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The somewhat lengthy car ride from Benson's Bar and Grill to this small convenience store had been relatively quiet for all the persons involved, and Whitney had had a lot of time to muse over her thoughts once again, unable to express any of them lest she revert Jodeen to all thoughts and feelings before the word "ice cream" escaped her lips. The wheels of the car turned into a suitable parking lot in front of the store and the blonde-haired girl put the car in park, killing the engine after a moment.

Reaching around behind her to retrieve her purse from its half-toppled over position in the back seat of the car, she dug around momentarily before a twenty dollar bill protruded from the top of her purse. Handing it to Jodeen, she cast a warm smile at the younger girl. Somehow, she couldn't help but feel at least partially responsible for the ongoings that had occurred at Benson's, and this was sort of her way of trying to make it up to both Jodeen and Matthias.

Hitting the button on the side of the door to unlock the car, Whitney unbuckled her seatbelt, and swung the door open, stepping out and reshutting it, but not heading into the convenience store quite yet. If she timed it right, she could get Matthias alone just long enough to find out the whole story on what had happened at the bar and grill, and hopefully spare him the incident of being reprimanded by his younger sibling.

Leaning against the driver's side door of the car, she eyed the convenience store with a bit of curiosity, having never been here before. It wasn't often that she came to this side of town. She had a few friends scattered here and there that she went to go see on occassion, but for the most part, she had no reason to venture too far from the Kensington Heights subdivision on the south side of town where their home was located.

Her musings over the little store were cut short as her attention turned back to the Kovalenko siblings. Momentarily, Whitney locked eyes with Matthias, casting him that signature look that ran across her face when she wanted something. After all, the whole point of this little endeavor had been to talk to him in privacy, if only for a moment. And slowly but surely, her curiosity was getting the better of her, and she just had to know.

Both hoping and assuming that Jodeen would probably run ahead of them into the store, Whitney slowly made her way around the small sports car toward where Matthias was standing. In a low, almost hushed voice, she finally vocalized her thoughts on the matter, hoping no one outside of the two would hear the oncoming conversation. Inwardly though, she couldn't help but wonder if he would even be willing to talk to her about today's events.

For the duration of the car ride, Matthias had taken to silence, relaxing at the front passenger seat and calmly watching the ever changing scenery of buildings, cars, streetlamps, and trees as they drove through the district. After all that excitement, Matthias finally had a chance to relax and recollect, putting himself back in a state of ease. Though after a rather meditative car ride, they finally reached the parking lot before the convenience store, at which Matthias waited until the engine quieted down before exciting with a relieved sigh.

Jodeen, on the other hand, was on the verge of bursting out excitedly almost as soon as Whitney stopped the engine, though she blinked in sudden surprised as Whitney addressed her with the twenty dollar bill she had dug up, offering it to her with a cheerful smile. Jodeen stared at it with an open mouth for a moment, her eyes alighting in what could undoubtedly be sheer glee.

“Really? Anything at all?” She gasped in pure delight, and grasped the bill tightly in her hand. Smiling gratefully at the other girl, she told her, “This is great, thanks a bunch! Wow…”

As Matthias looked back to see what in the world Whitney had given her that Jodeen had to be all excited about, his eyes caught the twenty dollar bill, and he blinked in surprise. Quickly, trying to be gracious, he reassured Whitney, “Hey, you don’t have to do that, you know? You really don’t.” He smiled a bit awkwardly. “I can pay for it, you know? I think I have enough….”

“Don’t make her change her mind, Matt!” Jodeen told him simply, sticking her tongue out at him. “It’s not like I’m gonna spend the whole thing….not all of it anyways.” Without allowing Matthias to let in another word of protest, she burst out of the car, opening the door to jump out onto the parking lot, practically dancing on her feet in energetic excitement.

“Hurry up, you slow pokes!” she called to them in an impatient voice before running off on her own, disappearing within the convenience store in only a matter of seconds before Matthias could even say, “Wait.”

Sighing at the incredulity, he shook his head, smiling in slight affection for his younger sister as he unlatched his seatbelt and opened the car door, exiting the car and walking around a bit to stretch his legs a bit. It was then that he noticed Whitney standing nearby, having not followed Jodeen into the convenience store, rather stopping to give Matthias a look of interest and inquiry.

Matthias sighed again, before she even asked, he knew perfectly well that she wanted to know exactly what happened back at the bar and grill. For all her curiously, Matthias could understand, and despite wanting to push it as far back in his mind as it would allow him, Matthias decided that talking about it and getting it off his chest wouldn’t be too bad. In any case, Matthias appreciate Whitney’s sense of tact, for not bringing up the subject in front of Jodeen.

