Courtyard Classics

The school campus is very well maintained. The grass is always kept neat and short, and the hedges around the school are always kept trimmed. The sports fields are all in immaculate condition, and a nice quad area has been set up for the students outside, with tables, chairs, and a gazebo.
Killer_Moth*
Posts: 259
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:22 am

Courtyard Classics

#1

Post by Killer_Moth* »

((Robert Barron cont'd from An Apple A Day))

Bobby was feeling better about everything. It was a new day, and he looked at the world with fresh perspective. So what if he was going to Prom with Rachel, not Erik? He could still find a way to make everything work. He was sure of it. And Rachel would be sure to come around. After all, this wasn't somebody she had no connections with, like Erik. This was him, Bobby, one of her oldest friends and allies

It was with chipper train of thought that he was allowing himself to relax, sprawled out on one of the schools lawns, with a copy of Virginia Woolf's ‘Orlando' open in front of him. It wasn't even for a class. He just thought that, since they were now in the 21st Century, he could maybe try and bring his reading up to the 20th. Besides, he fancied something a bit light hearted. He'd just finished Trollope's ‘Phineas Finn', and whilst it wasn't exactly dark, it wasn't often easy going either.

Bobby had no real worries ahead of him, class-wise, so he felt he could allow himself this indulgence. The weather was warm, the sun beating down on him, hopefully adding to his tan. Bring on Summer, so I can finally relax like this for a few months.
El Scorcho*
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Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:29 pm

#2

Post by El Scorcho* »

Stephanie looked up at the virtually cloudless sky only to be briefly dazzled by the blazing sun. Good weather always managed to improve her mood and today she felt fantastic. She had a class in a while but after that she could head home and absorb the sun's rays in her garden with Frank. Later she could watch a Buster Keaton film and eat biscuits. Personally, she couldn't think of a more blissful way to spend an afternoon.

Due to her current positive disposition she decided that today she would make a friend. Her lack of friends was the only thing wrong with the world at the moment and that was a problem she would have to fix. Stephanie really couldn't explain why she didn't get along that well with the other kids at Bayview.

They must have some sort of prejudice against small people. There's nothing that I can do about their racism so I'll just have to persevere until they learn to accept me for the person I am.

At least she had Frank. She knew for a fact that Frank would always be supportive of her and never discriminate against her due to her height. In fact, Frank was even shorter than she was.

About 20 metres in front of her was a boy she didn't know reading a book on the grass. She decided this would be her new friend and strolled towards him. Now all she had to do was charm him with her winning personality and smile.

"Hello! My name is Steph Clifford, would you like to be my friend?" she asked cheerfully.
Killer_Moth*
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#3

Post by Killer_Moth* »

As a shadow moved to block the sun from the page he was reading, Bobby looked up. The vision before him blotted out the sun, so that he couldn't quite make out the features. The nimbus around the silhouette was striking, creating a halo effect. He blinked, and stood up as the figure spoke.

Hello! My name is Steph Clifford, would you like to be me friend?

"Heh. I thought that line stopped working shortly after Kindergarten." He rubbed his hand through his hair, as his eyes cleared and he got a good look at the new arrival. He was sure that he'd seen her wandering round the campus before now, but couldn't remember talking to her before. If she hadn't introduced herself, he wasn't certain he'd have been able to remember her name at all.

"Sure, Steph. That sounds like it'd be nice. I'm Bobby" He put on his ‘headlights' smile, flashing his teeth at her, as he held out a hand.
El Scorcho*
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#4

Post by El Scorcho* »

As Bobby offered his hand out to her she grabbed it and began vigorously shaking it with her own, grinning gleefully at him. Stephanie was overjoyed, this was turning out to be a very good day indeed. She had already managed to make a new friend.

All they needed now was something to talk about. Stephanie strained her mind trying to think of what sort of things people liked discussing with their friends. People like talking about their hobbies, don't they?

