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

[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."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"I'm asking you." Not her.

Sometimes, people didn't recognise what was bad for them. Alex's mom, she suspected, was one of those.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"My opinion doesn't matter," Alex said flatly, closing his eyes again. He was having a bit of a self pity day. Beware. "No one cares what I think why even bother?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Right." Effy rolled her eyes, a little irritation creeping in. "No one. Of course." So, why did she ask? Those discussions about giving a shit, really got lost somewhere along the way.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex heard the irritation there and almost smiled. It was still nice to know he could get under her skin that way. He couldn't help it, he was out to be irritating and a little pissy today. Happened sometimes.

"You sound like you think I'm wrong," he said, opening an eye to peer up at her. "Just say what you're thinking, Effy."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"That mean you're not answering my question?" He was dodging around it in a way she well recognized.

And was kind of doing herself right now. Details.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"It needed to be done," he said tightly. That didn't mean that he liked it much or felt good at it. "Your turn. Answer my question."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. You're wrong." Simple as that. And she was sure he'd try to argue that point, because, this was Alex, and being wrong was not something he'd take easily.

People gave a shit. She did. He knew it, and was just being fucking overdramatic today.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Being overdramatic was a talent and he hadn't done it in so long. He hadn't felt quite as he did in awhile though so he thought he had reason, at least.

"You think so?" he asked, looking at her a little more sharply. "I dunno, I'm starting to wonder. People can say they care all they want. I've been smacked in the face with how fucking much that's not true lately."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy huffed wry breath, glancing back at him. "Really." A brief shrug came out before she continued. "Hows that then?" Couldn't help but feel a part of that was getting aimed at her. Perhaps she was paranoid, but-- Whatever.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"How's what?" Alex asked, looking over at her now that he'd gotten himself a little worked up about things. Unfortunately for her, she was just getting caught in the crossfire of his stressed out anger.

"How's it been smacking in the face?" he asked once he figured out what the question was. "How much time do you have?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Sunday afternoon," she reminded him. "Fucking tonnes." And she was wasting it sniping back and forth with him. Great plan. "Well?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex rolled his eyes at that and pushed himself into a sitting position because otherwise, he'd be tempted to roll over and show his back to her and that would mean...rolling off the roof.

"Wow, you really do sound interested," he said, catching onto that last word and shaking his head. "Am I bothering you with my mood or something?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"You're bitchy. I'm curious." On some level, because she did care, and did want to know what went through his head... And okay, yes, the bad attitude pricked her a little.

"Not in a sharing kind of mood?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I'm not bitchy." Yes, he was and even he made a face at that blatant lie. "And really, you think you have room to talk about being bitchy? That's like your default state."

Maybe he was deflecting her questions a little. Maybe. He knew talking about his shit would only upset him and he was trying to fight that off.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Not talking about me today." Not that she was going to deny the truth in that statement. He'd pushed at her to talk enough times that she felt she was allowed to do the same right back on occasion.

He was bitchy. No question.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"And you wanna talk about me instead?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow that. "Why? Satisfy your curiosity? Get your answers and then you can fuck off, feeling superior?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"That why you ask me everything you do?" If so, she should probably stop being quite as honest as she had been lately.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"No," he said, forcing that honesty out even if he wanted to snap and lie to her. "I ask you everything I do because I want to fucking annoy you."

Even so, that sentence sounded a lot less pissy than before. Considering it was a bold faced lie, it was probably good he'd eased off. Alex rubbed a spot over his eye and felt those telltale signs of stress building in his neck.

"My mom's sick," he said, not looking at her while he did. "Sicker. Whatever. I have to make all the fucking medical decisions because she can't. She doesn't even know who I am right now."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Well, there had to be something specific eating him, and prodding seemed to have brought up the source, just as she'd aimed. Occasionally, it needed to be done.

"Got someone looking after her?" she asked after a few moments to take that in. It was shit, but she wasn't one to offer platitudes at times like this.