||SLEEPING? On the JOB?||

[STASSI MADDOX]

This job was exhausting.

Honestly, the entire place was a nightmare from hell. All these stupid mattresses, with these stupid people wanting to buy them. If only there had been a nice cashier job open…or a waitressing job…but no. She had to get stuck working here.

So now she had to spend every weekday here until 9:00 pm, AND get all her homework done. Oh, joy. The only reward she was getting from this was the extra money for books and coffee. If it wasn’t for that…she’d be more likely to blow up this store than work in it.

As she trudged through the mattress maze, bombarded by eager customers, she had a lot on her mind. Most importantly, there was Marcus. He was basically her only friend around here besides Braxton, and he was extremely adorable. But of course he had a girlfriend. And even though Alex loved to discuss Call of Duty and sports games with him, she still kind of wished that he would call her “babe” instead of “dude.”

As Alex thought about this, finally getting some leisure time on her break, she once again came across the very blond beauty she’d been hating a few minutes before.

Sleeping. On a mattress. During her job.

“Oh my God! Gabby, what the f-…” Alex almost clamped her hand over her mouth, remembering she was in a public place. A job, no less.

“Get UP!” she hissed, shaking Gabby and accidentally-on-purpose making her bump her head on the headboard. “Are you serious? Do you want to get fired? What is wrong with you?! It’s not even seven yet! How can you possibly be TIRED? We still have two hours here, and you have MATTRESSES TO SELL, so get on it, because if you think I’m going to do all your stupid work for you, you’re WRONG.”

Alex did not understand what Marcus could possibly see in this girl. I mean, sure, she was beautiful and sweet and stuff. But in Alex’s opinion, she wasn’t too smart! And even if she had an intelligence, it was hidden beneath the fact that she fell asleep every time Alex turned her back!

[danyisdarling]

This job was the greatest. Not only was she safe from knives (she couldn't say the same about the Wandering Goose), she was also surrounded by mattresses. Do you know what that meant? It meant sleep. As long as she didn't get caught. Which usually didn't happen since she always chose a mattress near the back of the store, partially hidden by a potted plant. She'd curl up into a little ball and, if she wore a hooded-jacket that day, would tuck her blonde hair into it. The locks may be super pretty and all, but they stuck out like a sore thumb against the white mattress (what did that even mean?). Oh well. All she knew was that the sleepiness kicked in about an hour ago. She'd headed to her mattress and had now been asleep for half an hour. Maybe. Could it be more?

She was having the same, reoccurring dream as usual. Faceless parents, sharp objects. It was always this, every night. If she didn't dream this, she didn't dream at all. Was it even a dream? No, this was like a nightmare. She sometimes tossed and turned, even falling off the bed sometimes. Not here, though, not at work. Because that would be to painfully obvious. If the bosses found out she was sleeping on the job… well, she'd lose it. And this certainly helped towards her money goal. Not that she knew what she was buying. Then, all of a sudden, those strangers were talking. Yelling at her, really. The blonde woman who she assumed was her mother was super angry and annoyed. Fired? Seven, tired? Mattresses? The voice was suddenly familiar and, with a painful hit to the head, Gabrielle leapt up, awake. "I'm up! I'm up! Where's the fire?!" she exclaimed, swinging her head around as if the place were lit up. It wasn't and she was being kind of loud.

Turning to give Alex a bleary look, Gabrielle felt her stomach turn. Oh, how she disliked this girl. Gabrielle was still trying to give her some sort of chance, repeatedly insisting that she had no reason to hate her. It was difficult, though. One, Alex was really good friends with Marcus. As much as Gabrielle hated the "jealous, clingy girlfriend," she was starting to become one. Two, Alex wouldn't let her sleep. "I don't-" Gabrielle paused as a massive yawn interrupted her. "I don't expect you to do my work for me," she answered after a moment, getting off of the mattress. Gabrielle stretched, gaining maybe an inch before letting her feet land flat on the ground. "And you should know by now that I'm ALWAYS tired," she added. It wasn't an exaggeration. She really was.