Steph's biggest interest in life was rocks. Whilst not the most glamorous of diversions, rocks had always been an area of fascination for Stephanie. For a start, rocks were old. The oldest known rock on earth was thought to be about 4 billion years old. Rocks could tell you all sorts of interesting things about times far before recorded history. In fact, they are the main reason we know anything about those time periods in the first place.

Steph's rock collection was pretty extensive. She had various sorts of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks; an assortment of different minerals and a few fossils. Today she had with her a piece of smooth grey limestone.

Practically bursting with enthusiasm, she didn't notice her voice going up several decibels. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MY ROCK? IT IS SEDIMENTARY!"

Before Bobby had time to react she had withdrawn her hand from his and pulled her backpack off her shoulders. She grabbed the small lump of limestone out of it and began waving it about in front of him.
Killer_Moth*
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#5

Post by Killer_Moth* »

Steph moved with a sudden burst of activity, releasing his hand and rummaging around in her bag. Bobby took the opportunity to replace the bookmark, and swiftly return the book to a pocket in his shoulder bag. After all he didn't want to be rude.

Steph certainly had an energy that was infectious. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MY ROCK? IT IS SEDIMENTARY! Bobby was grinning at her, as she pulled out a small lump of a white, powdery rock. She was waving it about, too quickly for him to get a proper look at it. Gently, he stepped in towards her and took hold of her hands, bringing them to a halt, before letting go.

"Calm down, Steph. It's cool." He kept his tone even, his smile open and broad. He had to show that the invasion of personal space had been completely non threatening. "So, what's special about a sedimentary rock, then?"
El Scorcho*
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:29 pm

#6

Post by El Scorcho* »

Steph was slightly taken aback when Bobby moved to grab her.

OH NO! HE WANTS TO STEAL MY ROCK!

A brief expression of fear crossed her face. Luckily it turned out he was just trying to calm her down though. She visibly relaxed and a glowing smile returned to her face. The sensation of his hands against hers had been a very odd one. She couldn't recall ever having touched a boy before, she had to conclude that it wasn't as icky as she had expected.

"So, what's special about a sedimentary rock, then?"

Stephanie was delighted to see Bobby taking an interest in her hobby. She thought through her next words, trying to explain clearly and without using scientific jargon.

"Sedimentary rocks are the most common ones. They form on the earth's surface. People use them for fuel and to build stuff. Igneous rocks are the best, they form in volcanoes!"

She silently cursed herself for bringing in such a mundane rock with her today. Limestone was one of the most common rocks around; there were quite a few buildings around town built out of it. If only she'd brought some topaz, that would be far more interesting to show to Bobby. There certainly weren't many buildings made out of topaz, at any rate.

"This is just boring limestone!" she exclaimed, holding the rock up for Bobby to see and pointing at it. "SILLY ROCK, YOU ARE BORING!"

Irritated at herself, she put the limestone back into her backpack and hoisted that back up onto her shoulders. Eager to get to know her new friend better, she decided to inquire into what his own interests were.

"Do you have any hobbies Bobby?"
Killer_Moth*
Posts: 259
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:22 am

#7

Post by Killer_Moth* »

"Hey, careful there. Just cause there's a lot of it, doesn't mean it's boring. Seems to me like it's very useful." Looking down at Steph as she put the rock back in her bag, Bobby couldn't help but be amused by her. She was so childlike. She reminded him of one of his younger cousins. If he hadn't recognised her from some class, he'd never believe she was in the same year as him.

Do You have any hobbies Bobby?

"Me, oh nothing much these days. Reading mostly. I used to be into Badminton, but well…" He reached down and tapped his knee. "That didn't work out." Was that really it? There was much more to his life than just reading and former badminton player. It just all seemed so trite when he tried to define himself like that. What did he do for fun? "Apart from that, I guess it's hanging with the guys from GODspeed. I go to the Varsity once in a while, shoot a bit of pool. How about you, any sports?"
El Scorcho*
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:29 pm

#8

Post by El Scorcho* »

Stephanie stared upwards at Bobby, listening attentively. She was well used to being towered over by the freakishly large population of Bayview, so the fact that Bobby stood over a foot taller than her didn't faze her in the least. Thinking about it, Bobby probably wasn't even that tall by the standards of the other male students.

