Bit of Boring Six: Anderson Janes

NOTE: This BoB's about Anderson Janes, Phoebe Janes's brother from generation nine. You don't really need to skim any chapters, unless you really, really want to.
 
  "How's the project going?" Ellis Vanderbilt asked, peering over my shoulder as I crouched over the desk in the cramped office, analyzing the data I'd collected over the course of a few weeks. I was working part time at the university's research facility to help pay for my marine biology undergrad degree.

   "Good..." I paused, glancing at her shiny, auburn hair, as it cascaded over my shoulder, blocking my view of the paper. It smelled like hazelnuts and had ocean- not in an unpleasant, fish, salt, and pollution smell, but in a clean, crisp way. "There's just this one flaw. The rate goes from seventy-eight per meter to two hundred-nine per meter in this one patch of coral."

   "Have you analyzed a sample of the coral?" She asked, even though I knew she knew what my reply would be. I was the newbie, having only been there for a little under a semester- I started at the beginning of my fourth semester- and she, now senior research assistant, had been there since her sophomore year; she was a few weeks away from graduating with the same degree I was perusing.

   "Yeah, I sent a diver. There's an odd amount of," I began rambling about the specifications, as she nodded, smiling. Once I finished, she gazed off towards the data, as if she was trying to think of an intellectual, coherent reply.

   "Sucks." She laughed, a wide smile crossing her face.

   "I'm hoping to work it out before the professor comes."

   "You will, don't worry. You've been here all night." She turned to leave, then, slightly turning her head, stopped. "Wanna grab something?"

   "Something?" We'd asked each other to grab something's before and they varied from coffees to deep sea diving suits to textbooks and a study session.

   "Food." She blushed. "I think we need to talk."

   "I... Sure. Now? I mean I can." I stood up, glancing at my phone. It was four am; not many places with editable food that were within walking distance of the campus- forget trying to be driven somewhere- would be open, even in LA.

   "I ordered a pizza, they said they'd deliver it within ten minutes, that was fifteen minutes ago, so it's here. Maybe we could go to Dr. Hancolff's office, eat on actually comfortable surfaces?"

   "He hates people going in his office."

   "Only cause they mess up his concentration, but he's not here, besides I'm his assistant, I have a reason to be there. C'mon." She took my hand, pulling me out of the tiny office to a large, studious office, where a steaming pizza sat on a side table.

  "Smells good." I commented, as I grabbed a slice. "What's up, Elle?"

  "I'm graduating soon and... I mean, you're smart, right? Er, you are. Dr. Hancolff's gonna need a new assistant and I thought if you were interested, maybe I could put in a good word for you? He's wrapped around my finer, if I mention you you'll probably end up getting it." I glanced at her, obviously incorrectly, because she quickly added: "I'm not sleeping with him!"

   "I didn't think you were and even if you were, it isn't any of my business."

   "I just, yeah, I mean I got accused of sleeping my way into he position, and I'm not some slut, I work hard, ya know?"

   "I know you do." I took her hand, leaving forward. Elle, she let me call her Elle, instead of Ellis or Ms. Vanderbilt, was pretty. Actually, she was more than pretty, with her glasses, freckles, and lopsided smile she was beautiful. It wasn't odd admitting it, either, it was a commonly acknowledged fact- she was attractive, intelligent, and charismatic, the trifecta of characteristics that earned her the beautiful title. "Thank you for offering, but wouldn't it be unfair to the other candidates?"

   "Anderson, you've accomplished more than some of the people in the doctoral program, I wanted it to be recognized."

   "I have?" I asked; I knew that I had pulled my weight, done my grunt work in order to be able to work on real projects, but I hadn't realized how much I'd done.

   "Yes, you idiot, you have." She smiled, poking my thigh. I closed the pizza box, pushing it aside, since both of us appeared to eat our share of the greasy, cheesy deliciousness. "That's all... If you want to go to your dorm, I can finish your paper, I'm avoiding my roommate or we could stay."

   "What's with the roommate?" I asked curiously, as she shrugged, mumbling something about some program. "Tell me." We both frequently stayed late at the office, I loved our late night chats and meals, each time we switched who bought the food. 

   "Can't make me." She stuck her tongue out, slyly grinning.

   "I care. I wanna help."

   "God, you're such a good friend." Friend. I hadn't not wanted to be her friend, however it would be a lie to say that I didn't contemplate more than once asking her out to have an official something or an official three am meal that actually counted as a date.

   "If you won't tell me, I know what I'll do."

   "What?" Curiosity filled her eyes, as I rubbed my hands together, to build suspense.

   "Propose we play truth or dare." We frequently played childhood games to occupy ourselves, the research labs and offices grew quiet and boring, but tic tac toe, tag, or another equally simple activity kept nights from growing tedious.

   "Fine. Truth or dare?"

   "Truth."

   "Have you ever cheated in school?"

   "Nope."

   "Never?"

   "Never ever. Truth or dare?"

   "Truth. But not the roommate thing."

   "That's the point of playing, but fine. Most embarrassing thing to happen to you?"

   "God, no. Umm... In high school, I was skinny, like you could see my rib cage, and I ate tons trying to gain weight, since people called my anorexic freak and skeleton girl and I hated it. Nothing was wrong with me, I went to the doctor, my metabolism was just fast. So one day, I was binging strawberry almond tarts, then I had to go do an assembly at school were I got some science award thing."

   "People are cruel and stupid."

   "Well they got stupider and crueler when I ended up puking up five tarts; I haven't binged since, but I also haven't been able to talk to my ex-classmates again."

   "I'm sorry." 

   "It's the past, so ha suck it up and move on, what can I say? Truth or dare."

   "Dare."

   "Do something you've been thinking doing, but haven't cause you're scared."

   "Really?"

   "Really." And then I leaned forward, my lips colliding with hers as I kissed her.