New Frontiers-Eden at her locker-attn: Jay or Any

[Eden Patridge]

Eden had left a little early for school that morning. She knew that the teasing would inevitably come, but she figured by heading to school early, before Ben even saw her, she'd be able to postpone it at least for a little bit. What she thought she'd get teased about was the way she looked. The girl who normally showed up for school in jeans and a T-shirt, no makeup, was still wearing jeans but with a nice black top. She'd actually put makeup on too--lining her eyes in black and putting mascara on. Her hair was down in loose waves and well...she looked good. But it was just that her looking good would certainly provoke some sort of teasing from her brother and probably Izzy too for that matter. Normally she'd be more worried about Jett, but given recent events she wasn't so worried about him anymore.

Okay, she was worried about Jett...but in a different way. The thing was that she didn't know what was going on between them. They'd agreed to continue hooking up in secret...that much had been set in stone...but the rest was all up in the air. Well, the one biggie that was still up in the air was if this hooking up they were planning on doing was exclusive or not. Eden knew Jett well and she knew how he was with girls. She wasn't going to kid herself and think that he was going to stop hooking up with every pretty girl that smiled at him just because she'd come along. And if he was going to be hooking up with an array of girls, she couldn't exactly let him think that she was sitting at home pining for him and waiting for him to call her up and say go. No! If she was going to do this, she was going to have to do this right, which mean not letting him have all the power.

That's where her look came in. If Jett was going to have multiple girls, she was going to have to have multiple guys. And if she was going to attract other guys to hook up with her, well, she was going to have to put some sort of effort in. It was something that Eden hadn't really thought through enough to be nervous about yet, although her nerves would undoubtedly kick in the second someone actually did comply to the little plan she had formed. But until that happened it was just a plan, and one that Eden felt rather confident about at the moment as she walked down the school hallway towards her locker and watched how guys who had never given her a second look before were suddenly checking her out. This was good-definitely a step in the right direction. Eden couldn't help but smile a little as she arrived at her locker, thinking that perhaps for once everything was falling into place.

Tag Jay or anyone near locker 120

[Cole Hobbes]

Cole was having a good morning. The weather was once again not looking so great, thus convincing him school would be a much better choice than hoping for a break in the clouds and a few good waves. Nonetheless, Cole had decided on bringing his guitar and arrived in to the school early. On school mornings he could often be found sitting against his locker, guitar in hand and a song in his heart. This particular morning he had managed to escape his house without any parental hassles, which always seemed to preclude the start of a great morning. His chat with Mallory had also gone well, in his opinion, and the excitement of that plan still lingered.

Thus it was that Cole sat, plucking away at his guitar, as Eden Partridge passed by him down the end of the hallway. She was cute, he had always thought, but this morning there was something about her that seemed to magically possess Cole. Without thinking, he stood and walked in her direction. He lost her around the corner, but as the school was still mostly unpopulated he was able to find her with ease. She was at her locker, getting ready for the day, and Cole was right on first glimpse, she did look slightly different. There had been a concerted effort on her part to look nice for whatever reason, and it worked for her. Cole smiled and approached the tiny girl. He leaned up against the locker next to her, pulled his guitar up, and began playing a quick riff.

“And have you ever seen a maestro furiously plucking at his strings,
As to the woman of his dreams, he sings.
Or have you rather seen the lights aglow, with his head bent low and his song real slow,
As he sings of his affliction, from Cupid's bow.

And so you ask why I play my love song, so fast.
Is it because I think my love's not fit to last?
And why do I strum these chords with unduly haste?
Because in this life, we don't have no time to waste.

And have you ever read Petrarch's eternal words, indelibly on the page.
He immortalized his love, in a cage.
Or have you ever seen the Mona Lisa, sitting in the Louvre.
Oh she's beautiful alright yeah, but can she groove?

And so you ask why I play my love song, so fast.
Is it because I think my love's not fit to last?
And why do I strum these chords with unduly haste?
Because in this life, we don't have no time to waste.

And so often I've seen a man, thinking he's sacrificing for his wife,
Working hard, working so long for the promise of a better life.
And for happiness now, seems like people are looking around, thinking
That it can be found if their salaries will allow, just one more item.
But what about happiness now?

And now you know why I play my love song so fast
Cause I don't give a damn if my love's not fit to last.
And I will play my chords with unduly haste,
So my love can't be traced and of life I'll get a taste.
So I'll put down my guitar now, let's not let this night go to waste...”

As he sang the final words, Cole lowered his guitar, smiled, and simply said, “What's up, Eden.” He stopped leaning on the wall so he could drop his guitar, letting it hang behind him from the strap across his chest. His flip flops slapped on his heels as he changed his footing, the noise barely noticeable after the much louder music that had echoed throughout the hallway. “No waves today, nah?”

