"Did you pack the toothpaste?"
"Yeah."
"Your extra underwear?"
"Yeah."
"Your skin oint-"
"Yes!"
Ian almost shouted the last part, his mom turning to glare down at him through he pair of spectacles. Ian suppressed the urge to sigh. His mom meant well, but she was convinced that if he was not prepared for every little thing, disaster would strike. It was maddening. He could hardly wait for Elly to get here. He had already taken his car and most of things things to the senior dorms. His best friend had only taken him back home to say goodbye to his mother and she was taking her sweet time coming back with her things. He hoped he didn't manage to misplace any of her mechanical tools when they unpacked this year. He didn't hear the end of all junior year when he misplaced her wrench.
"Another thing, you should have had Illiana visit more this summer..."
"Mom..." he began.
"She is a nice girl. You shouldn't let her slip away..."
"Mom, please..."
"I don't want to wait twenty years for a grandchild sired in a desperate Vegas marriage..."
"Mom!!!"
His face was red and he was nearly ready to walk to twenty miles to Crossroads Academy out of sheer embarrassment alone. Thank God he didn't tell her that he did like Illiana. If she learned that... He couldn't bare the thought.
Illiana pulled up to Ian's house with a sigh. Her car rolled to a stop, and sputtered in a way that made her cringe. She would need to take a look at it when she got to the school. Illiana sighed as she stepped out of her car and stretched. Cenna had been away so she didn't get to say good bye...she had waited as long as she could but she couldn't make Ian wait any longer.
She walked up the sidewalk to his house with a smile, her mind wandering to the years of playing tag, camping, and tree climbing. She didnt knock when she came to the door, instead she called out jokingly:
"Honey I'm home!"
She only caught the tail end of the conversation between Ian and his mom but it still made her grin.
"Whose getting desperately married in Las Vegas? You have a girlfriend I don't know about Ian?" She asked as she slung an arm around his shoulders and gave him googly eyes and a kissy face.
"I mean aside from Hermione or...?" She giggled as she poked his side in his ticklish spot just below his fourth rib on his left side.
"Dont worry Mrs Butler, I will take good care of him." She assured his mother with an angelic grin.
Ian squirmed at his best friend's touch. They knew each others' bodies too well (and, God, didn't that sound so wrong) from the years they spent roughhousing as kids and Illiana liked to poke him there every chance she got. He responded by poking her back in the right armpit, earning a reproving glance from his mother. Her double standards on male and female touching was a pain in the ass.
"Illy, I say I like a film character one time and you never let me forget it. Do I need to bring up Q from that James Bond movie?" he asked, oblivious to the slight smirk his mom sent his way.
"No one's getting married in Las Vegas if I can help it, dear. And I'll hold you to that. I don't want Ian graduating a schmuck."
"This is why I don't bring her home much. You conspire with her," he grumbled, "Can we go now? Unless the Mystery Machine broke down again."
He smirked. He thought that name fit his friend's care to a t. There was always something wrong with it. You just had to figure out what it was on a particular day.
"Just keep him in line, Illiana."
Ian suppressed a groan. When did the she start treating his friend like his wife. He wished that Dad wasn't working third shift today. He could always be counted on to bail him out.
"Hey Q was damn fine, and I stand by that....and as for my Mystery Machine, its rumbling and making mysterious noises as per usual, but it should get us to Crossroads." Illiana said with a small smile. What she didn't say is that Q looked a hell of a lot like her best friend...and she had to admit, she had a type and he was it. She felt a blush burn up her cheeks so she gave herself an internal shake, pushing that thought away.
"We will keep each-other out of trouble, scouts honor" Illiana said as she did the three finger scout symbol (though obviously she was never a scout) before she gave Ian's mom a peck on the cheek.
"We need to head out, ya lyublyu tebya (I love you)" Illiana said as she tugged at Ian's arm in the direction of the door and started waiving at Mrs. Butler. Illy shoulder bumped Ian with a grin as they exited the house.
"So, who are you bunked with?" Illy asked trying to take her mind off of the thought of her best friends possible love interest as she climbed in the driver seat of her powder blue vw van and started it. It back fired and groaned before it started. It wasn't much but it was her's earned with her own money.
"Get in Shaggy" She said with a grin.
Ian's mother had scarcely hugged his friend back before she was dragging him out the house. She called out something, but Ian did't hear her. Instead, he examined how Illy's cheeks had gone red. Did she have a cold or something? She didn't seem down or anything.
"Your Mystery Machine is a screaming metal death trap," he teased her. At her question, he shrugged, "Seth, Nolan, Emmett, and Jax. It's strange how I never to to know any of them that well. What about you?[/color]
[color=00CCFF]"Well didn't you get the King of the Damned crew?"[/color] Illy said referring to the other boy's statuses. She didn't have a problem with any of them per say, she just, didn't know how to interact with bigshots.
"I don't know yet, didn't bother to check. Figured I'd be spending more time in your dorm than mine anyways." Illiana said with a snicker. She knew how it sounded and she was okay with it. Her lewd comments usually made him blush and she loved it. It didn't take very long to reach their destination, if only because Illy had a lead foot. She was lucky on more than one occasion, that she didn't get pulled over and fined.
As they reached their destination, Illy slipped out of the van and unpacked what little she had left to bring which consisted of a backpack full of random stuff. Odds and ends really.
[color=#00CCFF]"Well lets go meet your crew" She said as she headed towards the boys dormitories.
Ian rolled his eyes at his friend, trying to hide the blush that was growing on his cheeks. He knew she loved to fluster him and he almost always fell for it. Well, two could play at that game. As the car slowed down near the boys dorm, he turned to shoot a smirk at her.
"Just be careful sneaking out after curfew. We wouldn't want to be caught in an awkward situation," he told her, rather proud of the fact hat he hadn't stuttered or looked away when he spoke. As he stepped out of the car, he spotted Nolan. He didn't know the guy too well, though he knew of him. Few students didn't recognize the A-Listers in school, particularly the king bee.
As he stepped out, he waved at him, "Hey, we're dormmates, right?"