Fourth Floor Common Room; Monday Evening [ 01/26 ].

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Popcorn? Check.

A suspiciously varied and plentiful supply of Faygo pop? Check.

'Missing' remote? Check.

TV 'stuck' on the same place it was stuck every Monday evening at eight o'clock EST? Check.

And Cal was too comfortable to move from where he was sprawled on the couch. What tragedy, indeed.


[[ yup, basic weekly Rumor Gal post is open as always. ]]

[[ And I actually typed 'Rumor Cal' first. The ensuing laugh was obnoxiously loud ]]

Comments

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

Hurley stuck his head in, totally not having planned to come down here again. No, really.

"Oh hey. That show on again?" he asked innocently.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Cal said. "I think," yes, think, "this one's a repeat, but I can't find the remote."

Damn that elusive remote.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Shucks," Hurley said. "But hey, I still haven't seen it, right?"

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Cal shrugged. "There's some popcorn and po if you want, too," he said, nodding toward where some was set out. He figured Hurley would want to be lazy about not moving like Cal was once he sat down, too.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

Hurley went and grabbed some popcorn before he plopped down.

"Awesome," he said. "Sucks your can't find the remote, dude."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I know," Cal said. "I think, like, this common room has an occasional black hole vortex, perfectly remote control sized, that shows up right when I start getting comfortable and looking for it."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"You know, that's probably true," Hurley said. "Actually having a black hole like that, I mean. This school is weird like that."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Cal deadpanned. "I hadn't noticed."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

Hurley chuckled. "Yeah, me neither most of the time," he replied.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"So, how've you been?" Cal asked, as he shoveled a handful of popcorn into his mouth. It was a commercial, so he might as well be social or something.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Pretty good," Hurley said. "Guess I got my first steady dating-thing going."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"Yeah?" Cal asked, glancing over. Because real-world rumor was still going to hold precedence to fake rumor on television.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Hurley said. "Me and Penelope. We're just sorta dating. Nothing serious, I think."

Even if he'd gone to the trouble of convincing her to break her engagement.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

...Real life rumor turned out to be much more interesting that TV rumor. Cal found himself straightening slightly. "You and Penelope?" he asked. "Really? I thought she was getting engaged to some jerkwad rich guy?"

Really, Cal had no evidence that the guy was actually a jerkwad, but he had already decided that he totally was.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Oh, she broke the engagement," Hurley said. "Or at least... she took the ring off and stuff." He smiled, since he was kinda proud about that.

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"...she did?" Cal blinked a little, and then found himself wondering if he was really the type of person to think that he had anything to do with it, that maybe what he said to her had actually settled in a little.

He realized that, yes, he certainly was the type to think that, especially considering how his heart sort of jumped up in his chest a little.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Hurley said. "I think she's gonna be happier, now. That was something she really didn't need."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

Cal snorted at the understatement. "No kidding. Big mistake..."

Cal knew a thing or two about those, especially for the reasons inspiring Penelope.

"Good for her."

And maybe this meant she wouldn't hate him next time they saw each other, too. Even if Claire had said that she didn't, and she'd been at the birthday party, too, but...

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Hurley said. "I mean, even if she ditches me? She'll be happier and stuff, and that's cool."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Cal agreed with a nod. "That whole marriage thing was totally messed up."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, no kidding," Hurley said. "I can't even imagine getting married this young, for any reason."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"And, okay, even if this whole curse thing was real and marrying the guy gets rid of her nose, or whatever," Cal said, a little passion firing his voice as he leaned forward. "Does she honestly think that would make her happy?"

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

Hurley shrugged. "I think she does," he said. "It's important to her. I know like... if I had to marry some girl and I'd stop being... you know, I might consider it, I guess."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

"And what if she was a complete awful bitch and she made you absolutely miserable, but it would be okay, because you'd be more, what? Socially acceptable then?"

The passion in his voice was quickly turning into a heat that he couldn't really control.

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

For some reason, Hurley pictured this as marrying Chuck Bass, if Chuck was a woman.

He shuddered. "Okay, yeah. That would suck. And I'd just end up eating myself back to this in the long run, probably."

[not-a-mused.livejournal.com]

There was a slight pause as Cal thought about that last part. "Exactly," he went back to forging ahead. "Exactly. It's bullshit, that's what it is."

[likes-chicken.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Hurley said. "Magic can't bring you happiness in an instant. Things are... deeper than that."