Realistic or Modern Nerd x Athlete With Eevee-chan

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

Carlos spun Cindy around as they seemed to be dancing to some other music than what was playing. Cindy kept little to no space between them as Carlos wrapped his arms around her. He felt relaxed, calm and then he looked up and saw Mei. She was dancing pretty damn well for being in a boot her face had a bright smile and she was enjoying herself...why did he care? Oh, right. He cared because he knew her injury was sports related but she gave him hell for being a jock even though she was one herself.

Cindy spun around to face him grabbing his cheeks so he'd look down at her. She gave a knowing smirk. "Boot girl?" She asked though it was more of a statement. "Do what and who you want on your free time. When you're with me your mine." She squeezed his cheeks lightly as if to make that a clear statement. Carlos could feel a bead of sweat drip down his forehead, if it was from the dancing or the statement he wasn't sure. He just snorted at her comment, "No way Cindy, it's always you." She rolled her eyes knowing that was a bull faced lie. "Come on, I'm ready to go." She finished her rum and coke quickly and stepped away from him to walk around the crowd to leave.

Mood: ... Location: Mixer​

 

[Ta Min]

Someone was looking at her, she could feel it. Looking up, Carlos' eyes locked with her own and she quirked an eyebrow in question. Why was he looking at me? She wandered, looking away and focusing on the guy in front of her. Silly Carlos, always causing her trouble. The only time she should be thinking about him was during their tutoring sessions. Every other time was out of the question. Yet here she was, once again thinking about him for no reason at all. In her mind, so she could accept him looking at her, people's eyes wander but she could not find a reason to why she was thinking about him. That's when it hit her, there was nor reason and she was going crazy.

Mei grabbed Max's hand and pulled him away from the dancing, talking as she did so "Hey, would you like to join Meridith, Kenny, and I in my dorm for a movie? I think tonight it's the live action remake of Tarzan, it's awfully good." She glanced at Max and got an enthusiastic "Yeah!" In return.The two made their way to a happy looking Meredith and equally happy-looking Kenny. "Ready to go?" She asked, grinning at the two and giving Meridith a knowing look. Meridith giving her a dirty one in return before answering, "We'll go get the car, you two go wait outside," Mei nodded, "Aye, Aye, will do." She said, proceeding to weave through crowds of people with Max until they were both outside, only a few other people out there with them.

"So, did you have fun?" She asked, finding a place for them to sit and wait for Merideth's car to pull up. After a minute or two of silence, she decided to make conversation. A smile tugging at her lips as Max chuckled, "Of course, I met a nice girl, improved my dancing skills, saw the famous Carlos, just a bunch of great things happened. As a result of all those events, I had loads of fun." Mei actually laughed at his answer "Wow, wish I was there." She said, nudging him with her shoulder playfully.

 

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

Carlos was led by Cindy outside as she stepped down the stairs of the building and opened her purse. She slipped her fingers in the bag fumbling around until she found a lighter and a cigarette. She placed the cigarette in her mouth and lit the end taking a drag she offered to Carlos who declined. Cindy smirked, "Right, you're clean of alcohol and any addictive substances. A true athlete." She teased as she stepped down the stairs to move away from him. Carlos leaned against one of the beams as he watched her smoke, once she finished Cindy would probably announce where they were headed next.

Carlos could hear chattering nearby and glanced around the beam to see a few people standing around or sitting. He thought he heard the name Carlos and looked that way. Of course, it was Mei and the guy she was with. Carlos rolled her head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, Mei could have said hi and introduced us," Carlos said a smoothly with a little cockiness as he slipped around the beam to see Max and Mei sitting. He smirked. What the hell are you doing?! He heard his mind scream.

Cindy glanced over her shoulder seeing Carlos moving, what was he doing. Her eyes narrowed but she turned back to her cigarette. If he wanted to be a child, let him be. She'd reign him in once she was done with her smoke.

Mood: WTF!? Location: Outside Mixer​

 

[Ta Min]

Mei looked up at Carlos and raised an eyebrow, What in the world is he doing here. Unable to hide the slight frown on her face, she wasn't angry but more confused. She never could figure him out and his antics. Staring at him curiously, she stood up - Max following closely behind her. "Lovely as always, Carlos." Glancing from Max to Carlos she said, "Max, Carlos, Carlos, Max."

Max, being the polite person her was, held out his hand for Carlos to shake. "Nice to meet you, Carlos, I'm Mei's friend." While he smiled there was a bit of agitation hidden behind his eyes. Based off of Carlos' mannerisms he was a bit of a jerk, or at least obnoxious. The smirk on his face was unbearable and it bothered him to see Mei so off guard. From what he knew about her so far she was very confident and it took quite a bit to knock her off guard. Yet here she was, wearing - while adorable - confused look on her face.

After a minute or two of gathering herself, she resumed her aloof expression. "Is there something you need from us Carlos?" She asked, still managing to keep her tone friendly. It wouldn't bode well for her if Max saw her ugly side this early in their friendship.

