The Cowboy, the Casanova and the Canteen

[The Delaney Twins]

D*mn.
He didn't like talking about this one. Like, at all. Especially with people he'd met all of, oh, - he looked at the clock - ten minutes ago.
But then... well, there wasn't much to lose by telling him, was there?
"Um, I don't know," he said, stalling, and now looking officially strange due to his staring down at his plate. "I guess it's just because..." He swallowed. "I don't know if I could take it. If she didn't want me there, I mean. If she asked me to leave."
Realistically, she probably wouldn't do that. But... He'd still be able to tell if she didn't want him, right? He may have sucked at reading people, but he was sure he'd at least be able to tell that. How awkward it would be...
It didn't bear thinking about.

[Jude Dorrian]

It didn't seem likely, that, but Jude understood what Kennedy meant. Girls... y'all just didn't get girls 'til you'd liked one of 'em. Girls have this way of... irrationalising your every thought, fear and hope. They brought out the best and the worst in you. They made your palms go sweaty and your heart vomit.
Rejection by any one of them left a deep scar- one that if it'd been a particularly harsh rejection, doesn't heal for a while.
Jude knew why Kennedy was nervous.
Luckily for Kennedy, Jude was not in love with May, and so was forfeit from Kennedy's irrationality concerning her. As Lee would say- maybe, or if he didn't say it, he sure as heck be thinking it- logic was key here.
"How likely is it," Jude said slowly, "on a scale of 1 to 10 that she would actually do that? Y'know, 10 being she'd kick your ass so hard it'd look like you'd been forced to sit on a hot stove for an hour, and 1 being no, no, not at all, she's much, much too nice."

[The Delaney Twins]

Kennedy couldn't help it: he burst out laughing at the way that Jude had put it. A hot stove for an hour...
This guy was good.
When he'd calmed himself down, he replied - "Much, much too nice would be the answer there. May's not kicking anyone's arse any time soon."
He bit his lip, and continued more seriously. "She... She doesn't do things like that. She's very... proper. See, the thing is... well, cause she knows I like her, she gets uncomfortable around me, like, quite a lot. She doesn't ask me to leave, no, but it even just knowing that she'd rather I wasn't there hurts like hell. And that's what I'm aiming to avoid by, y'know, not pestering her at home. Much."

[Jude Dorrian]

Right. Yeah. Makes sense.
But May liked Kennedy okay; even the nicest of nice people didn't have much patience with those they disliked. But awardness was one of those hurdles that Kennedy was just gonna have to jump if he ever wanted to get anywhere.
'Course, it was easy for Jude to say that. He wasn't the one doing the jumping.
Carefully, Jude began to probe forward, trying to figure out what was the best way to lend Kennedy the courage to leap.
"Have you ever considered that maybe the reason she's so awkward around you is because... well, you're in school?"
For all Jude knew, it could be true. In fact, it was very likely. It was the kinda thing that could happen all the time. Kennedy seemed a nice guy; May sure was a nice girl- nice people liked nice people.
Bang. Match made in heaven.
"Y'all know... getting involved with the students and all that... it could cost her her job. Outside of school, it's a different story."
Just one little leap oughta do it...
Then, Kennedy would know for sure.

[The Delaney Twins]

Oh dear God.
Kennedy wanted to hit himself really, really badly now, but he had a feeling that that could be the sort of thing that could freak the casual observer out quite a lot.
She could get fired, Jude was right. He'd never even thought of that before.
Wow, sometimes, his idiocy was really in a class of its own.
"You're right," he said, running a hand back through his hair in frustration. "God, you're right! Maybe that is it. Maybe if I went and saw her - "
But then the proverbial spanner in the works appeared to him, and he groaned.
"But I don't know what I would say."

[Jude Dorrian]

… wow, this guy was awkward.
“Howdy’s a good starting point,” Jude laughed. “Well, think about it Kennedy; this conversation, right now, or any conversation- how often is it that you really are thinking about what you’re saying? Small-talk is the essence of improv.”
It was a bit funny for him to say that, really, after planning each of his inputs into this conversation so very carefully…
Maybe one day, fingers crossed, Kennedy would thank him.
“So… all you really need to do is think of a good way to get the conversation going, and just let her take over from there.” Jude dropped his fork onto his suddenly empty plate. “Perhaps apologizing for those God awful chat-up lines again would do you some good.”

