How to Deal (Lux)

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

It wasn't as if AJ didn't want to be around her roommates, it was more like she couldn't stand to be cooped up in her room for too long, but at the same time, she didn't want to go anywhere where people would bother her. She was even trying to stay away from Travis, which was hard because he was one of the best friends she had and she knew if she came across him, he'd read her emotions immediately. She didn't want that. Nor did she want to explain why she was this way.

It was storming outside, which was one way to start the semester off at Hammel. She should probably be doing homework, as she was committed to her academics, but lately, nothing seemed to matter besides getting people to leave her alone by pushing them away and keeping herself safe. She was afraid if one more thing happened to shake her world, she'd break completely.

So she sat on the sofa and tried to concentrate on her English homework, which normally excited her, chocolate curls falling into her face as she heard the door open.

[Luxanna Viera]

Even if the new semester had started, and Lux usually loved to do her school work, it seemed like no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't concentrate. Either something happened or her mind got dragged elsewhere. It was rather annoying, but at this rate she oughta be used to it. It seemed like drama liked to chase her around all the time and pull her into things she didn't want anything to do with -- for the most part anyways.

This was one of the reasons she looked forward to a quiet night -- ha, who was she joking? She barely had any quiet nights anymore. And besides, she couldn't stay locked up in her room forever, and she had a feeling she'd be pretty safe in the lower levels of the dorms. She couldn't imagine the people she was trying so hard to avoid would ever go there. God, she hoped not. She could really need a break.

She opened the door and peeked inside, letting out a faint sigh of relief. There was barely anyone around. There was this pretty brunette, but she looked more or less harmless. And she didn't blast any music or seem to do anything especially annoying. Before taking another step inside she gave the girl a smile. ''Mind if I join you?'' God, she hoped she didn't intrude or anything. But, the girl seemed to be doing her homework, which might just be what she needed. Someone to do it with, or at least get a little enthusiasm from watching someone else do it. Yep, she was already becoming a wacko.

Goodbye boys, hello twenty-seven cats!

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ looked up from the novel they'd been assigned to read for eleventh grade English to see a brunette standing in the doorway. She looked slightly familiar and AJ knew she'd seen her around before, especially around a lot of boys that seemed to look like trouble.

She knew she should tell her that she wanted to be alone and push the girl away but who was she to tell people they couldn't hand out in the commons room? So she internally sighed. "I don't mind," she finally spoke.

Just keep the conversation to a minimum and if she bothers you, don't hold back. she thought, which wasn't her normal thought process. This one was tainted by what had happened to her in the past few weeks.

[Luxanna Viera]

Oh yeah, being around boys that looked like trouble seemed to be Lux's new thing. It seemed like it was the only types she attracted, both girls and boys. Kodah, Oriel, Carter, Evy... Okay, maybe not so much Evony, because even as perverted and outspoken that girl could be, she was by far one of the nicest people she had around herself, and she really cared about her.

With a slow nod, Lux hesitated before walking over to the couch, sitting down at the other end, as far away as she could from the girl. She didn't want to bother her reading after all. ''Thanks.'', she said and offered another smile before pulling her own books up, trying to find the inspiration to open them up, but once her again her mind traveled to the latest events. God, she was such a sucker.

It felt extremely awkward to sit here like this, in complete silence. And even as much as Lux wanted to say something, she didn't feel like she should. Maybe the girl didn't want to talk, and it wasn't like they actually knew each other or anything. She looked nice enough, that wasn't the problem, but she knew herself how annoying it could be to be bothered while trying to get work done. Oh yeah, she knew that all too well.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"No problem," AJ said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the girl produce her own books and stare at them as if they were going to open themselves. "No motivation?" she asked after a long moment. She really didn't have much herself. She'd read the same paragraph like five times because she kept getting distracted by other things.

She nearly cursed at herself for attempting small-talk, but AJ had never been one for awkward silences like this. It was uncomfortable and made her anxious and so she'd chosen to spoke, regardless of what her mantra was now, which meant not dealing with people in general.

[Luxanna Viera]

Lux looked up with a sheepish grin on her face. ''That easy to tell, huh?'' Well, it was probably obvious. The way she looked at her books and all. She wanted to, that's wasn't the problem, she just couldn't find it in herself to actually do it. ''You too?'' Well, it was better to ask instead of continuing the small talk, and if she was actually trying to read, Lux could always leave the poor girl alone.

She wasn't the only one who found awkward silences and moments like these uncomfortable. But then again, there was few things in life that didn't make Lux feel uncomfortable, so she was slowly getting used to walking around being this awkward little girl who never really seemed to find her place. She had accepted it, she just wished people would stop taking advantage of it.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"A little," AJ replied honestly. "And yeah...guess I just wasn't ready for school to start up again." She sighed and tried to look down at her book again. She used to be able to get so into her reading that she could block out everything else around her, even awkward silences, but it didn't seem to be working right now. She just didn't have the patience to read and her mind was always buzzing lately. She wasn't herself.

If she had been one of those girls that wouldn't stop talking, AJ would have snapped at her the second she sat down, but Lux seemed to sort of be on the same wavelength as her and she just didn't have the heart to flat out ignore her like she should be doing. It wasn't as easy as she hoped. Despite how incredibly angry and broken she'd been lately, her sweet appearance still made people want to associate with her.

[Luxanna Viera]

Lux nodded, slowly as she listened to the girl talk. And then she smiled in agreement. ''Yeah, I know the feeling.'', she said silently and ran her hair through her messy curls. No, Lux's mind was completely elsewhere these days, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it all. She was overly confused, that much was for certain, but she didn't know why she was so confused. Not that it really mattered in the end. Lux was sure the answer would reveal itself one way or another.

She sank further down in her seat and rested her chin on the back of her hand, once again trying to focus on the book in front of her. She didn't want to bother the girl next to her, since she was clearly trying to do her homework, and Lux knew how annoying it could be to have someone barge in and take your concentration away while trying to focus on something. She didn't like it, and she doubted this girl liked it any more.