[princemarcus]

Marcus power-walked down the busy New York street, his short brown hair messy from the strong winter blasts, humming a show tune to himself. He was just casually going to a sports store, of course....okay, so maybe he had also just gone to see Legally Blonde the musical. So what? He liked musicals! This one was a bit...pink for his taste, but the music was decent. And it had an uplifting story! Who didn't love someone who conquered the odds, no matter what obstacles were set against them! It was a perfect story that had a good moral that would relate to everyone, pink set aside.

He had gotten a text from Gabrielle during the middle of the show asking him to meet her at Wynken and Nod's about an hour ago. So he was late, and knowing Gabrielle she had probably fallen asleep waiting for him. And if she fell asleep for too long, she could be fired. And if she got fired, it would be his fault. And then she would dump him and hate him forever. Shit, he needed to move fast. He quickly brought his power-walk up to a sprint as he wrapped his striped scarf more tightly around him.

He finally reached the doors of the mattress store, and pulled the thick glass doors open, ignoring the flabbergasted looks of the few customers that were coasting the store. He scanned the room for Gabrielle, but quickly the signature auburn hair and glasses he had grown to recognize came into view.

"Alex! How are you? I didn't know you worked this shift! I got a new hat this morning. It's a yellow beanie with beetles on it. I bought it in a street stall on Broadway, it was only five bucks! I couldn't believe they were selling it for so cheap! You'd love it, I'll have to show you when you get off work." Marcus grin widened as he enthusiastically told the story of his hat-finding process. He then realized what his purpose in coming here was. Gabrielle. Not Alex. And judging by the look on Gabrielle's face, she was none too pleased that she hadn't even received a hello yet.

"....and Gabrielle! How are you? Haven't fallen asleep yet, have you? Sorry I'm late," Marcus said nervously, quickly stepping closer to the mattress where Gabrielle was standing. She wasn't buying it. Shit, he was in deep trouble now.

[BRAXTON NIBS]

Now Braxton knew better than to bother Alex when she was working, especially going to her work to bother her during her shift, but that's exactly what he found himself doing.

It wasn't his fault that she wasn't answering his text messages or three voicemails. It was plain rude. Any friend would be concerned - and irritated, and paranoid, and jealous and... Well maybe he did have an alterer reason to be visiting Alex at the mattress store. Game night. Yeah, game night. It had nothing to do with the feelings he really had for his best friend, of course. Unless... Nah. They had plans for later that night and he was just doing the responsible thing of making sure she remembered them.

Denial. It was awful--ly wonderful thing. And he was quite content trying to convince himself that when he got to Wynken & Nods, Alex would be hard at work and say that her phone was in her bag which she didn't have time to check because she had been so busy and not blowing him off because of some glamoriously handsome guy that she happened to have a crush on named Marcus Taylor.

He wasn't as big of a fool as he seemed. They're best friends, how couldn't he pick up on that? Well he didn't know until Gabrielle let the cat out of the bag one night, and by that time he was already too late. It wasn't his place to comment on who Alex could like and not like (though he totally had his own opinions on that topic), but he wanted to anyways if she ever asked his opinion. And he would say - nothing. Because he couldn't just say, "ALEX. I THINK YOU'RE REALLY COOL AND REALLY PRETTY.. AND I THINK I LIKE, LIKE YOU!" No, that was just crazy talk.

He didn't even know how he really felt about his best friend. It was uncomfortable to put those thoughts into a conscious string of words and sentences even to himself.

Entering the store, Braxton called out from the door "Honey, I'm home," one of their inside jokes and showed himself to the employee-only-section. The floor manager was off shift, so grabbing a cup of coffee wasn't such a big deal while he took 'The New York Times' off the desk and went to make himself at home on the staged living room furniture set arrangement.

Taking a sip from the 'WORLD'S BEST MOM' mug, Braxton turned the corner to get to his favorite spot and choked down the brown liquid. Great. Marcus Taylor with Gabrielle and Alex.

"Alex! How are you? I didn't know you worked this shift! I got a new hat this morning..." blah, blah, hat, Broadway, I'm so amazing - just look at my smile, blaaah. "You'd love it, I'll have to show you when you get off work."

