Survival Of The Fittest

(Alexander Campbell continues from Down the back of the building)

Alexander Campbell walked through the doors of the cafetorium, listening to his friends as they spoke. He wandered over to one of the large tables, let the gig bag slide from his shoulders. He set the guitar down in a corner and sat on one of the hard plastic seats leaning back against the wall on two legs and kicking his feet out onto another chair. "Both of you can invite whoever you like, but make sure they're okay with the smoke. I don't mind if they smoke or not, but we don't want someone ringing our friends in authority." he said, quiet enough to prevent any eavesdropping.

He yawned softly, leaning his head back and resting it against the cool wall. His jacket hung open at his sides as he lazed out on the chairs, revealing a plain white shirt, a few bomber holes where an ill-prepared joint had burned a hole. "Eh, I was thinking bring you own booze. I've got quite a hefty chunk of smoke, so I doubt I'll have more than a beer or two." His long blue hair fell back and his skinny, angular face looked up at the roof contemplatively for a second before his stomach rumbled as well. Rocking forward the front legs of the chair clattered slightly against the floor as he moved to a more normal sitting position. "Right. Since we're paying, you can go wait in line." he smirked at Jay teasingly.

He looked over at Jasper. "We'll go halfers on his, aye?" he said as he reached his hand into his pocket, pulling out a handful of coins. Looking through it, he counted out enough for one of the schools cheap poor quality cheeseburgers, then added enough for half of Jay's burger. Leaning back he unzipped the gig bag and began to strum idly, his fingers playing over chords slowly. The guitar was inaudible amidst the cafeteria. As he played, Alex looked around for other that he knew. Slowly his fingers strummed up and down over the metal strings as he looked over the lunchline.

Leaning over the guitar almost protectively as he sat at the table. It was his pride and joy, and perhaps most importantly, far too expensive for him to easily replace. He gradually ceased his inspection of the lunchline, hunching over the neck of the instrument more, trying to hear the strumming of the unplugged electric guitar. As he played, he continued to chat normally with Jasper. "So, who should I add to the guestlist?" he smiled.

He looked over at Jasper and casually surveyed him as he gave his undoubtedly formal reply. An odd young man, to be certain, but then they were always the people that Alex had felt drawn to. The first time he'd met him, he had thought he'd pegged him at first sight, the skateboard and unkempt hair. Then he'd spoken in that formal voice. He'd befriended the other boy that day, fueled mostly by his own curiosity. That had been two years ago. He'd gotten use to the formality of his friend, who indeed seemed to have gotten use to Alex's sarcastic patter, flecked with occasional hints of his old accent.

He looked up at Jay as he went through the lunch line, willing him to go faster.

[[Jasper-Declan continued from Down the back of the building]]

Jasper-Declan could never help but be overwhelmed by stimuli in the cafetorium. There were so many people, so many sights, so many sounds, so many smells. He found it close to impossible to remain concentrated on any one thing, instead allowing everything to wash right over him. He wondered what an alien visiting Earth would deduce about the human race had their only contact with the species been inside this room. He could only imagine that they'd come to some rather unflattering conclusions.

Jasper-Declan took a seat beside Alex, twisting uncomfortably on the plastic chair. He reached behind his head and undid his bandanna with one hand, using it to wipe away the sweat that had collected on his forehead. The crappy air conditioning of the cafetorium was just powerful enough to make Jasper-Declan glad to be indoors. He made a mental note, though, to pick up his skateboard from his locker before going to his next class- the wind that rushed by when he skated made the hot air bother him at least a little less.

"We'll go halfers on his, aye?" Alex said, and Jasper-Declan nodded slowly, pulling his wallet from his pocket. Said wallet was full of bills, of all denominations, and he took what was needed and handed it over to Jay. Returning his wallet to his pocket, he curled his legs up to his chest, as he'd done back at the alcove. It seemed impossible for his long legs to fit up on the tiny plastic chair, but he managed somehow. He wrapped his arms around his legs. The posture would appear quite nervous on someone who didn't know Jasper-Declan well- this was his default pose.