 

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

What in the world was he doing was exactly what Carlos was thinking himself. Carlos nodded to Mei's comment and how confused...or was it agitation that she had? Either way, he already stuck his foot into this conversation. He reached out to take Max's hand giving it a firm tough guy shake, he looked to Max's eyes which really burned the agitation. Ah, probably the normal hate most other guys had for him. The only guy friends he had were sports guys and some of them weren't friends just rivals and other people who hated his skill. Was it his fault he worked non-stop to get to where he was in sports? He wouldn't dislike some chess kid who was super smart and would kick his ass in a game of....Monopoly?

Carlos smiled, his eyes showed they were amused. "Yeah, nice to meet you, Max. Mei is my babysitter for school." He said with a little chuckle, he was still holding Max's hand, why? He wasn't over here to intimidate, he was just trying to throw Mei off guard which he probably accomplished. He pulled his hand back to place it in his pocket as he kept in his relax position leaning against the beam. Max looked stiff standing up straight. If Max was a cool guy, Carlos would never know because Max already hated him just for just breathing in their direction.

He was a bit jarred when he head Mei speak. He pushed off the beam to stand up more straight that way he could see both her and Max. "uh," and now he was momentarily caught off guard, what did he want? He recovered quickly and rubbed the back of his head as if acting bashful. "Heard my name and famous in the same line. Figured I'd say hi to your friend, you interested in sports mate?" Carlos said glancing back to Max. His tone was still that of his normal confident self, but something was a little off. He could feel it...even when people didn't want him nearby he could care less and continued to be himself. But Mei rattled him from his normal position. Maybe it was the way she was dressed, or now knowing she was a jock...or maybe it was the fact Mei was hanging out with a guy who was clearly interested in her...

Wait, what? Carlos thought that last statement over, Mei wasn't his girlfriend or a girl he was interested in romanticly for that matter. He didn't own Mei because she was his tutor, jealousy wasn't the right word for his inner turmoil...maybe curiosity.

Mood: Rattled Location: Outside Mixer​

 

[Ta Min]

'Mei is my babysitter for school.' Max raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing to Mei for clarification but simply got a look that said, I'll tell you later in response. Shrugging it off, he held his smile firmly in place and nodded along with the statement even if it still confused him. Taking out his phone, he idly scrolled through the different apps, expecting Mei and Carlos to talk amongst themselves for a bit before they left. Which was why he was somewhat caught off-guard when there was a question directed at him. "Uh, I guess so?" He said, making it sound more like a question. From next to him, he heard Mei giggle at his lack of social skills and playfully elbowed her in the stomach, not nearly hard enough to hurt her in the slightest but enough to the message across. "I mean, I'm not really into sports like watching them and stuff, but I used to swim competitively," Max said, managing to recover from his blunder without too much trouble.

While the two talked, Mei stared at Carlos, barely bothering to hide the fact. Even though he did technically give an explanation, she wasn't satisfied. It was such a lame excuse after all. After a bit of thinking, she randomly blurted, "I don't buy it," Apparently, she happened to interrupt poor Max while he was talking about only god knows what, but he simply stopped and patiently waited for her explain her thought. Clearing her throat, Mei continued, "It's just that your reason is a bit... lame? It doesn't really make sense either. Then again, I don't know you very well and I'm just your tutor so who knows?" She tilted her head slightly to the right out of habit, some compared her to a puppy begging for treats when she did this - which was absolutely ridiculous. Still, she couldn't wrap her head around Carlos which was also quite ridiculous.

"Anyway, Max and I will be leaving any minute now." She glanced up, still not spotting Merideth's car. She would've been worried since they left a while ago and should've been there by now but Merideth and Kenny were probably just chatting it up and taking their sweet ol' time. So, nothing that should raise any alarms. Sighing, she rested her body weight on her good leg, tired of standing around. She generally used her crutches but since her cast was coming off soon she figured she'd be fine, how wrong she was. Without one of her legs, the other had to work a lot harder (which is what the crutches were for) and considering she wasn't currently using them it made sense that she was tired.

 

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

Carlos rose a brow as Max scrolled through his phone, he asked the guy a question. It was weird... most the time if Carlos tried to chat with a girl with the guy she was with he went on defense. Nerds were a different breed of men, he guessed. The playful exchange between Mei and Max made him smile a little but he kept his eyes focused on Max who was now talking about competitive swimming. "Hey, swimming is a tough sport, full body workouts," Carlos said with his arms stuck in his pocket. He let Max talk about his days of swimming and chimed in with his own experiences.

As Carlos had a decent conversation with Max he felt the heat from Mei's stare on him. Was she mad he was unintentionally stealing her 'date.' He chuckled inwardly at that thought, pissing his tutor off was fun. However, Mei blurted out something interrupting Max which didn't seem to bother Max but Carlos raised a brow looking at her now. He waited for her to finish then laughed at her statement, "Lame, that's a new one." He said with a sly grin, "It's a party Mei, people tend to be social at these things. I'm sure if you heard someone mention your name in conversation you'd at least listen in curiously." Her little head tilt was adorable and without much thought, Carlos pulled his right hand from his pocket and patted her head as if she were a child. "Plus, I have this feeling we are more alike than you let on tutor." What possessed him to touch her was beyond his reasoning, really what he wanted to do was grab her chin and call her out on being a jock.

