Zack Dill
December 19, 2007 11:22 AM
Looking for Zoey by Zack Dill
Zack Dill paced the floor of the common room, feeling a distinct sense of deja vu. Zack had been trying to figure out how to ask her for weeks and he was fast running out of time. He didn't want to let someone else ask first because who would that leave him? Anne? Zack didn't think so.He'd never done anything like this before. He'd thought asking Zoey to be his study partner had been terrifying. This was far far worse. And to make it even more horrible, he and Zoey had already discussed this and he had been very vehement that he wasn't asking her out. The Headmaster's announcement at Christmas changed everything though. He'd even heard rumors that, as a Prefect, he was going to be expected to dance in front of everybody for the lead off dance.
He needed a date.
So he paced the floor and tried to screw up his courage. He turned on his heel and walked back over the same five feet he'd just crossed a moment before, turned on his heel, and did it again. He needed to come up with a way to ask. So far he hadn't gotten any further than Hey, Zoey.
In fact, he was doubting even that much. Should he be more formal? Should he say, Hello, Zoey instead? Or even Good afternoon? He couldn't ask after dark, though, because Good evening was just creepy and reminded him of vampires and Good night was what you say when you're leaving a conversation, not starting one.
The speed of his pacing picked up as his panicked thoughts increased in intensity. Besides, how stupid was it going to look when he, a guy who had to round up to say he was five feet tall (though that margin was decreasing again and he thought he might actually hit that mystical line by the time the ball came around), danced with a girl who was as tall as Zoey was?
And, to make it even worse, he didn't even know how to dance. He was going to make a complete fool of himself. Maybe he should read up on that. Maybe Professor Taylor would teach him after his calculus lessons. Could Professor Taylor dance? Maybe Professor Kijewski? He liked Professor Kijewski and missed having her for a teacher even if he was glad to be done with her subject. Maybe as a public favor, she'd try to teach her bookworm house how not to make idiots of themselves on a dance floor.
He turned around on his heel again and froze in mid-pace. His eyes widened in panicked terror. His breathing came in short gasps. Fear gripped his heart and sweat broke out on his fore head. "Zoey," he said, his voice squeaking and cracking as if he was still thirteen. Dangit, he hadn't said hey, hi, hello, or good afternoon! This was already a disaster!
"Hi, Zoey," his tongue said, even as his brain blabbered internally that it was too late and all was lost. "I, would you, has someone, did you . . . " This was why he had known he needed a script before attempting this. Well, he'd gotten out several possible beginnings. Hopefully that would make up for the complete lack of a middle. He knew the end, though. "The ball?" Wait! There was one important prepositional phrase missing from that hashed up mess. "With me?"
At least it was all in English this time.\r\n\r\n
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Zack Dill
Looking for Zoey
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Zack Dill
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Zoey
December 19, 2007 6:26 PM
*Has been found* by Zoey
Zoey had spent much of the morning trying to figure out what it was after Sonora that she wanted to do. It needed to be something with Transfiguration because that was her best subject and the subject she had the most fun with, but the problem was that she didn't know what sort of careers there were that her subject was the focal point. So, she had spent a few hours in the library flipping through some carrer pamphlets, but nothing had caught her eye.Now all she wanted to do was sulk in her dorm room and mull over her options. Decide if Transfiguration was the way to go despite the lack of possibilities for a career, or figure out an entirely different future for herself. None made her all that happy.
Zoey climbed through the stacks and into the commonroom, smacking her elbow on the wall as she did so. Grumbling obscenities quietly to herself, Zoey rubbed her elbow to rid herself of the throb and made her way through the commonroom. She only noticed the pacing Zack when he squeaked out her name.
Still rubbing her elbow, Zoey greeted him, though troubled by his apparent uneasiness. "Hi Zack, what's going on?" He seemed to struggle for a moment and Zoey took that opportunity to sit on the arm of a nearby chair. She stared perplexedly at him while he seemed to stumbled out his words rather incoherently and only caught the last part on the ball.
Blinking silently at him, Zoey worked out what he had said and realized what he had said, "Did you just ask me to the ball?" Zoey asked, slightly confused. Any other time, she might have felt her heart leap. Might have even blushed. Might have considered this a possible date. But Zack had made himself clear that he thought nothing of her aside from being friends and Zoey had accepted that. So, either he felt sorry for her or he was in desperate need for a date. Zoey, being his friend, was the obvious choice.
"I mean, if you really want to go together, then yes. But are you sure you want me to be your date?"
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Zoey
*Has been found*
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Zoey
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Zack Dill
December 20, 2007 9:57 AM
Ah, good by Zack Dill
"Did you just ask me to the ball?""Yes!" Zack agreed in extreme relief. Thank the Maker, she did understand the difficult dialect of Panicked Boy Asking Girl Out. He'd been afraid he'd need to come up with something more coherent.
But then she continued, "I mean, if you really want to go together, then yes. But are you sure you want me to be your date?"
And that sounded like she wanted him to explain his reasoning, and, well, he hadn't even been able to get out a question, how was he supposed to come up with the words to support his decision? Still, there was a yes in there so Zack took comfort from that and gave it a try.
