Doreen and Johnny (backdated to May 31st)

[x-ricochet.livejournal.com]

Doreen and Johnny meet for a study group, but do more talking than preparing for finals.



Doreen was chewing on a pencil in the rec room, going over her class notes. Or, looking like she was going over her class notes. Her mind was a million miles away. The math equations all looked the same to her, and right now that wasn't a good thing. She waited for either of the other two thirds of her study group if just to have distraction.

Something snapped in her mouth and Dori spit out half a pencil and sighed. Today was sucking so far.

Johnny turned the corner into the rec room just in time to see his recent prom date spitting out the top section of her pencil and grinned, teasing as he moved to set down his books and assume a cross-legged position on the floor across the table from her, "And you were such a lady on Friday." Her expression, worn from an already hectic day, caught his eyes at this close distance and his smile waned. "...you okay?"

"I didn't mean to break the pencil," Doreen muttered, "I need something stronger to chew on. And I dunno...sort of a weird day today," Doreen admitted, picking up the good half of her pencil and then setting it aside. This was the reason she didn't use pens.

The humor was gone from the act, leaving the white-haired boy with nothing to dress his features but a soft, apologetic guilt. He nodded. Johnny didn't know the specifics, but between the rumors, a certain feral mutant's rather unhappy journal entry and Doreen's response to it, and the notable absence of one of his suite mates, he could piece together more than a few versions of why his companion might be as upset as she seemed.

Why couldn't that idiot have just taken his girlfriend?

"...Anything I can do?" he ventured at last.

"I dunno. People can be jerks sometimes, you know?" Doreen said simply. "I'd rather be outside right now," she admitted and then changed the subject, "Did you have fun at the dance?"

Johnny nodded. He knew and there seemed to be little more he could say on the matter, so he opted to focus on the one that followed. "There's no reason we couldn't head out to the lawn or something. Enjoy the sun while we try to suffer through this." A small smile touched his lips by force (which he hoped did not show) and he shrugged, "Not the same as climbing trees, but it's nice out and it wouldn't be hard to text Artie."

His expression relaxed some when she changed the subject, becoming more genuine as he thought back to the previous Friday. It didn't take him long to answer. "Definitely, yeah." He paused, looking faintly sheepish and adding the obvious, "...Did you?"

"Oh, totally!" Doreen said, answering the last part first, "We should learn how to swing dance! Because, you know, I tried it with Julian but I think we could be way better at it," as they were both fast and agile. "I'd love to go outside, even if it is just to study."

Johnny wasn't sure what he'd expected her to say, but the answer and the return of her characteristic energy made his smile widen. "I'll give it a shot if you will," he replied with an enthusiasm of his own and a silent certainty that hers was contagious. He pulled himself to his feet again, beginning to gather up his books and fishing into his pocket for the school-issued cell phone. "Let's go, then."

Doreen gathered up her books, notes and both halves her pencil, "Do you have a pencil I can borrow? I promise I won't chew on it at all," she said.

The broken pencil still carried the weight of her previous mood and Johnny sobered a small amount, nodding, "Sure thing. I've got a spare." He scrolled for Artie's number in the phone as they walked, doing so almost entirely through muscle memory; it was one of the simpler methods of communicating with their mute classmate and it wasn't uncommon for the two to text during particularly arduous and dull lectures anyway.

"Great. I don't know why I chew my pencils so much. Oh! I have some chocolate in my bag too, if you want some," she said, "I pretty much get to eat it all the time."

"Outdoors, free chocolate...this is turning into the best study group ever," Johnny replied, easy smile returning as his free hand continued typing out the note to their classmate. He sent the message and tucked his phone back into his pocket. "Where do you want to start, anyway?"

"I dunno, history is giving me some trouble," Doreen said. "It's kind of boring, after all."

"Most of it," Johnny agreed, pulling open the front door once they reached it and looking out into the warm summer afternoon. It was a shame to study on a day like this, but what choice did they have? He waited until she stepped out, then followed behind, picking up his pace briefly and skipping a step or two to catch up with her once the door was shut. With a fresh grin, he chided playfully and quietly, "Don't say so in front of Mr. Guthrie, though. He seems pretty into it."

"Yeah. I mean, it's not his fault it's totally boring," Doreen said, a bit of Valley Girl slipping into her voice. She was, after all, one born and bred. Her tail twitched happily in the open air. Monkey Joe was missing out by sleeping, but her friend had gorged himself and was feeling the tiring after effects of his eating. "I mean, some things are interesting, but others, yeah. Not really."

Johnny couldn't help but laugh, "And this from the girl who tried to convince me math wasn't so bad? Well, the year's almost over in any case, right?"

"Yeah. And I mean, I'll do okay, I'm sure," Doreen said, "Math, is okay because Callie helps me out with it. History...I only have you and Artie and you help a lot but it's hard to remember all those dates and places."

