Not with a Fizzle but with a BANG!

[ALEX KING]

♪ Chemistry ♪

Alex could sing the word from the roof of the school but it wouldn’t change that she kind of stunk at that class. It wasn’t that she hated it or thought it was useless.. it was just that she didn’t get it! All those periodic tables? Sure, she knew a couple of the basics like Hydrogen and Oxygen. But she didn’t understand how the numbers really worked. Use 2 Oxygen to 1 Hydrogen? 2 Hydrogen to 1 Oxygen? She didn’t know! She didn’t have a flipping clue! But she was going to keep on trucking and maybe someday it would click for her.

Today was lab day in Chemistry, yay! Their teacher Mrs. Erickson decided that it would be a good idea to randomly place people in pairs and then give each of them a different lab to do. The instructions where already placed at the lab stations which was also randomly selected. So trying to turn pennies into gold, which was probably the easiest stinking station there was? Yeah she wasn’t lucky enough to get that station. But she did get a pretty cool lab partner! Well.. it was cool for her because he was super nice. Probably not so cool for him because she was pretty klutzy and stuff.

”Connor and Alex you’re going to be at station six.” Mrs. Erickson said as she read down the list of who got which station.

Picking up her bag and her books she played musical chairs with her classmates until everyone found the tables they were suppose to be at. Although she was first at her table she could see Connor wasn’t far behind. She gave him a big grin and a short wave of her hand when he came over, waiting for him to get his stuff situated and the noise around the classroom to die out. The teacher went over the general safety rules, explaining how they needed to wear their goggles and gloves at all times. “Safety, got it.” Alex said under her breath like she was just trying to remind herself that safety was essential!

Once the teacher was done and cut them loose to start their projects she slid the eye goggles on and then the latex gloves. “Alright, Chemistry.. yeah!” She rubbed her gloved hands together and then let out a short nervous laugh. “So our project is titled ‘Fizzing and Foaming’.. it’s chemicals that are suppose to do different things to liquid.. I guess?” She wasn’t one hundred percent sure. “I think it’s safe to assume that we can’t drink it... that might be a safety hazard.” She held up a small container labeled ‘laundry detergent’, showing it to Connor and sticking her tongue out. “Oh nice.. maybe we’ll know how to take out basic stains when we’re through..”

Maybe she was just nervous about the lab.. she didn’t want to blow up the Chemistry department.. but she decided that maybe it would be a good idea to be... cheesy? “Hey, want to hear a potassium joke? K. Haha.... ha.. okay I’m done.”

[CONNOR NOLAN]

Connor liked Chemistry. Well, he liked school in general, but he really liked Chemistry too. It was interesting and he ate it up. He also loved lab days. The teacher always paired him with someone random and it usually ended up that Connor was leading the experiments, but he didn’t mind it. Today he actually liked who he was partnered with. Since meeting Alex in gym, they’d become friends. She was awkward and clumsy, but funny and really nice. True, he got a little flack for being friends with the awkward new girl, but he hardly cared. Alex was good company. So he was relieved when Mrs. Erickson said, “Connor and Alex, you’re going to be at station six.” Connor smiled and moved over to the correct station with his bag in tow. With everyone else shuffling around, he had to fight his way there, but he was greeted with a big smile and a small wave from Alex. He grinned back and waved in return, dropping his bag on the ground and sliding into his seat beside his new partner. When his pencil and notebook were ready for notes, he looked up at Mrs. Erickson expectantly.

Of course the teacher had to repeat her usual spiel on safety and Connor listened with half attention. What caught his attention was a soft statement beside him. “Safety, got it.” He grinned and bit back a laugh, looking over at Alex. From the look on her face, he couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or serious, but the girl could always use a refresher in safety. Most of the time he felt like he was warning her of impending doom that she haplessly strolled towards. Some people might be annoyed by it, but he thought it was a cute aspect to her personality. Finally Mrs. Erickson cut them loose and Connor turned toward Alex, slipping his gloves and goggles on. “Alright, Chemistry…yeah!” Her enthusiasm made him snort a laugh, snapping his gloves in place. “So our project is titled ‘Fizzing and Foaming’…it’s chemicals that are supposed to do different things to liquid…I guess?” Connor nodded his head, reading his own handout carefully. “I think it’s safe to assume that we can’t drink it…that might be a safety hazard.” Connor let out a soft laugh. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s ever a good idea in a Chemistry lab. Just FYI.” She was inspecting one of the bottles marked “laundry detergent” before holding it out to him. “Oh nice…maybe we’ll know how to get out basic stains when we’re through.” He took the bottle from her and moved it off to the side. “How practical,” he commented sarcastically before smiling more.

