Life Behind The Screen

[Erin Hackett]

Erin was in the computer lab, well one of the few that the school had in its various building for the students to be able to use. Not every kid could afford their own computer or to build their own so it was to be expected that the school would help them out with that. Erin didn't need to use the computers here and most of the time she didn't. In this case she had just been asked to clean up the computers since they had been running slowly and a virus had apparently ended up on all of them in the room.

The cause was likely from someone getting on a site they should not have and malware downloading without them even realizing it. Then with the computers in the room being on the same network, they all ended up getting infected when they were logged into next. "Pfft, clearly porn malware." Erin said out loud to herself as she plugged in a program that would clean up the network. She only had to do it on the admin computer in the room, reboot the whole system, and the next time the rest of the computers were turned on they should have been good as new. She didn't even have to do any counter hacking and literally just had a program she made with her dad do all the work for her as she leaned back in her chair.

The room was completely empty since no one was allowed in the room while Erin was fixing up the computer, but she could hear a few people in the halls, likely those who had summer classes and could see them pass the open computer lab door. The school would normally have one of their staff do this sort of thing, but there had been apparently something more important that they were handling and it also just gave Erin a chance to prove her skills. It was what she was going to be doing for a living and already sort of did now.

((Tag:Ryan Alexander))

[Ryan Alexander]

Ryan was running through the halls. She knew the rule was no running. Dammit she knew that. But she was being chased by a particularly irate hall monitor so she was running for her life. She saw a room up ahead and jiggled the door handle. Locked. Well she could fix that quick. She focused and let her radar sense hone in on the metal lock. She moved it just enough to open the door. Then she dodged inside, closing it behind her and locking it again. She leaned her back against the door, her eyes closed as she panted.

"That was too close. Who knew hall monitors didn't like it when you slipped a sliver of soap in their sandwich?" Then she opened her eyes and saw the girl in the room. Her eyes dodged from left to right.

"Umm...well this is awkward. Hi I'm Ryan. Do you have a name or do I just have to call you cute geek?"

[Erin Hackett]

There was a girl suddenly busting into the room, through the other door that had been locked and usually remained lock unless it was a test day and the room was expected to have a lot of people flowing into it. It was made to have two doors, but again the second was usually locked since what room really needed two doors when people could just be patience and all file in through the one door. Erin also didn't get why the girl would go through the locked door when the other door had been unlocked and wide open.

Perhaps in the heat of the moment the girl didn't really realize it as she ran down the hall, or just had not been looking ahead. Whatever the reason, there was still one unlocked and very much an open door for whoever was chasing her to get in. Erin was going to say as much but she was rendered a slightly stuttering and flushing mess when the girl asked if she could call her a cute geek. "Uh...I mean if you want...I guess. My name is Hackett. Erin Hackett...but oh, y-yeah, nice to meet you Ryan." Erin managed to get out with some difficulty as she looked to the computer before pointing to the open door.

"You might want to get that." Erin suggested, managing to get that out like normal because she had been able to refocusing on the computer for a moment after it made a bing sound. That meant it had located the file that had the corrupted data that was causing the problem and was now working on removing it.

[Ryan Alexander]

The girl was stuttering and blushing and Ryan thought it was all too cute. She introduced herself, and then pointed out the open door. Ryan's eyes widened.

"Crap!" She ran for the door, but she tripped over the floor and fell flat on her face with a grunt. She instead just focused on the door hinges and closed the door with her metal manipulation and locked it. Then she sighed and rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Shoot that actually kind of stung." She laughed though. Ryan sat up and just sat there on the floor and looked at Erin kind of quizzically.

"Hmm. Erin Hackett. Sweet name." She was still tempted to call the girl 'cute geek' though. That blushing was cute after all. But she didn't want to be mean.

"So why are you all cooped up in here when it's a beautiful day for mischief outside? I mean...I ran in here as a last resort and you're here by choice? The environment's so damn...educational feeling." She shuddered.

"Even the fact that it's mostly made of metal doesn't give me comfort." She shook her head.

