Joss gives a half smile back. "If I irritate you, let me know. Or just... don't feel you need to...interact. I'm bad at judging what people really think. And I know I'm irritating."

Jade's smile falters a little at that.

"I — yeah," she says, standing up a bit straighter. "I didn't mean to – whatever, or – y'know."

That was...not the reaction she was expecting. "Not that I'm not...grateful that you're still talking to me," she says quickly. "I just...don't want you to feel you... have to. I'm really not going to complain if you do want to talk to me?" She shrinks in on herself a little, with absolutely no idea what to actually say here. "I could...do with a..." She isn't entirely sure what to say there, she thinks the word she wants is 'friend', but she doesn't want to be too forward.

Pause.

"… Oh." She bites her lip. "Sure. I – did not realize."

"So, uh, mutually agree to keep talking? If that's okay with you?"

"That seems – I – yeah?"

Joss isn't sure that Jade is sure of that. But hey. Gift horses and all that.

"Champion," she says with a slight grin. "How much longer of this mess do we have left anyway?"

"I think – a few minutes, before class ends, you mean?"

"That's exactly what I mean," Joss confirms. "I. Uh. Hadn't actually realised just how exhausting actually coming to school would be, y'know?"

Jade sighs. "It is oh so terribly exhausting," she agrees. "Maybe less than doing A-levels, though."

"Exams suck," Joss nods. "And...yeah, actually, you're probably not entirely wrong about that." She runs her fingers through her hair.

Jade shrugs.

The gym teacher comes back from – wherever they were – just in time for the end of the third game. He calls the end of class, and Jade heads for the locker room.

Joss follows after her, ready to be done with the day. She is also paying attention to the girls around them, just in case one of them decides to do something. (She really hopes they don't.)

No attack seems to be forthcoming, at least yet. They give a few dirty looks but seem like they might be too tired to actually do anything.

Jade gets changed quickly.

Joss isn't far behind her in speed of changing. She is discovering a severe dislike for public changing rooms. Once she's changed she'll grab her bag and head for the door - pausing if Jade isn't already leaving.

Jade finishes a bit before Joss but opts to wait until she's finished to go, so they can leave together.

"… I don't suppose you have – some form of IM?"

"I have an email address?" Joss offers, slightly embarrassed. (She hasn't had a reason to need an IM before.) "Shouldn't be too much work to get an IM from that."

"– Yeah, you should be able to." She pauses briefly, then opens her bag and grabs a scrap piece of paper out of a notebook to write her own on.

She presents it to Joss.

Joss grins as she takes it. She quickly folds the paper over and carefully writes out her email in block capitals that are still a little difficult to read, before tearing along the fold and handing the half with her own details over to Jade.

"Thanks," she says.

"I'll, um, message you later? Or maybe see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely one of those two things," she agrees, nodding. "Maybe even both." She grins again. "Hope you have an okay evening."

Jade tilts her head a little. "I hope you do too?"

"Thanks," Joss grins, walking slightly backwards. "See you tomorrow."

She turns and heads off to start her walk home. (She's not entirely sure that she wasn't rude to just walk off, but she's pretty ready to be home now.)

 Jade messages her later that evening:

Hello!

I hope I copied the email right – it's Jade here.

Have you figured out an IM thing yet or should I point you to one?

Hey. I think this is working?