Partner in crime (open)

[Lane Johnson]

Lanes brown eyes scanned her sheet music before she closed the folder that was lain out on her desk. "I will never finish this." she said as she got up out of the spinney chair and walked over to her small twin bed and plopped down. Her roommate was more into the part life than she was, so she really had no excuse not to finish her work, just pure laziness.

Her blond bangs fell into her eyes as she laid back, "This is s exciting." she mumbled to herself as she looked up at the eggshell celling. She gazed for a few seconds before she sat up and walked to the window. With a light push she pushed it open, then she lit a cigarette and leaned slightly out the window.

The cool air kissed her cheeks as she took the first long drag. it felt so nice, like a release from the stress that was eating at her insides. She had been caught one smoking in her dorm, after a good scolding and tons of cleaning detailer time, she realized that it would just be better to hang out of the window. She sighed as she looked up at the sky, no stars. They were over powered by the light of the city and just faded into the navy blue back ground.

"Maybe I should take up partying." she mumbled as she took another drag and inhaled deeply. Lanes only friend at school was her roommate, they had been mates since freshman year, though she was a bit on the insane side, she was lovable. She sighed as she took the last drag and tossed the mellow out the window and shut it. 'Maybe I should change my major." she though as she looked at the cello case sitting in the corner of the room.

[Ilandra Petrelli]

Ilandra wasn't really in the mood for practising. She'd been given a piece of music by the Orchestra conductor and really couldn't be asked to actually try. She could sight read if she really needed to, if it came to it. She was, she believed, the onyl harpist at the Hoffman, and therefore given most of the parts. The orchestra, as a whole, was huge, but still they couldn't find another harpist. In the world? C'mon, it wasn't that hard. She knew three that she'd learnt with when she was younger. She didn't actually know if they stilled played, but she knew Malory did. Now that was a strange sight to see. A girl with bright, electric, blue hair with an orange streak playing the harp. She wasn't usually the first choice for playing at weddings.

Ilandra tossed the thin file of sheet music onto her bed and picked up the keys to her dorm. She hadn't seen her room-mate since she'd left about an hour earlier and she didn't expect her to come back in the near future. She didn't have a definate plan for the day, but she knew that it didn't involve practising. She picked her coat up off the armchair she'd been sitting in and slung it over her shoulder as she opened the door. The door clicked behind her and she started walking up the corridor, shrugging into her coat. It was one of her rather dull coats. Pale blue, like her cheerleading outfit, with a thick belt. Her favourite was currantly at the dry-cleaners. Falling into the mud when its a white coat needs specialist attention.

The harpist strides took her aimlessly along the corridors, not really regarding where she was going. She was still in Arabella Hall, walking along the seemingly endless rows of doors. Each leading to someone elses dormitory. Most had three girls in there, but her dorm only had her and Kirra. It certainly made it easier to actually get some sleep. But then again, Ilandra Petrelli could sleep through just about anything. Ilandra was just rounding a corner when she saw an open door. Now these doors weren't usually left open, unless someone was coming or going. Curiosity taking over, she walked over, her long hair falling down her back as she took out the hairpin keeping it up. She looked through the door, pushing it slightly more open with a highheeled shoe. Ilandra lent against the doorpost, crossing her arms. Her grey eyes passed over the room, the cello and the discared sheet music, the smoker.
"That'll kill you, you know." She commented, leaning her head back, yet still watching the girl by the window, even when she turned around.

[Lane Johnson]

Lane looked at the girl. "Well, I think that if I fell out of this window, I would break my neck." she said laughing. She recognized the girl from Orchestra. "Well, not the dieing. Just the quicker death." she said thinking about how what she just said made no sense. "It's Ilandra? Right?" she said hoping she got the girls name right. "You been looking over the pieces or are you skipping out on practice too?" she asked as she walked into to her to stow the cancer sticks then back out.

Lane looked the girl over, she kinda just walked in, but she left the door open so it was probably what she deserved for being so careless. "Your not going to tell are you?" she knowing that some people would run to go tell on someone in hopes of getting praise for being rewarded for being a rat.

She sat down on her bed once more. It seemed as if she hadn't spoken to another person in what seemed like ages. "You play harp, right?" she asked as she tried to keep some kind of conversation going, she was not much of a communicator. She let the blond bangs lay in her face a moment before flipping them back.