Business time. Happy face, Mr. Nibs, just look pleased. You're paid to sell stuff, so sell it.
"Alex, Gabby.." he beamed at them and took another drink of the coffee to clear his throat.
"I'm sure Alex would love to see uh... your new fashion purchase, but we already have plans tonight. Game night, every week."
Braxton looked over towards Alex to try clueing her in to what he was getting at, after all that was the purpose for him coming to the store. Game Night. Call of Duty until their fingers cramped and fell off.
"Sorry, But hey! Maybe you could bring it by my dorm later and play a round; What do you say?"
Hopefully he wasn't interested in gaming and wouldn't bother to show up, though it would be fun to beat Pretty Looks Marcus at something. Keep cool, Braxton, keep grinning. Tucking the paper under his arm he pointed towards the employee break room for Alex to follow him and left in rather good spirits. Why was he acting so, so.. well could he say it -- jealous? This was nuts. Alex was going to kill him...

______________________________________________________

DISCLAIMER: (( This scene makes me think of the movie Gigantic with Zoey Deschanel. Also, I think Alex needs to listen to the song 'I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight' by Richard and Linda Thompson. Braxton's song for this little love rectangle would be 'Why Do You Let Me Stay Here' by She & Him. ))

[STASSI MADDOX]

Oh em gee.

Alex loved it when Marcus came in to talk to her. It made her feel as if she’d been on his mind. And the look on Gabby’s face was priceless.

“Ahh, that’s great! I deff. wanna see it. You could come over later and…”

"I'm sure Alex would love to see uh... your new fashion purchase, but we already have plans tonight. Game night, every week."

Now Alex really did adore Braxton like a brother, and she LOVED game night, but right now, he was kind of getting on her nerves. She’d been trying get Marus to like her for weeks! As much as she wanted to play video games all night long (yes, literally, all night long), she felt that Marcus needed to see her more feminine side if he was ever going to have feelings for her.

“Marcus, why don’t you just hang with me and Brax tonight? I got this epic new edition of Call of Duty. It’s pretty intense. And not to mention the TONS of amazing snacks I bought yesterday. Like Cheetos. Me and Braxton’s fave.”

She grinned, high fiving her best friend, and gave Marcus a welcoming smile. This was all going to work out just fine!

Then she remembered. There was another person she was gonna have to invite to make this work.

Oh no. Not her.

He would NEVER just leave without her, even if she was an irritating little bimbo. Hopefully, video games weren’t her thing, and she’d decline the offer anyway. Alex was clinging to that possibility.

“Oh um, Gabby, you can come too if you want,” she muttered. “As long as you don’t fall asleep every five minutes.”

The comment was supposed to sound like a friendly joke, but it came out cold and sarcastically. She felt a little guilty, but honestly, the girl did sleep way too much!

“By the way, love the mug,”” she grinned, trying to lighten the mood, gesturing towards the rather interesting cup Braxton drinking from. “I’m sure you are the World’s Best Mom!”

[danyisdarling]

Okay, to be completely honest, Gabrielle had kind of, sorta forgotten she'd texted Marcus. It had been awhile, though, and she'd clung to her phone until the very last second of her break, waiting for a reply. It was probably really obnoxious and she'd tired herself out, sitting there, watching the minutes go by. That led to her little nap even though she was no longer on break. Here he was, though, talking. to. Alex. Gabrielle was going to rip that girl's hair out. Hadn't she texted Marcus to come see HER? Yes. She had. Yet, there he was, talking to Alex. Gabrielle's eyes narrowed, glaring daggers into the back of her co-workers head. Folding her arms over her chest, she waited impatiently for Marcus to notice her. Okay, she was being a total brat right now. Did she know that? Not really.

