Reading Is Not For Me (Tae)

[Braxton Carson]

Braxton's teacher's definition of how to spend free time was... there's no such thing as free time. Every class had left him at least one thirty pages document, and they all had to be read, and a lecture report written, by next week. Good times. He kept wondering how was he supposed to find time to enjoy college if he had to study and read all the time? It didn't make sense at all. He would have to find someone to make his homework for him or else, he will end up failing his classes, because failing to have fun was -not- an option.

Fortunately someone had a friend who had a friend who had a friend who would do them for him for the correct amount of money. Good times.

The thin tall boy with thick-glasses waited for him in one of the benches in the University's main courtyard. They had already talked in the phone and had agreed on everything through that medium, so when the two, very different, boys met, only exchange of money, heavy reading material and nods was made. Afterwards the glassed boy left and Brax took a seat in the bench as he sighed in pleasure that he no longer had to worry about that.

[Taeyeon Kai]

It was a matter of getting time off from work and getting permission from her guardians before driving out in her Dodge Neon SXT to the University of Vermont. She was a high school senior this year and she was reflecting on which colleges interested her. She wanted to be a teacher when she was older, be able to teach younger generations about history and art and other subjects, and she had a list of colleges to look at and contact.

First on the list was the U of V.

After some time passed she pulled into the parking lot and got out, noticing the attention she got with her outfit. She ignored the longing looks from the men and locked her car before meeting the smiling woman waiting for her. “Thank you for agreeing to give me a tour, Miss Jackson,” Tae said as way of greeting.

“No problem, Miss Kai. We’re pleased to have you here,” the other woman said, and the tour began.

Half an hour later, Tae was alone again, hands full of pamphlets and brochures and walking around the outside quad, weaving through the crowd of people gathered as she drew it all in. This school looked very promising.

[Braxton Carson]

Just like gays have a gaydar to tell them whether someone else is gay or not, some men, like Braxton, have a special radar that tingles every time a hot girl passes by even if they haven't seen her yet. It's weird, but it works wonders. If Braxton was told he was a meta without his power being told to him, he would have guessed that this radar was his special ability, because really, he was an expert, and this time, the tingle was, rather, a BAM.

Who is that... He stood up from his bench while staring, like pretty much everybody else in a quite wide radius, at the Asian girl as she walked down the path towards the parking lots. I can't believe noone has hit on her yet. Pussies. He walked towards her while taking his oh-so-loved red ray-ban glasses from his pocket and wearing them, even though this time they didn't match his clothes very well, he had figured a pair of classic blue jeans and sleeveless black shirt would be enough for his illegal date to meet the guy who would save his semester.

"Hello there." Braxton offered his right hand to the girl. "I'm Braxton, who am I having the pleasure to meet this, now very lovely, afternoon?"

[Taeyeon Kai]

She had been flipping through a pamphlet on the teaching programs that the college offered, not really paying attention to the group of guys circulating closer and closer to her form. They had been watching her for some time, noting that the tall Japanese/Korean/American girl wore her shorts high on her thighs and had an ample chest that they placed bets about to see. But before any could make a move, another took their place, offering his hand.

Tae looked up at the cool and smooth voice, blinking in surprise behind her sunglasses. The guy was handsome enough, a bit goofy with those glasses on his nose, but she had always looked past that. She took his hand and shook it politely, giving him a shy smile. “Hello, my name is Tae,” she said, her voice soft and inviting, her smile growing wider. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Braxton.” After a moment, she dropped her hand and went back to clutching the brochures; she was a bit shy, yes, but he seemed nice-looking.

“So what do you study here? The school seems nice enough,” she told him, giving him another smile. “You must have gone to the private school, since I’ve never seen you at the public high school.”

[Braxton Carson]

Tae? Tae... Why does that sound oddly familiar? Braxton kept silent as he concentrated in his thoughts and searched between his memories, which always seems rather difficult when you need to look for something in particular.

"Marketing." He muttered softly while still burning the, very small, some would say, number of brain-cells he had. "Yeah. I went to Hammel."

Tae. Asian. Public high-school... Who is she? And just like in those cartoons when suddenly a small light-bulb appears above a characters head when they discover or realize something clever, Braxton's eyes widened when he remembered why the name sounded familiar. Well the world's small.

"Oh I remember you." He said while scratching his chin with his 'Detective Braxton' expression. "You are friends with..." Oh-Emm-Gee, what was her name? Tanya? No, that's that chick from Hammel. Tamara? Ta...nya? No. Tatiana? Ugh, what was it? "We met at a birthday pool party. You were with a blonde chick, didn't you?" Braxton and -insert here the forgotten girl's name- hooked up that night, and as usual, he was quite very drunk to remember most details. "It wasn't that long ago. Six months or something, I believe."

[Taeyeon Kai]

Another meta to add to Tae’s list that she had met. She smiled widely; Robbie was her best friend, a meta like Braxton, and then she had met Cole, Jace, Ashton, and Jalen. “I know a few people at Hammel,” she told him while still smiling, watching out of the corner of her eye the group of guys who still sidled closer to her. “Do the names Robbie Wilkes or Jalen August ring a bell, perhaps?” she asked, taking a step closer to Braxton just for the sheer comfort of knowing she was in his presence.

