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[sub][color=slategray]A [@Fabricant451] & [@Silent Observer] Collaboration
Friday Afternoon at BHHS[/color][/sub]
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[indent][indent]Following Tuesday night’s party, the rest of Shiloh’s week was… weird. Weirder than was normal for the pink-haired misfit. She was pretty sure that it wasn’t all in her head either, because it really seemed like Rose had been completely avoiding her since Tuesday night. No chats in the hallways, no glances in passing, she didn’t even see her in the cafeteria, and Rose [i]loves[/i] eating — all the burners do. For all intents and purposes, it was as if Rose Powers no longer existed.

This had been eating away at Shiloh’s mind for days. Why was this happening? In her mind, she didn’t do anything wrong this time. Rose kissed [i]her[/i], it wasn’t the other way around. Shiloh had made a vow to herself, at the end of last semester, to pull herself out of the game. She’d been a player for a few years, and it’d been fun for a while, but Shi was ready for something new. Something real. So why the [i]fuck[/i] did she feel like that bad guy?

Despite the seemingly notorious reputation that she had, there was one person who Shi could think to ask for advice. There was one person who knew both the game, and more importantly, knew Shiloh. Intimately. This person was none other than Miss Shauna Flynn, whom Shiloh knew could be located somewhere near the theater department at any given time of the school day. Knowing this, Shi headed in that direction after the final bell on Friday afternoon, where she did in fact find the auburn-haired Irish beauty. [color=80e5ff][b]“Hey Romeo, how goes it?”[/b][/color] Shi greeted before blowing a bubble and snapping her gum loudly.

Friday night had a common nickname among the student body, it was widely regarded to be ‘date night’ which was about as shocking and unusual as fish swimming in a tank at the doctor’s office. Shauna found the moniker to be a bit humorous at best - anyone who was taking advantage of subpar pizza and even worse popcorn feature films on a ‘date night’ was having a bad date. No exceptions. Nothing said ‘romantic’ quite like shuffling into a pizza place with other people and having the terrible audio of an overproduced film drowned out by the sounds of inexperienced teenager smacking their lips together like they had peanut butter on the roof of their mouth. 

Needless to say, Shauna Flynn would not be taking part in any date night if it involved pizza. 

Her plan for the night was much more simple and to the point. The spoils of war that were the boat party meant Shauna had a double date with Destiny. Destiny, of course, being a cute little nickname for Denise and Tina, two Freshmen that had enjoyed swimming with the shark when a wily karaoke enthusiast had not. Naturally her thoughts were with the sure to be enjoyable evening which, if Destiny played their cards right could well include an enjoyable breakfast - when her sanctuary was breached by an always familiar face. Shiloh was hardly the ‘one who got away’ and more ‘the one who was let off the hook’. The pink haired punker with a tongue that was hotter than the licks of any guitar - and Shauna would know, she damn near taught Shiloh how to use it better. Shiloh was certainly an unusual case: she was speaking to Shauna after their wild and brief tryst and by the way Shauna heard it, Shiloh was on the market. Pity, then, that she was in grade ten. 

[color=ff6347][b]“You know how I feel about Billy Shakes.”[/b][/color] Shauna would let the passing reference to Shakespeare slide. She was friendly like that. [color=ff6347][b]“I know you’re not here to join my club but I can be persuaded to giving you a...tour of the facilities.”[/b][/color] When Shauna was around, everything was a euphemism. 

[color=80e5ff][b]“I sure do!”[/b][/color] Shi said cheerfully, tilting her head to the side and causing one of her candy pink pigtails to bob slightly. [color=80e5ff][b]“Why else would I have called you that?”[/b][/color] All was said in jest, of course. Shiloh didn’t see Shauna as an enemy, nor even as an ex, not truly. Shauna was a friend, a friend that was best communicated with using tongue-in-cheek comments and sarcasm, a language in which the Clay family was fluent. [color=80e5ff][b]“As for the facilities… well, I’m looking to become more of an owner these days, gonna put my touring past behind me, ya dig?”[/b][/color]

Shiloh leaned back against the wall, lifting her left leg so that the sole of her combat boot was flush with it. Inspected her chipped black nail polish, she asked nonchalantly: [color=80e5ff][b]“Big plans for this evening?”[/b][/color]

Well well wasn’t this quite a development? It certainly got Shauna to raise an eyebrow and raise the corner of her lip in a knowing smirk - not entirely dissimilar to the smirk she was known to give when setting her sights on her next weekend affair. [color=ff6347][b]“No bigger than usual, but forget about that. Do mine ears deceive or have you been afflicted with that dreadful bug known as love?”[/b][/color] While it might have seemed a bit much to use the ‘L’ word, Shauna felt sorry for Shiloh if that was the case. Love was just standing in the way of human nature. 

