Late Night//open

[Daniel Jameson]

date; September 29
time; 1:30PM

The sun beaming in through the curtains finally hit Dan in the eye. He tried to swat it away like some kind of annoying fly, but the light wouldn't go away. Finally, after about a few minutes, he gave up and thought the sun won. He had to get up. And, not only that, his stomach was growling for some kind of food. Opening one eye, he tried to see what the time was on the clock on his dresser. His sock was covering it. He really could be a mess sometimes. Dan pushed his sock away to read the time. "Oh shit," he mumbled, then turned his back on the clock.

He couldn't have believed that it was that late already. He had already missed his 9:40 class, and his 1:10 class. If he got up right now, he might be able to make it to his 6:50 class later tonight. But, why do that? he already missed his other two classes, he might as well make it a day and skip his night class as well.

This wasn't a very good start to the semester for Dan. He was already placed on academic probation from last semester. His father nearly killed him when he found out. Dan wasn't stupid. He knew he had to get his act together this semester and bring his grades up. If he didn't, he could say goodbye to this nice little thing he called life. Could you imagine what it would be like if he was kicked out of school? He would be living at home with his father and working all day. There would be no more slacking off or sleeping in late, like what he does now. The little hardwork of school would be worth to hold onto this little piece of happiness. College would have been great if classes didn't get in the way.

After about fifteen minutes of still lying in bed, his stomach growled again. Dan needed food. He missed breakfast and dinner. He groaned as he threw the covers off of him and literally rolled out of bed. After gaining his balance, he headed over to the bathroom. Doing his daily routine of using the toliet, brushing his teeth, and of course running his fingers through his hair. He always went for the "just out of bed" look. Lucky for him, he really was just out of bed. But, it took work for him to keep the style all day long.

The apartment was pretty barren, except for four day old chinese food and a box of last night pizza. There was some clothes all over the place and piles of dishes were left in the sink. However, he didn't really have the time for that. Dan went over to get the last clean cup in the cupboard and poured himself a tall glass of Pepsi, and a slice of pizza from the box. He was in the middle of chewing his first bite when someone knocked on the door. Dan went over to answer the door with cup and food in hand.

[Melissa Jameson]

[[Um, I couldn't resist!]]

It hadn't been an overly eventful day. The girl had had a couple classes, none of which had been too challenging. She'd even gotten a little bit of studying in, but as of now, she was just tired of schoolwork. She'd only been at this school for a couple weeks, but already she felt a pattern had started. It was sort of mundane. but at the same it wasn't. High school had definately been the same thing day after day. The same classes, the same people, the same drama. Melissa had been more than ready when she finally graduated. It was a welcome relief to know that her four years was over.

But now she was at college. It was nowhere near as bad as high school. Not yet anyway. Most days she got to sleep in a little bit. Which was always a plus. Today, however, had nto been one of those days. Her fist class had been at 9 am, and the teacher hated it if anyone was late. But, it wasn't too bad. Again, still much better than high school.

She'd made it to all of her classes this term with no problem, but the same could not be said for a certain someone whom she was on her way to visit. She'd dressed appropriately for the cool weather, wearing a pair of her favorite designer jeans, a long sleeve-tee and a jacket. As she stepped outside, she was thankful that she'd brough the sunglasses, as it was rather bright.

After making sure she had thrown all her books in her room, she got intio her car and drove the short distance to her older brother's apartment. She'd heard from one of his friends that he had missed his classes today, and Melissa knew this wasn't the first time this year. She sometimes felt like doing something rather violent to get him to try harder at school, but she knew it would be no use. So now she was off on a futile journey to try and knock some sense into him.

Pulling up, she glanced in the windows and saw no signs of activity. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she made her way to the front door. Knocking ratehr loudly, she called out "Dan! Daaaanny! I heard you didn't come to class and came over to make sure you weren't de-" she was cut off as he opened the door. She lifted her sunglasses up, as well as an eyebrow. "Woah. Attractive." she commented sarcastically. It seemed he had slept the day away. Again.

Some things never changed.