Taking a quick glance at the sheet, he noticed all of the liquids they were supposed to use and skimmed the instructions. It was a simple enough experiment. “Hey, want to hear a potassium joke? K. Haha…ha…okay I’m done.” Connor laughed aloud, finding the cheesy joke pretty funny. “I’ve got one. What do you do with a sick chemist? If you can’t helium, and you can’t curium, then you might as well barium.” He grinned at his own bad joke and Alex seemed to like it too. Mrs. Erickson’s stern eyes fell on them and Connor sucked his lips into his mouth before grinning at Alex again. Finally he looked at the sheet and reached for the materials. “Well, this says to mix this much hydrogen peroxide…” Connor reached out and grabbed the beaker of clear fluid marked “hydrogen peroxide” and measured out the appropriate quantity into another beaker before finally dumping it into a third. “And this much sodium iodide…” Another clear liquid was poured into a fourth beaker for measurement and then he poured the contents in with the hydrogen peroxide. “It says to put your hand near the beaker, but don’t touch it…” As they both did so, Connor could feel the heat radiating off the glass and he smiled over at Alex who must have felt it too. “It’s an exothermic solution. That’s the gasses being produced by the chemical reaction.” He removed his hand to reach for the detergent. “And then it says to add this…” With one dump, Connor disposed of the borax in the beaker and immediately the solution started to foam in a deep red. Connor stepped back a little and actually let out a laugh, the tube of colorful foam leaking onto the table. “Whoa!” he exclaimed. When Alex reached for the foam, he quickly grabbed her hand to stop her. “Careful! That foam is hot from the gasses reacting.” His smile was kind, but it swiftly turned shy and nervous as he realized he was holding her hand. A small nervous laugh sounded from his mouth before he looked back at the paper. Time to act like that didn’t happen…“Uhhh…it says something here about dropping a small amount of potassium into water…” He read up to clarify what a small amount was, not paying attention to Alex’s movements.

[ALEX KING]

At least Connor thought that her dumb joke was funny. He event had one to come back with! "I've got one. What do you do with a sick chemist? If you can’t helium, and you can’t curium, then you might as well barium.” That.. was way better than her joke! She had to hover the back of her hand in front of her mouth to try and not laugh obnoxiously with her mouth open. And the look from their teacher was enough to let her know that they were being way too loud with their stupid little chemistry jokes. They were too cool for school.

"Well, this says to mix this much hydrogen peroxide..." Connor was already reading the instructions and getting the ingredients mixed together before she event knew what step one was. He was one of the few in that class that could raise his hand and confidently answer questions that Mrs. Erickson asked the class. Too bad this wasn't history or something easy like that. She leaned toward him to skim over the instructions and then watched as he followed the steps, explaining what was suppose to happen. "It says to put your hand near the beaker, but don't touch it..." Alex followed his instructions and let her hand hover over the wide mouth of the beaker and wiggled her fingers. "Wow.. Walter White over here ladies and gentleman!" She said quietly so that the teacher wouldn't give them another look. "You make Chemistry seem easy," when he moved his hand away she did the same and slipped it into the front pocket of her jeans casually.

Connor continued to follow the instructions, adding the detergent to the mixture causing an immediate reaction. "Whoa!" Her words exactly. Actually she just kind of let out a 'meep' sound of sorts and leaned back. Foam rose inside the beaker and over the rim, sliding down the side and getting all over the counter. Out of fear that it was going to get all over everything she reached out to scoop up the foam but Connor stopped her by grabbing her hand and holding it. "Careful! That foam is hot from the gasses reacting." Her eyes darted to him and then down at their hands. Alex found herself blushing from the silly little gesture and she put her hand down by her side when he turned his attention to the instructions again. How embarrassing.. her cheeks must have been the same color as the foam! But it looked like she wasn't the only one who was all awkward over the hand holding since he wasn't even looking at her now. But why was he acting bashful? Did he think she was repulsive? Over the course of the school year they had been friends. At least that's what she thought. He had his group and she had a couple of people she liked to sit with at lunch. They weren't exactly the cool kids but that didn't matter to her. He probably just didn't think of her that way and that was why he was acting that way. He probably was worried that she was going to make a big deal about it. And sure, maybe she was thinking about it but it was staying up there in her noggin!

"Uhhh...it says something here about dropping a small amount of potassium into water..." Distraction! Yes!! Didn't she just make a potassium joke? "Okay.." She said softly and moved a few containers around trying to find the right one. Did they have potassium? She thought she saw it.. that was what stemmed the joke. Are my hands rough maybe? I put lotion on after Art.. She was still thinking about why he wasn't looking at her now. Seriously, she wasn't normally so obsessed about what people thought about her. It was weird. Maybe it was just because he was the first friend that she had. Yep. That was definitely it.

"There it is.." Finding the potassium she pulled out the block and figured that it must have been in the right amount and dropped it into the beaker. "Isn't there suppose to be a game tonight? I can't remember if it was a home game or away.." The cube of potassium was swallowed by the foamy liquid and what happened next was definitely not boring..

[CONNOR NOLAN]

“Okay…” Connor heard Alex say it under her breath, but he was currently reading the warning in big bold letters below the description of the experiment: Use no more than two grams! This reaction is EXPLOSIVE! “There it is…” There what was? Connor looked over at Alex just in time to see her reaching the block of potassium into the beaker of water. The whole block. That block was about fifteen grams. He didn’t even hear her comments about the game as he practically watched the movements of the block of hyper-reactive metal as her fingers released it. “No! That’s too mu--!” Before he could even finish the statement, he was tugging Alex away from the area right in front of the beaker and pulling her into him. The sound of exploding glass prompted him to turn so he could shield Alex from the blast, but not before a wizzing piece of glass cut just under his eye, another piece lodging in his tricep. He grunted and he could hear the girl behind them shriek and a whole lot of other sounds of shock. Water splashed him and pretty much the entire surrounding area, but at least they were in a station at the front of the class. There was no one in front of them who would have gotten hurt and the people behind them jumped just in time to avoid flying shards. For a long moment he simply continued to hug Alex to him, glancing over at the now shattered mess on the counter. So much for that experiment.

