Realistic or Modern Mad House.

[spectro]

"That's not fair! Those people were awful to me and Ava and plus, it was a joke!" Jodie was becoming increasingly angry. She squashed her fingertips against her palms.


Fliss felt awkward. "Hey-look, there's no need to argue." Fliss stood back a little, wary with all this talk of murder. What the hell? Can I just go now? "Nick, come on. I need to change my clothes." She tried to break up the argument. She could almost feel the angry heat emitting from both of them. She was going to put a hand on his shoulder, but the thought of physical contact with anyone was quite daunting.





"Oh shut up. You have nothing to do with this. I'm just trying to explain to this idiot that he's going to get killed by the mad man that is Isadore-" She stopped, realising she didn't know his last name.

 

[Pine]

Not fair? It was completely fair. She was trying to justify murder? "That's not an excuse! Nobody was joking about that, you know!" In case you haven't noticed, Jodie, nobody here has a sense of humor! Nick could faintly hear the new girl's high-pitched voice trying to break through to him, provoking him to take a long exhale through flared nostrils, because he was pretty sure she must have been saying something along the lines of her own discomfort from the quiver of her voice.


In the next instant, however, Jodie instantly shot her down, which only served to kindle his fury. "Nothing to do with this? Jodie, she's living with us." Don't be such a self-absorbed I'm uncultured, but he swallowed those words, breathing out once again in an effort to calm himself. "Okay, you know what? Just drop it." Nick finally broke eye contact, brushing past the girl while not-so-accidentally bumping his shoulder against Jodie's as he did so in possibly the most harmful physical contact he would dare do to a girl.

 

[spectro]

"Drop it? DROP IT? You just accused me of being a murderer!" Jodie turned around, wanting to smack Nick right in the back of the head. To push him to the floor but no-that would just confirm his suspicions. She turned back to Felicity and gave her a deathly stare. "What? What do you want? Just run along after that idiot."


Fliss tucked her hair behind her ear. On the bright side, her hair was drying. "Oh-okay." Fliss ran after Nick. She walked a few paces behind him, knowing what it felt like to be bothered when you were angry. But still, Isadore, who the hell was he?

 

[Pine]

Nick bit the inside of his cheek, forcibly silencing himself. I didn't accuse you of being a murderer. I accused you of lacking good judgment. However, if he truly wanted to end the conversation, insulting her surely wasn't the way. Not only was he angry at Jodie's words and the way she shut out the new girl, but there was a degree of frustration directed towards himself that kept him glaring ahead and hugging himself tightly. Why did I defend him? Isadore doesn't deserve that. Even as he berated himself with hypothetical question after hypothetical question, he knew the answer, the likes of which he didn't want to admit even to himself.


As he brewed over everything in silence, he could faintly begin to hear the patter of feet behind him. Nick looked over his shoulder, his expression softening at the sight of the new girl following behind him. I should seriously try to figure out her name. He puffed out his cheeks and blew a long exhale, stopping in his tracks to allow her to come by his side once again, his arms slackening and his shoulders no longer raised. I had been complaining about people being all secretive just this morning. It would be contradictory to just leave her in the dark, but...


Nick searched for the words he wanted to say. He was sure that she must feel the exact same way he did only yesterday. Finally having comprised a satisfactory way to hopefully finish the conversation for good, he spoke up again. "Okay, listen. I'm sure there's a lot for me to explain, but... please don't make me talk about it. All I'm going to say is..." Uh, what was I going to say? "Just-just be careful of who you get close to." He licked his lips. Some chapstick might be nice. "Like, it's fine to be acquainted with people, don't avoid them or anything, but..." Nick looked at her seriously then, raising a quizzical eyebrow. "Does that make sense?"

 

[spectro]

"Sure. Sure, but, but-" did she really want to push him so far? His anger was clear, he even sounded a little sad. "Yeah. I get it." She sighed, disappointed. She stopped running after him and walked slowly behind him. Maybe it was time to just leave him. Go back to the house. Let him wallow in his own self pity. It seemed to be what everyone else was doing. No, Fliss, this is the only person who has actually been civil with you. Don't let him get away. Fliss saw him walk faster. She sighed, giving into her thoughts. "Nick...wait." She jogged up to his speed and ran in front of him, walking backwards to speak to him. "So-the dance. Maybe it's a good idea. I mean, you're like my tour guide, so perhaps we should go together?" She sounded pathetic. "I think you should definitely go with me." Close Fliss, getting closer. "Will you go to the dance with me?" Her voice slowly got more high pitched. Actually, well done Fliss. And then walking backwards wasn't so good. She felt herself slipping and then she fell back into a puddle, soaking her slowly drying clothing. "Story of my life." She muttered.