[Eden Patridge]

Eden was quite in shock when Cole started singing to her. It was like something out of a movie...or something that happened to other girls...not her. Apparently putting on some makeup went a long way.... It was so surreal... She stood there sort of awkwardly not really what to do or how she was supposed to react. It wasn't that she didn't like it...the song was pretty and the gesture was kind of amazing really but Eden really wasn't used to the attention, and while she told herself this was what she wanted, now that she was getting it, it felt weird.

When he finished singing he talked to her as if everything was normal and that confused Eden further. "Uh...hey Cole," she said. "Um..no I didn't really feel like surfing this morning," she said with a shrug, pressing her glossed lips together for a moment and twirling a strand of her hair.

"So...that song...did you right that?" she asked watching as he switched his posture placing so his guitar hung behind his back. She switched her own posture as well, turning her body ever so slightly so she was more facing him instead of he locker. She knew Cole from classes over the years and they were on the surf team together but she'd never really thought much more of it than that. He'd never showed any interest in her in more than a friend kind of way. But was he even now? It was just a song... It probably wasn't even supposed to be about her. "I liked it," she added, forcing herself to speak mostly so she could stop herself from thinking and over analyzing everything.

[Cole Hobbes]

Cole could tell Eden felt uncomfortable as he was singing to her, but he pressed on anyway. For one, he hated stopping in the middle of a song. And a lot of people would be off their guard if someone just came up to them and randomly started singing to them. It was one of the reasons Cole enjoyed it so much!

“I did write it,” he nodded, “Just now, on the spot, for you. It was a moment of inspiration!” Laughter followed, ending with a big grin on Cole's face. “Nah, I'm just kidding. I wrote it a while back.” Cole watched Eden, trying to figure out what about her seemed to different today, what it was that was making him think very naughty things about her. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “But you deserve a song.”

Cole shifted, and the guitar strap cause a button on his shirt to come undone, so he casually reached up to rebutton the offending plastic disc. He struggled slightly, as he couldn't take his eyes off off Eden even for a moment to look at what he was trying to accomplish. “If you'd like, later tonight we could get together and start working on that... I've been in search of a new muse.”

[Eden Patridge]

Eden nodded when he said he wrote it...she'd figured as much, but she was taken more off guard when he said he wrote it write there on the spot...in a moment of inspiration...about her? Wow...a little makeup went a long way.... But he quickly admitted to writing it awhile ago and Eden felt more normal. Okay so maybe a little makeup hadn't gone a long way...but he had still chosen to sing it to her and he'd never sung to her before...so it still meant she was probably doing something right.

She smiled when he said that she deserved a song. "Well...thanks," she said. Did this mean he liked her though or did he just want to sleep with her. Eden wasn't exactly what one would call experienced when it came to boys. Sure she'd lost her virginity but that had kind of been a mistake. Truth be told, she hadn't even been on a date before. But then again...she wasn't really looking for someone to date. She'd committed to sleeping with Jett and now she just didn't want him to think that she wanted to date because she knew that he wasn't exactly going to stop going out with a ton of girls. It was just so complicated.

"Muse...you want me to be your muse?" Eden asked, her eyes wide. "That's...kinda surprising I guess...but okay," she said. "I mean I don't have any plans after school if your free and I drove separate from Ben today so I don't really need to worry about a ride or anything..." she shrugged. She wasn't really sure what she was doing. But she figured it wouldn't hurt to go along with it and just see what happened. That was part of the plan anyway...right? She needed to stop over thinking things. "You could meet me here after class if you'd like," she offered.

Cole was a nice guy after all. Maybe this would all work out. If she had Cole then Jett would know she wasn't pining away for him. That was the point. Ugggg...she needed to stop thinking about Jett--she hated Jett. Cole, he's super nice and seemed into her...she'd just have to concentrate on him. "Does that work for you?" she asked with a smile.

[Cole Hobbes]

“Why's that so surprising?” the aspiring musician cooed. Really, Cole had no idea why he had never approached Eden before today. He saw her often shredding waves out on the coast, but perhaps there was never the moment of attraction for him, that moment when you look at a girl and you see the future entirely laid out before you. Or the moment where you accidentally catch a glimpse of her underwear. Either of those kinds of moments where you know you need to talk to that girl.

Cole grinned. “That totally works for me.” It didn't, but that was the furthest thing from his mind right now. He had told Mal Harper he would meet with her after school to discuss the video, but Eden's face had wiped out any and all other memories for the time being. The steel trap of his memory usually ended up being much more like a sieve, with memories coming and going as they pleased. But none of it really bothered Cole. He lived his life, and if something was important enough he'd definitely remember it eventually. And he was quite lucky that he was usually charming enough to fix any of those missed meetings, though it helped that they were usually with girls that wanted him.

