Sure Surprises Indeed

[Alhana Starbreeze]

Alhana slipped her hand into his to pull herself up with an innocent grin. "I didn't swear!" she objected, feigning offense. Bits of grass fell off as she stood on her two feet again and was helped along with a swipe of her fingers. "Grass begone! No green stains on my butt today!" she nodded matter-of-factly.

"I only called the skateboard wretched. Hungarian swear words sound much sharper, and are usually longer," Alhana told him but chose not to elaborate. Even the most common of curses in Hungary were more vile than the harshest in America. Always smart to have a guide in that country lest you find yourself in an...uncomofrtable situation.

[Drew Thornton]

"You going to teach me?" Drew asked, raising an eyebrow at her. He backed away from her and onto the driveway again where he started skating lazy circles on the concrete. He had been nervous when she had first shown up, but he was relaxing again, starting to feel normal having her around. Maybe he had imagined all of the tension he had felt those last few of weeks?

[Alhana Starbreeze]

A devilish grin spread Alhana's lips as she dusted her backside off once more for good measure and hop back onto the sidewalk with an energetic jump. "Sure thing, love. Just don't use them on me or Zsa-Zsa; she may give you a black eye," she replied, smirking. As soon as the writer finds that handy-dandy site from long ago, Drew would be spouting all sorts of nasty curses in a gibberish-sounding language.

"Just to be clear, I push off with my left foot?" Alhana asked, placing the board back onto solid ground and returning to the stance Drew had put her in before she crashed.

[Drew Thornton]

"Yeah..." Drew answered absentmindedly, his thoughts suddenly drifting onto a different track. It took him a while for him to realize what she had asked and he quickly changed his answer. "No... I mean no," he said, shaking his head at her and going over to her. "You push with your back foot which should be your right foot... unless you want to try it goof-foot, but most people find that harder."

[Alhana Starbreeze]

Alhana glanced at Drew and gave him a weird look as she picked up on his tone. Something was definitely off with him that day and she'd get it out of him one way or another. She nodded at his corrections, figuring that's why she had probably fallen off the first time. She'd pushed with her left, not her right.

This time she did it properly and coasted down the sidewalk. "So what's on your mind?" she asked casually.

[Drew Thornton]

Drew watched her, pleased to see that she was catching on, but when she asked her question, he turned away, returning to his lazy circling of the driveway.

"Nothing new. What would be on my mind?" he asked, not sure what she was getting at exactly.

[Alhana Starbreeze]

For four years, going on five, she had known this boy. First as a friend, then as more. But he was still her best friend right after Zsa-Zsa, and she'd learn to read the boy like she'd learned English. Slowly at first, but the more she used it the more she became accustomed to it and the easier it became. Same thing with Drew. She'd eaten three meals a day with him, spent the week days in classes with him. Time not occupied by homework or her Nover was occupied by him.

Not able to see his reaction as her momentum rolled to a stop, Alhana hopped down and turned to go back the way she had come, but she only put one foot down. "I dunno. Lots of things. You seem a bit off," she replied with a seemingly nonchalant shrug.

[Drew Thornton]

Four years, nearly five now, they had been dating and he had given her anything within his power it was to give, including the stars. He loved her with his whole heart, mind, soul, spirit, but right now didn't feel like he could tell her anything. They had spent almost every opportunity they could together, but right now, he had never felt more alone.

"I've been a bit off for a while now Alhana," he said a little more bitterly than he had intended. "Like I said. Nothing new."

[Alhana Starbreeze]

The foot came off the board. Gray eyes stared at Drew, not giving betraying what the conscious behind them was thinking just yet. His tone was biting, and while she knew that it was most likely accidental, it still brought on a slightly annoyed quip to Alhana's voice.

She knew he'd been off. He'd been more off than she had expected him to be after he was returned to the not-so-safe Hogwarts. "New for you, but not for me," came her reply. He knew what she meant.Two dark brows wrinkled the skin on the bridge of her nose slightly as her eyes mimicked the action.

[Drew Thornton]

"What's that even supposed to mean?" Drew asked, frowning back at her in his confusion. The whole point was it wasn't new to him. He had been living like this for almost two months now, trying to get it all straight in his head, dealing with the night terrors and the nervous break downs. And maybe two months didn't sound like a lot to her, but it seemed like forever to him right now.

[Alhana Starbreeze]

Her silent reply was a another shrug. He had talked to Hiro and Ari about the things that bothered him after he was returned, surely? Perhaps he hadn't, but all he had really done since that night was block everyone else out, even her, and become and anti-social bird in the nest.

Alhana shrugged again. "How come you never came to me about any of it?"

[Drew Thornton]

The question shocked him enough to turn around and really look at her in the eye. "What? You're kidding me right?" he asked as if he hadn't heard her properly. "I tried, Alhana, but you..."

She had brushed it off, is what she had done, acting like he was being a baby. Thinking that a few stupid pranks would fix it all better. He had been kidnapped and tortured to near death and her attitude had been that he was being a bummer and needed to get over it. Ari and Hiro, yes, had been there and sat up with him when he woke up screaming. Meanwhile, she had kissed him on the nose and told him to cheer up, love as if it had been so simple.

"Forget it... nevermind," Drew finally said, not finishing his thoughts outloud. She hadn't wanted to hear it then and he really doubted she wanted to hear it now.

[Alhana Starbreeze]

Dark gray eyes stared right back into Drew's blue gaze. She absolutely hated those phrases, "forget it" and "nevermind." Alhana's finger twitched in agitation.

"No, no, I won't forget it. Please do continue with what you were going to say, Drew," she replied, keenly curious to see how or if he would describe how she had acted. She kept a surprising leash on her tone and facial expressions. No dragon would be getting the best of her that afternoon. Hopefully.

[Drew Thornton]

She didn't want to deal with his problems and he didn't want to ruin the nice day they had been having. He ignored her demand and pointed to the skateboard that she was now only half standing on.

"So let me see how long you can stay on that thing," he told her, changing the subject back to something more pleasant. He had learned long ago that it was best not to make waves.

[Alhana Starbreeze]

So they were just supposed to brush this ...spat under the carpet and go on with her little skateboarding lesson? How she abhorred being ignored. That was probably what irked her most, not his attempt to revert the way the conversation was heading.

"I can show you that another time," Alhana said, taking her foot off the board and pushing it into the grass. "Finish your sentence."