As he approached her, she focused on him, letting her dagger glare turn to an annoyed look. "I'm fine," she answered, a lie as her voice sounded super pissed. Glancing at the mattress behind her, she shrugged. "I took a nap…" He was apologizing… Okay, it was all better. The next time she looked back to him, her eyes were apologetic and her smile was huge. She was being silly. Marcus was her boyfriend. It's not like he liked Alex like she liked him. Maybe he didn't even know? Plus, he looked so cute right now. With that scarf and his wind-blown hair and that nervous expression. She took his hand in hers and mouthed "sorry," because she'd over-reacted. Gabrielle turned upon hearing her name and saw Braxton there, with a "World's Best Mom" mug and a big smile. She grinned back, waving with her free hand. Braxton was a close friend of hers which was sometimes complicated as he was best friends with Alex. They had this huge… rectangle thing going on. Gabrielle knew Alex liked Marcus and she knew Braxton liked Alex. She just knew these sorts of things.

Gabrielle looked up to Marcus as Braxton invited him to "Game Night." She'd sort of been hoping they could go out tonight… Maybe to a movie or ice skating. (Ice skating was on her Bucket List). If he wanted to go, though… that was fine. Really, it was. Because at least he wouldn't be alone with Alex where she could try God knows what with him (the thought made her grip on Marcus' hand tighten just a bit). Braxton would be there. And she knew he wouldn't let her do that. Wait, had Alex just invited her? Alex had invited her, Gabrielle, to their Game Night? Were there some pigs flying somewhere? Gabrielle wasn't a gamer. That was it. Sure, she'd tried to play some of those shooting ones or whatever. WAY TO COMPETITIVE. They were insane. Gabrielle shook her head. "Uhm… no, I'd hate to intrude. It's your thing," she answered, gesturing to Braxton and Alex (with a very subtle point to Marcus).

[sand]

((You might want to make that rectangle a pentagon. S:/ Neil needs a date for the ball, too.))

* * *

The stacks were at the back of the shop – close to fifty rows mattresses on warehouse-like storage shelves. And, somehow, through some stock-taking miracle, Neil was supposed to count them all.

Okay, counting them would be an exaggeration. He was just supposed to take stock, make sure none of the mattresses (heaven forbid) were stolen. He’d been working at Wynken and Nod’s for a month now, and still the notion of two men trying to steal a mattress sounded unlikely, stupid even. How would they even get a mattress out the front door anyway?

Finally, he ticked the blank 554800 space once he made sure the 554800 mattress in question was in its usual spot, and stepped out from the back room and into the light of the showrooms. Liberation in his step, he chucked the clipboard onto the floor-manager’s desk. It skidded before stopping, inches from knocking over a WORLD’S BEST MOM novelty mug.

Neil would have been nervous had the mug not been attached to an arm right then.

Specifically Braxton Nibs’ arm. Nibs, scourge of every disciplinarian teacher in the school. From a month of deductive reasoning and checking the employee’s list, he knew the boy wasn’t working here, though he sure made himself a permanent fixture in the store. It was Alexandra Cunningham-Mendel that kept him coming back, probably; from what he’d heard, they were best friends.

And, look, there was Marcus Taylor. Prince Charming. King of the castle. Arm-in-arm with Gabrielle Montgomery – and talking to the other couple merrily.

“Marcus, why don’t you just hang with me and Brax tonight? I got this epic new edition of Call of Duty. It’s pretty intense. And not to mention the TONS of amazing snacks I bought yesterday. Like Cheetos. Me and Braxton’s fave.”

They’d probably known each other for years. The jerks.

Not that he was jealous of their friendship. Oh no, not him. And besides, he consoled himself, gaming was never his sort of thing.

Hoping to avoid a neo-classical ‘New Kid at Your School’ moment, Neil steered himself clear of the group, and discreetly filled himself a mug of warm milk from the cappuccino machine. No coffee for him – he’d hated that stuff for years.

"Uhm… no, I'd hate to intrude. It's your thing,"

His head shot up, what was that? Did someone just turn down an invitation? His face scrunched up in thought. Were they as close as he’d thought before? The tiny Hope gland at the back of his brain was pumping his bloodstream with enough adrenaline to open his mouth and…

“Well, I like Cheetos, too,” He blurted before he could stop himself.

Dropping his milk to the ground, he covered his mouth. Damn. Where did that come from?