She watched curiously as his hand made contact with his knee, totally missing the point that this was connected to what he was saying about badminton. Hmmm, this has to be some sort of social gesture that cool kids use. I can use this to my advantage and demonstrate how trendy I am.

"Apart from that, I guess it's hanging with the guys from GODspeed."

Her attention snapped back to him at the mention of GODspeed, the school's Christian club. "I like Jesus too, he is cool!" In truth, Steph didn't know what she believed in terms of religion. It was all so abstract and distant that she found it very hard to choose what to have faith in. Currently, she was leaning towards the gods of the Greek pantheon. All the different vibrant personalities and complex relationships between those gods fascinated her. From what she had read of the Bible Jesus seemed like a pretty great guy though. He was so noble and caring; it was definitely something to aspire to. Overall, Jesus was one of her favourite deities.

"How about you, any sports?"

"Err... I'm not so good at sports. Because of my height, you see. Whenever I play I always end up getting pushed about and that is not very fun..." She couldn't see the point of sports anyway. Twenty or so people running up and down a field and getting all sweaty, it was completely unnecessary.

"I like playing chess because it is strategic and stuff and it makes me use my brain and plan ahead! I also like movies, especially silent movies, they are the best! Charlie Chaplin is my favourite, he is really funny!" she blurted out, pausing briefly afterwards to catch her breath. "My favourite thing in the world is geology. When I grow up I am gonna be a famous geologist and I will have four kids, two boys and two girls. I will call them Bill, Fred, Lucy and Hannah."

Steph's cheeks went a pale shade of red as she realised that Bobby probably didn't want her to divulge her entire life aspirations to him. "But you probably don't care about all that..." She smiled up at him awkwardly and tapped her hand on her knee.
Killer_Moth*
Posts: 259
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:22 am

#9

Post by Killer_Moth* »

So, she liked Jesus. Strange way to put it, thought Bobby. Still, who was he to complain. "Well, if you ever fancy coming along to a meeting, I'm sure you'll be more than welcome."

She continued, talking about what had clearly been some bad experiences with sports. That he could fully understand. He preferred non-contact ones, even as a spectator and someone with her physique could easily be overwhelmed. As she continued talking about silent comedies and chess and everything that seemed to come out of her mouth in true train of though fashion, Bobby listened intently. This was fascinating.

Suddenly, he felt self conscious, as she went quieter/ But you probably don't care about all that.... Had he been projecting an image of boredom? He hadn't thought so, he hadn't been intending to, and he most certainly hadn't been bored. Even as she reached down to touch her knee, he tried to be comforting.

"Hey, of course I care. It all sounds fascinating. I love the way you think." He hoped that didn't sound condescending. "I always preferred Harold Lloyd in the silent films, but I do enjoy a good Chaplin. That bit in The Gold Rush, where he eats his own boot. I laugh every time I see it."
El Scorcho*
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:29 pm

#10

Post by El Scorcho* »

"Ooh, I love Harold Lloyd! I really liked the one where he climbed up that building. That was so scary!"

Steph found that she was really beginning to enjoy spending time with Bobby. It felt great to have found someone who seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. Usually people went to great lengths to avoid her.

Glancing down at her watch she realised with annoyance that she was almost late for class. She had been enjoying her chat with Bobby so much she had completely forgotten she had a lesson to go to.

"OH NO! I have to go to a class now. It was really nice meeting you Bobby. I'd love to go to a GODspeed meeting with you sometime; I think I'd really enjoy that."

Taking off at a brisk pace, she began jogging towards the school building. The day was going better than she could possibly have expected and she couldn't wait to get home and tell Frank all about her new friend.

