Roomies

As Lark walked the girl to the nurse's office, she was finding herself having to console the girl as well. The girl was absolutely hysterical, and for good reason.

"Shh... Shh.. Look, it's okay. What's your name?"

"A-Amy," The girl muttered.

"Okay, how old are you?" Lark was just trying to get information to tell the nurse if the girl was unable to and to make slight conversation.

"S-sixteen."

"Alright, alright. Do you have any pets?"

The forced conversation went all the way to the office where Lark saw Joe standing before the nurse with a small bundle in his hands. The girl started sobbing once more and Lark let the nurse take her. When Joe walked over, Lark took the food in her hands--quite surprised.

"I was walking back when I heard something. I thought it was my imagination so I started to walk again until I heard it louder. When I heard the second voice I was certain it was in a classroom. Turns out it was a storage closet. The kid who gave me this bruise was trying to get it on with her."

Lark set down the food on the table and sighed, rolling her shoulder. She had punched hard and of course it was with her left hand.

"That girl is going to be so messed up."
 
"He didn't get away, did he? This really just isn't right..." Joseph sighed- he was a bit old-fashioned despite his usual appearance of being generally disinterested. He was the type who believed hitting a girl or forcing her into something was always wrong. Then again, being raised in a house with many other kids including girls and boys alike, he had been taught that so that the kids would all get along well without any troubles. There were certainly issues here or there, but none of the girls got abused. The fact that this was happening in his own school bothered him quite a bit.

"She's lucky you found her." He changed his frame of thought as he kept an eye on Lark curiously, noticing as she rolled her shoulder. "Whether you are or not is another story...Let's make sure we get another pain patch on you tonight- I'd say today, but I don't know if we can go back to get you one." He smiled weakly, his concern rather apparent, though the true cause of his concern remained unknown. Perhaps it was just his instincts, but something seemed rather unsettling to him still- but he'd fight it with his own gut rather than word it out, not wanting to cause more trouble than there was already.

As he stood and watched her, he looked towards a nearby clock- classes were going to start soon, but he wasn't sure if it was a good idea for either of the girls to go in that state- and if that was so, should he be going and leaving them there? However, he realized that it would be better to warn the teachers if the other two wouldn't be there. He turned to look to the nurse. "Can you tell me where her classroom is? I'll let the teacher know she's here, so that they won't trouble her later with it...Or is that the wrong approach?" He then looked to Lark again. "Are you staying or going, though? I'll let our teacher know too, if you want to stay here for a while- to rest your arm." He wouldn't include that it was possible she wanted to stay with the other girl, instead trying to give her an excuse if she needed one. If not, she wouldn't use it, he was sure.
 
"I gave him something to think about," Lark said, hostile. "I'm just glad I got to her in time."

Lark heard his question and looked at him, thinking. She wanted to make sure the girl was all right. The nurse might want to tell Lark something as well.

"Um... You go ahead. I'm going to stay with her for a bit before I head out myself. I should be back by PE at least."

When Joe left, Lark sat in a plastic chair next to the nurse's desk and waited patiently. After a while the nurse came out, somber.

"The girl is fine. It seems Jace is her boyfriend, quite abusive too. She has a lot of bruises. She's also insisted that you hang around. By the look of your hand, you must have punched him pretty hard."

"Uh... Yeah," Lark said, a small smile forming on her lips. "It was kind of instinctual."

The nurse nodded and crossed her arms. "Keep an eye on her. Be her friend, doesn't look like you have many considering your situation," Before Lark could say something the nurse added, "A lot of students come in here."

Lark nodded and glanced at the bundle of food Joe brought her, her eyebrows lifted in curiosity. Why did he bring a plate of food for her? Shrugging, Lark pulled the napkin back and started to pick at the food.
 
Joe left when told to, heading to the two classrooms he had to. After going to the girl of the injured girl, he went ahead to his own classroom, telling the teacher of Lark's current absence, and that she would likely miss class. Once he had done such, he was sure to get her work for her as a natural instinct, then went to do his own. Wanting to be a good classmate, he ended up taking a second set of notes for her, since they were doing actual work- thus, he was partially relieved to have left his book in their room, even if the fact did still bother him.

When they had a bit of a break, he worked to finish copying his notes over to another separate page that he'd be able to give to Lark. However, he was unsure of where to keep the page, and sighed slightly. The girl he'd met the day before smiled and helped him a bit with figuring it out, thus he managed to have it folded carefully in the front of his notebook.

