Days Really Fly By, Don't They?

"Okay, Malcolm. Meet me at the lounge after school, okay?"

Simple. She'd told Malcolm to meet her, so they could talk and hang out. After all, Fridays were the best days! You can have a little bit more of relaxing time, and boy, did she need that!

Ever since she had joined the "district", she'd been feeling more stress than usual. Why?

Was the simple question.

Maybe...Oh! There's too many reasons! The deaths, the drunk-ness, and sadness! It needed to all go away.

Laptop with headphones equipped, check. Everything else that she needed to see Malcolm for whatever apparent reason, check. Everything was perfect; a nice, quiet room, only disturbed by the gentle sounds of mechanic whirring from the ASUS laptop. Angela lay on the comfortable couch, a yawn over-taking her. Her head was buried in pillows and cushions, some of which were plain, and some were... Not. Why? She just had to wonder about something. Yet, two seconds later, she found herself bored thinking about pillow-patterns. Instead she wondered when Malcolm was going to get there.


She pondered dryly as she checked her man's watch. Why her father had given her an broken down, disgusting, falling-apart man's watch she hadn't the slightest clue.

Focusing on Malcolm, she jumped up when she heard an old, wooden door creak and squeak...

Talking to Angela was nice. Despite Mal's own outgoing personality she was a bit overbearing. However, he could handle her. She definitely had some loud opinions that she seemed to believe others needed to hear. Which was reasonable, everyone was allowed to speak their mind. It wasn't harmful.

When she had come to him and asked him to meet her after school he figured it was only polite to say yes. It wasn't like she was a bad person. And plus, they were pretty much already friends, yeah? So that was nice.

Still, Mal was settling into Beata a little slowly. It had only been a day and it already felt like weeks on end. It was going so slowly but there was so much to take in. New places and new people didn't rest well with Malcolm when they all hit him at once. But, talking to another person and getting to know more about Beata was nice. Maybe Angela would have more insight on how to handle Beata. At least, in a week, he'd be able to get into a specific house. That sounded like fun.

Since Angela hadn't specified a time, Mal showed up in the lounge before anyone else. It was like a deserted island. Not even Angela was there, and she had seemed a little excited to see him. So he had planted himself in a corner, away from other people and behind the couches where he wouldn't be clearly seen, and began to play a game on his phone. He got so into it that he jumped when, minutes later, the door creaked noisily. In walked a small group of students, none of which was Angela.

However, when he scanned the room he spotted her staring at the door as well. How long had she been in there? How had he not noticed her? Putting his phone to sleep he shoved it into his pocket and joined her on the couch she had been on. The lounge had a few people in it, as it was pretty much the number one hang out for students. But it wasn't too full. It was decent.

"Hey there. Didn't see you come in or else I would have joined you sooner." He said leaning back on the couch and slouching low. It was a very comfortable position. "So, what's up?"

"Oh! Hello, Malcolm!" Gasped Angela, suprised to see anyone there. "Everything's just fine. How it always is." A plain response could really mean A LOT! Yet, Angela said, "Oh, it's fine. Don't worry too much about it,"

Putting her laptop away, into its bag, she asked softly, "How're things with you? Well? And, what is your opinion on the food?" Her voice seemed to mimic a child's begging... They don't stop until they get it.

"Also, I was wondering... will you go on a date with me do you have any pets?" She wondered, a calmed smile resting on her pale face, creating an I'm-Alright-How-Are-You expression.

OOC: Sorry for the shortness, I'm on mobile and it's really hard to type...

It was a little weird to sneak up on Angela like that, and he hadn't intended to scare his friend. But he hadn't realized she had entered. The door had only been creaky upon the entrance of the small group. Smiling at her response to his question he took it as she said it. If she said it was fine, than fine it was!4

"That's great. Fine is good." He said with a smile, happy to know his friend was doing well. He was curious as to why she was being a little quieter, but he figured it was probably because they were inside, whereas last time they had been near the entrance. "I'm great. Still settling in, but pretty good. Thanks for asking." He said with a grin that told her the same thing he had just said.

"The food is actually pretty good. Not gourmet, but definitely not horrible. I suppose it's a matter of opinion, though." He felt bad that he didn't want to write the letter to improve the food with her, but he didn't consider it bad enough to starve even just a little. He had actually eaten the stroganoff earlier in the day.