"Okay, don't be mad," he said first because he wasn't sure if he was doing something anger-worthy or not. He understood chemical interactions better than human interactions and there were no reliable books on the subject in the library - he'd looked. "I think you're really pretty, and you're easily my favorite girl in the whole school, and the only one I actually want to go to the dance with."
There was a but coming, even he could hear it in his voice. Best get it over with quickly, while he could still string words together, "But, um," he held his hand level with the top of his head and then lifted it up to her height, "I feel kinda weird asking out someone so much taller than me." Not that he really had any options that weren't taller than him, but that wasn't the point. "No offense meant. I'm the one who's freakishly short."
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Zack Dill
Ah, good
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Zack Dill
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Zoey
December 20, 2007 7:27 PM
Yes, well... it's a little awkward. by Zoey
"Okay, don't be mad,"Zoey's stomach dropped. She had been right, Zack was in desperate need for a date and felt sorry for her, so he had decided to ask her to the dance instead of someone else he would have preferred to go with. Well, she'd just tell him she didn't need his pity and them go off to find a giant hole to swallow her up in because this was really beyond humiliating.
But Zack didn't tell her any of that. In fact, what he said was rather sweet and one of the first compliments she had received from anyone outside of her own family. He even admitted to wanting to go to the dance with her out of all the other girls she was sure would have jumped at the chance to go if he had asked them instead. That was progress, right?
And then came the 'but'. There was always a 'but'. Just watching his hand alone was enough for her to get the picture. Her face fell at his words. She was too tall. She was always too tall. She knew this, of course. There wasn't any reason for her to get upset. But she knew she would. Eventually. Just not in front of Zack.
"Look Zack, you don't have to explain yourself. I'm an Amazon, I know. I stick out and it's embarrassing. If I knew a way where I could shrink myself, I'd have done so long ago." Zoey looked away from Zack and stood up. At least it was because of her height and not because he felt sorry for her. Though, she didn't think that would help her feel any better in the long run. "I'll go with you. We don't even have to dance, if you don't want to."
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Zoey
Yes, well... it's a little awkward.
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Zoey
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Zack
January 06, 2008 1:35 PM
Quite so by Zack
Zack winced when Zoey accused herself of being an Amazon - which, Zack had to admit, was somewhat true at least by height if not by cultural traditions - because as cool as Zack thought Amazons were, Zoey's tone suggested she didn't share his high opinion. "Trust me," he countered, "I'd give anything to trade heights with you. It sucks being a guy who isn't even five feet tall yet. I'd be short if I were a girl."He took a deep breath and continued, "But we're not gonna get out of dancing. I'm a Prefect, and I was told I'm supposed to be in the first one." He winced slightly as he told her that part, hoping she wasn't going to rescind her offer to go with him.
"Word of warning," he added with a look a cringing trepidation, "I have zero experience dancing and the shelf of books on the subject in the library scares me, so I haven't even been able to do any research. See, one of them starts playing music every time I go near it, and I'm afraid Mr. Reynolds will throw me out for making noise."
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Zack
Quite so
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Zack
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Zoey
January 07, 2008 6:49 PM
Riiight... by Zoey
Zoey knew that Zack had issues with his own height even though she didn't care in the least that he was short. But, he had an issue with her being tall and that's where the problem was growing. Yes, he was short and probably would always be short. Yes, he barely came up to her shoulders and that could be awkward. But, she didn't think anyone would really care about that.She remained quiet though. She knew from personal experience that telling him anything about his height wouldn't make a difference. Dillon, her parents, even her other brothers would tell her there was nothing wrong with being tall, but Zoey still felt like a freak.
Zack was talking about the fact that they had to dance together in front of the whole school. Zoey didn't actually mind dancing, but...in front of the whole school...that was a completely different story. Not that she had much of a choice in the matter if she was going to be his date.
She laughed despite her sour attitude after his 'but' when he told her about the book in the library. She could completely picture Zack looking through the dance books in the library and stumblig upon that one. "Dancing really not that hard to do, Zack. You just sort of follow the beat. I think you're just thinking way too hard about it."
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Zoey
Riiight...
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Zoey
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Zack
January 11, 2008 12:26 PM
Of course I'm right. I'm a genius. by Zack
Zack did not calm down even when Zoey laughed and told him that he was over-thinking the problem. In Zack's esteemed opinion, there was no such thing as thinking too much about anything. This one, he believed, could even be solved by a little forethought and preparation. He had the forethought down, it was the preparation that was causing issues. It was hardly his fault that book wanted to play music. Now that he was thinking about fault, he wondered if a Snitch was playing tricks on him. Tricky aliens they were, Snitches. This was something that was right up their alley.Whether a snitch was responsible or not, though, Zack still had the problem that he couldn't approach the shelf of dancing books without sending at least one of them into a musical interlude. So there was one other option he could think of, particularly now that Zoey had given some indication that she didn't think dancing was as serious a problem as Zack did. She even implied she knew something about it.
"Do you know how to dance?" he asked. "Can you teach me before I make a complete fool of myself in front of everyone?"
