The Town of Odyssey

"We're dating," Trent explained, not taking his eyes off of Mandy. "Um, Mandy, I don't know what happened, but I was talking to your roommate and she said something and then she got lost in her thoughts and ran out crying. So now I'm confused."

Connie saw the exchange between Tanya and Trent, and when Tanya ran our crying, Connie decided to go after her and see if she could help.

After walking for a few minutes, she came across Tanya sobbing on the park bench. "Tanya? Are you alright?" she asked.

Tanya uncurled herself, and then sat up. She dried her tears with the back of her sleeves.She looked up and smiled appreciatively at Connie. "I'm fine, thanks. That was... nothing. I'm alright..now. I think I'm gonna go inside now." She got up, and brushed her hair away from her face. she walked towards the door and opened it. Then she headed toward the booth where Mandy, Trent and Mandy's unnamed friend were sitting, laughing and talking.She slid into her seat. "Sorry about that, guys. I'm completely and totally fine." She turned and looked curiously at the girl with the red hair. She didn't feel like smiling, but she had to. She pasted on a smile and introduced herself. "Hey, I'm Tanya. And you are?"

Mandy gazed into Trent's eyes. I wonder...does he know how gorgeous he is?

"Come with me Richard and I will show you." Said Eugene. As he walked he wondered about the outburst Tanya had.

"I'm Liz," She replied softly to Tanya. Liz could tell that Tanya had been crying, but she decided not to ask. She thought about what Trent had said. Dating? Hmm...It's almost unbelievable, but at the same time it's so believable. It made her happy that Mandy and Trent were happy together. They seemed perfect for each other. Liz casually curled her fingers in her red hair. Who would fall in love with this fiery mess?

Trent stared back at Mandy, taking her in. He thought back to Agent Phillips and how he had treated her. As much as she said she hadn't been hurt much physically, he didn't care. He didn't have any idea what he'd do to that man if he ever saw him again, but it wouldn't be pretty.

Mandy didn't seem to hear the words of her surrounding friends. She gently brushed a wisp of her hair out of her eyes. Clearing her throat, she glanced toward the front counter. "I'm going to order something, Liz. I'll...be back."

"And I'll follow her," Trent muttered when she was out of earshot. He turned to Liz and Tanya. "I'll be right back, too."

He followed Mandy up to the counter. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's going on?" he asked.

Mandy whirled around. "Trent!" she exclaimed.

"Well, it's cool to meet you Liz. Um...sorry for my outburst. It was..uncalled for. If you want to talk about it, I'm fine with that. " Tanya had never liked it when people hadn't been upfront to her, so she decided to be upfront with Liz. She didn't like opening up, but she wasn't a fan of privacy, either.

Trent threw his hands up in surrender and defense. "Sorry!" he yelped.

Mandy giggled. "You shouldn't sneak up on harmless girls. That's not very nice," she told him teasingly.

Trent folded his arms across his chest and pouted. Seriously? he chided himself, but he kept the expression anyway. "You shouldn't freak out harmless boys when they're asking you what's wrong."

"I'm sorry, I think," she retorted.

"I'm fine, anyways. I suppose I'm just..."

Her voice trailed off and she looked toward Tanya and Liz, sitting together in the corner.

Her focus slowly slipped back to Trent's face. "I'm not sure how much I'll like my new roommate," she confessed.

"Why not?" Trent asked, confused. "She seems nice."

"I'm not sure. She talks...a lot. Well, more than I'm used to." She fingered the napkin holder that was sitting on the contertop. "And I'm not sure what her random outburst was about. Maybe I need to get to know her a bit more."

"That would usually be best, yes," Trent replied dryly. "And you're one to talk about being a chatterbox, Straussberg." He nudged her affectionately on the shoulder.

"Trent. Honestly. I don't talk that much," she smiled.

She raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Or do I?"

"No comment," he replied, smirking.