 

[Pine]

Nick came to a halt, blinking as the girl jumped out in front of him. Confusion set in on his expression. Shit, I'm not leading her on, am I? The boy frowned at her, his countenance deepening, particularly when she fell over for no good reason. That's just pitiful. Nick approached her, extending his hand to help her to her feet. "What, like a date? I'm not going to some stupid dance," he stated bluntly. "I already said that. I have better things to do anyway."

 

[spectro]

"Oh." She ignored his hand and got up. "Sure. It's a stupid dance." She smiled and walked in the direction of the house. It was a stupid stupid stupid idea. She carried on walking to the door and stormed up to her room. She didn't need him to go to the dance. She didn't know why she was so flustered about it. She pulled open her wardrobe and found something suitable to wear for the occasion. It wasn't too fancy. It was a a blue polka dot dress with a little bit of a retro vibe to it. The last time she had wore it was at her Fathers birthday party. It was hard to stop herself from tearing up when the memories came flooding back.

 

[Pine]

Nick closed his hand slowly, bringing it back closer to him. Ah, so she's going to be like all the rest of those girls. Better this way. She's gotta' know she's not my type. With the orphanage finally in view, she took the liberty to charge ahead of him. He couldn't help but roll his eyes, adjusting his backpack again, the weight of it making his shoulders begin to ache. Nick stood there, deciding to give her some adequate space to go angst somewhere. He checked his watch again, realizing now that it was well past one. His stomach ripped a growl, causing him to wrap an arm around his torso. Oh, lunch, why have we grown so far apart? Nick gave a wistful sigh, looking around while rubbing his chin with the back of his hand. Ugh, I'll have to shave tonight, 'cause if not, it'll just grow in those stupid patches and- oh, hello!


The boy's expression brightened, the sight of a drink and snack machine standing in the alley just across the street. He looked side to side, making sure that there were no oncoming vehicles before he decided to jaywalk. Upon arriving in the rather shady looking alley, a frown crossed his face. It's showing a water bottle, but none of these are... y'know... brands of- Wait, could it be? Nick looked on in disbelief, before patting his back pocket for a wallet and pawing inside it, successfully retrieving around five dollar bills. Eagerly, he ran each of the crumpled bills against the side of the machine and slipped them in, impatient as the whirring of the machine slowly processed each new bill. Finally, he jammed a button. The sound of a can bouncing along the inside trailed down, until finally the desired beverage had reached it's final destination. Come to Papa. Nick grabbed the Red Bull, tapping the top of the can with his fingers before cracking it open with a satisfying hiss. Too bad I'll have to give up on my bottle cap collection, but this is still good...


Nick almost choked on his drink, having to catch the liquid from spilling off his chin with the back of his free hand. Don't tell me... This is too good to be true, this is a thing? There, sitting precariously inside the snack machine was the ultimate snack, the back light giving the bag it's well deserved, exalted appearance. Forget everything I ever said. This is the best place in the world. Right here. Nick, feeling a little silly, pressed himself against the machine, his cheek flattening against the glass as he made happy sobbing noises. Oh, wait, I'm actually crying a little. He removed himself from his embrace, hoping no one had been around to see that. Within moments, he was stuffing his back pocket with an empty wallet, but at the time, it seemed like such a small price to pay for the energy drink in one hand and the Chester's Flamin' Hot Fries in the other. His mood significantly improved, he headed back to the orphanage, wiping the stray tear on his index finger.


Nick kicked the door shut behind him and headed up the stairs, ready for the opportunity to finally take off his backpack. Arriving at the end of the hall where his room was, he tucked the bag under his arm, but his hand froze as he reached for the doorknob. The walls are thin, he recalled, but Isadore's pretty quiet. I don't want to wake him up. Cautiously, he turned the doorknob, peering inside, if only to see the other boy still sprawled out on the floor. He suppressed a sigh. How the hell is he still asleep? As quiet as he could, he set his drink and snack down, enabling him to finally slip off his backpack. He held back another sigh, this time relieved.


