What a day

[Clarice]

Clarice walked into the shop slowly. She was annoyed, tired, and restless all at once. This always happened when she went to meetings or someting similair. She hataed talking about a specific thing, and she also hated just sitting there, waiting to talk. She had always asked herslef why does she have to do work outside of school.

Oh well, it is what it is. She walked up to the counter, and had to wait on a line. She sighed, today was just not her day. The store was pretty full, most people sitting where with a friend or just by themselves, on their laptops or something like that.

When it was her turn, she ordered something that she'd have never ordered if she was in her normal tempermant. Coffee, black. Not a very good mix with her but it would hopefully help with the tiredness, not so much for the restlessness though. So she sat down near the window and sighed again.

[ghostlygeorge]

Scotland Lynch hated coffee. He hated nearly everything about it, the smell, the taste, the aftereffects. So he couldn't figure out why he was in the Java Junkie right now.

He noticed Ms. Clarice Hughes in front of him, looking agitated at something or other. They worked at the same school, he knew. They never really got a chance to chat, though. She ordered then sat near the window. He sighed and ordered a chai tea. Looks like I missed my chance... He thought to himself.

Scot turned to see every table was filled with people. Well, not filled, every table was taken and he was not found of sitting with strangers. He looked to Clarice, and started to walk over. Halfway he debated on whether on not he should invite himself to her table. They were co-workers, sitting down at the table would not mean he was creepy. Or did it? He shook his head making his blond hair fall into his face.

He continued to walk. "Hello, Ms. Hughes?" he called softly. "May I join?" He said the last with a gentle smile, hoping she wasn't too agitated to let him sit with her.

[Clarice]

Clarice hated coffee. She even hated herself even more for buying it black. Coffee was to strong, she usually drank something with less caffiene but heck, what was she going to do. She sipped a bit and winced. "Yep, too strong."

The store filled up. All the seats were taken, and there was no place else to sit. "I guess it was a good thing I came here earlier," she said to herself while looking around. She sighed again, then stared out the window. She ignored everything around her, and just stared at two little squirrels, one trying to play with the other, clearly the other didn't want to play.

She sipped the coffee again and just stared at it. "Well...this sucks." She said.

"Hello, Ms. Hughes? May I join?"

She heard this and jumped. She looked at where the voice came from and sighed. It was Lynch. She didn't know much about him, she heard a few things from other teachers though. He was a history teacher, well that had been all she heard.

"Knock yourself out," She said, and took another swig.

[ghostlygeorge]

"Knock yourself out," Ms. Hughes said gruffly.

Scot gratefully took a seat opposite of her, pulling his book on Apartheid from under his arm. He took off his glasses and them on the table. He started to settle and open up his text. Noticing her wincing as she took a sip of her drink, Scot looked to his own. "Is your coffee not good, Ms. Hughes?"

He brushed his hair back, with a small smile. She would probably tell him to mind his business, she didn't look like she was in a good mood. It was probably best if he minded he shut his mouth. He looked outside and saw squirrels, one trying to be social, the other wasn't. Scot tightened his jaw.

Opening his book, he focused on it, deciding not to bother Ms. Hughes. For a few reasons, Scot deemed this best: One, he didn't know this woman's mutant ability. Two, she looked pissed. Three, he rather fancied being alive.

[Clarice]

She noticed him sit, so he did stay. She shrugged and looked out the window. Tomorrow was another day, maybe it would be better than it was. She sighed again and lightened up a bit. She still hated the taste of the coffee, so she just stared at it. She didn't want to just waste money by buying something that she wasn't going to drink, so she just forced it down.

"Is your coffee not good, Ms. Hughes?"

She looked up when he had spoke, he was so quiet that she forgot he was even their. "Oh...well, I hate coffee, I don't even know why I bought it," she said staring at the cup distastefully. "The worse part is, I bought it black, which I think is a bit too strong," she continued still eyeing the cup.

She looked up and noticed him reading a book. "What are you reading there?" She asked.She really didn't care, but at this point, having someone to talk to wasn't as bad as being alone and angry. She tried to start up a conversation, she needed a good one at this point.

She quickly looked out the window, she wanted to see the outcome of the two squirrels. It seemed that they were getting along, they both were chasing each other around, it looked as if they were happy. She smiled a bit.

[ghostlygeorge]

"Oh...well, I hate coffee, I don't even know why I bought it....The worse part is, I bought it black, which I think is a bit to strong," Scot chuckled. It was funny that she would buy coffee even though she hates it, and on top of that order it black.

