348/Gym Day

Gym Day
Date of Scene:	07 March 2020
Location:	Gymnasium - Happy Harbor High School
Synopsis:	Xiomara and Alexander meet in the school Gym
Cast of Characters:	Alexander Aaron, Xiomara Rojas

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Alexander Aaron has posed:
    3:37 Happy Harbor High gymnasium still has that faint echo of students having recently rushed off. There's still the pitter patter of feet in the halls, the shouts of students getting lined up for the buses, and a good number of faculty wandering the hallways hollaring out names and tossing down recriminations to the various and sundry delinquents running around all crazy since it's time and class is out.
    Just a few doors down, the day's bounty of detentions are being handled at the library, the line of kids so punished wait patiently to be shown in and to their seats. And Willy the janitor is pushing his broom through the hall, picking up trash and discarded paper airplanes, all while smelling slightly like sawdust.
    In other words a normal day. Though today, lying down on the bleachers, Alexander Aaron is settled on his back, holding a book in both hands over his head as he tilts it one way or the other, as if trying to get a better handle on the words. A large elastic band is wrapped over his knee and now and then he flexes it, wincing a little at whatever must've caused that injury, as if trying to somehow restore the full range of motion to the limb.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
    And Xiomara? She's just hanging out. She's sitting in the bleachers, dressed in her standard punk attire. The inducer she wears is on, leaving her looking more or less a Latina punk in Highschool.

    She's already started making a name for herself- called Crush by most. How? From a little meeting at the meet and greet where she popped one particularly well known school bully in the mouth. He's been sullen all day- quiet- a little scared of the particularly tall young punk.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Outside there's still the sound of other students running about. Maybe that rumble of diesel engines turning over as the line of buses kick over into life. Visible just from a few of the window sin the gym, those large yellow silhouettes roll on out. Maybe that's what gets Alexander's attention as, still on his back, he lets that book fall slooowly over his head until he's looking at it upside down and past it. Conveniently enough at Xiomara. His eyebrows raise. Or lower in this case as he lets the book close above him. The title, 'Guns Germs and Steel' might be visible if one were so inclined to see.
    "Oh hey." Still lying on his back, still upside down, the youth's voice lifts to offer a few words her way. "You're Xiomara?"
    He rolls over onto his belly and elbows, wincing a little at he way he has to twist his leg. "Hi, I'm Alexander."

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
    "Crush." Xiomara answers to Alexander. "Call me Crush." she states again as she looks towards Alexander. "Nice to meet you, I guess." she continues as she looks at him- watching him.

    "What you do to your leg?" Xiomara asks, "Ain't workin' out gunna screw it up more?" she asks next as she takes a slow breath. She's got the books, the bag, everything one expects of a high schooler- but here she sits, just resting on a bleacher and watching the gym for no reason whatsoever.

    Xiomara has known fear- she's seen her worst nightmares come to fruition in fire and pain. Is she fearless? No. But she has known them- she has seen them and come out of that fire. And now, those brown eyes were just staring at Alexander quietly. "So. You play a sport here or somethin?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "It..." Alexander lifts his leg to the side and rolls onto his hip, tilting his head a little he murmurs, "Think it healed a little bit wrong or off, trying to adjust it some?" His brow furrows as he ponders that Chuck Taylor sneaker, then uncurls a hand toward it. "Old sorta battlefield technique thing." A brief pause, "I read about. But yeah."
    That said he rolls back to face her, resting his hands on the book before him and his own hazel gaze meets her. Eerie in some ways. That pale blue that slides to a warm green deep in the irises. But he smiles easily, an open thing as he tilts his head toward the side.
    "I'm not sure when I hurt it, woke up and felt achey. Coulda been when I was doing the cheerleader try out thing." He glances over towards the area of the gym where that happened, then shrugs bonelessly as he looks back.
    "But yeah, nah. I don't play a sport here right now. Kinda thinking about it." Then his eyebrows lift, "You should play a sport though." As to the why he doesn't elaborate for now.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
    "Maybe you should see a doctor." Crush offers, "Seems like it be a bad idea to keep messin' with it. Body don't hurt if there ain't somethin' wrong." At the suggestion she play a sport an eyebrow rises. "And why's that?" she wonders, "What sport would I do?"

    She's particularly tall for her age- probably the tallest girl in her class, if not the school. She meets his gaze, and whatever Eeriness is there she meets head on. She doesn't turn her gaze away.