"However, if I hadn't put soap in that guy's sandwich, I also wouldn't have run into you. So that prank worked okay even if I WAS caught I suppose." She was just musing to herself. In truth, she wasn't sure what to do in this situation. What were you supposed to do when locked in a room with a pretty girl who was blushing and stuttering and you couldn't help but spout compliments without helping yourself? There should be some sort of handbook for that! Ryan sighed.

"Sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. Not so good at the whole...talking to people thing. I talk too much and kind of use too many words and it kind of frequently turns into a huge mess."

[Erin Hackett]

Erin watched as the girl moved to close the door but ended up falling flat on her face. Ouch. Erin winched a little at seeing that happened, but a part of her was also chuckling on the inside at the fact that the girl had tripped in such a way. It was practically impossible to not laugh when someone hurt themselves. Unless a bone was sticking out or something just looked like he had broken something serious, it was hard to not laugh at people’s pain. Perhaps it was just an awkward release for the body when it saw someone in pain or something. She was not a Biology Major or anything like that so she had no clue.

"Y-you okay?" Erin asked, slowly reaching for her backpack because she always had a first aid kit with her. When your power often gave your bad headaches and nose bleeds, well it was best to be prepared for it all in general. Plus she often got cuts and burns from when she was working with computers from time to time. The other girl sat down on the floor and spoke of how Erin Hackett was a sweet name. Erin could not help but to smile at that, feeling the ego boost from the complement to her name. "I was helping fix the computers...and I'm not really an outside person." Erin admitted as she played with the end of her shirt with one hand while she clicked a few things on the computer with her other hand.

There was a comment about even with the place being full of metal didn't make her comfortable, so she assumed it had something to do with her power. Erin shook the girls hand back, before holding it in her own, as if making sure she was actually touched by another girl. Then she was talking about how she put soap in some guy’s sandwich, it being a prank, and then how it worked out well because she didn't get caught and was now here. Locked in a room with Erin, who was certainly not forgetting about the fact that they were both in a locked room together. Alone. "N-no, it's okay. I'm not so good at talking to people either so...so it's cool." Erin said and then she fell silent. What was she supposed to say?!

[Ryan Alexander]

"Fine, fine. Only thing hurt is my pride." Although to be honest that was quite a severe injury for Ryan, especially in the situation she was in. In front of a girl she thought was pretty...well she had really wanted to look cool, but now she was just going to have to be herself. Or try to relax, anyways.

"Not an outside person huh? Well you just haven't figured out the right things to do. You do realize there are things you can do, right? That aren't necessarily outside activities but yet still help you fulfill your vitamin D requirement?" She grinned.

"I'm glad you're not so good at it...I mean...ugh no I didn't mean it like that. I'm not glad you're awkward like that because I wouldn't wish that on anyone. But I'm glad you're not totally judging me. I mean...I guess...yeah that's it."

[Erin Hackett]

"Alright...if you are sure." Erin responded, not wanting to try and bandage the girl all up if she was fine. She put away her first aid kit back into her backpack and watched the girl closely. She hoped the girl didn't have a head injury and was trying to play if off or anything, but she didn't have the gull to try and push the matter anymore. So she just sat there in silence and tried to not make it obvious that she was sort of checking out the girl...for more than just any possible injuries.

What? She liked her some girls and this was a girl who was pretty to look at so no one could judge her or wanting to get a good look. Plus it was just her and the other girl so it was not like anyone was around to judge her. Erin shook her head no at the question and was going to say more but waited for the other girl to finish first. Right, she knew there were things one could do outside; she just didn't want to do any of them. Why do things outside when you can do them inside where you didn't have to worry about getting bit by bugs and could control the weather?

"I...I drink orange juice and take vitamins to make up for my lack of sun and...I do go outside...just no often." Erin pointed out as she tried to keep a hold of her courage to actually talk to the girl. Thankfully the girl was not standing super close to her or anything so it was not that hard to keep it together and focus on just talking for the time being. It was interesting to see another girl so...flustered and having a hard time just talking to someone. Erin could obviously relate and it made her smile just a little bit. "It's okay, I get what you mean. Don't even worry about it." Erin assured her, thinking of what could help ease the other girl.