[Daniel Jameson]

"Well, not all of us can look this good in the morning," Dan said with his mouth full. Taking a big gulp of soda, he washed it all down. How did his little sister hear about him not going to class? This school was way to damn small. Everyone knew everyone. That was one of Dan's problem. He didn't like it when people knew about his business. They always seem to criticize everything that he does. And, his sister, being here at his apartment was a good example. Dan was pretty sure that she came over, not to have a nice friendly chat, but to lecture him on how important it was for him to go to class and to remind him that he was on academic probation.

"I would invite you in, but I'd understand if you don't want to come in," he said, cocking his head to the side. "I don't want you to, what was it that you said to me last time? Oh, right, get rabies."

He stepped aside for his sister to enter the apartment. He may only be in his boxers, but it wasn't like this was what he wore when he was at home. "You want some pizza," he offered to his sister, holding out the half eaten slice that was already in his hand. Not waiting for her to answer, he turned around and walked back into the apartment. If she was going to come in, she could close the door. If she was going to leave, she should still close the door.

Melissa was the only sibling Dan had after losing an older brother when he was younger. He wasn't as close to Melissa as he was to his brother, but he had to make due. After all, they only have each other left. Their mother also passed away. It happened in such a short amount of time, that Dan never fully recovered from it. However, he figured if the memory was pushed out of his thoughts and mind, he wouldn't have to deal with it and it would eventually fade away with time. Most things did.

"So, did you come all the way over here to lecture me or what," he asked, continuing to eat his pizza. "If you want money of food," he looked around his apartment. "You could see that I don't have any of that stuff."

[Melissa Jameson]

Melissa smirked at his comment. "You do realize it's not the morning anymore, right?" Melissa didn't exactly count the afternoon as morning. Sure she liked to sleep in every once in a while, but there was a certain time that was just too late. And 1:30 was just that. Melissa wanted to stay away from the lecturing part. She was trying to figure out how to talk to him about his class attending habits without sounding like she was nagging. She had to admit that it was a pretty hard thing to accomplish. The mere fact that she was his little sister hindered her quest to sound caring instead of annoying. She really did just care about his future. She had that right, didn’t she?

Her smirk widened. “You don’t have to take everything I say so literally, you know.” She had only been joking when she’d said that. It was just to poke fun at how messy his apartment had been. And it seemed as if he hadn’t done much tidying up since then. He offered her pizza and she fought the urge to grimace. “No thanks. I’m trying not to eat foods with too much grease in them.” Lately Melissa’s tolerance for foods such as pizza was going down. She was switching those out for things that were better for the body. She had to say that she was already starting to feel more energetic. She would have suggested that to her brother, but she knew he would have just laughed at her.

She walked in behind him, lightly shutting the door. She realized how dark it was in the apartment when she did so. It was such a difference from outside that her eyes needed a few seconds to adjust to it. Her sunglasses were completely removed from her eyes and she rested them comfortably on top of her head. Wondering where to place herself, she settled for the arm of the couch, facing Dan. To show that she wasn’t just trying to avoid sitting on his furniture, she pulled herself all the way on it, crossing her legs a few inches off the ground.

Her expression radically changed from amusement to a mixture of irritation and sadness. “Why would you assume I came here because I want something? Maybe I just wanted to talk to you.”

[Daniel Jameson]

Dan shrugged his shoulders as he finished eating up. Then, he attempted in tidying up the apartment. For some reason, he felt very conscious of how messy it was whenever there were guests over. For him, it was fine. There wasn't a mess in sight. But, as soon as someone from the outside step in, he had to clean it up. It was a good thing his roommate didn't mind so much, or else there would be problems. Dan threw away some trash, which was overflowing, and put some of the dishes in the sink. Too bad there was no more dish soap. He would have to go out and buy some.

"I don't know," he said, pushing in the chairs. "We don't really do much talking." It was partially his fault, too. He couldn't blame his sister for not talking to him. Dan was too busy with college the past two years while she was still in high school. He made it a point not to come home during any holiday breaks or the weekend. It wasn't as if he didn't want to be home. But, part of him couldn't go back. It just reminded him of things that he worked so hard to forget.

