Your Secret is Not Safe with Me [Kendra and anubis]

[Kendra]

Annie Stapleton was tall, slender and beautiful in every sense of the word. The ability to turn heads as soon as she entered a room had been hers since she was twelve years old. She had never known what had changed, perhaps her boobs coming in or the fact that she had grown suddenly so tall as if over night that people always did a double take of her. Back then of course she also had braces, the aggravating train track kind but instead of it becoming the stuff to make fun of her with, her peers chose instead to sympathise. Annie became one of the more popular girls, not necessarily because of her looks but because of how she treated people ... and then her looks. Everyone was equal in her eyes, she stood up to bullies though a gust of wind could blow her away; she championed every cause that the school or town decided to help with, from raising funds for cancer research to funds for earthquake appeals. Her academic record was exemplary and she liked sports just as much as reading.

By the time she had started at college however it was well noted that she had never dated. It wasn't that she had no offers, she was inundated with them but Annie had realised pretty early on that her taste did not lie with the boys from her year but rather the professor teaching her. She just preferred older men and until she was at an acceptable age then she didn't even want to consider dating anything in between. At twenty years of age and in her third year of University, Annie had fallen hard for her English literature professor. He was taller than her which was a bonus in her eyes, now at 6'2" she was head and shoulders over many of her female friends. Professor Mattison was greying but he was doing so gracefully, he spoke with a thick New York accent and his deep brown eyes seemed to speak to her very soul. More times than not she found herself simply staring at him from her seat, letting the entire lecture drift by unheard no matter that she was genuinely attempting to listen. She kept her secret crush buried deep within her, never intending to act on it no matter how desperately she wanted too.

[anubis]

Shawn Quinn was you’re average guy trying to fit into college life. Born and raised in Las Vegas he had spent most of his life just trying to find that someone special. Shawn hadn’t gone on many dates since leaning high school and thought college life was going to be that much easier, well he was wrong about that. Studying law Shawn didn’t consider himself smart or anything though some people would put him in the nerd category seeing as he loved science fiction. However things didn’t pick up on his third year at college life.

Ever since Shawn started college he had an attraction to Annie Stapleton, the girl was gorgeous she really was and yet Shawn couldn’t puck up the courage to ask the girl out. The girl was the same age and Shawn never really had it in him to ask. Shawn would have gathered that the girl probably never even knew that he existed. Walking towards his next class Shawn had book upon books in his hands. Shawn wasn’t however looking where he was going and walked right into Annie. “I’m really sorry.” Shawn explained as he tried to pick up his law books.   

[Kendra]

So intent was Annie on the prize before her hazel eyes that she saw nothing else and no one else certainly mattered. As she rounded the corner of the corridor the professor had stepped out of the staff room, answered his phone and stood there smiling as he spoke into the handset. Annie was transfixed, thoughts whizzed through her mind as to who he could be speaking too and what about. She watched as his mouth quirked upwards, deepening the smile that she loved so much when her world was jarred roughly and she found herself colliding with a student she barely recognised.

Her eyes darted back in the direction of the staff room and with a relieved sigh she discovered that the professor was still standing there. An apology carried to her ears and glancing downwards she saw the blonde man gathering books that had fallen. It was simply in her nature to help and without hesitation she bent down to assist him. The skirt she wore stopped just above her knees but as her legs were long and slender, they had the appearance of going on for miles. Discreetly and in such a ladylike fashion, she knelt on her haunches to pick up two of the books. Glancing at the cover of one she saw the Criminal Law title and gave the young man another look as she past the books back. Her eyes darting always in the direction of the professor making sure he did not leave her view.
"That's okay no harm done" she smiled at him as she handed him the books back and stood up again, "I guess I wasn't paying much attention myself."
Again her eyes glanced away from him, the impression that he was detaining her evident.

[anubis]

Shawn felt like he was suck an idiot right about now, Shawn however watched as Annie helped him pick up his books. Shawn listened to Annie as she spoke to him, was this really happening to him right now? He was actually speaking to the woman that he wanted to ask out? “Guess we both weren’t paying that much of attention then” Shawn replied back to Annie. Shawn gathered up the remaining books and turned his attention back to Annie.

Shawn then stood up so he could easily carry his books without them falling out of his hands again like what happened moments before. “What’s your next class? If you don’t mind me asking.” Shawn asked as he tried to start up a conversation with the girl that he never tried to talk to before now.   

[Kendra]

She had hoped to simply leave it there, pleasantries out of the way Annie had every intention of moving to speak with her professor before he headed away to class but the young man spoke again. Her gaze turned back to him and she looked at him a moment as if trying to garner what he had just said to her when he spoke again. Other students were now filling up the corridor and slowly the sight of Professor Ashton Mattison was becoming a strain to maintain. Annie was never one to give in to exasperation and she seriously didn't want to now but she couldn't help the tinge of it that cloaked her voice when she looked again to the blonde.

