+Anima the Roleplay part 2 (Because part 1 was burried alive.)

Carter had a retort ready when Amanda said that she was going to get dropped off with him, but with the way Mr. Blake pointedly ignored her (and the fact that Carter had some questioning to do) he kept silent.

As he got out, a smirk appeared on his face from Mr. Blake telling him to try not to get mud all over his floor mats. Whoops.

He walked over to his garage door and pressed the combination on the keypad designed to open it. As the garage door opened, Carter looked to see if his parent's vehicle's were there. Luckily, his parents seemed to have made it back to work before the storm hit. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to see if Amanda was coming.

Amanda cursed that smirk on his face, figuring it was about what he figured he knew now. She stood in the rain for a moment, realizing she'd forgotten her backpack. And that Damien had driven off with it.

"Crap," she muttered to herself. She looked over as Carter walked to the garage door, and keyed in the code to open it. She started begrudgingly following after him...

Carter walked through his garage to the door that led to his house and opened the door. He loved the fact that neither of his parents ever bothered to lock it. Carter held the door for Amanda before going to get an energy drink from the fridge. He sipped his drink, waiting for the opportune moment to ask Amanda what was going on with her and Mr. Blake. He was debating whether or not he wanted to finish his drink first, though. Carter finally decided that he wanted to have at least half left when he questioned her.

Amanda tried to dry off a little on the mat outside of the door, but knew it was no use. She followed him into the house. Wow. Carter would pull an energy drink straight out of the fridge when he got home. She stared at the floor, waiting for him to start the interrogation she was sure would follow. No, maybe she shouldn't wait. There was no use in waiting. And she shouldn't let him have the satisfaction...

"Now before you ask, it's not what you think."

Smooth. Real smooth, again.

"Now before you ask, it's not what you think."

"Uh huh. I'm sure," Carter replied, smirking. "But please, Amanda, if it's not what I think, would you care to elaborate? Tell me what it is so I can squash these pesky conclusions that keep jumping to my mind. He took a long swig of his drink and realized that it was empty. Carter sighed, crushed the can, and threw it into the recycling under the sink. He leaned against the counter, waiting for Amanda to reply, when he remembered how wet he was. Oh well. Changing could wait until he was done interrogating Amanda.

Amanda glared at him. She was glad that he ran out of his energy drink, but it didn't provide very much entertainment. And then he tossed it into the recycling.

"It's... just not what you think, okay? We don't do anything, because I know that's what you're thinking, we just... hang out. And talk. And we're just... friends."

She knew she wasn't convincing at all. But they really didn't do anything. And this... this didn't mean anything yet. After all, it had been merely days since this whole strange relationship began. She didn't know if she could even call it that yet. Amanda tried to keep the knowledge that it was absolutely that to Damien, however, regardless of what she wanted to think about it.

((Pageclaim for win. ))

Carter had a very hard time keeping the disgusted look off of his face. Who in their right mind would want to spend more time with a teacher? And if they didn't do anything, what did they talk about, schoolwork? Who needed tutoring? (That was still a sore spot for Carter.)

"Just friends? Yeah, I'm sure," he scoffed, trying to hide his horror at the fact that student-teacher 'relationships' didn't just happen in movies. And the fact that it was one of his teachers with someone that he knew. That was just ten times... worse.

Without waiting for her response any longer, Carter walked downstairs to his room to change quickly. He wasn't particularly fond of being wet, and Amanda's answer could wait a few minutes.

Amanda sensed his thoughts. She would be freaked out, probably horrified if this was someone else talking to her. But... it was her who was in this situation. And she couldn't even begin to grasp it herself. It wasn't entirely sinking in that this was her life at the moment. But nothing had even happened yet... but she knew that wasn't going to last long. Pondering this, she waited awkwardly for Carter to return.

Carter took his sweet time changing from his rain soaked clothes to dry clothes. He slowly walked back up the stairs that would lead him to the kitchen where Amanda was, smirking slightly.

"Now," he said, reaching his destination. "Are you ready to tell me exactly what is going on between you and Mr. Blake? Because I kind of doubt that you told me everything." He leaned against the fridge, waiting patiently for her response when that little annoying voice in the back of his head spoke up.

Now don't you think you're being a little mean?

Mean... psh.... I'm never mean to anyone. Ever.

Liar.

Yeah, I know. But this is just freaking weird.

"Is it really any of your busisness, Carter?" she snapped, glaring. Amanda knew that she really couldn't hide anything anymore, but she didn't want to just blurt it all out. Some part of her wanted to talk about it, so she could get her own confusion out. But that wasn't what this conversation was about. And she knew that Carter was just trying to grate on her nerves.

And it was working.

"Just don't tell anyone about it, alright?" she said, her voice gentler now.

