stbethadettes | (no subject)

"Okay, then." Todd folds his arms and stands back, grinning. "Strut your stuff. I'm watching!" You tell 'em, Coach Bowden.

She promptly begins to follow the step-by-step procedure that she observed Todd go through during her last visit to his closet. She's sure of herself, sure that she remembers exactly how it was done.

If she were shooting as accurately as she is mimicking Todd's developing process, she'd probably be living up to the nickname.

Todd observes her progress. Every once in awhile he very gently corrects her, but for the most part there is no need. He smiles broadly the whole time.

As she hangs up a picture, she notices one of the nearest ruined ones. She has to give it a second glance, but she manages to recognize what the photograph was of.

"That's my room here," she explains, giving it a closer look, as if he had asked her about it.

Todd peers at it, noting its homey blueness. "It's really nice," he smiles, looking at her. "Very cozy-looking."

Todd's room is not cozy in the least. Todd's room is teenage boyish, and functional.

"It is sort of cozy. I probably don't have very high standards of comfort after living in a church for a few years, but I think it's good room. It does everything it should."

She smiles crookedly and begins to hang up one last picture.

Todd nods as she hangs the pictures. "I hope these come out well, Beth. I'm sure they will. You did everything right." He puts a hand on her shoulder.

The crooked smile turns into a pleased grin. She thought she had done things right. "Thanks, Todd. I've been fortunate; I have some pretty good teachers here."

She nods to the door. "I know you have plenty of Coke out there. Mind if I grab one?"

"'Course not. Are we done in here for now? We can take a break." Todd's eyes rove across the drying pics.

"I think so." She lets her eyes sweep the closet, the pictures, looking for something she may have missed or forgotten to do.

She doesn't notice anything in particular, though, so she opens the door. "Looks fine to me." Like last time, she blinks once in the brighter light of the room outside.

"Have you taken more pictures of the sun for your class lately?"

Todd follows her, closing the door behind them. He sticks his thumbs in his belt loops and leans up against the closet door.

"No, I haven't. I probably should. Don't want to slack off." He beams a true Golden Boy, would-be valedictorian grin at that.

Giving him an amused grin and refraining from letting the words "golden boy" cross her lips again, she sits down cross-legged beside the cooler.

"Want one?" she asks, opening it and removing a Coke for herself.

"Sure," Todd shrugs, because he can't resist the Clarion Call of the Coke. "Toss one to me." He opens up his hands.

Beth removes the second Coke as he's answering. "Thought you might say that."

She turns toward Todd and gives it an underhand toss in his direction.

"Next time you go home, you should bring back a frisbee. Who knows how long it'll be before we can get one here?"

He, the star pitcher, catches it easily. Todd's eyes light up at the mention of a frisbee.

"You know, that's really a super idea, Beth. I think I'll do that." He nods as he moves over to join her, sitting upon the bed and cracking open his Coke.

"Great. You let me know when you bring it in." She opens her own Coke can and takes a sip.

"Tell me something, Todd. What is it like to go back to Santo Donato and face your parents and go to school while knowing this place exists?"

Todd's face goes almost stony blank. Here's another question that no one's asked before - at least, not so straightfowardly.

His nostrils flare a little. "It's...not really a big deal, Beth."

He can't tell her the truth. The truth is always a weapon. "...Why do you ask?"

She notes the change in his expression.

"I just think it would be weird, trying to go through the motions of everyday life and high school with the knowledge you have."

She shrugs slightly.

The knowledge that disappears when I'm there, you mean. Todd just smiles and shrugs a little. "Well. It's...no big deal. I seem to manage just fine when I'm there. I concentrate on the things I have to get done, and I do them. No biggie."

No biggie.

She looks at him blankly for a moment, uncertain of what to immediately make of that answer.

She ends up taking another drink of her Coke, feeling rather doubtful and saying nothing more about it.

"You're an only child, right?" It's just something that occurs to her. She doesn't remember him ever mentioning any siblings.

"That's right." Todd smiles and nods, privately relieved to have a change in subject. "How about yourself?"

"Yeah." She nods back at him, moving her Coke can in gentle circles and feeling the liquid swirl around inside.

"Adopted. I never really knew my biological father, though, so I guess it's not impossible to believe that I could have some half-brother or sister somewhere."

She catches herself. "Or had."

This place makes her talk about males in the present sense.

"You're adopted? Gee, Beth, I had no idea." Todd's voice is soft and sympathetic. "I'm sorry. That must've been rough."

She smiles at the show of sympathy.

"It wasn't so bad. It could've been much worse. I was adopted as a baby and my parents never tried to hide that from me."

In the mood to share and share alike, her smile turns into an almost impish grin. "Now tell me something I don't know about you, Todd."

She doesn't expect it to be anything major. Not at all. But she's making an effort to get to know him.

Todd taps his lower lip thoughtfully. Then he removes it and says, "Did you know I had a dog once?"