"Uh, feel free to have a seat, just don't touch any of the computers, I'm running a program." Erin informed her. So long as they were not touched, things would go smoothly for what she was doing, and it was almost done. It was nice in a way to have someone to look at; talk to. Erin totally meant talk to in her head.

[Ryan Alexander]

Ryan heard the girl talk about orange juice and vitamins and that she understood what Ryan meant. All Ryan could do was mumble.

"Understood what I meant. That's a new one." She was kind of trying not to stare at the girl. She'd been told it was rude to stare. Normally such moral codes didn't bother Ryan, but this girl likely went by those same moral codes and Ryan didn't really want to look a fool anymore than she already did. Erin, or cute geek as Ryan was mentally calling her still, invited her to sit and Ryan gave a small, semi-shy smile as she stood up and brushed off the front and back of her pants before sitting down in a chair near the girl. And then she continued trying to subtly look at the girl. She shouldn't stare she shouldn't stare she shouldn't stare...

"I...will try not to. Star-I mean messupyourcomputers." The correction came out in a rush and Ryan felt her cheeks flush with heat as she turned bright red. Kind of felt like disappearing might be okay for once. She looked down at her lap and clasped and unclasped her hands.

"Although I can't predict what my powers will do. I kind of set off metal detectors so I don't know what else I accidentally could do." She sighed. Then she heard footsteps towards the door. She heard a voice sigh and mutter something about going back for keys.

"Crap." She looked at Erin and then at the door.

"Follow me. You are a witness to any crime I have committed and therefore you cannot be caught either." Now to go through the other door, or to open the metal vent and try to crawl to freedom? She really was having a hard time deciding. Going through the door would be a faster, easier exit. But going through the vent...well...enclosed space with a pretty girl kind of had its merits too. Especially if she managed to work it so that said pretty girl crawled first.

[Erin Hackett]

Erin didn't say anything at first when the girl spoke of it being a new thing of someone understanding what she meant. At least that was what she was assuming but either way didn't really know what to say on the matter. It was still difficult to talk to a girl, but Erin was trying and thus why she offered the girl to sit down. It was being polite and at least if the girl did really hurt herself it was best to sit still to actually make sure she was okay. Erin was mostly trying to put her focus on the computer, but it was kind of hard not to notice someone looking at you when you were looking at them.

It caused her to blush a little and wonder if there was something on her face or if she had spilled something on her shirt. She was already looking down to check and casually rubbing at her face to see if she felt anything there. Then the girl was speaking, saying that she was going to try not to do something followed by words that came out all squished together. Luckily Erin spoke that language well enough to know what the girl was saying in order to respond back. "Thanks, it would suck to...uh...have to rerun the program over...after making sure the systems were not damaged in any way." Erin responded back, still very nervousness and not helped by the fact that the girl was also nervousness around her.

Did I do something? Maybe she is afraid of girls? Or I'm just so sexy she can't stand it. Yeah right to the last one, Erin. Erin thought to herself as she looked at the computer as the download was nearing completion. The sound of keys and the girl starting to freak out and say that Erin had to follow her since she was a witness. Erin was not really sure how she was a witness in all of this since she had only seen the girl run into the room. "W-wait. You don't have to go anywhere. Well I mean like...just take my hand for a second." Erin said as she hesitantly held out her hand to the other girl. Her power would solve this problem the girl was having in a blink of an eye, literally.

[Ryan Alexander]

Now the other girl was nervous too. Crap crap crap why would the other girl be nervous around Ryan? Ryan had a reason to feel nervous, but why...and then the girl offered the hand and Ryan stared at it for a moment like it was an alien lifeform. Then she turned tomato red.

"Uh...ok? I...uh...guess that gets rid of option number one of why you're nervous." She mumbled to herself.

