Little Talks (Jackson)

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika leaned back into her chair and flipped through the pages of her journal with an absentmindedly gaze. She wasn't her to study - for once, and as waiting patiently wasn't one of her better traits, she was feeling more restless than usual. She wasn't one for sitting still long periods of time. She hated it in fact. But the library wasn't exactly the worst place for waiting, since it contained a million books to read and hundreds of ways to make time fly.

Her eyes drifted into the room, watching the several idle students and teachers walk around or sit still, completely devoted and concentrated on their work. People-watching counted as a way to pass time, right? Whatever, it didn't really matter in the end, Jackson was on his way and she really doubted she'd be waiting for much longer, and as if someone had given the magical lamp a stroke, her friend appeared in the doorway.

Standing up, Erika walked over to meet him halfway, a satisfied smile playing on her lips, ''Hey there,'' she greeted with a chuckle and intertwined her fingers behind her back, ''You took your sweet time,'' she laughed again and nodded towards the table, ''I figured this place was as good as any for talking-,'' she began with a sigh, ''-Unless you want to go somewhere else?,''

It didn't really matter to her in the end. She had picked this place because it was quieter and there was less chance of running into people she preferred to stay away from, such as Ellen.

Ellen and Erika hadn't made up yet and truth be told, Erika couldn't say she minded it too much. She was still feeling a little on edge after everything that had happened, and the fact that Ellen had yet to do something made her fear what the girl might have planned. Nothing was ever this simple with Ellen. Never. Ever.

''How are you?,''

[Jackson Smith]

The library. Admittedly, Jackson went there more than people realized. It was easy to cover if people asked, just pull out the old 'My room's a tip, I can't work in there' card. But he loved being there, around all the books. If only he had the time and ability to enjoy them.

Erika asking to meet there was unexpected, really. Not annoying or anything, of course. He loved his conversations with the telekinetic, their friendship was something he treasured quite whole-heartedly. The library didn't really seem like her kind of place though... you learn something new everyday, I guess? He turned the corner and a smile grew on his lips when his eyes met with his friend.

"Hey," he replied, grinning. With most others, Jackson would have been loud, and silly, and drawing attention. But this was Erika, and he knew it wasn't necessary. He chuckled with her, "You know I'm a lazy arse, what else did you expect?" he retorted, crooked teeth showing through. His eyes fell on the table and he nodded approvingly, "I'm good here." If anything, he would be more comfortable here over anywhere else.

He sat down on the table and stretched his arms out, his obnoxious side shining out a little. Jack raised his eyebrows at the question, "M'alright. Not dying the last time I checked, so," He grinned, joking. Nothing much interesting had happened to him recently. He'd mucked around with Ryan and barely evaded detention, but that was a regular occurrence nowadays. He and Erika, however, hadn't talked properly in a while. He couldn't help but wonder if something was going on with her, "What about you?" She seemed a little... tense. "Anything wacky occurring in the world of Erika?"

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Jackson always seemed to brighten her mood with his positive and energetic personality, whether or not he was acting like a usual tool or a sweetheart, she found good company in him, ''Fair enough,'' she chuckled admittedly and ran her hand through her hair before letting it rest on her shoulder, returning the grin the boy so nicely offered her, ''All right,'' she said with a nod. Finding another place would have been a pain in the ass anyways. Ok, not really, but whatever. She enjoyed the library's serenity and quiet atmosphere.

Erika followed Jackson to the table and sat down on the other side of the table. With her chin leaned on the back of her hand, she watched the boy with an amused grin and nodded, ''That's good. I don't think I'd enjoy it much if you died,'' she said with a chuckle and pursed her lips, frowning slightly as he returned the question.

Yes, how was Erika feeling? Well, truth be told, she felt better now that some time had passed after the whole Ellen thing, but things were still a little hectic, though, it surely could have been worse, ''I'm okay. Could have been worse, y'know, so I can't really complain,'' Things could definitely be wrong. And hey, detention wasn't all that bad considering the company she had, and that certain company helped making her feel better.

''I mean, getting detention and all sucked, but eh... Life goes on, right?''

[Jackson Smith]

Jackson liked spreading his happiness around, even if it had to be constructed out of nothing sometimes. Just seeing other people feeling better did a lot for his own self esteem and made him feel warm inside, like a teddy bear. Fucking hell, he was soft. He chuckled along and rubbed his arm with his hand. And the library was better than some dark corner in the halls or something, so Jackson was glad to settle here.

He tilted his head in recognition of her comment, "Glad to hear it." One of the things he was worried about was being forgotten about, so a simple gesture such as that meant quite a bit to him. His smile became a little more genuine and a little less cheeky.

"I'm okay."

If there was one thing Jackson knew about girls, it was that 'I'm okay' usually meant something was wrong. Still, he nodded. He knew that he probably couldn't delve into this too much, from what he'd heard circulating around, something had gone on between Erika and Elllen.

Ugh... Ellen. He really didn't like that girl. She was just trouble with a capital T.

"Detention isn't the end of the world," He'd ended up there enough times to know that. Sometimes it was boring, but if you were in with the right people, it was pretty damn fun. Curiousity overtook his thoughts - he wasn't asking for the sake of being nosey, he was asking for her sake. "So, what actually happened?",

"Why'd you end up in the cell?" He was genuinely concerned; he looked her in the eye to show that. He might be all fun and games, but when Jackson was alone, the caring he held for his friends really shone through.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

It was as if saying that you were fine enough times, it made you believe it yourself. Well, at least that was what Erika was trying to do. She was so sick of being the sappy, sad little girl with issues, always fighting against the world on her own. It just didn't seem worth it. Besides, in the process of being sad, wouldn't she simply drag people down with her?