"What are you reading there?" He was rather shocked that she was engaging him in conversation, but didn't dwell on it. Everyone feels that need to communicate and if she did it with him then that's fine.

"It's a rather interesting book on Apartheid." He explained, holding out for her to take and look at. "The Economics of Apartheid by Stephen R. Lewis. It's about how Apartheid in South Africa affected the economics of government and public policies of the time." He blushed at his gushing over the book and offered a smile.

He saw her distasteful look at the coffee cup. "Would you like my tea, to wash down the awful coffee taste? I haven't drank any yet." He offered. Coffee really was horrible, he could sympathize with her.

[Clarice]

"It's a rather interesting book on Apartheid. The Economics of Apartheid by Stephen R. Lewis. It's about how Apartheid in South Africa affected the economics of government and public policies of the time."

She thought about what he had said. She learned this, and for some reason, she remembered a few things." That era, I sort of remember. Around that time, there were people who wanted to strip the africans of their voting rights right?" She asked. It was something around there. You see that's why she isn't a history teacher. History was never her thing.

"Would you like my tea, to wash down the awful coffee taste? I haven't drank any yet."

She looked at him suprised. She thought of him as, I stay quiet over here, you stay quiet over there, type of person. But she shook her head. "I am fine, I think I am slightly adjusting to it," She said with a smile. She wasn't trying to be a jerk, she just doesn't really like to get help from people.

[ghostlygeorge]

He registered her look of surprise and couldn't quite figure out why she was surprised.Scot shrugged at her polite refusal, and took a sip of his tea. "Alright, just don't force yourself to drink it. You might get sick." He smiled though, when she asked about Apartheid. Most people now where unconcerned with Apartheid despite its remnants in society, which he found sad.

"Yes, the white South Africans wished to keep black South Africans from dealing with the government. There was more to it. They wished to take many rights from the black South Africans. They could only hold certain jobs, live in certain places. At one point they were forced to hold identification cards... This sounds like a History lesson...haha" He laughed and shook his head.

"Forgive me," he said, smiling. "That kinda stuff gets me rambling. It's just that what mutants are going through in Society is not new. I believe that once we realize we keep making the same mistakes over and over, we'll finally be able to break the cycle, you know? That's probably why I'm a history teacher."

He glanced out of the window, slightly embarrassed at his babbling. Ms. Hughes probably thought he was a dunce for being able to find nothing else to talk about but his work. But his work was his passion, his life. He grabbed his glasses from the table and put them back on his face. Scot smiled at Ms. Hughes in an apologetic way.

[Clarice]

"Alright, just don't force yourself to drink it. You might get sick."

"...", she just looked at him." I am a very cheap person," she started, " my brother always got angry, because when I bought something, tasted it, and didn't like it, I'd still eat it." She said, giggling a bit at the memory. She remembered her brother, always wondered whatever happened to him.

"Yes, the white South Africans wished to keep black South Africans from dealing with the government. There was more to it. They wished to take many rights from the black South Africans. They could only hold certain jobs, live in certain places. At one point they were forced to hold identification cards... This sounds like a History lesson...haha"

"Don't worry about it, no one can learn too much," Clarice said with a sincere smile. She felt better than she had only a minutes ago, guess talking to someone really did help.

"Forgive me,that kinda stuff gets me rambling. It's just that what mutants are going through in Society is not new. I believe that once we realize we keep making the same mistakes over and over, we'll finally be able to break the cycle, you know? That's probably why I'm a history teacher."

"No worries, I get like that when I am talking about science, especially life science." She said, still with a smile on her face. She was just happy now. Although the half cup of coffee was really starting to irk her. She noticed he had an apologetic smile on his faced, but was confused as to why. She ignored it, and looked out the window again.

[ghostlygeorge]

"I am a very cheap person...my brother always got angry, because when I bought something, tasted it, and didn't like it, I'd still eat it."

Scotland smiled he knew how that was. He wasn't particularly frugal. But his parents did not like to waste anything and with all his learning and teaching on social strife, he appreciated what he had. Ms. Hughes looked generally happier than when he first sat down. And that made him feel good.

"No worries, I get like that when I am talking about science, especially life science."

She looked out the window again, with a smile on her face. "Biology?' he asked. "Are you interested in the evolution of mutants or just in general life and its wonders...like those squirrels?" His natural curiosity was brimming over. He adjusted his glasses and watched Ms. Hughes.

[Clarice]

"Excuse me," She said and got up. She didn't want to, she Really didn't want to, but she wasn't going to drink it so, she threw out the cup of coffee. It was going to bug her for a few hours, but she'd get over it. She then sat back down, the place had gotten a bit emptier, so it was easy to walk by without bumping into people.