Nick was fully prepared to just snatch his drink and snack and head out, but an epiphany stopped him. If he's asleep now... he's going to be awake all night. He paused, working out all of his logic in his head. Oh hell no. If he's going to be awake, it's going to be when I'm awake. He ain't gonna' snooze through the whole day. He reflected quietly on the word 'ain't' and his annoyance at himself for it ever crossing his mind, before deciding there was a more serious matter at hand.


The boy slipped his phone from out of his pocket, pressing the side button until it was back to it's maximum volume. Nick padded over to the other boy quietly, focused intently as his phone slowly loaded YouTube. He stopped at Isadore's side, thumbs rapidly tapping the touch screen to spell out 'rebecca', but thankfully, it had already popped up as a suggestion. An almost malicious smile curled his lips as he began to pull the video up. I'm, like, fifteen percent sorry that I have to do this. He set the phone down gingerly on Isadore's back such that it was out of his immediate reach, laying it such that the speakers were up, and settled on his bed as he waited anxiously for it to begin.


The intro to a terrible, modern pop song began to fill the room.


Seven A.M., waking up in the morning


Gotta' be fresh, gotta' go downstairs


Gotta' have my bowl, gotta' have cereal


Seein' everything, the time is goin'


Tickin' on and on, everybody's rushin'


Gotta' get down to the bus stop


Gotta' catch my bus, I see my friends


(My friends)


Kickin' in the front seat


Sittin' in the back seat


Nick began to mime driving a vehicle, twisting an imaginary wheel with his lips puffed out, bobbing his head and humming, half-singing all the while.


Gotta' make my mind up


Which seat can I take?


It's Friday, Friday


Gotta' get down on Friday


Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend...

 

[ChronosDesine]

Aaron looked up from his desk when he heard the song 'Friday' from Rebecca Black. ''Are you kidding me?'' muttered Aaron to himself while shaking his head. Apparently no one in this house has a good taste in music. Aaron sighed to himself and tried to block the 'music' out by thinking of elevator tunes.

 

[Trignome]

It's Friday, Friday...


Isadore stirred slightly in his sleep. Today is Friday...okay. Good.


It's Friday, Friday,


Gotta get down on Friday.





Burrowing deeper into his cocoon of blankets, Isadore rolled around on the floor. Yes, gotta get down. I'm already down.


Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend...





Finally, he couldn't handle the noise any longer. Flailing wildly, Isadore continued to toss around under his sheets until there was a resounding crack somewhere to his left. The music abruptly stopped. Ah. The sound of silence. Tis a sweet sound indeed.





Isadore buried his face into his pillow and continued to sleep.

 

[Pine]

Nick ceased what he was doing, rolling back on the bed, peeling into a fit of laughter at the sight of Isadore finally reacting. He wrapped his arms around himself laying on his side as he continued to chuckle, the sight of the other boy's reaction making his entire frame shake with mirth. However, all of a sudden, the music cut off. His laughter died down a little, finally lifting his head to see Isadore still bundled up - not with an angry eye cracked open, not pressing a button on his phone to cut it off, not anything of that nature.


His laughter cut off abruptly, his face twisting in some heartbroken terror as it dawned on him what had just occurred. Even then, it still took him a few moments to process this. Did he just... is my phone... I had plans! I needed that for a job! I unlocked all those levels on Angry Bird! I had a stupid high score on Temple Run! I beat 2048!


Nick's jaw snapped shut, his lips pursing in barely suppressed rage. He jumped to his feet, coming back to Isadore's side. "You are so not going back to sleep now. Get up!" The boy bent over, striking his hand across the other boy's rear with a sharp clap.

 

[Trignome]

My butt hurts. Isadore snuggled deeper into the cavernous, warm blanket-fort he was sleeping under. Blearily, he opened an eye and peeked up at his roommate in mild irritation. "Relax. I'll buy you a new one, or something..." Yawning, he dozed off again.

 

[Sandra]

Raja came out of the hospital with Mick in a wheel chair of course. They got a ride and they were dropped off at Sunny Brooks. She then opened the door, not locked. Of course, it was not a surprise. Raja just came in silently. She looked down at Mick, "Um." She looked at the stairs, it made her sigh. Upstairs they had to go... Or she could just let him rest on the couch. "Mick, you didn't eat much... I can make you some Lunch..." She said quietly.