Tilting his head like a curious puppy he wondered what his friend could possibly want to know. It seemed serious, but it ended up just being about his pets. "Nah. We never really felt like having pets back home. Though I've always wanted a Pomsky. You know, a Husky and a Pomeranian? It's basically a tiny Husky!" Malcolm had always liked those dogs. They were very cute.

More chuckles and laughs Angela did let escape, though she actually wondered why she was laughing. She leaned back, shifting her weight to her palms.

"I could be better, I guess... Though, it's nothing bad. My dad keeps... Oh, nevermind." As much as she trusted him, she figured it would be better to save later on about the "tragic events" that had happened sadly to her family. "To be honest, I'm still settling in as well." The Autumn said. "It's difficult shifting from my parent's house to a small dorm. Though, it's not too bad." She decided simply.

"Really? I have to phone my father - er, parents - to give me a lunch everyday! I can't stand that disgusting food." Gasped and groaned Angela, almost crossly. "I wonder what they had today? I didn't bother to check the menu." She folded her hands, now leaning against a positioned pillow.

"I used to have a cat... A cream one with black spots. When I was little, I called him Buttercup-Star because he was cream colored and one of his markings was star-like. A Pompsky, huh? Interesting. I've never had much interest in dogs, apparently." Gushed the Autumn, excitement lingering in her voice. "A tiny husky? How adorable!"

Making people laugh was nice. Malcolm wasn't sure why Angela was laughing, but he liked hearing different laughs and what they sounded like. His friend had a nice laugh.

Nodding as Angela talked more, Mal wondered what she meant. But it didn't seem like something she wanted him to pry into. Only if it seemed she needed to talk would he ask her. "Yeah, I think it will be a while before anyone settles in completely." He said, considering it. Moving from Rhode Island to Beata wasn't too big of a change. His house hadn't been very big in the first place. But he still had to move dorms after being sorted into his house.

Shrugging at his friend he figured it was definitely a matter of opinion, though Angela was making a big deal out of it. "That's too bad, but I suppose it's better than eating food you think is gross." Some people believed that taste was more important than filling themselves. "Beef stroganoff. It was pretty good." Mal responded, recalling the semi-okayness from earlier that day.

Smiling as Angela spoke, Malcolm wondered what it would be like to have a pet. He had never really had one or desired too terribly to have one. "That's cute. Yeah, they're adorable! Of course, the could also turn out like pomeranians with husky colors. Not nearly as cute, but still cute." He preferred dogs over cats, but he was and either or person.

"I just hope you'll get into the Autumn house alongside me!" Laughed Angela, then her face glowed a bright red. "Unless of course, you get into another house." Her tone was shaky and dotted with embarrassment. Instead of gushing excitedly, she blushed some more. "It's been lots to get used to..." She repeated, almost in a sour tone.

"Beef, eh? I'm a vegetarian..." She murmured dryly. "And, I have lots of allergies... Mostly gluten, nuts and lactose." Her face kept glowing, her gaze turning away from her friend, Mal. "But, don't worry too much about it. It's under control." Based on how Malcolm reacted to her before, she guessed he was probably going to worry about some of her many allergies, too.

"Cool. I really like Greyhounds. I think they're smart, and swift and most of the time slender..." Her voice trailed off, the blushing madness fading quickly. Though she loved animals of all shapes and sizes, she seemed to prefer cats over any other possible one. It saddened her to think that she blinded her cat.

Though she blinded her cat in a dream, it all felt so real. The memories, the areas, the animals, the noises! Even the details.

Angela seemed a little weird to Mal. They were friends, she hadn't been weird the first time they talked and that was the very first time they had ever been around each other. Now she was turning red and changing her statement left and right. "I honestly don't mind which house I get into. Either way I get to leave the initiate dorms." He said, excited to have a place of his own that he could actually decorate without having to think about taking it down later.

Ah, it seemed beef stronganoff would have been a problem for Angela whether it was good or not. "I suppose that wouldn't have worked very well." Malcolm responded. The school served salads that Mal figured were probably pretty okay. It wasn't like you could under or over cook a salad, considering you didn't cook them at all. "Well since you know them you can definitely work around them. At least it's not, like, bee stings where you have to be careful when you go outside during the summer." That wasn't an allergy of his, he knew he didn't really have any big ones. But if an allergy was food, it was easier to avoid since most food packages had ingredients on them.