"Biology? Are you interested in the evolution of mutants or just in general life and its wonders...like those squirrels?"

She blushed a bit, he knew what she was looking at. She then smiled. "Both, the evolution of mutants had always peeked my interests, and I just love the wonders of the world today. Out of everything out here, animals are what I like most about science itself, it's funny, how animals are so different and yet somehow the same then us." She said, leaning back on her chair, more relaxed.

[ghostlygeorge]

Scotland watched as Ms. Hughes threw her coffee out. He noticed the coffee shop was thinning. He wondered if it would be polite to leave her to her solitude. But she came back and they began speaking again. She blushed prettily.

'Both, the evolution of mutants had always peeked my interests, and I just love the wonders of the world today. Out of everything out here, animals are what I like most about science itself, it's funny, how animals are so different and yet somehow the same then us."

Scot took notice of her more relaxed posture and decided to stay. She could tell to him leave anytime, he supposed when she was tried of him she would tell him so. He couldn't stop smiling, which was annoying. But he attributed the smiling to the presence of the lovely woman and that made it less annoying.

"Animals and humans are the same. Although animals don't seem to expel one another from social groups without good reason." He mused. He always seemed to go back to Sociology.

He decided to focus on something other than his field, perhaps on the teacher in front of him. But he didn't to seem like he was prying or anything. So he asked about the only thing that seemed appropriate...her job. "Why did you take the teaching job at Xavier's?" He asked, genuinely interested. One's motives behind choosing their job said a lot about them.

[Clarice]

Clarice had noticed that Scotland had been smiling...a lot. It didn't bother her, but she felt sort of embarrassed, and so she blushed again. He started smiling after they had started this conversation. She payed no mind after awhile though.

"Animals and humans are the same. Although animals don't seem to expel one another from social groups without good reason."

"There are some animals who do for no reason. For example, if there were to be one born from the litter, that has happened to somehow get a genetic mutation, that has nothing to do with their skills of survival, they are still abandoned in a sense." She said. Someone before had asked a question like that, she had answered in the same way.

"Why did you take the teaching job at Xavier's?"

"...well, if you want to know the truth, I have no idea. Maybe it's because I like the fact of teaching, or getting the ability to help people learn from my learnings, or it could be that I am actually around people who all have a gift, like I do." She said. "Although, at this point, I am getting frustrated because I hate meetings, their so quiet, and I just sit there and can't stand it." She said giggling a bit.

[ghostlygeorge]

Ms. Hughes giggling was nice to hear. Much better than the rustling of paper and the murmurs of other people's conversations when he sat in Java Junkie alone. "With the good comes the bad," he sighed referring to the loathsome meetings she talked of. "Or however the saying goes."

Scot fell silent, holding his cup of tea. He pressed his lips together. Standing abruptly, he had come to a decision. "Excuse me." He went an ordered another cup of tea. She probably would be upset with him for just buy her a drink, but he considered it rude to sit in front of her with a delicious drink while she had nothing.

He returned with both his and hopefully her drink. "Here you go," he smiled. "Please accept it." He said in slight pleading manner. He leaned back and looked out the window. "Being frustrated with your job is natural, I think. I often get upset with the children and their apathetic attitude towards my passion. But I can't really be upset about that. I can only hope that I reach one student." He turned back to look at Ms. Hughes and smiled.

[Clarice]

"With the good comes the bad or however the saying goes."

"I guess your right,""I Clarice said with a sigh. She looked around. It had really emptied out. She glanced out the window and looked at the sky. They had really been talking for awhile. She looked back at him.

"Excuse me."

She wondered where he was going. Was he going to leave? If so she would have left afterwards, but then she noticed him going to the counter. She looked out the window, not wanting to look around and people thinking that she was nosy. He soon came back, but with two cups of tea.

"Here you go,please accept it."

She was going to refuse, but, she didn't want to hurt his feelings in any way. She took the cup, and sipped it, the tea was way better than the coffee she had moments ago. He then started to speak up.

"Being frustrated with your job is natural, I think. I often get upset with the children and their apathetic attitude towards my passion. But I can't really be upset about that. I can only hope that I reach one student."

"When your young, most of the time, you tend to have a short attention span," she said with a laugh. "Just don't worry about them, it's either, A, they would wind up in a broken down job, trying to get enough money, or B, they would find out there mistakes and fix themselves and gain a happy life." She said with a sincere smile.