“Yeah, I guess you do want to know what went on back there, huh?” Matthias asked her with a weary smile. He leaned against the wall of the convenience store, resting his back against it with arms crossed over his saxophone case as he began his recollection.

“Well, it was after…just after you went off into the ladies’ room. Silvstedt and Callahan…or maybe it was just Silvstedt doing all the talking, he was basically making some crude comment towards you about how you got your shirt wet. When I had something to say about it, he went over the top and went ahead and picked a fight.”

He looked down for a moment, kicking his shoe against the dusty sidewalk.

“I’m not one to pick a fight for a reason as trivial as that. Just pointless, you know? But in my defense, he basically trashed my alto sax.” He held up the saxophone case in his arms a bit. “I’d just gotten it repaired today too, and now that it’s completely wrecked, I don’t even know if it’s even playable anymore…”

He sighed, silently mourning his loss for a moment, before brushing the image of his destroyed instrument off into the back of his mind.

“So I guess you can see why I was willing to fight him,” he told her with an apologetic smile. “Or maybe it’s as stupid as any other reason to pick a fight in the public…but I just couldn’t let it go, you know? The way he was acting, it’s enough to make anybody sick.” He sighed yet again.

“To tell you the truth, if you or Callahan hadn’t upped and interrupted the fight, I don’t think any of it would have ended up pretty. Someone could have gotten seriously hurt. Even though I didn’t want to hurt Eric, I had to at least defend myself, you know? And for a moment, I thought he really wanted to kill me.”

He shook his head, closing his eyes in contemplative silence as he leaned his head back against the wall of the building.

Looking on with interest as Matthias leaned against the wall of the convenience store and began to recollect on the day's events, a sympathetic smile formed on the fair-haired girl's lips. She knew internally that this discussion was not one that Matthias cared to be having, but she was grateful that he'd at least go over the basics of the events leading up to the fight with her. At the mention of herself, though, she began wishing she'd never asked.

"So then... all that started because of me?" she mused quietly.

It wasn't a good feeling, for certain, to know that if Matthias had never stood up for her against the snide remarks of Eric Silvstedt that he would have left Benson's Bar and Grill with both his prized saxophone and his dignity still in tact, not to mention the fact that he never would have had to explain to his sister all the ongoings that had occurred and how an argument had escalated into a public display of violent acts.

As Matthias continued his story, Whitney listened on, now only halfway paying attention to the other details of the story. It's not like it was her fault that Matthias stood up to Eric, or that Eric had a bad temper. However, she couldn't help but feel guilty that in a roundabout way she had caused all the drama that had unfolded at the restaurant. Overall, she just felt bad. She felt bad that Matthias's chivalry had cost him his pride, his prized alto saxophone, and had caused him the stress and frustration of contending with his little sister, and, quite possibly, having to contend with Eric later on.

"You know... you didn't have to do that. It's sort of silly, really. They can say whatever they want about me... Eric Silvstedt's opinion of me as a person doesn't really count for much, you know? You could've saved yourself a headache if you hadn't stood up to them."

Casting her companion a faint smile before returning her glance to the ground, Whitney couldn't help but smile inwardly at the situation as well.

"But... thank you."

Taking a few steps away from her former position of leaning against the car, and instead heading toward the door of the convenience store, Whitney stopped short of the door and turned back toward Matt, her arms folded loosely across her chest.

"I feel bad about what happened to your sax... is there anything I can do?"

While the Acosta family was rather well-off, certainly not as wealthy as some of the other local families here and in the nearby towns and cities, they still had quite a bit of money. Whitney felt partially responsible for the destruction of Matthias's prized saxophone, and as such, she couldn't help but feel somewhat obliged to at least offer some sort of assistance in repairing the instrument.

She could see Jodeen inside the convenience store from the corner of her eye, and after a moment, she motioned inside the store, indicating that they should probably enter before Jodeen became suspicious as to why they had fallen so far behind in the short distance to the door. She'd certainly caused Matthias more than his fair share of problems on this day, and didn't feel like causing any more trouble, especially in the form of raising more questions from his younger sibling.

Sam was standing in the back of the convenience store, shuffling a pack of playing cards mindlessly as he was looking over some snacks. He continued to shuffle, listening to the sound of his cards. He was wearing faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt that advertised the magic shop he worked at. He didn't see the trio pull up to the convenience store, but he heard the door ring as Jodeen came in.