His next words, however, made her blink and took her down memory lane. The only birthday pool party she had been in that summer had been…“Phoebe,” she supplied the name, grinning. There had been a lot of beer at that party, and Tae had worn a simple black bikini for that party. Granted, she had still been with Cole, so she couldn’t have any fun, but some of the boys there had been handsome enough to tempt her. “Phoebe was the name of the birthday girl, and Summer was the blonde that I was with.”

Now that she was looking at him, she did remember him. “You were the one she was gushing about the next Monday,” she told him with a grin. “Looking at you now…I can tell she wasn’t exaggerating.”

[Braxton Carson]

"No, not really, no idea who those two are." Braxton was not lying, he was terrible with names, even the names of hot blondes that most likely hated his guts, like Jalen's. For him to remember that Jalen was a girl he knew, he would have to spend another minute concentrating in his memories.

Tae's next words can be summed up to this: Braxton's ego just suddenly skyrocketed. Even though the name 'Summer' did not ring a bell that much, and he still couldn't remember what he did or didn't do with her that night, he couldn't disagree that it was something not worthy of gloating. It wasn't like it was unusual for a girl to gloat about Braxton, or so he liked to think, it was just unusual for him to hear it, specially coming from another girl. Most girls would bring girl-code, but she's digging me. She's so into me. And there it was, Braxton's amazing deduction capabilities in action. As long as the conclusion was that a girl was into him, he was a good people-reader.

"Oh believe me, whatever she said, it's nothing." He took a step closer to Tae. "You should try for yourself to see for real." Braxton softly winked at her while making his trademarked half-smile. "What'cha doing now, babe?"

[Taeyeon Kai]

She watched as he took a step closer, and she knew the group of boys behind him had been discouraged from approaching her. “It sounds tempting to try the merchandise,” she returned with a flirty smile, all shyness gone as she grew comfortable with Braxton. “Seeing as I am single and all.” Yeah, that stung, but now it meant that she could explore other fascinations. “As for what I’m doing right now, I’m talking to an awesome guy on the campus of a beautiful college.”

She turned and looked around, truly noting the beauty of the school around her. It reminded her of some of the more rustic buildings in Pilot Ridge. At that moment, her stomach rumbled, making her clutch her midsection and pink to flirt with her cheeks. “Well, I’m kind of hungry, if you don’t mind showing me where to eat around here,” she also told him, her tone a bit embarrassed. “I had a small breakfast.”

Something in the air changed, for the people around them began to move, and soon she and Braxton were the only people hanging out outside in the sunshine, her skin soaking in the rays.

[Braxton Carson]

"Oh, you have no idea." Braxton nodded slowly while being called merchandise.

The next flirt about the awesome guy, however, didn't fall as gracefully into his ears, though. He wasn't into receiving too many compliments, it made him feel out of place since he usually the one saying them. It wasn't like he didn't like them, just that it was weird for him. He was ok with changes, though, it would feel good to try something new for a change, and Tae definitely didn't look like your average girl, nor the average girl that Braxton hits on. This promises to be interesting.

"Well, what are you in the mood for?" Braxton signaled where the university's cafeteria area was and both started walking towards that general direction. "They serve the best chicken burgers in Vermont. I bet you're more into salads, though." Oh, I've used this one before. "A Caesar salad maybe? Or, I know you'd like the Braxton salad more, it has zero fat and comes with a lot of meat."

[Taeyeon Kai]

He turned to walk away and she followed, keeping close. The sun fell on her lithe form, showing the shadowy dips in her cleavage and the lines of her abdomen from her years of martial arts and working out and keeping in shape. The breeze stirred strands of her wavy mahogany hair across her shoulders and face. “I’m in the mood for anything, really,” she replied politely, tucking her thumbs into her belt loops as she walked next to Braxton.

His next words, however, made her laugh, the sound aesthetically pleasing to listen to. “A chicken burger sounds wonderful right now,” she told him, turning to walk backwards beside him, enjoying his company. She could sense that he got what he wanted when it came to women, and she couldn’t help but feel like she wanted a bit of fun. “Although, the Braxton salad does sound delicious, but I’m going to need a lot of energy if we’re going to be doing anything after lunch, so I’ll stick with the burger.” She slid her sunglasses down her nose and winked at him before turning back around and walking normally.

“Now that I think about it, I have a big sweet tooth, so are there any dessert places around here that we can go to after lunch?” she asked innocently, looking at him with a grin as they neared the cafeteria.

[Braxton Carson]

Dessert? Really? She's killing me. You're killing me, girl. Braxton was in a life dilemma now. Burger or 'dessert'? He could, of course, get both, they could go have a burger and then he would invite Tae home for 'dessert'... but he so wanted dessert right now. But then he'd be hungry, she was right indeed, they needed energy. It was a hard decision, so instead of thinking it through, he let his impulse make it for him.