[princemarcus]

Marcus smiled at Alex as she started to respond, only to be interrupted by that Braxton kid, who seemed to have popped out of nowhere. Marcus never liked him, if only because it seemed like Braxton didn't like him. He never understood why Alex and Gabrielle were friends with him.

"I'm sure Alex would love to see uh... your new fashion purchase, but we already have plans tonight. Game night, every week."

What an asshole. Did he not understand the importance of silly hats to society today? Braxton made it sound like it was a silly hobby that was a total waste of time. Marcus said nothing, and instead just gave Braxton a look that said 'if-you-do-not-shut-up-I-may-have-to-kick-the-shit-out-of-you.' What an idiot.

And who the hell did he think he was, anyways? 'World's Best Mom?' Where the heck did he even get that? His mom? Why would he steal his mom's mug? Couldn't he just get his own mug? Or did he think he was 'cool' enough to just buy that mug and just be all 'indie' and 'suave' and all 'I'm just so cool, I bought a World's Best Mom mug just because I can.' Douchebag.

Oh, now he was trying to invite him along, like everything was totally normal. Sureeeee. And now Alex was joining in, insisting that he come along as well. Marcus had a little debate in his head. On the one hand, he hated violent video games and Braxton. On the other hand, he loved Alex and Cheetos, and the puppy-dog eyes Alex was giving him were almost irresistible.

But...oh dear. Another note to add to the first hand: Gabrielle was giving him the look of death. Obviously, she expected him to decline the invitation. Marcus knew there was some tension between her and Alex, but he assumed it was just normal girlfriend/girl friend awkward behavior. But apparently it ran deeper than that...shit. What he hell was he going to say?

"I....well..." Marcus started, nervously looking around the room as if the right answer would just pop out at him.

“Well, I like Cheetos, too."

Wait....what? Who was that kid? Marcus had no clue, but thank GOD he stole the spotlight, if only for a moment.

[BRAXTON NIBS]

What just happened?

If he could literally shove his foot in his mouth, he would at this point.

Did he seriously just invite Marcus to their holy night of Call of Duty gaming that was meant to be a private affair between man and junk food, killer graphics, and Alexandra Cunningham-Mendel? Shit. So much for alone time and a bag of Cheetos all to himself.

“Oh um, Gabby, you can come too if you want. As long as you don’t fall asleep every five minutes.”

Braxton high-fived Alex back and raised his eyebrows skeptically at her. What was going on here? He felt like they were in a classic episode of 'The Twilight Zone' where bodysnatchers had scrambled their brains so they would do things they typically wouldn't do.

"Uhm… no, I'd hate to intrude. It's your thing."

A sigh of relief. Perhaps their hallowed weekly gaming was safe. If Gabby didn't come, Marcus wouldn't either. Maybe there was still hope... But he really didn't mind Gabrielle and didn't understand Alex's loathing of her. Oh, choices, choices!

“Well, I like Cheetos, too."

Woah - Where did he just come from?

Braxton supressed the urge to frown and complain that he wasn't getting his way. He took a drink of the coffee and looked the guy where the noise came up and down over the top of the mug.

The guy didn't look familiar, but he just came out of the storage room - or he must have unless he wasn't human and could go through walls like a ghost - so he must be a worker here.

"No, I insist," he prompted eagerly. "My dorm is big enough for all of us. We could make it a party."
He could try to be friendly to Marcus, if Alex had found a way to be nice to Gabby and invite her. He wouldn't be the wet blanket. Even if that meant sucking up his pride and growing eyes in the back of his head. Marcus looked like he wanted to strangle him. At least the air-head model had enough sense to have mutual feelings toward Braxton.

Looking back at the guy with a friendly smile Braxton added, "Oh hell, you might as well come too. You like parties right...What's your name anyways?"
Ah. He was new. Braxton remembered seeing him at Baum. Small world.. It would be an adventure! Adventures had always been his favorite thing.

There was one thing Braxton was certain of: he needed to buy more Cheetos and order extra take out for all of them; He was NOT going to share.

[STASSI MADDOX]

"Uhm… no, I'd hate to intrude. It's your thing.”

