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[img]https://i.imgur.com/LydvvR8.jpg[/img]
[sub][color=gray]A [@smarty0114] & [@viktorseier] collab, with a special guest appearance by [@nasty][/color][/sub][/center]
[sub][color=gray]Location: 155 Cafe[/color][/sub]
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[color=#4169E1]“You better not have gotten me anything shitty, Callaghan.”[/color]

Jamie was embarrassed by the little flip his stomach did at the sound of Axel’s voice, shamed by the speed with which his head turned to face him, and mortified by the sudden heat in his cheeks. Nobody seemed to say his last name quite so perfectly. He steadied himself, hopefully fast enough to escape Axel’s notice, and pushed a coffee cup and a small bag across the table. [color=31ba9c]“Coffee and a breakfast sandwich, because I’m a wonderful person,”[/color] Jamie said, taking a sip of his own drink just to have something to do with his hands. [color=31ba9c]“Are you grumpy cause of your brother, or cause of the bulletin board?”[/color] 

[color=#4169E1]“Who’s cranky? I’m fucking ecstatic. You can tell by my big smile.”[/color] Axel responded with a forced, sarcastic smile, reaching out and grabbing the coffee Jamie had [i]so[/i] gallantly bought him. [color=#4169E1]“Bulletin board? The hell you’re talking about?”[/color]  Making sure to completely ignore and move past the brother comment, Axel raised an eyebrow as he took a big swig.

[color=#4169E1]”Okay, this is actually pretty damn good coffee.”[/color]

[color=31ba9c]“You’re welcome,”[/color] Jamie said with a nod. [color=31ba9c]“Hold on.”[/color] Jamie fished his phone from his jacket pocket, and unlocked, quickly locating one of the many photos of the bulletin board, currently circulating the OIC social media sphere. [color=31ba9c]“This, is the bulletin board.”[/color]

Axel narrowed his eyes down at the screen, letting out a scoff.

[color=#4169E1]“‘Lost Cause’... who wrote this, my fucking dad?”[/color] Not seeming too bothered, he leaned back on his seat with a shrug, the ghost of a grin on his face [color=#4169E1]“At least yours is kinda cool. [i]Snake[/i]. Pretty badass, if you ask me.”[/color]

Jamie laughed. [color=31ba9c]“I don’t think it’s meant to be endearing, but I’ll take it.”[/color] Jamie’s lips parted as if another question might fall from them, but then he closed them and the question died. Of course it was there, always there in the background whenever he was with him. The way he’d skirted the mention of his brother wasn’t lost on Jamie. He knew this place was hell for Axel, and he often wondered if he was selfish for wanting him to stay. [color=31ba9c]“At least somebody cares what we’re doing. Maybe it’ll be kind of fun to have a secret paparazzi running around. I’m sure there’s not much of that in Vermont.”[/color]

[color=#4169E1]“You’re giving this random chick with an uninspired pun for a name way too much credit. ”[/color] He snorted, shaking his head at the boy sitting across from him, who was the only person who managed to get this many words out of Axel without getting insulted or told to fuck off [color=#4169E1]“I dunno’ about fun. Not a big fan of having people all up in my business, Callaghan. You already know way too much about me to my liking.”[/color]

[color=31ba9c]“Y’know I think there’s a term for that. Emotionally unavailable?”[/color] Jamie said, a smirk dancing it’s way across his face. [color=31ba9c]“Not that we should normalize digital stalking or anything. Just that, this place might suck a smidge less if you opened yourself up to it.”[/color] He could think of some other ways they could make this situation suck less, but Jamie had convinced himself that those would only bring about rejection and hurt.

[color=#4169E1]“Fuck off.”[/color] Axel replied, with no heat to his words and a grin on his face, knowing Jamie wasn’t exactly wrong about that[color=#4169E1] “Why would I do that? I already got you bothering me, that’s bad enough.”[/color]  He shrugged, taking another swig of the black, sugar-less coffee and not thinking too much into what he said.

In truth, that wasn’t the worst response Jamie could think of. Admittedly, maybe even selfishly, he enjoyed being the most important person in Axel’s OIC life. Before he could shoot back a response of his own, his phone buzzed against the table, three loud vibrations in quick succession. Only one person demanded his attention so forcefully. Rolling his eyes, he reached out for his phone and opened it up to confirm his suspicions.

[center][b]From:[color=ba314f]Katie
look at what this bitch said[/color][/b][/center]

[center][b]From:[color=ba314f]Katie
this shit can’t fly dude, dad will murder me if this becomes a thing[/color][/b][/center]

[center][b]From:[color=ba314f]Katie
it’s scorched earth time[/color][/b][/center]

The texts came with an accompanying screenshot, a twitter exchange between one Kat Vaupel, and his sister. Silently, he scanned the screen, and felt as his jaw clenched ever so slightly. Jamie and Katie’s father had always been a fiery man. His anger was a wildfire, burning everything in it’s path. Katie had taken after him. Jamie on the other hand, had taken after his mother. His rage, like hers, was calm, cool, and icy. So, when he rose from the table, it was without a word, barely a flicker of disruption, aside from the way his fingernails scratched against his cuticles. 

