Time Warp: Looking at You Looking at Me

[Ella Robbinson]

March, 2006

Ella was the new girl. She was far from home, but she didn't feel nervous about that. Her recruiter Tim had been there for her every step of the way, from her recovery in hospital to the first steps she'd taken into Hammel. Without him, she'd almost certainly be lost. He'd even cared enough to remember her birthday from last week; a feat few people could ever really match given the girl's relevant nonchalance to the day itself.

What she was nervous about was her power. It was a struggle to keep it in control, and so she often found herself acutely aware of the blood flow of those around her. That and the nose bleeds.

At any rate, classes were finally done for the day. Ella picked up her books and held them close to her chest as she walked, careful to avoid people as they made their way out of the room. As she stepped out, she glanced down the hall. Immediately, her eyes settled on something of a familiar face. His name was James, she thought, but she'd never really spoken to him as much as she'd just noticed him.

Because look at him.

Her eyes lingered too long, and she quickly stepped off in his general direction, but she had every intention of stepping right past him in order to keep moving.

[James Lawrence]

James had been at the school for almost two years now. Time had gone by relatively quickly, and provided that his grades kept up, he would be graduating next year come June. That's what he was looking forward to; graduation. Then, he could return to New York and become a star. The world would finally know about his greatness. He spent nearly all of his free time in the band room, practicing and practicing. His dedication to music was unwavering, and James was sure that in two years time, everyone would know his name.

The bell rang, snapping the long haired boy out of his daydream. He collected his books, exiting the classroom with projected confidence. The day was done, and James figured he'd head on down to the band room for a couple hours, where he could use the piano there. Until his eyes landed on a beautiful dark haired girl.

Seriously, what was it with Hammel and all of the babes?

James wouldn't complain, though. The face looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place a name to it. A smirk appeared on his face, noticing that the girl had been looking at him. Of course, why wouldn't you? He ran a hand through his dark locks, before falling into step alongside the girl.

"You know, you always try so hard to blend into the crowds. But when you look the way you do, it's damn near impossible." His voice had slipped into the suave and charming territory. He was still working on the compliments, but come graduation, the students wouldn't be able to keep their hands off of him. James' still had the smirk on his face, waiting for the girl's response.

[Ella Robbinson]

Ella held her breath as she took the all important steps past the person she'd been staring at. Something about holding in all that air should have made this work in her favour, right? That was how these things worked. If she hoped not to be noticed, she wouldn't be noticed. But he'd seen her and she was sure he'd seen her looking, because Ella had been about as subtle as a slap to the face.

But no, fortune wasn't in her favour. At least, not in the way she could register, because he was then suddenly walking beside her.

And he was speaking to her. About her. The concept of being physically attractive was disconnected for someone who couldn't stop listening to the heartbeat of the whole hallway. Still, she wouldn't blush despite how much she really should have been. She simply couldn't let herself. So she glanced up and looked at his mouth, noting the curve of his lips into that kind of grin.

"It's not impossible," She reasoned, "You've only just tried to talk to me."

[James Lawrence]

Sure, the initial reason James had changed his route was because he had seen the girl... Eliza? The name didn't sit right. Nonetheless, he had caught her looking and the New York native wanted to grace the entire school with his being. Not to mention, she was a looker, and something about her was... different. She wasn't one of those girls that knew they looked good, and wasn't the type to blush or giggle when complimented.

Her reaction proved that.

Hooked, James continued to walk alongside her, chuckling lightly at her response. "What do you mean by that?" He asked. Mostly because the teenage boy was confused as to what she meant by that. 

[Ella Robbinson]

His broad question pulled a look of confusion from the hemokinetic. Ella heard the words, and filtered through the response she'd only just given. Wasn't it obvious? Ella stole a glance in his direction and her eyebrows raised, eyes widening a touch.

When someone looked like that, she figured they really didn't need to carry an intelligent conversation.

"Wouldn't you have talked to me sooner if you noticed me sooner?" Ella asked, genuinely curious over the very thought. It was hardly the kind of conversation she figured he was looking to have with her, but that much hadn't clicked in her mind. Yet.

[James Lawrence]

James hadn't caught onto what Ella was asking, and it showed as he gave her a confused look. Not to mention, most people didn't ask questions after he complimented them. They either giggled and would flirt back or roll their eyes and move on with the day. She didn't do either.