"I'm hoping I will," the boy replied, with a knowing nod and a thin smile. Grades weren't usually of particular importance to him, but with teachers whose opinions he actually cared about and a trip possibly on the line if he bombed, Johnny had found a certain amount of resolution. "Let's pick a place and start with history, then. I think we only got to Chapter Twenty..." He opened his top spiral, idly flipping through pages to check the validity of this assertion while he waited for Doreen to select their study spot.

"Um...maybe chapter fifteen then?" Doreen said, flipping her book open, just barely stopping herself from chewing on Johnny's pencil, "That's a good starting place."

Johnny followed suit and flopped down in the grass, pulling the appropriate book out of the collection and beginning the short-lived search for chapter fifteen. "'Migration: 1300 to 1750'..." His grin grew wry, but at least he remembered the chapter and that was a good sign, right? "As good a place as any."

"Yeah, it is," she really, really wanted to chew a pencil, but found a stick off the ground to fill that niche instead, so she wouldn't have to chew on Johnny's pencil. It was rude, for one. "Thanks again. For going to prom with me."

The white-haired teen remained oblivious to this internal battle over whether or not to chew the end of the loaned pencil, looking up from the text only to see Doreen slipping a fallen twig with a small, sprightly leaf on one end temporarily between her teeth. He started to laugh, but her words were soon drawing his attention from the humorous posture and leading his expression back to one of sheepish contentment, "You don't need to thank me, Dori. I wanted to go. I had fun."

Johnny gave her twig a playful flick that sent a small vibration all along its spindly body, hoping to lighten her spirits from their apparent uncertainty, "Definitely worth Mr. Beaubier making me learn to dance with a mop." He hoped she would keep that particular tidbit to herself, but even if she didn't, maybe it would at least get her to smile.

Doreen giggled, "You had to learn with a mop? Was the mop a good dancer?" she asked around the twig. She wasn't going to get rid of it until the urge subsided. "I'm glad you had fun."

"I should've known it was coming," Johnny admitted, features lit despite his embarrassment, "And it was as good as a mop can be, I guess." The boy's posture shifted, his body leaning back and his palms coming to rest on the warm grass behind him as he went temporarily quiet. "...Are you sure you're okay?" She still seemed preoccupied and the persistent gnawing of the twig was starting to seem less like an idle habit and more like an anxious tic.

"I'm okay. ...If I don't chew stuff sometimes, my teeth hurt. Sorry, I know that sounds really weird," Doreen said.

"It's not weird..." Given the circumstances of her mutation, anyway. Johnny worked his fingers thoughtlessly back and forth in the grass, adding after a pause, "I'm kind of relieved, to be honest."

"About dancing with a mop?" Doreen said, looking up. "Why would you be relieved about that?" she asked, trying to picture a feeling of relief at mop dancing and failing.

The white-haired teen was amused despite himself, "Relieved that's your reason. You seemed anxious and with that and all the questions about prom..." He shrugged a little, trailing off and saying no more, though the uncertainty lingering at the edge of his tone said enough. He had been worried he'd done something wrong, botched something somewhere with his most recent dance partner. The mop had nothing to do with it.

"Oh, Prom was great! I had a wonderful time. My teeth are just bugging me," Doreen said, "Maybe I should get a block of wood or something to carry on me."

Johnny nodded, straightening his posture again only to then rest his elbows on the open book in his lap. Studying seemed to have slipped his mind, at least for the moment. "Have you talked to Dr. Grey? Maybe that's the kind of thing they can help with down in the medlab." He smiled lightly, "Or at least give you something more sturdy to chew on."

"Maybe," Doreen said, "I don't know, I don't like to bother them. It's just a little thing, you know?" she said, sitting cross legged, enjoying sitting in the grass.

"If you say so. But I've gone in there before just for..." What? To cry on Jean's shoulder? Johnny opted to skip the details, "Well...for nothing. So I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you came in with a legitimate problem. If it keeps bugging you."

"If it keeps up, I suppose..." Doreen said. "I mean, it normally goes away if I have something to chew on."

"Sorry. Probably blowing this out of proportion, huh?" Johnny relented, pushing one set of fingers through his unkempt hair. "My powers aren't much on side effects, unless you count white hair and the occasional jumpy nerve, so I'm not sure how to gauge this kind of thing."

"It's really not that big of a deal," Doreen said, "Though I did chew up one of my brother's X-Box controllers once," she admitted sheepishly.

The amusement this coaxed out of the boy was immediate, but of a purposefully soft variety. Johnny didn't want the girl to think it was at her expense, after all. He began to reply, but stopped as he spied their classmate hurrying across the grass to meet them. "Looks like our third's finally here. Slowpoke." He waved and Artie waved back with hologram hands to replace his own, occupied by notebooks, and a smile.

Whether they liked it or not, it seemed, their trio was complete and it was time to get to work.