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Post by Jeremy Taylor on Feb 21, 2009 22:19:46 GMT -5
Jeremy bounced the ball a couple of times as he walked back over to her, still avoiding her eye. He was waiting for the nasty comments to start and shot her a glare when she spoke out of habit. He was a little surprised that she didn't laugh or call him a loser or anything like that. Smirking slightly he tossed it over to her so she could take her turn.
"I don't know," he answered with a non-committal shrug. He wasn't a big fan of many sports but sometimes just liked to goof off shooting hoops... or trying to at least. "Of course watching means you don't get all sweaty, right?"
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Post by Emma Wickham on Feb 21, 2009 22:49:18 GMT -5
“Psh…who cares about that?” Emma remarked without thinking twice about what she was saying.
Why was it that all boys lumped girls into one category? Just because she was a girl didn’t mean that she hated all things pertaining to sports, dirt, or sweat. Was the very first girl in history a prissy nit that set standards for the rest of the sex? If so, she wanted to go back in time to meet her so that she could punch her in the face. Emma had been put into that category many times before in the past few years. Yet, there was something about the whole idea that still irked her every time it was brought up.
Emma caught the ball that Jeremy threw and dribbled it a few times. “Getting sweaty is one thing that does not phase me. Nor does dirt, water, or any other thing that annoys many other girls.” Her tone was nonchalant as she informed him and simply shrugged off her glimmer of annoyance. It wasn’t his fault after all, so she didn’t want to take it out on him.
The ball in her hands glowed orange, reflecting the sun. Mindfully, she bounced it up and down from the ground to her hands. It was a simple, clean motion that she barely had to think about. Emma curiously waited to see what Jeremy’s reaction would be before she took her shot.
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Post by Jeremy Taylor on Feb 21, 2009 23:01:43 GMT -5
"Oh... yeah... girls..." Jeremy answered. He had actually been talking about himself. He wasn't really the overly fussy type, but really didn't care for being sticky and sweaty. That wasn't even the worst part of the whole sports thing. He just didn't care for the competition. After all, who really would when they lost all the time.
Now dirt and water, he had no problem with. They were the basic ingredients of mud balls and adobe bricks, both pretty neat things in his estimation. "I don't know. I know a few girls who like dirt and water," he said, thinking of Hannah, his cousin Allegra, and that Rock Throwing girl Felicity. He had a feeling Trixie was a mud girl too.
Randomly, he snorted to himself, thinking he was a mud-loving Mudblood. That was kind of funny in a really stupid sort of way.
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Post by Emma Wickham on Feb 21, 2009 23:32:54 GMT -5
Emma was confused at his first comment but didn't say anything. Although, as he continued she understood what he had been thinking of. She was quite intrigued to here he knew of girls that liked to be active. Maybe she would meet them and her time at Hogwarts would be spiced up a bit. The thought excited her and she thought about asking who these girls were. However, she knew that the names would be lost on her. So far she had met one girl that had actually spoke to her and had been extremely welcoming to her. She recalled her first day and her bewilderment with the castle.
Nodding in response, she turned on her toe and started walking away from the basket. Veering towards the right, she did a roundabout so that she was facing the hoop again. Dribbling once more, she shot the ball towards the hoop. The wall acting as a backboard, tipped the ball around the rim of the basket and it feel just outside of the hole. Allowing her hands to fall back to her sides, she chuckled at the missed basket.
"It's funny. I've been here for a few weeks now and haven't seen anyone out here playing before today." Emma informed him.
It was as if the students didn't even notice what it was. Of course, she understood that basketball wasn't extremely popular in England but people knew what it was. The thought occurred to her that maybe she had been looking for activity in the wrong places. There were still areas that she hadn't visited yet. She figured she would eventually get around to the rest of the grounds.
Emma walked to where the ball had fallen and scooped it up with one arm. Tossing it back to Jeremy she laughed, "Or maybe I just have bad timing. Very possible."
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Post by Jeremy Taylor on Feb 22, 2009 0:15:31 GMT -5
Jeremy smirked at the missed basket. That would have been a pretty good one for him.
"Really?" he asked, a little surprised. It seemed like everywhere he turned people were tossing around balls, riding skateboards, or just messing around. Of course, most of the sporty types were either playing Quidditch or Soccer, but there was some other stuff too. "You should try the lake or the grass field."
The girl laughed and passed the ball back to him and he felt a small smile slip through his normal barrier. It was soft and easy, not the usual mocking ones he usually heard. Maybe he'd see if she wanted to build a mud fort or goof off by the lake one day. Feeling a little more comfortable, he tried a backwards shot, looking at the basket upside-down to line up the ball and the hoop. He managed to hit the rim, but of course it didn't go in. For once he didn't really mind. The dizzy head-rush he got from standing upright again was kind of fun.
