Is it a bad sign when one goes to the library to socialize? on Library

Jennifer Zucchero

October 11, 2006 10:06 PM

Is it a bad sign when one goes to the library to socialize? by Jennifer Zucchero

Everything affecting her current exasperated mood could be blamed on Lizzie, Stephen, or Jake, Jennifer concluded firmly as she precariously situated one of the many small ladders found near the shelves beneath the desired one (despite her constant insistence that she really was getting taller, she still hadn’t gained the height necessary to reach the uppermost levels). Lizzie was a recipient of her ire because the older girl was keeping secrets, and Jennifer was getting closer to desperate measures, such as stealing her diary, if necessary (Just how she was going to get into the Pecari common room, Jennifer wasn’t sure, but logic didn’t have to be part of her plan).

Exasperation with Stephen was far simpler. Everything had been so boring since the students had gotten back from Christmas break, apart from the rumor that was going around about Sorrel and some older boyfriend. Stephen seemed to have claimed the livening things up post long ago, yet for some reason he had been pretty low-key over the last couple of weeks, so nothing interesting was happening.

She actually wasn’t quite sure why she would be annoyed at Jake. She hadn’t even seen him since before Christmas, and it hadn’t been more than passing for longer than that. He certainly hadn’t done anything. Yet somehow it felt right to be annoyed with him. And sitting in her empty common room, pondering just what that meant, had started her thinking about things she really would have preferred not to.

So here she was, trying to get her mind off her boredom. The assignment she was getting books for wasn’t even due for another week, but there hadn’t been anything better to do at the time, and there was the chance that she’d run into someone here. Anyway, anything was better than being alone with her thoughts.
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0 Jennifer Zucchero Is it a bad sign when one goes to the library to socialize? 48 Jennifer Zucchero 1 5

Jake Santoro

October 12, 2006 5:48 PM

Not when it comes to you. This is your norm. by Jake Santoro

Christmas had come and gone and Jake was left feeling rather tired since the start of the new term. Things were different. People were changing. Life was moving on. Paul and Mercedes were getting married that summer and Sofia would be moving out of the house and into an apartment just outside of the Magical University that she would be attending in the fall. Even the twins were different. School and seperated them slightly, giving them their own personalities that were starting to shine through more. And Izzy...well, she had her love for music to guide her.

And those were the siblings Jake was living with. Hannah was pregnant again. Everyone was hoping for a boy. Julia was back in the field doing who knew what. And John's wedding was growing closer. Jake and his siblings were trying to work out a plan so as they could attend it. Jake felt like he was the only one in his family who hadn't changed. Or, at least, he didn't think he was different.

He wanted to work on some new strategies for his Quidditch team, but he needed some new materials to work with. Deciding that the best place to look would be the library, Jake had left his comfortable dorm room in search for some books. Rounding one corner, Jake spotted Jennifer farther down the aisle. He stood for a moment watching her with an amused smile on his face.

Finally, he moved. Jake walked up to her, "Need some help?" Jake asked her. His voice was lower than it had been a few months prior. Not quite deep, but no longer boyish either. Jake was just happy his voice wasn't cracking the way his older brtoher, Paul's had done. He cleared his throat. "If you aren't careful, you'll fall."\n\n

6 Jake Santoro Not when it comes to you. This is your norm. 42 Jake Santoro 0 5

Jennifer

October 13, 2006 12:28 AM

Untrue. I'm not an Aladren by Jennifer

Jennifer looked down (ah, the wonders of ladders) at the boy who had apparently joined her while she was off in her own little world. “Thanks for the concern, but I’m fine,” she replied, focusing her gaze once again on the shelf in front of her. “Believe it or not, some of us have mastered the art of getting up and down ladders without upsetting our balance. In fact,” she gave him a quick once-over and grinned slightly cheekily, “You’d be the one more likely to fall. I’m a seeker, remember? I’m somewhat coordinated.”

Deciding that none of the books really looked like they were going to be helpful, and that, given the option, talking to Jake would be more interesting than finishing an assignment early, she removed her hand from the volume it had been resting on, and returned to the floor. “Besides, even if I didn’t have that advantage, if I’d ever shown any sign of klutziness, my mother would have forced it out of me. Grace is one of those important pureblood values, and all.”