"So, who should I add to the guestlist?" Alex said, breaking Jasper-Declan out of his usual trance. He fell back into that trance thinking of an answer to the question. There were quite a few people to ask, but his politeness prevented him from mentioning any names without asking them first. So that's what he said- "There are a few names that come immediately to my mind. However, I do believe I shall ask them first, and I shall let you know later."

Jasper-Declan rubbed his right eye, which had been bothering him for a while. Hay fever, he figured. He was looking forward to the gathering, as much as he looked forward to anything- that was to say, not all that much. But he did count Alex among his few close friends. Jasper-Declan was self-aware to know that most of the people he hung out with either only just tolerated him, or enjoyed him mainly because they were always high. Not Alex, though- he actually liked him. As a person. Besides, Alex was one of the only people with whom Jasper-Declan could share a really intense conversation. If only when Alex was high.

He picked his bandanna back up of the table and, in a stroke of inspiration, tied it back around his head at an angle so it covered his right eye. If he hadn't already looked like a pirate, now he most definitely did.

[[Jay Holland continued from Down the back of the building]]


Jay took the money from Alex without complaint. He wasn't used to such generosity from his friends who had long ago grown tired of shelling out extra just so Jay wouldn't starve to death. He wasn't intent to waste a second of his buddies goodwill standing about staring off into space. Giving his companions a half-assed bow and a "Muchos Gracias" he turned and rushed over to the Cafeteria lineup, squeezing in front of a group of rather obnoxious ninth graders gathered towards the back of the line. Jay payed the group no mind as he cut in front of them, readjusting his headphones he pretended he wasn't listening as one of the kids half heartedly raised his voice in objection.

Heheh. Another thrilling adventure in the life of Jay Holland, aka Super Dick.

Looking back towards his friends at the table, Jay wasn't surprised to see that Alex had whipped out his guitar and was busy strumming a few chords. Sometimes Jay thought that Alex liked that guitar more than other people, which when he considered it, might actually be both true and not as crazy as it sounded in his head. Despite the din within the crowded Cafe, Jay swore he could make out the notes as Alex continued to strum his guitar. Until of course, he realized he still had his music on. Jay rolled his eyes at his own private little stupidity as he advanced another place in line. Looking back, he could see Alex gesturing to hurry him along.

Jay shrugged his shoulders and shot his friend back a lazy smile. What did Alex want him to do, hop over everyone's heads and steal the food? As Jay thought about that, he had to admit it sounded pretty cool.

The Cafeteria Lady was a real looker, greasy black hair underneath a hair net, a rather ugly pinched face with a hairy upper lip. Jay just couldn't stop looking at it despite it's obvious hideousness. It was like watching a train wreck, Jay thought. A train filled with puppies, colliding with a giant mass of ugly. Jay tried his best to avoid glancing at it, but the more he looked away the more he found that when he returned his gaze, he'd focus on it only more intently. Jay tried to bleach his mind, he didn't want to be eating and have that unpleasant mental image pop back into his head. He was rather intent on eating for once. He stared down at his feet as he advanced forward in the line, trying to look anywhere else.

"Alright so." Jay started then stopped, glancing from the burgers back to the Cafe Worker. He gave an involuntary shudder.

"Alright, three cheeseburgers an' fries. The works on all of 'em. An' some drinks too." Jay looked down at the cash in his hand, counting it out. With all the cash he'd been given it was more than enough to cover everything.

"Oh, and a large Poutine." Jay dumped the cash in the workers hand, not bothering to help prevent several coins from slipping through her grasp and clattering to the floor. Jay shoved his hands back into his sweater pockets and tapped his foot, waiting as they prepared his food.

Glancing back towards his friends at the table, Jay saw that they were still talking, mostly likely regarding Alex's party or some existential... thing Jay had no chance of comprehending. He hoped it was the first one, at least he could understand parties.