"Thought for sure it was that she was scared of me, or didn't want to touch me and get lesbian germs...I admit it is nice that that isn't the case considering she's cute but...hmmm...why would she be nervous then?" She had meant to say all that in her head. Ryan didn't even realize she'd said it aloud.

"So...not that it isn't nice to hold your hand, but shouldn't we be, you know, running?"

[Erin Hackett]

It was hard to not be nervous around someone who was being nervous around her. Why were they nervous? What had Erin done or said to cause her to react in such a way? All those and more had Erin wondering and just slightly panicking in general. Erin was very easily affected by people’s emotions around her and it was not because she was an empathy or anything but simply the fact that she was still not the best at socializing with people. Even with those that she considered her friends she had a hard time talking to at times or dealing with how they behaved from time to time. She was working on getting used to it and getting better but it was still a very much 'work in progress' sort of thing.

Then Ryan started to speak of how that got rid of one option of why Erin was nervous. She kept talking then and by the way she was speaking Erin was pretty sure the girl had meant for that to be an inside thought. Erin had that problem as well, but thankfully not as bad as the girl had it. She tended to let little things slip out, not fully blown thoughts in her head. Now she felt bad for the girl but it still didn't help her nerves. If anything it made them worse because of what the girl was saying. She wondered if she should say anything or not, thinking of how she felt when people would catch on to what she said.

However; if she didn't say anything the girl would not get better at it. At least that was how it worked sometimes for Erin when her friends would occasionally point out a thought that had slipped out past her lips. "I...well I was not aware that you were a lesbian...so I would not have been worried about the uh....germs. I'm actually a lesbian so...no worries. Uh...it's cause you are, well you are cute as well and you are being nervous around me so...yeah, that’s why I'm nervous." Erin responded, struggling and hesitating a little as she spoke since it was odd to even talk about this in such a manner.

That and she was still not sure if she had even pointed it out to the girl, but it was too late to take it all back now. Now she just had to focus on using her power to keep them hidden long enough for the 'danger' that was after Ryan to pass. Her eyes dilated and to anyone that walked into the room, they would not see or even hear what Ryan and Erin were saying. "Uh...my um, my power makes it so no one can see or hear me and whatever I'm touching. So no need to run." Erin answered since it would not be obvious to Ryan since she was holding the girl's hand and thus the girl was within her power as well.

[Ryan Alexander]

Ryan just looked at her. A lesbian who thought she was cute and was getting nervous because Ryan herself was nervous? That was enough to process. Then she dropped the bomb that her power was concealment and Ryan grinned.

"That is so cool. All I can do is manipulate metal and set off metal detectors, and you can make yourself completely undetectable. You're cleaning computers when you could be a freakin' SUPER SPY?" If she wasn't holding hands she'd clap her hands in glee...holding hands...holding hands.

"Uh...I think my brain just shorted out." She shook her head quickly and briefly then realized the implications...the reason the girl had mentioned she was a lesbian was because...Ryan...had...talked...aloud.

"Oh no I said all that aloud didn't I?" She closed her eyes in a wince.

"I totally didn't mean to. It just happens. And now once again I'm a total weirdo." On the plus side, she wasn't as nervous as before. She just had a general sense of OHMYGODIAMSOEMBARRASSED with a pinch of CRAPPRETTYGIRLWHATDOIDO. She just stood there blinking as she heard the keys jingle and the door open. The person looked around, made a noise of general confusion and then walked out. Once the footsteps had receded a safe distance down the hall, Ryan sighed.

"I think my brain really has shorted out though. Seriously. Too many things for this little head to take in at once. Never mind the fact it will probably jumble at some point and turn into a very weird piece of art featuring keys and a blank sheet of paper with room written on it or something. Generally brain frazzling encounters with people manifest in that way. Crap I'm talking way too much aren't I?" She realized she could probably let go of the girl's hand now, but she just kind of looked down at it and then back up at Erin and then back down again. Wasn't sure she actually wanted to be the one to initiate that.