[color=ff6347][b]“And here I thought I might have found the perfect understudy. Do tell, who has you feeling all a flutter? Do I know her? Do I [i]know[/i] her?”[/b][/color]

[color=80e5ff][b]“You misread me. That’s unusual, for you.”[/b][/color] Shi said matter-of-factly. Shiloh didn’t know the first thing about love. That’s why she was interested in switching things up. She was curious. She wanted to learn. Not unlike her ventures into… well, being a bit of a slag. That had been about learning too. [color=80e5ff][b]“It’s not that special, I promise. Surely you’ve heard the rumors? I took myself out of the game at the end of last semester. It was fun, being your apprentice of sorts, but it left me feeling… I don’t know. Even more curious?”[/b][/color]

The pink-haired punk let her foot fall back to the ground with a thud. She turned and crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged. [color=80e5ff][b]“I mean… aren’t you, too? Don’t you want to at least [i]try[/i] to see what it’s like on the other side?”[/b][/color]

[color=ff6347][b]“Oh, please, if I gave space for every rumor that wandered these halls I’d have an entire room just about the ones related to me.”[/b][/color] Shauna was something of a natural at letting things wash over and roll off her as effortlessly as a shower. Given the nature of rumors surrounding her she had to be good at paying them no mind; either that or she risked drowning in an ocean of her own creation. [color=ff6347][b]“If you listened to rumors we wouldn’t even be talking right now, so regardless of what I [i]heard[/i], it doesn’t matter compared to what I hear from [i]you[/i]. And what I’m hearing is you want something...stable?”[/b][/color] 

The problem with speaking in euphemism was knowing how to cut through to find the heart of the matter. Shauna liked to think she got the gist but it was nothing if not puzzling. Why would someone buy the cow when milk flowed like honey? [color=ff6347][b]“There’s nothing on the other side, Shi, that you can’t just get normally. You’re going soft. Do you need me to talk you out of it?”[/b][/color] 

[color=80e5ff][b]“Maybe…”[/b][/color] Shi said with a genuine chuckle. [color=80e5ff][b]“But you of all people know I’m a free-thinker. I’ll just do what I want anyway. That’s what sets me apart from the rest.”[/b][/color] Her words were confident, verging on cocky, but not without merit. [color=80e5ff][b]“I think it could be fun. We’ll see, maybe it’s just another one of my [i]experiments[/i].”[/b][/color] She used the word lightly, claiming it as her own. Many of her ex-lovers accused her of experimenting with them and, well… they weren’t wrong. 

[color=80e5ff][b]“Speaking of rumors about you, there is [i]one[/i] particularly interesting one milling around. Quite a curious one, indeed.”[/b][/color]  Rumor has it, Shauna has been spotted with the same girl on [i]more than one[/i] occasion recently. Shiloh was precisely and purposefully coy about withholding that piece of information. It was hard not to fall into her usual pattern of flirtation, especially with an old flame that once burned so brightly. Bright, and hot to the touch. [color=80e5ff][b]“But that’s neither here nor there. I actually came to you to discuss something else, if you have the time?”[/b][/color]

Of course there was a rumor floating around about her. It was a day that ended in the letter ‘y’. No doubt something unsavory and untoward and highly embellished. It was no sweat off her back; while the rumor mill spun and made up stories about her, Shauna was out doing important things. Such as bedding the underclass girls. Unless the rumor came back to nip at her heels she would promptly ignore it much the same as every other. 

[color=ff6347][b]“For you? I’ve got time.”[/b][/color]

[color=80e5ff][b]“I figured as much.”[/b][/color] Shi responded with a knowing smirk. She blew another bubble with her gum and snapped it before speaking. [color=80e5ff][b]“So… you know how you and I are usually, like, the initiators? If we see something we want, we take it. Find a girl pretty, we flirt with her. If things turn out our way, we kiss her… and so on. Right?”[/b][/color] Shiloh paused briefly, as if she was going to a wait for a response. But she didn’t, because she knew that she was right. [color=80e5ff][b]“Well, has that ever… not been the case for you?”[/b][/color]

[color=ff6347][b]“Yes.”[/b][/color] Shauna had no ounce of hesitation in her response. While it would be easy and certainly believable for her to lie, the unfortunate truth of the matter is that Shauna the Shark wasn’t always so shark-like. There was that ever so awkward phase as an underclassman where she knew only that she had crushes on girls but lacked any grace or confidence to do anything about it. Those were dark times and ones Shauna liked to leave in the past, but she couldn’t act like they didn’t happen. [color=ff6347][b]“Not everyone is going to be receptive, the trick is knowing when to push the effort or ease up without coming off as desperate. But I get the feeling that this is different for you. What’s wrong, Shi?”[/b][/color]

