Cheap Trick

[Patch Adams]

It was odd for someone who basically owned a bookstore to be at the library to find a book. Even weirder when it was Patch Adams. The boy was allergic to being around books that had actual information in them instead of fiction but there he was, at the local library, looking for a specific book.

A book which someone else was holding on to that he couldn't find on the shelves.

That the someone else was a pretty redhead almost made him think the circumstances were too good to be true. Walking up to her, he cleared his throat and gave her his most winning smile. "Hey, do you mind if I just borrow that real quick? I just need to photocopy a few pages and I'll bring it back to you. Is that okay?"

Tagged: Mercedes Allen

[Mercedes Allen]

    Technically, Mercedes wasn't even supposed to be in the library, legal issues and whatnot, but she was bored. Very bored. So bored that she'd risk being arrested for trespassing in order to cure it. She had successfully snuck past the lady at the front desk, finding refuge in the nonfiction isle where she busied herself with finding something interesting to sink her teeth into.

    She picked a book off of the shelf that seemed to spark her interest, opening it up and leafing through the pages. Now even though she was out of sight of the front desk she was still a bit on edge, the unlikely but possible possibility of going to jail because of trespassing on government land she was band from weighing heavily on her conscience. That's why it was perfectly normal for her to act suspicious when somebody clears their throat as a way to get her attention.

    She jumped, taking on that 'dear in the headlights' look as she slammed the book closed. One look at the source however made her feel quite a bit sheepish. "Um, yes. Of course," she answered with a breathy laugh, a bit embarrassed. Mercedes offered him the book, giving it to him with both hands since the book had a bit of weight to it.

[Patch Adams]

The surprise the girl displayed made him feel a little bad for sneaking up on her. Although given that he did announce himself and he did approach from the side, in a public library, did leave some leeway for him to breathe easy that he didn't do it on purpose. He gave her a sheepish, apologetic grin anyway.

Taking the book from her, he paused for a moment to take her whole demeanour before deciding to overstep his boundaries, as he was wont to do.

"Forgive me for asking but...are you okay? I didn't scare you too much, did I?" He gave her a questioning grin.

The surprise the girl displayed made him feel a little bad for sneaking up on her. Although given that he did announce himself and he did approach from the side, in a public library, did leave some leeway for him to breathe easy that he didn't do it on purpose. He gave her a sheepish, apologetic grin anyway.

Taking the book from her, he paused for a moment to take her whole demeanour before deciding to overstep his boundaries, as he was wont to do.

"Forgive me for asking but...are you okay? I didn't scare you too much, did I?" He gave her a questioning grin.

[Mercedes Allen]

    "Oh, I'm fine. Just watched one too many scary movies last night, so I'm a bit on edge," she lied rather smoothly, even adding an embarrassed chuckle at the end. She instantly regretting saying what she did. She didn't want to say the real reason, it was embarrassing. Getting banned from the library for fighting with a spoiled preteen over the importance of Shakespearean literature is not something she'd readily admit, but there was ways around lying.

    She immediately switched topics, not giving him a chance to respond to her previous false confession. "I'm Mercedes by the way," she smiled, holding her hand out for him to shake.

[Patch Adams]

Had Patch been aware of the little white lie the girl concocted on the spot, he still wouldn't have called her out on it. It wasn't unbecoming of a fellow to embarrass a potential flirting partner, unless it was something he was sure would be advantageous to him. As it were, he let the reasoning slide and accepted the introduction with a smile.

"Patch. Well, Patrick but nobody calls me that. Do people often call you Mercedes or is there a nickname I should be aware of?" Patch asked, taking her offered hand and giving it a light shake, letting it linger a while.

[Mercedes Allen]

    "Nope, no nickname tha-" Mercedes' sentence came to an abrupt halt as their hands came into contact. Her smile instantly fell, her eyebrows knitting together as a strong feeling of dread washed over her. Goosebumps rose along Mercedes' arms and she almost retracted her hand in surprise, but she refrained from doing so. Noticing how rude she might've come across as
she quickly fixed her expression and continued her sentence, a new curiosity laced in her tone and shining in her eyes, "No nickname that I know of at least." As soon as she released his hand the feeling instantly dulled down, becoming almost undetectable.


    Her inner scientist was screaming for her to investigate more into the issue, but unfortunately questioning a stranger about their medical history and psychological well-being isn't exactly acceptable behavior. She opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but closed it once more. She was puzzled, so much so that she didn't even know where to begin.

[Patch Adams]

The sudden pause in the girl's speech had Patch furrowing his eyebrows before smoothing it out when she finished her sentence. He wondered if it was the handshake that had freaked her out so he pulled his hand away from her and tucked it under the book he was holding.

He wondered if he should point out the sudden change. After some thought, he mentally shook his head and plastered a smile.

"Mercedes it is. I'm going to go and copy this. If you're not doing anything else, maybe you'd like to join me for coffee?"

[Mercedes Allen]

    He probably thought she was insane, if not socially inept. He had the right to think so. She would be a bit creeped out by her actions if she was in his shoes, and she couldn't help but admire his gentlemanly behavior towards her peculiar mannerisms. Well, he must have not been that disturbed by her if he invited her for coffee.

    She couldn't have asked for a better way to figure out what exactly she had just experienced. More time with him would give her the chance to get to know Patch better, and perhaps figure out why she feels that much dread when they come into contact. She gave him a genuine smile, a hint of relief in her voice as she spoke, "Coffee sounds great.". Beyond solving her mystery Patch seemed like a nice guy. Spending time with him seemed quite enjoyable.

[Patch Adams]

He had honestly seen worst. In a town filled with mutants and extremists on both sides, her looking blankly at him seemed like a really minor thing.

Grinning and nodding when she accepted his offer, he slid the book back on the shelf and tucked the copied papers under his arm before guiding them both to the exit. "So what do you do besides skulking in dimly lit sections of the library, reading books on abnormal psychology?"

The grin on his face told her that he was clearly kidding.