Ooh, Greyhounds were cool. Malcolm grinned when Angela brought them up. "Yeah, they're pretty cools dogs. Real big. Though Great Danes are pretty big too." Great Danes were pretty awesome because of how big they were.

Ah, the popular question. Malcolm didn't mind too much about people asking about his goggles. Since his friend was asking it was even less of a big deal. It was important to tell people that there was a bit of an issue. "My power is radiation manipulation. I can create all sorts of radiation and other such stuff relating to radiation. I have no control over what comes from my eyes, though. So I wear these reflective goggles so it doesn't effect anyone I meet." He explained. There was so much complicated things about his power, but this was easy to explain.

"Yeah," She forced herself not to blush, though she could feel her face turning warm. "Sorry for being so confusing... I just didn't want you to think..." She mumbled the rest silently to herself. He probably thinks I'm an idiot. I can't even say the right thing! A smile remained on her face, though it was difficult seeing how much she wanted to burst out in tears.

"I suppose not!" Angela tried to mimic his voice, then started cracking up. "Oh, dear," She sighed, chuckles disrupting her sentence. "But the worst part is, that I am very picky. I probably would enjoy a salad sometime, but... I'd have to see. I prefer Ceaser and Chef salads over any other type!"

"Whippets too. They sure are quick! I heard a whippet once won a Dog Race against a bunch of Greyhounds and Great Danes." Responded the Autumn, her game-face taking over her rather plain and pale face with a more interesting game-face.

Blinking her eyes as she listened to his explanation, she asked when he was finished, "My power is Blindness. I found that out quite painfully seeing that I blinded my like, cat. Radiation Manipulation, huh? Cool! That must be really sweet. That's a big problem though," She tried to respond to everything Malcolm stated.

OOC: so short...

Angela's behavior was actually starting to confuse him. She was turning red and she was mumbling and he wasn't sure why. Was she got? Was she worried about something? Malcolm didn't understand why she was being all strange. But he tried not to let her know that, since he figured it would just make her feel worse. "You're not confusing." Was all he could manage and he stopped there. He didn't say anything else or ask what the rest of the sentence had been. She wouldn't have faded off if she had cared.

When Angela imitated him it took him aback a bit. He couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or she had thought he was funny. This situation was getting more and more confusing by the second. And she was a picky eater. Mal wasn't very picky himself, so he figured he shouldn't judge her for being picky when he didn't know what it was like. "I'm sure they serve those. Though I don't know about every day." He said, trying to recall that part of the menu.

It was funny that Angela knew quite a bit about dogs, especially big ones. But it was cool, since Mal hadn't know some of these facts. [/color=magenta]"I wonder if their speed is why they're called Whip-pets!"[/color] Malcolm then began to laugh at his own, joke, not caring if Angela thought it was funny or not.

Nodding he listened to her, finding it a bit sad about her cat. "That's too bad. I suppose it's not too fun of a power, but at least you don't have the chance of giving something radiation poisoning." He chuckled darkly at this before responding to the rest of the what she had said. "I suppose it is sometimes. I'm just glad I haven't given someone cancer yet." It had been really weak when he had been born, so he hadn't really given it to anyone, of that he was glad.

Leaping up and sitting back down in a criss-cross "applesauce" position, she nodded blankly. "Thanks. A lot of people find me strange, so..." She replied not sourly, yet not happily, ethier. I should act more happy around him. He's my friend, and I can't not let him think that! She thought quickly, a sudden feeling of anxiety washing over her. "Back home... In wherever I lived... It was normal to be confusing and weird. I guess it's just me being me." She sighed, now feeling the tiniest bit embarrassed.

"Enough talk about food, please. You are making me hungry." She suggested, shrugging. "I just don't feel like eating now. Salads are nice and all, and thanks so much for giving me information, but... I think it can get a bit boring after a while." Angela spoke, trying to sound wise and intelligent.

Unable to hold back laughter, the atumn immediately started laughing as Malcolm did, too. "I wonder just the same!" She chuckled airily, "Wouldn't that be funny?" She asked pleasantly, still laughing abruptly. "Anyways... I was wondering... When the fair starts, will you go with me? I just think it'd be nice to have someone my age..." An awkward smile popped onto her face.

"Oh yes! It's very sad. Very, very very sad indeed. But, it's still cool anyways!" She replied with a gush.