The clatter of trays and the scent of fries filled Jays ears and he turned back to the Cafe worker, who was busy lining up his various trays. Jay licked his lips and removed his hands from his pockets, rubbing them together almost comically in anticipation. Suddenly his brow furrowed. Jay glanced from the Trays to Alex and Jasper sitting across the cafeteria, then back to the trays.

How am I going to carry all this shit without dropping it?

Jay breathed in deep and carefully pulled out the first tray of fries and cheeseburgers, stacking it atop the second. He picked up the two rather large cokes and put them on either side, carefully balancing them lest they spill. Removing his hands, Jay waited a moment to make sure they remained upright. One drink tilted slightly and Jay watched it anxiously, but it eventually settled. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jay began to pile the other food atop the two trays, carefully coordinating them so they wouldn't fall off. He glanced back at the others at the table, they seemed unaware of him, perhaps talking more about the upcoming party. Jay stuck the remaining drink in the crux of his elbow at a rather awkward angle, it didn't tip however and Jay wasn't about to tempt it. He reached down and awkwardly lifted the tray up, the food swaying but for the moment staying up.

"You know, you could have just made two trips." A voice called out. Jay shifted his head over slightly. In the corner of his view he saw a rather nebbish grade Nine with short brown hair staring at him, a smug grin on his face. He considered his words for a moment, and glanced back towards his tower of food.

"Oh." Jay said. "Well damn."

"You're gonna spill that everywhere." The kid said, gesturing to the rocking tower of food piled upon the trays. Jay grunted and shifted his weight, trying to keep his attention devoted singularly to the task at hand.

"Yeah well." Jay said, crouching slowly away from the counter. "It's not like I'd have to clean it or anything."

Jay turned around and began heading back to the table. Taking tiny steps, Jay swung around the Cafe in a wide arc, sticking close to the wall so he'd avoid bumping into students and spilling his tray. The coke propped up underneath his arm began to slide and Jay grunted, trying to adjust it mid stride. It didn't work well. Jay looked up, the table was only a few feet away. He licked his lips, the scent of the fries was near intoxicating. Beads of sweat seemed to drip down the side of Jay's face, he made a mental note to remind himself that maybe if he was sweating from carrying a tray of food, working out should have more precedence in his life. And just like that, Jay felt the tray began to slip from his hands and the food beginning to topple forth.

Jay's eyes bulged slightly in panic, he leaned backwards and began awkwardly crouch running towards the table. The coke underneath his arm slipped free and smashed on the floor, spilling it's contents everywhere.

"Guys. Guys. GUYS. GUYSGUYSGUYSGUYS." Jay shrieked as he lunged forward. Jay managed to bring the tray down with a crash just as he fell forward. The tray slid across the table in front of Alex and Jasper, fries and gravy falling off but for the most part in tact. Jay slid half under the table on his knees. He grunted in displeasure and leaned back, pulling himself out from under.

Readjusting his hat, Jay saw the contents of his drink all across the floor and the majority of the cafe denizens giving him amused looks.

"Smile if ya' want, I ain't cleaning that up." He muttered mostly to himself.

He turned back towards his friends and the tray. Most of the food was in one piece, although his poutine seemed to have suffered much from the sudden drop upon the table.

Well, that wasn't half bad.

"Food. It's arrived." Jay said collapsing into a chair next to Alex, grinning. "Come'on, eat! Took me long enough to get it."

He watched as he first broke Jasper-Declan out of his trance with the question, only to see him slip back into it again, finally answering him. "Fair enough." he smiled. He watched with idle curiosity as he undid the bandanna, only to retie it over his eye. That couldn't help but raise a chuckle. "Arr matey...." he laughed, continuing to play without looking, drawing slow melodies from the guitar.

He looked up hearing Jay's exchange with the ninth grader. He looked at his friend on the other side of the cafeteria. "Oh what is he doing..." he murmured out loud. As he watched Jay slowly and precariously make his way around the room, he thought back.

