 Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?
Thinking about this, Brandon decided that she must really want to be left alone if she was looking at him with 'the no interaction face'. He, too, really wanted to be left alone. This... was a confusing interaction. She wanted to be alone, and he wanted to be alone, and yet they were still managing half a conversation. And conversation came in two parts, which meant that they were both contributing to one-quarter of a conversation. Neither of them were doing great at being left alone, he thought vaguely to himself. Then, his mind hooked on something else.
Sloane's response actually elicited a scowl from Brandon, which lingered on his face for several seconds before he smoothed it back into his usual Polite Brandon Nothing Wrong Here Mask. He had never asked for her name at all, nor had he been the first to introduce himself, but that didn't mean she could call him a stupid balcony boy. He chewed the inside of his cheek, holding back the things he had to say. Why was he letting a younger year make him mad? This was stupid. He should have more self control. He should be more secure. He shouldn't let things get to him. He should be the bigger person in every situation all the time, he reminded himself harshly. He was supposed to be composed, not tense and angry. He was supposed to... "Bye," he said as politely as he could manage (which was pretty polite because his father had made him take lessons in it), praying that there wouldn't be a next time.
Anyway, he was going to go question if he really was stupid and messed up read his papers in peace. It would totally be easy, because there was absolutely nothing wrong with his mood and he was fine and that was why he was so calm all the time. Obviously. |