He ran a hand through the length of his hair as she answered his question. "Darling, it doesn't matter when I should have talked to you." James spoke. "The important thing is I am now." His attempt had backfired, and although he was cool in demeanor, James was flustered, stumbling for recovery with a signature smirk.

"I've always noticed your face, but then you disappear. It's like you don't want people to talk to you." He commented, stuffing his hands into the denim pockets of his jeans.

[Ella Robbinson]

Ella's gaze shifted to his hand as he ran it through his relatively glorious hair. She found it a little unfair that he had better hair than she did, and so on instinct she raised a free hand and shifted it through her dark locks. Like she needed to straighten it just because she was standing next to him.

Darling? Totally jarring. So was his flustered nature, which she really did feel, and she really wished she didn't.

"I don't not want people to talk to me." She retorted a little harshly. Though really, harsh on Ella was practically impossible. It didn't suit her in the slightest. She was also lying, and so she quickly glanced away and shuffled the books in her arms. "Maybe you're just... More interested in everything else around you."

[James Lawrence]

His hair was just one thing James prided himself on. Unlike most boys his age, he took the utmost care of it to maintain its look. He let the strands fall naturally back into place. Yeah, it was a thing of beauty, not unkept and greasy like the other male students with long hair.

James wasn't aware of her ability, or about the blood rushing through his veins more quickly than before. He raised an eyebrow at her defensive reply, shrugging. "If you insist." He replied, letting the subject drop.

Her next comment made him let out an amused snort. "Please, answer this for me. If I were more interested in everything else around me, would I be walking and holding a conversation with only you, hm?" James asked. He was into this beautiful dark haired girl, and in their few minutes of talking, he already knew this was one girl not to let go.

[Ella Robbinson]

Immediately, Ella had glanced away, choosing not to take in the change in his demeanour. She really didn't mean to snap. She didn't want to remotely snap at people. That wasn't what this was supposed to be about. A new start, and all that. Negative connotations weren't her forte, and she wanted to keep it as such.

Still, he sounded amused, almost like he was trying to stop himself from laughing at her.

But what caught the young hemokinetic the most was the way he posed a question right back to her. One she didn't have an answer for. And she didn't exactly have much time to think, nor could she think clearly when he was looking at her like that.

"I don't know." Ella replied, and immediately she regretted saying something so bland. It wasn't even a comeback, let alone a good one. "I honestly don't." She amended the statement tot he best of her ability, glancing towards him quickly before looking forward again.

[James Lawrence]

James noticed that she had glanced away from him, and opened his mouth to say a smartass comment, but decided against it. How could she look away from him, the best looking student at Hammel? He could have said something along those lines and teased her, but the dark haired beauty already looked flustered enough in his presence.

It only made his sky high ego soar.

He was amused, but not in a condescending way. More entertained with the fact that she seemed to have incredibly low self esteem. Like the notion of him talking to her was too much, and not a possibility. James waited for her to respond, his eyes lingering on her face. "Well, darling, I can answer that." Pausing, he reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a lone cigarette, twirling it between his fingers absentmindedly.

"I'm not interested in talking to anyone else right now." James met her eyes for a brief moment, before El.... Ella looked forward again. "Are you... bothered by my presence?" He inquired, raising one eyebrow. Because if that was the case, the New Yorker didn't want to bother anyone. If she wanted to, he could slip away and continue with his day.

[Ella Robbinson]

There it was again. Darling. Ella did her best not to cringe at the word itself, but she couldn't stop the light creases on either side of her nose. She didn't bother to look again. Not while he was rifling through his pockets for something.

Right now, he wasn't interested in spending his time with anyone else. Despite the attempt at a compliment, it really did feel as shallow as she had to assume it was.

"I'm confused by it." She replied, this time with a little more ease. Saying she was bothered was a step too far, and she hardly wanted to give that impression. Was she giving that impression? Her eyebrows rose in curiosity about herself.

It was then that she realised, as she looked around to the faces of the people in the hallway, that some of them were staring. Not at her. Not really. They didn't know her. But he had the brand of charm that got everyone looking. And by proxy, their eyes were turning to her. If she wasn't fighting it so hard, she'd definitely be blushing by now.

The hemokinetic shifted the books with a level of difficulty as she freed a hand, wrapping her fingers around his arm and pulling back as she stopped. She turned to face him. "Why are you even remotely interested in me?" She asked, her gaze involuntarily tracking along his features before she dragged her attention back to his eyes. It really wasn't the time to stare.