He liked Jay as well, not so much in the same similar minds way as he got along with Jasper, but in a more casual and friendly sort of way. When he went round to see Jasper, they would tend to discuss whatever far reaching topic one of them had read about that day. Jay on the other hand he would simply take up residence with on a couch, get stoned and play video games. It was a different friendship, but one that was just as vital to him.

He remembered when he first met the boy. Jay had asked him to pick up some weed for him, assuring Alex that he would be paid back. More than happy to run this errand, and skimp a joints worth or two off the top, he had delivered.

After two weeks the money hadn't showed up.

And then four weeks.

And then a month.

After two months Alex had hit him. They fought briefly, neither one really winning. Jay was simply too out of shape to cause Alex problems, and Alex was unwilling to truly wail on Jay. Finally, they'd ended up sitting on a pavement, out of breath and unwilling to continue the fight.

"You really don't have the money? You can't get it?" he had sighed.

He didn't and he couldn't.

Alex sighed. "Fine. Don't ask me to get you stuff on tic again. Money up front." he said. The boy simply didn't have the money. No amount of fighting would change that fact.

After that, they'd met up for a smoke every once in a while. He spotted Jay for the mooch he was very quickly and had long since learned the best solution was a simple no. He would occasionally pay for something, but never often enough for Jay to make a habit of it. Likewise, he would share a joint with him, never give him one.

He watched as he slowly approached the table, that food beginning to topple over slowly as he approached at speed. The coke smashed on the floor.

"Guys. Guys. GUYS. GUYSGUYSGUYSGUYS."

He laughed as just barely, the food made it to the table, even if Jay himself didn't. Standing up as his friend toppled he led the cafetorium in a teasing golf clap for Jay as he clambered to his seat. Alex sat down again.

"Come'on, eat! Took me long enough to get it."
He chuckled. "True enough man. I'm impressed it survived the journey." he said, as he surveyed the food. "Oh, ace, you got us poutine." he said as he seized on it, taking it and putting it in the middle, handing out the cheese burger and fries. "So what about you Jay, who're you inviting?" he said. "Jasper's tight lipped as ever." he chuckled.

[[So I had a post almost done, after taking several procrastinating hours writing it, and then I accidentally shut the page. So I'm sorry if this post seems rushed, I'm just frustrated. ><]]

It was like watching a train wreck. Not that Jasper-Declan was the sort to watch train wrecks- he didn't particularly understand society's fascination with suffering and destruction. But that, really, was besides the point.

Jay seemed to be buying more food than Jasper-Declan would be capable of eating in the course of a week. A small part of his mind- the part that made entirely rational deductions, a part that often got ignored by the greater part of him- pointed out that he wasn't exactly going to get a return on his investment on this meal- most of it was probably going to end up going to the other two. Mostly to Jay, if what Jasper-Declan had seen of him so far was any indication. But he didn't really mind- most of the money in his wallet had nowhere to go, anyway. All he ever spent money on was food and the occasional bandanna.

Jasper-Declan tilted his head, becoming interested in Jay's dilemma as it became clearly that. Perhaps it would be more logical to make multiple trips...On the other hand, it is more of a challenge to do this his way...Perhaps that's how he's thinking of it. As a puzzle... And then he was off, stranded in a world of irrelevant thought. He started thinking about carrying food as a puzzle game, then he started thinking about what a waste of time puzzle games were, then he started thinking about how any sort of game was a waste of time, really, but that didn't stop people from playing them, then... None of this thinking was helping Jay, as he approached the table at high speeds.


"Guys. Guys. GUYS. GUYSGUYSGUYSGUYS."

Jasper-Declan only blinked as Jay hit the floor, though the action did snap him out of his thinking state. He didn't flinch as the loaded tray hit the table in front of him; he only tilted his head to the other side, watching with interest as Jay stood up and as Alex and the rest of the cafetorium applauded his failure. For a moment, Jasper-Declan was distracted by the puddle of soda left on the floor. It was so...entrancingly reflective. Something about it made him almost uncomfortable, like he needed to clean it up, but he shook it off. He took a single french fry from a tray and held Jay under his unflinched gaze for just a moment.