"So, talk," he demanded after a long pause. There was still a lot of cleaning to do, but this would be good enough. He gave up trying to clean. Suddenly, he had a headache. Is this what he gets for cleaning? Maybe Dan should just hire someone to do this. But, where could he find someone to clean this mess and how would he be able to afford it? There had to be another solution.

Walking over to the couch, he took a seat and waited for his sister to talk. It had been a while since they had any brother and sister times. He felt kind of weird with her being here, not really knowing what to do or say. It was as if she was a complete strangers. But, then again, Dan had changed since he had to college, and he was pretty sure that in due time, Melissa would change to.

[Melissa Jameson]

Melissa felt sort of awkward as her brother started cleaning. She had that feeling in common with him, though. She always felt as if she needed to be cleaning up if someone came into her room. But she never noticed the mess if she was alone. She didn't know why that was, but she had a feeling it wouldn't be changing anytime soon. It was just a part of her quirky yet lovable behavior. She stayed quiet, though, as he worked, not really knowing what else to say.

She looked away at his comment. This was true. They didn't talk much. She hadn't seen him very much at all over the last couple of years. She wasn't exactly sure why he avoided coming home on the holidays. She supposed it had something to do with their late elder brother, but she didn't see why he wouldn't want to be as close to his remaining family as he could. Sure it was small, but Melissa knew not to take it for granted. She didn't know what she would do if she lost her father, or her other brother. That would just be too much loss for one lifetime.

Melissa never understood why Dan refused to let their father help him financially. Not that she expected to live off of daddy's money forever. But, college kids were always hard-pressed for money, and having a rich father was a good thing. It was there to make sure one didn't go into debt. She briefly wondered if her brother was in any money trouble and fought with the desire to ask him. She decided not to, though, for fear of being snapped at.

She was taken aback by his bold command. Just talk? What was she supposed to talk about? She wasn't exactly the best at making conversation out of the blue. She resisted the urge to pout and bit her lip instead. She supposed she could start off light. "Um, how's...things?" Wow, that was just fantastic. She decided to try for more. "I mean, do you like it here? I haven't made up my mind if I like the small-town scenery or not. And I figure since we're related, we might have the same tastes."

Melissa wasn't sure just how much her brother had changed. She wanted to know, really she did. He was her brother after all. As for herself, she was prepared to be changing. It was all a part of growing up. Something she wasn't entirely looking forward to.

[Daniel Jameson]

Not being around each other for so long was starting to show its downfall. What has the world come to when a brother and sister can't even make small talk? It's as if they were two complete strangers, forced together by a small chance, forced to live through together. That's what it felt like sometimes. "I don't know," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's okay. A city is too big for me. I like it small. You know people, and where things are, there are no surprises. Things are the way they should be."

They may be siblings, but to say if they have the same taste might be the wrong statement. Dan didn't like changes too much. There was already too much in his life that had changed. If he could just keep the way things are at this moment, he wouldn't complain. "So, how are you adjusting to the school," he said, figuring he could start up a new conversation. "Are struggling in any of your classes?"

There was no way Melissa would struggle with classes. She was the smart and responsible one. If anyone could do something great with their life, it would probably be her. Dan had a lot of dreams and a lot of goals, but he was too afraid to actually go for it. For example, he really wanted to go travel around the world. But, he was too scared of what a different culture might be or where he would end up.

[Melissa Jameson]

Okay, so maybe their tastes weren't all that similar. Melissa had always loved the city. She liked the clash of people and the culture that there was. She'd always found it fascinating. But, a small town was something she had a feeling she could get used to. She wouldn't mind knowing everyone. It would be easier to avoid the unplesant people that way. She was glad, though, that she was closer to her brother. It was sad that they were so distant when they weren't even that far from each other in age. Two years wasn't much, but it apparently been enough to keep them from each other's lives.

"Hm. That's a cool way to look at it. I'm still not used to the lack of tall buildings. It smells nicer here, too."

She pondered his next question for a second. "Well, I'm not completely used to it. Like, it still feels weird to be living in my school. But, I don't think I'm struggling just yet. Most of my classes are really interesting, so it's easy to pay attention. The work load is crazy, though."

