Embracing Irresponsibility [outside the entrance] on Teppenpaw Commons

Jennifer Zucchero

September 15, 2008 10:02 PM

Embracing Irresponsibility [outside the entrance] by Jennifer Zucchero

There is a phenomenon in the muggle world commonly referred to as Senioritis. Essentially, it causes those in their last year of school to feel as though there is no need to continue on with basic necessities and responsibilities, and thus abandon them in favor of more satisfying activities. While Jennifer was, naturally, not a Muggle, and thus wouldn’t have known of it (seventh-year-itis not having the same ring to it), she would have understood the sentiment all too well. For the past month, when she wasn’t working on classwork, running quidditch, or being a model Head Girl, she was looking over papers her mother had sent her, things that were supposed to get her ready for her life after graduation.

It wasn’t Christine’s fault that her heart had begun having problems after a bad case of dragon pox, or that she had strained it to the point of complete relapse after the initial recovery. When the healers had pulled Jennifer aside and informed her that her mother could not continue at the pace she had set for herself without risking permanent damage, perhaps even death, there was no question about what the teenager would do. She had abandoned her plans of going into the ministry, at least for a year or two, and begun preparing herself to join her mother. However, knowing that it wasn’t anyone’s fault, and that the choice she had made was the only real choice available didn’t make her resent it any less, those few times when she allowed herself to resent it.

However, there was only so much of constant responsibility she could take before it was going to drive her completely insane, and she had reached that point. A week ago. Maybe a week and a half. And she’d just kept smiling, and working, and seething on the inside.

No more of that, though, at least not today. Today she was going to be selfish, or so she told herself. She’d left a note on the bulletin board that the quidditch practice scheduled for that morning was canceled, decidedly not removed her books from her bag so as to remove whatever guilty temptation there was, and left the common room to head to head across the school to find her boyfriend. Assuming they were still dating, that was. If she had been Jake, and had been pretty much abandoned for six weeks (counting the Christmas holiday) except for a few passing moments at the beginning of term, classes, and brief glimpses in the hallways, she would have dumped herself long ago and found someone with less of a time commitment problem. Perhaps that was another thing to go on the list for discussion topics.

She waited for about ten minutes, sitting on a step a dozen or so above the entrance to the Teppenpaw common room, before Jake emerged. “Hey, Jake,” she called out as she stood and brushed off her outfit (which was a little less conservative than the ones she usually wore, but, on the off chance her boyfriend was actually subscribing to the logic mentioned above, Jennifer wasn’t above playing slightly dirty. Sneaky feminine whiles and all. Lizzie would be so proud of her.). “Hey,” she repeated once she’d reached him, a little more shyly. “Just so you know, I’m kidnapping you, provided you don’t mind. I just thought, you know, we could take a little time and just…go be couple-y? I’ve missed you. I mean, I know it’s kind of hard to when we’re living in the same building, but…you know what I mean. ”

She frowned. “Unless you’ve decided we should break up, which I actually wouldn’t blame you for, since I know I’ve been sort of distant lately. I’m going to work on that, I swear, it’s just…” Babbling equaled bad always, but particularly when dealing with Jake. There was a tendency to start going onto tangents she didn’t mean to bring up. She was going to have to deal with that eventually. So she shut up, and reached for his hands. “You want to?”

0 Jennifer Zucchero Embracing Irresponsibility [outside the entrance] 48 Jennifer Zucchero 1 5

Jake Santoro

September 16, 2008 10:19 PM

Are you enjoying being bad? by Jake Santoro

Although Jake wasn’t sure what he was still doing at Sonora when he had new obligations to the Quidditch team he was now assigned too, he still tried the best he could to get by without his mother being too upset with him. He wasn’t the top of his class, he wasn’t an overachiever, he wasn’t much of anything aside from being a Quidditch player. And, despite the fact that Teppenpaw had a rather decent record for their games compared to some of the other houses, people still considered them welcome mats before the games. It was infuriating as it was ridiculous.

So, most days Jake spent these days was strategizing on Quidditch games or working on his homework or dreaming of the days after Sonora. With his girlfriend so busy with her studies, even though college wouldn’t come any time soon for her with all the things she had to do for her mother, Jake had to keep himself preoccupied elsewhere. This he was more than capable of doing and did so without complaint.

Still, the pile of work that he had to do all the time, the studying for the R.A.T.S. examination, and Quidditch on top of it all was a lot for him to handle. He didn’t care for the classes and only took a total of three (how anyone could manage any more than that was beyond Jake’s understanding) to keep both the Headmaster and his mom happy. He would have been more than happy to only have to take one class and devote the rest of his time elsewhere. Although… with everyone so busy, he was likely to have been bored or constantly running in the gardens to keep himself from insane.