No, it was far better to put on a brave face. And when all came to all, she did feel better by watching her friends and loved ones be happy and trouble free, so why add fuel to the fire?

Erika pulled the journal back into her bag and sighed, pursing her lips before looking at her friend again, narrowing her eyes, ''Well..,'' she began, hesitating a little before nodding determinedly, ''You know how Ellen has the ability to hypnotise others, right? Well, she's been using her power to make me do things I normally wouldn't. Like breaking up with people, pushing some away, and she justified herself by saying she could smell me getting hurt a mile away, though she never once asked me what I wanted, and acted out on her own selfish needs,'' she said and took a deep breath, ''I'd like to think she did it for my own good, but... I don't know,'' Erika sighed and rubbed her temples.

''Anyways, so I got fed up, we got into a fight, I thrashed the cafeteria and voila, detention,'' Wording it like that, it kind of sounded a little silly and overdramatic, but heck. Erika didn't really regret it, at least not the fighting part.

[Jackson Smith]

Jackson didn't really tell... anyone about his inner issues. Even Ryan just got little snippets of his problems and nothing more. It was difficult for him to explain how it felt, when you were so detached that you didn't feel real anymore. Not a lot of people understood, and it was easier to conceal it and put up a strong, happy front instead.

Fucking hell. He could barely believe the nerve that she-witch! Ellen didn't have the right to affect someone's judgement like that, especially someone who was supposed to be her friend. Just because Jackson could knock over that kid's water bottle over there didn't mean he had to, and it was exactly the same here! She really needed to learn her lesson. And if he ever caught her alone... he had no idea what he would do. But he wouldn't fall for her stupid ploys. Holding back his own frustration, Jackson put hand Erika's arm, as a comfort. As much as he hated the girl, he was pretty they were -or at least, had been- friends. It must be difficullt.

He almost laughed at how she worded the end of it, rushing on the details. He shook his head, "You know how much I hate that beast." He struggled with himself, trying not to be too mean, "I'm sorry, I know you guys are close, but I can't help it." He sighed, how could anyone do what she did without some kind of guilty conscience?

He grinned, "Hey, if the detention's sucking, I can come join you?" He'd done it in the past - gotten detention just for the sake of hanging out with his friends. Of course, it didn't always run smoothly, sometimes they ended up in different rooms, but it could be worth a shot.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

In times likes these, Erika was glad she had friends outside of Ellen, and she especially loved the fact that they weren't mutual friends. She wasn't quite sure how she'd manage to get through this entire thing without her friends and if they too had been the lapdogs of evil, it surely would have made things extremely hard.

Erika's lips turned upwards into a sideways smirk and she let out a faint chuckle, ''I know, I know,'' she laughed and ran her hand through her hair and sighed, ''And we're not really that close. I mean, I've known her for like forever, but this entire thing kind of makes me wonder if our friendship was real to begin with. What if she hypnotized me to stay her friend? I know it's a little farfetched and all, but...,'' she trailed off and furrowed her brow, frowning slightly at her own words, ''I don't know why I hung out with her to begin with. I kind of already knew she was doing what she was doing, and I don't know why it took me so long to speak up,''

Shifting her position, Erika pulled her feet underneath her and leaned her elbows against the table, pursing her lips at the boy, ''Oh trust me, it could have been a lot worse. I'm in great company as it is,'' she laughed. Yeah, detention hadn't been nearly as bad as she imagined it to be, considering who she got to spend time with, ''But I appreciate the offer, Jackie. I really do. You're such a good guy,'' she mused with a smile and grinned.

''Now, lets talk about you. What's life been throwing your way?''

[Jackson Smith]

To even consider being friends with someone like Ellen was absolutely backwards. He just... ugh!

Hearing all of his friend's doubts was upsetting for Jackson. It was horrific, to imagine what it must be like to look back on your life and wonder if you did any of it as... you. He didn't want Erika to be in such a position, but... the past was the past. All they could do now was work on making the future something better.

That didn't mean he didn't still despise Ellen, oh no. She was still in his Death Note.

"I'm glad you spoke up now, I truly am." He wasn't sure if Ellen knew much about Jackson, or even merely the fact that he existed and roamed the Earth. He had a bad feeling that if she did, she would have wrenched Erika away from him. He wouldn't have gone down without a fight, but... man, this sucked.

Jack chuckled along - as long as she was happy, he was too. He felt a blush light up his cheeks slightly at the name and the compliment though, looking at his feet through the table, and grinning like a Cheshire Cat, "Just doing what friends do." He replied, sending a little wink her way. He wasn't one to act arrogant.

His life? There wasn't much to tell about that, not recently anyway. "Oh, you know. The usual." He chuckled. He was a little's weighed down by the stress of midterms and his little sisters running riot. And, of course, the other stuff. The stuff that he hadn't voiced to anyone. But he wasn't bringing that up; not here, not now. He was considering telling Erika at some point, really, about how much his power really affected him... but for now, it was better off left unsaid. "Bit stressed, but aren't we all?"