#bkpara

Brooke hadn't had a day off to herself at least in over a couple weeks, sometime before Christmas she would assume. She, naturally a early riser, got up that morning and found that baking made the time fly by, packaging up the assorted cookies into older gift bags to reuse and head out to the high school. She was welcomed warmly, having been friends with the secretaries for years. Her first stop would've been Seth's classroom but she was almost certain she missed his free period and had zero clue to where it could have been, so instead of roaming the halls, Brooke spotted a vacant room with a familiar face sitting at the front of it. "Knock knock," she whispered as she approached the doorway, not wanting to be too loud in the hallways to echo. "Got a sweet tooth?"

Gabe had been in a mood since Seth finally showed him who he had been on dates with. He didn't know why, really. He liked Brooke and all, she was nice and pretty but he didn't really know why he was so mad at Seth. It wasn't like Seth even knew that he knew Brooke too and it wasn't like he was actively trying to date or sleep with her. But it still bothered him. Which was the reason as to why he was in his classroom during his free period and not pestering Seth like he usually was. And it probably wasn't such a bad thing since he was getting a jump start on grading classwork from his previous classes. He looked up from the paper he was currently thinking about ripping up as soon as he heard the voice, actually a little shocked to see Brooke standing in his classroom doorway. "What are you doing here?" He asked quickly, completely disregarding her question.

Brooke knitted her eyebrows together and almost gave him a look as if he was obvious for her being here but refrained. "Haven't you heard? I'm going back to high school. Heard your the best history teacher around here." She joked with a brighter smile before she turned her slender body to hold the gift bag up. "I'm making deliveries."

Gabe "Ha, yea...tell that to my student's grades," he commented, setting his pen down for a moment to turn more toward her in his swivel chair. "Ah, got it. Well, if you're looking for Seth, you're way off. He's closer to the gym," he said, turning back around. "Also, he's got a class right now and he hates when people interrupts it so good luck."

Brooke "I'm sure that doesn't just reflect on you. They've got to be improving, right?" She asked with her head tilted and she stepped inside. "Oh, yeah. See. I haven't been here in years." She chuckled with a shake of her head before turning back toward him. "Do you know from experience?"

Gabe shrugged his shoulders lightly. He wasn't sure. He did try, really. And some kids seemed to get it. But others didn't even seem to try to get it. He glanced back over to her as she stepped inside, not expecting that. He assumed she'd be right off to go see Seth. "Mm, nope. I'm a serious professional here," he lied, being obvious about it. "I would never interrupt a student's learning experience no matter how boring the subject is. Which, Seth's course material...very, very boring."

Brooke "I'm sure you'll get through to them at some point," She said after the lackluster response, pulling the straps of the gift bag up to the crook of her elbow. "I can see that. Clearly you've gotten much work done." Laughing, Brooke came even closer to wave the bag in front of him. "AP English is not boring. I loved it!"

Gabe kept his eyes on her as she moved closer, waving the bag out in front of him. "Oh, am I on this delivery route too?" He questioned before reaching forward to take the bag from her. He crinkled his nose up as she defended Seth's subject. "Ugh, nerd. History is a million times better. Hell, Science is better too and I hate the Science department at this school."

Brooke "Yes, if you want. I've made more than I can eat and the hospital already got a ton." She chuckled under her breath as he took the sack before crossing her arms over her chest, leaning over to look at some of the newspapers on the desk. "Oh don't get me wrong. I loved it all. I was in AP for every close. History was a better subject of mine. Art and music theory was the worst."

Gabe "Oh? So I just get the leftovers?" He teased, pretending to be somewhat offended. He opened up the bag to look at what exactly she had made and brought to him. "Really not helping the nerd thing," he mumbled, setting the bag down onto his desk. "I disagree. Anything relating to the arts is very important. Children need a creative outlet and those classes provide them with one. However, I'll let that comment slide since art classes do tend to stifle students at times, forcing them to focus only on one subject and even grading them on their talent."

Brooke "I wouldn't say that... but... yeah, you can." Brooke joked as her fingers moved through the ends of her hair and curled around her fingers then. "I never denied being a nerd. I'm actually proud of it, I loved school." It wasn't a lie, either. She was the type who stayed after and got bummed out over a B+. "Oh no no, I don't disagree with you. It's very important. I was just... terrible. I couldn't draw for the life of me. I'd much rather break down polynomials and watch documentaries," She replied, pulling out a package of the peanut butter chip and whites chocolate cookies for him. "Rather than still life flowers."

