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]

"All right, amazing then," he said, knowing better than to try and tease her about her brother. He'd picked up a few things here and there, after all. He did loop one of his arms around her waist, fingers finding and brushing the small of her back lightly.

"But yeah, none for me. I'd probably be a shit brother, anyway," he remarked with a small shrug. "My...dad's a musician. Wasn't much time for babymaking anyway."

Plus all that other bad stuff was happening. But, the musician thing was new, he was pretty sure. And light. Or something.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Apparently, he paid some attention when she talked. Of all people, she'd do just about anything for that brother of hers.

Effy nodded, some vague sort of understanding. "Famous one?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"He'd probably say so," Alex said after a moment. Alex had gotten the ego from somewhere. "But, no, he wasn't. Maybe his luck's changed, though. I haven't seen him in a long fucking time. He left."

After Alex put his ass in the hospital, that is. He only regretted that sometimes. Stupid stupid emotions.

"Karev's not a very common last name though so finding a mention wouldn't be too hard," he said, trying to pull himself away from all those darker thoughts. "Maybe he's famous in fucking Denmark or something."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy quirked a quiet smile and ran her fingers down his jaw. "Maybe," she agreed quietly. Never could tell what would go down well when it came to music taste on the Continent. Could be fucking bizarre, sometimes.

"Not tried?" she assumed.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

He shook his head but managed not to look away from her even if he really wanted to. "No," he finally said. "He's a fucking bastard and I'd put money on him being dead in some fucking gutter rather than him being famous for anything."

Oh, there was that anger. He'd been doing so well. He figured it was natural though, considering she was the first person in...a long time to even get pieces of the story. He'd been keeping that in for awhile.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

At least Effy was rather more immune to his sudden changes in temper than some people might be. She'd nudged at various issues enough times to know his defense mechanism.

"Some people, better left lost," she decided after a moment.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"It'd be beneficial for the entire fucking world," he said, tone still edged with anger. He'd tightened a hand in her shirt throughout this and didn't loosen that hold now. "He wouldn't be missed."

Unless his mother was having one of those days where she did miss the bastard. Those were the days that Alex got the phone calls that pissed him off for weeks.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

That grip had definitely not gone unnoticed, and Effy still stubbornly kept looking at him as she let her hand slide down a little from his face.

"Don't think he would." On this particular subject, she'd assume he knew what he was talking about. Her parents may be dumb, but that was about it.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

While Alex tried to calm down, he found himself wondering what on the fucking Earth had possessed him to start sharing at a time like this. He had no idea other than...well, maybe there was a want of getting it out there to someone who wouldn't throw back hollow apologies.

And maybe there was a small amount of trust there. Maybe.

"Fuck," he muttered, tried to loosen the tension in his shoulders and neck that had flared up during his sharing time. He kept his grip tight in her shirt, more for something to ground him than anything else. "Fuck."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy wasn't often that great at being a calming influence. Today, at least she was trying, which was more than she could normally say. All she could really do was keep a vaguely reassuring grip on his shoulder.

"Alex?" It was almost a 'you okay?' but somehow, she thought, less intrusive.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I'm fine," he said, taking a few deep breaths and shaking his head. His grip on her shirt finally loosened slightly and he shook his head again. "I'm fine."

Convincing her, convincing himself, he didn't know, but it wasn't very good convincing either way.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"You're not fine," she said calmly, echoing back some of his own words to her. "One of those things we have in common." One of a few, oddly enough.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"What a similarity to have," he muttered, still trying to reign in that anger so he wouldn't end up yelling at her since she really didn't deserve it right now. "We're just really healthy people here."

At least his sarcasm still worked even if that statement was laced with truth. They'd never really had the most healthy...whatever. It just tended to work despite that.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Possibly even because of that. A certain understanding, even if they tried to push it sometimes.

Effy gave a little 'Mmm', her own sarcastic agreement. Hers wasn't broken either. "Still making me Poptarts, right?" Just checking. Let it never be said she couldn't bring the less complex tangents when she thought she needed to.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," he said, the laugh that escaped catching him by surprise. "Yeah, I'm still making you Pop Tarts. I wouldn't back out on a promise of breakfast."

Okay, he would but he wasn't going to this time. With another shake of his head, his grip on her shirt finally loosened enough that it returned to just being a hand on her back.

"I didn't know you'd look so forward to my breakfast," he said, half smiling. "Anticipating it, even."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"All that talk of how you were gonna burn them for me," her deadpan remark betrayed by a slight hint of a smile from her.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I will burn them for you," he said, nodding and feeling a lot of the tension ebb away from his neck and shoulders. "You'll never want me around for breakfast again after I blow my load here. Pop Tarts are all I got."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Cereal that little bit too complicated?" she asked, just a little amused. It was the two whole ingredients part. Must be.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I thought American cereal scared you or something," he replied, shrugging. "Bowl, cereal, milk. See how talented I am? If you want cereal some other time, I can make you cereal."

And then he felt compelled to add, "And you'll never want anyone else's cereal again."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"I'll let you prove that," she said, grinning a little and sliding her arm further around his shoulders. Because, hey, like she was going to object to the proof. "And we'll see if you're right."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Just don't expect them early," he told her, trying to tug her a little closer to him now that things seemed back on an even keel. "You'll get them when I wake up."

Pop Tarts were not a 'get up early and cook' food for him. He saved that for when someone else was doing the cooking.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy smirked, letting him pull her in. "I'll resist the urge the jump on you until you get up."

She knew how much she loved how Pandora always did that to her.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"And then you'll jump on me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and finally getting them back on the track they'd sort of derailed off of by kissing the corner of her mouth. "That sounds fun."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Trust him to twist her (for once!) mostly innocent words.

"If you're lucky," she replied, with a brief grin. "Yeah."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

He couldn't very well let her down and not twist her words, could he? Alex didn't like to miss opportunities like that.

"What happens if I'm not lucky?" he asked, moving to kiss the other corner of her mouth. "I get kicked out with no fun jumping until I come back with food?"