nyc prep continued

"See me...I'm confident enough to pull off pink." he chuckled, "it was ok. the shop is doing better but I got a job teaching."

"I could totally pull off pink if I wanted to. I just choose not to." she grinned. "Teaching? that sounds...exciting I guess. Any of your students in love with you?" she asked teasingly.

"no thank God. I don't think any of the kids in my class want to be there for one thing. Briarwood Academy isn't exactly the best breading ground for artists."

"That is true," she said. "I'm sure there's at least one that wants to be there. Who knows, you could inspire one of them to become an artist."

"maybe he shrugged. how about that Chinese?"

Sam picked the bag up and took the food out. "I think I got all of your favorites." She handed him a fork. "Dig in." Sam was silent for a few minutes then she looked back at Jeff. "So will you go dress shopping with me?"

he had just filled his mouth with chinese. he swallowed it down with some coffee, "sure. not sure I'll be much help."

"You can at least tell me how horrible the dresses look," she said. "My mom sent my pictures of the ones I have to choose from," Sam shivered at the thought. "I am going to look like....I don't even know what but it will be bad."

he chuckled, " you will look just fine." he said around a mouthfull of food

"You say that now," she finished her food and started cleaning up. "Did you get anymore tattoos over the summer?" she asked as she threw out her empty cup.

he pulled off the bandanna that was tastefully wrapped around his wrist. he showed her the inside of his wrist, " had that done after a long art I did on a guy. he had a similar bird done but way bigger and I liked the idea." it was a small but tasteful Phoenix. it was only an inch and a half long

Sam reached out and touched the tattoo. "It's beautiful, wow." She looked from the tattoo up to him. "I wish I had the guts to get one."

"you know you don't get it all at once. its not so bad." he said finishing his meal

"Maybe some day," she said as she finished cleaning up. "It'd probably take me years to decide what I'd want."

he nodded, " thats the best approach. I mean really getting something you want. I've tried to fix one too many tattoos that someone got on a drunken night and then..." he rolled his eyes, " its stupid."

Sam smiled, she had friends that had done that in college. "That's worse than piercings, at least they will heal eventually. I still can't believe I got my belly button pierced." She shook her head. "So what the strangest tattoo you've seen?"

he finished off his coffee thinking, " A guy came in with a teddy bear with a big pink bow." that one had made him chuckle.

Sam laughed. "That would have been interesting to see." She grinned just thinking about it.

"Yeah that was one of the more funny ones. I get a lot of people with lover names and then they want it disguised."

"I dont get why anyone would get a lover's name tattooed on them, its not like it will actually last." Sam shook her head, she had stopped believing in love a long time ago.

Jarid grinned. "Bring the food." He said before leading her out of the kitchen and down the hall. He stopped in a rook that was obviously a tv room. Jarid pulled a few video games off the shelf. "Pick one," he said, offering them to her.

"No, I'm on Sasha duty," she replied. Not that she really minded. If there was one person she consistently liked being around it was Sasha.

Once they were inside, brooklynn slowed down and smiled, looking around her. "I love museums. I'd rather be in an art museum than anywhere else in the world." She let that sit for a moment then pulled him off to a side wing. "What do you prefer? Painting? Sculpture?"

” this is awesome,” paige said as she looked around the room. She randomly picked one of the games.

"Thanks," he agreed and began to set up the game. "So, pretty proud of our work the other day." He said as he sat down and handed her a controller.

Jeff frowned, " thats not pessimistic or anything."

Carl was till looking around at eveything, " uhm...whats your favorite?"


Braden nodded and sat still for a second then in a very fluid motion slipped his arms behind Jaimes back under her knees, stood up and stepped into the pool with her in his arms.

Paige grinned as she sat beside him. "Me too, we make a good team. We'll need a bigger prank for next time."



"Nope, not at all." She said. "But think about it, how many realationship actually last anymore? Some one will cheat, or lose interest or just leave."

"I sculpt mostly," Brooklynn replied. "But I like them both." She seemed to pause, realizing the implications of his question. "Genius, do you need an art education?"

Jaimie shrieked as they hit the water, surprised by Braden's sudden move. But as they resurfaced, she laughed and splashed him. "Jerk!"

