Awkward

[Blair Collins]

Blue eyes scanned rows upon rows of video games. There were so many of them that they started to blur together. At least, it seemed this way to Blair. She rubbed her eyes, cursing her sensitive vision. A sharp pain shot to her head--an after-effect of the SPRITE. A slight use was a pain so an overload of information was killer.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her ash-blonde hair. Why was she doing this? For a boy? Lister made it clear he was not in the least bit interested in her. It had been three years, damn it. Why was she still not over it? No, she was doing this for herself. Her parents never allowed her to play video games as a kid. And being the goodie-two-shoes she was, she obeyed.

The girl lifted her head and stretched her neck. Who knew picking a video game was harder than choosing a movie? She looked around the store again and Benjamin Banks caught her eye. The boy Lister was so hung up on. Steeling her nerves, she approached him. "Hi, Benjamin." She attempted a smile and stuffed her hands into her jeans pockets.

[Benjamin Banks]

Ben was pretty sure he was safe at the mall, LDR didn't like crowds and he was sure that no one he didn't want to run into would be in the video game. He hadn't had much time to actually play the video games which was why he was really enjoying looking around. School had slowed down in an intensity and it was all about writing a bunch of papers and reading. Most of the books he had already read so he had free time.

He had already picked out five games by the time he heard his name, he didn't want to look up. He hadn't wanted to hear that voice addressing him...ever. "My name is Ben, I'd appreciate it if you would use it like everyone else" He said with a slight chill to his voice and then he turned around and faced her.

"Hello Blair" He felight like he was an evil villain meeting his nemesis only, he was really hoping the sharks would actually eat her.

Blair Collins

[Blair Collins]

One corner of her lips twitched in annoyance. Ouch. Well, wasn't he friendly indeed. Blair bit her lip to keep from retorting something rude. So cold. She wondered what Lister saw in him to be so hung up for so long. Or maybe this icey treatment was special for her alone. A chill ran down her spine.

"And I would appreciate it if you were just a little nicer," she said with as little emotion as possible. But she kept her smile on--though this was as fake as Benjamin's nonchalance. "But we don't all get what we want, Mr. Freeze." She exhaled softly. "Sorry. I usually call people by the full first names--force of habit."

She had thought the boy would be over it by now. It had been three years and she herself had barely talked with Lister either. After a short mental debate, she decided to break the rules of social protocol. She did not need to take this shit. "Why so on edge today, frostie?"

[Benjamin Banks]

"Actually, this is me being nice" Ben said no change in his tone at all. She didn't deserve his kindness. In actuality she didn't deserve his time, at least in his mind but yet he knew it was only polite to talk to her. He told everyone he was over it, he had admitted to his sister that she was right, he was just a confused fifteen year old..no big deal. Only that was a lie and he had come to realize that, but she didn't need to know...no one needed to know.

"In some cultures use of the first name is an intimate thing" He just didn't allow anyone but teachers and family to call him by his full first name. It always felts as if there was a certain respect that was demanded when his first name was use, and Blair wasn't one of those people who had any right to demand that respect. "it's fine, I suppose" He said as if he was being kind and merciful forgiving her for using his full name. He really didn't want to make her think that he wanted to be her friend. He was not about to lose to her again, wasn't she happy enough getting the one thing/person he wanted more than anything?

"I happen to be very relaxed, Frostie? How...clever of you" He said sighing and putting the game he was looking at back. The universe was definitely out to get him.

[Blair Collins]

She kinked an eyebrow at his first statement, unconvinced. "Well then, I'd hate to get on your bad side," she murmured, looking down. She stuffed her hands in her back pockets then. Ugh, she was nervous, she knew. She never liked insensitive people--she found them inconsiderate. But more than that, she disliked insincerity. This whole facade of Benjamin's irked her. How could someone keep a grudge for more than two years?

Then again, he and Lister did have quite a bit of history before she showed up. Was she the girl who ruined everything between them then? In a movie, she would probably be considered the "bad guy", the antagonist. One of the ones before the one. The boundary the leading man and his love interest had to work through. Gosh, when she start becoming so dramatic?

"You must really like Lister." It took a second or so for her to realize that she said this out loud. Shit. She should really learn to filter her words. She looked up to see the boy's reaction.

[Benjamin Banks]

[blockquote

Ben sighed, it seemed that three years of avoiding them had been all the universe was going to allow him. What better way to test how little he cared about the situation. He knew on a logical level that being mean to the girl wasn't helping him in anyway. To be honest he found her completely irrelevant to him and LDR being friends, she was in the way and obviously needed to go away but he didn't say that. Instead he just shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah.." As if she wasn't, it was just not the place to talk about grudges and well she didn't seem like the type of person that..did she just say that outloud?

He stared at Blair with a blank expression and then shrugged "Our friendship was based on trust, he broke that trust and while we were good friends, I don't see how we could possible be friends again with that breach of trust." He said, almost robotically, it wasn't as if he hadn't memorized it over and over again. He figured if he said it enough than he believe it, because there was no reason for him to still be this upset over something so stupid and unimportant.

Blair Collins

[Blair Collins]

A small laugh escaped her before she could suppress it. "Do you have that written down somewhere?" she jibed playfully. She knew a rehearsed line when she heard one. He said it so naturally but it lacked any emotion. He was in denial. "I am not really in the picture anymore, if that is any consolation." She lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug and looked at the boy. He did have physical appeal but she was sure there was more than that--otherwise Lister was an idiot.

She rocked on her heels. In all honesty, Blair did not know why she was doing this. Why was she trying to help another ship sail? She had been miserable since getting rejected by Lister. In no way would this help her relationship with him. It was not like she owed Benjamin anything. It was not her fault he did not try to patch things up. So why did she even bother?

She enjoyed the silence for a while--though it was more than just slightly awkward. Who knew what would come out of her mouth if she opened it? "Do you blame me?" she asked. Yep, should have kept it shut.