She really didn't know if she even wanted what was going on, but she was afraid not to keep going. And nothing like this ever happened to her before. But she didn't need it, Amanda knew she didn't. And that it would just ruin her in the end...

"Of course it's my business. I should report to the police or some other form of authority if I suspect a student and a teacher having a 'relationship' that's more than professional." He was highly enjoying getting on Amanda's nerves. "But please," he added, trying to look solemn. "Feel free to talk about your feelings. We're in a comfortable environment when you shouldn't feel targeted." Hm... he might need to start leaving the room sooner when his mom turn on Dr. Phil.

"Just don't tell anyone about it, alright?"

Carter honestly wasn't sure if he was going to tell anyone about it. He knew he should, but he wasn't a rat. It put him in a dilemma, but Amanda didn't need to know about his uncertainty.

((Turn on= turned on? Wow, this sounds suggestive... v.v'))

Amanda scowled at him, very annoyed, but also, very aware of how screwed up the whole thing was. She wanted him to just shut up and stop reminding her of all that. But she didn't. She questioned his solemn voice.

"What is this, Dr. Phil?" she said. Amanda sighed, and stood in the middle of the kitchen floor, feeling like a nuisance, soaked and filled with problems that she refused to talk about. How did the world turn upside down so quickly? She thought of the +Anima at her school... their lives were harder. Much harder. And she didn't have to deal with the pressure of a gang.

Well, not yet. She cringed internally at the thought, of what could happen. She held the knowledge of something else none of the rest of the school could know...

"If this was Dr. Phil, then I'd be bald and you'd be spilling your guts. And crying. Lots and lots of crying," Carter said, shaking his head. He looked over to her to see her reaction and noticed that she was dripping. He sighed, knowing that his parents would be pissed not only at the fact that he had a girl in the house without their permission, but also at the fact that he had changed and hadn't offered her a towel or anything. And of course the fact that their wooden floor was being damaged.

Carter stalked off and got a towel out of a hallway closet and gave it to Amanda, waiting for her to respond.

Amanda started to dry off, slightly embarassed, but knowing this was all she had to do that now. She hoped she wasn't damaging their floors... she should have just stood outside the door in the garage.

"Do you like to watch Dr. Phil, Carter? Do you just come home, take a Monster out of the fridge and sit and watch his show? I bet you get absorbed in the stories."

She continued drying for a second.

"Oh, thanks for the towel, by the way."

She pointedly avoided answering any questions that she knew he had. That conversation was over. But now, even though she was finally sort of dry, she felt like she was imposing...

"Is it alright for me to be here? I mean... I can find a way home..."

"Oh. Just everyday. I become engrossed in the stories on Dr. Phil," Carter replied sarcastically, putting as much contempt in his voice as was possible.

Oh, thanks for the towel, by the way."

Carter grunted in response. If his parents hadn't drilled it into his head to be polite to girls (even though he rarely was) he wouldn't have even thought of getting Amanda a towel.

He noticed how she craftily avoided answering any questions of his. It was kind of annoying, but it gave Carter something to do during school. Or, at least during science, which he happened to have with both Amanda and Mr. Blake. Hm... his attendance might rise. He grinned at the thought. His teachers would be pleased, although one wouldn't, if he ever found out the reason for Carter suddenly showing up more often.

"Is it alright for me to be here? I mean... I can find a way home..."

"Hm.... I dunno. I don't have people over often. And if my parents are pissed, well, just one more reason for me to be grounded," Carter replied, shrugging it off.

Amanda smirked at Carter's contempt-filled response. She was sure he got into those shoes so well. She knew that Carter was going to bring up her and... Mr. Blake? Damien? all the time now, which wasn't so great for either of them. But she didn't say anything to further his desire to say anything.

She looked thoughtful as he spoke the second time. That sounded like Carter, from what she knew of him. She smiled half-heartedly.

"So you're settling for me for company, huh?"

Carter had every intention of bringing up Amanda and Mr. Blake as often as he possibly could. It was simply too much fun to pass by, and maybe, just maybe, he could frustrate her into telling him more about this freaky relationship. He was still having trouble picturing her as the type of person who would do something like that.

"So you're settling for me for company, huh?"

"Yeah. I guess I am. Jeez, what happened to my standards?" Carter was half joking half serious as he said it. Normally, hanging out with school-loving people wasn't on his top list of things to do, but as they were both at his house and Carter had nothing better to do, he decided to screw his standards over.

Amanda laughed at his comment, slightly, knowing it was probably partly meant as a genuine jab at his choice of company, being her. But the comment stuck with her. Now what happened to her standards?

She was here, instead of at school; but that she couldn't help. But she'd considered leaving today. She was procrastinating more than ever, and was actually falling behind, or at least wasn't as ahead anymore... and of course, there was Mr. Blake. She hadn't joined any gangs yet, and she hadn't failed any tests. Not even gotten a C.