"You got it," Jarid nodded. "What about that Peter kid? He interested?"

"i mean that's one wat to look at it but you could also see the relationships that do last a lifetime." Jeff shrugged

Braden laughed and swam out of splash range. That was the most impulsive thing he had done in a while, "see no swim suit required."

Carl chuckled, "i just might." He of course could pic out the greats if he saw a painting or sculpture but the history, the emotion...that's where he was lost

Paige shrugged, "I think so but I'm not sure. It might just be us."



Sam shrugged, "I guess. But in my experance they don't last." She didn't even know why they were talking about this, it was probably because of seeing how happy her mother was to be getting married for the third time and knowing she would probably never even get married once. She had to much baggage, as her sister would say.

"Alright, come on," Brooklynn said, leading him to a wall of paintings. "Of course, to get a real art education it would be better to go to the Louvre, but we'll deal with the New York Museum of Art," she said with a smile. "The thing about art is it's all very subjective. Whatever you feel while looking at a painting, that's good. It's meant to stir up memories in each of us, and since we all have different experiences, we all feel different things."

Jaimie laughed and went after him. "Yeah, well now I've got a wet dress and nothing else to wear!" she said, though it wasn't angry.

Jarid shrugged as the game came up and he began to click through the menu. "Alright. We can work without him."

"in your experience? Sam you are still...young." he hated when people put a blanket statement on love. He had had his fair shair of failed relationships but he still believed it was possible.

Carl nodded listening to every word. He had never heard art talked about with such passion. In his experienceart just was.

Braden was able to krep one step ahead of her with nothing dragging and slowing him down. It felt good to laugh with her

Paige nodded, "so do you have any ideas for our next prank?" She asked as the game started


Sam knew he was right, but she'd never admit that. "Yeah, maybe." she always was more emotional this time of year, it had been almost exactly two years since David went into a coma and even after all the therapy she still felt guilty.


Ooc. Would Jeff know about David and the accident?

ooc: if by accident you mean the OD yeah I think he would know.

Jeff knew he wasn't going to win this argument today and understood where she was coming from. he just wished he could prove her wrong

Ooc. Yeah, that's what I ment. I thought he would.

"But now I'm making everything all sad." She joked. "We should go out tonight and do something fun, if you don't have any plans."

he smiled, " what were you thinking?"

"Movie marathon or clubbing," she shrugged. "Anything that would be a distraction".


Ooc. I have class today so I'll be on and off for the next few hours then on for a while

"That's what I like about art," Brooklynn smiled, "There are no wrong answers. Whatever you feel, it's right." She led him through the museum as she spoke, continuing on.

Jaimie headed over to the side of the pool and pulled herself out, sitting on the side of the pool and grinning.

"A few. A couple years ago the seniors put a car in the courtyard, it took the school a week to get it out again. I happen to know how it was done, so we could use that tio our advantage."

"That sounds awesome." She said grinning. "How about the princile's car."

Braden kept his distance for a little but the swam up next to her pulling himself into the edge of the pool, "sorry I got you all wet he grinned.

Carl felt himself falling in love with...everything. about an hour into the tour he found a bench across from VanGogh's starry night. He didn't want to make the day all sad and mopey but unroll he had met Brooklyn he had resigned himself to his academic destiny. He had removed his passions to please his parents and to nor be destracted. His parents were so pleased in him for doing "what a man of his brilliance" should be doing. There was never an alternate route but now. Feelings he had had in preschool began to surface and he didn't like it.

"maybe a little of both." Jeff suggested

"That could be treading the expulsion line," Jarid warned. "We'd have to be real careful about cleaning up after ourselves."

"No you're not," Jaimie laughed, pushing him back into the water.

"Everyone thought he was insane, you know. He couldn't give his paintings away. Went completely mad and died before anyone gave him any credit. But now he's considered one of the best painters ever." She sat next to him, looking at the painting. "How sad is that?"

Ooc: holy crap. I'd totally forgotten about the history and it works so well for Carl...sorry just had to get that exuberance out.

Braden sputtered as he came up, " you brat."

Carl nodded listening to her, "what do you feel...about that?"