fandomhigh | Dealing With Stupid People [Tuesday, August 7, 2nd period]

"Today, in a shocking change of pace, we'll deal with even more stupid people," Josh said, waving his hand around the Danger Shop at the simulated Yellow Line Metro stop.

"The combination of just waking up, not wanting to be going to work, not paying attention and being an idiot tourist combine to give Washington, DC some of the most ridiculous morning commutes in the country. You have two choices: You can get on the Metro," he waved his hand over his shoulder towards the station, "where you will have to get yourself a Metro pass, go in the correct direction, transfer through Metro Center, one of the scariest places at 8:15 in the morning known to man, and make your way from there to the Red Line and Farragut North. Which is by the White House and therefore awesome. If you screw up and end up at Farragut West, I will mock you. On this commute, you will encounter tour gaggles of idiot middle schoolers, women with baby carriages who won't move towards the center of the car, and people without enough coffee to be paying attention. You are not allowed to scream or throw things unless they really, really deserve it."

"Or! You can get in one of these handy cars--" he pointed to the provided cars, "get onto I-395, go across the 14th Street Bridge and try to find parking near the White House without getting run over by an illegal cab driver, cut off by someone who thinks merging is a sign of weakness, or exiting at the wrong spot and end up in a giant Pentagon parking lot. At which point I will also mock you."

He clapped his hands together. "Work in teams of two--that gets you into the High Occupancy Vehicle lane on the highway and makes for more entertainment on the Metro. First team to the fake White House gets a real White House tour from me this weekend."

He clapped his hands together. "Don't just stand there like you've wandered off the Greyhound from South Dakota! Move!"

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After taking the Metro, Charlie waited for Rodney to get out of the driving simulation, and then waited for a moment when John wasn't right there to talk to him.

"Hey! How'd the driving go?"

Rodney looked over his shoulder to make sure that it wasn't John she was talking to. He was quite surprised that Charlie was waiting for him. "Hi. It was, um, you know. I'm still alive," he shrugged. "You braved the Metro?"

Charlie snickered. "Yeah, John said he liked fast things when we met. And I haven't been on a subway or Metro for a while, so I figured it's be nostalgic." She made a face. "Not so much." She bit her lip, and asked, "So. Um. Are you busy tonight?"

There. If he was, no harm, no foul, she could totally back out of her own pep-talk and not ask him out.

When Charlie's very first comment was about John, Rodney felt totally discouraged. He figured a polite brush-off was coming next. But wait... that didn't sound like a brush-off. "No. I'm, uh, not doing anything tonight." He hoped he didn't sound too eager.

"Well, I was just wondering if you maybe would want to-- break curfew with me?" Charlie bit her lip and gave him a hopeful look. "We don't have to, though, if you don't want to get in trouble? But it's a stupid rule, and I just thought it would be fun to go out tonight."

"Oh, yes, absolutely," he nodded. No way was he passing up a chance at a second date. Trouble be damned. "That silly curfew doesn't scare me." And that was the truth. There were a lot more dangerous things out there to be scared of. Like dinosaurs, and bees, and solar radiation, and... yeah. "So, what would you like to do?"

"Great!" Woo! He was willing to get in trouble to go out with her! Definitely a plus. Charlie hadn't thought through the rest of her idea, though. "I suppose we could go out to Caritas, or just stay up late on the roof." She grinned. "I don't know, where would you want to go?"

Rodney wasn't all that eager to go to a crowded bar. "The roof sounds good. I think it should be pretty clear tonight and I have a really big telescope," he grinned. Then he heard the words that came out of his mouth and gasped. "I mean, literally! An actual telescope! For stargazing!" He kind of wanted the earth to open up and swallow him at that moment.

Charlie's eyes got huge, but she managed to contain the giggles to one snicker. "Ahem! Okay. I believe you. Telescope only?" She grinned at him. "Sooo... I shouldn't ask about the size of anything else. Right?"

Rodney just kind of sputtered. He really wasn't used to this sort of teasing.

Charlie looked apologetic. "Not that you have to tell me! And I'm not asking! And ... it was just an unavoidable thought, you know?" She tilted her head. "Still on for tonight? Around sunset?"

He finally seemed to recover. "Right, of course. No problem, I mean, I started it and all." Moving on. "Yes, sunset sounds great. Shall I meet you up there?"

"Super." Charlie grinned, and added, "And who knows, maybe we can figure out some other rules to break," as she walked away.

If he was half the genius he said he was, he'd figure that out.

Rodney stared as she walked away. She couldn't have meant that the way it sounded. That was just wishful thinking on his part. He shook himself a little before leaving as well.

Dealing With Stupid People [Tuesday, August 7, 2nd period]

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