He finally nudged Alex back and looked down at her, not even registering the pain yet. “Are you okay?” he asked, his hazel eyes full of concern. She looked okay. There were no scratches that he could see and he grabbed her wrists to inspect her arms too. Nothing. He was relieved, but shortly after an awful sting registered in the back of his upper arm and he grunted as he stretched to look. A piece of glass was pretty well embedded back there and blood was starting to drip down his arm. “Oh…” he said softly, lifting his hand to his shoulder so the blood would stop leaking at his elbow. There was something dripping on his face too and when he touched it, thinking it was more water, his fingers came back bright red. “Connor, are you alright?” Mrs. Erickson was panicking and rushing over to them while other questions sounded through the classroom. “What happened?” The words were buzzing on just about every pair of lips and Connor was still a little dazed. Alex was apologizing and frantically fretting over him and all he could do was give a weak smile and shake his head, his hand cupping the elbow dripping blood. “It’s fine, it’s just a scratch.” Alex and Mrs. Erickson both looked at him like he was nuts. Honestly, it didn’t hurt that much…

“Alex, take Connor to the nurse, please. Everybody, stop crowding around! Back to your stations!” Connor and Alex fought their way out of the mob of curious onlookers and when they were out in the hallway, Alex was rushing like a woman possessed. “This is the second time you’re taking me to the nurse’s office and about the hundredth time I’ve saved your butt in only a few months.” He grinned at Alex, actually amused by the situation. Then his cheek stung and he winced, deciding it might be better to not smile so wide. “You owe me big time.” Of course he was teasing, but he wondered if maybe this was a good excuse to see her outside of school. He bumped into her a couple times on Peanut Street and she’d shown up at his work once or twice, but they’d never actually purposefully met outside of school. It wouldn’t be a date, of course…that would be silly. She was a friend and she probably didn’t even see him like that and when did he have time to date anyway? But if he had time to get together with her outside of school, didn’t he have time to date her? Why was he thinking about dating her? Suddenly he was remembering the way he hugged her to him in the lab and he felt bashful. This was a strange time to be thinking about those things.

[ALEX KING]

Alex didn't even have time to react. "No! That's too mu--!" She heard the words but didn't quite understand what they meant until after it all happened. Connor pulled her away from their lab table and into his arms using himself as a protective barrier just before the foaming beaker could combust spraying splintered glass everywhere. She didn't see it explode but she heard the sound of it shattering and that made her shriek and clutch Connor's shirt in her hands. A roar erupted in the room as their classmates panicked, wanting to know what was going on and how the heck the glass blew up the way it did.

"Are you okay?" Was someone talking to her? She lifted her head to see Connor was staring at her like he was waiting for an answer. She could see a pink line just under his eye that wasn't there before. Or did she just not notice it before? They were pretty close... she must not have answered quick enough because he was grabbing at her arms, turning them over and checking them for cuts she assumed. "I'm fine." She nodded and took a shaky step back. "I'm okay.." really she had an adrenaline rush that left her shook up but she'd be fine. It was just sort of embarrassing.. everyone was staring at them..

"Oh..." Alex craned her neck to see what he was looking at behind him and saw the piece of glass sticking out of his arm. That's enough to make you sick.. she thought keeping her remarks to herself. She didn't have to say that out loud. "You're bleeding. Like.. wow that's a lot of blood..." Her eyes widened as she watched the red liquid snake its way down the back of his arm.

"Connor, are you alright?" Mrs. Erickson was heading over to them and Alex was trying to find something to help Connor soak up the blood before he got it everywhere. "I'm.. so sorry Connor.. I should have waited until you were done reading the directions. Ugh this is all my fault. Seriously I feel really bad I'm so sorry!" Alex's apologies just poured out of her mouth as she pulled her gloves off and threw them on the table. The red foam was everywhere. It was all over their books and her bag. It caked the entire front of the room and Connor's back. It looked like someone was just murdered in there and it was hard to tell where the foam ended and the blood started on Connor which was really gruesome. "..holy cow I'm so sorry.." she murmured. "It's fine, it's just a scratch." Alex finally looked back up at him and could see the smear of blood across his cheek. The stain going up to the pink cut that she'd noticed.

"Alex, take Connor to the nurse, please. Everybody, stop crowding around! Back to your stations!" She couldn't scoop up hers and Connor's stuff and haul it all out of there fast enough! All those staring eyes made her feel real uncomfortable and she knew her face was turning red, feeling like a total dufus for blowing up what should have been a safe project.

Once they were outside all she wanted to do was get to the nurse's office as soon as possible to make sure that none of that foamy stuff was going to go into his oozing cuts and turn him into some kind of mutant. That would suck so much. "This is the second time you're taking me to the nurse's office and about the hundredth time I've saved your butt in only a few months." She slowed down her pace and shifted the weight of their books so she could get a better grip so not to drop them as she looked at him with a meek smile. "You owe me big time." "Okay, either I've gained some crazy curse when I moved here or this is normal for you. Because this never happened to me anyplace else I lived! Well.. okay maybe it did a teeny bit. But not this much!" She was klutzy and she'd stumble over her own feet but she'd never put anyone in danger before. This poor sap was just getting beat up left and right because of her!