That actually had been a conversation between Jennifer and her mother during the holiday, although it had been more positively based than Jennifer generally expected from her mother. It seemed that, as she was making an attempt to be more understanding of her mother, Christine was working at the same thing. She couldn’t recall ever spending so much time with her mother and getting along before. England had actually been enjoyable this Christmas.

Of course, it also probably helped that Jennifer had decided to not be resistant to her mother’s plans for her, at least for the time being. She had gone to all the parties, made polite conversation with her mother’s friends, socialized when matchmaking mothers had thrown her together with one of the many teenage boys around. Again, to her surprise, the last event had been rather fun. Even if the guys were for the most part friends with her cousin, and so had to be nice to her.

“So, how did your vacation go?” she asked, once she realized that silence had descended upon the two of them. “You spent it in California with your family, right?”
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0 Jennifer Untrue. I'm not an Aladren 0 Jennifer 0 5

Jake

October 14, 2006 1:03 AM

You're still of the 'booky' personality by Jake

Jake gazed up at Jennifer rather enjoying the view for a moment while she spoke. She seemed sure of herself, but the way she was standing on the ladder, Jake was sure if she turned the wrong way, down she'd go. "What's that mean? I'm a Beater, we have great Hand-Eye-And Everything Else-coordination." Jake said in a slightly defensive tone. Though he wasn't trying to be mean, just thought he had to do himself a bit of justice.

Now that Jennifer was back on the floor, Jake was now the one with the height advantage. Being 5'8 (and still growing) was rather fun when he was standing next to someone short, like Jennifer. Though, he guessed, if she weren't her body size or shape, she probably wouldn't be as good a Seeker.

At this point, Jake realized he was staring at her and quickly looked away. He was glad Jennifer couldn't read his mind or else she would have known he was thinking of her figure. Of course, it was in thoughts of being a Seeker, but girls still got huffy about things like that.

"All that work and you didn't even pick a book." Jake mused, grinning at Jennifer. Of all the things Jake knew of Jennifer's mother, Jake didn't think she was the type of woman Jake would ever want to be stuck in a room alone with for more than one minute. She'd probably tell him everything he liked about himself was worthless or wrong. Or say something nasty about his family. Which, to a Santoro, was the worst sort of offense. Not that Jake knew anything about Jennifer's mother, he was only making assumptions.

"Yeah, with the family." Jake said and nodded. "It was...chaotic...as usual." Jake responded, trying to find the word to describe it. "Paco and Mercedes are planning their wedding, we're planning on figuring out how to attend Jaun's wedding. Sofia is moving out of the house and into her own pad. Hannah is pregnant again. Jules is back in the field, but she was sick during the holidays. injured on the job, and Izzy...heh, she got a guitar." Jake chuckled, remembering how horrid it had been in the house with her and that guitar.

"Where'd you spend your Christmas?" Jake asked Jennifer, "With your Dad or your Mom?" Jake always thought it slightly strange when he knew someone who didn't have siblings or close cousins. He had an abundance of them. He often wondered if they ever got lonely without all the noise or chaos of a large family.\n\n

6 Jake You're still of the 'booky' personality 42 Jake 0 5

Jennifer

October 15, 2006 4:39 PM

So what is the jock doing here? by Jennifer

Jennifer didn’t say anything, just nodded in a ‘whatever floats your boat’ way when Jake insisted that beaters had just as good coordination. While she remained of the opinion that it took more skill to continually dodge something than to continually hit it, this line of conversation had the potential to continue into the never-ceasing “my position is better than yours” argument. Which was always fun, but not exactly how she felt like spending the first real conversation she and Jake had had in a while.

Another thing she’d forgotten in the time since they’d talked was how small being around him made her feel. Which was perfectly ridiculous. She was around people taller than he was all the time, and she never felt as self-conscious as she did at that moment. And it wasn’t like there was anything for her to feel self-conscious about. Yes, she was short, but besides that she was just the same as most of the other girls in her year (and, to her great relief, could no longer be mistaken for an eleven-year-old). But there was still something.

Then the feeling vanished, and Jennifer had to try to figure out what to say in regards to his comment about the work being for nothing. “Well, you’re more interesting than homework is,” she said finally with a grin. “Although I was desperate for any sort of distraction, so don’t let it go to your head.”

