Mel and Joe enter their old High School, a run-down building in sore need of renovation. The building is split in half; to their right is two floors of classrooms in a plain hall where the only thing that wasn't built in the 50's are the lockers. The nurse and special ed. are on the first floor, and at the very end of the hall is a small addition for metal and wood shop. The office is also at the beginning of the hall on that side, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows so the secretaries can watch for terrorists entering the main door, or more likely visitors such as yourselves. Directly in front of you are the doors to the gym, and to your left are the front doors of the auditorium.

From experience, both know that the hall to their left leads to an addition built in the 70's; the old hallways end about half way past the cafeteria, across from the band room and auditorium side-door. Passing through double-doors would take you to a slightly nicer if still old portion of the school; the chorus room is situated just on the other side, as well as the other half of the cafeteria. The hall splits into two steep, if managable, ramps leading to two more rows of classrooms. The downstairs on this side also features an olympic-sized pool, and a second gym.

OOC: This is a fairly accurate description of my High School; when in doubt, use what you know.

Mel toutes her brother's covered project into the office.

Excuse me ma'am, I'm dropping off a project for Mr. Sander's Chemistry Class for second period. Could I get a pass to take it in?

Joe follows and finds a wall to lean against. He puts his hands in his pockets and smiles.

"I'm just tagging along. But I'll need a pass too."

The secretary nods; after a few moments of scribbling something down, she sets you both up with small yellow cards reading:

Guest:
Name ---
Date ---
Time ---
Purpose ---

With the appopriate fill-ins. That settled, she informs you that the Chemestry class is on the second floor of the new'er' wing, room 434.

It's about this time that the period bell rings; from the time, you may just make it for the start of 2nd period class. Once you wade through the sea of students filling the once-barren halls.

After filling out the forms, Melanie looks balefully at the crowd then the rather large covered project. She pushes open the door with her back, muttering .

Well this is gonna be fun.

Joe fills out his badge as well, and then holds the door for Mel, smiling.

"Don't you remember highschool? The only people who didn't get out of my way were the football team. And now I don't have to worry about these punks shoving back."

Joe begins literally clearing a path for Mel, weaving where possible, and throwing kids out of the way where he needs to.

"I could have carried you, you know. Only that project looks unwieldly."

Joe tunrs around and winks, then runs into a knot of sophomores clustered around a locker.

"Move along, you damn kids! This is suppsed to be a hallway, not a social circle."

You'd be carrying a broken arm if you did that.

She mutters as she follows him through the crowd.

OOC: Tried to post 3 times, Christmas stuff keeps getting in the way. So heck with it for now.

Merry xmas, see you in a few days.

earlier: Jim nods. "No problem. Come and pick it up whenever. I'll have it done in around an hour."

Shouldn't take much at all, but who knows. I'll take a look at the engine while I'm changing the oil.

He watches Joe jump into the car and shakes his head. Maybe he should have gone to college after all. But he hadn't the grades and didn't want to get by only on his muscles on the football team. So into the marines and off to war he'd gone.

The man grins. He was such a dumb ass sometimes.

now: "Dad, I'm going to change this guy's oil. Then I'll get back to the junk pile in the garage. I need something to take my mind off of the pile of work that crapster's going to be."

Matching his words to actions, Jim grabs Joe's keys and pulls the car up and into the other slot in the garage. He starts nodding his head to the thumping beat coming over the radio and mutters along to the song as he pops the hood.

"Don't fear the reaper. . . "

Joe calls over his sholder to Mel.

"You're no fun, you know that? You gotta loosen up a bit, ok? It's not like I mean anything by it."

OOC: Merry Christmas Celadon. I'll be engrossed in Half-Life 2 for a while anyway.

Joe succeeds at playing 'people plow', reaching the class almost a minute before the bell will ring. The room is still fairly empty, and shows no sign of filling up as the minute passes. Mel's brother arrives seconds before the bell, panting slightly from his jog to make it. He nods at Joe, turning back to his sister and the project.

"Thanks sis, I appreciate it," he says, taking the project and setting it down on a fold-up table at the front of the room.

Joe nods back.

"Good luck with the project buddy. I'm gonna go raise hell with Mel. Tell your folks not to wait up."

Joe grins like a maniac as he does so often, and winks at Melanie.

Pshaw, have fun tonite, kiddo, but not too much fun ya here!

She punches Joe in the arm as she heads out of the building with him.