Survival Of The Fittest

Jonathan Jarocki watched the discussion with mild intrest from the back of the class. They seemed to be discussing the movie, an okay film by regular standards, though a bit over done. It reminded him of Tremors but worse. He sighed as he fiddled with the cold metallic lighter in his pocket, he could light the paper in front of him, but he didn't need another suspension.

He turned back to the group who seemed to have switched topics, the girl mentioned something about her mom thinking Heroes is of satan or something, he opened his mouth. His therapist has said to work on meeting friends, so why not start here. "Hey" he said, drawing attenion to himself as he leaned forward towards them, moving his legs as he slammed his feet back down on the ground, his boots loosely moving on his sock-less feet

Teo's expression turned stormy. "Why would I wanna help you with that Theo? Don'tcha think I have anything better to do?" He drilled a stare directly in to his classmate for a few long terse seconds before breaking in to a goofy grin. Honestly he didn't know how Theo might take this but this tactic was a good gauge of humour, and would tell Teo a lot about how Theo dealt with rejection.

"Gotcha man! Duuuude, you need to relax." Teo patted his classmate on his head softly."Sure I'll help you get a few hotties. You just need to bulk up a bit. You know, hit the gym a bit and they won't stand a chance. Tash has got some fine friends who'd be keen on rocking up if you want, or did you have someone in mind?"

Teo placed his hand around Theo's chair conspiratorially and lent in slightly as the teacher re-entered the classroom to give his quick message.

"Champ," Teo said "It's all about confidence. Girls are simple creatures, all ya gotta do is work on an approach and they'll eat it up. Bring a little competition in to the mix and they'll be chasing after you in no time." Teo was in the zone. It wasn't that he was too interested in helping Theo, although certainly there would be something to gain there, now it was all about the competition, the game. Get Theo a date from prom, after all he had a fall back, Tash could get one of her friends to go with him, although they'd probably ditch the poor guy the moment they went through the door. Her friends had a reputation of being bitches.

Whipping around in his seat he called out to Maddy from across the classroom. "Yo Maddy, you got a date for prom yet? I've got a good looking friend who maaaay be interested." Teo gave a quick nudge to Theo as in indicator of whether he should proceed or not.


***

Jason nodded in response to Maddy's indication that she didn't want to know anything about the most recent episode of Heroes. He was a little uncomfortable at Charles' rant. Although Jason was himself an atheist he tended to be less militant on challenging the views of others on it. Sure religious people were misinformed and wrong about their 'sky wizard' as he sometimes said, but if they drew solace from it, it wasn't his place to deny them that. As his father pointed out; never argue with people on religion or politics, both make no sense and it will only cause trouble. Therefore Jason was glad when John thumped down his chair and greeted the group.

"Hey."

Jason tilted his head back. "Sup mate?"

Before anything else could be said the teacher popped back in with his little speech before disappearing. Jason was supposed to meet 'Brook' after this class to do a little trek to find some sort of herb or plant, and the outdoors was far more appealing that discussing the movie at hand. Hooking the ball up to his hands with his feet while slipping his notepad back in to his bag Jason stood up. "I'm uh, going to head off. I'll catch you guys later yeah?" Sliding his chair back in to place Jason jogged out of the door. Eager to be out in fresh air again and to meet up with Brook to discuss the adventure ahead.

((Jason Harris continued in Going Balls Deep))

Jonathan raised an eyebrow at Teo as he sighed, rising from his seat and stretching. "Forget this" he mumbled as he grabbed his bag and made for the door, pausing to glance at the group still at their desks. They were just like the others, complete and total idiots with way too much focus on their social life. He stopped before taking a seat near the group, he knew somehow if he left then his therapist would know. That lady was everywhere. He looked at the group as he gave a small wave and repeated his greeting. "Hey"

Maddy coughed in surprise. She'd always considered herself 'undateable', mainly because she wouldn't be allowed. The fact that she was pretty much the only girl in the class was put to the back of her mind and she allowed herself a small moment of pride (ooh, she was going to Hell for sure, not. Sometimes Maddy hated religion). Anyway, she'd already agreed to go with Peter, he was nice and he went to Church, so it was all approved in her parent's eyes. For a split second she wished she was available just so that she could defy them.

"Sorry, I'm claimed already!" Maddy called back across the room, relishing the moment somewhat, she wasn't generally one to shout across the classroom. "Good luck on the quest though, I guess."

"And hello," she said, turning to Jonathan as she realised she hadn't actually greeted him yet. "Welcome to sky fairy corner," she added, with a quick grin in Charles' direction.

"That has to be the gayest name for a corner ever" Jonathan replied as he looked at the girl's reply. Of couse she was taken, you moron, didn't you read the manual before playing the high school game. He ignored as he looked around, the teacher seemed to have left, probaly to snort crack off the back of some whore. Jon smiled a bit at this thought before pulling out one of his lighters and fiddling with it, not lighting of course,just tossing it from hand to hand as he talked. "So, anyway, what were you talking about. Oh right, your mum's one of those godamn moral guardians. Personally i din't see how Heroes is of the devil..........wish they would show us more blood when Sylar slices people open. " he stopped as he caught the lighter in his left hand and placed it back in his pocket.

