Room 222 | Saturday Night

[pursuedthestars]

Jim was almost sad to figure out whatever craziness had been in the phones yesterday had stopped. It'd been pretty fun to get some insane calls from people he'd probably never talked to about things he'd never talked to them about. He'd be saving those for times when he needed a laugh.

Tonight, he had his door open for no other reason than to see who might be around on a Saturday night. It was kind of sad he was around on a Saturday night but he figured one night in wouldn't kill him. Besides, sometimes the dorms could be entertaining.

Jim was sitting on his desk chair, legs stretched out in front of him and book open in one hand. It wasn't anything special but it passed the time until he thought of something better to do. He liked reading for pleasure, anyway.

Shh. Don't tell.

[Door & post are open]

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

Okay, so Natalie was maybe a little... inebriated. Shut up, you try watching the ESC with space boys after a long week and not feel the need to go out and have a drink after. Or a couple. She'd accidentally found an ESC party at an Irish pub on the mainland. They'd decided she looked a little like winner.

This was why she wasn't going to be fond of drinking once she got to college.

She leaned against the doorframe in a slightly more relaxed manner than usual. "You know, your voicemail? It wasn't funny."

[For alll the SP, but you knew that.]

[pursuedthestars]

"All of my voicemails were funny," Jim said without looking up. He knew that voice. "Which one in particular are you talking about?"

[whenshewasnice]

"The one with filming things."

She did not sound impressed. Not entirely mild this time, either.

[pursuedthestars]

"Oh. That one." Jim chuckled and glanced up at her. "Well, sorry. It's not like it's true. But, I got a weird voicemail so I paid it forward. Congratulations."

[whenshewasnice]

"You're a jerk," Natalie informed him, leaning against that door frame like it was her friend. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

[pursuedthestars]

"Uh huh," Jim said, glancing back down at his book and nodding his agreement with that. "You're not telling me anything I haven't heard before. Funny that you're getting so bent out of shape out of something that wasn't even true. It's called joking. Look it up."

[whenshewasnice]

"Jokes are meant to be funny, Shatner. And that's something that's only funny to you."

Of course, it was possible she was angry at entirely different things that were completely unrelated to him, and this was just frustration bleeding out in the wrong direction. It was possible.

[pursuedthestars]

"Uh huh." Jim turned his book over to rest on his knee so he could look up at her finally. "And would we be having this conversation at all if that voicemail had ended up with someone else? Would you even care about someone else's plight if you hadn't gotten that voicemail?"

He doubted it.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie rolled her eyes at him. She may have been drunk but she still thought there was a flaw in his logic.

"I'm here even though I know it wasn't meant for me," she pointed out. "Had it gone to someone else, I wouldn't know about it, would I?"

[pursuedthestars]

"And you wouldn't care either," Jim told her, crossing his arms. "But, you know what, get over it, Natalie. It was a goddamn joke that wasn't true by any stretch of the imagination. If it makes you feel better about yourself to stand there and lecture me on how bad of a human being I am, go for it. I'm just gonna read while you're doing that though."

He picked his book back up.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie pushed away from the door and stalked into the room. Her step wasn't wobbly, but her movements were less precise than usual. More loose. Affected by the alcohol in her system enough to make her extreme control crack a little.

"No, it doesn't make me feel any better."

Okay, not what she'd meant to say, whatever.

[pursuedthestars]

"Then, why are you doing it?" Jim asked, raising an eyebrow but keeping his eyes on the book. He knew she'd come in but he wasn't going to give her petulance any attention right now. "Just that bored?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Just that frustrated." She stopped by his desk, arms folded. "And you're an easy target because I feel like crap every time I talk to you, anyway. Rainclouds and all."

[pursuedthestars]

"Oh, well thanks," Jim said, taking his turn to roll his eyes at her now. "Why don't you just turn around and leave so you can stop feeling like crap around me? I've got better things to do then listen to this, Natalie."

Like...read this enchanting novel that he was already mostly bored with.

[whenshewasnice]

"Like what?"

Well, since he'd claimed to have better things to do.

[pursuedthestars]

"Like read," he answered succinctly.

[whenshewasnice]

"I doubt that's any better," Natalie retorted.

Not feeling very clever at the moment.

[pursuedthestars]

"You doubt that reading is better than listening to you go on and on about how awful I am and how I should grow up and leave you alone?" Jim asked, raising an eyebrow. "Then, you have a super high opinion of yourself. I'll take the reading."

[whenshewasnice]

"I do have a high opinion of myself," Natalie replied, watching him. Blinking, though. Occasionally. "I also have many low opinions of myself. And some days, I barely have an opinion at all."

[pursuedthestars]

"That's very deep," Jim told her, turning a page and skimming the words quickly. "Very philosophical. Is there something I can help you with or are you seriously just here because you need an outlet for your frustration?"

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie shrugged. Both shoulders, not very graceful. "Well, it's worked before," she said. "Well. Half worked. You may be a jerk but at least you're really pretty."

[pursuedthestars]

Jim did look up at that. He was starting to get the feeling that she wasn't completely in control of her words tonight. He didn't think she'd just up and tell him that on any other day.

"Thank you," he said, raising an eyebrow again. "You're a jerk too, you know."

[whenshewasnice]

"I know." Another thing she might not always admit so easily. She pursed her lips a bit, and shrugged again. "But a pretty one."

Well, she knew she was.

[pursuedthestars]

"Yeah," Jim agreed with a nod. "Yeah, you're really nice to look at."

If only they didn't talk to each other!

"How can I help you with your frustration, Natalie?"

[whenshewasnice]

"You can put your book away."

She brushed her bangs away from her eyes, then carded her fingers through her hair.

"Not that I think you want to help me, but if you're getting something out of it, you won't care. And neither do I."