Quickly putting the deck in its case and putting it in his pocket, he grabbed a king sized snickers bar and walked towards the counter. He looked at Jodeen for a brief moment, just to see if he recognized the girl. Looking outside he saw Matthias Kovalenko and Whitney Dawn Acosta. The basketball player and a cheerleader.

Not usually the crowd Sam hung out with, he just focused his attention back to paying for his snickers. Once bought, he went to the end of the counter, and leaned against it. He really wasn't in the mood to drive back home, he just felt like standing here, eating his snickers bar.

((Sorry for the short post, I didn't really know what to have him do, him being a new character and all))

The red Toyota that Vesa was driving pulled into a parking space nearby and the pilot hesitated for a moment before shutting down the car and getting out. He didn't know that the three kids he saw down at Benson's were in there; nor did he care. All he knew was that Olli, his "little brother," kept bugging him on the phone, saying that he wanted something before his adoptive mother, a middle-aged woman named Carola Soranen, picked up the phone and told him to get a gallon of milk while he was out. So he figured that since it was along the way, he would stop in and get the things he needed and get out quickly.

Once inside, Vesa quickly recognized Whitney when he turned back, one of the few students in the school that had longer hair than he did. He already knew she was taken, but still wanted to see if he could at least talk to her as a friend, but knowing that he had to not make it look like he was trying to hit on her. The young Finn made his way to the back of the store and picked up the must-get, which was a jug of milk; soon, a 2-liter bottle of A&W root beer and a bag of Doritos ended up in his hands, which would be split among himself and Olli. Vesa took a long time to think about whether or not he wanted to say something or just let it be, having already set in his mind that he would confront Eric the next day. But when he got to the counter, he made up his mind as he put the items up and handed the cashier another ten-dollar bill.

After collecting his change and his items, Vesa quickly made his way to his car, put the bags on the back floorboard nearest to him and turned back to approach Whitney, Matthias and Jodeen.

"Hey..." he said in a somewhat nervous tone, though his promenent accent was unmistakeable, "I saw what happened back at the restaurant...and what Eric did was totally uncalled for."

((Sorry for the short post...I'm on a limited time frame at the library here. Maybe next time I'll be able to start, recharge my minutes, and pick up my future posts until I get online at my new place.))

Matthias shrugged at Whitney’s remark over the story, trying to look as though he wasn’t at all bothered by the events, though likely with little conviction. He smiled at her, a wistful, weary smile he put on whenever things didn’t go his way. It was his way of saying outwardly, ‘It’s nothing’, when really he was hiding the pain inside of him. Such was a fascade he felt the need to put on as he listened to Whitney’s sympathetic words as well as those of gratitude. Blushing slightly, Matthias rubbed the back of his neatly cropped hair, casting a sidelong glance to the street beyond Whitney.

“Eh, I couldn’t let it go, you know?” Matthias told her, trying to brush off the serious matter. “I’m not trying to be chivalrous, that’s just the right thing to do. I don’t regret actually standing up to him. Picking an all out fight with him over a broken saxophone…” His voice trailed off. He just couldn’t bring himself to say that it wasn’t a big deal, when really, the instrument had meant the world to him.

He looked towards Whitney in surprise as she approached, his eyebrows raised slightly in confusion as she asked if there was anything that she could do.

“Something that you can do?” Matthias inquired, before he understood what she meant. “You mean about the sax? Well…” He scratched the head in contemplation, slightly unsure as to how to answer the question. “…Really, you don’t have to do anything. That aside, I’m not sure if there’s anything that can be done. If it can’t be repaired…I can always buy a new one, but those things are hella expensive. I’d really like to get it repaired, but it won’t be worth the trouble if its not as playable anymore…” He smiled apologetically at her.

“It’s nothing, really,” he told her. “But I appreciate it, really.”

Just as Matthias was about to walk inside the store, he caught the sight of Vesa, a casual acquaintance from Franklyn, who appeared to have just finished his shopping at the convenience store. Smiling a bit at his words, Matthias shrugged again and said, “Yeah, that guy sure has nerve, I’ll give him that much.” He shifted uncomfortably. “So you saw that, huh? Man…I wonder how many other people saw that. Hope this doesn’t get around the rest of the school.”

Meanwhile, Jodeen had long since tired of waiting for Whitney and her older brother since she had made her way alone inside the convenience store, eagerly looking over the frozen food section at the various selection of ice cream and frozen sweets they sold here. Though she wondered just what Matt and Whitney were doing, taking their time outside the store like that. Was Whitney Matt’s girlfriend? If that’s the case, that was certainly a first for Matthias, Jodeen knew that much.