He was about to say something else when Cindy was soon next to him and grabbed his right arm pulling it against her and moving it off of Mei. "It's rude to touch a lady on her head, Carlos," Cindy said with a bit of sweet venom dripping from her voice. Carlos was a bit stunned that Cindy had appeared in that moment. "...right...Max, give the tutor a hand to the car, she's looking a little shaky, that's what happens when you leave the house without your crutches gimpy." Carlos said with his normal cocky grin, Cindy was trying to hold her polite face but Mei would note daggers were definitely being glared at her. "Come on Carlos, I want to go to your dorm. I'm done with parties and people." She tugged on his arm which he went with. "Nice chatting with you Max if you ever feel up for doing laps hit me up. I get access to the pool any time of day. I'll see you for our tutor session gimpy."

Mood: Uncertain Location: Outside Mixer​

 

[Ta Min]

While Max didn't really like Carlos, he couldn't help but get wrapped up in a conversation about swimming with the fellow. It was, after all, an old passion of his. "Yeah, back in high school it was the only thing keeping me from becoming chubby." He chuckled, patting his stomach. He used to eat like a starved animal, and people always asked him how he was so thin, to which he generally responded with a shrug and went on eating. The two proceeded to have what Max considered a pleasant conversation before Mei chimed in. Not really caring all that much, he just quieted and listened to whatever she had to say.

Mei frowned slightly, everything Carlos just did upset her in one way or another. "I guess so." She admitted reluctantly, raising a curious eyebrow as he placed a hand on top of her head. Pointing to his hand, she commented: "I believe this is new as well." A smirk that mirrored one of his briefly found it's way onto her face before disappearing at the next thing he said, "What do you mean by that? How in the world are we similar?" He was a jock and she a giant nerd so from what he knew so there was no way he could think they had anything in common. That is unless he... no, there's no way he would know about her past endeavors. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what he meant.

Upon the arrival of Cindy, Mei was snapped out of her thoughts and forced to focus her attention on the situation in front of her. Something about Cindy made her want to feel bad for Carlos, girls like that never had good intentions. But as soon as she was starting to form a sort of pity for him, he had to go and screw it up by opening his mouth again. With him and his cocky expression and her with her fake smile, she decided they were a match made in heav - no, hell. "I have a name, and thanks for the concern but I"ll be just fine. I can manage. You'll do better looking out for yourself and leaving me alone." Max, who was awkwardly watching the entire conversation nodded to Carlos, "Will do, see you later I guess." He turned around in a semi-circle, looking for Mei who already managed to hobble off without saying goodbye somewhere in the distance. Flashing Carlos and Cindy and friendly smile, he chased after her. Soon alter, Merideth and Kenny pulled up, much to Mei's relief.

 

