Scent of a Girl 70 Scent of a Girl - Episode 70 "Another I Love You Moment"
Written by: TVM (mrtvm@mrtvm.com)
Archive: www.asstr.org/~TheVertManArchive/Stories/Scent/Index.html
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**/\ {* ~ *} /\ DAKOTA'S PERSPECTIVE /\ {* ~ *} /\
~ (OLIVER-STANTON HALL, DAKOTA'S ROOM) ~
**
"Amy wants to know if you're walking down with her," Chi asked as she poked her head into mine and Randi's room. "She said hurry the fuck up."
"You're a terrible liar," I said to Chi as she shrugged. "You wanna go with us?"
"Nisha and I got plans for a game of Monopoly," Chi said. "I know we're terminally boring."
"Hey, can I tag along?" Melanie asked as she came out of the other bedroom. "I need a coffee fix."
"Sure," I said as I looked at the ball in her hand. A small, soft bouncy basketball. "Planning to play some hoops?"
"We used to play back home a lot," Melanie said as she tossed it to me and we left the room and walked down the hall towards the steps (sans Amy). "We named it garbage can ball."
"Garbage can ball?" I asked in confusion.
"We played in the garage and anything was in bounds as long as it made it in the hoop, I mean garbage can," she explained.
"A small one?" I asked as we reached the second level. "Damn it, hold on. I left Amy behind and she was the one that wanted to go."
"I'm coming, wait up," Amy (America) said as she came bouncing down the steps to meet us. "You left me."
"I'm sorry," I said as she shrugged and smiled. "Melanie got me interested in something and I didn't see you."
"Chi told me you left me," Amy said and then switching gears in mid-sentence asked, "And what game?"
"Garbage can ball," Melanie said. "And we always used one of those big curb side cans. The plastic kind so it's easier to hit from 30 feet away."
"Then where's the challenge?" I asked as we reached the main lobby and headed for the snack machines.
"It's tougher than you think," Melanie said as we got our snacks and headed back to the main lobby just as Natalie (OSH RA) was locking the front doors.
"That the kind of big garbage can you used?" Amy asked as she pointed to one sitting by the office.
"Just like that," Melanie said as she sipped her ice coffee.
"You two should play a game," Amy suggested. "I'll keep score."
"A game of what?" Natalie asked curiously as she joined us. Melanie quickly explaining what the game was as I showed her the ball I had been flipping up in the air for the last few minutes. "As long as you don't break anything or each other, go for it."
"You're going down," I said to Melanie.
"I invented this game so what makes you think you'll win?" She asked as I bounced the ball a time or two and then lobbed a long arching shot that landed in the can with a rattling thud. "Very sneaky. But we play to 20. 2 to nothing."
"That was smart," Amy giggled as she grinned at me. She soon took a seat with Natalie to watch the game.
Melanie quickly scored her first shot with a similar lob and we were tied at 2. I got next ball and just like in real basketball I drove "the lane" as she tried to stop me and scored on a 3 footer. We went back and forth like this for the next few minutes until I scored once more and took a 16-14 lead. She then got the ball back and made the game a whole lot more interesting as I guarded her and backed her all the way to the edge of the carpet by Amy and Natalie on the sofa. So she stepped back behind the love seat the two were sitting on and fired the ball. Easily a 30 footer and hit it. Tied at 16.
"That's cheating," I declared as Melanie smiled smugly and repeated the games original rules.
"There are no rules on where you can shoot from," she repeated as she flipped me the ball back. "Stop being a baby."
"Whaaaaa, I'm Dakota and I don't remember the rules," Natalie cried as Amy laughed. Giving me an idea for my own shot.
"OK, I get it now," I said as I walked away towards the steps and left the room for the second floor landing which perfectly over looked the main lobby and the garbage can.
"Did I hurt your feelings? Do you quit?" Melanie mocked me as I simply smiled and moved into position and dropped the ball straight down. "What are you..."