"Sorry ... what?" she blinked incredulously, why would her next class matter to him or was he simply just making polite small talk for having crashed into her? A slender hand moved up to her long blonde locks and long fingers ran through it's tresses as all traces of the professor were now obsolete. She stared a moment more down the corridor where he had to have moved, then blinking herself back to reality she looked anew at the man before her.

"My next class? Ah ... psychology" she was still very much an undergraduate with no idea what her major would be. She had hoped for journalism but by her third year she had swiftly changed her mind. With parents where money was no object, the ability to stay on at college until she could figure out her career path was acceptable. A decided feeling that she was not being very nice to him hit her and she sighed inwardly. Extending her hand to him she made an effort to smile.
"I'm Annie ... Annie Stapleton".

[anubis]

Shawn wondered if Annie was going to reply back to him or not, she never really paid much attention to him in the past but then again he never really actually talked to the girl before this would probably be his very first conversation to her at all, so Shawn tried not to screw anything up here or Annie might think that he was a total freak and not talk to him. He probably should have stopped jumping to conclusions now, it was really messing up with his thought process. Shawn just returned his attention back to Annie as he waited to here what her reply would be.

Shawn’s family weren’t what you would call a rich family, all throughout school they struggled to pay for the fees so Shawn could get a education and when Shawn finally made it to college his parents were happy and proud that he made it, though of course Shawn had to pay half of his fees on his own though with his job at school that wasn’t really a problem, well it took a while at least. “Law studies is my next class.” Shawn replied back as Annie answered him. “I’m Shawn Quinn.” Shawn added in.   

[Kendra]

As nice as she was and she was well known for it, Annie felt her exasperation grow. This was completely unfair, she had spent the best part of that morning getting the nerve up to finally go and speak one on one with the professor, to even go so far as proposition him if it came to it and now it was all slipping away from her. The excitement that had been building in her stomach the past few hours now felt as if it would hurl its contents and grudgingly she thought that if she did throw up, she bloody well should do it over Shawn Quinn's shoes!

Why he was telling her he had a law class dumbfounded her completely but he seemed to think that it was necessary. Didn't he realise that he had asked her and not the other way around? Annie was amazed at the amount of hostility she felt towards the guy, though all he had done was bump into her and drop his books; apologise and try to maintain some etiquette by starting a conversation. It aggravated her that one minute she was ready to kick him and the next she was feeling like the ogre in the scenario.
"That's nice Shawn" she told him with a polite smile, "Well I'm sure you're going to be late then, so I'll let you get on with to it."
It was the only way she could think of to get rid of him and send him literally on his way. He had said his next class was Law after all, she just hoped it was the class after the bell rang and not later that day. Politeness made her stand and wait like an utter fool and she knew deep down she'd end up regretting it.

[anubis]

Shawn listened to Annie as she spoke to him, though in truth his next class wasn’t for another two periods away he was merely making his way to the library to do some studying for the assignment that was due next week, so he didn’t really have to hurry that much right now. “Actually, the next two period’s are free and I don’t have to go to my next class until after lunch.” Shawn replied to Annie with a smile. Shawn was wondering what he was going to do next, this was the longest conversation that he had every spoken to Annie after all.

“So psychology huh? So you hope to be a psychologist when you graduate then?” Shawn asked as he tried to keep the conversation going. Shawn fell silent as he placed his books back comfortably in his arms so they wouldn’t fall out from his grip like what happened moment’s before. "Is you're class this period?" Shawn asked as he tried his luck.     

[Kendra]

She wondered why he was telling her that he had free periods and slowly it dawned that he was probably hoping for a bit more time with her. Maybe it was a bit egotistical of her she wasn't sure, but it seemed to be the case. Annie glanced at him and sighed. This wasn't how she wanted her day to go, why would she even want to spend time with Shawn Whats-his-face? Feeling even more perturbed as if he were playing to her good nature she pouted, not knowing how sultry it made her appear. How her full lips pushed out just a little bit more and her eyes took on this unbelievably seductive yet saddened look.

"That's nice for you" she told him, turning now as if she would just walk away and hoping he wouldn't follow her. Of course he spoke yet again and stopping in her tracks she stared at him.
"No Shawn it's ... it's just one of those classes I took to fill my day. I'm an English major" she told him and knowing when she admitted to not having any class this period he would most likely offer to stay with her. He was good looking so there was no problem in being seen about campus with him but he just wasn't the Professor!
"I'm free" she said with a resigned air.