When class ended, Joseph rushed to the locker rooms, changing quickly before looking around the gymnasium in his gym uniform. He was looking carefully for his roommate, uncertain if she made it or not. He waited for a moment, figuring if she wasn't there, he'd explain to the teacher- but he had to wait until he was sure she wasn't there yet. Thus, he waited carefully and was sure to stay on watch, treating the search like reading a book so he'd stay focused.
 
"Are you going to be okay?" Lark asked, concerned.

"Yeah... I'll be fine," Amy said in a small voice. Her hair was tied up in a pony tail and her big eyes looked down the hall. Lark sighed. A girl that cute, it sucked that she was stuck with someone like Jace.

The two girls headed for the locker rooms and Lark quickly changed and sauntered into the the gym with Amy just as the bell rang.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, FIVE LAPS. GO!"

While everyone groaned, Lark went straight to work and finished her five laps before anyone else and sat on the benches breathing heavily. Looking dow, she saw Amy hiding. Smiling to herself, Lark bent down to look through the gap and smiled as Amy made eye contact.

"Well, this is interesting."

"Shhh. Don't say anything, she might catch me."

Lark shrugged and sat back, leaning on her hands as she watched people run by slowly.
 
Joe was in the middle in terms of speed. He'd been relieved to notice Lark and Amy when they came to gym, and that relief seemed to make him a bit slower than the previous day- however, he managed to catch himself thinking too much while in class, and soon switched to running a bit faster, making his way past the benches soon enough. He kept an eye on them each time he passed until finishing his five laps, figuring it better to make sure the two were safe and at ease. When he was done, he moved to the benches himself, finishing towards the beginning of the middle group. Taking a seat near Lark without being too close, he smiled as he looked at the two girls who seemed to be doing better than earlier on, then turned to look at the people who hadn't finished running yet.

He was sitting happily when the laps were finished by the last runner, but was caught off guard when the teacher touched his shoulder to get his attention. Apparently, she was relieved that he'd actually participated- the day before, his disinterest had concerned her, and she was very quick to tell him of it. "My apologies. I was caught in my book."

"You shouldn't bring books to gym class anyway." The teacher scolded, but he merely brushed it off- not having a book was abnormal to him. "Even bookworms need exercise, Koizumi."

"Books exercise the brain. And I can still exercise enough with my book here." He responded. She hit his head lightly in a playful manner before turning to give directions to the class again. He laughed nervously- had he just enraged someone he shouldn't? He'd have to be careful later, but for the time being tried to ignore it. Instead, he turned back to look at Lark and Amy, smiling to them. "You're fast, aren't you? I can see why you were excited about the notation of sports the other day."
 
Lark glanced over at Joe and smiled.

"Ha, yeah, kind of. Having an older brother who was really into sports kind of helps. He had me run some drills with him. "I'm not going to have a weak little sister. You better be able to kick someone's ass when needed." He used to say that all the time."

Lark laughed softly to herself. The teacher shouted to get started on playing sports. Today it was volleyball. While the boys groaned about how it was a "girl's sport", Lark glanced at Joe once again as he walked over to the floor. She was wondering if all of the gestures he was giving her with the food and the statement about the pain patch was out of being a good roommate or something different. When Joe looked back, Lark stood up quickly and looked down, making sure she didn't trip and fall. Lark grabbed a volleyball and pounded it to the ground. A couple of girls pulled her toward their side of the gym and spoke to her about how they wanted her on their team.

"Okay, okay. Relax. I got it, I got it. Sheesh."

Lark struggled out of their grasp and stepped behind the line, getting ready for a serve. Tossing it up in the air, Lark took two steps before jumping up and slamming her hand against the ball, sending it quickly over the net and hearing a loud smack as it hit the floor. Smiling to herself, Lark took the ball again to serve and this time was glad to get a hit from the other side. Rushing back into the box, Lark helped the girls with their volleys. By the end of class, Lark was sweating slightly and breathing heavily again. A dull throb was hurting her shoulder and Lark was glad to have lunch quickly after this period. Having a resting period sounded quite lovely at the moment.
 
He chuckled in response to the girl's note about her brother, before returning to watching the teacher. If one were to ask Joseph about the reasons behind most of his actions, especially those towards his roommate, it was likely he wouldn't even know the answer himself. The boy seemed quite serious, but it was also true that Joseph paid little heed to his reactions to things at time. He'd likely use his childhood to make a somewhat accurate reasoning for it, since there were many people at home when he was living at the time. There were many boys and girls, and they varied in how they needed to be treated- so over time, he'd forgotten how he treated most and just did the same with each one based on his current thought process.

