two to tango {madzie!} [F]

[alexxrawr]

a chair is still a chair
even when there's no one sitting there

Jake had heard about the carnival of course. He would have had to be a social leper to not hear about it. It was the talk of the campus, almost everyone seemed to be planning on going and spending the entire day there. Honestly, it wasn't a bad idea. Jake loved carnival rides. Some of them scared him senseless and made him feel like he was going to puke, but after the ride was done he'd be the first in line to go again. He loved the way they were safe... but there was always just a slight chance that it wasn't. His favorite ride, however, was not scary at all. In fact, it had a reputation of being romantic. He loved the ferris wheel. He loved being up so high in the sky, but having it be gentle enough that he can look at his surroundings. People looked like ants, cars looked like toys... it was just an awesome feeling being that high up. He imagined it was how a giant felt all the time. Not that he believed in giants, but you know. The concept of giantism still applied. He had decided to go to the carnival, just to see how awesome their ferris wheel was. Also, it would be a good way to meet people. At the current moment he barely knew anyone, and going to a carnival alone... well it's just an idealistic way to be paired up with people. Not in romantic ways of course, no he wasn't really looking for a relationship from someone he met at a carnival. Flirtation, maybe. He'd just have to see what types of people showed up.

He arrived at around eleven thirty, and walked around for a good half an hour. Everyone hadn't been kidding. The place was packed. He made his way to the game booths, watching people getting scammed out of their money. He loved playing the game booths, even though he knew they were a rip-off. They made life interesting. Also, if he won he got a cute little stuffed animal. He rolled his eyes as a boy gave his date a large stuffed gorilla. They could only have been about fourteen. It started so young. He made his way to the large line of the ferris wheel. There were two people carriages, so he would either ride alone or get paired up with someone. It was good either way. He showed the worked his wristband (bought for twenty bucks. damn.) and climbed into the carriage they were holding open for him. He leaned back, and waited to see if he would be joined by anyone.

--* closed -- madz only.

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[madzieluvzyew]

Lexi loved the carnival. She had been roaming around it for about an hour now, riding all the rides. She had that ever-present crowd of friends around her, all chatting amongst themselves. You would think she was mingling at a party, the way they talked to her. She really didn't even like some of the people she was nice to. But she liked having enemies even less. so she was nice to people. Besides, they came in handy here. At almost every ride, she'd had a friend or two up close to the front of the line, who would let her get in line next to them. And, of course, no one else objected. She'd had time to ride almost every ride, some of them more than once. But, also at every ride, a couple of her friends would get into a little argument over who would sit with her. It was like parents battling over custody of their ten-year-old. She sighed and left them alone. All she wanted to do was ride the rides.

The rides were the best thing ever. She loved the big roller coasters. They got her adrenaline pumping, and sent a rush of excitement through her veins. The rides, and the running around to get to them, can really exhaust a person. So, at that point, she decided to relax and just get on the ferris wheel for a while. The line wasn't too long, and a couple of her friends had mentioned it . She and her followers got in line and waited.

She mentally noted that there was an odd number in her group now. That meant someone would sit alone, or with a stranger. That idea oddly sent a wave of relief through her. As they started unloading the tall wheel, she made her way to the front of her group of friends, so she could jump in with the nearest stranger. The guy in front of her, in fact, had no partner, so he was sitting alone in the carriage. The man working there asked if anyone would sit with him, and she jumped at the opportunity, much to the dismay and surprise of her posse. She smiled with relief, a little out of breath, and glanced at the dark hair boy next to her. "Hey."

[alexxrawr]

the broken clock is a comfort
it helps me sleep tonight

Jake watched as a large group of girls (and even a few guys) started fighting over the privilege to sit with it looked like one specific person. He hated when stuff like that happened. It usually held up the ride, sometimes for up to ten minutes. He watched as the carnival worker announced that they needed someone to sit with him. He honestly didn't expect anyone to heed the call, so when a girl a couple of years younger then him almost ran forward, he smirked. Wasn't this the girl everyone wanted to sit with? Maybe she was getting tired of the constant attention. The girl looked at him, and he smiled his flirtatious smile with her. He didn't know how old she was, and at that moment he didn't even really care. She looked old enough to be over the age of consent, and it's not like they were going to cart him away to jail for just flirting with someone. He wasn't a pedophile. He was just.. bored. And she seemed like she'd be easy enough to flirt with. She seemed like the type who would fall for a guy if they gave her a box of flowers and a cheesy grin. Honestly, he didn't particularly like those types. They were too easy. And not the good easy, either. The kind of easy who expected every relationship to last a lifetime. He then realized he was judging her before he'd even said anything to her. He didn't know if she'd talked to him or not. Honestly, he didn't really care. But he figured he should... seeing as the ride could be long if someone asked the guy working it to make it that way. Five bucks went a long way for people whose lives were made of annoying children and grumpy parents all day. He flashed her another smile.