YES! Thank God. Alex let out a subtle sigh of relief, almost cringing at the thought of Gabby trying to play video games. In all honestly, everything about Gabby made Alex feel self conscious. From that stupid blond hair, always perfect and prettily flowing down her shoulders…while Alex’s was long and frizzy, mostly pulled back in a ponytail or hidden under a hoodie, to her stupid little smile, all gleaming and white, while Alex’s was goofy and by no means, perfect. How could someone even manage to BE that perfect? She was like a little…princess!

Needless to say, Alex was pretty excited that Gabby was out of the way. She probably didn’t know half of the video game controls anyway! Most likely, she’d play the “dumb and giggly damsel” routine in front of Marcus and make him help her. Without Gabby, Alex might actually be able to find out how Marcus felt about her.

The only problem was the look of helplessness on Marcus’s face right now. Obviously, he was a total sweetie…and total sweeties don’t exactly ditch their girlfriends. She could understand his struggle to decide. But honestly, he HAD to know that video game night was going to be more fun, right?

“Well, I like Cheetos, too"

Alex almost groaned. She knew this guy. She’d seen him around the store plenty of times, and she certainly didn’t like him very much. She definitely thought they’d shared a mutual disliking of each other…so then why the hell did he want to be included?

"No, I insist," he prompted eagerly. "My dorm is big enough for all of us. We could make it a party."

Alex grinned. Point one for Braxton!

Oh hell, you might as well come too. You like parties right...What's your name anyways?"

Grrr, minus point for Braxton! Oh well. Marcus COULDN’T refuse to come now! Practically everyone was going. And surely, his girlfriend would be fine for one night?

[danyisdarling]

Things were getting hectic. She could barely keep up with the conversation as it was. She was probably still a bit drowsy. They were talking about video games and cheetos and here comes Neil, joining in on the confusion. She shook her head and looked down for a moment as more things were discussed. She really didn’t want to go to their little game night. Really. Looking back up to Marcus, Gabrielle realized he was giving Braxton the same look she gave to Alex. Oh wow, how had she missed that? This was all way too much for somebody who had just been (rudely) awoken.

. . . Braxton was insisting. He was really trying to get everybody to get along. He was such a sweetheart sometimes. Okay, so maybe ONE night of gaming wouldn’t kill her. Besides, she could just hang out and watch them. That wouldn’t be so hard. And she could totally stay awake through it (this last thought included a nice little glare at Alex). Hell, she might even attempt to play. It couldn’t be that difficult. … Crap, what if they played a game with gore and violence and blood? She’d never really thought about that. The only videogame she’d ever played was pretty calm… Okay. Oh well. She could handle it. There was still no way she was letting Marcus be alone with Alex for a whole night.

“I guess I can go,” she finally said with a bit of reluctance. If Marcus was going, she’d be fine. Plus Braxton would be there. And Neil, who she didn’t really mind… most of her co-workers she didn’t mind. Except for Alex. Gabrielle had decided sometime during this conversation that she officially didn’t like her. It wasn’t like Gabrielle to hate (she cringed at the word) somebody but she couldn’t really find a way to get along with Alex. Oh well. There were plenty of people to be friends with.

[sand]

"No, I insist. My dorm is big enough for all of us. We could make it a party."

Barely anyone spoke (well, there was Gabby) afterwards.

God, he’d felt less tension and suppressed animosity at a United Nations conference. First he was annoyed that they all were too close. Now they were all silently disagreeing and it felt painful to be around the immediate vicinity.

“Right,” he raised both his hands (his left still holding onto the semi-spilt milk) in surrender, “listen, guys... this is... disturbingly awkward... I should probably sit this one out.”

He hated dorm parties anyway. There was always the chance that he’d fall asleep on the bed during the most exciting part of the videogame/football match/arthouse film everyone else was paying attention to, anyway. That always got awkward in the mornings. Not to mention the sleeping person was the last person everyone cared about when a teacher caught them in each other’s dorms past lights out.

