fandomhigh | Ethics [second period]

Anakin stood a little stiffly in front of the class. The lightsaber battle with Vader had taken something out of him.

"Today we talk about envy," he said quietly. "There's always something that someone else seems to have that we want: clothing, grades, family, love, looks, acclaim...their achievements remind us of something we don't think we have enough of." He smiled wryly. "To some, apparently, our island..."

He began pacing as he warmed to his subject. "A wise man once said that envy is the art of counting the other person's blessings instead of your own. An entire industry has sprung up and flourished exploiting the idea that we envy those who have achieved fame." Anakin made a face. "With the equally charming dark side that we'll take joy in watching their failures."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "So today we'll be gossip mongers. Come up with a story about one of the people in this class, in the school, on the island, or on Nemesis Island. It doesn't have to be true. It just has to be something that would get people's attention. Then pass it on. We'll see the ramifications of envy for ourselves."

He was kind of counting on the students choosing to start rumors about people they didn't like. He knew human nature that way.

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"I'm Molly, and I don't think we have. Are you okay after the whole demon thing?"

"Other than being embarrassed as hell to ever run into Dean Winchester or Alec again? Yeah." She shrugged again. "I found out how to tell if someone's a demon and Sam's going to help me put up protection in my room so I feel safe."

"Alec was a demon?" Wow, that was a huge shame. Alec was really, really hot. "Who're Dean Winchester and Sam? What kind of protections?"

"Oh, no, no," Peyton said with a laugh. "None of them are demons. Alec and Dean are look-a-likes - like exact look-a-likes. And the demon looked exactly like Dean - I thought it was Dean, thus, the utter embarrassment. Sam is Dean's brother and I guess their family hunts things like demons and ghosts and stuff."

"Oooooh." Really hot demon-ghost hunter? She was so there.

"Yeah, definitely. Though I think I may be hiding anytime I see them."

"Why? Let them prove they're good guys."

"It was all over radio," Peyton said, blushing. "Me hooking up with somebody I thought was Dean and then being all moony about it after."

"Did you want to hook up with this Dean guy for real?"

"I..." Peyton squirmed a little. "I don't know. I sort of swore off getting involved with anyone before I came here, but... yeah, I mean, he's sexy as hell and nice and he's got great taste in cars and... It was really nice, you know? To have a guy like that seem so into me."

"Of course it wasn't actually him, so..."

"Why'd you swear off getting involved with anyone?" Sexy, nice, good taste in cars, and he hunted ghosts and demons? Niiiiiiiice. "And why wouldn't you want a guy like that to be into you? That's the absolute perfect kind of guy to be into you, if you have to pick one."

Molly shrugged. "So, if you want it to be him, maybe you could see if he's interested, too?"

"Because I have just really terrible luck with guys. Like epicly bad. And yeah, I wouldn't mind him being into me." She blushed again. "But, I don't know. I'm not exactly the go out and get 'em kind of girl."

"Maybe...maybe you make it so he wants to come get you?" Not that she knew Dean, or what that might entail.

She laughed. "I have no idea how to go about that! Lure him with my car?"

"What kind of car?"

"A '63 Mercury Comet convertible," Peyton said with a grin. "Black with a red leather interior."

Molly didn't know anything about cars, but that sounded like a serious car. "Whoa. Is it here?"

"Yeah. Well, across the causeway," Peyton said. "Parked next to an incredible black late 60's Chevy Impala. Which I later found out was Dean's."

"See? You have that in common. Maybe you could challenge him to a drag race or something."

Peyton laughed again. "You're too much, Molly. But yeah, maybe offer to trade off rides or something. Alec said he'd be willing to do that too."

"Alec's a member of the cool car club, too?"

"Motorcycle and something called a swoop bike," Peyton corrected. "I mostly ended up talking to him because I mistook him for Dean. Wow... talk about a recurring pattern in my life."