Forge and Crystal - concern about Jennie
Aug. 15th, 2006 01:42 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsCrystal hasn't heard from Jennie since she left. That's perfectly fine, right? After all, Crystal is only Jennie's annoying roommate. Surely Forge has been in constant contact with Jennie, but after his recent journal posts, Crystal's not so sure about that anymore.
Crystal stood outside of Forge’s new room, thinking for a few moments before she knocked on the door. She was sure that she already knew the answer to the first question she wanted to ask him, but she still intended to ask it. As for the other questions, those she didn’t know the answers to, but she meant to find out.
Inside, Forge sighed as he sat in front of one of the many boxes Kyle had helped him move earlier in the week. Aside from clean clothes and a blanket to toss over the small bed, he hadn't unpacked a thing yet. And now the knock at the door, another welcome distraction. Of course, at the moment, ANY distraction was welcome.
"It's open," he called out, absently looking into a box and flipping through a CD wallet. Perhaps some loud music would help. Something appropriately European and angry.
Crystal opened the door and stepped inside, noting the boxes that seemed to be everywhere. If you had your own room and wanted to keep all of your belongings in boxes, why not? Forge wasn’t looking her way, so she would have to be the first one to speak. “Hi, Forge,” she said, trying to sound casual.
Peering over a box, Forge arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Crystal?" he said with a note of confusion. "I... uh, hi. Can I get you a glass of water or something? I'd offer something fancier but... um, just getting set up in here still. What can I do for you?"
Stumbling out from behind the boxes, Forge looked around and finally lifted a crate full of computer parts off of one of the chairs. "Please, have a seat? Excuse the mess."
“I’m not thirsty, but thank you,” Crystal replied, accepting a seat in the now-cleared chair. She didn’t really feel like sitting, but taking the offered seat was the polite thing to do, so that is what she did.
“Forge, have you heard from Jennie lately?”
Leaning towards the small mini-fridge, Forge's hands clenched, crushing the edge of one of his packing boxes. He stood up, letting out a long breath. "No," he said, more harshly than he'd anticipated. "I mean, not since she left that message on the school's machine and said she'd be staying longer." He shook his head, muttering under his breath. "Not as if I wasn't already AT the airport..."
Crystal forced her expression to stay the same, even though she couldn’t help being a bit bothered by Forge’s tone. It wasn’t her fault that Jennie hadn’t contacted him. In addition, she was surprised that Jennie hadn’t called him personally to let him know she wasn’t coming back. She had assumed that Forge would have spoken with Jennie, not that he would have heard about her continued absence the same way everyone else did. “Have you tried contacting her?” Crystal asked, keeping a neutral tone.
Shaking his head, Forge sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. "I left her a message after she'd called, got her voicemail. I called again a few days later, and the same thing. I figure she's with her family, and just isn't checking her mail."
With a sigh, he leaned back, tapping his head against the wall rhythmically. "She said she'd be back the third week of August and... well, it's the third week of August so I should just be patient, right?"
The idea that Jennie was simply choosing not to check her voicemail didn’t sound right to Crystal. Why would she do that? Besides, there were other ways to contact people, weren’t there? And Jennie and Forge were supposed to be dating. Surely Jennie would have wanted to speak with Forge, or at least she would have sent him a letter or a postcard?
Crystal noticed the fact that Forge had said “I should be patient” rather than “we should be patient” but decided to remain silent about it. Still… “I suppose you know her better than I do, and if you’re comfortable with this, we should not be worried yet.” He had seemed rather upset, though. Crystal didn’t believe for one second that Forge was not bothered by the fact that Jennie hadn’t contacted him in some way.
Forge laughed at that. "I know her... right. Sure. I don't..." He dropped his head into his hands, staring at the floor. "Have you ever felt... I don't know, like you've got the chance for something really good but you're scared you're going to say or do the wrong thing and totally screw it up?"
Again, Crystal did her best to keep a mostly impassive face. “No, I do not believe that I have felt that way,” she replied. She sighed inwardly, recalling the conversation she had had with Jennie after her first date with Forge. Even if she did want to break confidence and tell him what Jennie had said, there wasn’t really anything Jennie had said that would be reassuring to him. Being told that he had been “rewarded” simply for asking her out certainly wouldn’t help matters.
That got a smile out of Forge. "Of course not," he replied, genuinely amused. "Wouldn't be proper and dignified now, would it? Tell you what - if Jennie calls you, let me know? I'll do the same if I hear from her, all right?"
It was good to see him smile, although Crystal wasn’t thrilled that his amusement came at her expense. She wasn’t the one immature enough to believe that wasting ice cream and gelatin by throwing them at people was a good way to spend the day. “Yes,” Crystal said, standing. “If she calls me I will let you know, but I am sure that if she chose to call one person, she would call you.”
Forge stood as Crystal did, not sure why but it seemed the polite thing to do. "I... thank you, Crystal. Jennie's lucky to have a roommate and a friend like you looking after her. Not that, I mean, not that she needs it. She'll be back soon enough and we'll be worrying for nothing, right?"
Oh, of course. There was nothing to worry about. It was perfectly normal for someone to stay away for such a long time without contacting anyone that might care about her. Crystal wasn’t sure that it was accurate to say that she and Jennie were friends. If anything, Jennie had seemed to consider Crystal an annoyance. Crystal couldn’t bring herself to lie about her feelings, but she also did not want to add to Forge’s concern. “Hopefully, she will be back in the next few days.”