He smiled. It was a tiny smile, but it was a rare sight on Jasper-Declan.

"Perhaps your technique was less than flawless, but...I would say you did quite well when judging for performance value."

He took another french fry, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically hungry.

"True enough man. I'm impressed it survived the journey." Alex said as he surveyed the food that had survived the chaotic trip.

"Oh, ace, you got us poutine." Alex said as he seized it, putting it in the middle, handing out the cheese burger and fries to the others. Deep down Jay really wanted to grab the poutine and take it all for himself, but that simply wouldn't do. Alex had dashed his hopes of pigging out on the fries perhaps unintentionally, and it wouldn't do for him to greedily take it for himself. Jay was a mooch, but he didn't enjoy being a dick to his friends. That was just not classy. He gave a shrug and let the issue go unsaid, instead grabbing his cheeseburger.

"Perhaps your technique was less than flawless, but...I would say you did quite well when judging for performance value."

Jay looked up. Jasper had a funny sort of short smile on his face, and after a second Jay realized that it was because of his antics with the trays. Realizing the reason behind it, Jay let out a small laugh and grinned.

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment Jas'. " Jay said before taking a remarkably huge bite out of his burger. It tasted remotely like rubber, or something burning... or rubber burning perhaps? Regardless, Jay chewed it happily and slouched down in his seat. Jas' was a weird nickname. He figured he'd just call Jasper Jasper from now on. Much easier that way.

"So what about you Jay, who're you inviting?" Alex said.

Jay swallowed what was in his mouth and was momentarily irritated when he found he didn't have a drink to wash it down; until he remembered spilling it all over the floor moments ago. He gave a "Hmm." before taking another bite of his burger to give him some more time to think.

"Well actually... I can't think of many people." He frowned in annoyance. "That's weird, usually I know when people'd be up for a party." He tapped his hand on the desk as he grabbed some fries and stuffed them in his mouth.

"Eh... Do you guys know Ethan? He might wanna come." Jay finally said as he chewed his fries. The idea gained momentum in his mind as he considered it more.

"Yeah, I could ask Ethan and he could bring some people. What you think about that guys?" He said enthusiastically.

Alexander had been fairly confident that Jay had intended the chips for himself, but the way he seen it, he and Jasper had paid for it at least in part, so they were entitled to a share. Alex was hungry, he had an exam later on that afternoon and such things always made him hungry. He rubbed one of the chips in the gravy, taking a bite and savouring the taste of cheese, gravy and chips. It wasn't something he would regularly eat, both he and his mother maintained the opinion that American chips were never as good as Scottish chips.

"Eh... Do you guys know Ethan? He might wanna come."

He looked over at Jay. "Ethan?" he said, thinking to himself to see if the name brought a face to his mind. "That kid with the asthma?" he said. "Yeah, that could be good." he said.

He picked up the burger. Now here was something they usually could do better. He took a bite, chewed and swallowed. He made a face for a second, then adopted the accent of a wine taster. "Ah, I'm getting.. tyres." he said. "Plastic... and cardboard..." he said. He smelled the burger. "Ah yes... the numbing aroma of casual despair that fills the career of a cafeteria chef." he said, before chuckling and taking another bite. After all no further food would be forthcoming.

He watched the cafetorium idly as he ate his food. Today was a good day. The black moods seemed far off. His friends were here, they were planning a party, soon enough he would be saying goodbye to this place. Sure there was the exam that afternoon, but he doubted it would be a huge issue. Already his mind was preoccupied with the evening. He would invite Hayley and her boyfriend, they were always good for a laugh.

He thought about Hayley briefly. He envied her boyfriend to a degree. Not enough to act on the impulse mind, but enough that he noticed. Still, he seemed nice enough.