"My name's Jonathan, Jarocki if you care, I don't. I assume your name is Maddy since that's what the Mercutio over there" he said, pointing at Teo.

"It's a joke," Maddy started to say quietly, not entirely sure if Jonathan was speaking in jest or not with regards to the name of their corner (which wasn't even really in a corner). She decided to let it run off her back, though as he kept speaking she couldn't help but become more irritated. He tossed his lighter from side to side, insulted her mother, and assumed she didn't care about what his name was. It didn't matter that she thought similar things about her Mom from time to time, and that in all honesty she wasn't really bothered what his surname was, to have them displayed in the open was a little, well, unnerving if she had to be honest. And insulting.

She nodded with a vaguely forced grin to the question about her name, smiling slightly at the Mercutio metaphor, vaguely remembering studying Romeo and Juliet in middle school.

"Yeah that's me, suddenly Miss Popular apparently," she added with the sunniest expression that she could. "Glad my Goddamn Moral Mom didn't see," she added, a little pointedly.

Jonathan cursed silently as Maddy replied. Right, you have to be nice to get friends. He sighed as he replied. "Sorry bout that, I'm....working on that. " He said as he tapped his fingers, the awkard silence enclosing the room. "Soooooo are we going to just sit here in class?" he asked as he looked at the clock, it had now been three minutes since the teacher left, along with most of the students.

He thought about going back to playing with his lighter but decided not to. He sighed again as he waited for a reply, mumbling "Kiri" under his breath as he did.

"As much as I'd hate to pull myself away from such a thrilling and not at all awkward conversation, I think I should go." Charles interjected. "Hopefully I will be able, sometime in my life, to find something nearly as exciting as the conversation between you two, maybe if I were to sit in a forest someplace for a few million years so I could watch the wildlife evolve."

He put his things in his bag and walked toward the door. "Bye Maddy, Teo, other guy who's name I missed."


((Charles Richard Dawson continued elsewhere))

((gambit508, you don't have to post that frequently. You know that right?))

((Guys, can we please be courteous and wait for post order. If we all want to wait for KillerMoth to post first that would be great. It's not specifically required but in general it's assumed unless otherwise stated. Cheers.))

Jonathan stretched as he glanced at the clock. It was getting late, he realzied as he stood, grabbing his bag as he did. "You know, what I'm going to be going now" Jon stated as he gave a small wave as he went for the door.

They weren't friend worthy, maybe some small member of his outer social circle. He waved it off, he could atleast would have something good to tell his therapist besides how awesome the latest slasher flick was.

(Jonathan Jarocki continuted 9 out of 10 Students say Statitcs Suck)

Theo went pale as Teo turned on him. The shock that the other boy could turn on him so quickly shook him. Then, in a flash, it was over. Teo laughed, patted him on the head. It had all been – a joke. He flashed back to the night with Vic, she'd laughed at him too. This seemed harsher, somehow, but also not quite as mean spirited. He wasn't as hurt this time. Either that, or the pills were functioning as expected, for once. He breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile onto his face.

"No, no. I.. I've got nobody in mind. It was just a p-p-passing fancy, y'know."

Much of Teo's advice made sense, but somehow, Theo knew that it wasn;t really for him. The girls that Teo went out with were attractive, but somehow, he couldn't see any of them dating him. As for bulking up at the gym… He could live without that particular humiliation. And then Teo found a way to complete his embarrassment.

Yo Maddy, you got a date for prom yet? I've got a good looking friend who maaaay be interested.

Theo sunk down and wished that the chair would swallow him. Even when Maddy announced that she was taken, he felt himself going red. "Teo, you don't, you don't have to be so f-f-forward about this. Thanks for the, er, for the help though." Even as he was talking, he saw the other group dispersing steadily. No doubt they'd been talking about how foolish he was for trying to go after Maddy. Didn't they see that it wasn't his fault, that it was all Teo's doing. Still, there was something about the tall guy that he couldn;t bring himself to hate him. He was trying to be useful, so Theo could try and be grateful. Maybe even become proper friends with, for once.

"Mercutio, heh. Seems, er, seems appropriate for you, eh? Although I doubt I'm Romeo, somehow."

((This post is going to be a little weird but bare with me: Given I didn't get a chance to respond to John's jibes to Teo ))

Teo gave a cursory nod to Maddy and winked at her. "Shoulda known a hottie like you would of be snatched up already. Let me know if you have any friends who are on the lookout and I'll pass it on eh?"

He shaped his hand like a gun and 'pulled the trigger' as the black clad lanky John made his snide comment.