They’d better not be making out by the time I get out of here, she thought to herself, selecting a chocolate and raspberry ripple cream bar and making her way over to the counter, Whitney’s twenty dollar bill in hand. You just couldn’t go wrong with Haagen Dazs.

It seemed as though there was a line up…or else some weird guy was just standing around the counter, conveniently in Jodeen’s way, just munching on a Snickers bar. Anxious to pay for her ice cream, Jodeen found herself getting impatient, speaking up in a slightly irritated voice.

“You just standing around, or are you waiting to pay? Mind moving before my ice cream melts?”

Sam was lost in thought, not so much concentrating on the snickers bar he was currently eating, but about other things. School, work, his magic career which wasn't taking off anytime soon. He just stood there when he heard a girl's voice.

“You just standing around, or are you waiting to pay? Mind moving before my ice cream melts?”

Sam just looked at the girl and smiled and said, "Yeah sure sorry." Sam stepped aside and looked at the ice cream bar she held in her hand. He smiled, seeing an oppurtunity to perform one of his favorite magic tricks.

He watched the girl with the 20 dollar bill in hand, and knew that the change she got back, if she got any coins back, he could perform his trick. Sam was definately one to love being the center of attention, and even if in most situations this would be ackward, Sam didn't find it ackward at all. He just said to the girl, "Do you like magic tricks?"

Only halfway listening to Matthias's reassuring words about the destruction of his saxophone, Whitney had instead taken to focusing her attention on the concrete parking lot of the convenience store, noting it to be littered with cigarette butts and dirt. Kicking absent-mindedly at a pebble near her foot, the feelings of guilt still had not really surpassed, but Whitney tried to shrug it off the best she could.

It was not until she and Matthias were approached by the large Finnish boy that Whitney fully snapped back to reality. Naturally, the large figure that was Vesa Turunen had just inquired about the events at Benson's as well. Whitney had somehow not noticed Vesa amongst all the patrons at the restaurant, which was quite a feat in itself considering the sheer size of the boy in question.

So, needless to say, his comments about Eric Silvstedt and his horrendous temper had taken Whitney completely offguard. Tilting her head to the side curiously, she couldn't help but note the seemingly uncomfortable expression on Matthias's face as he responded to the Finn's remarks. News about the fight seemed quite wide-spread, especially for the small amount of time it had been resolved in.

Then again, Whitney couldn't help but muse to herself, Benson's was a popular hangout for many of the Franklyn kids. Several of them worked there or ate there on a regular basis. Even kids from other schools came in to enjoy the food sometimes. It was only natural that news of the brawl that had occurred just outside the restaurant would spread like wildfire around town. People gossiped about the silliest things.

A polite smile formed on Whitney's features as she took in the large boy standing in front of she and Matthias. She'd seen him around, knew him to be a big sports fanatic, namely hockey. Couldn't really say they were friends, which was a shame, Whitney found she didn't really seem to have all that many friends outside of the cheersquad. Just casual acquaintances. Turning toward Matthias once again, Whitney couldn't help but respond to his nervous statement with a more ridiculous one of her own.

"You don't want the story of Matthias the War Hero, Wielder of the Almighty Saxophone Case to spread around school?" She laughed aloud at the thought, before continuing, "Really Matt, I can't imagine why."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the interior of the small convenience store. Jodeen had already gone up to the counter to pay, and Whitney found it amusing that indeed the girl had had no intentions whatsoever of waiting on herself or her older brother. Watching subconsciously through the corner of her eye as Jodeen approached a figure standing out the counter, she couldn't help but think the boy with the Snickers bar looked familiar.

After a moment she placed a name with the face she was looking at, his name was Sam Mervin? Merlin? ... Myron! Her attention turned to face the glass door of the convenience store as she watched the boy. She didn't quite know him, but rather, knew of him. He was the magician boy from school. Aspired to be the next David Blaine or something. He was quite good, at least, from what she'd heard. He and Jodeen seemed to be talking inside, something Whitney found harmless enough.

Looking on curiously at the events going on in the interior of the store, she had now noticeably stopped paying attention to the conversation both Matthias and Vesa were entangled in. She had to admit, she was rather curious as to what Sam Myron could possibly be talking to Jodeen about. Then again, from what she knew of him, he was quite popular amongst the student body, especially for his magic tricks, so really, randomly striking up a conversation with a 13-year-old girl didn't seem so weird. Maybe he knew the family or something.