"Okay here's the deal.. I owe you. Like big time. Whatever you need I'm your gal." She clicked her tongue and gave him a silly little wink. It wasn't flirty just... silly. Oh god she hoped he didn't think it was flirting! But if he did would he like it? Probably not. Get a freaking grip she scolded herself again. "But seriously. Whatever you want. You can cash it in anytime.." Things would have turned out differently if he didn't pull her away in time before the beaker shattered. She probably would have fainted like a dope.

She shrugged the strap for her light messenger bag back up onto her shoulder so that it wouldn't slip and drag on the ground. That's when she noticed that she had little pink specks down her arms. It must have been from the foam. At least it wasn't burning through her skin... hopefully. "Thanks for saving my hide, again. That could have been a whole lot worse.. I mean it's already bad. I seem to make you bleed a lot.."

[CONNOR NOLAN]

“Okay, either I’ve gained some crazy curse when I moved here or this is normal for you. Because this never happened to me any place else I lived! Well…okay, maybe it did a teeny bit. But not this much!” Connor laughed at Alex’s explanation, the adrenaline still making it hard to really process any pain yet. “This wasn’t normal for me until you showed up. I think it’s more likely your curse just got stronger here if this has happened to other people.” He gave a friendly smile, still grasping his elbow in one hand. He really wasn’t upset about any of it. “Okay here’s the deal…I owe you. Like big time. Whatever you need I’m your gal.” She winked with a cute little click of her tongue and he gave her a confused smile. Was she…was she being flirty? Or was she just being playful? He couldn’t remember her being flirty before. She couldn’t possibly see him that way. No it had to be just playful…right? How would she react if he asked her on a date in return? Probably say no and avoid him forever. And why would he ask her on a date? Did he…did he like her? He hadn’t really considered that until now…Maybe he did.

“But seriously. Whatever you want. You can cash it in anytime…” He realized he’d gone quiet and flushed just the tiniest bit at getting so lost in his thoughts about dating her. He was definitely more composed than that usually. With a semi-nervous grin he nodded his head. “I sure will.” What a stupid thing to say. He sounded like one of those cheesy little kids in those old black and white shows. But how would he cash it in? Something casual like coffee or something. He could get them both his employee discount if they went to Dylan’s. But how lame would that be to go in and hang out at the place you work when you’re off? Then again, that would be further proof that it was just a friendly get together. If she thought he thought it was a date, that would be really weird. “Thanks for saving my hide. Again. That could have been a whole lot worse…I mean it’s already bad. I seem to make you bleed a lot…” Connor gave a smile and shrugged his good shoulder. “It’s not that bad, really. I play soccer so I’m used to bleeding. Broken noses and knee scrapes and bruises…that’s routine for me. And I’m kind of a worrier. I don’t mind getting hurt if it helps someone else.” He grinned wider down at her. “It seems you need my help a lot.” It wasn’t her fault, really. Things just seemed to happen around her and he was usually there to keep her from getting hurt.

He suddenly noticed the pink and red splattered all over her and for a minute he felt dizzy. Did his blood explode all over her? Was there another more severe wound that he couldn’t see? When he looked down at himself, he was covered in it too. Then he remembered the red foam they had made in the other beaker and he breathed again. “Damn, it looks like we just survived the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or something.” He gave a soft chuckle before inspecting his now burning arm. The blood wasn’t rushing as much, but he knew that would change when the nurse removed the glass shard. “I say you owe me a coffee. I could even get you a discount at Dylan’s since I work there. Or we could go out to the Starbucks near the mall and check out the Game Stop over there. Have you been there yet?” He’d found out on the first day he met Alex that she liked video games. Oddly enough, they hadn’t played online together yet. That could be fun. His smile was kind as they approached the nurse’s office. “My gamer tag on Xbox is TheKicker95. We could play Halo or something if you wanted. I’m only really on over the weekends but maybe that would be a good outlet for this curse of yours and making me bleed.” He grinned playfully, trying to get her to laugh. He didn’t want her to think he was upset about any of this.

[ALEX KING]

”It’s not that bad, really. I play soccer so I’m used to bleeding. Broken noses and knee scrapes and bruises...that’s routine for me. And I’m kind of a worrier. I don’t mind getting hurt if it helps someone else.” It was so bad that Alex needed so much stinkin’ help from Connor. ”It seems you need my help a lot.” She couldn’t deny that she was glad that Connor was there to save her whenever she was in danger. First he saved her face from getting smashed in by a dodgeball, and then there was another time in the library when she was trying to grab a book off one of the top shelves knocking down a few others, but before they could tumble down on her head Connor was there to catch them. Of course one of them ended up falling on his foot.. a definite cringe worthy experience. And now there was this!

”Damn, it looks like we just survived the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or something.” Alex snorted and nodded her head. “Yes. You’re right. If we were in a horror movie we’d definitely be the two that survived unscathed. Could you imagine?” She really had to laugh at the thought. If they got sucked into a horror movie Alex was sure that she’d be one of the first people to take an axe to the face. Unless Connor decided to jump in front of her to save the day.. ”I say you owe me a coffe. I could even get you a discount at Dylan’s since I work there. Or we could go out to the Starbucks near the mall and check out the Game Stop over there. Have you been there yet?” He wanted her to buy him a coffee? That was easy enough. Heck, they could just go right after school if that was what he wanted. “Yeah that sounds fair. And I went there just last weekend to trade in a few games actually..”

