I <3 Backpacks [James]

[James Everwood]

"Sorry I hit you so hard." She said and he laughed a little. She was apologizing to him, when all she was doing was protecting herself. She had every right to protect herself.

"Don't be," He said, "Chances are you could have been honestly attacked by someone and you were just defending yourself. It was just good luck on your part that you weren't being attacked, and bad luck on my part for stumbling into you like that. It's just life you know? A series of things out of your control taking place. So it's OK, really."

He turned the next corner, hoping it was the right one, it wasn't. At least, not yet. Maybe he'd have to walk around for a bit but he was sure that either he or she would find the place. His nose still stung a bit, as did his cheek, but it wasn't something he would complain about. The scars all over his body underneath his t-shirts would prove that this was nothing. Just another day in the life of James Everwood.

"Besides it could have been worse, you could have hit me in the eye, and then I'd really be in trouble," He said. He turned one more corner and saw the nurses office, "Jackpot." He said, heading towards it, he would open the door for Sara and follow her in.

[Sara Quinn]

"Don't be,"

Sara looked up at him as he started to talk. Even if he told her not to be, she couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for what she had done. She had been pretty hard on him. She listened to him, nodding and "mhm"ing at the appropriate moments. He talked a lot. She liked that. Sara wasn't a big talked unless she was yelling at someone, then she had a lot to say. So when someone like him came alone, who could fill those silences, she was happy.

He turned a corner, and she followed, keeping stride with him. It didn't seem like the nurses office was down this hall either. She was sure they would find it eventually. But until then, she was worried about his broken nose. She hated realizing that she had over reacted. It made her feel stupid. But he didn't seem to be lording it over her head either.

"Besides it could have been worse, you could have hit me in the eye, and then I'd really be in trouble,"

She stopped, thinking about what he said. Then she got it, and let out a laugh. That was funny. Cute. Very cute. It was good that he could joke even at a time like this. They turned another corner and she saw the sign for the nurses office. She heard him next to her, and figured he must have realized it to. She considered him some more as they made their way into the nurses office. He held the door for her and she let herself in, turning, and standing away from the empty front desk. He could handle the nurse. If he chose to tell her what happened, Sara had no intention of stopping him.

For someone who had never fought before, he handled a broken nose pretty well. There was something else there. She knew it. Just below the surface, that made him stronger. Not physically, but... It didn't matter, what mattered was that she was nosy and fully intended to find out what it was about him that made him like that.

"So..." She glanced around to make sure they were still alone. "Why didn't you fight back?"

[James Everwood]

"So... Why didn't you fight back?"

He got quiet, he was waiting inside by the empty desk with her, but he didn't have an answer for her right away. He tried to think of a clever way too word it, but he couldn't come up with anything. His face went blank as the nurse came up finally, and he was saved having to answer her question for a little bit, "Can I help you?" The nurse asked and he nodded leaning forward so she could see his nose.

"I told a lie, but apparently unlike Pinocchio my nose breaks for every lie I tell. You can tell that's the true story since my nose didn't just break again, see?"

The nurse let out a bit of air, she didn't seem to think his joke was as funny as he though, she pointed him over to one of the beds and told him to go sit down, so he did. The nurse disappeared again to go get some bandages for his broken nose. He then looked up at Sara, "I don't like hitting..." He said quietly, attempting to avoid eye contact with her.

[Sara Quinn]

She watched as he got really quite. He looked like he was trying to figure out a way out of answering her, when the nurse walked up, giving him an automatic out. She leaned against the wall watching him as he finagled his way out of telling her what had happened. She couldn't help but smile. What a little smart ass. He seemed like a good guy, and now she felt really bad about thinking he was a rapist, although it was called for, and about breaking his nose. That must have hurt. But again, he didn't seem to be affected by it much. And that made her wonder.

Finally, the nurse gave in and left to do whatever it is that nurses did. She watched him as he refused to look at her. He left to go to the bed the nurse had sent him to, and Sara followed, quietly, hoping she wasn't going to be kicked out. She sat on the chair placed next to the bed, pulling her legs under her as she sat down, making herself comfortable.

"I don't like hitting..."

She looked at him. He was still trying to avoid looking at her. Just from what he said, she could tell there was something wrong there. It wasn't: I don't like hitting girls, or I don't like hitting people. It was I don't like hitting.... in general. And while most people would have just assumed the 'in general' part, it was the way he was avoiding eye contact, and the quiet way he spoke.

"You're going to have to get over it start fighting back, you know that right? What if I had been out to kill you?" She kept her gaze on him, knowing that it was going to suck to hear that, but it needed to be said. What ever had happened to him, he needed to either get over it, or chance schools. Well not... get over it. But... Ugh. She dropped her head, she must have offended him with that one. She stood up. She should get out of here before she made it worse. But she would try, once more, before she left. She gave him a large smile, and patted him on the shoulder. "I better get out of here. I hope I see you around 'Kay?" Which she definitely would, she wasn't even close to being done with him yet~

[James Everwood]

"You're going to have to get over it start fighting back, you know that right? What if I had been out to kill you?" She said, and he didn't reply. To him that wasn't a very strong point. Mostly because he learned to accept that he would one day die, and it would most likely be sooner rather then later given everything in his life. And while he cherished life, and he would never want to see someone in pain, he himself did not care whether he lived or died. Everyone had their time. And his would come whether or not he wanted it to.

"I better get out of here. I hope I see you around 'Kay?" She said, patting his shoulder. He looked up at her and smiled as the nurse walked over to bandage his nose.

"Yeah, I'll make sure to keep my eye open next time," He said, the nurse began working on his nose, the first thing she did was grab it and move it in a very painful motion, but it seemed to feel right again, though it was very painful. He didn't really move or freak out from the pain. Sure it hurt and stung, but the nurse was almost taken aback by his ability to withstand it all, "Face is a bit numb from shock I guess."

She shrugged it off and put the bandage on his nose, walking off to get some pain killers. He waved to Sara, wondering how long he would have a bandaged nose like this.