Joseph was likely one of the few boys who didn't complain about playing a 'girl's sport' in class. To him, it wasn't about gender- the sport was a sport, and it was one he happened to be good at. Most of the guys didn't care who was on which team compared to the girls, but Joe managed to be on a team with another good sportsman. The two worked well- Joseph's ability to smash at the front was quite notable, as he was good at reaching and using his arms. Each time it was his turn to hit, he was rather accurate- much unlike what people expected of the boy who seemed rather plain in the athletic department. His partner, on the other hand, was good at getting to the balls quickly from the back- and thus they made a rather good team.

When class was ending, Joseph was sweating but not to a heavy amount, since his part of the game was much more stationary. As he stretched his arms, however, he groaned lightly- he'd pushed too hard, so one of his arms was really starting to feel the heat from being overworked. He'd need an ice pack later most likely, but for the moment he thought fine of himself. Instead, he stretched more carefully, moving to stretch the rest of his muscles before waving to Lark- he'd seen some of her games, and as usual her athletic skills were notable.

"Good job. Just be careful next time- you're injured, so you need to be careful or you'll make it worse." Not that he was one to talk at that point with his strained arms, but he felt a need to note it anyway before heading to the lockers. In the locker room, many guys were very hyperactive still, which was a bit of a chore for Joe before he finished changing- the talking wasn't something he was up to at that point. However, he was able to change quickly enough, using a handkerchief to wipe his forehead mildly before leaving to head to lunch. He was grateful to get some food into him, but was slow in walking because of being still tired.
 
Lark looked over at Joe right before she was about to enter the girl's locker room and shrugged.

"Yeah, but I mean, I love sports. I'll lay low for a while if it bothers you, though." Lark responded, laughing slightly.

While she was changing, Amy walked up to her, back in her uniform, and beamed.

"Wow, you're really good at sports."

Lark looked over and smiled. "Yeah, I guess. Helps having a brother around."

After changing quickly, Lark grabbed her things and headed toward the mess hall. She was able to smell the food right as she walked in and took a deep breath. Joe brought her breakfast, but Lark herself at a lot more in the morning so by this time, she was absolutely famished. After getting the food Lark sat down at the first free table she saw and got down to eating while Amy looked at her tray, then back at Lark's.

"How... Are you going to eat all that?" She asked, stumbling on her words.

Lark chuckled. "I've eaten a lot more. I didn't have a lot to eat for breakfast, so I'm super hungry."

"But... Where does it all go? You're so skinny."

"Not really, I just did a lot of sports so I need a higher calorie count. It's all good. Don't worry too much about it."

Lark continued eating and Amy slumped in her seat. Lark made it look so easy.
 
Joseph wasn't a picky eater, but his meals tended to be somewhat unbalanced. He had more starch on his plate than green vegetables, along with some meat. He took a fairly simple amount of food, not being particularly hungry as his biggest meal of the day was always breakfast, something he'd grown up learning rather than caring either way. He'd been pulled to sit with a couple of other book lovers who apparently had a little club of their own, but he didn't seem to talk to any of them. He ate simply, quietly and concisely. One of them, the girl in their first class he tended to sit next to, held a book up for him.

"Have you read this one before?" He looked up slightly to check the brown bound book. "It's a good read based on what you tend towards, from what I've seen."

"I'll read nearly anything once," Joseph replied simply, eating.

"It's hard to believe you're so good at sports when your head is always in the clouds," Another noted. He shook it off as neither an insult or a compliment. "How do you do it?"

"I'm good with my hands," He answered rather abruptly. Since he hadn't taken too much, he finished his food rather easily. "Speaking of books, though, I left mine in the dorm...I think there should be time before next class if I hurry." He stood and threw out his garbage, going to the dorms on his own, but stopped for a moment near Lark's table. He was going to ask her if she needed anything from their room, but was concerned it would bother her- he knew he'd been asked many questions about their living circumstances, and was sure she had as well. While it didn't bother him much, he wasn't sure how it affected her completely, and was afraid to embarrass her in front of a friend.

In order to counteract it, he waved slightly, using hand gestures to try to express he was going and wanted to know if she needed anything. However, sign language not being his forte, it looked more like he was asking her if she would come over, or was interested in joining him. This, however, he was not aware of.
 
"So," Amy started tentatively. She didn't want to bother Lark, however, she was quite curious about the situation. "How is it living with him?"