She stared at him for a second while he recounted everything that was going on with his family, then realized what she was doing and snapped out of it. “Wow. Just…wow. Chaotic does seem to be the word for that. I’ve sometimes wondered what it’s like to have a large family, but I have no idea how you manage to keep up with everything. I’m rather in awe of your mother.”

She chuckled as well, and then continued. “It was my mother’s turn this time, so I was in England with her and the rest of that side of the family. It was rather dull, for the most part. Certainly nowhere near as exciting as your holiday seems to have been. My mother and I’ve reached a bit of a truce, which is nice. I’m nice and social whenever there’s any kind of gathering, and she doesn’t harp on me about my lack of a nice pureblood boyfriend. Much.”

She wondered for a second what Christine would make of Jake. He was from a respectable family, which would be in his favor. She might not approve of his home situation, since, like most of her friends, Christine was incredibly haughty at times, but Jennifer thought her mother would at least tolerate him. Not that it mattered, of course. He was just a friend, and so there would never be a reason for the two to meet.
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0 Jennifer So what is the jock doing here? 0 Jennifer 0 5

Jake

October 16, 2006 10:16 PM

I'm researching. by Jake

Jake grinned his usual lopsided grin at Jennifer. "Too late, it's already gone to my head. You enjoy my company, no reason to hide it." Jake joked, teasing Jennifer. He wanted to see if she would blush. He liked it when she blushed.

He chuckled at Jennifer's remark about his Christmas vacation. The noise and the chaos was usual in the Santoro home. If it had been quiet or if people hadn't been constantly around, Jake would have felt uneasy. It wouldn't have felt right. He knew when summer came around, everything would change. Paco and Sofia would be out of the house. The two of them gone, the house would feel just that much more empty. Jake was really hoping they would go back to Spain, so that he would have Anita to hang out with. At least with their cousins around, there was still noise...and it didn't involve Bella and her guitar.

"Yeah, we're all in awe of Mama." Jake said, which was true. She must have been some woman to keep up with all of them and still have a smile and her sanity. Not very many women could do that. Of course, it could just be their family and culture in general. They were raised with a sense of community and to be family oriented. Though they were pureblooded and had money, they had to do chores and show respect, but not in a way that other families had to. That was what set them apart.

"What, Jennifer being social?? Never..." Jake joked. "Why do mom's always demand for you girls to have boyfriends? My mom's not on my back about getting a girlfriend. She jokes about it, but nothing more. I mean, is getting a boyfriend really important to you girls or something?" Jake asked, honestly interested. He could have just asked Bella, but Bella hardly noticed boys as it was and then would just make fun of him for it.\n\n

6 Jake I'm researching. 42 Jake 0 5

Jennifer

October 21, 2006 9:07 PM

Mm-hm by Jennifer

"You know, I really have no idea," Jennifer admitted, fighting a blush successfully, for the most part, at least. Her cheeks might be turning slightly pink, but it was barely noticable. And that was impressive, given both the subject matter and that she was getting the feeling that Jake was trying to embarrass her. She was getting better, or so she liked to tell herself. "It could just be my mother. The only other pureblood mother I know well is Liz's Aunt Rose, and since Liz isn't having a problem in that department..." She shrugged.

It was a little galling, at times. She was glad Liz was happy, as she seemed to be with whatever guy she was flirting with at any given moment, but it didn't seem fair that it was all so easy for her.

"It's important to my mother, at least," she continued, fighting the blush once more, a little less successfully. "I guess she thinks I need as much help as possible, or wants at least some sign that I'm going to find someone on my own. I guess she just wants what's best for me, while being sure that she isn't going to get shamed in front of her circle by having a spinster daughter. How she gets from being dateless at 14 to an old, decrepit spinster, I couldn't say, but both my parents just know how horribly arranged marriages can turn out. And, naturally, she wants something to brag about to her friends."

She was silent after that, conveniently not answering about whether a boyfriend was important to her. Because it wasn't. Really. And even if it was, there was nothing wrong with that. And there was no reason for talking about it with Jake to be awkward. None whatsoever.

