The Roof | Afternoon | Sunday | July 11

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

It felt like a day to get out of his room. Really, everyday felt like that but today more than others. He was getting that restless, walls closing in feeling that he tended to get every few months. It'd put him into a bad mood (though he hadn't gotten out of that from a few days ago) and made him snappy and irritable.

That, naturally, brought him to the roof and had him sprawled out on the edge of the roof, cigarette stuck between his lips, earbuds in his ears playing some raucously loud, and hand tucked underneath his head. It was warm and he'd probably get some sun but he wasn't one to burn. Benefit of coming from the Midwest where you either got sun or you moved.

At least he'd foregone walking along the ledge of the roof and probably causing a panic in a few people that didn't know him. He was being safe by contrast. Laying on the roof's ledge meant he'd have to roll over to fall instead of missing a step and falling. Completely safer.

[Roof's open. Summer is too long.]

Comments

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

As if he'd get caught with something embarrassing. It was basic rock 'n roll, turned up loud and full of screaming and lots of guitar riffs. It was his kind of music.

If she made fun of him for that, he'd be likely to find something to insult her about. Payback was fun.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was about as... ragey, as she'd been expecting from him, though her eyebrows did twitch a little as she registered what she was now listening to.

It wasn't enough her kind of thing to bother holding onto, so his headphones got dropped back on his chest again a few moments later.

Still not talking yet.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex let his headphones stay on his chest and he kept looking up at her, looking inquisitive now. Maybe he wondering what she was planning, maybe he was wondering if she was going to talk.

Maybe he was just trying to goad her into saying something first. Maybe it was none of those. He wasn't talking either.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

He'd find she wasn't very goad-able. Sadly.

Not when it came to talking, anyway. But she wasn't just going to sit there and stare at him while doing nothing else. Touching was not a part of this competition so idly tapping his chin was allowed.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

No, he kind of figured she wouldn't be easily goaded into talking. And he, of course, didn't want to be the first one to talk either but there came times when he got tired of the silence.

Alex took the cigarette out from between his lips, flicked off some ash and then offered it to her. It proved a good enough diversion to keep him from talking.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Not gonna complain if he chose that kind of distraction. Bonus to not having to pull out her own cigarettes and lighter.

Effy did stop leaning over him to quite the same degree at that point, though. No need to blow smoke in his face. Could make it form pretty little rings off the side of the roof instead.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex appreciated her foresight there. He liked the smell of cigarette smoke but not when it was blown right into his face. Of course, now he was gonna end up talking. He had no more cigarette to occupy his mouth with so he had to do something.

"Hello, Effy," he finally said, snickering. "Come to visit me and the roof?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Mostly the roof," she told him, looking down at him again. Although, finding him here was hardly a shock. "Calling you... bonus prize."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Now that you're here and I'm your bonus prize, does that mean I get the privilege of you entertaining me?" Alex asked, exaggerating hopefulness just because he could.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Well, you seem so enthusiastic." Which was always a plus. She got to be the apathetic one, which was just the way she liked it, thank you. "It's almost tempting." Almost.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I'm thrilled today," he said, rolling his eyes. "Can't you see the excitement in my eyes and the barely controlled glee I'm restraining?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Rolling off you in waves." Or not. "What's got you in such a fine mood?" she asked dryly, offering his cigarette back.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Stuff," he said oh so helpfully before taking that cigarette back. "I punched a door the other day."

He wiggled his still bruised but much less so hand at her. "Anger management issues, you know. Inherited. I just felt too closed in today. I needed to get out."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy spared a glance at his hand, registering the bruising briefly. "More or less satisfying than punching people?" she wondered idly, having never really done either.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Less but Griff wasn't around to start a fight," he mused, snickering quietly. "But enough about my life, what've you been up to? Entertaining the masses with your presence or just brooding in your room?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Entertained Griff, watching him flit around the library." The little showoff. Suspected that watching her reaction had entertained him at least a little.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Oh, he showed you that?" Alex asked, amused now. "Yeah, the little fucker likes to use that trick when we fight. He thinks it makes him smart, I think it makes him scared of me. I'm right."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Of course you are." Doubted anyone could convince him otherwise.

"Ever hear about playing to your strengths?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"And what are my strengths?" he asked breezily, smiling up at her. "Enlighten me, oh wise British girl."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Taller," she noted, "Probably stronger." Although around here you could never really tell. "Your advantage." On the other hand, "He uses... that, to compensate."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Don't tell him you think I'm stronger," Alex said, smirking. "He'd probably start pouting and argue with you. Besides, playing to your strength doesn't always work. If someone wants to hurt you, they'll find a way and they'll make it hurt."

Alex probably wasn't talking completely about Griff there.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Knowing Alex like she did, she imagined not.

"People are shit like that," she agreed, looking out towards the skyline for a few moments. "But you can't say it won't help you sometimes."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, helped me put my dad's ass in the hospital," he said, sounding a little disgusted but mostly resigned. "I guess that helped in the long run."

Well, his life still sucked but there was no abusive prick in the picture anymore.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Effy was calling that a positive effect. Bastard deserved everything he got there, from what she could understand.

"Something that needed to be done, right?" Felt like it to her.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Depends on who you ask." He thought so. Sometimes his mother's opinion different. "My mom doesn't always think so. That's fun to hear."