The Complete Pixie Survival Guide

Julieta continued laughing with Devyn as they kept going; ruthless teasing and banter seemed like a pretty good charge for the boy who usually thought of himself as the alpha of the Weres. They had caught him pretty good now and Julieta liked to watch the pained expressions on Caden's face as the teasing went on. She noticed Tobi too, and noticed the tensing relationship that was going on between the two of them - though she wished Tobi would contribute more to the conversation so she didn't feel so left out... She almost growled in annoyance as Tobi finished up her lunch and hurriedly headed off to the library. Julieta and Devyn shared an exasperated look of annoyance. This girl was good... She was stubborn and she was practically already giving Caden a run for his money... In fact though, Julieta had almost hoped things would happen this way. Now, Caden could go over to the library and comfort her... It seemed like a win-win solution really. She glanced over at Caden and gave Devyn the thumbs up to offer the suggestion to Caden.

Caden could only take so much of the teasing and prodding. He usually didn't mind it so much, because they were usually his good friends and he didn't care - he had faults just like the rest of the world and would own up to them when his friends picked in him... Now he just felt like shit, because what they were saying regarded Tobi as well as him... It wasn't even that she was directly being picked on, but more that they were really making him look stupid in front of her. It would have to take a really dumb person to not observe from what they were saying that Caden had quite the thing for Tobi, and he knew that Tobi wasn't that dumb. Stubborn, yes, but not dumb... She was beautiful, and smart... Still, he had to hand it to him, they were probably right considering he was thinking about her all the time now... And her kind of knowing, well knowing but not really believing, served her well because at least she knew that he cared. He almost growled when she packed up her things and headed off to the library. Not only had his thinking been wrong that she would be the first one to crack, but his friends had also pushed it too far this time and now they scared her away... Probably for good! He grimaced at his friends who only seemed to smile at each other and then Devyn offered his advice. Without another word, he got up and left to go check on Tobi. He found her at one of the back tables at the library and sat across from them. "Listen, Tobi! I'm sorry about my friends; they're... Well, they're stupid." She looked like she was about to object when he cut her off. "Ah! Listen, just hear me out and if you still insist that we shouldn't be friends afterwards, I'll respect that! Just let me talk first!" He demanded.

After Tobi had gone into the library, she was unaware of what the others were doing or saying. For a minute, she did look through shelves but found her mind a little too preoccupied to be able to actually think about reading, and so it didn't take long to find herself at one of the tables in the back, setting her things down with her as she considered whether she should eat back there from now on or try to sit with Caden, Julieta, and Devyn again. If what they had been teasing Caden about was right and they also knew about how she felt...was it possible that Julieta and maybe Devyn as well were trying to play matchmaker? No, she tried to tell herself. That would never happen. But still, there was that nagging feeling in the back of her mind that made her want to tear her hair out. Then Caden showed up, taking the seat across from her at the table, and she watched him for a moment, wondering what he had come to say, but in turn saying nothing. She opened her mouth at one point, but closed it again when he cut her off, sighing softly to herself to prevent a small rush of anger as she had experienced in the past with dealing with him. Geez, she wasn't sure she could take a speech from him, not now, and not after what had just happened, and so she searched for a way out in her mind. Two things came to mind, one of which being that she not hear him out and leave, but she didn't consider than an option and so threw it out of her mind. Instead, something else came as an idea. "Look, don't apologize. It just got awkward for me out there..." she breathed heavily for a moment, then dug in her pocket until she procured the note that she had written with Julieta. She pushed it across the table to him. "Before you say anything or start in on what you were going to say, read that," she told him, and leaned back, looking up towards the ceiling. She wasn't sure she wanted to be around when he read it.

