The cafeteria thundered around Carter. An endless flow of activity filled her sight as she watched her fellow classmates, flirt, tease, taunt and mock one another. A tray clattered onto her table, but she didn't bother looking over, as Link and Donovan sat down.

"Are you going to make a habit of this?" she asked, grimacing as some guy across the way tried to subtly flex for a girl.

"I don't know. We haven't decided yet," Link said. "Would you hate it, if we did?"

She didn't respond for a second, then shrugged.

"I probably wouldn't stop you."

Link smirked.

"You're too friendly, I can see why the school loves you."

Carter looked at him.

"What can I say, I was voted most approachable," she said, stealing a fry off of Link's plate.

Link laughed. A slender girl with chestnut curls walked up to their table. Carter gestured to her.

"See, what did I tell you," she said.

The girl frowned at Carter as Link tried to contain his laughter. The girl turned her attention to Donovan.

"Hi Donovan," she said, her voice bright. "Our table has room, if you want to sit with us." She looked to Link. "And...um... you can come too."

Link raised his eyebrows and looked to Donovan, whose face revealed nothing.

"Thanks for the offer, but we're fine here," Donovan said.

The girl looked stunned and stood there for a long minute.

"I'll come," Carter said.

The girl glared at Carter before walking away.

"Well, that was a bit rude," Carter said. "I wonder why she didn't invite me as well? Another mystery for the ages, I guess."

"Yes, they will be working on that one forever," Link said.

She shrugged.

"Why didn't you say yes?" she asked.

Donovan gave her a blank look.

"You want us to leave?" he asked.

"Are you kidding me? You would be surrounded by girls desperate to get your attention. It would be the most entertaining thing to watch. My prediction would be that the brunette would have ended up spilling something on your shirt. Then, apologize profusely while she would try to dry your shirt with her hand."

"Donovan, maybe you should go. I wouldn't mind watching that," Link said, a hint of glee in his voice.

Donovan merely looked at Link, his expressionless face seeming to scream that he was not amused.

"So tell me about your parents?" Carter asked.

Link looked at her.

"You really want us to leave, don't you?" he asked.

"It's a reasonable question. You're sitting at my table. I'm asking about their occupations, not your entire genealogy," she said.

"Normal people usually start off asking about hobbies," Link said. "They usually avoid personal questions until the third day and stick with pop culture for conversation topics."

"Question: in the one and a half days that you have known me, have you ever linked the word normal to me?"

Link shook his head. "Good point."

"Besides, pop culture is stupid. As for hobbies, I'm guessing Donovan's has something to do with running and lifting weights based on his physique. As well as boxing, based on the state of his knuckles."

The corner of Donovan's mouth twitched and Carter smirked. She looked to Link.

"You play video games. I know this because of the calluses on your thumbs. So who are your parents?"

She glanced at Donovan.

"What do they really do? Since I know your father is not a senator," she said.

Donovan gave her a leveled look.

"I never said he was."

"No, but you didn't correct me when I was implying that he was."

Donovan's face remained unconcerned.

"How do you know?" Link asked.

Carter looked at him.

"Because Senator Keller doesn't have a son. He does have an illegitimate daughter that is secretary to his chief of staff."

Carter raised her eyebrows as Link's expression turned astonished and Donovan's forehead flinched.

"You didn't know?" she asked. "Seriously, she has the same nose, forehead and face shape. Different color hair doesn't change the fact that she looks exactly like him."

Link shifted, adjusting his glasses.

"How do you know this stuff?" he asked.

She shrugged.

"I have this thing called a brain and a set of eyes. It seems everyone else has yet to turn their own on."

Link laughed and opened Carter's bag of chips.

"What do your parents do?" she asked, taking a fry off Link's plate.

"It's me and my mom. She's a pretty big lawyer. I only see my dad sometimes." Link fidgeted. "He's not really a big part of my life."

Carter nodded, her gaze traveling over the room.

"I understand that," she said, her tone distracted.

"You and your mom then?" Link asked.

Carter frowned, but schooled her features as she looked at Link.

"No. Just my dad and me. My mother is no longer in the picture," she said.

"That sucks," Link said.

She glanced away, absently cracking her knuckles.

"Sure."

Link looked to Donovan. Carter turned back to them.

"Donovan what do your parents-"

Before Carter could finish, someone approached their table. They all looked up to see Mason scowling at them, his bodyguard standing just behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Mason asked Link.

Carter leaned on the table, putting on a patronizing smile.

"I was bound to make friends at some point," she said. "They're new. You can't blame them for their ignorance of my social standing."