A coy grin formed on Vesa's face as Whitney made that proclamation, deciding that he had a few more minutes to kill before he had to go...either that or Carola would be calling his phone wondering where he was and what was taking him so long. He leaned against the large window, looking over the other three, then glancing back at Sam as he stood by the counter. After a moment of thought, Vesa looked down at Matthias before glancing back at Whitney, taking a moment to study her inconspicuously. He knew she was already taken, but still felt she was attractive and he definitely wanted to get to know her a little better...maybe this was the break he was looking for.

"Nah..." he said softly, "I didn't see anyone I knew, though that doesn't mean anyone else from school was there. If there was, then it could get out of hand...in that case..." Vesa took a deep breath, then let it out in a contemplative sigh as he ran his left hand through his hair. "...someone's gonna have to finish it, one way or another."

Vesa then took the time to regard Matthias again...for starters, he knew that he was on the basketball team and had seen the FHS basketball team play before. He also knew he was in the band, but that was after Whitney had revealed the incident with the saxophone case and the destroyed instrument, which happened just before he stepped in the door. Once again, he smiled as he continued to lean idly against the window.

"It's not the saxophone I have an issue with...but rather the kid who trashed it. I..." He was interrupted when he heard his phone ringing. A soft growl came from Vesa, muttering an obscenity in his native tongue to himself as he looked at the display, then sighed when there was no number. So he did what came naturally...he opened it and took the call, holding up a finger to excuse himself. "Hello?"

It didn't take long for the long-haired Finn to light up when he heard the voice on the other end. "Hey, Hannu! Kuinka aari te aikana paikalla taaksepäin kotona Suomi?" (How are you over there back in Finland?) The voice on the other end was that of Hannu Setanen, Vesa's best friend back in his hometown of Kerava, Finland...he was a year older than Vesa, but the two were always together in everything they did. And it was no surprise that they were on Finland's top line at the world junior hockey championships in Vancouver; Hannu played right wing and wore number 14 while Vesa centered the line, his hair coming down to the top of the number 23 on the back of his jersey.

"Hienosti...kuinka on se kotona Amerikka?" (Fine...how is it in America?) asked Hannu, the voice audible to Whitney and Matthias.

"Ei arvoitus...juoruta jotta te myöhempi, Vesa!" (No problem...talk to ya later, Vesa!) Vesa then hung up and smiled at the two kids he was with before the call interrupted him. "That was my best friend back in Finland," he explained, "He's a year older than me and we were on the same line at worlds...but that's enough of that. Where were we again?"

"Thanks," Jodeen muttered as she stepped aside the boy who had been daydreaming whilst snacking on a Snickers bar, making her way over to the counter to purchase her ice cream. As she lay her selected ice cream bar and the twenty dollar bill Whitney had given her on the counter, the burly teen at the counter frowned slightly as he began to irritably count out the respective change. Jodeen gave him a look that said plainly, Deal with it, and began to unwrap her ice cream and bite at it happily as she waited for her change to be handed back to her.

As she collected her change in bills and coins, Sam's voice caught her attention, and while she regarded him with a look of caution, the expression on her face said clearly that she was appealing to his question with a bit of interest. She nodded eagerly as she took another bite out of her ice cream bar.

"Yeah, I do!" she said, before asking curiously, her head tilted to one side. "What, you know any good ones?"

Meanwhile, Matthias had taken to pausing yet again in front of the convenience store, laughing yet again as Whitney made her own remark on the prospect of the whole brawl becoming known to the whole school. War hero? he thought sardonically, relaxed enough by now to see some humour in the whole matter. Yeah, real likely.

It was a while before he could recover himself, holding a hand over his aching stomach to keep from laughing himself into utter exhaustion. He stood up straight yet again, regaining his composure while still chuckling at Whitney's remark. "War Hero, huh?" In a mock act, he began to take up a defensive stance, holding his saxophone case two-handed as though he were wielding a heavy weapon. "Have at thee, fiendish rogue! Taste six-ply hardwood, and know that only one shall leave the grill alive!"

He set his saxophone case down and shook his head incredulously with wry grin on his face. "Honestly, I don't think I'd be able to handle all the glorification. A hero like me has got to keep a low profile, you know?" He chuckled a bit, suddenly sobering up a bit as he regarded Vesa's suddenly serious remark with a solemn expression on his mature face. Out of hand, huh? he thought to himself, mulling over his newfound situation to himself. Well there’s something to worry about…

He shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant about it. After all, there was no point in complaining in front of his friends, right? Whatever happened between him and Eric Silvedst was for Matthias himself to deal with. Though he didn’t ask for this sort of burden, he did get himself into a fight that cost him his saxophone, his pride, and overall just caused him a whole lot of trouble. As for the aftermath…it was just one other thing he would have to deal with later, by himself. It wasn’t fair to get everyone else involved.

