Outside JGoB, Wednesday Afternoon

[3s_a_crowd]

After classes had finally gotten out--and Sholeh had never been so glad to be released from classes before--she'd found herself with lots to think about. And a hand that hurt a lot, especially after having to climb the wall in Bootcamp. Rather than scurry back to her dorm and try to lose herself in a book as she usually did, Sholeh decided that a

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[leavingthenest]

It was rather hard to be furtive and unnoticed when you had as much hair as Rapunzel, but she'd still managed to learn to be both rather quickly. The trick, she'd found, was timing. You just had to go places when no one else was around.

But sometimes that meant you'd fall into a pattern, and sometimes that meant you'd get sloppy.

And sometimes that meant you'd rush out of JGoB, hoping to get back to the dorms and into your room without running into anyone, and in your hurry you actually ran into someone.

[3s_a_crowd]

"Ow!" Sholeh had tried to catch herself before she fell and only succeeded on landing on her injured hand. The words had barely scabbed over and split open again on impact. "Hey!" she squeaked. "Watch where you're going!"

[leavingthenest]

"Oh! Sorry!" Rapunzel's eyes flew wide. "I'm so sorry!" She scrambled, kneeling down next to Sholey, and saw her hand.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to..." Her eyes grew wider, staring. She hadn't meant to hurt the other girl so badly! Or at all for that matter!

[3s_a_crowd]

Sholeh snatched her hand away, trying to keep the other girl from getting too close a look at it. She didn't want everyone to know she was a rule breaker. "Well you did," she said stiffly, pushing herself to her feet with her other hand. "Why were you flying out of there, anyway?"

Her eyes grew large and she looked back into the store. "You didn't steal something, did you?"

[b_demosthenes]

Being the quiet double agent that she was starting to believe was her lot in life, Valentine didn't have a lot of idle time or idle thought...probably a good thing, considering how well it distracted her from the fact that she was sacrificing spending time with her brothers to help her brothers.

Still, even with everything she had to do, her mind wandered that way pretty often, and it was good to find other distractions for it. One of them definitely came with seeing the girl from her class peering into the window at J,GOB, and she had to smile softly.

"So," she said, quietly as to not startle Sholeh as she tilted her head and stepped up to join her, "do you think they ever run out of pink frosting in there?"

[3s_a_crowd]

"Miss Wiggin!" Sholeh whirled around to greet her teacher, tucking her hand behind her skirts so Miss Wiggin wouldn't see. Miss Wiggin seemed kind enough, with her smiles and the feeling that sometimes there was a hint of puckish mischief in her eyes, but Sholeh still wasn't sure of her reaction to seeing that Sholeh had gotten in trouble. She might be disappointed, like Mr. Priestly probably had been. Or she might be angry at her for not following the rules, like Ms. Kennedy and the Madri.

It took her a moment to realize Miss Wiggin had asked her a question (see? There was that humor again!) and likely expected an answer. "I don't think so," she offered, voice a little shy. "It seems like a bad idea." Then feeling greatly daring, she added, "Bet there's enough in there to frost an entire life-sized cake."

[b_demosthenes]

There was, for a brief moment, something hardening in Valentine's eyes, a tightness in her mouth, but it seemed to melt away when that gentle smile pushed its way through. "Maybe," she proposed, leaning forward almost in a conspiratorial fashion, "they've just got huge vats of it in the back room. Enough pink frosting to fill a swimming pool."

[3s_a_crowd]

The idea of that much icing--or maybe that much pink--had Sholeh feeling slightly queasy. Her hidden hand burned. "I used to really love the color pink. It's the color of my favorite dress."

It was a dress she didn't think she'd be wearing much once she left the island. In fact, she was pretty sure she'd be burning it as soon as she could.

"But having that much frosting can't be healthy," she added. "They should make fewer treats so we can all learn the value of moderation."

Did that sound almost robotic and rehearsed? Huh, funny that.

[hungriesteyes]

There was a boy walking up to the window, giving a casual look in through it. He certainly didn't look like he had any mind to follow anything resembling the island's dress code. He also looked like he didn't give a shit, either way. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder, a little grin on his lips, and an unlit cigarette hanging from one lip.

He'd steal a lighter for it later.

"Goddamn do they ever make enough of that shit? You'd think they'd throw more out at the end of day so that the rest of us can have some, too."

[3s_a_crowd]

Sholeh couldn't help but overhear Sparkle's comments. She was already not sure how she felt about treats themselves, but the idea of eating the ones in the garbage was making her stomach roil.

"Throw them away...?" she asked, vaguely recognizing the boy from the beginning of school. Soon after, he'd vanished. "Do you mean that you eat them then?"

[hungriesteyes]

Sparkle glanced the girl's way, an eyebrow raised. Oh, hey. One of the ass-kissers from the school. But she didn't seem to be trying to drag him away or anything.

Sure, she could keep standing there.

"Well, it isn't like I can afford it. Nobody bitches about the stale crap that they've already written off, anyhow. And shit, some businesses in town are good enough they don't leave it in the dumpster. But you have to know where to look to find those ones." He smirked a little. "What, you don't like your food second-hand?"

[3s_a_crowd]

=That's Sparkle,= Zeela whispered in Sholeh's mind.

::How do you know that?::

=Never you mind how I do. I just do.=

"I don't think I like sweets that much right now anyway," Sholeh said, hiding her hand in the folds of her skirt. "So I guess it doesn't matter too much either way."