He yawned as he finished the burger, picking at his fries and leaning back in the chair lightly, daydreaming idly about girls. He was painfully aware of his singleness. He guided himself away from that train of thought quickly, down that path lay his depression.

He leaned forward again and smiled. "See when we get out of here, I'm going to try and get away. Head off and live in Amsterdam. What do you think?" he said.

Jasper-Declan reached over for another french fry, chewing very slowly. He figured that as long as he had this much food in front of him, he might as well try to get it all down. Then again, no one could say that this particular meal tasted good. He wasn't a food person- as much as any person could not be a food person- and he never found the kind of pleasure in good food that many people did, and his sense of taste was rather dull. But even he knew that this particular meal was...well, awful.

Jasper-Declan listened to Jay and Alex discussing possible party guests. He didn't know Ethan, so he made no comment, continuing to eat his fries. He thought about the party guests he had in mind- one guest, in particular. Janet Binachi. She wasn't very social, and in fact she was often very socially detatched. But Jasper-Declan found her to be an interesting person, and the two got along. Besides, Janet liked social experiments, and that's all a party really was, wasn't it?

He spoke up, then. "I was planning on inviting Janet Binachi to our get-together. I had been hoping to ask her myself, in person, but it seems unlikely that I shall see her before my school day is complete. So if either of you should see her, please tell her that I would like for her to be there..."

Jasper-Declan returned to his food. He didn't seem like a party sort- anyone who knew him in passing wouldn't expect to see him at one. But he really did enjoy being around other people, even though he didn't always feel like he belonged. The few people that did understand him made him almost as happy as running, or swimming- he counted Alex in that number, in particular. He was looking forward to this party. He really was.

"See when we get out of here, I'm going to try and get away. Head off and live in Amsterdam. What do you think?"

Jasper-Declan looked over at Alex, tilting his head. This wasn't a new train of conversation- Alex loved talking about the future. Jasper-Declan said what he always said when Alex brought up Amsterdam- "Are you sure you are not just thinking of Amsterdam for the copious amounts of marijuana that is smoked there? Is there anything else there for you, really? Though I would not be surprised if that was enough for you." It sounded slightly mean, mostly because Jasper-Declan was not smiling when he said it, but Alex would know him well enough to know he was teasing.

Suddenly, Jasper-Declan felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone- a text message, from his mother.

Declan- Dad & I going to the movies tonight. Need you to baby sit Rory. Love, Mom.

Jasper-Declan stared at that message for a moment. He didn't change expressions, and he didn't even feel particularly angry- that wasn't his style. He was mildly disappointed, but that was all. Life would go on. He took another fry before speaking again.

"It appears that I will not be able to attend the party this evening after all. My apologies; it appears that my mother has need of me. Perhaps another time, gentlemen?" He looked at his phone again- it was actually getting rather late. There were a few minutes remaining before they'd have to leave the lunchroom, but if Jasper-Declan was to pick up his skateboard from his locker, he'd have to leave now. He packed up his bookbag and stood.

"I shall have to leave you now, unfortunately. Our next class commences in approximately seven minutes and I must take my skateboard from my locker before I go. I leave you both what remains of my lunch." His food had hardly been touched- just a few fries taken. "I shall see you both in the near future."

Jasper-Declan nodded at both Alex and Jay, and then left, adjusting his bandanna as he went.

[[Jasper-Declan continued in "A wretched hive of scum and villainy?" "Worse, high school students."]]

"Awh, see ya' Jasper." Jay mumbled as Jasper got up making his exit.

Jay was disappointed in a way by Jasper's quick exit, he'd begun to take a liking to the kid and he could definitely sympathize with missing a party. Hearing stories from friends of a night he missed always irked Jay something awful, he didn't know if the feeling was the same for Jasper. Especially with his bizarre speech style. Still, that didn't make the boy any less a teenager and Jay had a feeling he was more disappointed then he let on with having to deal with his younger brother.

