A Time to Forget (Cici's Pizza)

[Denizen of Ashwick]

Early morning in Cici’s Pizza may not have had the same hustle and bustle as it did on its busy afternoons, but at least it was the only place in town not infected with the reminders of the rather big affair occurring just across town. Ben’s face was plastered just about everywhere, but here it was entirely different. It was a protected zone of its own, completely out of the sphere of the “We Love Ben” event that hit this town hard. Just as the church was a sanctuary to those who wished to give their last goodbyes, Cici’s Pizza would be a sanctuary to those who would have rather forgotten the boy existed at all. At least here their every word would not be scrutinized, because God forbid not everyone see Ben as a perfect little angel.

The establishment was quiet, despite the dull electronic noises from the arcade and the humming of the A/C just overhead. People really didn’t start coming in until the afternoon, so often the employees would be seen lazing about -- some at the video games, others using their phones to text their friends about how bored they were. Anyone who entered would be greeted with a rather bored and flat “Hello, welcome to Cici’s, can I get you anything?” before returning to their own respective tasks, a slight frown tugging at their lips.

Hopefully the place would be buzzing with activity soon. But, until then, the long, agonizing wait would ensue.

[[Same rules for the other thread apply here as well]]

[isaiah button]

A sigh escaped Isaiah's lips, and a hint of fog created from his exhaling formed in the air. He jammed his hands into his jacket's wool-lined pockets, his half-assed attempt at keeping them warm. It certainly was chilly this early morning, but he enjoyed the quiet that came with it. Luckily, though, his destination wasn't very far, so he wouldn't have to be out in the cold for too long.

The bell jingled when he pushed open the door to Cici's Pizza. He nodded to the cashier behind the counter and ordered his meal, gazing around the dining room as she rang up his total. Empty. That was to be expected, considering the memorial was today as well. Then again, on any regular day, it was way early to be getting pizza, but he planned on spending a considerable amount of time here.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the lady handed him a red plastic cup. Isaiah dug some cash out of his pocket and handed it to her. He stuffed the change into the tip jar and slid his cup off the counter. After gathering a cup of water and a few slices of buffalo chicken pizza (a little strange for this early, but he had a craving), he found a seat next to the arcade and against the wall.

He peeled his backpack and navy blue jacket off his back, draping the jacket over the back of the chair beside him and letting the bag settle into the seat. His fingers ran through his dark and messy hair, and his eyes closed. Although he wasn't at the memorial, he was a little stressed over the death of Ben. He never liked the guy, but the fact that it happened was something to worry about.

He sighed again and turned his attention to his food. Leaning his elbows on the table, one armed draped off the edge closest to him, he raised a slice of pizza to his mouth and took a large bite, chewing slowly. He had to remember that he wasn't here for that. He was here to eat, and he was here to forget, for just a little while, that his town was not everything it had seemed.

[phoenix boulstridge]

Benjamin Turner had always been a douche, and that seemed to continue in to his death. It irked the heck out of Phoenix Boulstridge. Everyone was moping around, the jerk's face was plastered on just about every available surface. What was the big deal? Honestly, the whole town was better off without him. Hopefully things would change after the funeral today, once the brainwashed sheep who loved the boy got to say good-bye. Until then, Phoenix didn't want to see any of the mourners, nor any reminder of Ben. That was why he was headed to CiCi's Pizza, somewhere surprisingly untouched by pictures and talk of the late Benjamin Turner. More than that, he had heard a number of people were intending on going, and who was Phoenix to turn down a good party?

Still, as he walked to CiCi's, he couldn't help but reflect a little bit. The way most of the town was behaving, it reminded Phoenix a lot of when Dallas had died. Dallas had been the star everything - smarter, faster, stronger. Some people even said Dallas was the cuter little boy, even though the two were supposed to be identical twins. Then, in first grade, Dallas had tragically fallen from the boys' tree house and died on impact. Though no one said it, it had been apparent to Phoenix that most people believed the wrong twin had died. And now, with Ben dead, Phoenix was left with a similar feeling. Would the entire town of Ashwick grieve so much if he had been the one mysteriously killed on the outskirts of town? No way. Most people would probably celebrate. Certainly, no one would have put pictures of him all over town. Alright, true, Phoenix had structured his life to keep almost everyone at a distance. But that didn't mean that it didn't sting.