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Post by Emma Wickham on Feb 22, 2009 0:36:33 GMT -5
Emma took his suggestions to mind and knew she would probably end up taking the rest of her afternoons during the week poking around those places. The lack of people she had met so far could have contributed to the reason she hadn't seen many people around but she opted to leave that part out. Jeremy's uneasiness seemed to let up as he caught the ball she tossed him. Although, it didn't make a change in her manner or attitude. She had pretty much been ignoring his skeptical awkwardness.
Taking a step back from the basket as he lined up for his shot, she watched his follow through. The ball had almost made it into the basket. Quite an impressive shot for being thrown backwards. She was pretty sure that her own shot from that angle would not have even done that well. Running down the ball she shouted, "That was so close!"
Snatching the ball off of a bounce in mid-air, Emma looked back to Jeremy. He looked a bit disoriented for a moment as he found his balance once more. With a bright smile, she walked the ball back to where he stood.
"I've heard some pretty crazy rumors about the lake," Emma recalled, "According to a couple of people a giant squid lives there?"
She phrased the last part as a question. At first she had deemed it completely false when she had overheard it. After a few weeks at Hogwarts, one found out that anything is possible. Especially after finding out some of the castle's history. With a wide grin, she looked up at Jeremy to see if he had ever heard of such a thing.
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Post by Jeremy Taylor on Feb 22, 2009 0:48:05 GMT -5
Another small smile crossed his face at her compliment, but it disappeared almost a quickly as it had formed. The nagging voice in the back of his head was warning him that she was probably setting him up royally like so many others had, but he still wasn't quite believing that was her intention. He was sure he'd pay for it later, but then he'd get to come up with a way to make her pay, right?
He nodded seriously at her question of the lake. He hadn't believed a lot of the rumors at first, sure that his cousin Drew was just messing with him, but when Allegra had confirmed the stories, he knew they had to be true. "They say it ate a Huffle a few years back," Jeremy answered. "But that was only because the guy was trying to surf it. Most of the time, she squid is really nice. Likes toast and jam."
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Post by Emma Wickham on Feb 22, 2009 1:00:16 GMT -5
"No way!" Emma responded, astonished.
Her jaw had dropped at his story and she couldn't believe that the rumors were actually real. It was still not solid fact, but Jeremy seemed like a pretty reliable source. She hadn't heard about a kid being eaten by the squid though. Even though she could see where he deserved it if they were so rudely trying to surf on the poor squid. Emma made a mental note of his last statement for later encounters on the lake.
Emma couldn't resist asking, "Have you ever seen it?"
Curiousity was wreaking havoc on her mind and she had, at some point, stopped dribbling the ball. The orange globe was propped against her hip with her arm around it, giving her full attention to Jeremy. Her large hazel eyes sparkled with excitement over the information download she was recieving. She found it nice to have a friend to chat with, especially one that knew interesting details.
"What year are you in?" Emma asked. The thought that she didn't know how old he was occurred to her at the same moment that she was wondering where he had learned all of this from.
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Post by Jeremy Taylor on Feb 22, 2009 1:08:30 GMT -5
"Yeah, way," he confirmed. "My cousin and his best mate were there when it happened, but they were too far out to stop the kid from getting eaten." Jeremy took a moment to relish the idea, being witness to something so spectacular that it had become legend. Then again, it probably would have been kind of bad to see a kid get eaten, knowing there was nothing you could do about it.
"I saw a tentacle once," he told her, smiling again and enjoying the excitement of the story. The expression on her face also gave him a funny feeling in his stomach, as if he was going to throw up... only in a good way.
"I'm a third year," he answered her, suddenly wondering if she'd be in her fourth and therefore have pounding rights on him. Of course, girls didn't usually hit or dunk you in toilets. They usually just laughed at you in a way that made your insides ache.
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Post by Emma Wickham on Feb 22, 2009 1:28:52 GMT -5
"Wow, that is so crazy!" Emma gawked, feeling her jaw drop as Jeremy informed her that he had seen a tentacle.
For a moment, she wondered if he was pulling her leg. After all, it would be a really good joke and he could rightfully claim that he had her fully engaged. However, she wanted what he was telling her to be true so she didn't dwell over that thought for more than a nanosecond. Instead she was comprehending the fact that his cousin had witnessed it first hand. Now that would have been scary but she still couldn't help wanting to know more details about it. How many people in the world could actually say that they have lived right next door to a giant squid?
