2nd Floor common room, afternoon

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel was camped out in the second floor common room. He had a stack of math books on one side of him and the script for the pagent on the other.

It was hard to say which one made him want to stake himself more.

Comments

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

John walks by, stops in the door way and says seriously, "I'm running away now. Tell Principal Bristow I have bird flu."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"If I took up smoking for the afternoon do you think I could get enough ashes together that people would believe that I killed myself?"

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"It's worth a try. That or you could smoke, inhale it on purpose and pass out from smoke inhalation?"

"I'm thinking of saying I have Mad Cow disease. That sounds sinister and contagious, right?"

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Are you kidding? Around here they probably have cures for it in the clinic," Angel slumped down in his chair. "Hell, bet they'd even have variations for Mad Cow, Insane Bull, and Calf with Boogie-Woogie Blues."

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"True," John says and drops onto a chair. "If I just ran away, changed my name and grew a beard, do you think that would work?"

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Bristow might just switch you out with a wise man." Angel thought about it. "Hey, what if I pretended to go evil again?"

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"Would that work? And then pretend to make me evil too." John runs a hand through his hair. "I'm desperate! I'm a Drummer Boy!"

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Yes!" Angel snapped his fingers. "I could pretend to turn evil then pretend to turn you! Then we could hide out in the basement and sneak out while the pagent's going. The only trick would be not being eaten by the squid."

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"We could bring it food?" John says. "I mean, what kind of food does a squid eat? And if you say people, I will throw you out the window."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"See, that's not really so much of a threat when doing so would mean I don't have to do the pagent tonight. Sure I'd be dusty, but I'm prepared to live with that. Or, uh, not as the case may be."

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"We could...tell Bristow we're in love and that we gotta go to Maine or New Hampshire to get married?"

John can't believe he just said that.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel mulled it over. "Bristow knows about the perfect happiness clause. He might not let me go regardless."

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"Well, it wouldn't be a happy marriage. We could...pretend you were really an illegal alien from Switzerland and you had to marry an American citizen to get your green card?"

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Well, I am Irish. And not from this dimension. It could work."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders stops by his room long enough to drop off his rapidly-deteriorating backpack, then pops into the common room with an armful of math books and a doomed expression. "Hey, Angel. This where the, uh, party is goin' on?"

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"Anders!" John waves meekly. "We're trying to think of ways to get out of this. So far, our most valid option is that Angel and I are gonna get married because he's an illegal alien and he needs his green card."

[http://users.livejournal.com/___lily_evans_/]

Lily picks that unfortunate moment to show up with a stack of pizzas in hand and almost drops them when she hears John's statement. ""Did I come at a bad time?" she asks.

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders scratches at the side of his neck. "Is that legal on this -- hey, where does that leave me?" he complains, scowling.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"You came at the perfect time," Angel said. "We're comisserating over the pagent tonight. I think finals depression would fit right in."

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"You could come with us? I think polygamy's allowed in some states."

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

John flusters and nearly jumps out a window. "No, no. We're just coming up with the weirdest idea ever to not be in the pageant. That's all."

[http://users.livejournal.com/___lily_evans_/]

"Oh? I don't know about the pageant, but depression and pizzas are two things of which I have plenty right now!" she says, placing the boxes on one of the tables.

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders eyes John warily. "How many people's that cover? 'cause I'm not goin' without Cally. But," he adds with an abrupt gesture that doesn't in any way look like a strangling motion, honest, "We can leave Bridge here."

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure she could come too. Hey, instead of getting married, we could be some weird rock n' roll band! Anders on vocals, me on drums, Angel on lead guitars, Cally on tambourine! We could be called Portable Boyfriend!"

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"What part of avoiding being on stage wasn't getting through, John?"