"Hello. I'm Jake. May I have the honor of knowing who I'm addressing?" he asked, keeping his voice soft. They were still close to the ground, the ride hadn't started yet. He didn't want everyone in the world to know his name. That was just weird. He was being stared at by many teenagers. It was kind of freaking him out a bit. He leaned back, and waited for her reply.

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[madzieluvzyew]

Alexi immediately felt relieved by her escape from her stalkers. Well, ok, that wasn't fair. She was embarrassed she'd even thought that. They all just wanted to be her friend. And she loved having friends. She was nice to, and got to know, everyone that followed her. She wasn't one of those popular girls who was mean to everyone, and still expected to have lots of people who praised her. She wasn’t even one who ignored everybody except for her ‘cool’ friends. No, she made a point to have lots of REAL friends. She had earned every one of her followers. And just because they liked to be around her didn’t make them stalkers. However, once it came to fighting over her, then it was too far. She did NOT want people kissing the floor she walked on. Then she would seem stuck up. If there was one thing she knew she wasn’t, it was stuck up,

She relaxed into the carriage as they started moving. She continued smiling at the stranger in the seat with her, barely noticing. After a moment of looking stupid, she realized he had returned her half-witted greeting. She made her smile a little more genuine. “Nice to meet you, Jake. I’m Alexi. But you can call me Lexi.” She radiated flirtiness. This guy was cute, even at first glance. She looked closer.

Jeez. Great smile. Totally worth ditching her friends. She sighed mentally. He seemed like one of those guys you see running around, flirting with every girl that spoke two words to him. Someone who shrivels in the face of commitment. And honestly, she was fine with that. It’s not like she was looking for a long-term relationship with a random stranger she met at the carnival. She didn’t really even plan on flirting with anybody. She just wanted to escape her friends, and maybe make a new one. But she didn’t know if she could resist flirting with this guy. He was seriously hot. She shot one quick apologetic smile to her friends down below, then returned to smiling at the shmexy boy next to her.

[alexxrawr]

listen to your heart
there's nothing else you can do

Jake watched her closely as she gave her name. That smile. The way she was sitting. The look in her eyes. Oh, she was flirting back. Time to find out the age.

"Okay Lexi, and may I ask how old you are darling?" As soon as he found out the answer, he'd feign surprise and say she looked older. Girls her age always wanted to look older right? So they could get into bars and all that stuff. He watched her smile at her friends, some of whom were looking at him, and then turn her attention back to him. It may not be that boring of a ride after all. Especially if she was sixteen or older... but he put that aside for the moment. He leaned his legs out so they were on the bench across from him, right beside the girl. He chuckled.

"Seems you have quite a few fans Lexi. You paying em, or are you just a sweetheart?" he asked, making eye contact with her. He knew what she would do. She'd probably either blush, get all defensive, or keep her ground. The type of girls' to go to for hookup's were the first type of course. He sometimes kept away from the second type, but they were good for challenges. The third type... well the third type were probably the one's best for relationships. So, he didn't really have much experience with them. Not to say he hadn't dated before. Of course not. He had dated quite a few girls in high school. It was just that after graduation, he had felt that he could get what he wanted without having to deal with the break-ups. So no, he didn't just sleep with a girl. He'd take her out, whisper sweet nothing's in her ear, cuddle into the night... he just wouldn't own up to the fact that they were in an actual relationship. That way break-ups wouldn't hurt so bad. That way, if someone cuter or sweeter or smarter came around, he could always use the signature "I'm single." line and never be lying. Cause when it came around to it, Jake wasn't a liar. He was just a charmer.

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[madzieluvzyew]

She pulled her attention away from her friends, and back to Jake. She could almost automatically tell that he was one of those guys who absolutely loved to flirt. A man-ho. A heart-breaker. Well, that didn’t really matter. She watched him put his feet up next to her, and took the opportunity to look over his long, decently muscled body, hiding her gaze well. Not bad at all. She smirked at him, still smiling, and kicked her feet up next to him, crossing her legs. She chuckled.

“I’m sixteen.” She spoke confidently, actually pretty proud of her age. She liked being young. It made life more fun. Especially at carnivals, with random hot strangers. She maintained her flirty smile. This guy was clearly experienced. She would have to put on her best show for him. That was achievable. She vaguely wondered how old he was. It didn’t really matter to her, though. She had a thing for older guys. And he was DEFINITELY older. When he asked her about her friends, she shrugged, not letting him shake her. “I don’t know Jakey. You tell me.” She smirked.

Ooh this was going to be FUN. Older guys were always the most fun to flirt with. They were better at it, and reacted better to a good flirt. It was much easier to get a rise out of an older guy… She giggled, realizing how dirty that really sounded. She only half way realized she had giggled out loud, and didn’t let it phase her perfect, flirty poker face. She looked at him much closer now. He had gorgeous, piercing eyes. It took all her strength to pull her eyes away from them at the right time. But she did, and then was able to look at the rest of his face. He looked British. Ooh, foreign boys… She thought back to when he had spoken just a second ago, and remembered he didn’t have an accent. Her mind pouted. Oh well. He was still hot. And flirting with her. And she wasn’t about to waste a perfectly good opportunity for a good flirt by getting caught staring. So she changed her face to be more casual, but still flirty, and waited for his response.