[The Delaney Twins]

Oh God.
The flirting. He'd forgot the flirting. Jesus, if Sally ever found out about that, he'd...
God. He didn't even want to think about what would happen to him. It made him feel ill.
"I... I guess," he said slowly.
It was just... it was hard. He didn't know if he could make Jude understand the fear that gripped him everytime he thought of actually going down and seeing her, alone, face to face.
It just...
It petrified him. If he did that, he'd be so d**n vulnerable. How could he even -
Ugh.
"I guess I could try."

[Jude Dorrian]

Well. Guessing and trying weren't the most positive verbs in the world.
"Kennedy, it'll be alright-"
"Juuuuude!"
"Ignore that."
"Hey, Juuuuude."
"Really, y'all should just ignore that. Anyway, listen, it'll be alright-"
"Jude!"
"Tameron!" Jude gave a cry of mock surprise, looking around at her. "Christ! I didn't hear you there."
"Who's this?" His sister- flanked by a couple of her squealing pre-teen friends- gawped in amazement at Kennedy, as though he was the most incredible thing in the history of, like, ever. "Wow. Trippy eyes."
"This is Kennedy," Jude explained. "Kennedy... this is... my sister."
"Y'all wearing contacts?"
"No, he isn't."
"Wicked. Are they like Steve Ritzski's hair- do they change according to mood?"
"Er... you tell me, Kennedy," Jude looked apologetically at his friend. Apparently, the Kennedy/May romance would have to be put on hold.

[The Delaney Twins]

The bubbly Texan girl - Tameron? Had he heard right, was it Tameron? He wouldn't have been so unsure, except he was absolutely certain that he'd never heard a name like that before - abruptly shattered the admittedly-rather-morose mood that had been stealing over Kennedy, and he grinned back at her. He couldn't help it, it was kind of infectious.
"Nope," he said. "No mood eyes, they just... went like that, I gue-"
"Kenny!"
Sally's voice rang out above the clamour of the dining hall - an admittedly quieter clamour now, but still, it was a little embarrassing.
"Oh, Jesus..." he said, turning round to see her coming up the aisle between the tables to fetch him.
"Kennedy, you coming?" she asked. "Me and Ari are going down to the biology rooms to check on the results for that protein thingy."
Ahh, yes, the protein thingy. Scintillating stuff, to be sure.
He sighed, looked back over at Jude. "Apparently our sisters have the same agenda when it comes to interrupting us."
She reached his side, looked over at Jude and Tameron, and smiled. "Hey, it's Jude the cowboy!" she exclaimed, holding out a hand to him. "Lynn Delaney."
Kennedy looked up at her, his eyes narrowing. How do you know who he is just by looking at him? He's in my bloody group and I didn't even know him!
She rolled her eyes. "The hat was kind of a giveaway, Kenny-face."

[Jude Dorrian]

"Howdy," Jude smirked slightly, shaking her hand back.
This hat clearly did more for him than he realized.
It was a little surreal, seeing the two sisters standing opposite each other- and it was hard to tell which brother was worse off. No-one could doubt a sort of mutual affection existed within each set of siblings, but that same no-one could say that there wasn't a couple of moments of blind hatred tossed in there, too.
Perhaps, one day, Kennedy and him could sit down, talk about their sisters, and laugh about it.
Today was no that day.
"I reckon I'd better be off, then," Jude tipped his hat to Lynn and Kennedy in turn as he spoke.
One of Tameron's possé gave a little gasp of a giggle. She always did when Jude put on his hat.
"But, Jude," Tameron's eyes were still locked on Kennedy's. "I just wanted to ask Kenny-face a bit more about them eyes-"
... Kenny-face?
On that same day, when the two brothers were supposed to find this funny, Jude would raise the question of whether or not Lynn had really called Kennedy that on purpose just for Tameron's sake.
Neither would want to know the answer.

