He's So Shy
Posted on Mon Feb 10th, 2025 @ 10:47pm by Drew Williams & Angela Williams & Jennifer Bryant
1,460 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Episode 6: X-Fernus Agenda
Location: Parlor
Timeline: November 22nd, 1990
Whether or not Jennifer had seen Drew blushing a few moments ago, there was no missing how his cheeks turned crimson as she placed her hand atop his. He nodded his head, yet kept his hand perfectly still. He did manage a weak smile that at least sent a message that he WANTED to believe her.
Angela glanced down at Jennifer's hand atop Drew's and allowed a hint of a grin to cross her face. She glanced up at Drew and Jennifer. Kennedy had said that there weren't that many boys compared to the number of girls among the older adolescents and that some of the girls might pounce on Drew. She took a moment to decide whether or not to intercede before placing her own hand atop Jennifer's. "Together."
Jennifer grinned when Angela's hand lay on hers. Drew was cute, it was true, but she wasn't the sort to pounce on first sight. She just wanted to meet both the new mutants and make some friends. She smiled a moment longer before withdrawing her hand to continue eating. "How are you two liking it so far?"
Angela looked around with a nod of her head and a cheerful smile. "Honestly. When I first arrived, I thought I was going to hate it here." Her eyes turned to the patio where Kennedy had went to a few minutes ago. She then turned her gaze back to Jennifer. "Kennedy made me feel welcome the first night. I feel grateful for getting her as a roommate."
Drew gave a sort of half smile. He had gone to the orientation meetings with Angela the last few days, unlike her, he was alone in his dorm room. He'd had a lot of time by himself to think about what happened to bring Angela and himself to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. "It's impressive. What about you? How long have you been enrolled here? What's it been like for you?"
Angela’s eyes went wide with recognition. "I was sure I knew you from somewhere. You used to go to Citadel High School in Halifax. I saw the televised Canadian National Cheerleading Competition. The Citadel Phoenix squad took first place last year."
"I just started. I...." Now it was Jennifer's turn to flush, a little embarrassed. "You...I mean....You watched that?" She was proud of her performance. Don't get her wrong. But she knew it was hardly a leading spectator sport. "Do you cheer or do dance or gymnastics?" She smiled to both of them.
Angela nodded, a wide smile on her face. "All three actually. I mean it's good exercise and I really enjoyed some of my old school's football players checking us girls out during games."
Drew just kind of shrugged. "I was on the track and cross country team at school, never really studied gymnastics though." He thought about it for a moment. "I suppose my speed and reflexes might make me a good candidate to learn though."
"Yeah," Jennifer admitted to Angela. "I guess I liked that part too." But she looked away, a little shy about it.
She nodded to Drew. "You really could, I bet. Is it something you're interested in? I mean, no pressure or anything. But you could be good at it."
Drew took a moment to think about Jennifer's question. A sort of half smile crossed his face as he nodded. He looked at Jennifer. "I think I would like to learn. You know of of someone who would be willing to teach? Someone who could be patient enough to help me get passed the clumsy phase?"
"Well," Jennifer said, a little hesitantly. "I suppose, if you want, I could." She smiled. "I'm not really a proper gymnast though. I know enough for cheer stuff, which is a lot, but it's not exactly the same."
Drew nodded as a friendly smile came to his face. "I'd like that...as long as you have the time. I don't want to be an imposition though."
"You're not an imposition," Jennifer reassured him.
Angela noticed her brother's smile and the smile on Jennifer's face. "Well, why don't you guys figure out scheduling. I need to go find an outfit for classes starting Monday. I might have to run into town tomorrow and go shopping."
Drew glanced at Angela as she got up. He gave a shake of his head as she sauntered off. "I swear. My sister comes up with any excuse to go shopping." He turned back to Jennifer. "She is right though. When would be a good time to start training?"
Jennifer looked after Angela. She started to say something and then seemed to reconsider. "Have fun!" she said instead. She looked back to Drew. "Maybe this weekend? Are you going to be more formal about it?"
Drew wasn't sure what Jennifer meant by formal, other than perhaps formally asking for her to train him. "Would you please start training me this weekend? I would be grateful if you would."
"No! No! You don't have to be formal with me!" Jennifer couldn't help laughing. "I mean, are you going to join a team or anything? Do we even have a team?" She realized she didn't know.
Drew responded to Jennifer's laugh with one of his own. He was starting to like how she could put him at ease with her laughter and smiles. "Wasn't planning on joining a team. My speed gives me an improved perception and reaction time. I figured that some gymnastics training could improve my agility even more. What day and time works best for you this weekend? I don't want you to have to reschedule anything if you are busy."
"Why not just Friday after class?" Jennifer suggested. "Or Saturday afternoon? Really, I am good whenever."
"Angela and I don't start classes until Monday." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Tomorrow night (Friday) sounds good. I guess just wear gym clothes? Where do you want to meet?"
"Gym clothes are fine," she said, "if you don't have a uniform. Ummm...Let's meet at dinner. We can eat first." She hesitated. "Actually, it might not be smart to eat right before."
Drew gave a light chuckle. "You just watched me devour two plates of food and another full size plate of dessert, but yeah it's probably best if we eat afterwards." He rubbed his chin in thought for a moment. "How about we meet about 4pm get a workout in. We could catch a bus into town and grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants. My treat since you're taking time to train me. Sound cool?" Drew was genuinely oblivious to what he'd just done.
"It's a date," Jennifer said. "What restaurants do you like in town? I haven't been off campus much."
Drew blinked when Jennifer used the word date. He hadn't intended for her to think he was taking her out on a date thoughts flashed through his mind at super speed. 'She wants to go on a date with me? No, of course not, it was just an expression. She asked me a question. Shift focus to that.' "Um, I'm kind of partial to all you can eat buffets. Chinese or Golden Corral. Speedster metabolism is one of the setbacks of my abilities I've discovered." His expression seemed to shift through a spectrum of emotions as he spoke, shock, fear and possibly just a glimmer of hope. He looked down at the glass of soda in his hand. "Any place you like will be great. I haven't had a chance to make it into Salem Center yet."
"Either of those would be fine," she said immediately, but then she paused. "Though we can't both keep saying whatever's fine. We need to decide." She hesitated, seeming indecisive a moment longer. "Let's do Golden Corral. It has a bit of everything, right?" She talked as if she didn't really know it. "They don't really have it back home. I think it sounds nice, from everything I've heard." She smiled at him. It was a knowing, reassuring smile. She reached out and briefly slid her hand into his "It'll be fun!"
Drew's pulse quickened rapidly. Jennifer's smile was intoxicating and the feel of her hand in his were amazing. He couldn't help but smile back at her. It was the first moment since arriving at the school that he felt it was going to be possible to make friends. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure it will."
She squeezed back. "Looking forward to it."
RSS Feed