#anywhere

Dagmar goes off in search of the girl. A block and a half. ... she doesn't see her, but she does hear her.

Crying

Dagmar is NOT good at this touchy-feely stuff, but...

"..Hey?"

"Please go away..." Sniff from... the girl is behind a dumpster ? Talk about low self esteem

"Well, I mean, you sound pretty torn off and you are behind a dumpster..."

"Like draws like"

A snort. "Whatever." She heads behind so she can see the girl.

Oh blotchy face does not look good on girls with freckles pale flesh and strawberry blonde hair

"Hey." She offers out a slightly crumpled but clean kleenex.

"What do you want?" the girl says. Hurt.. people only hurt. Best to keep them back. Sam remembers what that was like.

She shrugs, and sits down on the asphalt next to her.

"I want to punch the asshole who sent you running."

"You don't even know me... I'm just some shit girl with a shit face.. with a shitty life" Asniff

"Yeah, I don't know you. So?"

"So...why should you care?"

A shrug. "Because somebody gave a shit about me. So.. like.. dunno. I owe that, too. Look at me, I'm no cheerleader, neither."

"Yeah?"

"I'm Sam. You go to Pascack, too?"

"I'm new... moved in this summer... my name is Warner. I know, terrible first name for a girl."

"Cool. So you'll be with me in the fall - right? You look my age. I'm gonna be a sophomore."

"Yeah" she nods "I am. I... guess." Hurt, empty, but cautiously opening

"I moved her like a year and a few months back. It'll be way easier starting school in the fall, right?"

"Are all the guys here assholes?"

"Warner is a kinda cool name. And.. well, some of them are total assholes, for sure. But some are okay."

"What kinda stuff do you like?"

"yeah.. that other guy came up behind him and hit him with a bat or something?"

"Whoa, damn. Well, if he was messing with you..."

"I guess... I just feel.. hopeless now, like no one .. is ever gonna love.. or even like... i'm an idiot"

Sam shrugs. "New places are scary. Makes sense to be worried, like - that's just normal."

"But it's a big school, lots of people. Odds are, you'll find people who think you're okay."

"Ha. Math is not a friend to me" But she cheers

"UHG. It is summer, no math for another month."

"Like, so - I play sports, but, like, my best friend is more into comics and D&D. So, like... you aren't really weird, right? I mean, you might have trouble if you are really into... I dunno... stamp collecting?"

"I LOVE D&D..there's a group here?" Hopeful

"A couple, I think. Symon, he runs our game... but I think Mark does, too. He's one of Sy's Mathlete friends..."

"And, like, Jimmy plays sometimes, too..."

"That woudl be.. i mean, I wouldn't to push myself on the group but if you would mention me?"

She nods. "Symon can be - don't tell him I said this - he can be shy around new people."

"But you can totally sit with me and my friends at lunch when school starts. Oh! I bet you and May would get along. You meet a lot of kids yet?"

"Just that one. He's..n ot a local right?"

"May reads fantasy books and all that dragon and wizard stuff."

And no, she is sure that cap was not

"That guy? Nah."

"oh I love a lot of that... Mists of Avalon is.. just amazing."

"I mean, old school but amazing"

"Oh yeah, c'mon." Sam rises and offers a hand. "I'm gonna introduce you."

She takes the hand and gets helped up, "You're strong"

And Dagmar feels a bit of something in the girl, not..glamour, but that gaping wound of hopelessness has at least been staunched, might heal..with ti me. She's going to be vulnerable for while though

"Told you - sports. I throw shotput and hammer."