Gabe let out a small laugh at her answer, watching her a moment before nodding toward a chair she could pull up to his desk. "You can sit if you want," he told her, figuring she might continue hanging out a bit longer since she didn't seem to be in a rush to leave. "Wow, you sound wild," he said in a flat tone, clearly making fun of her. He eyed the package of cookies she pulled out, reaching forward to take them. "Are these your specialty?"

Brooke turned her body and grasped onto the nearest chair to pull up, smoothing the back of her skinny jeans to take the seat. "Ha ha, very funny. You teach it for a living." Poking her tongue out at him, she crossed her legs and shrugged. "My specialty is poking people with needles and drawing blood, so no. But it's close enough."

Gabe "Doesn't mean I ever want to break down polynomials, nerd," he laughed. He playfully rolled his eyes at her response before opening the packaging up and grabbing one of the cookies. "You know, some of my students might get a little jealous knowing another woman brought me baked goods," he joked before taking a bite of the cookie.

Brooke "They're good brain exercises and I'll gladly take that title," Brooke replied with a soft laugh ringing from her throat, leaning back in her seat. "Would they really? Do you get baked goods delivered to you daily?"

Gabe couldn't deny that her cookie was damn good. He took another bite almost as soon as he finished the first, nodding his head lightly before swallowing the cookie. "I mean, not daily or even baked goods. But you know, you've got some students that...I don't know what they're trying to do, you know? Like, are they actually trying something or just playing some long joke. But they come in with snacks and stuff and leave it on my desk."

Brooke watched him, almost nervously, as he took the first bite. She baked literally whenever she had time off but she was always worried someone would just spit it right out. "Well as long as you don't encourage any advances, I don't see the harm in having some snacks here and there."

Gabe "Don't worry, not happening with any of the students here," he assured her, taking the last bite of the cookie, leaning back slightly in his seat. "That was a damn good cookie," he breathed out as he swallowed the bite. "Ruining the New Year diet already, Nurse Brooke."

Brooke "Well good, can't have you landing yourself with some jail time." Brooke joked with her lips turning into a crooked smile instead. "Oh, please. A little sugar is good for the soul." Waving her hand at him, Brooke continued. "The peanut butter ones are my favorite."

Gabe "Yea, no. Not into teenagers," he laughed. "Yea? You learn that in nursing school?" He teased, smirking over at her. "There's peanut butter in here?" He quickly asked, grabbing the bag to look inside. "You went a little nuts with baking, didn't you?"

Brooke "That's a relief." Brooke laughed along with him with her nose scrunched. "Nope, just from my mama. Only truthful though. How could you ever be sour with sugar in your system?" She asked, not even looking do an answer. "I mean... yeah, okay, I did. I just get a little bored on my days off so this is just a result."

Gabe couldn't help but to smile a little as her question, shaking his head lightly. "Yea, I guess you've got a point there," he answered, sighing lightly as he closed the packaging up for the cookies and setting them into the bag, grabbing the peanut butter cookies out. "Well, I'm not going to complain if this means I get baked goods."

Brooke caught the smile and perked up a little. She didn't know him insanely well, but he seemed much more standoffish with her than normal once she even entered the room. She was glad she at least got a smile out of him. Her lips was now a grin at that point. "Of course you aren't. It's something different than your ordinary apple." She chuckled. "Just watch out, I can't have you coming into the ER with a sugar overdose."

Gabe "Hey, an apple a day, keeps the doctor a way," he said, opening his drawer up to pull out the apple he brought in for breakfast but never found the time to eat since his morning classes decided to be extra rowdy that morning. "Doesn't seem to have the same effect on nurses," he joked, putting it back down, winking at her. "I don't know, I feel like you might actually like having another excuse to see me."

Brooke glanced down at the apple in his hand, a little amused with the fact he actually had one. "I think that only works if you actually eat said apple," She murmured in a teasing tone, keeping the conversation as light as possible. At his joke, she nudged at his shoulder very gently before speaking. "I don't think you being admitted in the ER is a good circumstance for me to see you. In fact, it's terrible!"

Gabe shrugged his shoulders up a little at her comment. "I'll get around to it," he said, an amused look on his face. "Maybe after I finish these cookies," he added. "I never said it was a good thing. Just that you wouldn't mind an excuse to see me," he pointed out. "Won't have to have an excuse to come hang out in an empty classroom with me."

