dine and dash [clive]

[madeline rebecca seymour]

Madeline breathed a sigh of relief as the professor of her history class finally dismissed them. Class had seemed so much longer that afternoon than usual! Perhaps it was because she wasn't paying as close attention as she usually did; she hadn't let her mind wander deliberately, but there were so many more things on her mind at the moment. Nationals were coming up in less than two weeks, and the team was working out pretty much every day as a result, to make sure they were as prepared as it was possible to be. Maddi was working harder than she'd ever worked in her life; harder even than she'd worked when she was competing at Regionals and Nationals two years before, when she'd still had hopes of making the Olympic team.

But her goal now was even better, and therefore a goal more worth striving for. Before, she'd only been concerned with herself, with her own career. Now she was part of a team, and it was the team's welfare which was most important. She wouldn't even be competing all-around at the upcoming competition; she was only doing three of the four events. But every routine she competed would be in the hopes of helping her team to triumph. She knew Utah was an underdog at the competition; Alabama had won the talented SEC conference, as well as their region, and Georgia was always a favorite. But they'd held their own against such teams in the past, and she was sure they could do it again. Even if they didn't win, they would at least give it their all.

For right now, however, giving her all meant nourishing her body so that she would have energy for that evening's practice. So she closed her notebook and stuffed it back into her bookbag along with her pen, then stood and swung the bag over her shoulders. She pulled her ponytail out from where it had once again caught between her body and her bag, slipped her sunglasses down over her eyes, and then stepped out into the May sunshine.

It was a beautiful day, though a little warmer than she would have liked; still, she certainly had no desire to complain, for it was nowhere near the heat of her Oklahoma hometown at this time of the year. Not nearly as windy either, which she definitely didn't mind; while the breeze could be very refreshing, especially during the heat of the day, it was also terrible for her hair. It would get tossed around enough in the gym when she worked out; she didn't need the wind's help to mess it up even further.

At first, as she walked, she had planned on going over to the cafeteria, formally known as Wasatch Eatery; but glancing down at the time displayed on her cell phone changed her mind. She didn't have the time to trek all the way across campus and back; it would be much more convenient to stop at the cyber cafe instead on her way to the gym. So that was exactly what she did.

Pushing her sunglasses on top of her head as she stepped into the cafe, she made her way over to the counter, her heels clicking on the wood floor. She ordered her usual favorite sandwich, turkey and swiss on whole wheat, complete with lettuce, tomato, and low-fat mayo. Two bottles of water completed her order, one for now and one for this evening's workout. She took her sandwich and water over to the nearest empty table, took a seat, and began her meal.

Word count: 618
Outfit: here
Notes: Sorry for the wait!

[muse]

.

i've exposed your lies, baby,
the underneath's no big surprise
AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR CHANGING
and cleansing everything to forget your love

"ARGH! You stupid piece of shit PC," Clive growled at his laptop, promptly hitting the side of the monitor with his hand. He had simply tried to send some important e-mails regarding his family and scholarships when the thing started fizzling out. Thinking nothing of it, Clive restarted his computer, only to find that his hard-drive was infected with a malicious sort of virus, freezing up his computer and setting off all kinds of firewall alarms. He didn't have time to deal with it at the moment. And so, with vehement resolve, Clive started the virus scan and shut his laptop, looking over at his room-mate's with interest.

Bad Clive. He thought to himself with a frown, knowing quite well just what level of hatred his room-mate harbored for him. They quarrelled enough about smokey clothes as it was. And neatness. And the whole bisexual thing. Clive really wished fate did a better job than putting him with some hyperallergenic, OCD, homophobe. Score one karma, zero Clive. And so, since Clive was already dressed from his morning classes in such dapper militaristic-inspired regalia; he decided to make an appearance down at the Cyber Cafe to use one of their computers and maybe enjoy some coffee. Lunch he could do without. Clive wasn't an exceptionally hungry sort of person.

And so, picking up his beloved Holga camera, Clive set off to amble the short distance through the campus yard. He snapped pictures occaisonally, especially if there was a butterfly present or a nice looking flower. He favored the old fashioned camera, mostly due to its nostalgia and its unique style of images. Photography was mostly a silly little hobby; a lot like his piano playing. Clive didn't really see any sort of career value in either, even though he was quite good at piano. Nevertheless, things enjoyed usually aren't as fun when they become work. Clive's hobbies were his own little hideaways, his time to relax. Stress needn't enter those environments. Stress could be saved for things less enjoyable.

Slinging the camera strap over his jacketed chest, Clive entered the eccentric little eatery with some reservation. He hadn't eaten at this place often (if he ate at all). In fact, Clive was quite adverse to public dining. Taking out a couple crumpled bills from his pocket, Clive paid for a mug of fresh coffee, adding a bit of sugar and cream to the mix. However, he idly eyed the computers with disdain. Most of them were taken by a bunch of lively students - probably doing some sort of project. Well, that's just damn near perfect. Clive grumbled to himself, hoping they would finish up by the time he finished with his cup. Selecting a place to sit, something blonde, pink, and alone attracted his attention.

Clive hated it when girls sat by themselves. They always looked... so incomplete. They needed either their girlfriend or their man beside them, talking to them, making them smile. Especially ones so pretty as she was. Without much hesitation, Clive sat himself down in front of her, smiling congenially. "Do you mind? I'm just waiting for one of those computers to free up." Clive asked to be polite, but he was already putting down his camera and making himself comfortable with his coffee. His heavy blue eyes looked up at hers expectantly. "I'm Clive Wembley. Nice to meet you, Ms..." Clive cocked his head slightly, looking for her name.

MY PLUG IN BABY CRUCIFIES MY ENEMIES
Trend: Click.
Word: 574
Notes: Shorter than I thought. >_>
Music: Plug-In Baby - Muse.