"Huh--oh. I guess it's not too bad. I guess it can be awkward, but other times, it's kind of just like living in our own worlds. We don't bother each other too much."

"Oh," Amy said, nodding.

She was watching Lark polish off the food on her plate. Looking down at hers, Amy reached for a fork to pick at her pasta, but reluctantly put it back on the tray.

"That pasta looks really appetizing," Lark commented. "You should eat it."

Amy looked up, surprised. "I... I guess. Yeah. I'm not that hungry though."

Lark narrowed her eyes for a moment, and then nodded. Looking over Amy's shoulder, she could see Joe motioning to her. Does he need to talk to me about something? Lark made a gesture saying, "What?"

"Is something wrong?" Amy asked.

Lark looked down at Amy and shook her head. "No, it's just Joe is being weird."

"Oh."

Amy picked up her fork again and moved it towards the pasta and took a small bite out of it. With obvious effort, Amy chewed the food and swallowed it.
 
Joe sighed when he was clearly not understood. I really have to work on sign language..It'd be helpful at times like these. He didn't watn to Joe sighed when he was clearly not understood. I really have to work on sign language..It'd be helpful at times like these. He didn't want to disturb her when she was eating, but as he polished her plate off, he let out a sigh and walked over to her, leaning on the table from next to her so that he was in view. "Sorry, I wanted to try avoiding bothering you while you were eating...But is there anything you need from the dorm? I'm heading back to get something."


He eyed Amy for a moment. She seemed unsteady as she ate, and it did catch his attention. She seemed to be struggling, but was it right to say something? That didn't matter- he did anyway. "You seem to be struggling with your food... Does it hurt to chew?" He frowned lightly- he was concerned, a natural habit despite his tendency to hide in his mind. He shook it off. "It's not my place to say, but it's best to tell someone when there's something troubling you. Relying on your friends is essential." Such a line from him, though seemingly normal in his mind, was a bit hard to place considering his tendency to do just the opposite many times.
 
Lark watched Amy for a moment before Joe came into view.

"No, I'm fine."

When Joe asked Amy the question she looked up quickly and set her fork down again.

"Um... Yeah, kind of," She said in a low voice and Lark nearly glared at Joe. "I'm fine. Just not feeling very hungry at the moment."

Lark took a breath and sighed deeply at Joe. Is he really that stupid? For the rest of the day, Lark went brooding around Joe and constantly kept Amy company. It didn't seem like she had many friends here. From what she heard Amy said, Amy seemed to have been going to this massive boarding school for quite a while. Her parents were wealthy and constantly busy, so they sent her off here for the year. During the summer, her parents dragged her around the world and Lark felt a slight pang of envy. Despite that, Lark can clearly see Amy's illness.

"Hey Amy," Lark said as the last class ended. "If you need to talk to anyone, you know, in private. I'm here for you. Just know that, okay? How about this..."

Lark took Amy's hand and took a pen out of her bag. Quickly, Lark scribbled down a series of numbers and handed Amy's pen back.

"That's my phone number. Text me or call me, okay? I'm in room 34A, if you haven't realized already."

Amy nodded slowly, surprised at the number written on her hand, looking as if it was some kind of mark from a supernatural being.

"O... Okay. Thank you."

Lark smiled. "No problem."
 
Joseph didn't seem to notice Lark's response to his question, but smiled easily despite the meek nature of Amy's voice at that point. "Don't force yourself if you're not hungry...But make sure you get enough nutrition too, okay?" He smiled gingerly, apparently not phased at all by the situation overall. He took that as a time to leave, since Lark had said she didn't need anything. Thus, he returned to the dorm to get his book.


After he retrieved his book, he was careful to lock the door. He went through each class easily, reading while paying attention as if it were second nature. He'd made acquaintances, but no particular friends, and seemed to have no interest in the later anyway. As he returned towards the dorms, he found a nice clearing just near the building, behind it. "This seems like a nice reading spot. Since there's time..." He let himself fall onto the grass, leaning on a nearby tree to read.


His eyes were struggling to stay open, however. The book was exciting, but held a certain lulling tendency to it. As if on cue with the main character, he fell asleep reading just as the character was dozing, and the book fell next to him onto the grass. He kept his eyes shut, breathing gently as he dozed under the tree. His mind brought him to many dreams, including concerns of home, concerns of his current residence with Lark, and to a fantasy he couldn't place all together.
 
(OOC: Sorry about the late reply. I had to work on a science project.)

