Ups and Downs and All Arounds [ AJ ]

[Calysma Jamille]

Cal stumped up the stairs to the girls' dorms, muffling a sigh as she did. Some days were so excellent. No, most days were. ... No, actually, all days were, if you looked at them right. However, when you had a raging migraine from practicing your power, and had forgotten your pain meds, it was hard to look on the bright side.

Sort've had it coming. Practicing that power is stupid anyway. And you shouldn't be so forgetful-- it gets you into trouble. Lacey stated.

I know, I know...

Cal shifted her grip on her backpack straps, taking a deep breath. On the bright side, she was almost to her room, which was where her pain meds were, and where she had her stash of ice cream in the mini-freezer. She had every intention of crashing on the couch after taking her meds. Crashing on the couch and eating lots of ice cream. Even at the thought of it, she felt her spirit lifting a little. Hope. That was a good thing.

Enjoy it while you can. Hope don't last long.

"Oh... shut up," Cal muttered as she pushed into the common area of her and her roomie's dorm room. She let the backpack down with a great thump as she shut the door. She thought she heard one of her roommates in her bedroom, but decided against the usual shouted greeting. At least for now. Instead, she beelined it straight for her own bedroom, where she quickly downed the necessary pills. That done, she wandered back out to the common room, retrieved her ice cream, and plopped down on the couch with it and a spoon.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ was sitting on the floor of her dorm room with stacks of books around her, almost taller than her. It was a monthly ritual. She took all of her books off of the bookshelf in the corner of the room, dusted and put all the books back, organized by whatever pattern she chose. Alphabetically by title or author, favorite to least favorite, genres...there were endless possibilites really.

Thinking about it, AJ was sure she'd left a book or two sitting on the coffee table in the common room, one she'd finished and other she'd planned to start. The finished one could go back on her bookshelf. It'd be easier if she had it now so that she didn't have to shove the book in when she was all done. That would chance damage. Carefully, she got up, using her hands to support her until she stood up. And then she manuevered around the piles of books, cautious not to knock any over and stepped around them until she made her way to the door, which was slightly ajar.

She padded out to the common area to find her roommate, Callie, sprawled on the sofa with a container of ice cream and a spoon. She also spotted her books on the table. She wasn't super close with Callie, but liked the girl well enough. Their powers were both sort of dangerous and Callie was very friendly, although she knew the girl had some troubles. "Rough day?" she asked.

[Calysma Jamille]

Cal began mashing up the first few inches of ice cream with her spoon-- soft serve was the best kind of ice cream after all, and since they didn't sell containers of that (that she knew of anyway), she made do with making her own, to an extent. As she mashed it up, she glanced at the couple of books on the coffee table. She wasn't the biggest into reading, not that she disliked reading, she just got tired of sitting still for long enough to get far into a book. And anyways, her Other People could be way too distracting to be able to focus on the actual story for any length of time. Reading her textbooks could be quite the ordeal some days, having to go back and read a page a few different times before actually grasping the information herself.

However, she liked hearing about stories, and one of her roommates, AJ, definitely read enough that Cal felt she should definitely ask about some of her books sometime. Bookworms were fun people to talk to-- a lot of times they didn't mind summarizing a whole story for you, if they were passionate enough about it, and then it was like reading the book herself, only better because sometime was telling it to her instead of her having to read it herself.

She'd just started on eating her ice cream, which by this point had been properly smooshed, when AJ emerged from her room. She offered her roommate a smile, though it faltered slightly when the question was asked. "Oh..." she shrugged returning her gaze to her ice cream again. "It was okay. I have ice cream now though!" Her smile flashed into a grin. "Want some? I don't need to eat all of it or else I'll be bouncing off the walls." She giggled. "It'd be really hard for you to read if I was like that. Are you reading right now? Well, not right right now, but were you reading in your room?"

Nah, she has the organizing look right now...

"Or organizing them again?" Cal offered as she took Lacey's suggestions, eyes bright. Maybe she could offer to help... not that she'd necessarily be good at that sort of thing, but it could be fun!

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"I figured it could have been better, given the ice cream," AJ said, gesturing towards what was in the girl's hands. The sweet cold treat was what a lot of people turned to on a bad day. AJ had on several occasions herself. "I'd get sick if I hate that whole container." It was true. She didn't know how the girl could do it, but she had a feeling that Cal definitely would. "What kind is it?" she asked curiously, holding her books she'd retrieved from the coffee table and leaning over to try and see.

She was about to tell Cal that she actually hadn't been reading, but her second guess was spot on. "Yeah," she replied. "I was, actually. It's kind of my thing every month..." It may have seemed lame to other people, but AJ considered it a highly important ritual.

[Calysma Jamille]

"I'd get sick too." Cal shook her head. "It'd be cool if we wouldn't get sick..." She sat up a little straighter, eyes going wide. "That would be a cool meta power! To be able to eat as much as you wanted of something, and not get sick!"

.....or fat.... Lacey muttered.

