Julianna stared at the boy's desk, her gaze fixated on it with a sudden anticipation. The time it took for him to reply to her seemed like the longest couple minutes she had experienced in a long time. She was so focused on whether he had taken her bait or not. She fidgeted in her chair a little bit. She shouldn't have felt nervous, she realized.

Her hand grasped for the piece of paper with enthusiasm when he set it down. She had acknowledged how he toyed with the pages of his book while he opened it, but it took her a moment to understand why he did so. Her own fingers fidgeted with her book as she pried the folds of the paper open with her fingers.
The response took her somewhat by surprise. She thought she would have to try harder to convince him to leave the classroom. She made a display of keeling over, almost as though she were in pain.

“I think I need to see the nurse.”

Perhaps it wasn't the most foolproof of plans, but all she cared about at first was getting out of the classroom.

~*~*~*~*~

Rush nodded absently while she spoke. He didn't know much about instruments. He had a tendency to assume those that played anything other than a guitar, drums, or a keyboard only played classical music. He wasn't particularly interested in that style of music. He gave a noncommittal shrug when she asked about his profession.

“I guess you could say I'm a recruiter. I find people.” It was a vague answer. He wasn't sure how continue forward. He knew that he was supposed to persuade her for whatever reason, but shied away from wanting to say too much. He worried he would make her angry.

“No boyfriend,” he mused. “I'll be your boyfriend if you agree to meet my employer,” he joked. He laughed almost immediately and quickly apologized. “Sorry, I'm not trying to make fun of you.” He scratched at the nape of his neck awkwardly. He thought she would be furious with him for teasing her.

“I might know a party though,” he mused. That was if what had been planned could be considered a party. “Although the party I'm thinking of might start a little earlier than the parties you're used to. My boss is eager for some excitement, you see. I could introduce you to some of my friends.”

“I'm not in school,” he merely stated. He looked towards his car as she spoke. “No dealership,” he merely stated. “Tell you what. If you come with me to the party, you can have the car. No need to bother your dad that way.” He tried to ignore the guilt he felt for trying to bribe her. He wasn't good at the recruiting thing.

“Rush is short for Russell,” he finally told her. He grimaced at the mention of his name. “Do you have a nickname?” He pressed. “Clare?”