Boo!

@gemmaxtucker​

“Exactly!” Gemma clapped her hands with each syllable, laughing at the end. “Like let me just focus on the things I came here to learn and then I’ll be on my merry little way.”

“You know what?  We need chocolate.” Izzie gave a firm nod as she closed the book.  “Too bad Artie’s not here.  We could all three go hit up the Shack!”

Randall made a face. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her, it had everything to do with his warped sense of love. His parents only kept pictures to lie about his achievements. After everything that happened with Mike, he wouldn’t have expected him to keep anything. “It’s not that I don’t believe you.” From what he knew about her, Izzie wasn’t prone to lying. “It’s just hard for me to believe.”

Her lips pulled to one side as she thought about it.  “Okay, I could kinda see that,” Izzie admitted. And all things considered - she did get why he’d have trouble with it.  She pulled out her phone and started swiping through her pictures.  “I don’t know if I’ve got one that shows it,” she muttered, frowning down at the screen.  “It’d be in the background.”

Randall was fairly quiet for a moment. It had never accrued to him that Mike would have kept something like that. He wasn’t going to lie, he had a box of stuff from their days as friends underneath his bed. But he’d never admit that out loud. “That doesn’t sound like him.” He wasn’t trying to be a dick he was just trying to squish that feeling back down that had been giving a little bit of hope.

She frowned - not a scowl, really, but more of a ‘seriously?’ type look.  “Yes it does,” she argued.  “It’s Mike and he’s totally that … sappy? Goofy?  Cockamamie?”  Izzie wrinkled her nose as she tried to come up with the right word for it.  Then she shrugged.  “You don’t have to believe me, but I can promise you - it’s there.”

Harvey dropped his bag on the ground, the small trip home was needed and very warranted. “Home sweet home.” But being back in Santa Monica with the new found promise, his grades would get better and he’d stop getting into trouble. “Oh how I’ve missed you.”

Izzie sipped on her iced mocha.  She already felt like bouncing off the walls, but never would she pass up a chance at something with chocolate and caffeine.  Her attention shifted from one thing to another until she heard someone talking.  “So is that excitement or sarcasm?” she asked, the flash of a grin crossing her face.

He was standing near the front door when Izzie entered the gym. An eyebrow lifted as she already admitted to nearly talking herself out of it. “I mean…I can give it a shot?” Kristopher wasn’t the best salesman. He was straightforward and honest. Until it came to telling Anna he liked her, of course. 

“Uh, well. It’s hard work but it strengthens muscle groups that other things don’t. Increases flexibility and grip strength. It teaches you to trust yourself and what your body is capable of. It’s…uh…you know it’s challenging but one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.”

“Well that’s better than the last guy,” she decided.  “I’m pretty sure he just wanted the money.”  Izzie leaned against the wall, “I’m kind of interested in trying it,” she informed him.  “Exercise isn’t what I like doing, but I’ve been trying to find something interesting and involved enough to keep me doing it.”  If it were up to her, she’d get enough exercise by pulling pranks, but somehow that didn’t seem to work.  “Do I need anything special for it?”

“Do you need something or were you just going to stand there staring all day?” Madelyn asked the person standing in front of her. She had been at a table in her favorite coffee shop working when she noticed someone come up to her table, and stare at her. 

Izzie blinked, almost dropping her mocha at the sudden question.  She hadn’t meant to be staring.  Her mind had been elsewhere.  “Ah . . . oops?” Color rushed into her cheeks.  “Sorry about that, I really didn’t mean to be staring.”

Izzie would be the first to say that she hated exercise.  Yeah, she did it - because hey, healthy - but that didn’t mean she liked it.  So she was always on the lookout for something new to try.  Someone suggested rock climbing and she’d wrinkled her nose at the walls people climbed in gyms.  Why would that be any fun?  But someone else pointed out - after she’d gotten some experience, she could go climb actual rocks, like in nature.  City girl to the bone, she hadn’t expected to be intrigued by the idea . . . but it might be neat.  And she was willing to try almost anything at least once.  So she’d done some digging on the internet, gotten some recommendations - this was the third instructor she’s planned to meet with.  The other two hadn’t impressed her and she was this close to trashing the whole idea. 