OOC: It's a school morning and I have music so... Short!

Angela being weird was just Angela, but it was throwing Malcolm off a bit. He didn't want to admit that, so he didn't say anything, but he was trying to get his mind around what she was doing. He bounced a bit on the couch when she re-positioned herself. It was kind of fun, so he smiled a bit as it happened. "Hey, it's okay to be a bit strange. Plus, it's not like there's any normal." He said, knowing that was definitely true. No one was normal, so no one was actually strange, everyone was normal. It was one of those paradoxical things that Mal tried not to think about. Nodding at what she said next, he figured it was true. Wherever one was from kind of molded how they would turn out. So it was only natural that Angela act like her home town.

Chuckling at her he nodded. "Alright, alright." He said, finding it amusing that he had made her hungry. Food was very good, so talking about it made people hungry. It didn't always make Mal hungry by talking about it, but it often did. Nodding again he figured she was right. "Yeah, but if it's the only thing you can find to eat, I suppose it's better than nothing."

Still chuckling lightly at the joke he had made, Malcolm nodded. "It would definitely be funny." Obviously it would be funny, since they were laughing at it. Still, it was funny to consider. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. And if we find someone else we know they can totally join us." Mal was unaware Angela was probably hinting at a date. He just wanted to hang with friends!

Angela seemed to be pushing it a bit on the sad thing but Mal left it be. It was her cat. Better a blind cat then a dead cat.

OOC: I thought I replied!

IC: "Yeah..." She mumbled dryly, her gaze shifting from his eyes. "But I'm glad you understand. Many find me strange and weird." She responded sharply, "But there's not many that know me, so..." Another mumble. Boy, was she embarrassed! Though, she tried to act cool, and kept rolling with whatever her crush friend said.

"Thank goodness you understand. I just like to limit my diet to certain foods and stuff... Plus, I have many allergies..." She said coolly, relaxing against the velveteen sofa. "So soft! I wish my bed was this soft." She cried, pulling a pillow and rubbing it against her face - with the grin spread across it - and her chest. She didn't notice that she was changing the topic, but she didn't care. She was too busy pondering about what her crappy bed was made of.

"Thanks! They say the atumns are the best at setting up the fair, but it's definitely not true." She responded excitedly, clapping her hands, unable to contain her unbearable happiness. She felt like she was about to explode with all the awesome emotions she's ever felt, but still remained clapping.

"Anyways. Wanna game? I brought another laptop. And, it's okay if you don't want to. I understand wholeheartedly." She asked solemnly, almost as if she was a begging dog.

OOC2: Shortness

Responding to what the person you were with said was natural and something even Malcolm did. Sometimes he came up with new things to say, but for the most part he just came up with new things to talk about. The conversation about her being weird was going nowhere. He'd already said there was no normal so saying it again would be pointless. So he just let it drop there, moving onto the next part of the conversation so that they wouldn't get too down about anything.

"I'm sure it's easy to understand specific diets. It's not like someone can ask you why you don't eat certain things and not understand even when the answer is so straightforward." Malcolm mused, wondering if there really was anyone that thick headed. Laughing at Angela as she cuddled with the couch, Malcolm found it silly. He supposed it was really soft. His bed wasn't super comfortable but it was comfortable enough that he enjoyed it. Which was all that mattered.

It was a little strange that Angela was so excited about how the fair wasn't the best when the Autumns did it, but that didn't really matter. Each person had an opinion and if Angela thought the Autumns weren't very good at setting up the fair, then that was her opinion. Mal would figure out his once he got there.

Shrugging at her suggestion Malcolm nodded. "Why not? What game were you thinking?" He asked, wanting to know if he knew them or not.

"Yes. I understand that," she replied delicatly, "Makes sense completely," Words rolled off her tounge easily, but it made it eaiser because Mal was very understandable and wise. Brillant, rather. Having two smart minds think and comunicate alike was very helpful.

"This is much more comfortable than my bed. I wish I could sleep here," She chuckled jokingly, her tone shadowed with nervousness.

Awkward silences were always bizarre."Then again, they may be the best at it!" She replied to herself with a laugh. With a shake of her head with disapproval, she decided firmly, "I don't know! I'll have to check it out."

"When I was a little girl, there was a really popular game... Minecraft. I still have it downloaded so..." SShe mumbled in gentle reply to her friend.

OOC: I couldn't think of a better one lol