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Zack
Of course I'm right. I'm a genius.
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Zack
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Zoey
January 13, 2008 10:07 PM
And modest too. by Zoey
Maybe laughing (however light it had been) wasn't the right thing to have done in that moment. But she couldn't have helped it. The idea of Zack trying to grab a book only to have it suddenly burst into song was hilarious, even if it wasn't all that surprising. Zack was the sort of person who went above and beyond what was necessary when it came to learning."Well..." Zoey started, her lips curving downward in thought. The only time she had ever really been in a situation where dancing was a part of the entertainment was when her friends dragged her to a couple of parties that classmates were having. During the summer, it was mainly pool parties that blared music. During the winters, it was a little more serious and dancing was common. But that didn't mean Zoey was an expert in it.
"I don't know any fancy dances. Like the waltz." She finally answered him. She wasn't exactly sure what type of dance was expected at the ball, she certainly had never been to anything fancy like that, but for normal dancing with muggle (was there a difference between magical and muggle music?) music amongst teenagers, Zoey could do that just fine. "But I think I handle basics of dancing pretty well."
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Zoey
And modest too.
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Zoey
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Zack Dill
January 14, 2008 10:32 AM
I never claimed that; if I did, I was lying by Zack Dill
"Basics are more than I know," Zack admitted, sounding miserable and ashamed that there was anything he did not know about in detail. Granted, dancing was not an academic subject, and he'd never done particularly well at any activity in gym class, but gym had been graded by participation while the dancing would be done in front of the whole school. He wasn't going to get graded on it for his report card, but if he made a complete fool of himself, everyone would know it."I just don't want to look stupid, you know?" he asked, hoping Zoey understood. "I mean, I know I'm the short brainy geek and nobody's expecting me to be great at it, but I need to know that I'm not going to trip over my own toes and fall on my face. The closest thing I've ever done to dancing before is one time my D&D character sneaked into a castle to steal something while a ball was going on downstairs."
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Zack Dill
I never claimed that; if I did, I was lying
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Zack Dill
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Zoey
January 21, 2008 1:43 PM
That's true. You would be. by Zoey
Zoey wanted to give a huge dramatic sigh at Zack, but held it in. He sounded so defeated at the thought that he couldn't dance. It shouldn't really be this big of a deal. Even if he couldn't dance well, it wasn't like he would be the only one who couldn't. Granted, he (actually, they) would have to do a dance in front of everyone, but it was all in good fun.She wanted to say something to the fact that he already mentioned that he felt he would look stupid just having her around, so him not dancing well wouldn't really make a difference. But Zoey didn't want to go down that road again. She was honestly happy that he had asked her to the dance, even if a part of her still thought it was merely because he was too afraid to ask anyone else and she was a sure yes.
"Well, I don't really have any music here with me cos my mp3 player wouldn't work here, but, if you can find something that can play music, I can at least help you learn what I know. Hopefully that'll help you feel somewhat better about having to dance." Zoey told him, hoping her offer of help would make him feel better. "And maybe you're actually a good dancer and just never knew it?" Zoey said, giving him a hopeful smile.
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Zoey
That's true. You would be.
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Zoey
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Zack Dill
January 25, 2008 9:30 AM
Ironically, herein, my stunning brain proves it failed me by Zack Dill
"That would be great!" Zack told her. He had his doubts about having an unknown natural talent for dancing - it was remarkable enough that he was good at Seeking, being good at two physical activities just seemed against the rules of geekery.He wasn't going to expect anything more of himself than not falling on his face or stepping on Zoey's feet too often. He figured he'd need practice to reach even that level of expertise. He'd hated music as much as he had gym. Combining the two did not fill him with confidence.
"And I know something that plays music, but I don't know how to get it off the shelf in the library without setting it off. See, that book I was telling you about . . . it's out to get me, I swear. I've tried everything short of a . . ." Zack stopped, blinked, and would have slapped himself if he hadn't thought that would probably hurt. "A silencing charm," he finished in the tone of voice of a person who just realized they'd been missing the obvious.
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Zack Dill
Ironically, herein, my stunning brain proves it failed me
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Zack Dill
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Zoey
January 29, 2008 9:02 PM
It's alright. Everyone has their moments. by Zoey
Zoey was almost hoping Zack would say no to her offer. But, alas, that was not the case. Not that it really mattered. Zoey just didn't like the idea that his dancing techniques would be as good as she could teach him. What if they weren't good enough? What if she was a terrible teacher and Zack became fed up with her and called the whole thing off?She had to stop herself from thinking the negative thoughts on the whole thing. This whole experience could be a good thing. Zack might become comfortable with being seen with her by the time the dance came around. They could even have fun together. She just had to look at the positive.
Zoey burst out laughing. She hadn't meant to, but it couldn't have been helped. After all that, Zack hadn't even tried the simplest of charms. Not that Zoey could blame him, a book that suddenly started playing music would have anyone forgetting the easy things. "Well," Zoey started between her laughter, "Once you've charmed the book to be quiet, we'll start practicing."
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Zoey
It's alright. Everyone has their moments.
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Zoey
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