Mason looked at her, his scowl turning into an annoyed frown.

"Owens, do you ever shut up?" he asked.

She shrugged.

"I don't know, I haven't tried yet. I don't find it as easy as you do to turn off my brain. I am open to tips. I can imagine you have a lot."

Link laughed as Mason clenched his fists.

"You know you're a real pain in the-"

"Oh, I would watch what you say next," Carter said, holding up her hand. "Because I could get in a good swing before Smith here tackled me."

Carter looked to the beefy man in a black suit and nodded.

"Hi Smith, how's it going?" she asked, her tone casual.

Smith's posture remained the same, though a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"What are you doing here?" Mason asked again.

Carter leaned towards Link.

"I think he might have a hearing problem," she mock whispered. "It doesn't bode well for his future presidency."

Link cracked a smile, as Mason's face turned red.

"I suggest a blue tie to go with that shade of red," Carter said, pointing to Mason's face. "It will down play the color just a bit."

Mason pointed a finger at her.

"Owens, you b-"

"Yes, Mr. President?" she asked, with a polite smile.

Mason looked about to hit her, his face contorted with rage.

"All those things you are thinking about doing," she said. "I would rethink them. I have no problem hitting the president's son. Also, I know Smith is so bored he would let me get in few good hits before stopping me."

Smith shifted his shoulders and coughed into a large fist, covering his chuckle. Without another word, Mason turned and strode away. Carter turned back to Link.

"I think a beautiful friendship is in the making, don't you?"

*****************

A controlled silence filled the library, only the hint of pages turning and muffled whispers broke the stillness. Carter moved down an aisle, her gaze wandering over book titles. She turned around the corner, but paused. Half way down the aisle Donovan stood with his back to her, looking over a book. Before Carter could approach, a girl appeared at the other end and walked towards him. He looked up as she stopped beside him.

"Hi handsome," she said.

Donovan made no response. Carter smirked, imagining the blank look he was giving the girl.

"Since you're new here I thought I would give you a personal invitation to my party this Saturday." She edged closer. "It could be a great place for us to get to know each other." Smiling, she placed one hand on his bicep. Donovan tensed under the contact and the girl's eyes widened. "Wow, you're really strong."

Donovan shifted, pulling his arm free. He looked back down at the book in his hand.

"No, thanks," he said.

The girl gave him a sultry pout.

"You sure?" she asked.

Donovan looked at her, but said nothing. The girl's face flushed and she gave him a pinched smile.

"Let me know if you change your mind," she said.

She left, swinging her hips with extra effort. Donovan watched her leave.

"Not likely," he muttered.

Carter laughed and he tensed. He looked back at her as she made her way to him. She stopped and rested against the bookshelf, her arms crossed.

"High school debauchery full of wasted drunks isn't your thing?" she teased.

He gave her a flat look.

"Sometimes I wonder how most people live with using so little parts of their brains," she said. "It's a miracle the human race is still around."

He made no reply. Carter reached out and felt his arm, then dropped her hand.

"The girl does have a point, you have muscle. My guess about you lifting weights was correct."

"You struck me as the person who doesn't guess," Donovan said, evenly.

"I make calculated guesses, there's a difference."

He nodded. Carter looked down at the book he was holding then up at the bookshelf.

"If you are looking for material for the History essay, go with Floyd," she said, pointing to one of the books. "He has a better understanding of both sides and his points are clearer."

Donovan took down the book.

"Thanks," he said.

Carter smirked.

"No problem handsome," she said.

She walked away and headed back to her table. Across the narrow, wooden surface were splayed textbooks, notebooks and papers. She took a seat, but didn't continue working, instead she watched as Donovan emerged from the aisle. He took a seat at the end of a table, two rows down, next to Link. Though his posture was relaxed, he didn't slouch.

Carter leaned against the table, staring. Every time the door to the library opened, Donovan looked up. Every few minutes, he glanced over the room. His gaze met Carter's during one of his inspections. He held it, a cool intensity in his stare. After a second he looked back to his work.

Carter's studying was forgotten, her gaze never leaving Donovan, until the bell rang.

****************

The sound of jumbled conversations and random words filled Carter's ears, as she sat in a booth at the deli. The bell over the door dinged and a wave of cool air rushed in, as more voices filled the room. She was bent over her notebook, scribbling out equations, when a cookie plopped down onto her textbook. She looked up as Maggie slid into the seat across from her.

"Sorry girly. Big rush, couldn't get away," Maggie said. "Now I am all yours."

Carter took the cookie and leaned back into the booth.

