Pepper Collins - bonfire - outfit
Sean's comment about her shirt made Pepper giggle, and she could tell that he was reaching for things to say. "Thanks. I have to be really careful when I wear this or else I'll stain the hell out of it." This was true. Pepper had worn maybe three white shirts in the past five years. She had always been a klutz when it came to eating, and it seemed to be magnified when she was wearing any light color that could potentially stain. Pepper was sitting relatively close to the tire, but she was surprised when the temperature seemed to increase a few degrees suddenly. Pepper wrapped her arms around herself, enjoying the warmth that seemed to radiate from nowhere.
Hearing his comment about the students made Pepper smile. She had always felt the same way. When she first started attending Laurel, Pepper was overwhelmed by the number of people around her at all times. She was always thankful for the summers, when the campus would clear out a bit and she could focus on her personal relationships.
"You get used to the people. Sort of" she gave him a half smile.
Pepper grew only slightly worried when she heard the news of the partner dance. She usually danced with good friends or just alone anyway, but this year she had almost forgotten about the dance. How could she? She knew her morning had been rough, but was she feeling so bad that she forgot simple things like this? She turned toward Sean, hoping that their friendship was strong enough for what she was about to ask him. It was always awkward when boundaries were pushed too far. "Do you already have a partner for the dance?" She hoped that he knew the intentions were merely friendly, nothing more.