He found Kat right where he’d last seen her. Truthfully, he didn’t know what he was about to say. He wasn’t even all that sure if Axel was behind him, or if he was just watching him take a kamikaze dive straight into the ocean. Jamie was past caring about either issue. He set his phone, open to the screenshot Katie had sent him, in front of Kat. He didn’t sit. This wasn’t a conversation between friends, and he saw no reason anymore to continue those pleasantries.

[color=31ba9c]“Look, if you have a problem with me, that’s fucking fine, but keep my sister out of it. You barely know me, and you sure as hell don’t know her.”[/color] Jamie wasn’t concerned if people heard, if he made a scene. [color=31ba9c]“There’s a million other things you could be doing to help people, but instead, you’re pulling out your soapbox and doing what exactly? Putting the kids of some washed up director in their place? Give her a medal and call her Chief Comrade everybody!”[/color]

Kat glanced lazily at Jamie's phone screen, shoulders slumped, eyes de-shined. All traces of whimsy were dashed from her mind. [color=9dd8cb]”[i]Eugh, yea-[/i]”[/color] , she said, gazing up at Jaime. [color=9dd8cb]”What? Like what do you actually want me to do about this?”[/color] 

She raised her shoulders in a mock shrug, holding them up for a whole second, mouth thinning into a smile that only asked why she should care. [color=9dd8cb]”I posted some shit on twitter and your sister took it, like - way - too fucking seriously. I mean- I guess I knew [i]you would[/i]. But anyway. Twitter’s hardly a fucking soapbox, you just think it’s a bigger deal than it actually is because you’re a self entitled prick who thinks everyone is paying attention to every mention of your name or whatever. I used you as an example of a systemic issue. Get over it.”[/color]

[color=31ba9c]“You might not realize it, but I’m doing you a fucking favor. Katie will go full Sherman’s March on you. You think you can play in the big leagues, but you just can’t Kat. Most people wouldn’t be so accommodating as to give you fair warning. Pull this shit down, and get a journal like everyone else.”[/color]

[color=9dd8cb]”Um- Jaime. I don’t know how you don’t… like how don’t you know that I really don’t give a shit about these ‘big leagues’? It really-[/color] she started, before spotting Axel at the other table. [color=9dd8cb]”I’m sure he gets it. Like actually, do you seriously give this much of a fuck? It’s… dude, isn’t this twitter we’re talking about?”[/color]


Jamie scoffed. [color=31ba9c]“Okay Kat, fine.”[/color] He reached down and picked his phone back up, shaking his head. [color=31ba9c]“You know, it’s funny how you seem to recognize that the world falls into place around people like my sister and I, and yet, you act like it’ll do the same for you.”[/color] 

[color=9dd8cb]”Um… what? I- I literally just told you I don’t [i]care[/i] for that. It’s absurd. I’d…”[/color] Kat started. She looked around the room, baffled, as if the right thing to say would jump out at her. [color=9dd8cb]”I dunno, I’d piss on you before I let myself consider anything like that - let alone myself - important.”[/color]

Jamie began to turn away, but not without one final remark. [color=31ba9c]“And, I think I will help with Jeim’s fundraiser. What can I say, I guess you’ve inspired me?”[/color]

[color=9dd8cb]”Uhm… okay? Good for you.”[/color] Kat said. Her eyes slid slowly down to her phone once more, never once objecting to Jaime’s leaving.

Jamie strode across the cafe, ice still running through his veins. He slid back into his seat across from Axel and felt it begin to thaw, ever so slightly. He was suddenly aware of the eyes watching him, the glances down at phones with screens he could not see. His lip found it’s way between his teeth. [color=31ba9c]“I’m sorry, that was… Look I get a good vendetta, but there’s no need to bring Katie into it,”[/color] Jamie said, shaking his head like his disapproval wasn’t already obvious. He took a steadying sip of his coffee, and wondered when the arrow he’d just fired into the sky would fall.

[color=31ba9c]“Jesus, stop apologizing, [i]snake[/i]. Gotta live up to your new nickname.”[/color] Axel mouth turned upright into an amused smile, the first proper one since he’d arrived in this hellscape of a school. If he noticed the eyes on them, he didn’t care- if anything, Axel’s mood seemed to have improved significantly after seeing Jamie blow up[color=31ba9c] “At least you just made my morning a little more interesting, Callaghan.”[/color][/indent][/indent][/color]