Super BLAND

Episode 32 What you gotta do

March 9th, Two days later, Quiz practice

Tory shook her self and shuttered a breath, "You just gotta do it!" she told herself enthusiastically; this had to be one of THE worst parts about youth ministry!

"You talking to yourself again?" Tom asked as he lounged in his quiz chair; they were waiting for the rest of the team to arrive, as it was, Chrissy was the only other person there. The blonde was sitting on the couches across the basement looking down right forlorn.

"I'll deal with you later!" Tory muttered and marched towards Chrissy with determination.

"Wha?" Tom grunted with a frown.

"Just- give us some privacy!" Tory waved her spidery arm at him.

Tom rolled his eyes and wondered off to the kitchen; Tory narrowed her eyes, she knew Tom was hiding something from her... but as she just told him- she'd deal with him later!

"Hey um- Chrissy." Tory greeted awkwardly.

Chrissy looked up from her phone- Tory could see that the screen was blank. How often did the blonde hide from things by pretending to be on her phone!? "Hey." She said in return.

Tory shifted uncomfortably, then heaved a sigh, "Get it over with!" she muttered and abruptly pulled an arm chair closer and sat down- her knees were almost touching Chrissys.

"Pardon?" Chrissy squeaked as she shifted her lags away.

"Look, I ah... have noticed some stuff." Tory began without much tact- but hey, she was trying!

"Stuff?"

"Let me finish!" Tory scolded, "Yeah, stuff going on between you and Josh."

Chrissy closed her mouth and pulled back slightly; that meant that Tory was right- she didn't feel good about it though.

"I can't help but feel like you've been getting... unwanted 'attention'," Tory forced the word from her mouth- she wanted to handle this delicately, "from Josh."

Chrissy played dumb, "Unwanted attention?"

Tory rolled her eyes, "Yeah- the guy has been spewing unwanted attention at you for weeks! Everyone's noticed- the king of all jerks isn't exactly 'subtle'!" Tory regretted her words as soon as her mind caught up with her mouth. 'Well that wasn't very 'youth worker sounding'!' she scolded herself.

"He just... really likes me." Chrissy mumbled, and Tory felt a little sick!

"Whoa! Hold up blondeie- If Josh 'liked' you- then he wouldn't treat you like dirt!" Tory took a deep breath- she could tell that her harsh and abrupt ways were overwhelming the girl, so she tried to tone it down.

"I'm just... concerned..." she said delicately surprised to find that it really was true- who would have thought that she, Tory, queen of skate boards, the girl who practically coined the phrase 'don't care' back in her high school days- actually was concerned for this girl!? "That you're being harassed by Josh- and you just seem to be taking it like... you don't realize it's wrong." Tory took another deep breath. "And it is, Chrissy- the way he's been treating you is wrong."

Chrissy also breathed for a moment, "He's not 'harassing' me..." she closed her mouth at the look Tory gave her, "I've known him for a long time- I just can't tell him to get lost..."

Tory sighed, "I can tell him to back off when your at quizzing- but if you want him to leave you alone the rest of the time- you gotta say it too. You just gotta."

Chrissy ducked her head and bit her lip.

Tory leaned back and screwed up her face, "Am I really the first person to talk to you about this?"

* * *

Chrissy blushed with embarrassment, "My Mom doesn't really notice my life." She mumbled. The word harassment going around in her head.

'Have I really been a victim of harassment!?' she wondered in disbelief. Sure she was sick and tired of how Josh had been treating her... maybe Tory was right.

"Ok, I'll tell him to stop." She agreed.

As if on cue they heard feet pounding down the stairs and soon Josh entered the basement. He grinned like he owned the place.

Tory stood up and placed her fists on her hips, "Chrissy's got something to say to you."

Chrissy wished she could die- but instead she stood and met Josh's confused eyes, "I don't want to date you Josh, and I want you to stop asking." She managed to say.

"AND!" Tory interjected by pointing her red finger nail at Josh, "You better leave her alone or I'll have to expel you from the team! Now- lets get back to quizzing!"

Chrissy tried to swallow the lump in her throat; Josh looked so... hurt!

* * *

Tom took a deep breath; he couldn't be expected to wait in an empty kitchen and do nothing while his sister had 'girl talk'! Especially when the kitchen happened to have an unlit candle just waiting for him on the counter.

He leaned his hands against the counter, and closed his eyes, concentrating on the cold candle wick. He hadn't had much opportunity to test his ability's (if you can call it that), but once before he had made a candle light all by it's self.

Sweat started to form on his face, and he gasped for breath and opened his eyes... the candle was still unlit. Heaving a sigh, Tom grabbed a dish towel and wiped his face, then he tried one more time by staring at the candle with his heavily lashed green eyes.

'Fire' he planted the thought firmly in his mind, and gripped the towel in his hands. 'fire...'

He closed his eyes and breathed.... Fire.

His eyes flew open when his hands were unexpectedly enveloped in heat, looking down he flung the towel away in shock and panic- it was on fire!

He stared in shock as the towel burned away on the kitchen tiles; had he done that!? He glanced at the door- fearful that Tory would come in- or worse- that the fire alarm would go off. Carefully Tom grabbed the towel by a corner and flung it into the sink then flicked the faucet all the way up. He waved his arms through the air to dispel the smoke as the towel was drowned in the sink.

'I did that!' he thought with wonder.

Have you ever had to tell someone to get lost? Not an easy thing to do- especially if they are your friend.