Emma was enthralled by everything that Jeremy told her. She would definitely be making some investigations on the lake during the upcoming week. The yellow flag in her mind told her that observing from a safe distance, like say the Gryffindor Tower, might be a good thing to do first. There was no way that she was going to leave this stone unturned.
"Me too!" Emma smiled as he told her his year. "There is no way that I'll be able to stay away from the lake now. I bet you have so many more stories..."
Looking down at her feet, Emma laughed with a bit of embarressment at her reaction. "Sorry, about the reaction. It's just all so interesting..."
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Post by Jeremy Taylor on Feb 22, 2009 1:38:34 GMT -5
It had never even occurred to him that he could easily elaborate the story, something he was accustomed to doing, even if he didn't do it very well. She seemed to be totally drawn in simply by the truth, something Jeremy definitely wasn't used to, but was kind of enjoying. The smile on his face was sticking around longer and actually feeling a bit more natural. And that queasy feeling he was getting wasn't really what he'd call unpleasant.
"I like to go swimming in the lake sometimes when it's warm enough," he told her, thinking it was kind of neat she was in his year. She could still claim pounding rights on him, but the more he talked to her, the more he was feeling like she wouldn't. "I don't know about more stories though. I've only been here a couple of years."
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Post by Emma Wickham on Feb 22, 2009 1:51:46 GMT -5
Emma was glad to hear that he liked to go swimming. He could come in handy with the plan that had been formulating in her mind since the confirmation of a giant squid in the lake. Of course, it would have to be summer to carry out the operation. That just meant more time to plan. She wondered briefly what the rules were exactly for swimming in the lake. Or even if there were any, since a boy had been eaten and all. Internally, she grimaced at the thought of having to research it.
"Well new stories can always be created," Emma stated matter-of-factedly. Her grin had an edge of mischief and her eyebrows were slightly raised with intrigue. The next four years had the potential to be extremely interesting. Things were looking up.
Dribbling the ball once, she glanced up at the hoop for a brief moment then took the shot. It rounded the rim and tipped inward this time. Even though it wasn't a very impressive shot since the two of them weren't standing far from the hoop, she was glad that it had went in this time.
Looking back to Jeremy, Emma smiled and told him, "It's a shame that you've been here for three years and have no stories. We are going to have to work on that."
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Post by Jeremy Taylor on Feb 22, 2009 2:01:24 GMT -5
The smile faded and he gulped hard when she spoke of creating new stories. He had a feeling she was planning something he probably wouldn't want anything to do with. The more people ignored him, the better off he usually was. He decided to hide his discomfort by going to get the ball, but then as he came back, she mentioned creating new stories again. How was he supposed to stay inconspicuous if he was doing stuff like that?
"Well... uh... my cousin was here for a while... and he told me some stuff..." he tried, hoping that would satisfy her enough so that she wouldn't feel the need to "work" on anything. He hadn't wanted to bring Drew into things (another surprise), but he was kind of desperate now.
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Post by Emma Wickham on Feb 22, 2009 2:12:29 GMT -5
Emma's forehead wrinkled as Jeremy repeated that he had a cousin that had went here. She was pretty sure he had already mentioned it, but didn't feel the need to point it out. As he got the ball that she had thrown, he said something about knowing more things that had happened in the past at Hogwarts. It was a bit sad to think that there wasn't anything interesting recently that had happened. Surely fun had not graduated and moved on yet, or else she feared she would have to find a different school.
Jeremy seemed uneasy again and momentarily she worried if she had done something wrong. Rethinking her actions and words, she could find nothing that would really upset him. Not being able to understand it, she let it go. Obviously he had wanted to change the subject and she wasn't going to object.
"That's cool." Emma commented then asked, "Is this the same one that saw the squid eat that one kid?"
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Post by Jeremy Taylor on Feb 22, 2009 2:26:48 GMT -5
"Yeah," he answered, doing his best to avoid her eye again. All of his cousins were big shots and he was pretty much a no body. It wasn't a surprise the girl had pursued the subject by asking about it. Well, at least she wasn't making plans that involved him getting known.
With the ball once more in his hands, he tried to focus on the basket, hoping that by will alone it would sink through the hoop. He knew how it was done, had seen it done a gazillion times, and when he finally threw the ball, it looked pretty close to a decent jump shot. Still the ball missed its mark, swinging once around the rim before shooting off to the side.
"I think I need to stick with trying the upside-down shots," he said with a smirk. He still couldn't sink them, but he seemed to get closer with the ones he tried backwards.
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