"What do you want to do tonight?" Maggie asked.

Carter broke her cookie in half and shrugged.

"How about since it is just us girls we do something fun," she said.

Carter raised an eyebrow.

"Dare I ask what your version of fun entails," she said.

Maggie smiled.

"Oh you know," she said, waving her hand, "painting each other's nails, braiding hair, watching a fun romantic movie. Something like that."

"Remind me how long you have known me?" Carter asked.

Maggie laughed.

"Well, I thought this would be something I could do, because I haven't the faintest clue how to clean a gun or assemble a bomb."

"Please, like my father taught me how to assemble a bomb." Carter gave her a wide smile. "I learned that online."

"Very amusing," she said, flatly. "But how about just a romantic movie then."

"Those things are terrible. The girl characters are weak and pathetic. They rely completely on the male to do everything and don't try to protect themselves."

Maggie gave Carter a knowing look.

"And is that why I came over the other day to find you had fallen asleep to one of those stupid movies?" Maggie asked.

Carter crossed her arms and scowled.

"Yes, I was not watching it. It merely came on after the movie I had been watching."

Maggie smiled and nodded her head.

"Of course. It's not because, although you deny it, you still have some romantic side to you."

"I will neither confirm or deny that statement."

"Fair enough," Maggie said. "We can decide what to do later. Now tell me how was school? You still talking to those two transfer students or did you scare them off?"

Carter smiled as she finished the last of her cookie.

"Surprisingly they sat with me again. There is something about them that's...off. I don't know what it is, but I will figure it out. But the fact that they are still hanging out with me leads me to believe they enjoy pain."

Maggie slapped Carter's arm.

"You should be nice. They probably just see how wonderful a person you are," she said.

"To that I will refer to my previous question, remind me how long you have known me?"

"Long enough to know that you are fiercely protective of your father and love him more than anything in this world. That kind of girl still has a heart."

"Or part of one, at least," Carter said.

"Maybe they can help you find the other half," Maggie teased.

"No need. I know where the other half is. It left four years ago."

Maggie's expression softened and she placed a hand on Carter's arm.

"Hun, you know..."

Carter shifted and Maggie pulled her hand back.

"A movie sounds fine for tonight, you can choose. I don't care," Carter said.

Maggie nodded, giving Carter a sad smile. The bell dinged and Carter glanced over at the entrance, before ducking her head.

"You have customers," she said. "And I should finish this."

Maggie slid out of the booth and Carter picked up her pencil, falling back into the world of mathematics.

She was pulled away, a few minutes later, when her phone started ringing. A smile spread across her face as she glanced at the screen.

"Hello," she answered.

There was no response on the other end, only the faint sound of someone breathing. Carter tensed, her stomach tightening as panic crashed over her. She gripped the phone.

"Listen," she said, her voice hard. "Whoever you are, if your name isn't Steve and you don't have a daughter named Carter, then the only thing you should say next is you just happened to find this phone. Because I swear if you say my father-"

"Carter, how were you planning to end that sentence?" her father asked.

Relief washed over her, like someone had poured a bucket of cold water on her. She went limp, the tension and panic escaping her body in one quick moment. She buried her face in her hand, her body shaky.

"Captain," she breathed out.

"Sarge, are you alright?" her father asked.

Carter lifted her head.

"Of course, I'm fine. Why didn't you say anything when I answered?" she asked, working to keep the anger from her voice.

"I didn't hear you. I was still waiting for you to pick up," he said.

"Right. Okay."

"You sure you're alright?"

Carter laughed, a sound that she knew they would both hear as forced.

"I'm fine."

"So you threaten everyone who don't answer right away?"

"Only the ones I like."

"Okay. How was school?"

"Fine. I managed not to punch five people."

"Carter. I would hope that you would manage not to even come close to punching five people."

"Would it help if I said they started it?"

"No."

"Well, then I will strive to do better next time. How's the trip going so far?"

"As well as expected. We are dealing with..."

Carter sank back in the booth and smiled, resting in the sound of her father's voice.

**********************************************************************

Hello noodle!

What are we talking about today? Well, let's see...the topic of guys is always a classic choice, but let's see if we can't mix it up a little bit. If you were trapped on a desert island, who would you want to be trapped with?

Wow, that's difficult. Do you go with a buff guy who could help protect you from the wild life or a smart guy that could come up with a way to get off? Is there such a thing as a smart buff guy? If so I would choose him. Of course once we got back to civilization we would get married because we would be bonded by our trauma. So yay! It all ends well.

If you vote for me

Comment for free

Follow my lead

Then I'll love you eternally!