[center][h1][color=8882be]𝒫𝑒𝓅𝓅𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝒽𝑜𝓂𝓅𝓈𝑜𝓃[/color][/h1][/center]


Being approached by Jonah came as a wash of relief over her. Not to say that she didn't know the others as well, but there was something about the man that seemed to strike a chord of familiarity within her during the brief times they met one another in the local coffee shop. When he offered to accompany her up the stairs to the party, she hesitantly agreed; mentally kicking herself for forgetting the location on the flyer. [i]'At least I signed up.'[/i], she thought to herself. And with that following tucking her book up underneath her arm, the ascent to the rooftop began. Nevertheless as they walked and talked, Pepper tried to speak more single-syllable words to lessen the effects of her stutter. It was a new tactic, but she'd forget half the time in her speech and be stuck as square one in a matter of seconds. The man had an aura about him that put her at ease- much like Chris. Talking about his shop, she empathized with him greatly; reflecting on the time her mother struggled in opening her business when she was a little girl. What surprised her the most about him was his distinct English accent, yet he almost had the element of a Southern charm about him. Before she knew it, the duo arrived on the rooftop. When Jonah excused himself, she nodded and smiled, but the unknown fear began to creep its way back into her system.

Her smile gradually faded as she nervously eyed the scene before her; the hetero-chromatic orbs of two different contrasting colors darting over everyone in the area as she took her book by the spine with her other hand and moved over to take a seat in a white plastic lawn chair that was positioned alongside the wall of the rooftop access doorway. Taking another deep breath, she once more opened her book and began to read as she reclined back in the lawn-chair. Even though she was reading up on how to perform a chest-tube in case of Pneumothorax, she couldn't escape the feeling that this event gave her. A general sense of restlessness, coupled by anxiety with a dash of social awkwardness. Perhaps on this night, [i]The one night during a major social event she'd never have to experience again[/i], she could be brought out of her shell to experience what everyone celebrated. Glancing up from her book with an imperceptive glance of curiosity, the first thing she spotted were Jonah's.. Cases of beer? She'd never had alcohol in her life. Looking around further and rather comically positioned behind her book so that only her forehead, eyes and the bridge of her nose were seen, she took in every sight, sound and smell that didn't somehow intermingle with the fresh ink of her book. 

She wondered where Jonah had went off to, or if Josiah were going to show up. [i]Who knew.[/i] Regardless, the party began. She'd never had been one to go out at all to any social occasion, and that was solely her parents to blame. Hell, if she disregarded their academic pressure she might as well have dropped out of Paramedic school. Instead, here she was. Highly educated, trained as a Paramedic- at her first social event since her High-school homecoming (which ended in disaster), and afraid of spreading her wings. [i]'Tonight is going to be a long night.'[/i] She thought with a sigh.