”My gamertag on XBox is TheKicker95. We could play Halo or something if you wanted. I’m only really on over the weekends but maybe that would be a good outlet for this curse of yours and making me bleed.” She stuck her tongue out at him as if that was a comeback to his little joke. “Mine is PurplePickles.. yeeeeaah. Don’t ask, I’m not sure what I was thinking when I made it.” Actually.. purple was her favorite color at the time of making that gamertag and she had been eating one of those giant pickles from the gas station. Hence the name: PurplePickles. “And I could wipe the floor with you at Halo... I’m so pro.” She wasn’t bragging at all.. nope not one bit! She had to laugh at what she said. He was probably just as good if not better than her at Halo. “Although I have to admit I haven’t played it in a while.. you know Little Big Planet 2? I’m freaking addicted to that stupid game on the playstation 3..”

Alex thought it was absurd how far the nurse’s office was from the science building. Surely there were more accidents like theirs in chemistry than there was in the math building, which was right across from the nurse’s office. What, did students end up stabbing their eyes out with their number two pencils because they couldn’t figure out an algebraic equation? Gee whiz! She couldn’t help but notice the glass that was still sticking out of Connor’s arm.. it was like it was staring right back at her! It was just so out of place that it was unsettling. “Okay that glass is just.. that has to hurt. Maybe we should try to get there a little faster.. I just wanna pluck it out it’s driving me nuts!”

[CONNOR NOLAN]

Connor laughed lightly at the way Alex stuck her tongue out at him. “Mine is PurplePickles…yeeeeaah. Don’t ask, I’m not sure what I was thinking when I made it.” He gave her a mockingly judging look when she first told him her gamertag but then just grinned. She was so random and funny in a childish sort of way. Some people couldn’t pull that off and he found them annoying, but Alex made it seem cute. Wait, what? Connor couldn’t think she was cute…well, maybe in an artist’s observant sort of way. Not in a crush sort of way. That had to be it… “And I could wipe the floor with you at Halo…I’m so pro.” He gave her a suspicious smirk, not really sure whether he could believe her boasting or not. Of course he was willing to take her up on the challenge, though. “Although I have to admit I haven’t played it in a while…you know Little Big Planet 2? I’m freaking addicted to that stupid game on Playstation 3…” He laughed. “Excuses, excuses. I call shenanigans on you being able to beat me. Though I will admit, Little Big Planet is kind of addicting…I can’t say I blame you.” His smile was wide and amused, though it was strange he was admitting to playing Little Big Planet. Normally he kept that information to himself.

They fell into a small but not uncomfortable silence, closing in on the nurse’s office slowly but surely. “Okay that glass is just…that had to hurt. Maybe we should try to get there a little faster…I just wanna pluck it out, it’s driving me nuts!” He lifted his arm, noting the burning and stinging before he was even able to set eyes on the bloodied shard buried in his skin. “As long as I don’t touch it, it doesn’t hurt that bad. And I wouldn’t recommend plucking it out unless you want to be covered in blood. This looks like a gusher.” The look on her face made him laugh again. “Just don’t think about it. We’re almost there anyway.” Apparently it was impossible for her to not think about it since her eyes kept darting to his arm. “I mean it. Stop looking at it.” His voice was playful, not nearly scolding though his words hinted at scolding. He brought his good hand up to his eyes, pointing with two fingers at his eyes before turning them and pointing them at her, silently telling her, “I’m watching you.” Funny how exploding glass and blood could make him so playful.

Finally they arrived at the nurse’s office. Nurse Pam looked up at them over her glasses and then sighed heavily. “You two again?” Connor gave a lopsided, apologetic smile. “What happened this time?” “Chemistry. There was a small explosion and…well, it got me.” He lifted his well-muscled arm to expose the broken glass embedded in his olive skin and Pam visibly winced, sucking in a sharp breath through her teeth. “Jesus, did that hurt?” Connor shrugged his good shoulder. “Yeah, but not as much as you would think.” Pam shook her head with a heavy sigh and turned to the cabinets to fetch gauze, bandages and hydrogen peroxide. “Well sit down. Let’s take care of this.” Connor obeyed, throwing Alex a lopsided smile before sinking into the chair in front of Pam’s desk. She moved behind him and leaned down, giving enough room for Alex to watch as she readied herself to remove the glass. He grimaced as a sharp pain shot down his arm, his skin cutting open anew as the glass was removed. Just as he predicted, he felt warm blood oozing over his skin while the muscles beneath throbbed in relief. There was a soft clinking sound as Pam set the glass on her desk and then went to work cleaning his arm of all the blood she could. He grunted when the sting of hydrogen peroxide hissed through his wound, but it quickly dissipated to a dull throbbing once more. Within minutes Pam was pressing a gauze pad into his arm before she started wrapping his upper arm tight enough to staunch some of the bleeding. He finally took the opportunity to look over at Alex who was now standing off to the side of him. She looked white as a sheet, her blue eyes big with what looked to be terror. His brow furrowed and he tilted his head a little to get her attention. “Hey, Alex, you okay?” It didn’t appear that she registered his question and he gave a nervous smile. “Well, if you’re going to blow chunks, this is the place to do it.” He was just kidding, but now he was starting to think she really was going to throw up. Uh oh…