When Caden was done with his first little speech of telling Tobi that he wasn't going to leave her alone anytime soon, he took a minute to inhale and exhale calmly a few times since his breathing had become unstable when talking to her. He also wanted the pause there anyway for her to say whatever she was going to way to counter his argument - and he really didn't know where to begin now anyways... He came into the library on an impulse, not really expecting that she would even give him the time of day to speak. Still, he had no plan of what to say to her. Tobi, I'm madly in love with you? Nope, that wouldn't work... I want to just be friends...? Yeah, we'll that would suck because every time he looked at her he knew that he couldn't just ignore her and be okay as friends and nothing more. He had put himself in the weirdest of positions because he didn't know what he was going say. Hell, he didn't even know what he wanted to say to her... Depending on the speech he gave, they would end up as very different things - or not, if Tobi chose to reject him. When she found the note that she had in her pocket and handed it to him, he raised an eyebrow in disbelief and confusion. "Tobi, what is this?" He asked, but when she only shook her head and seemed to be overly-stingy with her answers today, he only rolled his eyes but started his eyes scanning over the words. Man, Julieta had done good at getting this girl all twisted in knots and having to confess; he almost felt bad at her ruthlessness, but then again, he wouldn't be sitting with her like this if she hadnt been. A few times he looked up to smile at her from the innocent words on the page, but she was still looking at the ceiling, possibly praying that she was nowhere near him... Still, it made his hands all clammy and made him shaky after reading the words on the page. "Why are you showing me this, beautiful?" He was slightly confused... Did she want him to avoid her now or was she suddenly over that?

The reason Tobi had decided to look at the ceiling was so she wouldn't be tempted to try and read Caden's expression as he read the note she had exchanged with Julieta, and because she didn't want to show any expression either. She honestly wasn't sure why she had handed him the note...maybe it was because of the others' teasing at lunch, or maybe it was because she was sick of the constant tension and avoidance, and she would rather just have things cleared now....she just didn't know, but both seemed like good answers, and the latter was probably more true than the former. She was starting to become sick of those things, and it had only been one day! Geez, she was so screwed, if things were going to be like this constantly. She looked at Caden finally after he spoke, a bit surprised at the word he had added to the end of his question. What exactly did that mean, or rather, what should it? Shaking the thought from her head, she managed a slight shrug as she let out a breath. "I don't know...I'm trying to figure that out myself. I know it hasn't even been a day yet, but I don't know if I can take any more of the tension or awkwardness. It just feels so wrong...so, this seemed quicker than whatever speech you were going to give me." She paused, glancing over at him again. "So, what do you have to say?" She hated beating around the bush, especially now, and so instead of trying to come up with some awkward way to ask him this or that or whatever, she thought she would take a more direct approach and see what he had to say now that she had shown him that. She guessed it would be different from what he originally would have started saying to her, since there was something different now. Now, she could only hope it would be something good.

Caden was breathing rather heavily. He couldn't be sure, but he was almost positive that he had been holding his breath the entire time he was holding the letter - and speaking to her was the first time that he had let it out. Of maybe it was from the words that were dancing across the lines of the page that made him so breathless... Those words were resistant, and even defiant, at first, yet they soon bloomed into a flower. At least if she hadn't completely admitted that she wanted to get to know him better as something more than friends, she had at least admitted one thing... She liked him.... She liked him even if every bone in her body was telling her against it and she wished that she didn't... "I don't like this awkward feeling with you either... I've been trying to get past it all day!" He mused as she explained why she had given him the note. He noticed she forgot to mention how she also wanted him aware of the way that she felt for him, but he let it slide; he was quite aware that she hadn't admitted that to herself yet! "I can't believe of all things you could be talking about during geometry, it was me! I was quite curious, but I figured I'd give you some space and save myself the humility of asking." He explained quickly as she demanded to know what it was that he had to say. "Look, I'm sorry that we got off on the wrong foot; I'm sorry that I came on too strongly the way that I did... I just couldn't stop myself once I met you! Shit, that sounded a lot smoother in my head!" He chuckled for a moment to ease the nervousness that he was feeling. He desired to tell her everything - Weres, Betty, and all... His conscience knew that doing that would be completely illogical - if not forbidden - but still he wanted her to see the effect she had on him. She wasn't just one of many girls that he liked to flirt with, but she was more than that! How to tell her that? Well, Caden wasn't too sure. "I... God I don't know what to say to you," he stuttered. "When I first saw you, I knew you were different and I couldn't help but talk to you... I'm sorry if I scared you away! But then again, does this prove that I didn't?" He questioned, holding up the note as if it were gold in his fingers - for, to him, it was...