“”It’s alright,” he reassured Vesa, putting on a friendly, calm smile to hide the feeling of unease that had welled up inside him. “Y-you know, I’ll handle it when the time comes. People who come round asking for trouble usually get more than they’d bargained for, you know? But whether it’s glorifying me or the opposite, I can handle it myself.”

Yeah… he thought to himself wearily. I’m no Hero. I’m just an ordinary kid who fell for some dirty trick and got into a fight over nothing. Is that what a Hero is? Ridiculous.

For all the stormy tides of unease and discomfort that raged in his heart, he covered up with a cheerful smile, as he often did whenever he was upset or unhappy. After all, no use ruining the mood right? You just had to move on, no matter how bad things got. Move on, and hope things turn out for the better from here on.

As he stepped into the store with Meg and Vesa, he listened with mild curiosity to Vesa’s side of the phone conversation, though it quite obvious that he did not understand a single word of it. Wondering briefly what could Vesa and his friend were talking about, he turned his attention towards the counter, where Jodeen was. From where Matthias was standing, in the somewhat cramped aisle of the convenience store directly perpendicular to the counter, he could see quite clearly that another person…older, and taller, had approached her, and was striking up a conversation with her.

His eyes narrowed in sudden caution, and immediately, in brisk, meaningful strides, he quickly made his way over to the counter to where Jodeen was standing. He could not yet see the stranger’s face, and thus regarded the situation with a look of caution, suddenly concerned for Jodeen’s safety and well being.

“Everything alright there, Jo?” he called out to her, moving to stand protectively alongside her as he warily regarded the stranger who had brazenly approached her. Immediately, all sense of pretense fell as Matthias recognized with relief the familiar figure of Sam, yet another schoolmate from Franklyn. Relaxing a bit, and smiling awkwardly, more at his foolishness than anything, he greeted Sam with a friendly voice.

"Okay, okay," said Vesa as he put his hands up, "I'll let you handle it in your own way...but Eric'll still have some explaining to do if I see him tomorrow." He looked at the phone and his eyes went wide as if he were staring at an empty net. "Voi, paska!" (Oh, shit!) he growled, "I gotta get going...if I'm not back home soon, it'll be my ass." He gave Whitney a smile and a nod while heading back to his car. "See ya tomorrow in Dolph's hellhole..." Vesa got into his car and was about to start it up when he heard his phone ringing again. Grumbling something to himself as he had a feeling of who was on the other line, Vesa wasted no time in picking up.

"Hello?" he said before bracing himself for the onslaught that soon followed, "I'm at the store...yes, I got the milk you told me to get as well as a couple other things that Olli wanted...no, he called me first and told me to get them...oi, whatever!" If they could hear the conversation, they might be able to tell that a parental figure was on the line as it continued. "Kohtuullinen...minun jälkisäädös olla koti- kotona koiranvitjat pöytäkirja, Carola...hyvä, hyvästi..." (Just...I'll be home in a couple minutes, Carola...okay, goodbye...) Then he flipped the phone back up and muttered a few Finnish obscenities to himself before starting the car and backing away.

Sam looked at everyone who was entering the convencience store. Jeeze, the gangs all here. Sam eyes everyone, wondering why everyone from his school chose this time of the day to come to this store. He shrugged and looked at Matthias Kovalenko. Basketball team, and saxophone player, the kid was pretty well known.

Sam did not know however, that the girl he was talking to was his sister. That would explain the protectiveness. Sam smiled at the Matthias and said, "oh I didn't she was your sister man. Actually I was just about to show her a magic trick, you can watch it too if you want."

Sam then focused his attention on the 13-year old girl and said, "Could you please hand me one of your coins?" Sam held out his hand. This was one of his favorite tricks, one that he watched his uncle perform hundreds of times, but like all magic tricks, the end result was almost unbelievable, but to get the result was so simple.

Sam really wouldn't say he was friends with Matthias, only a good acquantence. Then again, Sam didn't really have any "friends". He just knew mostly everyone in the school, more or less because of his showman attitude, and how he would walk up to random people, like Jodeed today, and ask to perform magic tricks.

