Bio and Chem (Miranda)

[Matt Riggins]

As much as he wanted to graduate college, he didn’t like the journey that it took him. Confined to his apartment for the last couple of days either doing homework or cleaning, as he usually did when he was feeling restless – an odd pastime for someone his age and gender – and only leaving when it was football practice or class, he seriously needed some time out of his personal space. It would need to be somewhere quiet, somewhere he could finish his homework and still be out of the apartment complex where he lived, right on the outskirts of the campus.

So the library was his destination.

He found a table by a huge window that was dominated by a view of the commons downstairs, where he could see the milling crowd of people, and sat with his chemistry homework and iPod in his ears. As he was prone to do, he kicked back in his chair and started reading his book, taking idle notes and looking up when other people passed him.

When the brunette passed him, he looked up and his eyes stayed locked on her retreating form. Damn, the girl had a backside that made his mouth water. He noticed that she was walking towards the biology section, which was another of his classes – yeah, he liked nature, give him a break – and he gathered his things and followed her, hoping he would be able to talk to her. She looked up and down the bookshelves, and he did the same, timing it perfectly so that their hands brushed the same book.

“Oh, sorry,” he said, looking down at her with a smile. It felt awkward, being six-three around such pretty girls, but last time he checked, girls liked tall boys, right? “Guess we wanted the same book huh?” he continued. He waved towards the book. “You can read it first, if you want.”

[Miranda Suery]

Professors could be truly idiotic sometimes. Instead of buying the textbook for her Biology course, which was required and cost a lot of money, she decided to simply borrow it from the library when she needed to do assignments or study for tests. Of course, she assumed other people would have the same idea, which was why she was here early, doing her homework early, and just trying to get it over with. Yes it was a bit ambitious, but at least if she got distracted she would have time to finish everything properly. That was the plan anyways.

Raking the spines of the books in the Biology section with her bright grey eyes, Miranda had her arms crossed in front of over her red button up blouse, an almost stern look on her face. Time was of the essence, and she didn’t have enough to waste. Her brightened up visibly as she spotted the book she needed to get a head start, and she reached for it, the boy next to her going unnoticed, until they touched hands. She looked up at him, almost shocked at the glowing green eyes looking back at her. Not glowing in a bad sense, just so intriguing.

Miranda looked down, her hair covering her face for a moment, before she looked back at him. “It’s alright,” she said, a crooked smile on her face. She continued gazing at his eyes, almost intoxicating. There was also a strange odour around him, which he obviously tried to cover with cologne. It wasn’t a bad smell, just, interesting. “We could always share the book,” she said with a shrug, but her hungry eyes said that if he didn’t want to share, he would have to wait a while to get it back. “You’re taking Natural Biology?” She asked, almost surprised. He just... didn’t look the type.

[Matt Riggins]

Sharing the book? This girl was teasing him, surely. “Sure, I like sharing,” he said with a grin as he grabbed the book, holding it in his hand out for her. “But you pick the chapter, since I’m being a gentleman and all that.” It would kill him, but he would play with this one. Her next question made him laugh, loudly so that the librarian leaned around the corner and shushed him. Properly chastised, he turned back to the girl with a sheepish grin on his boyish face.

“Yeah, so surprising?” he asked, leading her to a nearby table. He sat and took out his notebook and pencil, ready to take notes. Sure, he looked like the dumb blonde jock from the movies, but in real life, he liked school, to a degree, and he wanted to get good grades so he didn’t lose his scholarship. “I’m also taking chemistry, shop, and woodworking. I like nature and hiking and such, and my mom’s a big flower nut,” he explained when she sat next to him.

“So what chapter are we reading today…” he trailed off, realizing that he had never asked for her name. He did a mental facepalm, but in reality, he sighed and offered his hand. “I’m sorry, I am such an idiot sometimes. I’m Matt,” he offered, holding out his hand to shake hers. Smooth, Riggins.

[Miranda Suery]

Taking the book from the boy, Miranda held his gaze, the book tucked under her arm against her body. “The beginning is usually a good place to start,” she said, grinning as the boy started to laugh. Surely she couldn’t be as funny as he was trying to make her out to be. The brunette looked back at the librarian, an apologetic look on her face. She was embarrassed for the jock.

Following him to the table, she shrugged, “I was just asking,” she said, letting her book bag fall to the floor, sliding into a chair beside the boy so they could properly look over the book together. She wasn’t fond of the close proximity, but she had offered to share and now she was paying the price. “What slot are you in?” She asked, since maybe one day she would be sick and need someone’s notes, and he was the only person she had talked to who was taking the same course.

Mira offered the boy a small smile, “I have Calc, Geo, Bio, and Roman History,” she said, seeing as they were discussing school. It was short and sweet, indicating she would rather be doing homework than discussing the classes she just wanted to get over with. “Not really sure what I’m doing here,” she offered, her eyes on the book as she cracked open it’s spine, the pages a little warped from use.

Sometimes Miranda thought to herself, taking his hand in her delicate one. “Miranda,” she said, wondering why he was being formal about the whole thing. He must’ve been nervous or something, which seemed odd considering he seemed to be the confident type. Why he was nervous around her then, was beyond explanation.

She leaned down to grab her clipboard containing some looseleaf and a black ball point pen. “This should be fun,” she said sarcastically, her eyebrows raised in mock anticipation.

[Matt Riggins]

She didn’t seem to be such a friendly person, if her behavior about the book was any indication. Matt mentally sighed. “I take the classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from noon to one-thirty,” he replied softly, keeping in mind that they were in a library. She listed her classes and he was impressed. He was taking thirteen credits to maintain his full-time class status, but her classes…he didn’t stand a chance.

“Miranda…nice name,” he told her as he let go of her hand, watching as she got down to business. He took out his notebook which contained his biology notes and his pencil, flipping the pages to where he had left off. To the girl, the writing was tiny, written in a way to conserve space, shorthand and easy to understand if someone other than Matt squinted their eyes and leaned in reeeeeally close.

With her sarcastic remark, he chuckled softly and looked at her. “Yeah, it should be,” he replied with just a slight twinge of sarcasm in his Texas accent before looking down at the book, reading and taking notes.

[Miranda Suery]

Miranda smiled, her hair framing her angular face. The girl had an almost exotic look, and if she wasn’t so damn pale she might pull off saying she was a different race. “We have the same slot,” she said, a little excitement in her voice. She never went out of her way to meet people who could potentially help her with missing notes and such, but this was great!

Matt was infiltrating her personal space, but her lack of backbone made no comment. Whatever scent he had was also floating around her nostrils, potent. She couldn’t put her finger on it, although it did seem familiar in that strange unique way. She began to read and take a few notes, most of the information she already knew or would never forget once she had read it.

She arrived at the end of the page before he did, so she simply let herself stare at him. Really, what else was there to look at when she was finished with the book? He wasn’t bad looking, that was for sure. His dirty blonde hair poked out of his hat at every angle, giving him a boyish look, his Texan accent only adding to the charm. That’s when it hit her.

“Pheromone manipulation,” she said quietly, but there was still surprise in her voice, “you’re a meta.” Miranda grinned wickedly, not so much at finding a fellow meta, but at the fact she had figured out what his powers were without having to ask.