Tobi couldn't believe how Caden's reaction suddenly seemed different, how he seemed to just keep talking and sputtering over himself. It was almost as if he were speaking on impulse instad of thinking it through first, and he kept trying to correct it. Actually, she thought it was a little cute, but probably only because this was the first she had seen of it and if it happened a lot she was sure she would get sick of it Of course, she wouldn't tell him that; she could still barely swallow what was going on between them at the moment. Was he trying to say that he liked her, that he wanted to be friends, or...what? She could barely make out heads from tails of what he was trying to get at, besides the fact that he was sorry. Then as he held up the note, she sighed softly. "Feel free to throw that away," she murmured, though she could practically see him smirking at it. "And look, it's not really your fault. I already explained to Julieta what's been going on with me, you can ask her, and it's the reason my mom sent me down here. She was hoping I would get back to my normal self...I didn't want to though, not really, and I haven't been acting right this morning. I guess crying in the girl's bathroom puts things in perspective for you," she smiled weakly. "I shouldn't be as hard to get along with now though, if you want to try again. I wouldn't blame you though, if you didn't." she paused for a moment, thinking. "Um, I'm not trying to be rude, but is there any way for you to speak clearer? You're kind of tripping over every other sentence, and I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what you're saying. I'm probably the same but..." she sighed. "If I am, let me know."

Caden felt a whole lot better about everything once he had gotten to confess everything to her and tell her what was going on. He knew for a fact that nothing was coming out right, but he only hoped that she understood. He was trying to imply that he had feelings for her without being to straightforward, but it always just ended up sounding like he didn't know what to do. In all honesty, he didn't, but he wasn't going to mention that to anyone since he had always been so sure of himself. Now he didn't know which way to go... To turn down very dangerous territory and invite her out somewhere of she wished to go, or pretend she didn't exist. There was always the route that he could try to be friends with her forever, but he didn't know if it would work... He was already too far gone for that to ever work. She had him... Right where she wanted him if she did so want him. He heard her words and couldn't help but smirk a little to himself. God, she almost sounded just as disoriented and able to ramble as he had, so it made him feel a little better about the whole unplanned speech. "Hey, hey, hey!" He exclaimed quite loudly for being in a library when she did indeed insult his words. "I am sorry that I can't speak straight when I get lost every time I look at you! Don't blame me!" He winked at her. "But... Listen, I really wanna work things out with you... Clearer?"

As Caden smiled and started to speak loudly, Tobi's eyes widened a bit. She didn't want to get in trouble in the library her first day; she enjoyed reading too much for that to happen, and he was threatening it. Although he was practically done speaking, she had gotten up and covered his mouth with one of her hands, a bit slow to do so though. She glanced towards the bookshelves, and sighed in relief to see no one had come before looking back at him. "Are you trying to get us both kicked out of here? I still plan on checking out books," she sighed in exasperation. She realized then that he was just looking at her, even though her hand was covering his mouth, and she gave a sheepish smile before pulling her hand back and sitting down again, her cheeks slightly pink. "Sorry," she murmured, ducking her head for a moment as she tried to calm down her insane heartrate. She then thought about what he had said before the little episode, and she thought for a moment on it. She could guess what he was implying, but A) she wanted to be sure it was what she thought and B) she was going to make him say it for causing her so much trouble. If he really wanted to smooth things out like she did, he was going to have to work for it. "Clearer, but still not clear. Work things out how?" she asked after she had recovered, looking into his eyes- those deep, crystalline blue eyes. 'When did I become such a sap?!' She shook her head at herself.