Harvey dropped his bag on the ground, the small trip home was needed and very warranted. “Home sweet home.” But being back in Santa Monica with the new found promise, his grades would get better and he’d stop getting into trouble. “Oh how I’ve missed you.”

Izzie sipped on her iced mocha.  She already felt like bouncing off the walls, but never would she pass up a chance at something with chocolate and caffeine.  Her attention shifted from one thing to another until she heard someone talking.  “So is that excitement or sarcasm?” she asked, the flash of a grin crossing her face.

“Exactly!” Gemma clapped her hands with each syllable, laughing at the end. “Like let me just focus on the things I came here to learn and then I’ll be on my merry little way.”

“You know what?  We need chocolate.” Izzie gave a firm nod as she closed the book.  “Too bad Artie’s not here.  We could all three go hit up the Shack!”

“Yeah, I have noticed that quite a lot, maybe they just like me or I just attract cats, cause they always find me.” He pondered, letting his mind wander for a moment before coming back to reality.  “Maybe life is just messing with you and you don’t have to really understand the book you’re reading, doing it to annoy you or something.” 

“Cats are picky, so that might be a compliment.” She watched him, curious as to what he was thinking when he seemed to go ‘away’ for a moment.  Then she blinked at his words, giving a little laugh of surprise.  “Well that’d be a nice surprise.  Because then it wouldn’t be on the test.”

Randall was fairly quiet for a moment. It had never accrued to him that Mike would have kept something like that. He wasn’t going to lie, he had a box of stuff from their days as friends underneath his bed. But he’d never admit that out loud. “That doesn’t sound like him.” He wasn’t trying to be a dick he was just trying to squish that feeling back down that had been giving a little bit of hope.

She frowned - not a scowl, really, but more of a ‘seriously?’ type look.  “Yes it does,” she argued.  “It’s Mike and he’s totally that . . . sappy? Goofy?  Cockamamie?”  Izzie wrinkled her nose as she tried to come up with the right word for it.  Then she shrugged.  “You don’t have to believe me, but I can promise you - it’s there.”

“Of course you do.” He grimaced. A bit, he knew everyone saw I’m as the bad guy. It was easy to see why. At the end of the day he was miserable and there was no changing that. His eye brow lifted slightly, “Mike has a picture?”

“Sure does!” Her voice came out in a bright chirp. She wondered for a moment if she’d get any grief from her brothers - at least one of them - for talking to this guy, but she never claimed to know when to call it quits.  And the guy looked miserable . . . but who wouldn’t be if stuck in here?  “It’s at his place.”

“Yeah me too. Boo gen ed classes. I’d much rather be in the design building all day sewing or working on sketches.” Marie admitted with a wrinkle of her nose. Packing up her belongings into her backpack she stood up making her way towards the door to walk to the cafe with the other girl. “Education huh? SO what kind of subject do you want to teach?”

“So I’m guessing you’re a designer?” Izzie followed, hitching her backpack on one shoulder. The more she thought about it, the better hot chocolate sounded. “Actually, I’m looking to teach little kids, so I’m pursing elementary education.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I tend to sometimes speak before I think.” She smiled, “I’m sure he’s an awesome brother and I recognise the name for some reason but it could be anyone.” She laughed, “That I am. I’m a detective with SMPD. No one tends to mess with me if they can help it.”

“Mike Wazowski,” Izzie chuckled.  “It’s a tough one to forget!  Wait until you try spelling it though.” Then she blinked, repressing the wince that tried to come.  Seriously?  Underage in a club and she manages to get into a conversation with a cop?  Oh, when she got hold of her friend who made the wager...!  “Then that makes the guy even more of an idiot, doesn’t it? Why pester a woman who can kick his ass?”