[ALEX KING]

She may have loved the gory, blood gushing effects of her video games but seeing it in person was a whole other ballpark. Alex stood there watching in quiet horror as the nurse pulled out the shard of glass from Connor’s arm and the blood just gushed out like a leaky pipe. She thought she was going to be sick watching. ”Hey, Alex, you okay?” Alex heard Connor talking but she wasn’t really listening. It wasn’t until he moved his head that she noticed he was staring right at her. ”Well, if you’re going to blow chunks, this is the place to do it.” She offered a weak chuckle before taking a step back, waiting and watching as the nurse began to patch Connor’s battle wound up. Ugh.. blood looked so much different when it was real. It was thicker and a darker red... definitely nothing like in her Resident Evil games. Then again he also wasn’t a zombie..

“From now on we should stay away from pointy objects,” she teased and took a seat in one of the vacant chairs nearby Connor. “We still have three more periods.. I wonder what Mr. Caulfield is going to think..” The history teacher was probably going to have a stroke. He was like, two hundred years old and he was always talking about how he’d been a young boy during one of the wars. She wasn’t sure which because he was so stinking OLD and because he always mixed them up himself. “Think he’s going to start having flashbacks?” She teased with a laugh that was cut short since the nurse was giving her a stern look. She bowed her head and waited for the nurse to go write out two hall passes for them or whatever the heck she was doing, then Alex stepped closer and took a good look at Connor’s bandaged arm. “So does it hurt? Like super bad?”

[CONNOR NOLAN]

“From now on we should stay away from pointy objects.” Connor laughed as Pam tended to his arm, wrapping it tight to stop the gushing blood. “And explosive ones,” he added playfully, grinning over at Alex who had parked herself in a vacant seat nearby. “We still have three more periods…I wonder what Mr. Caulfield is going to think…” That fossil probably wouldn’t even notice or talk about some war if he did. “Think he’s going to start having flashbacks?” He laughed loudly before shooting a look over at Pam and found her glaring the laughter right out of both young people. After that they stayed silent, Alex’s head bowed and Connor occasionally giving her a furtive glance. He probably should have felt guiltier than he really did…

Finally Pam finished patching him up and he thanked her before she moved to write their hall passes and make notes on some kind of chart. That probably had to go in his file… “So does it hurt? Like super bad?” Alex’s voice so close to him made him start a little and he looked down at her with slightly widened eyes. He noted she was looking at his arm and a relaxed, lopsided smile came to his face. He shook his head gently, turning his warm eyes back to her with a reassuring gaze. “No, just stings a little.” He wouldn’t mention the way it throbbed with his heartbeat and he could still feel blood soaking into his bandages. It wasn’t like him to worry her. “That doesn’t mean I want a repeat of it, though.” He grinned playfully, but he was suddenly noticing how close she was. Kind of like he did in the lab when he’d pulled her to him to keep her from getting hurt. It made his heart thump in his chest briefly, swallowing hard while he tried to stop staring at her face. Why couldn’t he stop looking at her? The shuffle of paper finally snapped him out of it and he found his smile had faded in his momentary daze. Pam looked between them suspiciously before passing over their hall passes and Connor took his pass in his good hand. It was a good excuse to stop being creepy.

Out in the hallway again, he glanced up at a clock and noted there was still a good thirty minutes left in Chemistry…but maybe they didn’t have to go right back. He looked over at Alex as they meandered through the halls and cleared his throat softly. “I was thinking…maybe I should cash in that coffee before you rack up anymore injuries inflicted on me.” He grinned at her from ear to ear, obviously teasing her. “Do you want to go after school on Friday? I don’t have to work and I don’t have soccer or piano. Unless you’re not free and then we can do it some other time.” It was the first time they would hang out outside of school and Connor couldn’t help but be a little nervous about it. What if she thought he was boring? He had a tendency to be a little quiet…and a little boring. That might screw up their friendship…But he really did want to get to know her more, outside of class and ringing bells and teachers hustling you from one classroom to the other. She was cool and he hoped having coffee wouldn’t be too boring for her. Maybe they could find something else to do too… “We could even do something else if you wanted. There’s a laser tag place not far from the coffee shop.” He smiled wide. “Maybe that’s more up your alley.”

[ALEX KING]

Alex was happy to finally leave the nurse’s office with their hall passes. Connor’s arm was all patched up with a big bandage so she didn’t have to look at the blood anymore. Whew! ”I was thinking...maybe I should cash in that coffee before you rack up anymore injuries inflicted on me.” Alex snorted and gave him a sidelong look as if to ask really? ”Do you want to go after school on Friday? I don’t have to work and I don’t have soccer or piano. Unless you’re not free and then we can do it some other time.” “I don’t know, I have to check my VERY busy schedule.. I might have a guild raid.”

…............

Did she seriously just say that she had a guild raid?! Did she -- did she just say that?! “That’s. Not. What. I. Meant.” Her face flooded a pink hue, knowing she sounded like a total nerd. Then again he knew she was a nerd. And why did she care if he knew she was a nerd?! Normally she didn’t care what people thought about her because it was nobody’s business but her own. But with Connor she found herself fumbling and nervous about saying the wrong thing.