"She made it," Amy said excitedly after the bell fell directly into the can and gave me a two point lead. "Nice one."
"Now that is cheating," Melanie whined as I came back downstairs. "I never had a chance to block the shot."
"You set the rules," I said with a shrug. "Next basket and I win. Beating you at your own game."
"Oh yeah?" Melanie asked as she turned and ran for the garbage can as I followed. She snatched the ball up and then fired it back inside. "Tied at 18."
"Now that was cheating," I said as she smiled.
"I think both of you are cheating," Natalie said to draw Melanie's attention long enough to allow me to grab the ball and run away with it back up the steps.
"Come back here," Melanie squealed as she chased after me and trailed me up the first flight and caught me just as I was about to fling the ball from the second floor landing. "Now try and shoot it."
"I will" I growled as I drove right towards her and crashed into her as she tried to block me with her hands over her head. Which she did the first time and forced me to move back and try again. This time we crashed into each other and she knocked the ball away and sent us both scrambling for it. She reached it first and ended up on her back as she squealed when I tried to take it from her. "Gimme the damn ball."
"Nooooo," she growled as she held onto it with one hand and then grabbed the collar of my shirt and, did something I'd never forget, she pulled me down to her and kissed me dead on the lips. A bit rough but still a nice kiss. Freezing me in place for a long moment even after she had pushed me away and got back to her feet. I realized what had happened just as she tossed the ball and squealed as she won the game. "Ha ha I win."
"You kissed me to win a basketball game?" I asked as she grinned down at me. "You're straight?"
"I am," she said as she leaned down to offer me her hand, "But I'll do anything to win a game. I'm very competitive."
"I hope we play again soon," I said as she helped me up.
"Me too you're a challenge," she said as she raised her arms in victory.
**
/\ {* ~ *} /\ CALLY'S PERSPECTIVE /\ {* ~ *} /\
~ (MINTZLER ADMINISTRATION CENTER, MAIN LOBBY) ~
**
"You know I seriously hate my dad some days," I said to Randi as we made our way across campus to meet my Dad. The fact that it was 12 degrees outside with the ever present threat of snow hanging in the air made me even more upset. Thankfully, we could now wear jogging pants or leggings under our skirts so it was considerably better than in previous years.
"He seems nice," Randi said as we reached the front lobby. She had come along because thanks to the NEW student work program she had a job filing for 3 hours every Tuesday and Thursday for President Woods. Which is who we stumbled upon as we came into the lobby. He was having a discussion with Ms. Stone (the ancient secretary) in a room just off the main lobby.
"Ms. Stone your position here is to answer the phone not let people remain on hold for 45 minutes while you take a break," Mr. Woods said to the secretary.
"I am entitled to a break during the day Mr. Woods," Ms Stone replied.
"The problem is not your one break it's the fact that you seem to take one break, every hour," Mr. Woods said. She did. "To be clear you don't have three smoke breaks and three coffee breaks a day."
"Well I simply would not know what you are referring too," Ms. Stone said as she dismissed him.
"Maybe if you were out of a job that would help you understand," Mr. Woods said. "You have two 15 minute breaks a day from now on. If I get any more complaints then your fired."
"I've been here longer than you've been on this earth," Ms. Stone said.
"I believe, with all due respect, that is the problem," Mr. Woods said as he came out of the office followed by Ms. Stone. Seeing us he smiled and motioned for us to follow him to the elevator.
"Is my Dad here already?" I asked as we rode up in the elevator.
"Waiting on me in my office," Mr. Woods said. "And patiently I hope."
"You look tired," Randi said. "Been a long day?"
"It's always a long day for me," Mr. Woods said. "But I took on this gig and I intend to fight as hard as I can to get this place back on the right track despite the obstacles."
