The Roof | Afternoon | Tuesday | November 9

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Considering how he was still feeling, Alex decided to try some fresh, crisp air. He hadn't been up to the roof in awhile and he hoped that the chilliness would help clear his head and make him a little less likely to jump the first hot girl he saw.

He wandered over to the roof's ledge and pulled his jacket around him tighter before he lit his first (of what would be many) cigarettes. It was a little harder to deal with all this with a new, tiny roommate. He couldn't hit walls or throw things or drink or anything too bad with a kid who looked like he wasn't even eleven in there.

So, he'd stay here and smoke what would probably become an entire pack of cigarettes. Maybe he'd take a cold shower. Or maybe he'd just go find someone that could help. Man, this fucking island.

[The roof's open, sure]

Comments

[icecoldfrost]

Alex wasn't the only one who had taken up chain-smoking this week; Emma had started smoking early this morning, after being woken far too many times by other people's very loud dreams.

"My lighter died," she complained. "Do you have an extra I can borrow?" What? So Emma was lazy, and didn't want to walk into town. That wasn't exactly news.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

And she was one of the best and worst people to see on this day all things considered. Alex actually got a little tense (tenser?) when he heard her voice but disguised it. At least his mind was blissfully blank for the moment.

He glanced over his shoulder, lopsided smile on his face. "I look like a vending machine?"

[icecoldfrost]

"Yes. One that I can pay in cigarettes and beer," she quipped. "Take pity on me, darling, and enable my addiction."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Where are your cigarettes?" he asked, digging his pack out of his jacket pocket. "You always seem to be out when you come around me."

[icecoldfrost]

"Cigarettes I have," she objected, taking her pack out of her back pocket and waved it at him. "I just like taking yours sometimes."

"I even have a lighter, except that it won't work, and I really don't feel like going all the way to Turtle and Canary to get a new one." Emma tapped out a few of her precious Gitanes and waved them at him. "I'll traaaaaaaaaade. I just need a light."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Girl cigarettes?" Alex asked, pulling his lighter out of the sleeve of his cigarettes. He offered it to her, careful to keep his fingers at the very end of the lighter lest he make this even harder on himself.

"What makes you think I wanna smoke girl cigarettes?" he asked, scoffing.

[icecoldfrost]

That was odd, but Emma brushed it off in favor of accepting it and quickly lighting up. "Well, you did make a very fetching girl," Emma teased, offering it back. "But they are not 'girl cigarettes,' thank you. They're imports, and they're wonderful."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Foreign cigarettes?" Alex asked, turning around to lean back against the roof's ledge. It kept some distance there but still left him relatively close. He was into torturing himself today, apparently.

"What's the difference?" he asked, glancing at his own cigarettes. "It's nicotine and paper."

[icecoldfrost]

"Taste, mostly," she replied with a shrug, taking another drag before offering it to him. "It's got a bit more of a bite, and I like the smell."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex hesitated a moment, more because foreign cigarettes were weird than anything. He eventually reached for it and brought it up to take a closer look.

"If I wanted something foreign to taste, I'd just get a burrito."

[icecoldfrost]

"There is absolutely nothing foreign about the burritos around here," Emma said firmly. "This is Maryland, not Mexico. It's like how American Chinese food tastes nothing like real Chinese."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Snob," he said before taking a few puffs off her fancy foreign cigarette. "Don't tell me what Chinese food actually is either. I'll have to kill you."

[icecoldfrost]

"So I suppose I shouldn't tell you what hot dogs actually are, either?" she laughed. "Or that there's no Tooth Fairy?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Now Emma, do you really wanna tease me like that?" Alex asked, passing her cigarette back to her. "There are other better ways you can tease me."

[icecoldfrost]

"Like what? Telling you there's no Santa?" she asked, totally innocently as she scooted a bit closer. "Or saying I have alcohol in my room, and you can't have any?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I know there's no Santa and I have alcohol too," Alex said, keeping still but keeping his eyes on her. "You'll have to try better than that if you wanna tease me, Emma dear."

[icecoldfrost]

"But you can't have mine," she pointed out. "And what would you rather drink? Your stash, or something you talked me into giving up?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"My stash," he said just to be contrary. "It's less work for me and I've been feeling lazy lately."

Well, not today.

[icecoldfrost]

"Now you're just being contrary," said the equally-contrary telepath. "I could have sworn you enjoyed a good challenge."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I do but I don't see a good challenge," Alex said, shrugging. "I just see you."

[icecoldfrost]

"You don't think I'd put up a good fight to keep something I wanted to myself? Or just to keep it away from you?" Emma asked. "I'm hurt that you think so little of me."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I just think you underestimate me," Alex answered, shrugging and actually taking a few steps towards her. "Isn't that right?"

[icecoldfrost]

"I'm not underestimating you; you're contrary and stubborn and enjoy being vexing, but that doesn't mean you're always going to get your own way," Emma retorted, not backing down. "I would think you'd know by now that I'm not a pushover."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Who said anything about pushovers?" Alex asked, stopping once he was pretty much right in front of her. Yes, it was torture for him but he was hiding it. "I know what you are and it's not a pushover."

[icecoldfrost]

"So what are you saying I am?" Emma asked. "Because you sound damn certain that I'd just let you do what you pleased."