Yeah, yeah...

"It's cookie dough." Cal held the container up so AJ could see. "Bubble gum is better, but cookie dough is almost as good. What's your favorite? Next time I go to the store I'll see if I can find that too!" 'Cause of course, eating ice cream was more fun if you did it with friends, who had their favorite ice cream too.

She nodded seriously as AJ started that it was an every month sort of thing. She was never one to make fun of someone's habits, no matter how odd they might seem. In fact, she thought this particular quick pretty cool. "That's a good idea! It keeps all your books from getting dusty and making you sneeze, and then you always know where each one is 'cause they're organized just right!" She nodded with great enthusiasm. "And it'd also make it harder for someone to steal a specific book, 'cause they wouldn't know what order you have it in! Or... or you'd know if someone had been messing with them, because they'd be in the wrong order." She wiggled her eyebrows, grinning.

Of course, she figured the last couple of reasons weren't why AJ organized her books every month. She didn't seem like that sort of person, anyway. In fact, it was probably Lacey's influences that even brought the ideas to her in the first place. Ah well

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ loved the simplicity of Calysma, despite her complicated power. She seemed so humble and excited, bubbly in a way that AJ only wished she could be. It was refreshing having the girl as a roommate, although AJ always wondered what her story was. Everyone had one and for some reason, Calysma seemed like she'd have a compelling one. She wrinkled her nose at the sound of bubble gum icecream. That was a flavor that shouldn't cross over to ice cream, she thought. It was just her opinion though. Cookie dough; however, was good. "I like mint chocolate chip," she told her roommate. It wasn't complicated, but it wasn't vanilla. It was still simple and delicious and she realized she didn't remember the last time she'd had any.

Another thing about Callie, she was so unjudgmental. She appreciated AJ's quirks and AJ appreciated hers. It worked. "It is actually." It was more for the dust and organization reasons, so she always knew where her books were and they always looked good, but Callie did have a point, although she was sure she didn't have to worry about her roommates stealing her books.

[Calysma Jamille]

Simplistic, Cal could definitely be termed. She took an unconscious refuge there, in a place where everything else was just a little too complicated. Really, if she could make a wish, it would be that everything else was as simple as the fact that eating ice cream when you felt bad would make you feel better. Ah well...

"Mint chocolate chip is great, too!" she declared. "I'll get some when I go next, promise!" She smiled and unsprawled herself slightly. "You can still have some of this though, if you want. You like cookie dough, right?" Her eyes widened somewhat, realizing that her roommate's wrinkled nose might have been directed at the cookie dough ice cream. How horrible would that be?? A tragedy, definitely and totally.

Cal giggled a little. "I'll be sure not to mess with your books, then," she assured. Really, she thought it was pretty awesome that her roommate enjoyed books so much. Everyone had something they enjoyed a lot, it seemed like, and enjoying books was definitely super cool. There was so much attention and determination that went into finishing a book. And memory, 'cause you actually had to remember to go back to it later! "How many books do you have, anyway?" she asked. Because of course AJ had them all counted out and remembered the exact number of books she owned, right? "It looks like a lot. Have you read them all? Or are some of them ones you're going to read later on? Kind've like a treat you're saving for later?"

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ did not expect Callie to buy her ice cream, but then again, she wasn't going to stop the girl either. Callie was bubbly and carefree and she liked to do things for others. Good qualities for the most part. "I do like cookie dough," she confirmed.

"Please don't." Her tone was light though. When her roommate asked her how many books she had, she struggled to come up with an approximate number, one that would be fairly close, as she didn't actually count them and even when she had an idea, more were added to the collection and she'd lose track. "A lot," she mumbled, laughing. "And I definitely haven't read them all." Some she'd read several times, others not at all. Her 'to read' list was always becoming longer. She liked how Cal put it though. Treats she was saving for later. That's what books were.

[Calysma Jamille]

Oh good, she did like cookie dough! "Grab a spoon then!" Cal scooted over so her friend could have space to sit on the couch. "How were your classes today?" she asked as she did, eager to continue this line of conversation that wasn't directed at herself. It was always awkward to explain why were bad days were bad days. Sure, not everyone looked at her like she was a lunatic when they found out about her Other People, but some people did. As if she was going to suddenly attack them or something... She wasn't that bad at controlling Jamie.

At least, not usually, Lacey muttered.

Cal didn't even try to answer Lacey's negative comment, turning her attention instead back to the conversation at hand. "Don't worry, I won't ever touch your books unless you say I can." She nodded seriously. So AJ didn't know how many books she had exactly. Oh well, it had been silly to think she would, Cal decided. "Which is your favorite one?"

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ knew that she wasn't done organizing her bookshelves yet, but she supposed the rest of them could wait a little longer to be put in their proper place and so she grabbed a plastic spoon and plopped down next to Callie. "They were okay," she said with a shrug, digging her spoon into the carton of icecream that she was holding out to her. "I like English best of course, but I think I'm doing well enough in my others." It was her senior year, which meant that the next year brought college, and only classes she wanted to take. "I just want to go to college..." She was really excited for that. A fresh start...english courses. "How were yours? What classes do you enjoy?" She had wanted to get to know her better for that matter.

