Worth a Shot (Peyton)

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ stared at the piece of paper she held between her fingers. It was a scrap with a number scrawled on it in pen that was slightly smeared from when she'd picked it up in the locker room with wet hands, but she could still make out the numbers.

She was sitting on her bed in her dorm room, legs crossed and a contemplative look on her face. She glanced at the mirror across the room from her, catching sight of her wretched appearance: messy ponytail, sweats, and bags under her eyes.

She turned away quickly, picking her cell phone off of the bedside table and staring at the screen blankly for a long moment before clicking 'create text message' and entering the phone number on the piece of paper.

She bit her lip, having an internal war, wondering whether or not this was a good idea. Sure, he had her power, but what if he just made her feel worse because he had it so easy with it?

She sighed.

Hi. It's AJ. she typed first. Wait, she hadn't given him her name, had she?

She backspaced the text and started again.

Hi, it's the girl from the pool. She clicked send before she could regret the awkwardly worded message.

[Peyton Turner]

Peyton had had a good few days. He'd successfully brought together a ton of Hammelites for a Zombie Nerf battle game of foam weaponry and water balloons, and was feeling overall successful. He'd given his number out to a few people he'd met at the brawl, and introduced himself to even more whilst out and about, exploring the campus. And today he had slept late. Very late. So late, in fact, that he hadn't really bothered getting out of bed at all, just booted up his laptop and started playing video games.

Hey- shut up, he had his homework done first.

Oh, and he may possibly have grabbed the nearest bag of chips for brunch. Cause that was nutritious. In some way.

In any case, he was quite happily wrecking splicers as he felt that really awkward feeling you get when your phone is in a pocket that has been shifted to a very odd position, and goes off on vibrate.

He jumped a bit, and hurriedly dug around in his sheets to retrieve his cell.

-Hi, it's the girl from the pool.-

Peyton went to add her to his contacts, first a foremost, but then paused. She hadn't introduced herself, had she?

He shot back: hey - i was about to put you in my contacts but i dont have your name lol

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ set the piece of paper down on her bed and stared at her phone, waiting for a reply. About a minute later, her phone lit up and she wasn't sure whether or not she was excited or not okay with it.

- Hey - I was about to put you in my contacts but i dont have your name lol-

She supposed that his text talk could be worse and it was confirmed that she hadn't given him her name. Of course she hadn't. She'd been so bitter that day at the pool. She'd felt bad about it, but at the same time knew that's what she had to do. She wasn't even sure texting him was a good idea, but she'd been staring at that strip of paper several times a day, wondering and finally decided to.

AJ. Guess I didn't give it to you, did I? How ridiculous of her. She clicked send and waited. She felt awkward, not knowing what to say.

[Peyton Turner]

(Peyton doesn't like using 'z's except for comedic effect, and prefers to write out his words. He doesn't, however, like to take the time to punctuate with apostrophes, unless they are entirely necessary.)

-AJ. Guess I didn't give it to you, did I?-

Pausing Bioshock (unfortunate, but necessary), Peyton dragged his thoughts back to that day at the pool as he put her name into his cell contacts.

She hadn't been the most social person - she'd actually been pretty vindictive, and it was obvious that she was hurting about something, though she hadn't wanted to share what. It actually really heartened him to have her contacting him after all. And he decided to play it cool, not getting too eager or pushy or emoticon-heavy in his texts. If he could manage it. Sometimes he just didn't regulate himself.

He read his text through a couple of times, feeling a little silly for doing it, but trying to be sensitive to her feelings while still being lighthearted.

Nope ^^ its cool tho. Glad you texted I was hoping youd Did you maybe want to Whats up?

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

Honestly, AJ was actually sort of surprised he'd wanted to reply at all given how she'd treated him at the pool a few days ago. But he seemed oddly persistent and tolerant, two traits there were hard to come by together. She wasn't sure if she wanted his help or if she wanted to be left alone, or even if he could help. He was so on a different wavelength then her and he didn't seem to understand that bad side of their power.

She stared down at this text as it came in. What's up? Really? He was just asking her that? This was going to be a very awkward conversation.

She sighed. What was she supposed to say? That she was laying in bed miserable, she hadn't showered and she looked like she hadn't slept in days? That was attractive. Just lazing around. Yourself?

