Room 323 [Tuesday, After Classes]

[comeoutwrong]

This was just exactly the reason that Effy avoided phone calls home, (except for the ones to Tony) like the plague. Couldn't manage one sodding five minute conversation without going off on one about something.



... "Now Elizabeth, it's important for you to remember, your mother and I still love each other--" Like she was five. Seriously.

"No, we don't." Her mother's quieter offering from the background.

"... No, that's right. We don't." At least they were being honest, right? Effy shook her head, even if they couldn't see that.

"And that's why you're leaving."

"That's why I'm leaving. That's why I am fucking out of here, woman." Ah, there was the yelling and swearing. Right on cue. They didn't even need her for this. "I am on a fucking plane, you're dead right.... So little imagination you have to shag my fucking boss. Could've fucked the turd from Tesco, but no--"

Didn't take much of that back and forth before Effy deliberately hung up and threw her phone down onto her bed and cranked up some music in the hope that might drown out her thoughts. Ten quid said it took them a good twenty minutes to even notice she wasn't on the line anymore.

Just when she thought she was four thousand miles away and they couldn't keep fucking with her emotions. Just fantastic.

[[NFB on the contents of the parental conversation, which once again was taken with some modification from Skins 3x05, because I can't just let her be yet. Door's cracked, and the post can be open, sure, if someone actually wants to deal with her emo.]]

Comments

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

After an interesting earlier class, Alex decided to stop by just to check on how Effy's talk with Griff had gone. Griff hadn't killed him in his sleep so he assumed it hadn't been terrible.

The door was cracked but he knocked anyway before saying loud enough to hopefully be heard, "Having a karaoke night in there?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Back to the door, loud music, you'd have to excuse Effy for not expecting anyone to be there talking to her.

It was not a jump when she caught ear of his voice. If anything, she was claiming it was a twitch. She did turn her head quite fast when she realised, though.

"Not quite." No singing. Effy wasn't honestly a singing sort of girl.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Too bad, that would have been fun to see," he said, snapping off a quick rhythm of knocks against her door since he happened to be standing there and all. On the last one, he pushed it open enough so he could see her. "Don't wanna sing for me, then?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Not much of a singer," she answered simply, getting off her bed as he came in. She'd been sitting there a little too long, anyway.

"Didn't picture you as much of karaoke buff."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I'm not," he said, watching her as she moved. "But sometimes it can be entertaining enough to amuse me. You in here brooding or something?"

And here he was just using one of her jokes back at her. Little did he know.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Listening to music isn't good enough on its own?" she asked. Refusing to call it brooding, thanks. She was... thinking.

... Broodingly.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Good enough to make me think you're in here brooding," he answered, smirking a bit. "Music while you're doing nothing else? Brooding."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"It's good music." Because that made it better. "Worth paying attention to." Which she hadn't been, but how was he supposed to know that.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"If you say so," he said, shrugging and deciding that yeah, she'd been brooding. "Heard you talked to Griff. How'd that go? He more knowledgeable than he was last week?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Not really," she admitted. "He's... kind of resistant." Understatement. If he could've run, she was pretty sure he would have.

Diverting it onto her seemed to work for him instead.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"He's kind of a virgin," he said, wandering further into her room because she hadn't thrown him out yet. "Of course he is. Obviously, you're not as good as you think you are in the realm of sexual advice."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, because you did so well before me," Effy pointed out. "You wanted my help." And she had given it.

He had to be far more irritating than this before she'd actually throw him out.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I did fine before you, he just didn't want to hear me," Alex said, shaking his head. "And yeah, I did want your help. That's why I even asked for it. Novel concept, isn't it? Maybe Griff's just a lost cause and no one can help his virginal ass."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Seems to think he'll get there." Effy shrugged, leaning against the end of her bed, mostly because she'd feel dumb sitting down again already. "And weird to push it on him. Someone else's job." Fiona's specifically.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Aren't you the optimistic one tonight," he remarked even if that wasn't the case, really. "Wake up on the right side of the bed?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy rolled her eyes and reconsidered throwing him out, just for the hell of it. Probably wouldn't help at all.

"Right side is the only one I've got," she said, taking the comment very literally for the moment. Distract distract.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Ah, we're playing the 'I'm so literal' game today," he said, nodding his understanding. "Must come along with all this optimism that I'm seeing."

Yeah, he could tell there wasn't optimism there but he couldn't very well just ask. She probably wouldn't tell him.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Package deal," she agreed, shrugging. "Can't really help myself." Okay, she probably could, but didn't particularly want to.

"Not appreciating my humour today?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Is that what this is?" he asked, feigning surprise. "I thought it was a weak attempt at being a smartass. My mistake. However could I have missed that?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Everyone has their off days." Until a half hour or so ago, Effy's hadn't been going badly at all. "I can wait for you to catch up."

For once, she didn't really have the energy to throw her all into being on top of her smartass game.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure I'll get there soon enough, Coach," he said, mock pep in his voice before he shook his head. "What's your deal today? Last time I saw you, you were pretty okay. Missing your roommate?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Like I said, off days." Effy shook her head. "Not roommate related." Although, there was always the possibility his cheerful was infectious, she supposed.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"You're just having an off day?" he asked, not quite believing her but not completely sure. "Woke up on the wrong side of the bed and just decided to brood in your room and listen to shitty music?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"The music is not shitty." Did at least move to wander over and flick it off, though. "And I have been out today." Not like she'd sat here the whole time. Just the last little while.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Music's pretty shitty," he pressed, taking a small walk around the room for the moment. "And I never said you didn't go out. You really do like sticking words in my mouth, don't you? Make me say shit I never said."