"Hopefully you can convince my dad to let you do what you need," I said as we reached the admin floor to find it looked drastically different. The walls had been leveled in place of a more open look and the entire floor was now one giant open space with exception of Mr. Woods office. Speaking of his office, the secretary, formerly the 800 year old Ms. Bertram was now gone, replaced by...Hana Peterson. "Hana?"
"Yes, sir he just came back and I'll make sure he takes your call, please hold," Hana said into the phone as she grinned at me. "Mr. Woods it's Marshall Higgins again and he's demanding your time. Hi Cally."
"You tell him I'll call him back when I have the time," Mr. Woods said to Hana. "Randi that pile of folders there needs to be filed. You can start on those."
"You got it," Randi said as she walked off and went to work as Mr. Woods went into meet with Dad.
"Mr. Higgins, he said he'd call you back when he had time," Hana said into the phone. "Whatever you say Mr. Higgins. Goodbye."
"Hard day?" I asked Hana as I sat down on a stray lard bucket by the door to Mr. Woods office.
"You can say that," Hana said. "I'm basically the only person in the building answering calls with Ms Stone Age downstairs on her never ending coffee break. I spend more time transferring calls than I do anything else."
"Mr. Woods may have just solved that problem," I said before relaying the story of what I'd seen downstairs. "Been a long time coming."
"I know. I remember Patty (Hana's sister) complaining about her when she went here," Hana said. "You waiting on your Dad?"
"Yep," I said as I leaned my head back against the wall to relax and realized I could hear everything that was going on in Mr. Woods office. The door being open a crack also let me see a bit of what was going on.
"Do you really think we can make a profit by the end of this semester?" Dad (David Thornton Oliver) asked Mr. Woods as he looked at a colorful paper. "This is much more than I thought you'd be able accomplish in your first months on the job."
"When I took this job I promised you my first priority would be to make the school fiscally competitive," Mr. Woods said. "And with staff cuts and some other programs I've put in place we are in a much better place."
"I see that," Dad said. "I also see you've reduced the staff to bare bones levels."
"I fired the dead wood," Mr. Woods said. "Some of those people had no business still being here."
"Are you sure we can run the office like this?"
"Actually I think it's gone very well so far," Mr. Woods said. "I have students come in every day after classes and do the filing work and that allowed me to reduce staff by three with the women who were doing it. Or pretending to."
"And you're answering your own phone calls?"
"I made Ms. Stone do some work for a change and there are very few important calls during the day," Mr. Woods explained. "Most everything important is handled through my cell phone. And after four I have Hana come in and help a bit."
"Well I'm impressed," Dad said. "But unfortunately, I hear your relationship with the board has not improved much?"
"They've blocked virtually all my proposals on the basis of my inexperience," Mr. Woods said. "Marshall Higgins has been particularly vocal about my tenure as President."
"I think Mr. Higgins is upset because he wasn't invited to go along with that Rat bastard who used to occupy this office," Dad said as I laughed behind my hand. "I think it's high time Mr. Higgins retire."
"That I agree with," I said as Hana had just hung up the phone with the very person of whom Dad had been speaking.
"Stop calling you 800 year old fossil," Hana growled after she had hung up the phone. "I'm gonna need some nerve pills when I'm done here."
"Why do you think I never volunteered for this job?" I asked Hana.
"Good point," Hana said. "But it's nice to just get my mind off things."
"Emily?" I asked as Hana nodded. "I heard she was being replaced by Mr. Craig."
"She moved out of her apartment too," Hana said. "But we really shouldn't talk about this here."
"You wanna come over tonight and play some video games or something?" I asked rather randomly as Randi came back into the room.
"Sure," Hana said with a smile. "Maybe order dinner from Eddie's?"
"It's a date," I said.
"You have a girlfriend so no it's not," Hana said to me.
"Yeah we'll see," I said as she laughed and pushed my knee in protest.
**
/\ {* ~ *} /\ MAXIE'S PERSPECTIVE /\ {* ~ *} /\
~ (FAST EDDIE'S EATS) ~
**
"Where did you get this fantastic recipe at?" Darlene asked "Fat" Tony as she sampled his gravy fresh off the stove. I was next and soon found out that she was exactly right as it was fantastic.