"Or... let's go have dessert right now if you're such in the mood." He let out with a cheesy smile. I wonder how she looks in... oh... wait... fuck... Just now, he remembered he was, still, living in the Hammel dorms. I totally cannot bring her there. He facepalmed himself. "No. I mean. Yeah. Chicken burger, let's go."

A few moments later they arrived at the cafeteria and took one of the few empty seat. He had to decide what his course of action after the burger was, since he couldn't let her know he's still living in his high-school dorm, which was of course sort-of pathetic for a college-guy. Let's just eat for now, I guess.

"So chicken burger with... what? Coke?" He asked while standing up again. "I'm inviting of course, you can just wait here."

[Taeyeon Kai]

Bingo.

She had gotten him with her dessert remark. It had worked better that expected, if his reaction was anything to go by. She looked back at him as he facepalmed himself, switching back to the chicken burger. That earned a mark in her book; most guys would have taken her right then and there. Or, perhaps, there was an underlying cause to his refusal of her offer so soon?

She walked into the cafeteria and looked around, noticing the gazes falling on her as she walked among the college populous. Most were male stares, drawn by her long legs and exotic looks, and Tae took another step closer to Braxton as he led her to an empty table. She sat just as he asked what she wanted, and she smiled up at him while taking off her glasses, letting him see the full visual impact of her face.

“Yeah, Coke is fine. And don’t let them skimp out on the fries!” she told him with a grin, leaning back in her chair and crossing those long legs at the knees. “They always manage to skimp out on the fries,” she told him on a mournful sigh.

[Braxton Carson]

"Coke. Fries. Right." Braxton nodded and quickly walked towards the line to order.

As the line moved, quite slowly, he considered his options. He wanted dessert. Actually, he REALLY WANTED dessert. Yeah. What can I do? He growled. The line moved a step forward. He had enough money to pay for a motel room, but really, just how classy was that? None at all, he didn't want to look bad, and, well, homeless. I could tell her the truth... He shook the thought away, taking a girl back to his high school seemed like a dumb idea. Another step towards the counter. Oh, I got it. He took his cellphone out and speed-dialed 69.

"Bro. Need your apartment later." He said as soon as Ethan answered the phone. "Well, you already know what is it for. Promise I won't make a mess." Fortunately, the two of them had already a friendship strong enough for these things to be asked and it really wasn't unexpected of Braxton to come up with these favors. "Yeah, yeah, I know you told me to get an appartment closer to UVM. Look, we'll discuss it later, K? Thanks bro!" Braxton rolled his eyes and took another step, finally arriving at the counter. "No, I'm not giving you a goodbye kiss over the phone, bye!" He showed the clerk his index finger, telling her to wait just one second. "No, I'm not giving you one in real person either. I'm hanging up, bye!"

Placing his Blackberry Torch back in his pocket, he ordered two chicken burgers with fries, a coke and a pepsi, remembering the clerk to not skim on the fries. After paying and receiving his ticket with the number '113' in it, he walked back to Tae.

"All set-up, babe." He said with a smile. "No one's skimming anything with you."

[Taeyeon Kai]

She watched him walk away, her eyes demurely checking him out from shoulders to ass as she leaned forward and placed her chin in her cupped hand. He was lean and tall, with a good-looking face and a charming smile…quite what she needed at this moment in her life. She needed some fun, as a single girl was wont to do, and she would get it, even if it was a bit unconventional. She mentally shrugged; she could blame it on Robbie.

Yeah, let’s go with that.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she reached back to grab it, holding the slim iPhone in front of her as she checked her text messages. It was her aunt, asking her how the trip was going, and Tae grinned before texting back. She told her aunt that the tour had gone well, she had met a friend, and that they were sharing lunch. She hit send just as Braxton came back to the table, that smile on his face. She couldn’t help but smile back.

“Thank you,” she told him politely, leaning over to lay a tiny kiss on his cheek. “By the way, don’t call me babe so much, or people will think we’re dating.” Which wouldn’t be bad for the brunette, but Braxton didn’t look like the dating type. She winked and sat back in her seat, crossing her legs again and accidentally brushing his leg with her foot.

[Braxton Carson]

"Yeah, and we definitely don't want them to think that." Braxton started to hit the table with his fingers lightly.

Braxton finally took his ray-bans off and placed in the table. He took a silent moment to entertain his eyes with the girl's face. God, why didn't you make her blonde... He sighed lightly while biting his lower lip. Think she's up for using a wig... His face showed clearly how hard he tried to concentrate on picturing her blonde. Even though he was bad at this imagining thing, he liked what he saw. Interesting...

"Who were you texting? Or were you tweeting that you met the love of your life?" He laughed a bit. "If I had twitter I'd be tweeting I met the hottest girl on campus." Near the counter, A number changed into that of Braxton's paper, signaling his order was ready. "Boy, they're quick today. Wait up." He quickly ran away and brought back their food, placing Tae's burger in front of her and taking her straw out of the pack, and placing her in her coke. Afterwards, he looked at her until their eyes met and smiled. "It's not dessert but it's good too. Enjoy."