He decided to look on the upside of things, with Jasper beating a hasty exit to cram his stuff in his locker he'd left his food mostly untouched. Without a hint of tact or etiquette Jay slid Jasper's food over into the center of the table so the two could split it. No point letting it go to waste, especially after all the trouble it had been to get the food to the table in the first place.

Jay smiled and grabbed several of Jaspers fries, opening his burger he threw them on top to create a fry stuffed burger.

"A 5 Star Meal for your typical American!" He said happily, lifting the burger to his lips.

In a way, Jay was also happy that Jasper's quick exit had deflected attention away from Alex's question about post-secondary. Jay had winced slightly when Alex mentioned his plan to head off to Amsterdam, yeah it was a sick plan Jay agreed. But it wasn't like Jay had the money to facilitate such a move unlike Alex. And it wasn't like he had many job prospects in St. Paul... To Jay, the future looked rather bleak as Graduation approached, bleak and ordinary which was something he couldn't stand. But it wasn't like he could do anything, the majority of the time Jay liked to simply avoid thinking about it. It was all much more simple that way.

He'd frowned slightly at Jasper's response, what was wrong with copious amounts of weed? What did copious mean anyways? A lot? Was it shitty weed? Jay didn't really have that much of an interest in the weed culture in Amsterdam, a fact that surprised him almost as much as many of his friends. Yeah it was sick that you could smoke it without punishment, but there was more to life then being blazed all the time. He'd reluctantly proved that, his mooching tactics left much to be desired and he'd often found himself not high for an aggravatingly long time. At least he didn't find himself needing to buy chips constantly. And it wasn't like he was totally without it, sometimes his friends liked to be generous and share, like Alex had been today for instance. Alas, he hadn't actually gotten his hands on the blunt before Annaliese had shown up. But it all had worked out fine, and it wasn't like he wouldn't get anything at all today.

"Do you know who Janet Binachi is?" Jay said. He swallowed the food in his mouth and reached for Jasper's coke. "Because in all honesty, I dunno the girl. 'an I mean, even if Jasper isn't coming, well, that's no reason not to invite her right? She might even be pretty hot. Wouldn't that be awesome, yeah?"

He chuckled in response to Jasper's point, his hair falling back from his face. "Not just any copious amount of weed Jasper, the best weed in the world." he said. He relaxed back in his chair and thought about the question. "I don't know man, I just want to leave this town. Amsterdam's a big city. There's buskers that live pretty good out there. A guy could get a start there." he said as he munched on a fry. "That's the thing Jasper. I get the feeling I'm going to waste my life away here. Don't you ever get the feeling you're meant for something more important than this?"

Before Jasper-Declan could answer his question, his phone vibrated.

"It appears that I will not be able to attend the party this evening after all. My apologies; it appears that my mother has need of me. Perhaps another time, gentlemen? I shall have to leave you now, unfortunately. Our next class commences in approximately seven minutes and I must take my skateboard from my locker before I go. I leave you both what remains of my lunch."

He frowned and nodded. "Ok dude. Sorry you can't make it. I'll see you around." he said. He watched as Jasper left in that curious style of his.

Seven minutes till class. He munched on the chips quickly, leaving the majority of them to Jay. "Seven minutes dude. I've got an English exam I can't be late for." he said as he picked up his burger, taking large bites out of it quickly.

"Do you know who Janet Binachi is? Because in all honesty, I dunno the girl. 'an I mean, even if Jasper isn't coming, well, that's no reason not to invite her right? She might even be pretty hot. Wouldn't that be awesome, yeah?"

He chuckled as he looked up at Jay. "It's the simple things in life, isn't it." he said as he took another big bite out of the burger, swallowing it down and leaving the rest. "Her name rings a bell. If I see her I'll ask her if she'd like to come." he said.

He took a fair amount of the poutine, eating it as quickly as he had taken his share of the burger and fries. Finally he was done with that too. He slid the food across to Jay, taking a breather for a second. "Looks like you won the lion's share compadre." he said. He looked down at his watch. "Too bad you've only got five... maybe six minutes to eat it in." he said, looking at his friend with a big grin.