"One of my grandma's old recipes," he said. "Is it good enough to go on the menu?"
"I'll have to consult Harold and Eddie but it sure gets my vote," Darlene said. "Maxie's too?"
"Yep," I said with a mouthful of biscuit and gravy now. "I bet Megs would love this."
"Why don't you take her some?" Darlene suggested. "She was feeling down in the dumps earlier."
"But who..."
"I know, I know, who let her go to the dump, right?" Darlene asked with an amused look.
"I was not gonna ask that," I said, "I was gonna ask who drove her."
"Hey, hey, hey," Tony laughed as I grinned proudly. "Maxie's a grade A ham."
"Stop being a class clown and take Megan some dinner," Darlene said as I made Megan a plate just as Sarah came out of the bathroom.
"Where are you headed?" Sarah asked me as she kissed my cheek.
"Take Megan some dinner," I said.
"She's been feeling..."
"Don't even say dumps," Darlene said to Sarah as I laughed and left and went upstairs to find Megan sitting on the couch with her laptop across her legs surfing the net.
"You hungry?" I asked Megan as she looked up and smiled as she took the plate. "Tony's gravy is the talk of the place downstairs."
"I see why this is fantastic," Megan said in between bites of gravy and biscuits. I sat down to join her. "Darlene has to put this stuff on the menu."
"I told her that too," I said. "She's amazed that I made that."
"You did not make this," Megan said as she pointed at me with the fork. "You can't even boil water."
"It's really Tony's," I said amidst my own giggles. "The late crowd's gonna be happy he came to town."
"Very happy," Megan said as she finished it then handed me the plate and said, "Refill please."
"You're eating for two not five," I said as she laughed and I sat the plate down. "What are you reading anyway?"
"Baby stuff on WebMD," she said.
"So you've decided to keep it?" I asked in hopes she'd say yes.
"I don't know what I'm gonna do," Megan said.
"Did you ever call Will?" I asked.
"Yes I finally got up with him and he wasn't exactly surprised," Megan said. "He said he'd help anyway he could though."
"That should make you feel a little better," I said. "No?"
"No," she said flatly. "He's a terrible Dad to the kid he's already got so why should I want his help raising this one."
"Well it would be nice if the kid had both parents around," I said.
"Yeah but what if it's not Will's?" Megan asked.
"Then who do you think it belongs to?" I asked.
"Sarah?" Megan asked as I laughed. "Don't think so, huh?"
"No, I don't," I said as I went to get a soda from the fridge and heard Megan cry, "No, no, no, not now."
"What? What is it?" I asked as I came rushing back into the living room.
"My fucking Mom wants to come and see me," Megan said as she showed me the Facebook message. "Says it's been long enough and we should talk."
"Maybe you should," I said as I took a drink of my soda. "How can it hurt?"
"I don't want her back in my life, she wasn't exactly a good mother when she was," Megan said. "What should I do? Not write her back?"
"Tell her you'll think about it," I suggested and was surprised when Megan typed that into a message and sent it.
"I won't but I can tell her that," Megan said as I laughed.
**
/\ {* ~ *} /\ CINDY'S PERSPECTIVE /\ {* ~ *} /\
~ (OLIVER-STANTON HALL, DAKOTA'S ROOM) ~
**
"Guess what I got?" Shelby asked as she met me coming off the elevator.
"Another color in your hair?" I asked as I played with a few of her curly locks.
"You're a dork Cinderella," Shelby said as she kissed me and pointed to the end of the hall. "See that door?"
"The janitors closet?" I asked.
"Not anymore," she said as she took my hand and led me to the end of the hall where she opened the door and revealed a single bedroom. "According to Natalie, now that I'm the Junior RA I get my own room."
"You're moving?" I asked in a worried voice.