Seriously, after all that had happened at the pool, this is what their conversation was?

[Peyton Turner]

-Just lazing around. Yourself?-

Peyton tapped the phone against his knee. She wasn't exactly biting his head off -- not yet, anyway, who knew what was to come. But she also wasn't really getting into what had been bothering her.

He should just ask her, straight up.

.....The problem with text that didn't exist face to face is that someone could just.... not answer. And that would suck. Face to face, he could be persistent and change tactics, and read cues, but over text... it wasn't nearly that easy.

...

I have to admit, im kinda surprised you texted.

Shit, that probably came off rude. He didn't mean to be rude.
Quickly, he added,

I remembered the number, by the way, its 205.

Shit, that probably came off sketchy. He wasn't a creeper, either.
So off went a third text.

Im such a dork - shouldve remembered that kinda important piece of info, lol

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

He didn't answer her question.

-I have to admit, im kinda surprised you texted.-

She sent back a reply immediately. A short sentence that summed up everything. So am I.

And then her phone buzzed again. Room 205.

And again.

He's attempting to make a joke with me.

She stared at the text messages, the ones he'd sent right after another. Was that his way of saying that he wanted her to come to his dorm room? Or something of the sort? She'd rather not see him face to face. Her emotions were always written all over her face, something about herself she hated and she was so vulnerable right now. Besides, she was much better at communicating to people when she could write things out, think about what she wanted to say.

Yeah, I don't really understand how you forget something like that.

[Peyton Turner]

He hadn't even closed his phone before her first reply popped up.

-So am I.-

Ah. Okay then. That told him.... something? What, he wasn't really sure. It definitely said that she was unsure about talking to him in the first place. Which made him worry that she'd just stop texting at some point. But then he got another response -

-Yeah, I don't really understand how you forget something like that.-

He really wished she used emoticons. They were useful. But instead he was left wondering if this was a joke or if she really thought he was stupid.

Probably the latter.

But that wasn't really important to him - not that much, he could handle looking like an idiot, he did it a lot. He just wanted to know how to respond. He was torn between making a joke out of it and trying to get her to open up about what she'd said at the pool.

Keep in mind, im still pretty new to this place. Ive never been good with remembering stuff like that, im more visual. =/ blame it on my add, baby

Before the text was even sent, he felt the need to clarify.

That was a reference to a song, btw. The baby part.

But more importantly -

Did you want to talk about stuff? Like, what you mentioned at the pool? Cause i can joke all day, but if you want to be serious im good with that

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ knew she shouldn't be so hard on him, especially when he'd tried to help her--but with the state she was in, his go-lucky, bubbly attitude was kind of annoying.

Slowly she got out of bed, taking her phone with her and walking over to her mirror, seeing the bags under her eyes up close and the frown that seemed to be pulling her lips down. She'd never felt so miserable in her entire life. Not even after the school dance where her power had manifested when she'd sat in the bathtub for hours, trying to soak away the memories of the night. It hadn't worked. All she'd ended up with was wrinkled skin.

I mentioned a lot of things at the pool. She clicked send and then looked down at the screen, her fingers lingering over the keypad. I could write a novel on all of the things that have gone wrong with my power.

[Peyton Turner]

-I mentioned a lot of things at the pool.-

If Peyton had send a text that brief and enigmatic, it would've probably been meant as a joke. But he was pretty sure she wasn't joking. Actually, scratch that, he was positive. She was a mopey one.

-I could write a novel on all of the things that have gone wrong with my power.-

And that proved his point.

With a concerned frown, he shifted to lean back on his bed, bare feet up on the wall as he stared at his cell. It was so difficult to know what she wanted him to do. Was she looking for confrontation, or sympathy? He really wanted to talk to her face to face, which was frustratingly not an option (he didn't think).

Like what? Do you want to tell I wish I knew what you meant.

That was a serious text. And he'd managed to not ask her to do anything. In fact, he was quite relieved that the tone of the text was ambiguous. It was either asking her to tell him, or sympathizing without having the experiences she'd had. And hopefully she'd read it as the latter, but respond to it as the former.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

Let's just say it's a sensitive subject... It's really hard for me to talk about and I just met you. But I felt like I should text you so you don't think I'm a bitch. I'm really not... She sent off the message, regretting it a little after she did so.