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

Carlos was going to explain his comment but was interrupted by Cindy. He waved his bye to Max and watched as annoyed Mei hobbled off. Cindy held onto Carlos's arm holding tight as he led her to her car. "I'll see you back at your dorm?" Cindy asked cutely as she twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. Her perfume was now mixed with cigarette smoke which made Carlos inwardly gag, he'd have her shower at his place. "Sure, my roomie will probably end up spending the night here anyway." He shut her door and walked over to his car knowing she'd follow.

~~~~~The Next Morning~~~~

Carlos opened his eyes and looked around, the sun wasn't up yet but his body was so used to the early morning grind even after a night of...extra curricular activities. He looked to his right side since his arm felt numb and saw the familiar blonde hair of Cindy. He carefully pulled his arm out from under her and got out of bed. He had drills to run this morning and even though his body was a little sore he wouldn't stop practicing. He gave Cindy a light kiss on the forehead knowing it wouldn't wake her then got dressed and headed straight for the field. He'd shower in the locker room after doing some warm ups.

The morning air was crisp as he stepped out onto the field with the ball machine loaded. He needed to practice his swings from the right, his personal weak spot when he was on the plate. Even though he was the main pitcher, he didn't believe his should simply layoff on his batting skills. He wanted to be a well-rounded player, which was why he was the only one on the field at 6 a.m. and probably would be for the next hour. He continued to bat until a few teammates ended up on the field and switched out to pitcher or catcher. He was in his center, his calm and place of solitude. He could reflect on last night and....right he had to go to study sessions with Mei, the nerd-jock. "Shit." He said as he ducked nearly avoiding a bat that went flying. Ah, gotta love the freshmen that were just too asleep to keep their hands on the damn bat.

Mood: Calm Location: Sports Field​

 

[Ta Min]

Mei had to force her weary eyes open to check the time, she had a one thirty tutoring session with a certain annoying jock and unlike him, she didn't enjoy being late to things. Her phone read eleven thirty, which gave her plenty of time to get ready and grab something to eat. Setting her phone down, she sat up and ran a hand through her tangled hair. That's when she spotted two extra bodies laying on the floor in her dorm room, letting out an unladylike half scream, half choking sound she attempted to back up but had to stop when she hit the wall behind her. "What the hell?" She jumped upon hearing the familiar voice of Max. A confused expression quickly replacing the frightened one as she looked at an equally confused Max. Looking to the other now awake body she mentally slapped herself once realizing it was Kenny. "Ohhh, right." She muttered, remembering that they all fell asleep watching a movie last night. "Sorry guys, I didn't mean to scare you." Much to her relief, they both just chuckled and didn't make any further moves to make fun of her. "Finally, I thought you guys were going to sleep the day away. Thank god I came back just in time to hear Mei's 'scream'." Mei rolled her eyes at Merideth who stood in the doorway already dressed and holding four coffees and a bag of what Mei suspected to be doughnuts. "Yeah, yeah." She climbed out of bed, still wearing what she had on the night before. "I have to be somewhere in like an hour," She glanced back at her phone which now read twelve before continuing, "So I'm going to go quickly change then come back and hang out for a bit," Going to her closet, she picked out a simple pair of Adidas pants, matching shoes, and a loose maroon t-shirt that said something meaningful written across it. Some would consider her choice frumpy, but it was awfully comfortable so she found nothing wrong with it. "Be back soon!" She called over her shoulder, walking out the door and down the hallway to the communal bathroom.

Hopping in the shower, she scrubbed her honey-mint scented shampoo & conditioner into her hair until she felt it was clean. Washing it out, she smiled, happy that the smell still lingered - quite strongly actually. It was her favorite, and in her opinion, it smelled very good - the honey adding the sweetness to the scent and the mint adding the freshness. A perfect balance. Wrapping a towel around herself, she dried off before pulling on the clothes she brought with her, groaning in frustration as she looked down at her boot covered leg. The pants had to be bunched up where the bulky thing rested on her leg. It wasn't all that flattering and was very different compared to the other pant leg which showed off her still shapely leg from years of soccer. "Whatever, it doesn't matter." She grumbled, fixing her shirt, and pulling on her shoes. Walking out into the main part of the bathroom, she tied her wet hair up into a sloppy bun and proceeded to brush her teeth, wash her face, and gather her things before heading back to the dorm room where Merideth, Kenny, and Max were all probably digging into the food. Pushing open the door she smiled, seeing them all gathered in a circle with a space left for her just chatting and stuffing their faces. Sitting down between Merideth and Max, she reached into the paper bag and pulled out a simple glazed doughnut and the now basically empty cup holder for her coffee. "Thanks, M," She said, using her nickname for Merideth she only said when she was too lazy to say the actual thing. "No Problem M Number two." Mei laughed lightly before taking a bite out the baked good and a sip out of the cup of coffee. She leaned back against her bed, lazily listening to Max and Kenny go on about something that she didn't really understand.

Time seemed to fly as the four talked because soon enough it was one fifteen and she had to meet Carlos at the baseball fields where they would decide where they were going to go for their tutoring session, then go to and start said tutoring session "I gotta go," She said, standing up and dusting herself off. "Bye Mei," Kenny and Merideth said in unison before bursting out into a fit of laughter, Max waving goodbye. She picked up her crutches and bags before heading out on her ten-minute walk to the baseball field. The walk actually wasn't that long or bad, no big hills or anything but she wasn't in the mood to do anything other than slowly walk so she got there around one twenty-five and plopped down on a bench to wait for Carlos to finish up. While waiting, she pulled out a book she was about half way through and leaned back to start reading. She figured he'd be late so why should she sit there bored out of her mind? After about one or two pages, she had an itch on her scalp and went to itch it but was blocked by the bun she made when her hair was wet. Pulling out the hair tie, her long - slightly damp - black hair tumbled down onto her shoulders. Running her hand through the tangled strands, she eventually managed to straighten out her hair, making her look somewhat more presentable. She looked up from her book and looked around, trying to spot Carlos. As much as she disliked the guy, she wanted him to show up, just so they could get this show on the road.

 