Caden was caught a little off guard as Tobi put her hand over his mouth at the very end of his sentence. He was nearly finished speaking when she did so, so he was almost positive that she had done so only to touch him, but he would let it slide for right now... He was finally having a civilized conversation with him and he didn't want to go around messing it up so soon. Once he stopped talking, he closed his lips and tried to keep them as immobile as possible... All he wanted to do was run his lips over her skin and see what she tasted like, but he resisted doing so. He snickered a little when she realized she was standing her for no reason and blushed. He liked the way that she blushed... It made her face seem so beautiful - more beautiful than it already was... Which was definitely saying something. He closed his eyes as he heard the faint beatings of her heartbeat and liked the way it rushed after touching him. "What don't you understand about it?! We can work out things in whatever way you want... Friends... Not friends... More than friends... I'm not going to try to rush you into something or hurt you in anyway, ok? If you want me to leave you alone, just say so and I will." He breathed out, hoping that she didn't take him up on that offer since his heart beat was racing enough to match hers... This was so bad; he had started to like her too much and he still knew they could never work out. Why didn't that convince him that this was wrong?!

Tobi blinked, a bit surprised by Caden's words, as he clarified what he meant completely, but that still wasn't what she was trying to press him to say. She had been serious with herself when she had decided that she was going to make him work for it, and time was ticking. Lunch would be over soon. Besides that, she didn't want to do something she might regret later, and having him say it aloud would be something of a reassurance on her part. She wasn't so good at seeing what others thought was obvious, and she swore she was giving herself a headache trying to figure out what he was thinking, knowing what he was saying wasn't what he was thinking. No one ever really said exactly what they were thinking, and she was definitely no exception. Sighing softly, she ran a hand through her hair. "Honestly? At the moment I just want to know what you want. Forget whatever's going on in my mind at the moment," she said, hoping at least something in that sentence made sense and he would oblige her and answer instead of giving some cryptic answer or some question about what she was asking. Maybe for once she would get a straight answer...

Caden groaned quite a bit when she seemed to want to make him confess all of his secrets. Sure he was willing to tell her at some time, but he wasn't sure if he was supposed to tell her right now. Maybe he would just scare her away... Maybe she was looking for some type if reason like that in order to be "scared away"... He had a feeling that she liked him the same, but he wasn't sure if she was even aware of this yet. Hell, he didn't think she'd be so bluntly asking him for information like he was. It was quite surprising, but he thought it meant good things... He almost wanted to just beat around the bush as he sat there looking at her to figure out what she wanted. He was afraid of saying too much... Before he had always been the boy that just spoke his mind without care... Now things were slightly changing. Whether for good or better, he wasn't sure, but he was quite set on finding out what she wanted before admitting his own wants. "What if what I want is to be able to get into that pretty head of yours?" He asked with a wink. "Sure, I think I know what I want, but who can be sure, right? I don't want to not be friends, but anything more that that is just up to you..."

Tobi rolled her eyes at Caden, first at the question (that wasn't really a question) and then at what he said after. She had a suspicion what he was doing was trying to be difficult and try to get out of not actually having to answer her instead of saying what was on his mind. She leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest for a moment as she watched him, her eyebrows raised as she tried to decide what to say. "Fine, if you don't want to answer, then I guess we can just forget this conversation ever happened," she said in a stubborn tone of voice, hoping that would persuade him to answer her because she really wanted to resolve things, not prolong them. It felt like they were both doing that though, first her, and now him. If only he would just say what he was thinking instead of trying to make things more difficult when she was actually willing to talk and sort things out! As the bell suddenly rang overhead, she barely held back a groan. All of that time...wasted, and wasted because they couldn't get everything figured out soon enough. Staying where she was for a moment, she slowly stood and picked up her bookbag, slinging it over her shoulder as she pushed the chair back under the table.

