Shaving cream. Shaving cream and spilled beer. Cristian’s eyes flicked open hesitantly as his nostrils took in the smell.

 “Goddamnit.” He groaned as he set up, his body protesting the speed at which he did so. He took in the scene that surrounded him: the entire room littered with empty cups and bottles and the snacks… you could barely tell carpet from cheese curls and crushed pretzels. 

Cristian had understood early on in his school experience that career-minded parents wasn’t something to mope over, but rather it was an obligation to host around seventy of his closest friends as a means to kick off the new school year the right way. And by the condition of his house, they’d definitely gotten off to a great start.

Cristian shuffled through the dense debris to his room where he found a friend passed out in his bed. He clicked a picture of the guy on his phone, before pulling a pair of jeans out from under the inebriated sot and slipped into them. Cristian grabbed a shirt and his backpack as he stole a glance at the clock on the kitchen’s microwave. “First day's the biggest buzzkill of 'em all.” He mumbled taking in the full scope of the room once more. He shook his head letting out an entertained laugh as he dialed a number on his phone as he walked out of the door and climbed into his car.

“Karen…” Cristian voiced perked up, though it still bore the huskiness of someone who’d only woken up several minutes before. “Yes, yes, it’s your favorite person… No, don’t hang up; really, it’s not nearly as bad as last time… Of course, premium pay or whatever it is you call it, there’s cash waiting for you in the drawer next to the stove… Yeah, I know that I said last time would be the last time, but I can’t get enough of your cleaning, love… Fine, but be a doll and bring some of your friends. My parents will be back tonight and I might’ve downplayed the situation just a bit…” Cristian cancelled the call, as he jacked the volume of the music up and leaned back in his seat allowing the wind from his open window to whip across his face and throughout the car. 

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Cristian swung into the school's parking lot, climbing from his car and grabbing his backpack from the backseat. The money he was using to pay the cleaning crew was meant for his school supplies, but he still had his notebooks and stuff from last year -- they’d barely been used, because he’d never been much of a notetaker.

“Farmer Jane.” He called as he walked past a redhead that he had a class with Junior year. “I half expected you to start the year off in overalls and a nice pair of pigtails…” He stated the words slowing down only long enough to flash her a smug grin, before running off to catch up with some of his friends that he hadn’t seen since the night before.