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

Carlos was doing what he did best, playing ball. He had thrown quite a few low balls and speedballs that were pissing off some of the people he was training with. They were upset they couldn't hit them, but also relieved that Carlos was such a good pitcher. He wasn't keeping track of time and just keeping himself lost in the game. He did some laps around the bases as the team members started to fill out the field. Now they could play a real game, well more of a training game but it was still fun. He glanced up from the outfield under the brim of his ballcap and noticed someone sitting at the benches...was that. "CARLOS WATCH OUT!"

BAM. The ball slammed hard into Carlos's glove and his glove slammed into his face. He could feel the pain in his nose as he tossed it back. A few of the outfielders ran over to see if he was okay. "It's fine, it's fine," Carlos said as he pulled his glove off tossing at one of the other players. "I'll just take a break, I have to do some actual classwork." He said sounding confident as he walked towards the end of the field to get out of the gated area. Mei would see him walking towards her as he got closer she'd see him reach up and pinch his nose. A trickle of blood was rolling from his left nostril. He wiped it away with the back of his other hand.

"Sup," His voice was a little muffled since he was pinching his nose and breathing out his mouth. A trail of blood was outlined on the side of his face. He was hot, sweaty, and looking a little worn out. "So...I should probably grab a towel before I bleed on your notes." He let go of his nose and a few more trickles of blood poured out as he covered it with his hand. Mei would notice his nose was definitely red and was going to bruise, it also looked a little bent...or maybe that was already there. Carlos felt really stupid, he got distracted while out on the field. He was lucky he had fast reflexes or this may have been the second time he had to get his nose fixed due to a baseball incident.

Mood: Stupid... Location: Sports Field​

 

[Ta Min]

Mei looked up just in time to see Carlos get knocked in the nose. "Ouch, that's gotta hurt," She muttered under her breath, watching him as he tossed his glove and made his way over to her. In a good mood as well as feeling somewhat bad about his nose she offered up something that one could only describe as a rare but friendly smile. No point in being mean. "Hello there Carlos," She greeted, unsure exactly how she was supposed to respond to 'sup'. She knew it was short for 'what's up' but people generally used it as a 'hello' so she never knew if she should respond to 'what's up' or 'hello'. Which more often than naught caused an awkward situation for her and the person she was talking to.

Now that he was closer, she cringed at the sight of blood coming from his nose and smeared on the side of his face. "Yeah, you should also probably get some ice on that to reduce the chance of bruising, can't let it ruin your face." She said, the last part more of a joke and not meant to be taken too seriously. Even if she did think him attractive despite some of his unattractive personality traits it wasn't the reasoning behind her words. For some odd reason when it came to injuries Mei was always eager to help, she did plan on being a doctor so it made sense when you put two and two together. Turning, she dug through her bag and took out one of those portable plastic things of tissues that mom's often carried around and offered it to Carlos "Until you get yourself a towel this will prevent you from getting blood on yourself and everything around you."

After he took what he needed, she tucked the tissues safely back into her purse. "You can go ahead and get your nose checked out, I'll be waiting here." she urged, before adding as a joke, "Unless you need me to come with you to make sure you don't get lost, and for moral support." She laughed, knowing he was very capable of taking himself, but it was simply another one of her lame attempts to make him feel better about the whole nose fiasco. She knew not only his nose but pride might be a bit bruised, seeing that she's had her fair share of injuries, most of which were self-inflicted (she had a tendency to charge girls twice her size and get knocked over during games), and how she always felt embarrassed afterward. It was her fault she got injured in the first place after all. Why am I being so nice today? she wondered, knowing her usual self wouldn't be so sympathetic to Carlos. Shrugging it off, she decided not to think about it. If she did it was likely she'd just end up even more confused.

 

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

He nodded to her friendly smile, she probably felt bad for him since he just got hit in the face with a ball. Not the first or the last time, that's for sure. He couldn't help but chuckle a little, and wince since his nose crinkled a bit while laughing, at her comment about ruining his face, “If I was THAT worried about my looks, I probably should have paid more attention in writing than sports.” He was a little surprised and it showed on his face when she offered him a tissue.

“Thanks...” He took it and held it to his nose. He wiped the blood off and then twisted another tissue to stick up his nostrils, people always looked goofy like this. “What's a sport without a little blood.” He smirked at his comment blood, sweat and tears went into the things people loved. He laughed at that “Moral support? I'm a little surprised you're not razzing me now.” He started to walk off giving her a little wave and a genuine smile. Maybe things were on the up for their relationship and tutoring him wouldn't be hell. She'd notice during the conversation and even as he was walking off and some teammates were chatting with him, he didn't seem all to pride wounded. Blood was part of the game, even in none to minimal contact sports.