Caden watched Tobi curiously as he finished his small speech. He didn't really know what his feelings were to her - or, rather, how he felt about telling her what his real feelings were... He only rolled his eyes when she refused to say anymore and she refused just as much. What was he supposed to say to her anyway? Tobi, I'm madly in love with you. Please run away with me and marry me?! So he was smart... He recognized that he couldn't do this like that. Before he could admit to his feelings, he needed to know hers... At least if he did, he would know what would be the right thing to say so that he didn't sound stupid. They sat looking at each other in silence for a few minutes until the bell rang. Caden swore heavily under his breath. Where had all the time gone?! He wished he could've had this resolved so that they wouldn't spend the rest of the day feeling awkward - especially because, if he did recall correctly, they had their next class together anyway. It would make for a hell of a day if they kept avoiding each other like this. When she got up to grab her books and bag and go, he grabbed her wrist. "Wait!" He demanded. "We need to resolve this. Stay?"

Tobi looked at Caden in surprise as he took her wrist, forcing her still for the moment, and she paused from about to have started to walk away from the table. She didn't know why she seemed so eager to go, or maybe it was a reflex that she had developed with school, and she hadn't really been thinking about the unfinished conversation. She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back in messy strands with her free hand as she sighed softly. "This could go on for another hour," she pointed out to him. "We can't just stay back here. The librarian will find out and make us go to class. Unless you want to skip school, then I don't really see any way to resolve anything any time soon," she pointed out, almost slapping herself in the face when she realized that she had mentioned skipping school. She expected Grandma Betty to pick her up after for one, and for two, it was her first day. For three, she thought he might actually take up the offer and drag her off somewhere so they could continue to talk. It wasn't that she would really mind but she really couldn't, and if he tried to drag her off somewhere, then he better have some good convincing.

Caden sighed. "We won't skip! I'm not that bad of an influence on you!" He argued with her. All he wanted to do was figure out how they felt about her, and after that she could go back to her classes... Go back on with her life if she chose that she really didn't want to know him. Maybe he'd get a kiss if she did want more of him... He wanted her to choose to sit back down with him - maybe that would be his only hint of what she wanted. If she denied him some more time with him, he would know what she was after; if she chose to sit, maybe she was just as wiling as he was to make this work. "Please, Tobi?" He asked her, and he pulled her down into the seat beside him. "Listen, I'd you want to go, just go. I'd like it if you didn't, because I'd like to get over these feelings, but if you don't want to, I can't force you to stay against your will." His voice was going from its usual calm and into one that was pleading. He was losing sight of what he wanted to say really, since he was only becoming anxious by the thought of her leaving. "Please?"

Tobi was relieved when Caden said he was against skipping. As she glanced out the windows to the library, she could also see that most of the lunch area had cleared out, including Julieta and Devyn. She guessed those two were purposely trying to leave her and Caden alone so they could talk and stuff. It seemed like they were working together in a way anyway. While thinking this, she found herself pulled down into the seat beside Caden. He still had her wrist, both of them now actually, and she could practically see the pleading in his eyes as he looked at her, hearing it in his voice as well. She bit her lip- she knew they could both get in trouble for this and they really should get to class, but- damnit!- how the fuck was she supposed to just say 'no' to him when he was acting like this? Sighing to herself, her shoulders sagged and she gave a small nod of defeat. "Okay, I'll stay. Try to keep quiet this time though, so we don't kicked out," she said, trying to take some control of the conversation since she was half of it. It was somewhat hard though, since he was holding her wrists still making her stomach feel a bit fluttery- geez, she hated that feeling. "Umm, you can let go now, Caden," she told him after a minute, her voice a bit soft.

"Right, sorry!" Caden said as he looked down at her wrists still captured in his bigger hands. He released them from his grip and wished he could have caught her hands back in his now. He missed the feeling of her skin against his - even though he had just let go of her hands and she was still close enough to him. He hated this feeling that she was causing... It wasn't just one that made him want to kiss her and hold onto her, but it also was one that made his heart race, his palms grow sweaty, and an intense flutter erupted in his stomach. Still, he glanced up at her after wishing all of this. Now more than anything he wished that she might confess her feelings - or non-feelings if that were the case - first so that he would know what he was supposed to say. If she implied that she wanted to just be friends, Caden would imply he just wanted to be friends; if she sounded like she wanted more, he would venture to telling her his true feelings... It all just depended on timing. He didn't want to confess anything too intense if she didn't feel the same way - and he didn't want to blow it off as them being just "friends" if that would make her hide her true feelings. God, why did humans have to be so complicated in relationships?! "How about you go first?" He requested.