Brooke "Probably a good idea. Wash the sugar away with some more natural sugar." She joked with her nose a little scrunched, adjusting herself in the seat so that her legs were recrossed and she was more comfortable. "Well, of course I wouldn't mind seeing you. You're good company."

Gabe "But it's natural so it's ok," he insisted, giving her a serious look. Gabe was only joking when he was talking about her wanting to see him. He liked hearing it but then he remembered she was probably more here to see Seth than him. "Mm, too bad we're both busy then," he said, looking back down at the papers on his desk, turning the sheet over to begin looking at the answers on the back.

Brooke "Only slightly better," She prodded again with her face only amused to his much serious one, straightening up her posture a bit. He might have been joking, but Brooke had always been a natural with welcoming new friends and gaining even more. She enjoyed spending time with people, and Gabe was no exception. "Is that a hint that I'm hindering you?"

Gabe shook his head lightly at her question, keeping his eyes down. He picked up his pen and began to mark the paper. "Nope," he answered, flipping the paper back over to add up the points and determine the student's grade. "You work, I work and I'm sure when you're off, you plan on spending that time with your new boyfriend."

Brooke creased her brows together in a v-formation as he spoke and turned back to his grading, which wasn't what the issue was. She understood he had work but the mood obviously shifted. "Are you talking about Seth?" She murmured after a moment. "He isn't my boyfriend, we're just seeing each other right now."

Gabe set the completed paper on top of the stock of others before he began looking over the next one, making a little face at Brooke's words. He stayed quiet for a moment before setting the pen back down to look up at her again. "Are you seeing anyone else while you're seeing him? Or are you only going on dates with him?"

Brooke watched him as he picked up and set down his pen, moving both her hands to her lap to toy with. "Well, no, I'm not." She answered honestly. "But that does not mean we're exclusive. This was more of a blind date type of thing. I hardly have time to date let alone date many."

Gabe laced his hands together and placed them on top of his desk. He was kind of in teacher mode now, since this was usually how he sat when he was having a serious conversation with one of his students. "If you're only dating him and he's only dating you, that means you're exclusive. You might as well be his girlfriend. In which case, you're too busy to hang out with little ol' me. You've got work and your non-boyfriend."

Brooke watched as his stance chanced and her brow naturally rose at the sight, feeling as though she was almost getting interrogated. "Well, he hasn't asked me or made anything official." Brooke confirmed with her head nodding. "And I make time for my friends."

Gabe 's jaw clenched slightly as Brooke insisted that she wasn't his girlfriend and that she made time for friends. Just the idea of them eventually making it officially annoyed him and he wasn't so sure he wanted to get closer to her if that was going to eventually happen. "Well, I'm sure your friends really appreciate the effort you put into them."

Brooke could sense the change in his mood and refrained from poking fun at it like she would to make it lighter, not wanting to make him grumpier than he currently was. "Is this short and over tense response a quick hint to leave you alone now?"

Gabe licked over his bottom lip, thinking off her question for a moment. Yes, he wanted her to leave because he was an idiot and jealous and it confused him, which made him a little mad. But no, he didn't want her to leave because despite being jealous, confused and a little mad, he did like her company and he liked seeing her and her pretty eyes and amazing smile. He sighed a little and leaned back in his chair, looking over toward the clock. His free period was a little more than half way over. Soon he'd need to start getting ready for his next class. "I don't know..."

Brooke was a bit confused at that point. The signals she was getting from him screamed annoyance but his words said something otherwise. Scratching the side of her slender neck lightly, Brooke let out a breath and adjusted her jeans. "Well, I can go. If you need me to..."

Gabe tapped his fingers lightly against his desk, weighing on the options for a moment before nodding his head lightly. "Yea, that's...I have to start getting ready for my next class and...continue working on grading these papers," he began giving reasons as to why she should leave. "Plus you don't want to be stuck in those halls after the bell rings. It's a zoo."

Brooke let her eyes move down over his desk at the half graded papers, simply nodding afterwards. The last thing she wanted to do was overcrowd somebody, especially Gabe. "I'd rather not relive my high school days of being bumped around in the hallways," Brooke joked with a sweet smile, dipping down to retrieve her jacket to slip on. "I better get going, anyway. You can keep the rest of the cookies."