Crystal stood outside of Forge’s new room, thinking for a few moments before she knocked on the door. She was sure that she already knew the answer to the first question she wanted to ask him, but she still intended to ask it. As for the other questions, those she didn’t know the answers to, but she meant to find out.
Inside, Forge sighed as he sat in front of one of the many boxes Kyle had helped him move earlier in the week. Aside from clean clothes and a blanket to toss over the small bed, he hadn't unpacked a thing yet. And now the knock at the door, another welcome distraction. Of course, at the moment, ANY distraction was welcome.
"It's open," he called out, absently looking into a box and flipping through a CD wallet. Perhaps some loud music would help. Something appropriately European and angry.
Crystal opened the door and stepped inside, noting the boxes that seemed to be everywhere. If you had your own room and wanted to keep all of your belongings in boxes, why not? Forge wasn’t looking her way, so she would have to be the first one to speak. “Hi, Forge,” she said, trying to sound casual.
Peering over a box, Forge arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Crystal?" he said with a note of confusion. "I... uh, hi. Can I get you a glass of water or something? I'd offer something fancier but... um, just getting set up in here still. What can I do for you?"
Stumbling out from behind the boxes, Forge looked around and finally lifted a crate full of computer parts off of one of the chairs. "Please, have a seat? Excuse the mess."
“I’m not thirsty, but thank you,” Crystal replied, accepting a seat in the now-cleared chair. She didn’t really feel like sitting, but taking the offered seat was the polite thing to do, so that is what she did.
“Forge, have you heard from Jennie lately?”
Leaning towards the small mini-fridge, Forge's hands clenched, crushing the edge of one of his packing boxes. He stood up, letting out a long breath. "No," he said, more harshly than he'd anticipated. "I mean, not since she left that message on the school's machine and said she'd be staying longer." He shook his head, muttering under his breath. "Not as if I wasn't already AT the airport..."
Crystal forced her expression to stay the same, even though she couldn’t help being a bit bothered by Forge’s tone. It wasn’t her fault that Jennie hadn’t contacted him. In addition, she was surprised that Jennie hadn’t called him personally to let him know she wasn’t coming back. She had assumed that Forge would have spoken with Jennie, not that he would have heard about her continued absence the same way everyone else did. “Have you tried contacting her?” Crystal asked, keeping a neutral tone.
Shaking his head, Forge sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. "I left her a message after she'd called, got her voicemail. I called again a few days later, and the same thing. I figure she's with her family, and just isn't checking her mail."
With a sigh, he leaned back, tapping his head against the wall rhythmically. "She said she'd be back the third week of August and... well, it's the third week of August so I should just be patient, right?"
The idea that Jennie was simply choosing not to check her voicemail didn’t sound right to Crystal. Why would she do that? Besides, there were other ways to contact people, weren’t there? And Jennie and Forge were supposed to be dating. Surely Jennie would have wanted to speak with Forge, or at least she would have sent him a letter or a postcard?
Crystal noticed the fact that Forge had said “I should be patient” rather than “we should be patient” but decided to remain silent about it. Still… “I suppose you know her better than I do, and if you’re comfortable with this, we should not be worried yet.” He had seemed rather upset, though. Crystal didn’t believe for one second that Forge was not bothered by the fact that Jennie hadn’t contacted him in some way.
Forge laughed at that. "I know her... right. Sure. I don't..." He dropped his head into his hands, staring at the floor. "Have you ever felt... I don't know, like you've got the chance for something really good but you're scared you're going to say or do the wrong thing and totally screw it up?"
Again, Crystal did her best to keep a mostly impassive face. “No, I do not believe that I have felt that way,” she replied. She sighed inwardly, recalling the conversation she had had with Jennie after her first date with Forge. Even if she did want to break confidence and tell him what Jennie had said, there wasn’t really anything Jennie had said that would be reassuring to him. Being told that he had been “rewarded” simply for asking her out certainly wouldn’t help matters.
That got a smile out of Forge. "Of course not," he replied, genuinely amused. "Wouldn't be proper and dignified now, would it? Tell you what - if Jennie calls you, let me know? I'll do the same if I hear from her, all right?"
It was good to see him smile, although Crystal wasn’t thrilled that his amusement came at her expense. She wasn’t the one immature enough to believe that wasting ice cream and gelatin by throwing them at people was a good way to spend the day. “Yes,” Crystal said, standing. “If she calls me I will let you know, but I am sure that if she chose to call one person, she would call you.”
Forge stood as Crystal did, not sure why but it seemed the polite thing to do. "I... thank you, Crystal. Jennie's lucky to have a roommate and a friend like you looking after her. Not that, I mean, not that she needs it. She'll be back soon enough and we'll be worrying for nothing, right?"
Oh, of course. There was nothing to worry about. It was perfectly normal for someone to stay away for such a long time without contacting anyone that might care about her. Crystal wasn’t sure that it was accurate to say that she and Jennie were friends. If anything, Jennie had seemed to consider Crystal an annoyance. Crystal couldn’t bring herself to lie about her feelings, but she also did not want to add to Forge’s concern. “Hopefully, she will be back in the next few days.”
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