"Yeah right," Shelby said. "The place would go to hell without me there."
"Yes it would and someone would miss having you in the room," I said as she grinned. "Me."
"Yes you," Shelby said as she kissed me and happily slipped into my arms.
"So if you're not moving then what is gonna happen to it?" I asked.
"Well, if we wanna be alone we can come down here," Shelby said.
"And everyone in the building would know what we're doing," I said.
"Like everyone else isn't doing the same thing?" Shelby said. "I think Mintzler really is a lesbian breeding ground."
"Yes it is and you were my first convert," I said as Shelby giggled.
"And I better be your only convert," she said with a playful poke to my chest.
"I think you might be," I said as Shelby kissed me again.
"What are you two doing in there?" Amy (America) asked as she found us.
"This is Shelby's new RA room because she's now the Junior RA," Cindy announced.
"You're moving out?" Amy asked with a frown.
"Nope," Shelby said. "But Cindy and I might spend a night or two down here though."
"Why would you wanna do that for?" Amy asked. "Sounds boring."
"We like to be bored," I said as Shelby closed the door behind us and we joined Amy for the walk back down the hall.
"Wanna watch a movie with us?" Anisha asked as she poked her head out of the room next door. "Chi picked it out so it's probably not very good."
"I heard that!" Chi said from inside her room as the four of us laughed.
"I got a meeting with Natalie downstairs so I can't," Shelby announced.
"I got nothing better to do," I said before Shelby kissed me and walked off for the elevator. I followed Anisha back into her room as Amy closed the door behind us and turned out the light. Laney and Chi were already sacked out on the floor on two gigantic pillows as Maxie came out of the bathroom and joined them in the floor. Amy sat down by me as I took the corner seat on the couch. "Where's Dakota?"
"She went to visit Mindy before curfew," Chi said as Anisha put in the movie and the trailers began. "I hope they work things out."
"I hope Randi and Melanie get back with the snacks before the movie starts," Laney said as everyone laughed. "What about Alisha?"
"She's still mad at the world so she's hold up in her room," I said just as a knock came at the door.
"Why are you knocking for you live here?" Chi asked as the knocker, and no doubt thinking it was Randi.
"No, I don't," Alisha said as she came in. "Can I watch too?"
"No you can't," Maxie said as Alisha pushed her head in protest and sat down by her.
"I thought you were Randi and right there she comes," Laney rambled as Randi and Melanie came back with the snacks. Everything got handed out just as the 'Feature Presentation' banner came up. Randi laid down by Laney and making everyone giggle when she laid across Laney's back and used her for a pillow. "I hope you're comfortable."
"Thanks, I am," Randi giggled as the movie started. It was pretty awful too. I spent more time watching Laney and Randi than I did the movie. I noticed how comfortable they had become around each other. The way, near the end of the movie, Randi laid her head on Laney's back and listened to her heartbeat for the longest time. It was clear to me she was in love with the girl she was using as a pillow. "That was pretty bad."
"Tell me about it," Randi said as she yawned. "Made me sleepy just watching it."
"Me too," Laney said as her and Randi sat up in unison. "I think I'm gonna go onto bed, K?"
"Me too," Randi said as she got to her knees as did Laney. "Goodnight, I love you..."
"What did you say?" Laney asked as a silence swept through the room.
"UMMMMM, goodnight?" Randi asked.
"After that," Laney said.
"I love you?" Randi practically whispered.
"Did you mean it?" Laney asked as Randi looked at her nervously.
"It just slipped out I'm sorry..."
"Did you mean it?" Laney repeated.
"Yeah," Randi admitted.
"Cool," Laney said with a smile. "So cool, I mean, I love you too."
"Really?" Randi asked with a smile to match Laney's.
"Yeah I really do," Laney said before the two shared a magical kiss and then hugged as they stood. A long moment passed as they said nothing and just looked into each others eyes. It was like they were the only two people on earth. And for that moment it probably felt that way.