“Uh, I’m Neil, by the way,” he said to Braxton, realising he had never been formally introduced to any of these students before, save for his colleagues. “I... uh... head the art club at Baum...?” He admitted, for lack of a better thing to add and hoping to steer the topic clear of the awkward tension. (He was not. Not. Telling anyone he was new. That would be social suicide.)

[BRAXTON NIBS]

One night couldn't be so bad, could it? No, that was ridiculous. He'd be acting like a petulant child if he let a simple night of having to deal with Alex around Gabby, and Gabby protectively hounding her boyfriend, and Marcus wanting to break his nose (or neck), and Neil eating all of his Cheetos.

His mind starting racing with all the bad possibilities of what could happen during the short span of the night. Like most things, tonight could go horribly bad or it could go terribly well. At least Alex was still going to show up, and he'd get to blow people's head's off with grenade launchers. So there was a silver lining afterall, he thought happily.

“I guess I can go,” she finally said.

Braxton grinned and raised his novelty mug in the air triumphantly. "That's the spirit! What do you say, Neil..?"

“Right. Listen, guys... this is... disturbingly awkward... I should probably sit this one out.”

His face and cup fell. Gutted. He lowered it to his mouth for another drink and watched the other's reactions. He waited for something more and continued to drink to fill the awkward pause amongst the group.

“I... uh... head the art club at Baum...?”

So that's where Braxton had seen Neil at the academy! Braxton had a fierce passion for art and almost lived in the art room (quite literally the times he fell asleep finishing a project.) His own mother swore that if he was any more arsty that "he'd cut off his own ear some day" just like Van Gough.

"Well howdy do!" a bit of his Southeran drawl escaping in one of the rare moments since he had been at Baum. "I'll have to look for you next time I'm in the art studio. I'm a painter myself - so you see, you'll have to come. It's settled."

He looked at the clock over the manager's desk and decided it was about time he let Alex and Gabby get back to work. With everyone coming over, he was going to have to stock up on supplies to last them all night and try rounding up a few extra controllers to go 'round.

"Hell, I gotta run. Why don't you lot stop by my dorm tonight at 8'pm?" he excused himself as he took a final sip and put the mug back onto the desk. "And Neil, I'll be looking forward to seeing you there - we can talk art. I want to hear your ideas for running the club, now that you transfered to Baum."

[princemarcus]

"My dorm is big enough for all of us. We could make it a party."

Okay. A party. Maybe Gabrielle would want to come if it was a party? Marcus turned his head and tried to read her expression. She wasn't giving him anything. Okay then, he'd just stay silent and hope that everyone forgot he was there for a while.

The ploy seemed to work for a bit, as everyone focused on that Cheetos kid. Who was he? Marcus didn't recognize him. Did he even go to Baum? And wait...did Braxton just invite him to their party? Why would he do that? This guy could be a serial killer or something! Or even worse....a silly hat hater. But that wasn't the point. Now there was a mysterious stranger coming to a party hosted by Braxton with violent video games. This was not exactly sounding like Marcus' cup of tea.

But then he looked at Alex. Her eyes were almost pleading him to come. She probably couldn't stand the idea of being alone with Braxton 'I'm just too cool for you' Nibs over there, who had just proven himself to have a brain the size of a pea. He couldn't disappoint Alex! He had to go now. He couldn't leave her alone with Mr. Mom and the potential rapist!

“I guess I can go”

Oh thank god. Now this all worked out! He would go to the party, spend some quality time with Gabrielle, joke around with Alex, try to ignore Braxton, protect everyone from creepy murderer person....it all sounded like fun times! "Yeah, I'm in too." Marcus added shortly after Gabrielle.

Oh wait. Stalker guy just said he went to Baum. He was the head of something to do with art. Really? Why hadn't Marcus heard of him? Maybe he was lying. It was just a plot to go to the party so he could kill them all. Marcus grabbed Gabrielle's hand as if that would somehow protect her. Wait...she was looking at Neil with a look of recognition. She knew this guy? Huh, maybe he was telling the truth. Weird.

"See ya." He said quickly as Braxton muttered something useless to new boy. As much as Marcus hated Braxton, he was supplying free Cheetos...so he couldn't be THAT bad.