Since Sam wasn't the normal geeky kid with big thick black glasses, so cliche, but since he looked decent, they would accept, and Sam eventually built up a reputation around school, and he liked that. He liked to be able to perform small tricks for people, because in the end, Sam loved to perform for people. Pure and simple, that is what he loved. He loved to watch people be amazed, and smile, and wonder how he did what he did. That is what pushed Sam to talk to people he didn't know like Jodeen, and that is what will continue to push Sam, until one day his name is world famous, and there will be magic tricks named after him. Sam smiled as his hand was still outstretched, awaiting one of Jodeen's coins.

Whitney couldn't help but laugh aloud at Matthias's display of "heroism". In a way though, the events that had unfolded at the Bar and Grill really were the very basics of fairy-tale and folklore. The brave knight had rode up on his galliant steed to save the Princess from the perile that had befallen her. When the hero had suddenly found himself in a dangerous predicament, the Princess had saved him right back. Laughing at the comical and somewhat childish idea that had popped into her mind, she had slowly begun to find the entire ordeal somewhat amusing.

That is, until Vesa spoke up once again, a serious tone overtaking his formerly cheerful and friendly voice. By now, Eric's threats of more trouble to come had completely subsided from Whitney's mind, but they quickly found their way back as Vesa brought the subject up once more. Sighing under her breath, she didn't really feel the need to speak up about the incident. It wasn't her place, and in a way, Whitney couldn't help but feel as though it wasn't really her problem either... not that she wasn't concerned about Matthias's well-being, but she had simply found herself put in the roll of "onlooker" throughout the spat anyway.

And besides, Matthias had already proven once that he could hold his own against Eric.

The blonde couldn't help but laugh inwardly at the display between Matthias and Vesa that was unfolding in front of her. Matt was adamant about the fact that he didn't want Vesa fighting his battles for him, and it showed. Vesa even seemed to pick up on it as he threw his arms up into the air in response to Matthias's remarks. Tilting her head to the side lightly, Whitney couldn't help but imagine that it must be a male pride thing or something. That was the thing about guys, all of them seemed to put on this faux macho act and pretend to be tough. Personally, Whitney would've let the Finnish boy handle the entire situation, had it been her. Then again, it wasn't her, and she wasn't Matthias.

It was about that time that Vesa's cell phone rang and he bid the duo who had been conversing with him adieu in a rather hasty manner. Smiling a bit, Whitney waved goodbye to the Finnish boy absent-mindedly. Almost instantly thereafter, she was brought back from her daydream as Matthias seemed to catch sight of the boy who had been conversing with Jodeen at the counter of the convenience store, and just like that, he was gone.

"H-hey, Matt?" the blonde called after him, following at a jogging pace in an attempt to keep up as Matthias made a bee-line for his sister and the new person in question.

Matthias seemed to relax visibly at the discovery that it was simply Sam Myron, and Whitney couldn't help but crack a smile at the situation. She supposed the things she'd heard about Matthias being extremely overprotective of his little sister were indeed true. Then again, judging by the time she'd spent with the duo, the fact didn't really surprise Whitney much. The two seemed very close. Following up behind Matthias, she cast a curt wave toward Sam as she approached, just in time to hear Sam mention that he was going to perform a magic trick.

Looking on in curiosity, Whitney couldn't help but muse over how many of her fellow classmates she'd bumped into today, especially in this tiny little convenience store of all places. Then again, they all probably lived in this general area. Whitney had a longer commute than most from her parents' residence on the south side of town. Really, it shouldn't have been that surprising.

As Sam requested a coin from Jodeen, Whitney glanced down at the pink screened Fossil watch that adorned her wrist. It was a lot later than she'd thought, she should probably be getting home soon. Rather than interrupt Sam, however, Whitney smiled and looked on politely, somewhat curious as to what the magician had in store. She had always been amused by magic, from the corny coin-behind-the-ear tricks to the spectacular magic performances that were often put on in nearby Atlantic City. Thus, Whitney was rather intrigued by what Sam might have in store for them.

[Fuck...it's been a whole month already. *bows repeatedly* Sorry muchs for letting it slow down for this long @_@]

He'd always been protective of Jodeen, often up to the point where it was impossible to hide. Even those who did not know him could tell the way he stood near his sister, the way he spoke, and the suddenly serious and slightly tense expression on his normally good-natured and relaxed visage. Of course, Matthias had long since gotten over seeing the obviousness of it all as a source of embarrassment. After all, what was it compared to his younger sister's safety?