After about thirty minutes he arrived with a bandage over his nose and as he sat down, she'd note it did look a little straighter but there was still a bend. “So, this is the second time I've been slugged with a ball to the face.” He shared the information nonchalantly as he sat a step below her on the bleachers. He had changed into a clean t-shirt and some basketball shirt. A little necklace was noticeable against the white-t. Carlos pointed out a few more scraps and bruises, the one that stood out the most was a large scar to his left knee cap. He normally wore jeans, so most wouldn't see it. “I had to have surgery this one was so bad. It was...high school, freshman year.” He closed his eyes remembering it. “I had a lot of enemies on my own team and outside. One of the juniors whose position I took decided to get even.” Carlos mimicked holding an imaginary bat and 'hitting' Mei on the knee.

He let his fake bat drop to the ground as he leaned back on the bleachers. “Thought I wouldn't play again...but, had to show that guy what a piss-ant he was and how even with this injury I'd still be better than him...” He paused a moment and his eyes darted to Mei. “But, I'm sure you have a few stories of your own. Soccer is a pretty rough sport...” This may have been crossing a line, but he needed to see her reaction. He didn't often tell people about his knee injury, most thought he was lying, but he remembered the pain. He was no snitch so he himself called it an 'accident' to the coach. The tears his mother shed thinking her son's chance at the majors was over...he'd never let that happen.

Mood: Crossing a line Location: Bleachers​

 

[Ta Min]

"Hey, I can be nice sometimes." Mei said chuckling. While what he said did have a truth to it seeing that she enjoyed teasing him, she picked her moments carefully. As he walked off he seemed in good spirits, letting her relax a bit.


She was curled up on the bench when he decided to come back. Once spotting him, she moved over and nodded to what he said. Mei listened as he described all of his injuries, eyes wondering to the necklace around his neck. However, when he described how he got the injury on his knee, she looked up and frowned. She never really experienced rivalry while playing soccer since it was such a team sport. Except for that one girl who never seemed quite fond of her, she never really acted on it though, so it didn't matter. The only injuries she ever got came from other teams that weren't fond of hers. With her schools reputation Other teams tended to be intimidated and resorted to really dirty tricks that at times, were quite dangerous. Pulling herself out of her own thoughts, she looked at Carlos as he continued talking.


"But, I'm sure you have a few stories of your own. Soccer is a pretty rough sport...” Her entire body froze, something about what he said set off what she's been trying to suppress for months. The screaming, the pain, the blood, and most importantly, her shattered dreams. "How do you know about that?" She asked, her voice doing that weird thing where it got all high and panicky. From what she knew, she never told anyone here except her roommate that she played soccer. She came here to start fresh, and that included hiding her past, from everyone else and herself. "Please, don't bring this up again. Okay? I'll be going now, see you at our next session." She said, her eyes growing somewhat wet as she attempted to get away from him and everyone else before she burst. Gathering all of her things, she pushed herself up and attempted to waddle away but as you can imagine with her handicap and her scattered mood it was almost impossible. Mei, a generally steady and calm person seemed to completely loose her head in a matter of seconds. It was quite unsettling to watch.

 

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

Carlos knew he was walking along a shallow line, but her panicked response surprised him. His eyes widened as she spoke and quickly defused the situation as a 'not wanting to talk about it' thing. Even though he was in the wrong by pressing... he didn't appreciate her response. Another athlete would get it, going through similar pains and even sharing some embarrassing stories about his missteps. He watched as she gathered her things his mouth open to say something but when she turned he could see that her eyes looked like they were about to burst.

She didn't like making girls cry...shit, making his tutor cry was an even worse idea. He couldn't have her avoiding him, he needed to keep his grades up to be able to stay on the team. He watched as she started to waddle away, her cool-headed snarkiness was no-where to be seen. He wasn't going to be able to fix this, he knew that as he watched her struggle from the bleachers. SOmething told him to act, it was probably a bad idea but before he could stop himself he was standing up and grabbing the side of her arm. "Stop moving so fast moron. You're still injured." He started to help her off the bleachers, whether she wanted his help or not he had a decent grip on her, and then begin to walk with her away from the field.

"Look," he said a little more hushed as his other hand reached around her to hold onto her other shoulder. "We don't have to talk about it right now...but it's good to get it off your chest..." He was holding her rather close, some would say a little too 'chummy' even protective, but right now he wasn't worried about other people's thoughts or even her possible struggling against his grip. He was at least trying to guide her away to a bathroom or something so she could compose herself.

Mood: Protective Location: Walking​

 

[Ta Min]

Mei hated being weak, she despised it actually. It was an awful feeling and always ruined everything. Struggling to get down from the bleachers, she had to quickly reach out and grasp something before she fell. Steadying herself, she continued on, this time trying to go even faster despite the fact that she almost just fell. Almost falling once again, she was surprised when a hand reached out and grabbed her by the arm. Stiffening, she turned to Carlos. "Let go Carlos, I may be injured but I can handle myself." She said unconvincingly, her eyes growing slightly more damp. She tended to do this thing where even when she was clearly having a breakdown, she still tried to talk her way out of it. Which often led to nothing good. Yet, instead of fighting against his hold physically, she simply kept on telling him to let her go as she let him lead her away. Not putting up much of a fight, seeing that she didn't really have it in her.