Lark was walking back to her dorm when she happened to look out the massive window. The sun was shining and the trees outside seemed a lot greener than the morning. Perhaps it was the current condition of the weather or Lark's sudden good mood. She had made a friend, even if it was through unsavory circumstances. Looking farther out of the window she saw Joe leaning on a tree and it seemed like he was asleep. A smile pulled at the edge of her lips as she made her way outside.

Once she stepped out of the door, Lark had to squint through the sunlight in order to see. Quietly walking over to where Joe was asleep, Lark looked at the tree directly in front of him and started to climb. She lightly scraped her knee, but Lark didn't make a sound. Sitting on a thick branch, she swung her legs--silently watching Joe sleep. Lark didn't know what it was, but she liked to watch people sleep. It was a soothing kind of entertainment for her. As the sun started to set, Lark moved so that she was leaning against the trunk of the tree.

"Hey, Koizumi!" Lark shouted. "It's nearly dinner."
 
(OOC: It wasn't that late was it? But hope the science project went/is going well.)

He jumped as his eyes shot open from the shock- he'd been in a lighter part of his sleep cycle, thus easily was awoken by the shout. If he weren't already on the ground, he'd have fallen- but the jump did cause him to bump his head on the tree trunk behind him as he looked around. Looking upwards, he was able to see Lark on the tree branch, and a deep sigh escaped him out of relief. "You scared me, Lark." He noted the words carefully, calming himself and standing up to brush off his uniform pants.

He looked towards the sky slightly. The sun was setting? It was so bright when he'd been reading, but then again, he couldn't remember falling asleep. He turned to see the book on the ground, and picked it up to brush off the grass that tried to stain it. His eyes closed for a moment as he did so, to keep dirt out of his face, as he moved a few feet away from the tree to give Lark room to come down. "If it's dinner, than you should come down too. Unless you want me to get you some food and bring it for you out here."
 
Lark smiled.

"No, no. I'm coming down."

Swiftly, Lark jumped down and landed softly on her feet. Putting her hands in the pockets of her blazer, Lark made her way toward the door. She opened the door just as the phone buzzed in her pocket. Looking at the screen, she saw an unidentified number send a text. It's probably Amy. Lark swiped the screen and opened it to the text message. Replying quickly, Lark looked up to see Joe following behind her.

"That book seems interesting," Lark called over her shoulder.
 
Joseph watched her jump and land on her feet, comparing her in his head to a cat. He said nothing aloud about it, merely noting it to himself, and watched as she replied to a message on her phone. The fact that she'd gotten one made him seemingly pleased, since it meant she wasn't doing too bad socially in his mind. As he followed her in, he was surprised to her note of the book in his hands.

"It is so far. It's a good grasp of the time period...But it's too easy to get in tune with the character. Last I remember was reading about the character falling asleep and, well, I think you can guess the rest." He laughed nervously, scratching his neck in an awkward manner as he followed her. "You tend to listen to music a lot- do you enjoy reading as well?"
 
Lark glanced over her shoulder and smiled.

"Kind of. I used to a lot, but I got involved in a lot of things so I didn't really have the time to. I brought some of the books I bought at home before coming here, perhaps I'll get some time."

Walking towards the Mess Hall, Lark saw the glass case for school notifications doning a brand new, bright blue sheet of paper.

AUDITIONS FOR THE FALL PLAY BEGINNING IN TWO WEEKS AFTER CLASSES IN THE THEATRE

That's all Lark needed to see. She noted the room where applications can be picked up and she had a small bounce in her step. An audition for something, it should be fun. Continuing on towards the Mess Hall, Lark felt her phone buzz again and fished it out of her pocket. Reading the text message, Lark let out a little chuckle and replied back quickly.

"Hurry up, all the food will be gone by the time you get there!" She called to Joe.
 
"If you don't, I might just end up borrowing the books you brought," Joseph noted with a slight chuckle of sorts, smiling in return. It seemed he was starting to get along with his roommate, and though he wasn't too worried about it in the first place, he did prefer getting along over being enemies with someone he'd be living with for a long time.

He noticed her look towards the play, which made him curious. He wasn't likely to enter it- he wasn't an actor, though he was curious of the play itself. What would the story be? That was the type of thing that caught his attention. However, the bounce in her step did catch his notation. "Thinking of auditioning? I'll cheer for you to get the role you want." He smiled easily, though let it go as they continued, and as she replied to a message from her phone.

When she noted the lack of food as a possibility, he chuckled. "No need to worry about me. You can go ahead if I'm slowing you down, you know. I had enough for breakfast and such, so I don't need too much food, so just a bit will be plenty."
 
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