Of course, that wasn't saying that Matthias didn't have any pride, being a given that just about everyone in the world did, to varying degrees. But he could tolerate a bit of embarrassment and awkwardness every now and then. After all, he had given up plenty of his dignity at the face of Eric Silvstedt and the fight that unfolded between them. All of it over a saxophone...

In any case, unlike what the Finnish boy Vesa(whom Matthias bade farewell with a wave) probably had in mind when he made his offer and was met with a refusal, Matthias wasn't looking for another fight. Far from it in fact, and even Matthias knew that he'd be asking too much simply to hope for one like Eric Silvstedt to forgive and forget about the whole ordeal overnight. Rather, it was simply a responsibility he had to take for himself. It was his burden. It was his...well, 'punishment' was a bit of a strong word, but to some degree it seemed fitting. After all, the cause of the fight was partially his fault. It wasn't Whitney's, it wasn't Jodeen's, and it wasn't Vesa's. It was his own. It was the only thing Matthias could accept. After all, it had been his fault Jodeen nearly had something horrible happen to her. Just what kind of person Matthias was to not owe up to his actions?

But there was no reason to dwell on the past now, and the future Matthias was more than willing to deal with later. Much later. For now, he turned his attention back towards Sam Myron. Shrugging casually, though more to relax his nerves a bit than anything, Matthias nodded towards Sam before replying casually, "Well, why not? I've heard about you, but I've never gotten a chance to see any of your tricks. Why not show us what you can do?" He gave a friendly grin as always, though he lingered closer towards his younger sister, who had cast a glance towards him in acknowledgement.

Matthias returned the smile before looking back towards Sam with a curious, observant glance. He had seen Sam around from time to time, and from what he had heard and seen of him, he was quite the entertainer, known particularly for his sleight of hand and magic tricks. Matthias had never gotten to know him particularly well...but at face value, he seemed like a friendly, yet decent and harmless guy. He cast a glance towards Whitney, murmuring with a grin, "This ought to be something." Though really he was looking to stay by Jodeen's side, he couldn't help but feel a sense of genuine curiosity for what Sam had in store, having a slight interest for sleight-of-hand tricks himself.

Jodeen, meanwhile, grinned and replied a cheerful, "Okay." She sorted through her handful of change, handling her ice cream bar at the same time with a bit of difficulty, and then with a light smirk, she flipped up a single dime, letting it fly through the air towards him. Obviously enough she was quite interested and eager to see what Sam had to show for his reputation. She, herself, had not noticed how pensive her older brother Matthias had become over the last few moments, though she did notice the protective nature of his presence standing by her.

Not that she didn't appreciate his concern for her well-being...but more for the sake of Matthias himself, she thought to herself.

Sam smiled as the girl flipped the dime at him, and he caught it with his left hand and smiled. He looked at Matthius, who was obviously being protective of his sister, and Sam respected that. He didn't have any siblings to look out for, and he found it noble that Matthius was so protective of Jodeen.

Sam was also happy to have a bit of a group to watch now. He was planning on just one trick, but now he had a couple of ideas spinning around in his mind to impress the group. He was wearing a short sleeve shirt, so there was no need to roll up the sleeves. He held both hands out in front of him, palm up. In his left lay the dime, in his right lay nothing.

He made eye contact with everyone and said, adding on to the show, "Well, on my many travels across the land I met an old monk. He taught me that everything was just a giant illusion, and the skilled could manipulate the laws of Earth and bend them to their will. Like this."

Sam closed his left and right hand. Both hands were still out in front of him, far away from his body. His left hand traveled to his right, He visibly showed everyone he was stuffing the dime into his right fist. After what looked like a struggle he opened both hands, and the dime was gone. He moved both empty hands in front of his audience showing them the dime was gone, and his hands never once came close to his body.

Smiling he said, "I also learned another trick by him, a way to multiply common objects." Placing his hands in his pockets he brought out what appeared as a red sponge ball, about 1 and a half inches thick. He pulled the sponge ball into two sponge balls right in front of the group. Of course that was for beginners. He smiled and placed both spongeballs in his left hand, and closed his fist. Just like the dime, he brought his left hand over to his right, and visibly stuffed the two sponge balls into his balled up fist.

When he opened both hands both sponge balls were gone. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out another sponge ball and said to Jodeen, "Could you please hold this for me, and hold very tightly." Placing the sponge ball in her hand he smiled and made one of the two spongeballs appear in his right hand, which was empty just moments before. He frowned and said, "I had another one...Jodeen please open your hand for me." When Jodeen opened her hand, she would find two spongeballs in it, and not just one.