Main Campfire | Afternoon | Tuesday | August 3

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Cabin living tended to grate on Alex the longer he was in them. He missed his bigger bed, his door that closed and his privacy. He liked sleeping in and smoking in his room and doing that in a shared place with so many other people proved difficult.

And those feelings oftentimes drove Alex out of the cabin and towards the campfire. It was too hot to light a fire but not too hot to smoke. Taking a seat on a log, he lit one of his cigarettes and started puffing away while he looked around.

It was cloudy and he wondered if it'd rain. If it did, he'd probably lose his cigarette but stay outside. At least it'd be something different. He'd been ignoring phone calls from home, trying not to pay attention to responsibilities and that was going to blow up in his face soon.

Not now, though. Now, he'd just smoke and try to relax.

[The campfire's open, of course.]

Comments

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"It's really hot today," Quinn whined observed as she wandered toward the campfire after her classes. "How much longer are we stuck in the cabins?"

The fact she'd never actually spoken to Alex before dissuaded her not at all.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"It's been hotter," he said, peering at the new (and, admittedly, hot) girl through his haze of smoke. "I don't know. Soon, I hope. Cabins aren't really my thing."

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"Maybe it just feels worse because I had to run in gym class," Quinn said, and tugged her ponytail a little higher on her head to get some cool air against the back of her neck. "I didn't mind them at first, but now I'd kill for a room with a door."

"Which one are you in?" she added, settling onto a spot on a log far from his cigarette cloud. "I'm in Gumdrop."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Twizzler," he answered, glancing over at her. "Do you have very many gumdrop like qualities?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"What does that even mean?" Quinn wondered. "Do I look fruit-flavored and rolled in sugar?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Well no but I haven't tasted you so the qualities could be there," he said, having no qualms at being a little crude. That was part of his charm.

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"And you aren't going to," Quinn said sweetly, not seeming especially charmed. "How are you like a Twizzler?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex mock frowned but didn't seem too phrased. "You sure you wanna ask that?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

Quinn crossed her legs and leaned forward, hands in her lap. She was pretty sure where this was going, but:

"Consider me dying of curiosity."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Her funeral. He shrugged and said, "You asked. Obviously, there's a lot of me to..."

He smirked. "...enjoy. And I've been told that I taste pretty damn good. Twizzlers are longer than most other candy, right? Well, the same statement applies pretty similarly to me."

Who needed introductions?

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"Wow," Quinn said, sarcastically impressed. "You really, actually went there. I'm all impressed. Most sober guys wait at least five minutes before talking about their equipment."

Introductions were for losers.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I'm unique." And he didn't much care about his penchant for oversharing. "Too much for you?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"If it was too much I'd walk away," Quinn answered. (She'd heard way worse.) "So, no."

Which didn't mean she wanted to continue the conversation. "Where's a unique guy like you come from, anyhow?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Iowa," he scoffed and shook his head. "Believe me, that place didn't give me any of my uniqueness. That place is fucking soul sucking."

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

Quinn made a sympathetic noise. "I'm from Ohio," she announced. "I think the midwest is the most boring place in the world."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Kindred spirit," he said and saluted her with his half burnt cigarette. "What brought you to the coast? Boredom?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"Needed to get out of Lima before I got stuck there for good," Quinn said, preening a bit. "My coach thought Fandom had better opportunities and my parents saw reason. What about you?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I stabbed someone in the hand with a pencil."

So, he was there for some slightly different reasons than she was.

"Coach? Field hockey? Or maybe the step team! Debate?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"Cheerleading." Oh, she was a tough one. "Why a pencil?"

It didn't sound like she quite believed that.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Cheerleading." Yeah, the smirk that appeared on his face probably expressed what he thought of that. Alex shrugged at her question. "Why not? There's the pain of getting stabbed and the possibility of lead poisoning. Double whammy."

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"What's wrong with cheerleading?" Quinn asked. "At least I didn't stab anybody."

Only in the back, and metaphorically.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Stabbing someone's a lot more fun than cheerleading," he said, scoffing again. "Cheerleading's...lame."

He was an eloquent sort.

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"I was a national champion last year," Quinn pointed out levelly. "I'm pretty sure there aren't national championships in stabbing people."

She seemed amused far more than upset.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"National championships for cheerleading?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "...how? I don't even get how that would work."

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"It's like dance or gymnastics or whatever. It's scored," Quinn answered with a little shrug. "Didn't you see It's Been Brought?"

Because Alex was so clearly the cheerleading movie type.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, that's really my type of movie," he said sarcastically. "And then I went out and bought a cashmere sweater."

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"You'd totally look good in cashmere," Quinn said, equally sarcastic. "Maybe a nice deep rose."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"You're gonna have to find some other pansy ass guy to be your Ken doll," he replied dryly. "I don't dress up for anyone. I don't even know your name."

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"It's Quinn," Quinn said. "And I have a boyfriend, so no thanks on the Ken doll thing."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"You have a boyfriend?" It was Alex's turn not to believe her. "And is he invisible?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"He's in Ohio," Quinn said, with an elaborate roll of her eyes. "His name is Finn. He's wonderful."

Well, for the purposes of conversations with somewhat annoying guys, he was.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Long distance?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "And how's that working out for you? Thinking about him banging other chicks while you're gone?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"It's good so far," Quinn said, a tad over-optimistically. "And no. I think he knows he has to be a better man than that."

She eyed him. "Those do exist."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex just laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, whatever you say. That's pretty optimistic of you. You don't think other girls weren't waiting to shove their chests in face when you left?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"I have spies," Quinn said, but it was clear the ribbing was getting to her. Santana probably was making a point of bending over right in front of Finn, she'd bet on it. "Why do you even care? Like you said, we don't know each other."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but we're working on that, aren't we?" he asked and shrugged. "I'm Alex. I've been here like a year now. I figured I have some seniority rights over someone who's gotta be a little new."

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"I just got here start of July," Quinn answered. "You can have seniority rights. I'm trying to decide if I like it here."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Haven't made up your mind?" he asked, blowing out a stream of smoke. "What's taking so long?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"It's just really different from home," Quinn said wistfully. "You get to missing knowing where you fit in."

As if realizing how vulnerable that sounded, she added, "But it's -- interesting. Always interesting."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Interesting," he repeated and smirked. "That another word for fucked up?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

That got a genuine smile out of Quinn. "It usually is, isn't it?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Think you're gonna be able to cut it?" he asked. "Or think you might run away with your tail between your legs?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"I'm not the type to just run away," Quinn said. "Are you? When you don't stab people instead."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I've been here for a year," he said again, shaking his head. "Those the actions of someone who runs away?"

[chief-cheerio.livejournal.com]

"Not really," Quinn admitted. "So, I guess I'll have proven i don't run away either in a year."