She was just broken, upset, scared...all of those things at once.

Setting her phone down on her bed, she grabbed a pair of jeans from the floor, quickly replacing her sweat pants with them, but keeping on her slouchy sweater that hung off of her shoulders, revealing her tank top. She knew she still looked horrible, but grabbed her cell phone and walked out the door without another look in the mirror.

[Peyton Turner]

Her text made Peyton feel bad for prodding - but at the same time, he wanted to know what she meant. A sensitive subject? Whatever had happened must've been really embarrassing or really traumatic - or both. Part of him reminded himself that it wasn't always right to take on someone else's suffering with them. But if he didn't, she'd be alone. Alone, with all those heavy feelings that had made her so angry at the pool.

I never though you were a bitch, i just thought you were mad sad depressed upset. And you shouldnt have to be. But if you dont want to talk, just wanted to let me know - dont worry about it i didn't think you were a bitch.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

I am upset and I guess that's why I come off as a bitch. It's easier to push people away than to tell them what's really eating away at you. She hit the send button, walking hesitantly down the hallway with phone in her hand, barefoot and not caring. She made her way down the first set of stairs as she was on the fourth floor, her stomach beginning to churn. Sure, she'd caved and told Travis, but could she really put her trust in somebody else, especially somebody who happened to share a power with her? Could he handle what was going on with her, what her power was like for her?

[Peyton Turner]

-I am upset and I guess that's why I come off as a bitch. It's easier to push people away than to tell them what's really eating away at you.-

Wow... she was... she was actually telling him something personal. Peyton was surprised, but his happiness at gaining some semblance of trust was tempered with his concern over her attitude. Maybe what she said could be true, but it was so depressing...

He tapped his fingers against the keys of his phone, thinking. Re-reading her words was bringing him down, and he didn't like that. He shook his head, as though flinging the bad thoughts away, and stared at the ceiling for a second.

But if you push people away, theres no one there to catch you when you fall.

God, that was so cheesy. He deleted it without sending. But the more he tried to think of a better way to say it, the more the phrase kept coming back into his head. He hadn't been severely down in a long time, but he'd had down moments. And he probably did what she did during them, too, pushing people away so they didn't see him break down. Except, his pushing was more like making jokes and excuses to be alone - blaming it on his parents or siblings, usually - and then taking a night to let it out.

But then a friend would call, or text, or IM, and he'd sound off, and they'd inquire, and he'd give a vague account of what was wrong, and they'd distract him. And the next day, he'd be back up.

Still, he didn't know exactly what her situation was - probably worse than whatever trivial issues he'd endured. All he could offer was a little catharsis - an outlet and a pick-me-up to follow. But she needed someone.

But if you push everyone away, youre left alone. He couldn't help it, it came back again, Then there isnt anyone there to catch you if you fall. Or give you a hug when youre crying.

He almost added 'because everyone needs hugs,' but she'd probably think he was making a joke, and he'd try to pass it off like that, and she'd think he was patronizing her. But he wasn't. That was his real point of view. There was something about an honest, enveloping hug - both giving and receiving - that made everything feel better. Like there was someone on your side. That was probably why he was such a big hug-giver. He missed getting those hugs.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

Well, obviously she was left alone. And there was nobody to catch her when she fell or to hug her. All of the above. But that was the point, sometimes you had to suffer so that others wouldn't and AJ had taken on that so that she wouldn't manipulate others. So it was especially hard when some people wouldn't give up and just let her suffer...including Travis and now Peyton. She barely knew him and yet she felt like she needed to. Probably due to the fact that they had the same power. She couldn't really make any connections in their personalities. He seemed so carefree and AJ didn't want to ruin that for him. But he didn't seem to get that.

She descended down the next stairwell, towards the Co-Ed dorms. That's where room 205 would be. It's hard to explain. It wasn't that she didn't want those things, someone to be at her side, a hug every once in a while, even someone to catch her when she fell (as cheesy as that sounded), but she felt like she couldn't. I'm so out of control with my power. It doesn't allow me to live a normal life.