[anubis]

Shawn listened to Annie as she spoke to him, he wondered if Annie was free at all as he wanted to see if he could spend that little more time with her. Shawn continued to listen to Annie’s words as she explained to him that psychology wasn’t her major but something that she wanted to do for fun. “Ah ok then. Psychology is always fun though one of my friends is doing the class as well, he normally uses me as a test subject though.” Shawn joked around, though he probably made himself look like a total idiot right there and then.

Shawn fell silent as Annie was speaking to him once more, he smiled when she said that she was free. “Well if we’re both free would you like to go to the cafeteria for lunch?” Shawn asked clearly asking Annie out though he wondered if she would accept his offer or not. Shawn just stood there as he waited for an answer from Annie. 

[Kendra]

Annie saw the look in his eyes and felt terrible, he was obviously delighted that she was speaking to him at all and yet here she was wishing he would move on and away. Pushing all thoughts of the professor aside and resigning herself to that being nothing more than a pipe dream she saw no harm in spending time with Shawn. He seemed harmless enough. Nodding her head slowly she answered his smile with one of her own.

"Sure why not?" she shrugged lightly turning in that direction and beginning to walk down it, waving a greeting to a few others who passed by, "so what sort of tests did he do on you?" she asked turning to regard him. He genuinely was cute and if he was doing law then he had to be some degree of smart so why would he let someone use him as a psyche test subject. She wondered if he needed the money and smiled again as she imagined being a test subject for Professor Mattison.

[anubis]

Shawn just stood there quietly as he waited to hear what kind of answer he was going to et from Annie, he just hopped that everything was going to go well, well so far so good she was talking to him after all and that’s got to be a plus for sure. Shawn smiled as Annie accepted his offer to go lunch, he could put his studies on hold for this since he had been dreaming about actually asking Annie out since day one of college. Shawn smiled again as Annie asked him about the tests his friend put him through.

“Oh nothing major. We got drunk after having a small get together, my friend thought it would be funny to pull of those psychological questions to see how far he could get inside my head.” Shawn replied. That small party happened like a week after they arrived at college. Shawn was glad that he was now going for lunch with Annie it meant that he could try to further his luck and hoped that it worked out well like everything so far. Shawn began to walk towards the cafeteria. “So what do you want to do when you graduate from college?” Shawn asked Annie.   

[Kendra]

She thought about it for all of five seconds, making small talk was usually so easy for her and she couldn't understand why it wasn't now. Annie gave Shawn a sideways glance and felt her brow furrow.
"I've got a few interviews lined up at various publishing houses, I eventually want to be editor of either a decent publishing house or a good magazine. Any ideas yourself ... oh sorry, a lawyer wasn't it? How many years have you left on that then?"

It seemed thankfully that once she had started she couldn't stop and felt better now that she wasn't walking like some fool down the corridor all quiet as if brooding. They reached the caffeteria and pushing open the door she held it for him before grabbing a tray from the waiting trolley and moving to queue in the aisle, all the while pausing to wait for Shawn. She didn't know why but she found herself gradually enjoying his company and with a smile figured there could have been worse ways to spend her lunch break.

[anubis]

Shawn continued to listen in, he was simply glad that Annie had accepted his offer, study of course could wait. Shawn listened in as Annie explained what she wanted to do in her career, he smiled and looked back at her. Shawn followed Annie in as she held the door open for him, he thanked her. “I’m in my final year with law studies. Since starting this year we’ve been working on some actual cases with other lawyer’s to get a feel on what’s to come.” Shawn explained.

Shawn looked around the cafeteria for a moment before turning his attention back to Annie as he watched her grad a tray. Shawn grabbed a tray as well. Shawn smiled as he looked at the food that was on display, he wasn’t sure on what he was hungry for. “Is this your final year at the university as well?” Shawn asked Annie as he made his way towards the small line. Shawn fell silent as he waited for a response from Annie before saying anything else.   

[Kendra]

She listened and gradually found herself becoming interested in what he was saying. She had met a few of the law students before but they were usually so far up themselves that she never gave them too much of her time. Shawn however did seem different and she let a smile grace her face as she paid attention to him. Placing an apple on her tray, a plate of salad and a bottle of water Annie made her way to the cash register.

"Yeah it's my last year as well" she shrugged which was why she had been hoping that this year of all years she would get to make some head way with the professor. With a sigh inwardly cast she rummaged around for her purse and laying down her tray took out the necessary money before stepping away with her tray once all her food was paid for. She wasn't loaded so had no intention of paying for his and she wasn't so egotistical to think he would want to pay for hers.

"We can sit over there" she indicated an empty table that seemed set apart from all the others, as if only the social pariahs at there. This wasn't the case at all, it had literally just emptied and she was sure they could get to it before it filled again.