Reading Ahead (Open)

[Sydney Emerson]

It was a strangely uneventful evening for Sydney. She had no practices for either soccer or track, no meetings or tasks for Student Activities Council or even tutoring. Which meant there was only one possible way to spend the evening: studying. 

Most would tell her to get a life or something like that. But to Sydney, studying wasn't a chore - it was actually enjoyable. She loved learning with a passion and she was eager to learn more. Enough so that she was already at least a chapter or two ahead in most her classes. Besides, reading ahead helped a great deal when it came to her tutoring business. After all, it was hard to tutor her classmates on something that she was still catching up on herself. This way she was already prepared when the class started on the topic. 

So she had found herself in the library. She had already picked out a couple of books to enjoy on her own time - purely for pleasure - and had moved on to occupy a seat at one of the tables and continue reading the next book on the class reading list. It was actually a quite enjoyable way to spend the evening and the library was near deserted, so far at least. Of course, there was always the chance someone would see her and ask for notes or help - it was a fairly common occurrence for the fifteen year old senior.  

It was odd for her to have such a quiet night, but it was actually rather pleasant. Still, she was starting to get a little restless truth be told. Perhaps she could use a distraction here soon. Maybe after another chapter...

[Michelle Reed]

Michelle too didn't have plans for the evening. Normally, the shy girl would lock herself in her dorm room and pass the time by knitting. The weather in Vermont was getting colder and soon, winter would make itself known with snowfall and blustery winds. She'd make countless hats and scarves, but there was only so many she could make. Already, there was a basket in her room that housed finished winter accessories and so Michelle decided to take a break.

Besides, she had a paper to finish for English class. She decided it would be a good idea to change up the scenery and head down to the library. That way, Michelle could also take a peek at the paperbacks for sources on her topic. Tucking her binder underneath an arm, she made her way down soon after.

The library seemed deserted, which was a given since it was the evening. That's why Michelle chose to venture down at this time, but was also a little relieved to see another girl sitting there with dark hair. She stopped in her tracks, debating whether or not to go join the other student. What if she judged her? What if she was working and didn't want to be interrupted? These questions and more ran through her mind, as Michelle decided to sit at a table closeby.

She wanted to be social; she really did. She wanted the ability to put herself out there without the fear of being judged for it. Running a hand through her messy waves, Michelle pulled the strands into a loose side ponytail and began flipping open her binder, to a blank page. Her eyes darted over to the other girl every so often, not recognizing her as she was a junior. Maybe the quiet girl would find a way to start a conversation... or continued glancing every minute.

[Sydney Emerson]

Sydney was making good progress on her reading - she was more than halfway through the novel already - when she heard footsteps. She glanced up from the book, noticing another girl, seemingly debating where to sit. She watched for a moment, waiting for the girl to look her way so that she could offer a smile and an invitation to sit, but instead the girl ended up choosing a nearby table without glancing her direction again. She studied the other student a moment longer, trying to determine if she recognized her, though after a moment she concluded that she did not seem to be familiar to her.

For a moment she returned her focus to her reading, finishing the page she had left off on and the one after which conveniently finished the chapter as well. At that point she closed the book entirely, setting it aside, and looking back to the other girl. After a pause, Sydney stood and walked over to the other girl. She didn't bother moving her stuff - there was no one around to bother it after all - though she did hold a notebook, specifically the one she used for list-making.

She approached, a polite smile on her lips. "Hi there, do you mind if I join you?" she asked, her voice quiet. She wouldn't be offended if the girl said no, but by the way she kept glancing over, she had a suspicion that she probably wanted to talk to her and just didn't know how.

"I'm Sydney by the way."

[Michelle Reed]

Michelle's behaviour did make her feel a little self conscious; what if the other girl thought she was weird? What if she caught her glancing over? She tugged on the sleeve of her jacket with her free hand, before digging through her pencil case for a pencil and an eraser. Eventually, she would start roaming the library for book sources... but now that she was down here, Michelle was feeling lazy. No point starting the essay if she wasn't in the mood for it.