She laughed at what her roommate said next. "Well, you can borrow them as long as you ask," she told her. She seemed trustworthy enough, she'd never given her a reason not to. The next question was one AJ always dreaded. It was so hard to pick. "Could we at least divide it into genres? I have so many favorites."

[Calysma Jamille]

Cal thought it was awesome that AJ was excited about college. She was pretty sure she wasn't going to try for that... She just wanted to settle down and have fun with people. Sure, college meant more people to have fun with, but it also meant more difficult classes and having to sit still through classes, which was already hard enough to do sometimes.

"My classes were good, too!" she answered quickly, flashing a smile. "I like Art a lot. And Gym. It's easy to focus in those classes. I really like softball, even though I don't play on the team here. I might sometime though! Do you like any sports?" Really, it seemed a lot of people got into sports because they enjoyed competition, but Cal just liked the teamwork that went into it, and the energy to you spend from it.

"English is cool too, though!" she added. "What's your favorite part about it? Do you like writing essays then?"

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"I like art, but I in no way feel inclined artistically, so I guess it kind of ends up being how much of a mess I can create in the class period," AJ told her, truthful, but also an attempt at joking, poking fun at herself, because really, nobody could be good at everything. "You should," she encouraged her roommate, but felt a little hypocritical, she'd been trying to get herself to join the swimming team for a long time and it was her senior year and it still hadn't happened. "I like swimming. I've been doing it for a long time." Although it had been quite a while since she'd been in a pool. The thought saddened her. The pool used to be where she could let it all out, where she'd feel free. "I'm not on the team either though." Maybe the two of them should help each other out and make a pact to join the teams.

She laughed at what Callie asked. "No, not so much. I mean, I like to talk about what literature means...so I guess essays are fun in a sense." She wrinkled her nose. That made her sound so stuffy. "I guess I like class discussion more. And reading aloud."

[Calysma Jamille]

Cal laughed at the comment about Art class and messes. "Just 'cause I like Art doesn't mean I'm any good." She snickered. "My teacher says it looks good when I make stuff, but that's what teachers are supposed to say. It's better to listen to what people say when they think you're not listening." She nodded seriously. Really, it was the truth. When Lacey had first said that, she'd brushed it off as more Lacey paranoia, but she'd learned better eventually. If something was really good, people didn't laugh at it behind your back.

Not that she really cared, of course. She didn't let peoples' opinions get to her! If she helped someone laugh, that was a good thing, because laughing was healthy, of course.

"Oooh, it's cool that you're good at swimming!" Cal said, mildly awed. Swimming was hard, that much was certain. "Why aren't you on the team?" If someone was good at something as cool as swimming, they just had to be on a team for it, right? Teams were fun!

"Reading out loud is definitely fun." Cal nodded vigorously. Of course, she found it more fun to listen to people who liked reading out loud. So long as.... "Do you do voices and stuff when you read out loud?"

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"I feel the same way about art, although sometimes I start not to like it when I get frustrated with how my art looks," AJ admitted. "Yeah, don't you just wish they'd be honest sometimes?" Sure, her creative writing teacher always gave her feedback, but was it really good? Did it suck? Those questions were always buzzing around in her head, no matter how much talent she was told she had for writing.

"I don't know," she mumbled when Callie asked why she wasn't on the team, although she did know. "It was just something that made me feel calm, let me process everything that happened in a day, I guess I never thought about it competitively. I mean, recently I've thought about joining, just to get myself involved in something." It was true. She had next to nothing in extra-curriculars since she'd started here at Hammel.

"Sometimes, but that's usually when I'm alone in my dorm room," she admitted. "I just feel like books come alive when they're read aloud."

[Calysma Jamille]

Cal nodded in agreement. "I mean, I don't care if they lie a little bit," she said, smiling a little. When her schoolmates were blunt, it wasn't really the best feeling. "I just like to know if something isn't really that good." She shrugged and fiddled with her spoon. Since beginning her chat with AJ, she had barely eaten anymore ice cream. Too busy talking, of course! Talking with people was much more fun than eating ice cream.

"You totally should try to get on the team!" Cal nodded, thrilled with the idea. "Because it wouldn't always be competitive, right? During practice you'd be able to relax more, and you'd have the excuse that you were practicing form or something." She giggled. "And no one could say you were just lolly-gagging around!"

"Why when you're just alone?" The idea was beyond her. "If you're alone, no one can hear you!"

...That's sort of the point, Lacey snarked.

"I mean... I guess..." Cal frowned, as both AJ's admittance, and Lacey's comment sort've merged together into the same thoughtline in her mind. However, the frown was short lived. "I'd love to hear you read sometime! Stories that are read out loud are definitely a lot more awesome that way!"