xp_logs | Manuel and Callie: Prom talk (Reply)

Manuel treats Callie to a late lunch in exchange for her looking after Valentia, and the two discuss prom.

To escape from the mansion in the middle of the day was in a word a relief to Callie. The stress surrounding classes and impending tests was slowly eating away at her, and so when it was suggested by Manuel that she accompany him to lunch before picking up Valentia, she jumped on the chance. She had grown very fond of the Spanish child through their interactions, and through that had come to be less intimidated by her older brother.

"Thank you for lunch Manuel. I really appreciate it, but you didn't have to, I already said I could look after Valentia this afternoon."

Considering he had to put up with his own cooking lately, Manuel enjoyed indulgence when he could, especially supplying it to someone else who had less money to do so. Though their conversation had been limited, he knew there was a certain amount of comfort developing and he was inclined to encourage it where with others, he would have been more dismissive. Considering Callie often refused payment, this was one of his ways of showing his own appreciation.

"You're welcome," he nodded, lifting a hand to gesture for the waitress. Lunch was good, dessert would be better. "It would be well if you had some fuel to handle her. She's been rather hyper lately." Busy would be another way he would have put it, only he meant emotionally busy.

"Well I could use a little bit of running around after sitting in a room with a test for four hours." Callie sighed and twirled her straw around the glass of water. "I promise to bring her back thoroughly and adequately exhausted. She will sleep like a baby tonight." She smiled at the thought of being able to relax her studies for that one afternoon. "And after all these APs finish up I'm free until the end of the year so I can babysit whenever you need it."

"Very well, though I might be in need of you to babysit her more frequently in the summer. I have a weekly obligation that I need to see to." Sometimes Manuel himself felt like sleeping like a baby because of his sister, who seemed to sap all the energy from him.

There was no water left in her glass now, just ice. Soon though the ice would melt, little by little, and there would be more water. Until then, Callie kept poking at the chunks of ice, trying to speed the process. "Well I'm here until August, I'm taking summer classes at NYU's program thing, so I'll be around. Just let me know whenever you need me." She paused to slurp up more of the water that had melted.

"Oh! Someone's probably going to try to rope you in to chaperoning prom, if they haven't already, and I will be more than happy to look after Valentia then too."

Manuel looked confused, turning his head a fraction to eye her critically. "You are not going to the prom?" he asked. She didn't seem like the type not to go and by that, he was surprised.

"Nope!" There was a slight shrug of her shoulders as she tried to slurp up liquid that was not present. Deciding that her attempts were quickly becoming rude and disruptive, Callie pushed the glass aside and sat back in her chair. "I was planning on using the night of quiet to get some studying done."

He leaned back and his fingers drummed on the table once, watching her before he picked up a fork and moved it as though it was polite to do so. "I have a hard time believing that you are going to spent prom night studying."

"I may watch a movie, but that'll be homework too." Sigh. "It's just not my thing Manuel."

"You have never been, therefore you have no idea what is your thing and what is not," Manuel replied. "Perhaps you require a boy to ask you."

"I mean I went to the winter dance thing and it was fun... I just think my time would be better spent studying," Callie explained matter-of-factly. "And I mean I don't need a boy to go. I could go alone if I wanted, I just don't want to, I think."

"Apparently," he said before the waitress returned, replenishing Callie's drink and taking Manuel's order for dessert for both of them. "Why not try going with someone different, someone whom is less likely to have a date." He couldn't believe he was going to say the next thing he did. "Perhaps someone like Fred?"

Callie could feel her face heat up, and attempted to calm down by promptly drinking the entirety of her glass. "Why do you say that? I mean he might not want to go with me, if he wants to go at all you know?"

"If he does not want to go with you, there is something wrong with him." Frankly, Manuel thought Fred should take what he got, especially where it concerned Callie.

"I'll think about it? I mean I still don't know if I want to go at all. There's just a lot to do, you know?"

"Please. You seem to have plenty of time to tackle your homework. You can set aside a few hours to shop for a prom dress from Adrienne and seek Fred out to be your date."

"You're not going to let this go are you," she asked with a nervous smile.

"Would you prefer if I approached him?" His brow raised and he smiled. The waitress brought their desserts, setting them down, spoons and all.

Callie shook her head. "Nooooo. I'm a big girl, I can ask him myself. But thank you."

"I thought so."