Lane sighed as she looked at her own sheet music. "I really wish I could already know every song out there so I wouldn't have to practice." she mumbled now slightly rambling to keep the silence from becoming awkward. Though she was doing a terrible job, and they seemed to come in between her random statements and questions. She just looked from the music to the girl and gave a small smile. "Be pleasant." she keep thinking to herself as she tried not to look like she was struggling with things to say.

[Lei Ian]

Lei bounded out of the practice halls of Hoffman Acadmey, a smile of self accomplishment and self confidence placed ever so perfectly on her olive toned skin. She was thrilled to bits and pieces about how her weekly selfpractice. Her practice time had been flawless and had little to no mishaps or problems. It had only lasted an hour and a half today, as opposed to the normal three, three and a half hour practices she had accustomed to doing. This was a major improvement for her dancing.

As she exited the practice halls, the cool air brushed her cheeks as the a breezae rushed over the campus. "Brr...it's cold out here." she said aloud, her cute voice chiming brightly as her hands found the middle part of her white feaux fur loned hoodie jacket, type thing and pulled it tighter across her small waist.

A year after attending Hoffman Academy, one would think that its students would have grown accustomed to the weather patterns in London, but for Lei it was the total opposite. She couldn't quite put her finger on it and she didn't care to. All though she did question it when she would be huddle under three or four layers of clothing. One of the matters that contributed to this was the fact that she was naturally cold natured and was not use it to being this cold. When it was cool for most people, it was freezing for her.

Lei soon found herself entrering the hallowed halls of Arabella Hall. She pulled the door opened and stepped in. She gave a small shiver and then felt her body begin to melt under the heat that came from the air vents above her. She smiled as with each step she took, her destination got closer. "bed. bed. bed." she muttered as she hurried the blonde standing infront of her dorm room to the side kind of roughly.

"Hey roomie." she chimed as she tossed her ballet bag onto her bed and she jumped on it soon after.

[/size]

[Lane Johnson]

Lane smiled. "How did practice go, My little Swan?" she asked as she looked at Lei. She had found that she was the closet friend she had at Hoffman, and probably ever, besides her brother. "You getting down, or are you stuck?" she asked switching to a conversation with her rather than the girl who just invited herself into their dorm.
She light plopped down on her bed and tossed the sheet music aside and layed back. "Its so boring. I wish we had lives." she said laughing as she sat up, then stood on the bed. "I mean we are young girls, we aren't bad looking... why don't we have some mindless drones trying to court us all over town?" she asked now talking about boys as she jumped up and down on the bed. "Am I that stand offish?" she asked as she let out a few giggles from the joy she found in the bounce form the mattress.
"I went and talk to that guy you told me to go see." she said talking about her earlier encounter with Tanner. "Now I know why you call him Sexface." she said giggling. "I wish he wasn't a man hoe though. I would be all over that shit." she said as she looked at her. "Like my dad always says. 'I can ride it, but I would probably get hurt.' I wonder if her said that about mom?" she though aloud. "Other than pratice... how did your day go?" she asked as tried to get the conversation going in a positive direction.
Lanes brown eyes scanned the room. "Its so plane in here." she said feeling the energy start to move again so she jumped some more. "I'm sorry, I am just so hyper." she said as she realized she was rambling and bombarding Lei with pointless questions and statements.

[Lei Ian]

"Swimmingly of course. I'm down to cutting my practice time in half without messing up." she said triumphantly sticking her chest out. "I'm excited. I'm starting to get really ----"

Lei eyed the girl standing in the door way. "Are you a slack jawed yokel?"Lei asked politely. She hopped up on to her feet and towards the door. "We don't want any." she said as shut the door in her face before turning back to Lane.

Lei giggled lightly. "Yeah. You should talk to him more. He's a terrific guy, but he's not my flavor. I wouldn't touch it." she said as she sat Indian style on her bed, facing her best friend. "You know. He actuallys wants to be a one woman kind of guy, but he said all the girls he meets are only worth one night stands." Lei nodded and her curls bounced with every bob of her head. "You should really talk to him, he looks like he'd be right up your alley." she winked as she fell onto her back, gazing up at the ceiling.

"Let me get Tanner and the three of us go dancing?" she said rolling over onto her side looking at Lane. "It sounds like a good idea to me. We really haven't been out any since we moved in. I think we deserve a night out." The suggestion sounded like a good idea to her. She had always wanted to get out and go to a club or cafe or something along the lines like that. Her two best friends, sounds like a good time.