She hadn't seen the other girl approach the table. A voice, directed towards her, made Michelle sit up straighter. Quiet. Maybe she had been thinking the same thing. The equally quiet girl gave a shy smile, before she realized that she had yet to answer her question. "Oh... yeah! Yeah, of course you can." Michelle felt a flush of colour appear on her cheeks. And that was why she kept to herself.

Pushing aside her book, Michelle gestured with her head to the other chair, inviting the girl, Sydney, to sit down. The name didn't ring a bell. "My name's Michelle."

Pause. "So... what brings you to the library?" She was curious. Most people avoided it, especially during the night.

[Sydney Emerson]

Part of what made Sydney so successful in both her academics and extracurriculars was that she was incredibly observant. So it wasn't that she didn't notice that the other girl was nervous and awkward. More accurately, she felt how self-conscious the girl was. The joy of being an empath. Rather, Sydney simply didn't care. It didn't bother her in the least. After all, she could relate to some extent. She was better at handling people perhaps, but she did struggle to make a genuine connection beyond obligatory small talk and necessary interactions.

The girl's name didn't ring a bell, but that wasn't surprising since she didn't seem the sort to be involved in any clubs or whatnot and that was the only way that Sydney really knew anyone outside of her classes. Well, that or tutoring. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Michelle," she responded politely as she took the offered seat.

She smiled slightly as Michelle asked why she was in the library. "I wanted to get some reading done, and my roommates aren't always as quiet as I would like. I spend a lot of time here really." She paused for a moment, studying the girl before her. She could sense her curiosity and she couldn't help but push a little harder. Perhaps it was inappropriate, but Sydney had a tendency to study people much the same way that one studied math or a book. In that way, her power was a valuable tool for her, even if perhaps she crossed the line of privacy now and again. After all, the best of intentions were involved.

"What about you?" she asked after a moment. After all, it was only polite to return the question, and perhaps her answer would prove to be informative.

[Michelle Reed]

Had Michelle known the other girl was empath, she'd likely feel even more self conscious about her behaviour. Half of her conversations at the school involved small talk, conversations without much substance to them. It was the way she preferred things to be. There were a couple people that managed to break through her shell, but otherwise, she was left to her own devices.

Which was okay, somedays. "You too." She offered as a response, a timid smile gracing her lips.

"Understandable." Michelle said with a light laugh, her hand moving up to play with her hair. It was normal for her to offer one word replies. Could also be another reason why it was hard to hold a conversation with the Canadian. Coming down to the library at unusual hours was new for Michelle, but by the sounds of it, a regular thing for Sydney. "Sorry, am I interrupting your reading time?" She asked suddenly, not wanting to disturb her homework time. She should be doing homework herself but... it could wait.

"Oh, you know... change of scenery." Michelle smiled again, tapping the eraser end of her pencil on the tabletop. The same four walls of her dorm got boring after awhile. "Figure I'd come down here for a bit."

[Sydney Emerson]

Sydney was quickly learning that Michelle was a person of few words. Some people might be bothered by this, but truly she found it refreshing. In her opinion, most people talked too much. They rambled on and on... it was superfluous at best. She preferred things - including conversation - be productive and concise.

She offered the other girl a reassuring smile, trying to put her at ease.

Ah, at last. Someone who understood it wasn't a crime to want quiet and concentration. The way her sister acted, you'd think it was an outlandish notion or a capital offense. Of course, Samantha had never been reasonable. She could still scarcely believe the sisters had ended up as roommates. If Sydney needed any more reason to avoid her room, that had certainly done the trick. "Yes, roommates can be quite draining," she added dryly.

"Oh no, not at all. I was just reading for fun at this point," she said with a wave of her hand, dismissing the other girl's concerns of interruption.

Sydney nodded in agreement as she spoke of change of scenery. "Often a good idea. A change of scenery actually does wonders to stimulate the mind," she said with a smile. It still never occurred to Sydney that most people weren't interested in her facts. "Are you working on something or just relaxing?" she asked after a moment's pause.