"My name's Jonathan, Jarocki if you care, I don't. I assume your name is Maddy since that's what the Mercutio over there"

Teo grinned nonchalantly at the jibe, clearly John was educated, if not a little socially awkward. He had been sitting in the back of the class, as he was prone to do and Teo, had never really talked to him. Come to think of it Teo hadn't heard John speak a word the whole semester. Surprising given that this was a media class with a *lot* of discussion.

Now, Teo didn't read Shakespeare, but even if he did his response would not of changed. Lightheartedly Teo pointed back at John and called back, "More like Merc YOU tio, am I right?" There was no venom in his return fire and indeed it wasn't the best comeback. Anyone who knew the second stringer would of told you however this was to be expected. A friendly delivery of 'No you' or some derivative thereof usually ensured that Teo saved face by responding to an insult (intentional or not) as well as diffusing a possibly tense situation.

In this case however it didn't seem to have any effect, apart from several groans of disbelief from around the class and a few chuckles the intended target; John, didn't even react, he merely turned and exited, just a swiftly as he came. This puzzled Teo, but he wasn't one to be fazed easily. He just shrugged and turned back to Theo.

"Weird right?" Teo said, more to himself as Theo smiled.

"Mercutio, heh. Seems, er, seems appropriate for you, eh? Although I doubt I'm Romeo, somehow."

Teo grinned again at this statement. "Don't sell yourself shot bud. Chicks love us, why do ya think we're the chosen people after all? I'm not one to sit around in class, plus we've got training next period. If you're still interested in finding someone just come grab me at practice and I'll put in a word for you k?"

Ok, so his plan didn't go off exactly as he thought it would. Teo was relying on the fact that Maddy had not been asked yet. He was genuinely surprised that she had. Girls these days were either getting cocky, or the guys were letting their standards slip. No matter, there were plenty of fuglies in the school that would relish the chance to be asked to prom, even by Theo, and Teo would find them. But for now, may as well get changed for football, get in early and possibly spend some time checking out the 'talent' on the girls track team.

Standing up and dumping his books unceremoniously in to his bag Teo left the class.

"Catcha Kids."

((Teo Weinstock continued elsewhere...))

Maddy smiled as Teo called her a 'hottie', liking the attention even though she knew he was probably joking. If she had a tendency to blush she knew she would be right now. Her sister and younger brother always blushed and Maddy liked to tease them for it. As Charles, Jason and the strange Jonathan kid left Maddy suddenly noticed that she was all alone in sky fairy corner, and figured that was an indication that she should probably leave too. She collected her notepad and pen into her bag, and tied her hair up in a loose ponytail as she stood up, picking up her thin summer jacket. On her way out of the room, Maddy took a detour past Theo's table, smiling at Teo as he left, liking him a lot more all of a sudden for making her feel good about herself and for pretending to shoot Jonathan as he insulted her Mom.

"I can ask the girls at Choir if you want," she said to Theo with a grin, only half joking. She kind of wanted to help the guy after his humiliation with Teo, and she had a feeling that one or two of them were still yearning for dates.

The few stragglers seemed to be taking the initiative and escaping the class with permission. Theo was uncertain about whether that was really a good idea, as even though the teacher had given permission. Still, there was little point in hanging around. Teo had already left, promising to make good on his deal to set him up with somebody, although Theo was in doubt as to whether he actually wanted to go through with this. It would only lead to trouble. Still, he had made the first approach, and part of hid did really want to see what it would be like.

Just then, the previous object of Teo's rather blunt force attempt came over to him. She clearly sensed his embarrassment about what had happened, and spoke gently. I can ask the girls at Choir if you want.

Theo blushed. He wasn't used to this kind of attention, not from somebody as hot as Maddy. Still, he had a feeling that she was genuine. Besides, if she was messing with him, it wouldn't be anything worse than he'd put up with before, and he'd find a way to get even.

"Thanks, er, Maddy. Don't go out of y-your way, b-but…" He stopped, took a deep breath. Uncertain as to whether he was really this desperate, and how stupid the damn pills were making him, he took the plunge even deeper. "But if you know anyone, interested, that'd be wonderful."

Maddy couldn't help but smile at Theo's obvious awkwardness. Partly because she recognised part of herself in there, if she hadn't had a date she probably would have been similarly awkward about it. Or would have gone in with guns blazing and just grabbed the first person she saw. That was the weird thing, she never knew what herself was going to do. It was actually quite amusing seeing things from the other side. Still, her smile was genuine.

"Sure, I'll ask." she said, heaving her bag onto her left shoulder and holding it there with that hand. Brushing her fringe off her face with her right hand, Maddy turned towards the door. "Subtly," she added as an afterthought, seeing as Teo's method of asking obviously hadn't pleased Theo greatly. She headed for the door, stopped just short of it, and turned round again, her fringe falling immediately back into her eyes. Blowing it didn't help matters, Maddy made vague mental plans to buy some grips, that would immediately be forgotten.

"Uh, I'll see you next class I guess. Hopefully with some options," she added winking and making a gun shape with her right hand which she pointed at him in jest. Then she left the class.

((Maddy Stone continued elsewhere))