She had gotten very good at self-delusion. \n\n

0 Jennifer Mm-hm 0 Jennifer 0 5

Jake

October 25, 2006 12:57 AM

Yeah...I think by Jake

Jake wasn't so sure Jennifer was any better for such talk about boyfriends and the reasons behind why mothers think they are so necessary. Girls always had a hard time talking about personal things anyway with guys. Actually, Jake never talked about personal things with girls besides Anita, who was like a sister to him. Over the last year or so, Izzy had stopped talking to Jake about anything besides Quidditch and music and Jake didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing. He didn't know how he would react if he knew she liked a boy. Actually, he knew he wouldn't be all to fond about it.

"My sister, Hannah, is really irritating about finding someone." Jake said, so that Jennifer knew he was offering up information just so she understood he was really being sincere about the topic. "She's happy that Paco and Sofia have found some decent significant others, but she keeps pressuring Jules to find one too. She's already on Izzy's back about it, but Izzy's too busy to notice." Jake shuffled his feet for a moment and ruffled his hair in a slightly nervous gesture.

"She doesn't bother me much, but Mama said that's cos she thinks I'm with Anita-which I'm not-but I don't tell Hannah that, I think she'd start nagging me too." Jake said and gave a grin to Jennifer. He made sure to add in the part about him not being with Anita, though he wasn't really sure why that was necessary. "I guess she's more like your mom than my mom is." Jake said after some thought.

"Do people still do arranged marriages?" Jake asked, surprised. His parents gave them the freedom to choose who they married...so long as they were respectable enough. They're okay with half-bloods, but even that was a stretch. "And, you don't need help. You're smart and pretty enough, I don't know why you're mom thinks she has to worry." The very second he said this, Jake stopped talking. He had just called one of his good friends smart AND pretty...

"Uh, I mean, for a girl that is." Jake added lamely to cover up what he said. "So, wait, what did you mean that Liz doesn't have a problem? She dating someone?" Jake asked, his interest perking up. If he could find anything to tease Lizzie with, he'd be a happy camper. "Who is it? Anyone I know?"\n\n

6 Jake Yeah...I think 42 Jake 0 5

Jennifer

November 17, 2006 11:58 PM

Well, see me when you figure it out by Jennifer

Jennifer fought back the urge to laugh as Jake described his older sister. She really did sound incredibly like Christine. That was a frightening thought. Perhaps every family had to have someone like that, be it mother, aunt, or sister. Still, humorous as the situation was, she wasn’t sure how he’d take having a family member laughed at by someone who’d never met her. She didn’t think she’d take it too well, and Jake seemed a lot closer to his siblings than she was to anyone in her family.

“Yeah, arranged marriages still happen all the time,” she replied to his query, rather surprised he didn’t know. “Maybe not so much here, but back in Europe they’re still particularly common. Possibly it’s just such a big tradition that it can’t just die out.” She shrugged. She hadn’t missed the referral to Anita, whoever she was, and was burning up with curiosity (and a few other emotions). But it really was none of her business, and Jake made it sound like it wasn’t very important, so she bit her tongue.

“Now, Jake, do you really think I’m going to tell you anything about Lizzie’s social life? No offense, but she’s much scarier than you would ever be, and I don’t want to face her wrath. Go ask her yourself, if you’re really that interested. I don’t know why you would be, though. It’s from at least a year and a half ago. Old news, and all.”

Again, she was torn between replying to an earlier comment and just letting it drop. He called her pretty, the first boy she could ever remember doing so. Of course, the comment immediately following it had somewhat negated its value, but it was still something. Even if he was just being friendly, like she thought.

Still undecided, the two reached the point where the shelves they’d been walking along reached the center of the library, and, by chance, she glanced up at the clock featured prominently on one wall and winced. She hadn’t meant to spend so long in here. She’d scheduled the first quidditch practice of the new term for the next day, and still hadn’t written out a third of the ideas she’d had.

So she sighed, and looked up at Jake. “I’m really sorry, but I’ve got to go. Places to be, things to do, you know how it is,” she said with a half-grin. Then, before she lost her nerve, she pushed herself onto her toes, and quickly kissed him on the cheek. “For being so nice, even if what you said only was good ‘for a girl,” she said, before turning around and walking away, somewhat quickly, but not fast enough to look abnormal. She even managed to keep from blushing until she was out of the library. Not that it was anything she should be embarrassed about. He’d said something really sweet, and it was nothing more than the kind of kiss one would give a brother or best friend when they did that. Yet….she still couldn’t stop the blush.

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0 Jennifer Well, see me when you figure it out 0 Jennifer 0 5