Lei sighed. She really wanted a man, or a boyfriend in her life. Friends with Benefits would do good right about now. anything did, she was undeniably desperate for someone.

[/size]

[Lane Johnson]

Lane laughed as Lei closed the door on the other girl. "Lei." she said in between laughs. "If I didn't know you, I would say you were rude." she said as she rolled around on her bed. "i think she may be a yokel." she said sitting up trying to fight the tears. It really wasn't that funny, she was in need of a good laugh, and come on... Yokel is a funny word.

She sighed as she finally calmed down. "Yeah, maybe. He agreed to help me out. All I really need is some help with thats damned F chord, then I would be home free." she said nodding. "Yeah hes up may alley." lane said with another laugh. "I just know know."

Lane sat in silence for a minute then she mentioned something about dancing. "Sure, but you have seen me dance. Yeah, not that impressive." she said as she stood up and began to break it down her way. "Maybe I will just sit and drink, like the lameo I am." she said laughing.

"I'm sure Tanner has a friend, that would be perfect for you." she said nodding. "I will make it my life mission to find you a hunk of burning love." Lane said saluting her. "You can count on Howdy Doo! I am on the case." she said trying to keep a straight face but just broke out into another fit of laughter.

Lane was in full confidence that Lei could find a man quicker than her, she believed her to be way prettier than her, and her personality was way more corkeyer than hers. She sighed as she slipped off her pants and climbed into the bed in just her tee shirt and underoos. "We will just have to wait. It will happen eventually."

[Lei Ian]

Lei smiled innocently and shrugged her shoulders as is cluelessly. "I really don't care if it was rude or not. I don't like gawkers." she chimed brightly.

Lei really didn't care what anyone had to say about her, unless it was Lane or Tanner. Bitch, slut, whore, poser, druggie, yank, sh'es been called it all. Oh Well! Some call her a pompus creep, some how she doesn't lose that much sleep. Lei was Lei. If you liked her great, wonderful, marvelous, but if you didn't she could not care less.

"People here are so nosey. And the talk about Americans. Ha!" the ballerina in training said as stretched her arms over her head. "American's aren't that bad. We are just louder than most then Brits." she mummbled under her breath as she began to change into her pajamas. A simple pair of guys gym shorts and an exboyfriend's shirt. She looked in the mirror and pulled her long curly brown hair into a bun that rested on the nape of her neck.

Lei would then walk across the room to her extra long twin sized bed that were in the dorm rooms. She absolutely loved her bed. Despite the fact that it was small, she had learned to work with what she was given. Her sheets were a pure shade of black, but her comforter was a bright shade of neon pink. In addition to having multicolored pillows. Lei usually slept with about seven of them.

Lei crawled into her bed under the comforter and under the sheets. She snuggled her pillow as if she were cuddling with a non existant person were there. Her smile began to fade as the memories flooded her mind once more.

One of the horrible things about attending Hoffman was that she had to leave love behind to attend the school. Lei had a boyfriend back home, Alex Warner, a tall skinny boy who worked in Aunt Toran's dry cleaners. The two had been dating a little shy of a year before she moved to Hoffman swhen she was fourteen. It was the forbidden love. He was sixteen and she was fourteen, but she really didn't care. To Lei, age was only a number. Unfortunately, thier love died once school began and sadly the two lovers broke it off. Both of them had tried dating each other again, but to Lei, no one could feel the gap n her heart that once was Alex.

[/size]

[Lane Johnson]

Lane snuggled up under her black and red comforter. "Yeah, I don't like to be disturbed while I'm having my before bed smoke." she said with a yawn. "Night Lei." she said as she turned off the lamp on her side table. After a few minutes she rolled over and faced the Rancid poster hanging next to her bed. Many things ran threw her mind as she layed there stareing at Tim Armstrong.

Thoughts of earlier skipped over her mind as she closed her eyes. "God he was hot." she thought to herself as she tried to drift off. But the restlessness her brain was in was out of control and she she just ended up rolling over and stareing at the ugly celling.

After about an hour she was out dreaming of finally finishing her cello, lessons with Tanner, and what it would be like outside of school. A small smile crossed her face as she dreamed these good dreams......

Lane shot up in her bed, panting and sweating as she looked around. That last dream wasn't so nice. She leaned over the side of the bed and heaved on the floor. She tried to get to the small trash can they left in the middle, but she let lose the second she was over the side. "Oh God." she mumbled as she finished vomiting and got up to find something to clean it up with.