((Stephanie Clifford continued elsewhere))
Killer_Moth*
Posts: 259
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:22 am

#11

Post by Killer_Moth* »

As Steph ran off, Bobby laughed warmly. There was something about that girl that made him want to look after her. He supposed it was some kind of paternal or fraternal instinct. The fact that she was accepting about his open Christianity, even wanting to join in, gave him hope that he really could help her.

He felt the air start to chill somewhat, a breeze coming in from the east. Figuring that this meant the end of his sunbathing for the moment, he quickly gathered up his coat and bag. Rather than donning the coat, he slung it idly over one shoulder, and secured it in place with the shoulder strap of his bag, and walked indoors, looking for a warmer place to continue his reading.

((Robert Barron cont'd in Every Girl's Dream))
T-Fox*
Posts: 197
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:48 am

#12

Post by T-Fox* »

((Chadd Crossen continued from 'A Little Challenge'))

Chadd had just arrived back at the high school a few minutes beforehand. He had a relatively free day, with two free periods in a row. He always managed to get to the campus half an hour early for his third period class, so it had become a habit to relax outside, and try and take the stress out of him from the day before. A habit he quickly picked up after his accident... Stress had very quickly become an enemy.

He slowly strolled across the green, glancing around. He noticed a pair talking not too far away, and shrugged. Probably a good idea to leave them to their own... No point in interupting a good conversation. He walked for a bit longer, before picking a particularly sunny spot, sitting down, and leaning his back against a tree. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, and hit a few buttons, green text popping up. 'Alarm Set'. It wouldn't be the first time Chadd had nodded off, basking in the sun before class. If he were to glance back over, he'd see the two running off, presumably for a second period class.

Alot of the people he knew, especially before his crash had always said that his 'outdoorsy streak' was so uncharactaristic of him. They apparently didn't know him as well as they thought. Chadd had always loved to relax, and he loved the feeling of the sun beating down on him.

He slid his hands behind his head, closed his eyes, and sighed to himself. Here's to another good day.
gambit508*
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#13

Post by gambit508* »

(Opening post for Chris Davidson)


Chris glanced around the green as he looked for someone to talk to. His schedule had been messed up due to a commputer error, leaving him with a free class. Which was nice of them, Chris thought, to give him a time to relax. However, most people had class now, which was a problem.

Chris's eyes lit up as he spotted a figure lying against a tree, his eyes were closed but he couldn't be sleeping. Sleeping is against the rules, and you don't break rules, that's not good. Chris walked over to the larger figure as he knelt down beside him and spoke loudly in his high-pitched voice.

"HIYA!"
T-Fox*
Posts: 197
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:48 am

#14

Post by T-Fox* »

Chadd awoke with a massive shock as he heard a massive, loud, high pitched scream emanate from RIGHT next to him. "Oh god!" He shouted in shock, looking around, his baseball cap shifting off his head slightly. His eyes focused on a boy in front of him, looking strangely happy that he just woke up a complete and total stranger with a loud screech. This had better be important.

"You do realize I was sleeping, right? Did someone send you to get me or something?" He eyed the boy with a mix of annoyance, anger, and curiosity. His hand move to the top of his head to reset his hat on his head. His other hand started to travel into his pocket, with the intent of dragging his phone out to check the time. It couldn't have been that long since he nodded off anyways. If he was right, he should have another good 45 minutes before classes. Why would anyone want him for something at this time of day? Especially when he wasn't even expected to be on campus?
gambit508*
Posts: 90
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2018 5:25 am

#15

Post by gambit508* »

"Oh God"

Chris frowned, "You shouldn't use the Lord's name in vain" he said as he kept his girn on, despite that. Perhaps it was a mild slipup, after all men is by nature sinful.

"You do realize I was sleeping, right? Did someone send you to get me or something?"

"Sleeping is against the rules." Chris stated, as he pondered the boy's question. "No, noone sent me to get you. I figured since you look to be my age that we could be friends." he said, holding out his hand as he used his other one to brush some of his long blonde hair out of his eyes.

"I'm Chris, Chris Davidson. I'm new here!" he continued, the giddyness never leaving his voice as he crouched there, holding out his hand
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