[ Darin snuck into the abandoned girls bathroom on the second level and sat down on the cool tile floor. He looked over his shoulder at the tiles and counted three down and two to the right; reaching over to lift the one where he had counted to he grabbed a pack of smokes he had hid there a couple nights before. He felt like he was doing something horrible and that he should be sent to hell for it but he just couldn't resist. He pulled out his Defense againg the Dark Arts homework and opened his book to the page assigned for the essay. He had to write a 500 word paper on chimaeras, the rare greek monster with a lions head, a goats body, and a dragons tail.

A couple hours later he was about half way through his paper and had already smoked three sigs. "God I better be careful, or I'll end up like Umbridge" he said to himself. Just as he tucked the box back into its hole in the floor, the door to the bathroom swung open and someone came bursting in. ]

A.J. had been getting chased by a couple of freaks trying ot play a stupid joke on her. She breathed heavily as she ran down the corridor. she opened a door and closed it quickly leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes and listened as the footsteps passed the door and then faded away. A.J. took in a deep breath and smelled sweet sweet cigarette smoke. It had been forever since A.J. had smoked a cancer stick and she longed to find out if the person had anymore. But she was scared to open her eyes and see who was sitting there.

A.J. finally built up enough courage to open here eyes, she found a boy sitting on the ground, she slide down the wall and cupped her head in her hands trying to catch her breath.

Darin quickly got his stuff together before the girl figured out what he was doing and ran for the door. As he passed her he realized she had already figured out what he was doing because the smell that he was covered in. Already wishing he hadn't smoked in the first place he decided to stay and see what was wrong.

Darin: "If you swear you wont tell anyone, I'll give you a few. Want some?"

A.J. looked up at the boy as he spoke to her, she wouldn't tell anyone that'd be stupid people smoke all the time. Seh held out a small pale hand and nodded yes, " Can I have two?" she asked hopeful, she needed them, needed. She sighed and let her hand drop to her side, she caught her breath but stayed sitting on the ground.

Darin reached back for his box and handed her three, he knew how hard it was to need to smokes but not have any to relieve the pain, it was like hell. He handed her the lighter and went back to his essay. He was about four quarters of the way done. He asked her "so care to explain why you're coughing up your lungs or do you just wanna smoke." He looked up from his essay and into her careworn face. His eyes attracted to the deep gray of her downcast face. Her eyes were like neverending tunnels of green and amber. She looked up at him and he quickly avoided her gaze and went back to finishing his essay.

The girl quickly lit one of the cancer sticks and tossed the boy his lighter. "Thanks." her voice was soft and her eyes cast downward at his question. She sighed after taking a drag letting the smoke out with her breath. "Two jerks chasing me, thinking it would be funny to pour some gross liquid on the girl who'd rather read then be stupid and make out with them." she blushed, she should've just kept that to herself it would have been easier to just tell him that she was being chased but she couldn't swallow her words after they were out of her mouth. She shook her head and took another drag letting the smoke linger in her lungs. She occupied herself by tracing lines on the ground with her tiny fingers, letting the light reflect off of her painted pink fingernails.

Not looking up from his paper, Darin listened to her answer to his question that maybe he shouldnt have asked in the first place.

"Sounds like you've had an interesting afternoon," he said as he watched her pink fingernails scratch the floor of the bathroom, "If it makes you feel any better, I would rather read a book than run around like an immature child too. Though I must say, I do like a good game of hide and seek."

Darin finished the last sentence of his paper and shoved it into his backpack. Suddenly feeling exhausted, he pulled out another sig. He then leaned back against the cold wall and breathed in the sweet smoke of his cigarette.

" Intresting? Try pain staking." she smiled slightly looking up as he shoved his paper into his bag. " That's always good to know." her smile faded slightly as she took a drag, it felt so good to smoke, she didn't understand why people thought it was so bad for you, well it was but don't be so quick t ojudge. When she finished the cigarette and flciked her wand and it disapeared. Finaly she looked up and took in the boys features.

Darin, aware that the girl was looking at him, avoided her gaze and stared out the window at the dark blue sky outside. It looked like it was about to rain. Darin loved it when it rained, something about rain comforted him. He pounded the butt of his cigarette on the floor so it would go out and threw it in the hole with the box. He pulled out his wand and cleaned the spot of black on the floor and stowed his wand back in his pocket. He looked up at the girl in front of him. "What's your name?" he asked.

A.J's eyes returned to the floor. " Amber. But most people just call me A.J." she informed him. " And yours?" she asked tucking hair behind her ear.

[[blah sorry]]

"Darin" he replied. "Amber, that's a nice name, like your eyes..."

Darin shuffled in his place. He was very uncomfortable; he had always been uncomfortable talking to people. He reached in his bag and pulled out a white and black rat.

"His name is Dusty" he said as he put the rat on the ground. Dusty scurried around the room for a minute and then crawled into Amber's lap.

"He likes you," Darin said with a smile

" Thanks." her face turned pink, she wasn't used to complament. " It's a pleasure meeting you Darin." She nodded, he pulled out a rat and she smiled. She has always loved animals. The rat crawled onto her lap, her smile grew. She petted the rats head for a moment then looked up at Sarin with pure glee in her green eyes. " He's cute."

"Yeah, Mom got him for me this year because of the grades I got last year. She said he would be my best friend and she was right. He's the only one I can really trust." Darin said as he watched Dusty make her day, "I talk to him all the time. It's probably a good thing he can't talk otherwise all my secrets would get out.

A.J. smiled and picked the rat up and looked into it's eyes. She smiled lovingly at it and said. " Hi I'm Amber." The rat didn't do anything but blink at her and wrinkle it's nose but A.J. smiled anyway.