#esmiles

Esme Granted, it was only the first week of classes; syllabuses were barely on the desks, and it wasn't like Esme was already falling behind on her studies, but knowing herself too well in this aspect, she decided it was better to secure things with Grace now and have one less problem down the line. Departing with a vague excuse to her dormmate, Esme folded a copy of her class schedule into her bag, slipping down the corridors and making her way to a classroom not frequented, one she now deemed Grace's "office". Stepping behind the door and into the dim classroom, Esme blinked around the blank space, frowning deeply at the empty room. "What the hell," she muttered to herself, letting her flustered hands come down with a smack on her thighs. Sighing, she took a seat atop one of the various empty desks, filling herself with the hope that Grace would soon return.

Miles

was never one to turn in assignments or even projects. It wasn't because he didn't understand the material but he thought it was a waste of time. Leaving his dorm, he went to the familiar destination where most of his conversations took place with Tiny. Miles was already coming up with a few negotiations for future assignments he was going to have for his classes. It was better to get all of that over with for he wouldn't be stuck dealing with that at the end. Making his way to the classroom he didn't find Tiny there but instead one of his classmates. Confusion suddenly took over him as he crossed his arms. "What are you doing here?" He questioned the girl. As far as he knows, this classroom was hardly used.

Esme Tapping her fingers against the hard surface of the desk she was perched on, Esme's eyes stayed trained on the clock above her head, watching the minutes slowly roll by, with still no Grace to show for. Deciding to give her five more minutes, she leaned back, letting her eyes close for a brief moment until she heard the door click open. "Finally," she exclaimed, her eyes popping open, but instantly met with the sight of someone unexpected. "Oh... I was expecting someone else," she apologized sheepishly, sitting up. "I'm waiting for... a friend," she excused, noting that the word felt foreign on her tongue. "What are ​you​ doing here?"

Miles: raised his eyebrow at the vague response he gave her. "Looks like your friend is late" he walked closer to one of the desks, taking an interest in her. "Same as you. Guess he forgot." He shrugged, taking note that he was going to have to talk to Tiny  about his no show later. Silence soon filled the room as the two of them were the only ones in there. He was certain she was there for some sketchy reason. Looking at his watch, he noticed how much time has passed. "Looks like our /friends/ are busy or something" he turned to her.

Esme stayed silent for a few seconds, a hint of alarm sinking into the back of her mind that Miles knew why she was there. Hearing his similar excuse, she nodded stiffly, relinquishing the fear. "So she is," she murmured, carefully eyeing the boy as he approached her. Hearing his sentiment, she glanced up to the long forgotten clock, realizing that by this point, Grace wasn't making it to the room. "I guess. She didn't know I was meeting her or anything, I just assumed she'd be here. Do you and your friends often hang out in dark, abandoned classrooms?"

Miles: A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "He's not that type of friend" he simply replied. It seemed like neither of them were making the plan of leaving anytime soon.  He had already gave up hope that anybody was going to come for what they originally came here for.  Miles finally decided to get up from his spot and move next to Esme. "So tell me, what are you really doing here?" he asked curiously. "Hardly anybody comes here".

Esme "Right," Esme drawled, still unable to get a full grasp on the situation, or Miles' intentions in the room before she'd appeared. Softly crossing her arms, she stood her figurative ground in keeping mum on the situation, not willing to risk the setup she had worked out with Grace regarding her academic records, but still something had brought Miles to the undisclosed location all the same. "I told you, I was waiting for a friend. She uses this room to study a lot since her roommate is so loud," she fibbed, "I was coming to see if she was here but I must have missed her. And I know that, which makes me wonder why you do," she added inquisitively, her eyes shifting over to meet his.

Miles could sense the hesitation in her voice. It was a bit understandable for someone who might have been doing something they shouldn't. That was his reason for being in the hardly used classroom. He didn't have much to lose if he did tell her what he was doing here. His dad always got him out of trouble so this would be no different. "Oh you know, just going to go pay this /friend/ to make sure my grades don't slip this year" he shrugged nonchalantly, waiting to hear what she had to say.

Esme wasn't expecting much of an elaboration on Miles' part, let alone the full breakdown she received. Losing grip on her collection for a split second, Esme's jaw popped open in shock, in disbelief that the two had found themselves in the unlikely position of arriving for the same reason. "Grace helps you too?" She asked dumbly, name dropping too bluntly to be considered an innocent party any longer. "I mean...-" she trailed, gently biting the center of her lip as she realized there was no way out of the incrimination she'd just earned herself.

Miles: A slight smirk formed as he managed to get her talking as to why she was here. Just as he thought it was for a similar reason. Miles scrunched his face up as another name was said other than Tiny's. "Um, no." He responded scratching the back of his neck. The name sounding familiar as he tried placing a face to it. He shook his head looking down at the ground letting out a small laugh. "You seriously just sold out your so-called friend".