[alexxrawr]

and though you turn from me to glance behind
the phantom of the opera is there... inside your mind

Jake full on smirked now. He had her hooked. She may have been trying to be subtle with the whole 'look over' thing, but he'd gotten it before. He listened as she said her age. Sixteen. Only three years younger, it was doable. He smiled brightly at her. He didn't really know what he was going to say... until he said it.
"Ah, I see. I couldn't tell. You never know with people as adorable as you. I'm nineteen for the record." he said, He surprised himself, that had actually been really corny and cheesy. He smirked a bit. He watched her, and realized she was a type three as she replied to his earlier comeback. Oh, that wasn't good. But it wasn't really bad. She probably knew this was just flirting. If they knew it was just flirting it was okay. Then they wouldn't be sad or mad about it or anything. Usually, when he found a type three who was worth flirting with, he'd do the whole "almost relationship" thing. It seemed to work as long as they never brought up the official status.
"Lexi my dear, you seem like a sweetheart to me, but I barely know you. Maybe we should ask one of your groupies? What do you think they'd say?" he asked, smiling gently. He looked down. The ride still had not started. It seemed like every car was going to be filled on this ride. That was good for the carnival. But it would be bad if like, the ferris wheel broke and started rolling down a hill. There would be more casualties that way. He almost wanted to start giggling at the idea, but then realized that was a little morbid. So he turned his gaze to Lexi, and cautiously scanned her up and down. Not to bad for only being sixteen.

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[madzieluvzyew]

Lexi rolled her eyes at the corny line. Like she hadn’t heard that one before. The whole ‘you’re way too pretty to be only sixteen…’ thing was so old. More than once, she had replied ‘Actually, I’m pretty sure I know my own age.’ Ugh. Still, his attempt at flattery was cute. She knew he thought she was already reeled in, but it took a bit more than a hot body and sexy smile to convince her that he was worth flirting with. Still, it was fun to make him think she was that easy. Plus, she was right on him being older. Nineteen? Nice. Not the oldest age she’d gotten so far, but from experience, she knew that nineteen was a good age for just flirting. Relationship? Not likely. She hoped she was right on him being a man-ho, too, not looking for a commitment. Otherwise, there was a problem. It was very unlikely that she would start any kind of long-term ANYTHING with a nineteen year old stranger. Albeit a very… attractive stranger. Still. Just flirting. She had much better options if she wanted something serious.

She flinched internally at the word ‘groupies.’ That was such a mean way to describe them. And SO accurate. She chuckled. “I think my friends” –she emphasized the word- “would say that I was alright. It depends which friend you ask.” And she wasn’t lying either. Everybody was different, and she knew that it would be stuck up to regard them in bulk, as if they all thought exactly the same thing about her. She knew this boy had probably flirted with lots of stuck up girls, and she wasn’t about to be one of them. She was determined to surprise him, maybe catch him off guard. Because, first of all, she wasn’t like other girls, and second of all, because it would be hilarious. She loved it when boys slipped up in their flirting. A down to earth boy was always better than an asshole. And assholes were never fun. She noticed him look her up and down.

Really? You thought I didn’t see that? It’s not my first go, hon. She smirked right back at him, still keeping up her ever-present bubbly smile.

[alexxrawr]

and though you turn from me to glance behind
the phantom of the opera is there... inside your mind

Jake just smirked as the ferris wheel still wasn't moving. Finally he got annoyed, looked down, and saw the man fiddling with the controls. He had a terrified look on his face, and Jake groaned. It had broken down. There went that idea for a ride. Finally they had people come in and push the stupid machine until each and every person was out of the cars. The long line of people were disappointed. Ferris wheels broke down too much. Jake alone had been caught at the TOP at least three times. It was never that fun, especially if you were alone. Which he had been at one time when he was like six. You'd think that would turn him off the ride, but he just loved it even more. When it actually worked. As the worked apologized over and over again, Jake just shook his head. He got out, and looked around. There wasn't much point in staying at the carnival anymore. It was getting dark, and that was when all the little screaming kids and anxious parents would show up out of nowhere. He looked at Lexi.
"Well babe, it's been fun. Hopefully we meet again sometime." he said, winking and bending down to press his lips to her cheek gently, before turning and walking away. Before he got out of sight, he turned back and watched her being attacked by her "friends" aka groupies yet again. He smirked. It was quite interesting, seeing her being so popular. He had never really liked popular girls. But she seemed okay. He shrugged, bought a pretzel, and started for his car. He was bored here anyway. It was time to go home.

--*! Finished

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