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Post by kylewinters on Mar 13, 2007 17:14:38 GMT -5
It seemed as if Kyle never came home directly after school. He had better things to do. And today, he was sitting in one of the more comfortable chairs in the back of the library, resting his feet on the back of a chair he'd placed in front of him. His backpack leaned against the chair, and he reached into it to pull out a book- J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye.
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Post by Penny Mezzello on Mar 13, 2007 17:21:16 GMT -5
Penny was currently pacing around the library. Sooner or later, her parents had to pick her up. Then again...they probably forgot. When they weren't criticizing her for something, they just ignored her nowadays. She wasn't quite sure what she did that was so wrong, but she tried. She settled in on one of the chairs. Her homework at been long done and she felt completely burnt out from all the studying. She massaged her temples out of stress and boredom.
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Post by kylewinters on Mar 13, 2007 17:27:56 GMT -5
Kyle looked up momentarily, hearing somebody sit in a nearby chair. "I told you I'd see you," he said, recognizing the girl in the chair. It was Penny, the one he'd accidentally tripped up in the hallway. "Done with your homework?"
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Post by Penny Mezzello on Mar 13, 2007 19:01:20 GMT -5
Penny glanced up and smiled slightly out of surprise. "Yeah, I am..." she responded. "And I suppose you were right." She tilted her head as she caught sight of the title. "Catcher in the Rye...any good? It's been on my list for a while..."
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Post by kylewinters on Mar 13, 2007 19:47:36 GMT -5
"Yeah, I had to read it for freshman English. I reread it every once and awhile. I'm actually reading something else right now, but...I'm takin a quick break. Here," Kyle answered, pulling Don Quixote out his backpack. "Another good one." He looked back to his book, glancing up at her for a moment out of the corner of his eye.
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Post by Penny Mezzello on Mar 13, 2007 19:52:08 GMT -5
Penny smiled slightly. "Man of La Mancha..." she muttered. "I saw it when I was younger and then read that." She rested her chin on her hands. "So, as I'm known for stating the obvious, I guess you like to read a lot?"
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Post by kylewinters on Mar 13, 2007 19:56:12 GMT -5
"Mmmhm. And I'm guessing you do too, considering...you know, the fact that you're apparently a child prodigy. And that you've already read Cervantes." Kyle leaned back in his chair, giving her that look that said if he could raise his eyebrow, he would be doing it now. He coughed for a moment, which made him shift his gaze back to his book.
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Post by Penny Mezzello on Mar 13, 2007 19:58:46 GMT -5
Penny immediately blushed. "I'm not a prodigy" she muttered, glancing down. "Really, you're giving me too much credit. It's sweet of you to think so." It wasn't often she got compliments. She blinked slightly and glanced at one of her textbooks.
"'Scuse me...I'm most likely going to seem extremely weird right now, so please give me the benefit of the doubt. However, you're allowed to give me a simple 'What the hell are you doing' if you deem it necessary." She stood up, picked up her textbook and placed it gently on her head. As silly as she felt, she had to not trip today in dance.
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Post by kylewinters on Mar 13, 2007 20:01:45 GMT -5
"Um, okay. What the hell are you doing?" Kyle asked her, moving his feet off the chair and on to the floor. He glanced over to her, watching her teeter around awkwardly. For a moment, Kyle thought that they were probably going to be friends if she already felt comfortable enough around him to...balance a book on her head.
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Post by Penny Mezzello on Mar 13, 2007 20:03:30 GMT -5
"It's for my poise. I'm too clumsy for my own good and frankly, I have expectations to uphold" she responded simply and just then, the book fell. She winced and sighed out of mild defeat. "And of course...I always fall." She bent down to pick it up. She turned around with a weak smile. "I try, but fail. What can you do?"
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Post by kylewinters on Mar 13, 2007 20:06:08 GMT -5
"Uhhh..." Kyle felt himself quite at a loss for words. "Quit dancing? Quit charm classes? I don't know, I never took them." He raked a hand through his messy hair, still studying her.
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Post by Penny Mezzello on Mar 13, 2007 20:07:41 GMT -5
Penny scoffed. "That along with going back to junior high, right?" She rolled her eyes as she sat down. "Look...as silly as it sounds, I feel like I can trust you, so I'll tell you now; all of this...had it been my choice, I wouldn't. The only reason I do it is because I just want my parents to be proud of me."
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Post by kylewinters on Mar 13, 2007 20:11:46 GMT -5
Kyle smiled at her. She could trust him and she'd only known him for a total probably ten minutes. "Ummm...thanks, I guess. And...don't we all? I mean, except for my sister, she doesn't really care...But I'm sure balancing a 10-pound book on your head won't make them any prouder of you. Just saying."
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Post by Penny Mezzello on Mar 13, 2007 20:14:59 GMT -5
Penny smiled weakly. "Hey, they're the ones who sign me up for these things. My mother actually suggested carrying this stupid thing around so I could improve my balance. One more dinner party ruined by me and I don't know what they're going to do..." She spoke about the entire thing casually. She knew by now she simply spoke her parents' words. She didn't want to feel the hurt she got from their words.
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Post by kylewinters on Mar 13, 2007 20:18:08 GMT -5
Kyle studied her carefully. He seemed to be picking her apart piece by piece in his head, as if she had a manual or was something that worked the same way every time, if put together correctly. "And yet you still pretend like you don't care about it..." he added, steepling his fingers. "Really, they're just dinners. Most people just sit around and eat stuff and say their day went 'fine' even if it didn't."
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