Esme swallowed hard, anxiety rising that Miles now had the upper hand; not only did he reveal her true reason being in the classroom, but now knew the name of her mysterious aid, something that had the potential to lose Esme her place in the school. "You can't tell anyone," she plead softly, feeling herself grow flustered as he reminder her just how much he now knew. Needing to keep up the facade of being in control, she swallowed again, collecting herself with a sharp breath. "You're here for the same reason, you'd get in just as much trouble if I talked, keep that in mind."

Miles: "That's highly unlikely" he quickly argued. As much trouble he got into his status and money always found a way to help him. "Daddy dearest always finds a way to make sure every problem goes away" he stated. It was a fact, anyone who knew how is family worked understood that. He was a Hollingsworth after all. He didn't like the whole threatening attitude she gave but he looked at her once again. They could be somewhat useful to each other. They clearly thought the same easy, trouble-wise. "Is it safe to assume you usually do things that can lead to trouble?" He asked taking interest.

Esme quickly found herself rolling her eyes at Miles' defense. She should have figured such was the case. For as much as she'd heard of the boy's reputation in passing, it didn't surprise her that he had a familiar safety net to brush his mistakes under the rug. The question Miles posed piqued Esme's interest, turning to face him once more as she debated answering honestly. So far she wasn't getting the vibe that he'd be turning her in anytime soon, and even if he planned to, she'd certainly still try to take him down with her.Deciding that was a safe enough stance, she shrugged a shoulder in his direction. "I don't believe in wishful thinking. I prefer to make things happen on my own, I just use some less conventional ways than others."

Miles

had a few ideas in mind concerning some of the trouble she might help him with. The boy didn't know too much about her except that they were sort of in the same situation right now. Hearing her response gave him reassurance that she would have no problem with some stunts he planned on pulling. "Well looks like I found a new friend" he gave a small smile. Miles usually wouldn't let people know what he was up to since they would try to have him back out of it. He hated being told what to do. This seemed different to him. "Look I won't tell anyone about your secret meeting or whatever," he quickly assured her, "so how do you feel about making my father's life a little bit more difficult?

Esme still wasn't entirely convinced that Miles was the best example of a trustworthy ally, but at the mention of the two being friends, her ears perked. It wasn't a big secret that Esme generally kept to herself, usually found by herself throughout the campus. She didn't have friends, not really, and the ones she ever managed to make never lasted long. Miles didn't need to know that though, and if he was willing to take a chance on her, she would too. Raising an eyebrow at the vague and somewhat unnerving question he posed, Esme turned. "I feel like I should get some background first," she answered. "What did he do?"

Miles sighed already in frustration just thinking about his dad. There was so much anger and hatred coming from him..  "He's the typical asshole. Doesn't care about anyone or anything. He just doesn't get it, I-" he paused dropping his anger, "there's this event thing happening soon and you can come in attendance. There's going to be some press there so we can cause some trouble" he suggested. He wasn't sure if she was willing to come and go through with it but it didn't hurt to ask.

Esme watched curiously as Miles struggled with his words. Clearly she'd struck a nerve she hadn't known existed, but even so, she needed to know what she was getting into before agreeing to anything-even if it was already tempting. "Not very specific," she noted, letting him trail off. "I'll take any excuse I can get to get away from this campus, count me in. How are we stirring this pot, exactly?"

Miles: "Get high, drunk, or whatever. Mingle with the guests and talk about how great my father is. Take a splash in the pool." He finished off the list in his mind. "We'll just wreck the event and do whatever we want" he shrugged. Causing some chaos and embarrassing his dad seemed to be where he put all his energy. He was just tired of having to pretend that he was part of this picture perfect family.

Esme was visibly astonished by Miles' suggestion, suddenly more on board with the plot than before. "I still don't get what he did so wrong, but if your teenage angst needs a partner in crime that bad, you found the right one," she confirmed, offering out her hand to seal the deal. "You can get us off campus for this?"

Miles didn't expect her to understand, nobody did. It wasn't like he was looking for her to. He just needed someone else to be part of his plan and he now had that. Miles pulled his hand out taking hers, giving it a small shake. "Of course. You've got nothing to worry about."

Esme accepted the larger hand, giving it a quick shake to close on the plan before retreating. "Good, I'm already enjoying this budding friendship," she smirked, her ankles swinging to and fro off of the side of the desk she was still poised atop. "You know if we pull this stunt off, you'll owe me, right?" She teased, cocking a brow up at him.

Miles placed his hand back to his side, nodding in agreement. “Then I’m your guy” He smirked, keeping his eyes locked on hers. There was no hesitation from whatever he might do in return as a favor. The girl next to him already caught his interest and he trouble didn’t scare him off.

Esme smiled wider, undeniably pleased that not only was there another student on campus that was invested in the same sorts of pastime as she, but that he was interested in carrying out those rebellions alongside her. Already her semester was looking a bit more promising, her troubles momentarily forgotten in lieu. "I'll hold you to that, my wheels are already turning," she chimed, lifting a finger to lightly tap her temple.

Miles got up from his seat pleased on how this day went. A bit unexpected, yes, but he found someone who didn’t tell him no. “Well just let me know. I’ll see you later” he smiled, walking towards the exit. He turned one last time to take a small glance at her and then went off.