    "So." Xiomara begins. "You was tryin' to be a cheerleader?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "You're probably right, but I hate doctors." As Alexander says this he holds up a hand and nods, "I know, I know. But... we all have our things right? I just... I dunno. Lately it seems like it's an assembly line thing, with all the insurance and craziness." He seems about to elaborate, but then he crinkles his nose and sorta lets it drop.
    But then the topic shifts back to her and he lifts his head, looking at her and blinks a few times. Perhaps something with the image inducer doesn't sit right, or perhaps there's some aspect of her that might give him some added thought. Whatever it is he doesn't mention it and instead he says, "Lacrosse?" His lip twitches. "I can sorta picture you chasing around people with a stick and enjoying it." His eyes lift upwards and to the side thoughtfully as he bites his lower lip. "Or wrestling, since you have a good bit of height and reach."
    He then lowers his head, resting his chin on his hands and the book. "I'd say fencing if we had a fencing team."
    But then she asks the later question about cheerleading and his nose twists up a little. "Not really. It was more..." He lifts a hand to the back of his neck thoughtfully. "I usually kill some time here before I get the late train back home. So I was sorta just chilling. And they started to do the tryouts. And Lisa, the head cheerleader gal was asking for volunteers, right?"
    He lowers his eyes a little, "She pointed at this one kid, but he got all self-conscious and ducked outta the way. So she was pointing at me, and then some of the other kids started making comments about sexuality preferences of cheerleaders and it sorta... embarrassed a friend of mine who had kinda been wanting to try out. But was scared he'd get shit on because of it. And these folks weren't helping him feel any better about it."
    He looks up, "So I said fuck it, and went out there and did a thing, but... yeah. Knee."

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
    Xiomara sits there, listening as Alexander speaks- tells the whole story "Hunh." she says next, "Lacrosse or wrestling." she then repeats, nodding slowly- listening as the story continues onward to speak about how Alex has stood up for a friend of his, nodding slowly yet again.

    "Right. So you tried out and hurt yourself cus this kid was worried people would think he were gay or somethin'?" she's speaking slowly now, just sort of going over everything in her head. She's grinding her teeth as anger starts to rise in her gullet. "Who's the kids who was askin' those questions? You know. The ones where they was worried about kids bein' gay?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Ehn, it's handled." He says as he lies there, "Best sort of revenge is to live well and give 'em a moment of doubt." Alexander smiles a little as he tilts his head to the side, "If I popped up and started clocking kids left and right sure it mighta made a stronger impact then. But then you're sorta also tainting the thing you're defending too."
    A hand lifts and waves to he side, "But anyways. Yeah. Wrestling, fencing, lacrosse." He blinks slowly, thoughtfully as he only then rolls up to a partially seated posture, grabbing his book and pulling it open partially, fishing out a slip of paper that he had tucked away in there and starts to flip through the pages to ind the right spot to place it. "Channeled energies out and all." Oh no maybe he's a hippie?
    That said he looks back to her, shrugs with a smile, then closes the book with a whumpf.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
    "You know I'mma find out who's it is, right?" Xiomara asks rhetorically, as she slowly stands up. "I'll look into the sports." she continues as she gives a stretch and begins to collect her bags. "Don't know nothin' about channelin' energy." she admits.

    "But, don't think it matter much. Gotta make sure peoples is comfortable bein' themselves and jerks got busted lips." She's like some kind of angry punk Anti-Bully. The bigger fish praying on the stupider, more aggressive fish who need to be put back in line. "I dun like people treatin' others like that for bein' different. Sometimes a pop in the mouth is what they needs to learn that they can't just walk all over people."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Mmm," Alexander leans back on the bleacher seat and shrugs, "Until you make a mistake. Or until you do more harm for your cause. Sure." There's a small shrug as he says, "The Catalan resistance, and the Faux-Vichy both had this thing where they made sure their targets were..."
    But his eyes follow along after her and he tilts his head to the side slowly, "Ya know what, nevermind. Some things just gotta be experienced to be learned I reckon."
    That said he settles back with his backpack nearby, leaning over to grab it and unzip the zipper for that book of his to get tossed inside with a casual flip. Then there's that metallic whir as he closes it up.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
    "I'm gay." Xiomara states simply. "It ain't somethin' I can let rest." As if that was all the explanation that was required. "I'mma go for a walk. See you around, Alexander."

    She so effortlessly hefts her books and just puts the backpack over one arm before she heads towards the door. "Nice meetin' you, though."