As usual for the time of day, one of the campus's cafeterias is busy. People like to eat lunch, I guess, and Katrina's no exception. Her straight blond hair is let loose down her back, highlights standing out underneath the hologen lights overhead. She's wearing her rowing hoodie, again, and a pair of comfortable jeans with bright green flip flops. Not that anyone can see them from under the table, but they're still green flip flops. There's paper and a book in front of her along with her food.

Out of nowhere, one of her friends sits down across from her with a thick book.

"Hey, Sarah."

"Hey, Hurricane."

"Gah, will you stop calling me that?" Katrina lookes up from her writing.

"Why?"

"It's annoying!"

Her friend shrugs, but doesn't say anything more about it, just continues flipping through the pages of her own book. "Hey, did you have a dream last night?"

"Yeah, why?" Whoops, better wipe that piece of food off your paper, Katrina.

"I need dreams to interpret for Psych. Give me yours?"

"No way, I don't need you going all Freud and Jung on me. Dream interpretation is stupid, anyway," besides, she doesn't want to tell you about that dream. There's a moment when Sarah gives Katrina puppy eyes that never seem to fail. And they didn't, ha! Katrina gives in with a sigh. "Fine, what do you need to know?"

"Oh nothing, just what you dreamt about."

Poor Katrina, she'd use a different one, but this is the only one she can recall. "Ok fine. I dreamt that I was wearing lacey underwear and was kissing a guy. That's all." Meaning: don't ask any more about it.

"Oh! Who was the guy, do I know him?"

Katrina blushes. "Um, if I tell you yes will you leave me alone?"

Sarah's squeals can be heard throughout the cafeteria. That alone should be the answer to her question. "Who was it?" Katrina mumbled something. "Sorry, didn't catch that?"

"Well if you didn't hear then I don't have to tell you again!"

"Fine, I'll see what it means, then," back to the dream interpretation book.

"God, Sarah, I don't need your stupid book to tell me who I have the hotts for, geez."

"Fine! Just tell me and I'll leave you alone about it!" Katrina gives a pained look around the room, trying to tell if anyone is listening in, ready to run off with the information. She pulls Sarah's ear towards her and whispers something. The immediate reaction from her friend is wide eyes and a gasp.

"Professor Barclay?!"

"God! Sarah! Do you even know the meaning of the word discrete?!"

The conversation drifted in and out of Keye's ears, and only half-settled in his mind. At least until Professor Barclay was mentioned. His head snapped up, and he backtracked quickly...
Weird dreams about lac...um, kissing. And...and Professor...
Ew.

A slight grin on his face, he moved over and plopped down next to Katrina.
"He's too old for you."

"Oh yeah, thanks, I really needed to hear that from an outside observer," her cheeks are flaming. It's bad enough that Sarah has to know, now some guy she's never even met? Well...he is cute. Her friend giggles.

"Don't you have to be at some Psych class, Sarah?"

"Yeah, fine, going. I'll see you later, Kat!" Yes, finally, she's gone!

"I'm not an outside observer," he replies matter-of-factly. "I live with him. And that's kind of weird. You know he's like fifty."

Horror. What if he goes and tells Professor Barclay everything she just said?

"Yeah...I'm not the only one, though. I-I mean there are at least thirty other girls..um," she's all for self preservation but she doesn't really know how to do it.

"...you're not gonna tell him, are you?"

"Of course there are."
Is it just me, or did he look faintly hostile for a moment, there?
The clouds broke a moment later, though, making way for a sunny (if crooked) smile.
"No, I won't tell him, god, I'm not evil. I'm just saying...y'know. Uh."

No, he looked hostile. He scares her, too, when he looks like that. It briefly registers on her face but she's not aware that it does. When he smiles, so does she, relieved that he didn't stay that way.

"Yeah, I know. He's probably old enough to be my dad...it makes no sense whatsoever."

Whoops. He hadn't meant to scare her. He winced slightly. He knew what had made him look frightening like that--jealousy. Fear. Insecurity. All that fun stuff. He didn't like to think of girls 'having the hotts' for his father; he feared being replaced.
"I guess it makes sense," he admitted reluctantly. "I mean, it's not like he isn't good-looking...just. Um. I dunno. I guess it kinda just weirds me out, but I don't think it's really that weird. So who're you?"

Well duh he's good looking.

"Yeah, but you prolly still think I'm some sort of psycho. ...my name's Katrina. Yours?"

"Katrina!"
Not. Good.
"Uhh, ummm..."
Hastily, he wiped the horrified look off his face.
"I'm K-Keye."

"Um yeah, Katrina. Nice to meet'chu, Keye," she wipes off her right hand, getting the food off before she offers it to shake.

"You alright? You looked...weird for a second."

He stared at her hand, then took it in his, briefly. It could hardly be called a shake.
"Um. Yeah, sure. I'm fine. I have kind of a headache. Um, don't bother Dr. Barclay too much, okay?"

"Well it's not like I was going to approach him or anything..why?"

Damnit, perhaps the lunchtable isn't the best place to be doing homework. She wipes off the pages with her napkin.

"Um...well, you know, he's really professional and all, right?"
His eyes flickered. He was thinking something up off the top of his head, quickly.
"And he's uptight. It...it...dang. You seriously can't tell him I said this, he might kill me. But it actually makes him really, really uncomfortable when students have crushes on him."

Her features briefly let go of their smiling ways and a degree of happiness left her voice to be replaced with a tinge of melancholy.

"He's already said. Like I said, I'm never going to approach him that way."

She shuts her book and stuffs it in her bag.

"Good."
Was there a tiny bit of satisfaction in his voice at her unhappiness?
A guilty look crossed his face--that wasn't good. He shouldn't be feeling that way. But she made Alexander unhappy...

Well it isn't like she'd made him upset on purpose. Besides, it's like this guy is insinuating that she actually would try something on Professor Barclay. And he was being insensitive. Katrina won't call him a jerk yet, and would probably only say that they're acquaintances if anyone asks.

Her face belays an expression of slight injury and hurredly tries to finish her food.

"Look--sorry."
Brusque. Annoyed.
"I just...I..."
Honesty is the best policy?
"I worry. He hasn't been sleeping so well, lately."

She's not eating quite so fast, anymore. In fact, her fork is resting on her plate.

"I'm sorry for that but I don't know what you think I have to do with it."

"Not you in particular."
That's a lie of magnificent proportions.
"I mean his students in general."

"Mm. I kinda got that from how he was acting."

Now Katrina, do you really think that Keye has any idea what you're talking about?