamin Park]

Most girls got flattered and giggly after Benji offered to carry their things for them. It was a gentlemanly thing to do, after all. So he flashed a smile as he took them from the girl, hoping maybe it would help ease her cold heart just a tad. He was determined to win her heart!

Hopefully the door opening was showing off how polite and chivalrous he was, too (because the boy obviously didn't realize what chivalry was). Surely she would thank him eventually! When it seemed she wasn't going to, he stifled a sigh, but continued to do it anyway until they reached the dorms. "Sera," he repeated with a faint smile. "I'm Benjamin. I go by Benji, though." He was pretty sure he'd offered it earlier, but his gut told him the girl likely hadn't been listening anyway.

He followed after as Sera led the way to her room, obediently setting the books down where she indicated. Benji glanced around briefly, and his eyes caught onto her sewing machine and the partially finished dress. "Do you sew?" he asked, awe in his voice. He didn't think anyone his age really did that anymore. "That's so cool! It's really admirable that you can make your own clothing, I wish I could do that." He didn't have the time or the patience, though, and it would totally ruin his image. He just wanted to get on the girl's good side, and this seemed like a good chance.

He lingered for a brief moment more before heading back into the hall and towards his own room. "I dance," he offered, figuring he could tell her about one of his own hobbies. "I guess that's not really related to sewing at all, but... Well, I've been doing it for a long time. My parents made me go to a lot of classes, but I'm glad they did." A subtle hint that his family was pretty well-off. Benji reached his room and deposited his own books inside. It was tidy, but filled with an assortment of things - posters and movies and books; an expensive laptop tucked away on his desk; a pack of Marlboros half-empty beside his window (he'd had that pack for ages, he really didn't smoke all that often). "Shall we go, then?" he smiled, nodding out the door. There really wasn't a lot to see here, although Benji liked to think of it as his man cave where he brought his girls home after dates... Except in reality, he somehow always lost the nerve to get that far.