”We could even do something else if you wanted. There’s a laser tag place not far from the coffee shop. Maybe that’s more up your alley.” Laser tag was totally up her alley! She kinda sucked at it but it was a game that she could get into unlike stupid dodgeball or basketball. Last week they played basketball because it was raining outside and every time she tried to make a throw or pass the ball it always ended up going to the left. “Ooooh laser tag.. laser tag.. heck yes we’re gonna own laser tag!” Alex laughed and nudged him with her shoulder, bouncing around a bit with each step she took happily. “But we should probably get some iced coffee. Y’know.. hot coffee hurts,” she said playfully but there was some seriousness behind her words.. it wouldn’t be fun getting hot coffee spilled on you.

[CONNOR NOLAN]

“Ooooh laser tag…laser tag…heck yes we’re gonna own laser tag!” Connor grinned, laughing as Alex nudged his shoulder before she started bouncing a little with ever step. He should have suggested it sooner! Of course Alex would prefer laser tag. He was the only boring high school kid who actually liked sitting and chatting over a cup of coffee. “But we should probably get some iced coffee. Y’know…hot coffee hurts.” Oh, so they could do a little of both! But he didn’t really get the last part of her sentence…oh, wait, yes he did! He laughed and nodded. “Yeah, if I’m going to clean any coffee off of me, I’d prefer if it wasn’t hot. Of course, iced coffee’s more refreshing after you give people the beat down in laser tag.” He gave a laugh before it fizzled out a little. That was a really lame joke…Give people the “beat down”? Really? Did anyone even say that anymore? Then he really thought about what he said and he shrugged with a wide smile. “Actually, that could be true if I was drinking iced coffee or having it spilled on me. Like when players dump Gatorade on the coach after the game.” He turned his smile down to Alex. At least he could amuse her. “I just have to make sure I don’t wear a white shirt. You know, because it’s see-through if you spill…stuff…on it.” Another nervous laugh left him, but his face was starting to burn with just the suggestion of that joke. What was he talking about? He waved his hand, shaking his head at his own stupid joke. “Ugh, that was lame.” It was comforting to know they were both awkward, at least.

He climbed up the stairs with her and straightened up a little afterward, smiling down at her. “So Friday! Wear your black shirt and we’ll go to laser tag after school and then get some iced coffee. It’s a date!”

……………………………………………………………

He had NOT meant to say that. His whole face was red as he was suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, staring slack-jawed at Alex. Finally his brain started working again and he jumped to explain. “I mean, not, like, a real date. Just…you know…like a save-the-date kind of…thing.” He swallowed hard before letting out a breathy laugh and waving his hand feebly. “Sorry to…freak you out. I didn’t mean, uh…” Didn’t mean…what? That he would date her? He couldn’t really say that…Not that he had a crush on her or anything, he just wouldn’t exactly say no to a date with her. But he couldn’t say that! But he didn’t want to hurt her feelings by saying he wouldn’t go on a date with her. Pushing a bigger smile on his face, he forced himself to look in her eyes even though they somehow made him more nervous now. “Well, you know what I meant.” He let out a breathy laugh again and then cleared his throat before starting back for class hurriedly. “And if you come up with anything better, just let me know. We see each other every day anyway.” He smiled at her again before suddenly stopping once more.

“Oh! I should probably give you my number, huh? In case something comes up.” Again, he was afraid it would come off as him trying to hit on her and he had to play it off, he swung his bag off his shoulder, forgetting that he had a deep cut on his upper arm. Suddenly a sharp pain shot all the way up to his shoulder and he sucked in an anguished breath and dropped his bag completely to the ground. With a grunt he released the breath and opened his eyes again, looking down at his bag now crumpled at his feet. “I forgot about the cut…” he explained with a playfully forced smile. He leaned down to pick his bag up so he could rummage for a pen again. Just as his hand came over the handle on top of the bag, though, it fell over something warm and soft and his fingers had wrapped around it before he realized what it was. It was a hand. Alex’s hand, to be exact. He suddenly released it, looking up at Alex with wide eyes and noticing that she was…really freaking close to his face. His cheeks were still flushed and he quickly released her hand, clearing his throat and smiling. “Oops…sorry.” He let out a quick laugh, making sure her hand had let go before he grabbed at his bag again. This was why he didn’t hang around girls often—he was so damn awkward! Finally he was able to scramble in his bag for a pen and tore out a blank piece of paper from a notebook, scribbling his number down with the support of his palm before handing her the paper with a friendly, warm smile. “Here you go. Just let me know if you think of anything else or if something comes up. You know, like a guild raid or something.” With that his friendly smile turned into a teasing grin. At least that didn’t come out awkward.

[ALEX KING]

”So Friday! Wear your black shirt and we’ll go to laser tag after school and then get some iced coffee. It’s a date!”

…......................................................

WHAT?!

Alex’s heart stopped and her eyes grew wide with surprise from what Connor just said. A date?! But he didn’t think of her like that! She didn’t think of him like that! Right?! She felt that strange butterfly sensation that she only got in her stomach when she found herself in a situation that she wanted but was just so nervous at the same time! Why did excitement and nervousness have to have this effect?! Didn’t teenage girls have enough to deal with without their bodies acting all wacko on them at the wrong times? Connor was giving her this look like he was just as surprised as she was at what he said. Should she just play it off?! Was she suppose to say yes?! She had to do something! But before she could he was opening his mouth to talk.