"Seven minutes dude. I've got an English exam I can't be late for." Alex said before ripping into his burger with frighting force.

Jay scowled and looked down at the food... he'd have to rush if he intended to get to class on time. But why should he do that? It was one of the last classes of his high school life, and like hell he was going to collage. He'd probably just forget anything they'd tell him anyways.... This food on the other had, well, how often did he get to dine on Rubber Burgers and Greasy Fries? With his income, not that often. It would be a shame to waste all this food when there are starving kids in Africa. No, class could wait for Jay. This delicious selection before him deserved to be savored.

"It's the simple things in life, isn't it." Alex said when he asked about Janet Binachi.

Jay smirked despite the fact his mouth was filled with food and he couldn't formulate a response. Yes, Alex had pretty much hit the nail on the head on that one. Girls were awesome, especially hot ones. Jasper was just the right type of eccentric, with any luck hot girls flocked to him in his off hours. The thought of Jasper talking in his funny little way, drowning in a sea of women made Jay smile. If there was ever a way to die, it was that way.

"Her name rings a bell. If I see her I'll ask her if she'd like to come."

Jay nodded in approval, swallowing the food in his mouth. Before he was even finished swallowing he reached out for Jasper's drink and filled his mouth with some Cola to wash it down.

Then, like a gift from the heavens Alex slid his food over in front of Jay. He leaned back in his seat in surprise, fairly pleased.

"Looks like you won the lion's share compadre." Alex said grinning.

He smiled and began to toss Alex's food onto his own tray. "Ah, you come bearing gifts. Parumpa pum pum n' all that." Jay made for a terrible little drummer boy.

"Too bad you've only got five... maybe six minutes to eat it in."

Jay shook his finger playfully at Alex. "That my friend, sounds like a challenge. I accept!" He reached down and picked up a handful of fries, stuffing them in his gaping mouth.

"Go on without me Alex, I'll distract this food with my mouth." He stretched and chewed thoughtfully. "I'll head over to your house 'round like... 4 okay? Mind if I drag anyone I can find along with me?"

((Jay Holland continues in "A wretched hive of scum and villainy?" "Worse, high school students."))

He chuckled as he watched Jay stuffing his mouth with the food. "You're a credit to America, Jay." he said, watching as his friend wolfed down the food. "One day you'll eat the fucking cafeteria." he said.

He sat for a moment, pondering the exam, considering what it might be. Creative writing perhaps, but more likely critical analysis. Still it was alright. English was great. Words fascinated him. Words were how people worked. Language represented the capacity to think about a concept, to communicate it. Without words it was impossible to express a thought, even to yourself. He adored 1984, but the passage that had most struck him was the description of the motivations behind newspeak.

" Even the literature of the Party will change. Even the slogans will change. How could you have a slogan like "freedom is slavery" when the concept of freedom has been abolished? The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now."

He wished he'd been able to talk to Jasper about the topic. He felt it might be wasted slightly on Jay. Still, he wanted to think through the concept. He decided that if possible he would write about the book during the exam.

"Go on without me Alex, I'll distract this food with my mouth. I'll head over to your house 'round like... 4 okay? Mind if I drag anyone I can find along with me?"

He nodded. "Aye, bring anyone you fancy. But make it five, give me a bit to get settled, clean shit up before you get in." he said. He picked up the guitar and slung it over his shoulder again. As he picked it up he gently felt the neck through the gig bag. He was worried that it would snap again. He could repair it, he had done more than once, but it was starting to affect the tone, and it would slip out of tune with barely a moment notice. It was fine though.

"I'll catch you later, Mon Ami." he said, mimicking the terrible French accent from the xmen cartoon he'd grown up with.

He was just walking out of the cafeteria when he paused next to a girl's table.

(Alexander Campbell continues in ""Let them eat cake...")