[Erin Hackett]

The other girl was just looking at her, which didn't help settle Erin down at all. It just made a the blush on her face spread a little more. Erin smiled a little at the complement about her power but didn't see how what the girl could do was any less impressive. Erin could hide yes, but that was nothing compared to being able to move metal with your mind. At least that was what Erin was assuming the other girl did it. "Well...I mean at least you would be able to protect yourself in a fight, all I could do is run." Erin responded, trying to point out how the other girl did have a pretty good ability.

Erin could not help but to chuckle a little at the thought of being a super spy. She thought about it but it was too much physical activity. She was fine being on the spy team and not having to leave the computer set up in a creepy can or something along those spy nerds in movies. Then there was the comment about her brain sorting out, which had Erin just blinking and unsure what to say. Was being around the technology and having a metal based power messing with her? Erin was not sure but now she was wondering if it was okay for the girl to be around the computers. Then the girl caught on that she had said things out loud, which had Erin giving a small nod.

"Yeah...you did, but it's cool." Erin said, understanding on some level because she had the habit of slipping things out every once and a while. She was doing her best to make it come off like it was not all that big of a deal, because it was not like she said she wanted to do Erin. That would have been awkward to hear out loud. Another comment about her brain sorting out followed by a bit of ramblings from Ryan. Erin could not help but to smile a little because at least she was not the only person who did this sort of thing. It still didn't help calm her nerves because the other girl still didn't really come off as calm, but she was doing her best to not panic.

When the coast was clear Erin did go to let go of the other girl's hand, especially because she was looking down at the hand and then back at Erin like she did want to let go of Erin's hand. Hope my hand was not like sweaty or something. Erin thought to herself as she whipped her hands on her pants just to be safe. Now she felt even more awkward fit the girl had to hold her sweaty hand. "You are uh...in the clear now." Erin responded, giving Ryan a smile.

[Ryan Alexander]

"While I do enjoy a good fight, running is infinitely much easier." Erin chuckled and then said it was fine that she'd said it aloud. Ryan turned as bright as her hair.

"No it is not cool. I definitely do not look cool right now." She sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. Looking cool had been her aim here from the beginning. That and hiding from the jerk who wanted her to apologize for the soap in his sandwich. But looking cool was looking more and more like an impossible aim to have. And then the girl took away her hand and wiped it on her jeans. Ryan showed a bit of visible disappointment she had to admit. But...wiping it against her pants...Ryan looked at her own hand.

"Was my hand sweaty? I didn't think my nervousness around you had showed up in that way but perhaps...if so I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make the experience unpleasant." She bit her lip, not sure what else to say. Or perhaps she had already said enough.

[Erin Hackett]

The other girl; Ryan, pointed out that while she did like to fight that it was easier to just run. Erin could agree there for the main fact that she didn't really fight. She fought in video games and through hacking when she wanted revenge on someone’s. She was very much the kind of person who would make sure to get even but the way she would do it would be sneaky. She was not combat trained; well she did know some martial arts, but that was for self-defense purpose and she was more likely to run or just vanish before she would use them.

Erin just nodded, agreeing with the girl and just trying to find her voice again after the fact that she was holding the girl's hand and using her power. Her head hurt a little bit and her eyes were started to water up a little bit but she was fine overall. Ryan was then pointing out how it was not cool that she thought out loud and looked completely defeated. Erin pulled on the end of her own shirt a little more as she tried to think of what to say. "I uh...I talk out loud from time to time so...it really it not that bad. It just happens...and it's not like you said anything creepy or too weird." Erin pointed out.

This was difficult, trying to assure a pretty girl everything was cool and alright when they were the nervous ones and just making Erin all the more nervous. The question at the sweaty hand comment had Erin quickly shaking her head no several times. "Oh no! N-not at all. I just uh...I thought mine was. You were looking at it...and then to me when we were h-holding hands so...I thought my hands were." Erin stuttered a little to get out, but still managed to get it all out there. Ugh Erin, you are awful. Now you made her feel bad. Do something. Say something. Erin thought to herself as she tried to think up something to say.

"I like your hair." Erin said. A mental face palm happened inside her head at the fact that she went really out there on a limb to say something, but at least she said something.