When he spoke again, she hushed. Opting to listen to him rather than trying to speak over him. Slowly her body relaxed, not even stiffening again as he put his other hand on to her shoulder. It seemed as if she was accepting what was happening, seeming too worn to do anything else. She didn't want to cry in front of him.


This wasn't the first time someone's brought up her past, and this wasn't the first time she's freaked out. Last time it was much worse however. She had a full blown panic attack in front of the entire school. And for the last few weeks of school, occurrences such as the one currently happening tending to be common and put quite a strain on her mentally and physically. So, speaking from experience, she's learned that kicking and screaming - while it offered brief peace of mind - didn't do a whole lot for her.


"Carlos, you don't get it." Mei muttered, shaking her head and running her hands anxiously through her hair. "They're not sure if I'll even be able to walk again without limping, much less how I will run." She kept on talking, going on and on, not exactly making sense. "I had a full ride, not anymore though. No one wants a cripple. Which means there's no point in talking about it. There's no point in hoping things will go back to normal." Staring up at Carlos, she wore a sad smile. "There's no point in tr-ying." Her voice breaking towards the end. While she knew that everything she said probably didn't make sense to him, she said it anyway.

 

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

Carlos helped her down and listen to her as she spoke, he had walked them over to a shaded area out of view. It was bad enough he was seeing her cry but he was sure she didn't want anyone else to see. Even though she said he didn't get it, he did. Recovery for his knee was a terrible fight, his mother's tears were hard to bear but he pushed forward when so many told him to give up it was 'impossible.' He let her finish and tried to keep a cool head, yelling at her to not give up or believe in herself wasn't going to ease her mind.

He leaned against the side of the building that was casting shade over them looking at her sad smile. He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded "You're right. What's the point in trying?" He said shrugging his shoulders. "I'm never going to be good at academics so why bother?" He pushed off the wall. "My knee was never going to recover, so why bother physical therapy?" He looked at her very seriously, "I would never have a chance with a major league even if I recovered from the injury, so why bother working to keep myself on this team?" He rubbed his nose. "Mei, your rude, feisty, and don't take other peoples crap. You also have a wonderful smile, kind to your friends, and your no quitter cause you're still trying to tutor me, and that's a pretty tough lot." He nodded his head to the side, "So why give up on something you haven't even tried?"

He wasn't too sure if that would piss her off or not, but he said it. "Look, I'm not going to lie, recovering from a major injury is tough but there are ways to build the muscle up so you can get back in the game..." Sports medicine was the major he was going for, "so, once the cast is off...I'll help you with some extra recovery outside of PT and you help me with studies...It'll keep me more focused."

Mood: Thinking! Location: Near Building​

 

[Ta Min]

Wiping her eyes and attempting to steady her breathing, Mei stared at the ground listening to Carlos speak. Everything coming from his lips hit right at home, slowly breaking her down once again. Luckily, she managed to keep it in this time. Not wanting to cry in front of him more than once. Everything he said was true, she gave up prematurely and didn’t even give the chance of a full recovery a thought. To be honest, she was scared. She needed something safe to do and soccer wasn’t that thing. Hence why she quit and took up academics. It was her safety net and she planned on just going about her life without soccer. It turns out however, that Carlos thought otherwise.

After listening to everything Carlos said about her, a brief look of surprise crossed Mei’s face. He really believed those things about her? It struck her as odd that he noticed small things such as her smile, and how she acted towards her friends. He didn’t seem the type. “I don’t know Carlos.” She muttered, running her hands through her hair and rubbing her face free of any excess tears that had been missed. This contributing to her already red and slightly bloated face. “I had to choose something at the time, either focus on my leg or academics so I can do something with myself. It was just the safe option. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“I know but I’ll probably never be in the condition I used to be in...” Mei paused for a bit, clearly thinking carefully about her next choice of words. After what seemed like forever, she looked up from the patch of dirt she was staring at to Carlos. “However, helping me outside of PT will help you focus then I guess we can give it a try...” doubt lacing her words. “Actually, this might help. I haven’t really been that great of a tutor... have we even started to go over what you needed help with?” Chuckling to herself she shook her head. “Sorry, I’m usually more focused than this.”

 

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

Of course, she was doubtful of course she chose the safe option. Hell, he wanted to just give up on his dreams but the drive inside him wouldn't let him just give up without trying. He watched as Mei spoke still looking down at the ground rubbing her face. He was glad she was looking down, staring at her tear stained face would probably have dropped his confidence in pushing her. When she looked back up he could see she was working on her word choice. The doubt was there, but at least she was willing to give it a shot. It would be a great chance for him to put some of his sports medicine into practice.

As she continued she mentioned not even starting to tutor him. His face got a little red realizing, that was true. They hadn't studied yet he said all that stuff about her continuing to try and teach him. Wow, speaking out his ass to make her feel more confident. He looked away from her with a slightly red face and itched his nose, it still hurt a little bit. That's what happens when a baseball creams you in the face. "Well...I'm usually this unfocused unless it's baseball. So it's not much of a different standing for me." It was unusual to see Carlos looking embarrassed about his missteps, he was always cocky and arrogant. She was getting a glimpse of him that most didn't see, much like he had.

