Room 234/236: Thursday afternoon/evening

[mparkerceo]

After visiting the gym, and then Isabel, Parker headed back to her room to contemplate her future plans. Oxford. St. John's College. Class of 2011. Business, economics, languages. And tomorrow was her 18th birthday; certain things would be easier after that

Comments

[cantgetnorelief]

Anders came by after his evening workout and shower and knocked on the door.

[cantgetnorelief]

"After that conversation we had? Parker, I would've come banging down your door to give you the good news, if I had." Anders picked at the thread until it unraveled, then started winding it around his finger, unwinding it, and winding it back up again in a sort of nervous tic.

[mparkerceo]

Parker nodded carefully, and restrained the urge to grab his fingers. Daisy was such a liar. "Right. Like I'm telling you now that there's hope on the horizon for me." She paused. "No names yet, though. Maybe after this weekend. So I know you'd tell me, if the reverse were true."

[cantgetnorelief]

Suppressing a groan, Anders nodded quickly. "'course I would," he said, before moving right on to, "Hope on the horizon, huh? That's awesome. I mean, one of us has to get lucky before the world explodes."

[mparkerceo]

Restraining herself from asking if he'd saved the world from exploding by having sex with someone, Parker said, "Yeah. Pretty sure. I don't want to spook the guy, though. You know me. Soooo, making sure he'd be up for it, first." She studied Anders a moment, then shifted the ground. "So, what did you say to Cally when you found out?"

[cantgetnorelief]

"Master of subtlety, that's our Parker," Anders teased her gently, before freezing up for just a moment. "I just asked why she wanted to know, that's all."

He didn't mention that the whole reason she'd wanted to find out was that she'd figured out he'd gotten some in the first place.

[mparkerceo]

Hellooooo, to another lie. At this rate, Anders' nose would be touching the far wall by the time he left. "So, what were the answers, overall? Anything Cally didn't already know?" She raised her eyebrows. "Anything *I* don't already know?"

[cantgetnorelief]

"Apparently I slept with half the school, which is as much news to me as it is to you," Anders said. Heavy on the sarcasm. "I didn't really ask for details, though."

[mparkerceo]

Snickering, Parker asked, "How did Cally distribute this survey, anyway? Sounds like some people were having a little too much fun with it."

[cantgetnorelief]

"The people I talked to said they just found them outside their doors one morning last week. I bet they had way too much fun with it," Anders said, obviously still grumpy about the whole thing.

[mparkerceo]

"Yeah, I'd say that was an irresistible temptation. Cally needs to be shaken." Parker reached into the fridge, head down and away to keep her voice casual. "So what did she ask you about when she got the results?"

[cantgetnorelief]

"If it was true." Anders snorted. "Which it obviously isn't."

[mparkerceo]

Parker shook her head. "Do you want anything?" She fished out a frappachino, then said, "Isn't she dating Mac? Why does she care? She didn't do this when you dated Conner. Or did she, and I never heard about it?"

[cantgetnorelief]

Anders's jaw tightened a bit. "I didn't know that first part, actually. Which only makes me wonder even more why she gives a frak now. She sure as hell didn't want to know back then."

[mparkerceo]

"What?" Parker facepalmed. "Damn. I'd thought you knew. It's on the Radio all the time, the two of them... okaaay." She sighed. "Moving on. And maybe enough time has passed? Or maybe she's just even nosier than *I* am."

[cantgetnorelief]

"Great," Anders muttered. "That's just great. I haven't listened to the radio since like July, except for the night when Booth reported about New Year's Eve, and said all that stuff about me and . . ."

Abruptly, he cut himself off there and started winding the thread around his finger again.