“So... meet right here?” he asked, pointing at the ground beneath him. “And not here?” He stepped to the side, pointing again at the ground. It was kinda lame, but Cole enjoyed being goofy on occasion. If a girl laughed, great. If not, oh well.

[Eden Patridge]

"Why wouldn't it be surprising?" Eden countered. "I mean...I normally don't get asked out at all, let alone asked to be someone's muse," she said, being more honest then she had intended. She wasn't keen on lying but she kind of wished she'd omitted the part about never being asked out. Cole probably knew that...anyone who knew her knew she wasn't the girl who always had a date...but still, it made it slightly more humiliating having said it herself.

"Great," she said when he told her it worked. Had she known he had other plans she would have picked another time...perhaps the next day or something. But of course she had no way of knowing. And of course at present she was still establishing her knew reputation as a girl who was ready to hook up with guys so she was pretty sure that she'd need to be seen with different guys in order for that word to spread. That's how it worked, right? Eden really had no idea. She normally hated being the center of attention. Due to her famous parents she's grown up as the object of paparazzi and still got hounded by them from time to time although less so now since she didn't go out and party in Hollywood or wasn't known for dressing particularly fashionable. Thanks to that, Eden enjoyed invisibility. Even in school--she liked that people didn't notice her. But now that she was trying to be noticed, she was sort of at a loss for what to do.

She smiled at his joke. It was sort of corny but Eden kinda liked corny and silly sometimes. "Let's just say if you're standing over there, I'm not going to know that you're here to meet with me," she teased.

[Cole Hobbes]

On the inside, Cole was floored when Eden claimed she rarely got asked out. Granted, he never had before, but that didn't mean she wasn't attractive. He had just been distracted with other shiny things up until now.

“Well,” Cole spoke in a low, quiet voice, and leaned closer to Eden. His face was mere inches from hers. “Sometimes guys are intimidated by a very pretty girl.” He then grinned and leaned even closer, bringing his mouth so that it was almost touching her ear. “Lucky for you I'm not easily intimidated.”

Cole lingered for a moment, then swiftly pulled himself away from Eden. He knew he could be a very cheesy guy, and he hoped it never came off as creepy. He liked to be cheesy just for fun, whether it be a cliché line or a goofy joke, both of which he had thrown down on Eden. So far she had seemed accepting of this, and typical for Cole she got into his head. He started looking forward to his afternoon with Eden. He knew she liked the beach, so hopefully the sky cleared up a bit. Barring that he'd have to come up with something, something wonderful.

He chuckled as she teased him back. “I better remember exactly whee to stand, then!” He joked back. He turned and scoured the interior of Eden's locker, hoping to find something to help solve his dilemma. The best thing he could find was a sharpie, so he grabbed it. Holding one finger to his lips, Cole bent down and drew an X on the floor next to him where he once stood. “It'll be our little secret,” he conspired, handing the marker to Eden. “Let's just hope the janitor doesn't notice!”

[Eden Patridge]

Eden tensed up slightly when he inched closer to her, biting down on her lower lip. It felt weird...a guy bring this close to her...this into her... But as she listened to his words she couldn't help but smile, well half smile but still a smile none the less. It kind of felt good to be told she was pretty. Okay maybe she'd always known she was pretty but for some reason that had never really mattered to guys. They still looked passed her, probably because she was a tomboy and wore T-shirts all the time and not tight ones either. It felt good being treated like a real girl. Sure her locker partner had liked the way she looked when she hadn't been all done up, but he had just been looking for an easy lay...that and she was pretty sure he was looking for a fight. And Jett...well Jett was Jett. He might have only hit on her for the first time when she'd been dressed up at the masked ball but that was different because he hadn't known who she way. And now that whole thing was just a giant mess. Cole was different. He was the first guy who well, was flirting with her but being normal about it.

Eden watched as he grabbed the sharpie from her locker and marked the floor. It was right in front of her locker too...maybe half in front of the one next to hers. She or that freshman girl who had the locker next to her would probably be getting questioned about it. Maybe Jay or the girl sharing the other locker would too. If the even cared. Perhaps the janitors would just wipe it up and not make a big deal of it. Who knew. Aside from the part of Eden who was worried about the vandalism, she thought the act was kind of cute. She laughed. "We'll not I guess we'll know where the buried treasure is," she laughed. "Let's hope no one else figures it out," she said, pushing her overgrown bangs off her forehead and she shut her locker. "Anyway, I better get going," she said, "but I'll see you later," she said, nodding, a smile forming on her lips. She gave him one last look before turning and heading down the hall, with a victory swirling inside her. She had a date and it had been so easy. Now Jett wasn't going to be the only one seeing other people.

Wrapped