He reached his hand out to take hers and looked at her. "Well, I guess we both need to get focused. For real focused...take no prisoners and leave no stone unturned." He flashed a smile, not a fake smile but a genuine smile like he was a schoolyard bo who just set his mind on an impossible task he was going to accomplish.

Mood: Embarrassed Location: Near Building​

 

[Ta Min]

Seeing Carlos’ face turn a red she smiled internally, it wasn’t often one could fluster him. Let alone cause him to show any signs of embarrassment. Her eyes following his hand as he itched his nose, she squinted slightly, doubting that the pain had gone away. “Ah don’t worry about that, I’ll help you fix that. Or at least, improve a little bit.” She said, knowing that it would be hard to get Carlos to focus on his studies but she was going to give it her all and hopefully succeed in the end.

When Carlos took her hand in his, a small little patch of butterflies erupted in her stomach. Fluttering about and causing an odd but not bad sensation. Unfortunately, she didn’t know what it meant as well as if she would be happy once finding out so she decided to simply dismiss it. Returning Carlos’ smile, she nodded, “Sounds like a plan, good if we start today? I have all my books, we just need to find somewhere to study. It’s too hot out here, and I’m not sure if the librarian will let us in again after last time...” she trailed off, recalling the dirty looks the older woman had thrown their way.

Realizing she was still holding his hand she quickly let go, almost instantly missing the warmth of his palm against hers. Frowning at the thought, she shook her head, once again dismissing what had entered her mind. It seemed as if she was doing this more and more often. I must be going mad, Mei thought.

 

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

Internally he cussed, right she had all her books, of COURSE, she'd want to start now and he brought the idea up. He was kicking himself, he didn't feel like studying now but saying no to study would just pull apart his whole speech. "Yeah...the librarian was probably my fault..." And here he was admitting fault, "I mean you are the one that went crazy all screaming like a mad woman." He smirked at that knowing that might click a few buttons and cause her little fieriness to show up, or she'd laugh...maybe they were on laughing terms. A friendship with his tutor? Who would have seen this coming?

"We could do it in my dorm room." He said without much thought as he let go of her hand, he also didn't give much thought to the statement. He then realized his roommate was probably still asleep, and probably not wearing pants. "...How about the cafeteria." Poor Mei would be scared if she had to see boy butt of a stranger. He looked around the area of campus they had wandered off to, wow he was good at picking secluded spots in a panic. He mentally patted himself on the back. "Doesn't look like too far a walk, plus I'm starving. Protein shake before hitting the field just doesn't cut it." He always thought better on a full stomach and he swore he read somewhere, in what magazine he had no idea, that eating and studying helped with retention.

Mood: Hungry Location: Near a building​

 

[Ta Min]

Mei rolled her eyes at him, and jabbed - no - poked him in the chest. “And you’re the one who made me angry enough to start screaming like a mad woman in the first place.” While her words could be taken as a form of hostility Carlos ought to know her mannerisms better than that and see that she was clearly joking and that there were no hard feelings. Even though at the time she did actually want to throw something at him. Nothing big, maybe an eraser but she was past it now.

She shook her head at the idea of studying in his dorm room. The dormitories were too loud and somewhere he would have trouble focusing. Sighing, she agreed to his idea. “I guess so, but you have to promise me you won’t just spend the entire time eating. Since you just had practice and might be tired we’ll start off light and only go over what you’ll need help in. It won’t take too long and you’ll be free to do whatever soon enough.” With that, Mei started walking in the direction of the cafeteria.

 

[eevee-chan]

There are only two seasons - winter & baseball.

"Sure," he made no promises to focusing more on food than studying, but he would at least try to focus...him trying to focus on schoolwork? If only his mom could see him now. If he actually did well in his struggling classes, his mother might want to invite the tutor over to the house over the holiday break. Boy, would his mother be shocked to see a girl somehow managing to get her boy to focus? He casually laced his fingers behind his head smirking at his mother. He could almost hear her voice 'Aye mijo, this young lady helped you study? Tell me the secret to your success dear.'

The walk to the library was pretty peaceful, people walking towards classes or other appointments. If Carlos recognized a voice he'd give a nod or a quick wave but didn't stop to conversate, which you could clearly see some surprised faces. Upon reaching the cafeteria, he opened the door to let Mei in and followed behind. His stomach growled loudly as the smell of food hit his nose. "Ah, I am craving a cheeseburger...but that's just too much grease." He glanced to Mei, "let's find a spot for then..." He glanced at the wall clock, "brunch is on me." He said in a cheerful voice, the thought of food was exciting, he'd get an egg salad and tuna or something, protein was important to keep up on but all those fatty oils and calories from a burger was a bad idea. It would definitely put him to sleep, and weight ins would give his slip up away.

Mood: Hungry Location: Cafeteria​

 

[Ta Min]

As Mei walked beside Carlos, she wasn't surprised by the amount of people that came up to them to say hello. She was however, surprised that he didn't stop to say more than just a simple hello.

Looking around the cafeteria, she picked up a yogurt parfait seeing that she was still somewhat full from her breakfast. She shrugged in response to what he said about craving a cheeseburger but not wanting all the grease. "You only live once." She said simply. To be honest, she generally ate what she want. Weight wasn't a big issue for her, and if it was, she probably wouldn't really care. Then again, she's always been an active person so she was used to eating whatever and running it off during practice. Now, not so much. She was still what was considered 'in shape' but she was far from her glory days.

After Carlos picked out what he wanted, she headed over to the register where they would swipe their ID's before finding a table.