Terms and Agreements (on hold indefinitely)

The Part Where Jenna's Observational Skills Totally Sell Me Out

                                                                              13

Emerson Blakely's lawn was filled with people, teenagers, of course, and they were all being loud and obnoxious as per usual when I parked my car on the side of the road.

Flynn got out without a word, and I turned off the ignition, making extra sure to put the keys in my pocket, before leaving the vehicle. Then I had to dig my keys out again to lock the car. Dumb me.

I hadn't asked Jenna and Wes if they were coming or not, so I scanned the yard for them. I didn't see either one of them until I got inside, when Jenna ran up to me while the stupid loud music beat my poor brain to a pulp.

"Hey Ali," she said, "I see you made it."

"By no fault of my own," I replied, "I don't want to be here."

Jenna glanced at Flynn briefly. "How are you?" She seemed too captivated by his beauty to look at his face for very long while she spoke to him.

"I've got an awful crick in my neck, but other than that...."

"What happened to your cheek?" She asked next.

There was a slight pause in which I answered for him, "He's a clumsy guy. He was bound to fall over at some point."

"Ouch. I bet that hurt." Jenna grimaced.

"Tell me about it," Flynn said, playing along with me.

Jenna's eyes froze on the shirt he was wearing, my shirt, and then they flashed to me. Holy Hannah Abbott. She'd realized.

"Ali, can I talk to you a second?" She asked, not waiting for me to answer as she pulled me by the arm, out of earshot of Flynn.

"You've got some explaining to do, missy," she said, "why is Flynn Tyler wearing your Star Wars shirt? Hmm?"

"Uhh...that's not mine," I mumbled, not looking her in the eyes.

"I was with you when you bought it! It's yours!"

"It's a boy's shirt," I told her. "It's perfectly understandable for him to have one like mine."

"No, he's wearing yours. Now tell me why."

I stared at my feet. This was so embarrassing. "He stayed at my house...last night....and-"

"What? Flynn Tyler spent the night at your house?" Jenna gasped.

"Yeah, but not like that!" I hissed, "he slept on my bean bag chair. I figured he might as well help me with my stupid task since he got me into this whole thing." I didn't think it was my place to tell anybody about Flynn's fight with those creeps.

"Well good for you," Jenna said, "he deserves the crick in his neck. I don't care how hot he is. He tricked you."

"You're awesome, Jenna," I said, giving her a quick and awkward hug. Hugs are weird for me.

"Aww, thanks, Ali," she smiled, pulling away, "do you want to come mingle with me?"

I shook my head. "I don't really want to have to talk to new people."

"Okay," she said, "do you want me to make Flynn Tyler leave you alone?"

I shrugged. "He's a mindless drone who needs someone to follow around. He can follow me around, I guess."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," I answered. "Oh, and is Wes here?"

Jenna glanced around the room before answering. "I saw him earlier with that Chase guy. They seem to be hitting it off pretty well. They're around here somewhere."

"I guess I'll find them," I said, and we went our separate ways.

When I returned to Flynn, Emerson Blakely was talking to him about inferior subjects, I assume. She was very openly flirting with him, and he seemed uncomfortable. When he spotted me, relief flooded his face.

"Alison, hey," he said, ripping himself from Emerson's vice-like grip on his arm.

"Hi...." I replied awkwardly.

Emerson gave me a dirty look before saying farewell to Flynn and prowling away.

When she was gone, Flynn sighed, "thank god you got here when you did, Alison."

"Why? What was she doing?"

"She was so close to dragging me into a closet and having her way with me. Ugh." He shuddered.

"I would have thought you'd like that," I said.

"Nah," he said, looking at me, "she's not my type. Too....normal." He grinned, "unlike a certain dying ostrich I know."

My cheeks heated up, and I turned away, hoping he wouldn't notice. I heard him laughing softly. All he did was laugh at me. God.

"What time is it?" I asked, recovering my composure.

"About seven o'clock," he replied.

"Ugh. We have to wait an entire hour for them to give us our stupid tasks," I groaned, tilting my head back to look at the ceiling.

"Hey, we could go hide in the kitchen or something so you won't get your batteries drained too quickly," Flynn suggested, then added in a whisper, "and also, Emerson's coming back."

"Quick, hide!" I whisper-yelled, and we scurried away. That would've been a handy time to have the ability to Disapparate.

~

We found a nice empty room with the lights off and snuck inside, quickly closing the door and flipping on the light. Yay! The music wasn't as loud in here. Thank Odin.

It was a fairly small room, with a large window on one wall that overlooked the yard and a love seat set against another. In the center of the room stood a baby grand piano, shiny and black and perfect, and I was suddenly very envious of Emerson. I love baby grand pianos. Or just pianos in general because I really want one.

"Do you play?" Flynn asked, making his way toward the piano.

"Not very much," I said, "I wish I knew more." There was a piano at Grandma's house that I learned a few songs on when I was little. Until she journeyed on to another world - or in normal-people terms, died - and in the will she left it to my aunt.

He reached the piano and perched upon the bench, bringing his hands up to the keys. "Let's see if all those lessons Aunt Phoebe forced me to take paid off," he said jokingly, before letting his fingers fly across the ivory keys.

I went over and sat on the edge of the bench, watching him play, listening as note by note, the room filled with the sound of a classical song, the name of which I'd forgotten long ago. Something about a something in D major or minor or some crap, I don't know. The serenade was a bit choppy, because apparently Flynn kept forgetting which keys to hit next, but it was fun anyway.

When he finished, I said, "that's really cool, Flynn."

"Thank you, my dear girl," he grinned, bowing slightly. "Now you give it a go."

I shook my head. "No, I don't want to."

He shrugged. "Okay...but the Terms and Agreements clearly state -"

"I'm not playing, and that's the end of it."

Flynn chuckled. "Fine, have it your way. I'll just keep showing off, then. Do you have a request?"

"Ummm....." I looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "How about...do you know the Harry Potter theme song?"

"As a matter of fact I do......not," he replied, looking at me and laughing at the scowl I gave him. "Oops. It's against the Terms and Agreements to give false hope, isn't it?"

"Now it is," I grumbled.

He laughed at me, then turned back to the piano.