As Caden let go of her wrists, Tobi gave him a small smile and a nod before letting her hands fall in her lap. For some reason, she wished now that he wouldn't have let go, that she hadn't asked, but she figured what was done was done, and there was no use thinking about it at the moment. As she looked at him, he seemed almost as tortured as she felt- it didn't feel right to be in such close proximity to each other but to feel so apart, even though their knees were practically brushing because of his positioning when he had had her sit down again. When he mentioned her going first, she knew he was once again avoiding her question about what he wanted, to forget what she thought and just tell her how he felt, even though she had already given him the note that pretty much revealed how she felt. Could he really be so blind as to not realize what was practically written there?! And he still had the note, yet he wanted her to try and say it out loud. Ugh, what was wrong with this boy? It was probably her actually, so she guessed nothing. She had never really found anyone she had just liked before, and so this was especially strange for her, not just because she had just moved here and she had known him less than a day. "I already went first," she pointed out, almost sullenly, as she motioned with her head to the note he still had. Didn't she tell him he could throw it away?

Caden gulped a little as he countered her argument by saying that she had already went first. He still had the note clenched in his hand, but that still didn't give him the proof that he wanted. Her words were still unclear to him, that he wished she would just come out and interpret them to him. He had read them in the way that she was falling for him and so on and so forth, but what if that was just a presumption caused by his own feelings? Maybe he was only making something there... Imagining it when it really didn't exist for them in anything above the term "friends." He sighed a little and dribbled the note on the table, smoothing out all of the creases and running his fingers over the pen indentations of the letters. If his fate was lying right before him in this note, he was going to find it. His eyes scanned it twice before meeting her eyes again. The letter was no help, still convincing him that her feelings were deeper than just "friends" as were. What was he supposed to say? He searched her eyes but found no answer. He had to at least go with the way that he interpreted it... It was the biggest risk he had ever faxed really. He sighed. "I don't know what I want with you, Tobi. As I've been trying to tell you, what I want all depends with what you want." He paused for only a second and kept his eyes down, unable to meet hers as he spoke. "I mean, I know what I want, but I don't want to rush you into anything or force you. If all you want from me is a friendship than I'm okay with that; I'll forget any deeper feelings I have for you."

Tobi watched him carefully unfold the note and read over it; she didn't know how many times he did, but it looked as if he were trying to convince himself of what it said more than trying to make sure he was reading it right. As he looked at up at her questioningly, she made sure to keep her face blank so that he would say what he was thinking, or at least she hoped he would. When he didn't, she sighed softly, knowing this was going to be up to her. Well, crap...she didn't know how to do this, and she bit her lip nervously for a moment, wondering what in the world she was going to say, and knowing there was no chance either of them were leaving until she said it or the librarian discovered them or...something! She took a breath in, then let it out- she wasn't used to not knowing what she was going to say either, and that was eating away at her mind as well. She could pretty much feel Caden's blue eyes boring into her, waiting for her to say something, and she realized she couldn't stall forever. Well, she could try, but she doubted it would work out too well, and besides, it would give him the impression that she was ignoring him again when she wasn't. She really did want them to get things settled, or at least a little bit, between each other, and it seemed neither of them were helping much. I'm just going in circles! she groaned inwardly, her hands fidgeting in her lap, something she did when she was nervous, as she still tried to come up with something to say. Finally, she got fed up with the procrastination, and decided to just go with whatever came to mind. "Okay well...I don't really know what to say...I don't really know what I want either...it's just, I've never actually had a crush on a guy really, or had a boyfriend or anything, so even if I did actually know what I wanted and stuff, I wouldn't really know what I was doing or anything and..." she paused, looking at him. "Just hurry up and stop me from rambling and say something!"