[James Lawrence]

The use of pet names was a habit James recently picked up, from who knows where. Girls either loved or hated it, and either way, it was something he continued to do. He slipped the cigarette behind his ear, peeking out only slightly through the veil of his hair.

Confused. At least she wasn't bothered by it. James stared ahead at the halls, chuckling to himself. She was confused by his presence. It seemed pretty straight forward to him. She, Ella, was a beautiful girl, and he, James, wanted to flirt... talk to her. Maybe more, if it ever came to that. "Well, don't be." He said, as if it were the simplest solution in the entire world. A wide grin appeared on his face.

James didn't notice all of the attention on him. Okay, that was a blatant lie. He knew that everyone was looking at him, because why wouldn't you? The arrogant boy's signature smirk appeared on his face, soaking in the envious stares and glares of the general student population.

Until Ella took hold of his arm. He snapped out of his haze, blinking as the two of them stopped in the middle of the hallway. Students brushed by, continuing their day, but others stopped to watch. James frowned as she posed him the question, his eyes locking with hers a moment later. "Why wouldn't I be? That's the better question." He replied, not breaking eye contact with her. James had to admit, he didn't have a concrete answer for why he was interested in her. But he had taken notice to the brunette.

Leaning in closer, James added "I can't explain it. I just am." His gaze flickered around her features. It was the uncertainty of these sort of situations that made him crave nicotine. A lot of people didn't question this, and the fact that she was when he had no answers, made him uncomfortable, even if James would never admit that.

[Ella Robbinson]

Ella actually managed a light laugh at his response. Don't be. As if it were the easiest thing in the world to simply stop.

Eye contact was a little jarring. Alright, it was incredibly jarring. Up until this point, she'd been stealing glances from a distance, or the side line at best. She wasn't looking at him intently enough to catch his eyes, and it was better that way. But now that she had them, she couldn't consider turning her attention elsewhere. Not to the hallway, her prior trajectory, or the others who brushed by her as they did her existence.

She lowered her eyebrows in genuine confusion, stalled by his response which was hardly a response at all. But when he leaned in, she took a quick breath and straightened her back. The way he spoke about why he was doing anything was so casual it almost hurt.

"I asked you first. It isn't fair if I answer you and you don't even try to answer me, is it?" She replied, trying her best to maintain some kind of composure. "Since you don't know me, I'm guessing it has to do with my face."

[James Lawrence]

It wasn't a real response, and as James spoke, he was aware of it. He was a fool for thinking that that would be enough to satisfy her question. His eye contact didn't ease up, staring into her dark eyes. He wasn't aware of of the other students brushing by, and only vaguely conscious of other people gawking. If he really wanted to, James could have listened to what the others were whispering but the thought didn't occur to him.

The corner of his lips curled up into an amused smile, chuckling. "I suppose that's true. It wouldn't be fair." He agreed, still close to her face as the debate inside continued. She spoke again, and finally, James conceded with a slight nod of his head. "That is a fair conclusion. You're attractive." He stated, casually.

"But... there's something more to you I can't figure out." James tried to explain. "Most people know when they're more than average looking. And you, you... hide. You blink and you're gone." Take James for example. He knew that, overall, he was an attractive guy. He took advantage of that. Ella, seemed to do the opposite.

"Would you be upset if that was the main reason I talked to you...?" He had to bite his tongue to hold back the 'darling' that would inevitably be spoken at some point, giving her a pointed, curious look, awaiting an answer.

[Ella Robbinson]

Suddenly things took something of a strange shift. It was strange enough that this boy was even talking to her, but the way he was talking was just so... Different. James had worked his way out of her assumptions - a gorgeous face with beautiful hair and not much in his head - to something more refined.

He used the word conclusion. He outwardly called her attractive, and he didn't seem smug about his ability to just say it. It wasn't the first time someone called her attractive, and it wouldn't be the last.

But she hoped it wouldn't be all a person said about her.

"I'd be more upset if you lied about it." Ella replied, honestly. After all, she'd figured it out before he'd pretty much informed her that she was right. It would have been that much more irritating if he'd tried to work his way around the fact. She took a slow breath, the rise of her shoulders causing her hair to fall in front of her face a little. "Not everyone lives to be noticed by you." She added, her voice light. Despite how harsh it could have been, it wasn't. It was almost defeated.

Because it was a lie, and she knew it. He probably knew it to. Shifting her books to one arm, she reached forward to pluck the cigarette from behind his ear. And she held it out in front of him. "Stuff like this is for more than just making yourself look cool?"