She was confident that she wasn't going to fail, and she did know that she had a good chance of getting what she wanted out of life. Deep down, she knew her brother could do whatever he set his mind to, as well. As long as he actually set his mind to it. When he actually went for something, he generally got it. Which was why she was always so annoyed when he didn't try. Especially in school. She only wanted to see him succeed, and she was afraid that if he didn't get a little better at going to class, then he wouldn't.

Melissa knew about Dan's dream to travel, and she was completely supportive. He hadn't talked about it with her much, so she wasn't exactly sure when he was going to do it. She thought it would be cool to do something like that, though. Exploring other cultures seemed so interesting. But she doubted she would ever work up the nerve.

"What about you?"she asked. "Do you like any of your classes?"

[Daniel Jameson]

"Yeah, well, that's because the place isn't full of cars letting go of their exhaust in the air," he laughed. It was true. Dan had been to the city and he actually didn't like it. This town was actually a lot better. He could never imagine himself in big city. That's why when he planned on traveling, he wanted to see small towns or villages. He didn't want to go to the big city if he didn't have to. Those were places for tourists. He didn't want to be a tourist.

His sister talked about the work load and he had to agree. There was a time period where he had to get adjusted to the change of pace. It wasn't like high school where you go to classes for a set amount of time. In college, you could have days where you don't have classes, or days when you only have one class. It took a while for Dan to learn how to use those extra time on his hands. At first, he goofed off, playing video games. Then, he soon discovered the party scene and that didn't help with his schooling.

"Yeah, but you'll get use to it," he told her. "Maybe not right away, maybe next semester if you're lucky." He had started picking at the stuffing that was coming out of the sofa. He really needed new stuff for the apartment. But, he actually liked that this place wasn't perfect. It was his place that helped keep him away from his family. It was his sanctuary.

"Class is okay," he said shrugging his shoulders. By the third year, Dan's work load was a lot more than it was freshmen year. "There's a lot of reading and writing papers. I actually kind of regret becoming a history major. But, it's too late to change." It would mean he would be here longer. It would be a good idea, but only if he didn't get kicked out before that. "I don't know, it's still too early to judge though, I guess. My Reformation class is kind of interesting. The professor isn't boring, for once."

Then, Dan sighed. "Let's not talk about school," he said, getting up from the sofa. It only helped remind him of the fact that he was on academic probation. "How's dad?" That was one of the questions he wanted to know from Melissa since she had arrived. It had been a while since he had seen or even talked to their dad.

[Melissa Jameson]

Well, it was true that there were a lot of cars in the city, and cars had exhaust. It was one of the few things that Melissa did not like about New York. She had to admit that the air was much cleaner here. She could take in a deep breath and only smell the nature around here. Which was pretty cool. Still, it was very...small. She liked being in a bigger city.

It was nice to have days where you had no class at all. It was a welcome switch to the set schedule that one had every single day in high school. That sort of routine got boring really fast. Of course, she wasn't looking forward to the load getting steadily heavier and heavier as the years went on. True, she supposed she would be able to handle it, but no one was ever exactly happy to have a lot of work to do. At least no one sane.

"Hopefully." she commented. She did want to get used to it. It would most likely increase her performance. Her eyes traveled to his hand. She wasn't sure if he realized that he was further destroying his furniture. But, she knew she shouldn't judge. If he liked it that way, there was no reason for her to say anything. She didn't want to offend him, anyway.

Melissa opened her mouth to comment but he asked to change the subject. She was going to say how it was never too late to change a major. But, it was true that it would mean a lot more school. Especially if he changed his major to Pre Med or something. But, he didn't strike her as the kind who would want to be a doctor, so she figured it was a safe bet to assume he wouldn't do that.

Oh, that was an unexpected question. She hadn't thought he would want to know about their father. "He's fine. The same, I guess." she wasn't sure just what to say about him. She knew that he was sad that Dan never called or showed up. He'd told her more than once how he wished he would just check up on them once in a while. Just so he could see how he was doing. But, Melissa wasn't sure she should be telling him all of that. She didn't think it was her place to tell him what to do with his life. If she brought up their father's feelings, she probably wouldn't be able to keep from putting her two cents in.