”I mean, not, like, a real date. Just...you know...like a save-the-date kind of...thing.” Save-the-date?! Oh fish sauce... was he saying he had to schedule her into his busy life? Was she just a save-the-date like some kind of invitations that were mailed out?! What the actual hell balls did that even mean?! He was laughing and waving his hand in the air which only confused her more. It was blatantly obvious how lost she was. ”Sorry to...freak you out. I didn’t mean, uh...” What, that she was some appointment, like he was going to the dentist? Nobody liked going to the stupid dentist! She didn’t like going to the dentist! She felt like he was avoiding looking at her and that turned her butterflies into lead that dropped and weighed heavy in her gut. Couldn’t her body stop trying to make her feel ways she didn’t? It wasn’t that she liked him like that... she just.. well.. she didn’t know! He finally looked up at her. ”Well, you know what I mean.” Nope. She didn’t have the slightest idea. ”And if you come up with anything better, just let me know. We see each other every day anyway.” What.. just happened...?

”Oh! I should probably give you my number, huh? In case something comes up.” By something she figured it meant her turning into a big ol’ chicken and bailing at the last minute. That wasn’t something she’d do! Pfft... okay, maybe she did that once. But it was someone she wasn’t that close with and she really didn’t want to go to that party anyway! She wasn’t into the whole party scene! Give her a gaming controller and she was your gal! But try to dress her up in a mini skirt and heels to mack on guys all night with the cheerleaders? yeeeeah, nope. Nope, nope nope. She must have gotten sucked into her own mind because she didn’t even realize what was going on until Connor’s bag was already on the ground. ”I forgot about the cut...” “Be careful, let me get that!” She offered and leaned over to pick up his bag but he had the same idea as her and his hand curled around hers and she looked up at him surprised. Although Connor had to let go first both of their hands retracted close to the same time and she felt her cheeks burning as they turned a light tint of pink. ”Oops...sorry.” “Nah, it was totally my bad. I shouldn’t have.. tried to help..” She looked away, waving her hand in the air to dismiss it. Man, was that awkward! ”here you go. Just let me know if you think of anything else or if something comes up. You know, like a guild raid or something.” She snorted at his comment and took the piece of paper. She’d make sure to stick his number in her phone as soon as she got a chance. Lunch would be the best time that way it wouldn’t get confiscated by a teacher. “Okay, smart alec, I told you there’s no reason to be jealous of my mad skills,” Alex said with a half grin on her face trying to restore some of her confidence and get rid of the awkward tension in the air. Boy were they a pair!

She tucked the piece of paper into the front pocket of her jeans, mashing it deep inside with her thumb before looking up once more. “I can’t wait to go play,” she wondered if it was just going to be the two of them or if he was going to invite some of his friends. She didn’t want to expect something and then be let down when it wasn’t what she had imagined it. Plus his friends were kind of douchey and he knew it. She didn’t think he’d invite them. “And this gives you a couple of days to recuperate. After all you did just suffer a very traumatic event,” she teased him, trying to keep a straight and serious face but failing at the end.

[CONNOR NOLAN]

“Okay, smart Alec, I told you there’s no reason to be jealous of my mad skills.” Connor let out a laugh that was both amused and relieved. He’d made a total ass of himself but Alex was brushing it away like it was nothing. At least now she knew they were equally awkward. He watched as she shoved the paper with his number on it into her pocket and he smiled as she looked up at him again. Why did he feel a jolt of electricity when their eyes met? “I can’t wait to go play.” He couldn’t help but feel pretty good about her excitement and he nodded with a wide grin. “Me either,” he said softly. “And this gives you a couple of days to recuperate. After all you did just suffer a very traumatic event.” Though Alex wasn’t able to hold her straight face, Connor nodded with a grave frown. “Yes…yes, you’re right. The sound of gunshots might send me over the edge and make me kirk out on someone.” Finally he looked at Alex and grinned wide, obviously kidding.

They arrived back at the classroom and a couple kids glanced at the door curiously when they walked up to it. Connor looked at Alex with a lopsided smile. “I have a feeling we’re going to be interviewed by the paper in the next couple days. This should be good practice.” He would downplay Alex’s fault in the whole incident, of course. After all, he should have read the directions out loud and told her not to do anything until they’d read through all of them. Connor had been just as careless as Alex. How could Alex know not to put potassium in water, anyway? He pushed the handle down on the door and forced his way into the classroom. As predicted, the pair was swarmed by curious students wanting to know what happened, wanted to see the wound, ask did it hurt, and so on. Connor handled the questions well while Alex just seemed to freeze up. He couldn’t blame her. She probably felt pretty silly as it was and now a spotlight was on her. In an attempt to make her more comfortable, he shifted more focus onto himself and willingly showing the bandaged arm. Finally the teacher stepped in and the question and answer portion of the class was over. Mrs. Erickson decided to make Alex and Connor write essays on what went wrong and how avoid such an incident in the future. Clearly she didn’t trust them near her very expensive chemistry equipment. Connor did what was asked and even helped Alex with her essay a little. At least he’d gotten laser tag and a coffee out of the whole thing. And more time with Alex. Whatever that ended up being like.

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