[color=80e5ff][b]“Oh, uh…”[/b][/color] Shiloh thought on that for a moment. Was something wrong? Did she [i]look[/i] like something was wrong? She must, if Shauna noticed. Shi kicked the toe of her combat boot against the ground in a few short taps, thinking about how to explain it. [color=80e5ff][b]“Nothing. Well, I don’t think… but, maybe? It’s just something that hasn’t ever happened before, not since. Well… not since you. Someone kissed [i]me[/i] though. Like, initiated it, out of the blue. A friend… and now they’re not really talking to me. Or looking at me.”[/b][/color] Shi chewed at her bottom lip. Yeah, okay, maybe something was wrong. She just hadn’t admitted that yet. [color=80e5ff][b]“What does that even mean?”[/b][/color]

And here it was in the flesh: a prime example of why Shauna didn’t concern herself with meanings and wonders and anything beyond the casual bits of intimacy with the opportunities afforded her. What was it about situations such as Shiloh’s that made people so perplexed and out of sorts? Why would people subject themselves to such a thing? Shauna brushed a bit of her hair back and sighed out in contemplation at the question posed her; she was hardly an expert on matters of the heart, at least matters such as this, but she knew enough about matters of kissing and intimacy to write a book. [color=ff6347][b]“Well, the easiest assumption is that alcohol was involved - or a dare of some sort, but if it was a dare that wouldn’t account for the lack of communication after the fact. If they were drunk then they might be ashamed by their action; if they were fully sober then either way the result is the same. Obviously they’re as hung up about this as you are and neither of you want to bring it up. I thought I taught you better than that. The worst that could happen is rejection. If you weren’t at least interested this wouldn’t be eating you up, so tell me something...did you [i]like[/i] the kiss? Do you want to be kissed by this person again?”[/b][/color]

[color=80e5ff][b]“Well, yeah. I’m always down for kissing.”[/b][/color] Shiloh responded quickly. The kiss had been great, really great. [color=80e5ff][b]“She was definitely not sober, and I guess it could have also been a dare…”[/b][/color] Rose would never be one to turn down a dare. She was a playful girl like that. [color=80e5ff][b]“Maybe I should just try to find her and talk to her, huh? Even if she doesn’t want to kiss anymore, that’s cool with me. I just want to make sure we’re still friends.”[/b][/color] Shi nodded, as if agreeing with herself, before smiling at Shauna. [color=80e5ff][b]“Thanks bunches, Shauna!”[/b][/color]

[color=ff6347][b]“I guess it’s true, then.”[/b][/color] Shauna had to get her licks in where she could even if that meant dipping her toes into a place she scant enjoyed. [color=ff6347][b]“[i]’This bud of love by summer’s ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.’[/i][/b][/color] Despite her quotation of a dramatic verse Shauna winced as she recited it, though her knowing smirk ever lingered as if she were speaking in jest. [color=ff6347][b]“And even if your star crossed lip locker proves to be a wilted rose, my standing offer to give you the tour remains.”[/b][/color]

[color=80e5ff][b]“Eww, don’t be gross.”[/b][/color] Shi said with a chuckle and lightheartedly punched at Shauna’s arm. [color=80e5ff][b]“You sound like an old english teacher or some shit.”[/b][/color] That, and Rose would never be wilted. She was always in bloom and full of energy and life. [color=80e5ff][b]“Does that tour involve someone by the name of Madison, by any chance?”[/b][/color] Shiloh asked in a teasing tone, with an eyebrow arched. Surely Shauna’s immediate reaction would be enough to read if those rumors had any truth to them.

Shauna merely raised an eyebrow at Shiloh in immediate response to the name. Word spread about as quickly as an STD in these halls; this one no doubt brought on by the fact that Shauna had shown up to the boat soiree with one Madison. It was almost insulting that the rumor would involve whisperings of some sort of tawdry, torrid affair. The insult was in the sheer fact that Shauna’s own reputation, one that she hadn’t ever outwardly denied, was her preference for girls younger than she, not ones in the same grade and age range. It was as if her reputation meant nothing where rumors were concerned. [color=ff6347][b]“Madison needed help dressing in a manner to pluck her share of flowers from the garden, and who better to ask than yours truly? The only tour I intend on taking Madison on is one where I am in the crowd watching on. The only thing we’ve shared is my employee discount and the front seat of my car. Remember who you’re talking to, whatever you’ve heard is a fabrication.”[/b][/color] 

Shauna had given an awful lot of real estate to a baseless rumor, but that fact seemed utterly lost on the thespian. 

[color=80e5ff][b]“Hmm…”[/b][/color] Shiloh nodded in response, her eyes slightly narrowed and her lips tilted up in a smirk. [color=80e5ff][b]“Whatever you say, Romeo. Have a good night, try not to get the clap!”[/b][/color] Shi blew the drama star a kiss and winked before turning to walk away.[/indent][/indent]