Somehow, though, she felt those standards slipping away. This was her last chance, her last year, before her future really started. What on earth was she doing? She looked entirely lost in her thoughts.

But then, the lights went off in Carter's house, and the steady hum of his family's refrigerator turned off.

Carter gave a tiny smile when Amanda laughed at his half-jab. It kind of surprised him that she had even left school; obviously she had known that Mr. Blake was planning on pulling her from class. Wasn't she the kind of chick who was all I-must-be-valedictorian-for-graduation. So what was she doing skipping school like this?

He swore when the electricity went out. The few lights he had turned on gave an ample amount of light compared to the dismal looking sky, and now it was all dark. Even the familiar hum of the fridge turned off.

"Wait here," he said to Amanda, wandering off to find some flashlights. He could have lit one of the candles his mom kept all around the house, but Carter didn't really trust himself not to accidentally start the house on fire. He ended up having to go to his family's utility room and grope around for a flashlight. Clicking the power button to make sure it worked, Carter started wandering back upstairs.

Amanda grimaced as Carter swore. She sighed, following his request to stay, waiting in the eerie darkness. The storm seemed to seep inside the house now, more vivid in the dark, with the thunder cracking and the wind roaring and the way the lightning gave sudden flashes of brightness. Still, she remained upstairs as she waited for Carter to return. She saw a light coming from a hallway, a staircase a little ways away. She began to walk toward it.

Carter jumped when the ray on his flashlight hit Amanda. He had expected her to stay where he told her stay, not wander around his whole, flipping house!

"D*mnit, Amanda! Is it really so hard to stay in one place?" He muttered angrily to himself as he walked toward the living room. Normally he wasn't this jumpy during thunder storms. They actually calmed him down most of the time, but today was different for some reason. It didn't really help that he hadn't had the best of days today, anyway.

He flopped down on the couch in the living room, rubbing his temples to prevent a future headache from happening. "Look, I'm sorry, but... today just really hasn't been all that great, and...." Carter trailed off, giving up his attempt at explaining his jumpy behavior.

Amanda jumped a little when Carter's flashlight spotted her. And she heard him mutter under his breath. She stepped back a few paces, standing still. And then decided to follow. She stood there, still damp and not wanting to do anymore damage to Carter and his family's now-dark home. She sighed as the guy tried to explain his behavior.

"It's fine," she said, after he trailed off sitting down on the floor, on the towel he'd handed her.

Carter remained seated on the couch, not even bothering to tell Amanda she didn't have to sit on the floor. The girl was so stubborn that she would probably just keep insisting upon sitting on the floor. And then he would insist that she sit on the couch and that she should just stop being so dang stubborn, and it would be a headache. And in the end, Amanda would win, and Carter would just be even more pissed off.

"So," he said, suddenly sitting up, looking business-like. "Are you going to tell me about Mr. Blake-- do you still even call him that? and your relationship with him? Because I will keep pressing you for answers. Don't doubt that for a minute."

Carter leaned back in the couch, resuming a more comfortable position as he waited for Amanda to reply.

Amanda stared at the floor while her and Carter sat in silence for a few moments. He seemed to be formulating his thoughts. And she knew she had no reason to look forward to whatever he was most likely going to say. She straightened out her sweatshirt and crossed her arms, uncrossed them, then placed her palms down on the floor, leaning back a little.

"So... are you going to tell me about Mr. Blake-- do you still even call him that? and your relationship with him? Because I will keep pressing you for answers. Don't doubt that for a minute."

She glared at him for a second, before sighing.

"I already told you. We're... we don't do anything. In fact, this all just... started happening. And, I really don't know why I started going out_, I mean, hanging out, well, whatever, so... well, and I don't really know what I'm doing, and I don't even know how much I like him, and... why am I telling you this?" Amanda cut off her rant.

She took a deep breath.

"Oh, screw it. I don't talk to anyone. I just need... it doesn't matter anymore, I'm breaking up with him. I can't afford this," she said, quieter, worn out.

((I apologize for any errors I typed and am currently guaranteed to make at the moment. v.v' And this long weird rant thing. Unless you liked it. xP ))

"Amanda," Carter said, looking completely serious. "I'm gonna have to tell you that while it might just be 'hanging out' to you, it is most definitely 'going out' to him. Take it from a guy, we usually have... different things on our minds than girls do. Much... much... different."

He leaned forward again. "You're telling me this because you're a really antisocial senior who really has no friends other than me--ew-- and Mr. Blake. And he definitely wants to be more than 'just friends'. In fact, I don't think he's going to handle it well when you break up with him. Just... be careful when you do, okay?" Carter said, leaning back once more.

Carter debated getting another Monster for a moment, but dismissed the idea because he was too lazy at the moment. Maybe he would get another one later.