After she had cleaned up the vomit and disposed of the dirty towels, she went back to the window and took out another cigarette. She really couldn't remember what she had dreamed about, but that mattered was that she didn't. After a few long drags, she started to feel alittle better as she looked out on the city and the cool wind kissed her scolding face.

[Lei Ian]

A groan and the sound of rolling over was the only response Lei gave when Lane woke up. Of couse Lei slept like a rock and much to everyone's dismay couldn't wake up on her own if she tried. That's why she was so thankful that Lane was her roomie, she took care of her when she needed it.

Lei laid in her bed in peaceful slumber, but soon stirred lightly as her senses were filled with the sweet and intoxicating aroma of smoke. She sat straight up trying to blindly find the source of all the smoking and grinned when she saw Lane hanging out of the window. "I have a better way you know." Lei said sleepily as she got to her feet on her bed. The smoke detector was right above her bed and if she could just get that off of the ceiling and disable it, she knew that the chances of them getting caught smoking would be cut in half. "Almost got it" she said as strained to get it, and with great luck, it just popped off of the ceiling. Lei proceeded to sit on her bed and take the poor thing apart. "There we go." she said happily as she looked at Lei.

"Spill it." Lei said as she reached into her night stand and pulled out her favorite cigarettes, Camel Signature Mellows. The ballerina was quick to light up as looked at Lane for any sign of what was going on. "I'm your best friend Lane, tell me what's up?" she said taking a drag off of the cigarette.

Lei absolutley adord the taste of a good cigarette especially when it was time to have a heart to heart with her best friend. Lane knew that Lei would always be there for her.

[/size]

[Lane Johnson]

"But its so much more fun to hang out of the window." Lane said as she sat on her bead across from her. "I just had a bad dream. I really cont remember what about." she said as she pulled an ashtray out from under her bed and ashed in it then handed it to Lei. She was glad that she slept threw the puking. Lane hates for people to see her vomit, it shows her vulnerability and weakness.

She sighed as she took in the smoke. "I like hanging out the widow. The air is nice at this time of night." she said laughing. "It makes things more dramatic." she said as she layed back looking at the celling. "Well I'm awake now... Great." she mumbled as she took the last drag then sat up to stomp it out in the ash tray.

Her brown eyes scanned the room. "Wanna find a fountain somewhere and put some bubbles in it?" she asked. She may have seemed like a goodie goodie, but she was quiet the deviant. "How about we find some hooker and get a real party going." she said joking about the last part. She sighed as she crawled back under the sheets.

"I wish I could remember the good dreams I had." Lane said with a sigh. "I know I had a few... But everything blends together when you are sleeping. Huh?" Lane was going back on what she said, a small yawn came out of her mouth as she rolled over to face Lei. "You tired?" she asked as she hoped she would say yes, so she wouldn't feel guilty for falling asleep on her. Lane normally waited for Lei to go to sleep before she passed out herself, I guess it was just he motherly instinct.

[Lei Ian]

Lei frowned and tilted her head to the side as she ashed her cigarette into the ashtray. A rare look of concern played on her features. "Another one?" she asked as more of a question than a statement. Lei ran a hand ip down down her arm as her mind raced for something funny or something reassuring to say. So far; nothing.

"Lane, have you ever given up something you love to come back to Hoffman every year and die a little bit on the inside?" she asked slowly, looking down at her bed. The young girl bit down on her lower lip kind of roughly as her mind was set on her exboyfriend, Alex. The infamous ex-boyfriend, a tender subject that Lei wasn't overly thrilled talking about when it was mentioned.

Lei never openly talked about tow things in life. Those things are her birth parents and her relationship with Alex. Other than thos two things, Lei was pretty much an open book, open for all who dared to read. She wouldn't deny anything that wasn't true? Has she made out with Tanner at all? She would say on more than one occassion, although those incidents occured her freshman year. Have they done the dirty? Good heavens no! Has she slept around with anyone on campus? Nope! Contrary to every one's beliefs.

Lei looked at Lane. "I am a little big." she said with a small sigh as she put out her cigarette. She really wasn't all that tired, but Lei had way too much on her mind at the moment. " A single hand pulled her hair out of her bun and allowed the messy curls to fall down, cascading psat her shoulders.

[/size]