 

[azimuth]

"no thank you. But I would like some of those pain killers the doc gave you. My leg is starting to hurt again." His legs and arm are bound in thick casts. He hates it, but doesn't mention it at all. The long road to being healed has only just begun... And the pull bottle says take with each meal. Just sayin'.

 

[Pine]

Nick grit his teeth, a discomforting sound coming from his lower jaw sliding forward. "You're lucky I'm not throttling you, you little twerp," he snapped. "You're getting up one way or another." The boy reached down to roughly shake the other boy by the shoulder. "C'mon, it's after noon. I'm not going to wake up tomorrow to some weird ass scene from Twilight with you watching me."

 

[Trignome]

Isadore groaned into his pillow. "DUN WANNAAAAAAAAA..." Feeling himself being shaken on the shoulder, he finally crawled out his blankets. Picking up his pillow and blankets, Isadore slumped over to his bed and collapsed onto the mattress, promptly falling asleep again.

 

[Pine]

Nick straightened, putting his fists on his hips. "Does it look like a give two shits what you want?" The boy took a step back, allowing Isadore to get up finally... if only to see him collapse on his bed. You aren't getting any peace there. Nick picked up the shattered remains of his phone, pressing the screen back into it the best he could, but hissed when he cut his finger on a shard of glass. More carefully this time, he tucked the final piece back into the phone and stuffed it in his pocket. He went back by the door, and dragging his knuckled up against the wall, flicked the light on. Briefly sticking his finger into his mouth to suck up the small trickle of blood, he promptly walked back over to Isadore and stuck that same finger in the boy's ear, wriggling it around.

 

[Sandra]

Raja sighed. "But you gotta eat something. Here. I'll make you a simple grilled cheese, the one you ate a few days back. Won't you like that?" She said happily and got him water and pain killers. She knew he couldn't move much so she just said, "Open your mouth." She waited so she could plop the painkillers in his mouth,

 

[azimuth]

Mick does, and drinks the water quickly to get it down. "thank you. And yes please. Just one, though. "

 

[Sandra]

She nodded and started to make him one, then after a couple of minutes. She got him some more water and put the plate down on his lap. "Eat up. Also, I got some napkins if you need some."

 

[Trignome]

Hugging his pillow tightly, Isadore was vaguely aware of Nick's footsteps near his bed. Suddenly, his roommate gave a low hiss of pain. Did he do something stupid? Yes, I'm pretty sure he did something stupid. Isadore was just about to fall asleep again, when the bedroom lights flickered on. What...why. The light, it burns... Before he could get up to turn the lights off, Isadore felt something wet stuck in his ear. He froze. Tongue...? No, wait. Finger. Rolling tightly into his blankets, Isadore buried his face into his pillow. "Hey, don't forget to clean the other ear too."

 

[azimuth]

"thank you." He says again. "I shouldn't need them, but keep 'em close." He begins devouring the meal like he hadn' the eaten for days. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was until he took the first Bite.

 

[Sandra]

Raja nodded and kept close. She wondered where everyone was at.... Maybe she should make up for the days she has been gone. Maybe make everyone grilled cheese? I guess she should... She stood up. "I'm putting the napkins right next to you. I'm going to make some grilled cheeses for the rest of the kids." She didn't know if they ate or not.. But she didn't really think on that. Raja started to make the grilled cheese as she started to hum quietly.

 

[Pine]

Nick drew his finger back, wiping it on his pants. He had never before met someone capable of reacting so calmly to the tormenting of a Wet Willy... especially one of his own. At least he cleans his ears. Sort of. He paused, creating a list of all his options left that didn't involve killing the other boy. After a while, he steeled his resolve. Okay, one more time. "Come on. Don't make me start to get creative." He bent over, springing the mattress viciously. "Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up," he began, refusing to relent until he felt plan B needed to go into effect.

 

[Trignome]

Isadore felt himself getting launched into the air. He clung tightly to his pillow as a string of expletives ran through his head. Muckwranging, purpiee slurpiee cankingoggle tippil foncho gutting dedededededededededeeeeeeeeeeeeee. "Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up," Nick's voice repeated over and over again right above his bed. Groaning, Isadore reached up and swatted lazily in the voice's general direction, before continuing his pillow facial. He muttered at his roommate, through the cotton fiber filling pressed against his face. "Gi uff m bed. M sleefmy..."