[The Delaney Twins]

Kenny-face?
Kennedy and Lynn both looked at Tameron speculatively for a moment, their faintly surprised expressions mirroring each other. That was weird, hearing the -face thing in a Southern acc-
Hell, it just sounded weird hearing someone else say it full stop. That was one of their twin things again. They didn't even know where they'd picked it up from, but Kennedy became Kenny-face, Lynn became Sally-face, Arihant became Ari-face, Cass became Caspie-face - Christ, now that he thought of it, even Grandma Hannah had been Granny-face for one particularly odd afternoon.
But he got over his surprise quickly, and grinned. "Tammy-face, I'm sorry, there isn't anything interesting about my eyes. That's just... how they are, right, Sall?"
"Right. It's kind of gay, really, when you think about it."
"Pfft, sure."
"You have to admit, Ken, purple isn't exactly the manliest of colours-"
He raised an eyebrow. "And since when was brown so feminine?" he asked, gesturing at her own eyes.
She laughed. "At least brown's a human eye colour. Anyway, come on, y'lazy arse," she said, slapping him on the back. "We have to go check this."
"Fine, fine." He stood up, then looked back at Jude. "Sorry. Apparently finding out about the egg white and the, uh... the stuff..."
"Pepsin and hydrochloric acid."
"The egg white and the pepsin and hydrochloric acid," he said, not missing a beat, "is more important than continuing our conversation. But thanks, it was very..."
He paused, trying to think of a word, then grinned. "Enlightening."

[Jude Dorrian]

Jude jumped to his feet, a little belatedly, he had to admit; and smiled back.
Tameron's eyes narrowed at the smile. It was one she recognized well- there was nothing much extraordinary about it, just the very slightest, sublte slip upwards of his top lip- but she recognized it, all the same.
Her eyes flashed. "What were y'all talking about, exactly, Judey-face?"
Goddam twins.
"Magic," Jude winked at Kennedy. "Eh?"

[The Delaney Twins]

Kennedy laughed. "Magic indeed."
What is that supposed to mean? Sally sent, narrowing her eyes at him.
Kennedy smirked at her. Mind your own business, woman. I'm allowed to have secrets.
And the narrowed eyes rolled. Now, who went and told you that?
He laughed again. "C'mon," he said, patting her shoulder. Which was bare. Again. Sally didn't seem to understand that, even though it was summer, the weather in this country would never, ever stand up to the tank-top-and-shorts outfits that she wore continuously from May to September. She may have laughed at him for his coat, but she couldn't deny that as a staple piece of clothing it was a lot more country-appropriate. "Egg white, remember?"
She raised one eyebrow. "Oh, just try and change the subject, why don't you?"
He ignored her. "Anyway, must be off," he said to Jude, more spiritedly than he'd thought he was capable of in his depression of a few moments before. Apparently his sister's irritating presence was more reviving than he gave her credit for. "Biology waits for no man."
"True," Sally said, and at the same time, there was a little flash of, You are going to tell me, you know. S'only a matter of time.
Whatever, Sall.
As he left the hall, his mind was littered with a hundred budding new thoughts. Maybe...
Maybe it could work. Maybe, if he did what Jude said, if he made himself seem older, if he apologised, if he went up to see her by himself...
Sally turned to him as soon as they left the canteen. "Spill, Kenny. What the hell was - "
"Sally, you've left Ari behind," he pointed out quickly, jerking his thumb back at the doors they'd just left. "I'll meet you up there, shall I?"
She glared at him. "You'll tell me. It's only a matter of time," she repeated gravely as she walked back to the door.
"Yes, dear," Kennedy replied absently as he shoved his hands in his pockets and started to walk down the hall.
He'd go see her, he decided. Tonight. He'd go down and he'd talk to her and he'd - God, he didn't know. He'd do it right, for once. He'd say all the right things, and he'd make her feel special, and he'd make her fall as much in love with him as he -
Oh, Jesus.
He swallowed.
Well, maybe he'd leave it til tomorrow.