Exiting the common room to head for the Hall for some food, Jake nearly jumped at the sound of someone calling to him. At first he thought it was Dalila wanting to take about some Quidditch theory, but found himself looking at Jennifer, who was now descending the stairs toward him. He blinked in surprise and because he wanted to be sure that she was really there. Turned out, she was. He met her halfway up the stairs, “Hey.” He greeted in return, grinning down at her, but with a bit of confusion etched into his brows. He normally didn’t see her outside of class. This was a rarity.

The confusion that laced his features gave way to surprise as his brow arched upward at her admittance. He let her run off until she ran out of steam. She had a habit of needing to keep talking when it wasn’t necessary. She was acting as though Jake was mad at her or something. Was he supposed to be? This was how she always was when it came to exams. She locked herself in the library and then nitpicked at every little thing until the grades were announced and she passed with flying colors. He had expected it to be this way. It sucked and he didn’t like it, but there was little he could do about it. But he didn’t see any reason they should have broken up because of it.

He took her hands when she offered them. He leaned down and gave her a light kiss, “I’ve missed you too.” He admitted. “Decided to play hooky on your studies today?” He couldn’t think of anything important that would have Jennifer leaving the library aside from class or her duties as the Quidditch Captain or Head Girl. Although, he supposed that meant he believed that she thought little of their relationship, but he ignored that part of his logic for the time being. “Where do you plan on kidnapping me too?”

6 Jake Santoro Are you enjoying being bad? 42 Jake Santoro 0 5

Jennifer

September 17, 2008 9:08 PM

More than you'd possibly imagine by Jennifer

“Hooky on more than just studies, actually,” Jennifer admitted with a somewhat amused grin. “Canceled quidditch practice as well, though I think the team’s going to be more thankful than annoyed, except perhaps Geoffrey. He seems almost as bad as I am at maintaining a social life. And I’m even ignoring my mother’s latest addition to her ‘rules of British Purebloods.’” At the moment her trend had been heading toward marriage with a nice Pureblood boy, so it wasn’t much of a sacrifice on Jennifer’s part to avoid it, since it would only lead to the same disagreement she and her mother had been having for a while now. However, Jake didn’t really need to know about the specifics of that current situation.

“And as to where you’re being kidnapped to…well, I was thinking perhaps the gardens. You know, lots of nice places out of the path of the younger students. Just to be able talk in peace, of course,” she added, trying (and failing) to look innocent.

She began to lead him down the stairs (a bit silly, for her to be ‘dragging’ someone twice her size, but not quite as ridiculous as her kidnapping her boyfriend in the first place, so she let it slide.) “So, any new developments with the Broomfleet? Oh, and have you had your career planning session yet? I felt awful for Yuma when she was dealing with us—while Jenna and Lily are somewhat normal, Chrissy’s getting married and I’m…stagnating, I suppose, so it wasn’t quite a happy meeting.”

0 Jennifer More than you'd possibly imagine 0 Jennifer 0 5

Jake

September 21, 2008 1:15 AM

You've gotten yourself a taste. by Jake

"Oh yeah? Even Quidditch? That should be a sin." Jake stated jokingly. He was rather surprised that Jennifer would cancel all of her usual activities just to hang out with him for the day. That wasn't to say that he wasn't grateful or happy to see her. Because he was. It felt like he hadn't seen much of her at all since the summer when he would apparate to see her while she was staying at her mother's (he avoided going back to Brazil in case her father made an appearance). Of course, that was an exaggeration, he saw her in the classes they had together, or during meal times when Jennifer actually decided to eat, or in their spare time between classes. It wasn't necessarily what he pictured to be their final year at Sonora as being, but they had to make due with what they could.

He grinned when Jennifer explained what she was planning on doing with him. She had the reputation of a nice, good, girl, but Jake knew a completely different side of her that he was certain only he and possibly Lizzie were aware of. He enjoyed the fact that it was a side that she only shared with him. "Just to talk, huh?" He questioned, looking curiously at her.

"They've already begun their practices, but the coach isn't expecting me until the summer. I guess they plan on shipping me right out there about a week after we graduate." Jake informed her. "I wish I was already there, but Papa said that education comes first. So, here I stay." He shrugged for a moment, looking somewhat displeased.

"Chrissy's getting married?" Jake asked, somewhat surprised by the news. "I didn't know she was seeing anyone… We had ours not that long ago. It wasn't so bad. I mean, Tally and Dillon seem pretty set with what they want to do and I've got the Broomfleet and Kaylie's…. Kaylie, so all Yuma really had to do was give them options for schools. That, I think, is her job anyway. What do you think everyone else plans on doing? I wish I could be a fly on her wall when she has those sessions."

6 Jake You've gotten yourself a taste. 42 Jake 0 5