When he reached the door to the pizza place, he paused and shook off the old memories. That life was gone, left back in Boston when his mom had moved them after his father's suicide. No one in Ashwick had ever heard of Dallas (so far as he knew), and he wasn't about to tell them. After that moment's rest, all negative thoughts were gone and Phoenix strutted confidently into CiCi's.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Isaiah Button sitting near the arcade. He nodded at the boy, remembering that hopefully Isaiah was going to help him do his summer math packet after the little CiCi's get-together. Phoenix shifted the book bag he carried slung over one shoulder, which contained both the aforementioned packet and a number of his own little party-starters in case anyone decided to really turn this little meeting into something more fun. (Of course, he'd smoked a bit before leaving anyways; doing this sober would be nearly as bad as trying to suffer through the funeral).

After getting two slices of pepperoni and two of the dessert pizzas, as well as a big cup of Mountain Dew, he headed over to Isaiah's table and sat down across from him.

"Look, Button, I think this goes without saying, but when my friends get here, don't tell them you're helping me with my homework," he said gruffly. Threats were a lot easier than admitting to being embarrassed about how stupid he was.

[naomi williams]

Naomi was working today, but even if she hadn't been she wouldn't have been at Ben's funeral. Her manager had given the other students a day off to attend, but she elected to show up instead. It was slow, just as she'd expected. While the manager was out back having a smoke break, she leaned against one of big walk in coolers in the back and pulled out her cellphone to check her texts. She was wearing her black tee and black pants with her shirt tucked in, nonskid work shoes, the regulation black baseball cap.

After her first and last warning she made sure to keep them in her truck. Who'd want to steal them, anyways?

The thought of all her friends going to mourn Ben Turner, lining up to shake his parents hands as they gave their condolences made her nauseated beyond belief, her stomach twisting in knots. It's not as though she wanted him to die and she couldn't bring herself to say that they deserved it, but...

She sighed heavily. The whole thing was wrong. She wished that she could just forget everything. Move away to somewhere that had never heard of Ben Turner or Ashwick. Her nerves had been on edge ever since she'd heard he was found dead. And his killer was still out there, some where.

The door to the alley behind the strip mall opened and she immediately stood up straight and slipped her phone in to her pocket. The manager eyed her warily as Naomi went to check the buffet line to see if anything needed refilling. To her surprise she saw Isaiah Button and Phoenix Boulstridge at a table in the back near the arcade, talking. They didn't seem to have anything in common, aside from being here instead of mourning the towns favorite son. She tried to look busy and official as she walked down the pizza line, pretending not to notice they were there.

[ryan munroe]

Ryan held the door open and let his kid sister slip into the pizza place first, not that it got him a 'thankyou'. Clare was in one of her moods though, she was thirteen now and growing up fast, not the cute little sis Ryan was used to.

"Gee, this place is really dead. Of course I bet all your classmates are at the funeral," Clare remarked in a rather snide tone.

She had been on his case last night and all morning about how he should go. She almost called their dad to bring it up but he managed to squelch that at the last moment with a threat. She needed to mind her own business. It would be a cold day in hell before he would show up at Ben's funeral. Come to think of it, it was unusually cool this day, what was up with that?

The pair approached the register, Clare's eyes on the buffet already as they passed it. Ryan however noticed there were at least a couple of high school students in the place. And he recognized them too. Isaiah and druggie boy, Phoenix. Just great. Last thing he wanted was for Clare to ever meet blondie.

Ryan pulled out his wallet and paid for two buffets to the bored register employee then proceeded to pick up a tray and soda cup, Clare doing the same. It didn't take them long to load up on their favorites from the long row of goodies.

"Where you wanna sit?" Clare asked, "With your friends?"

"Umm, no, and those two aren't my friends," Ryan headed for a table a decent distance from the other two boys.

"Oh...that's right. I forgot, you don't have any friends," Clare said that in her most annoying snooty tone of voice.

"You're not funny," Ryan grumped but left it at that. Mostly because it was true, his one close friend had moved out of state just this summer. There were some others in school he would argue were at least acquaintances, but real friends...nope.

Once they sat down and started eating, Clare changed subjects, "Now you know as soon as I'm done eating, I'm heading over to Julie's house. Dad said I could. I mean...vacation is almost over."

"Yeah, fine, go. Like I give a shit," Ryan rolled his eyes then glanced toward the other two boys. Once he thought he noticed Isaiah looking in his direction so he gave just a quick nod of acknowledgement then turned his eyes toward his slice of pepperoni pizza.

Clare caught it though, "So you do know those guys?"


"Well, sure. I've been in a few classes off and on with 'em," Ryan nodded.

Clare grinned, "The blond is kinda hot." Just recently she was starting to become very interested in boys, which thrilled neither Ryan nor his dad. Still, it was inevitable.

Ryan made a face, "To an eighth grader, yeah. Stay away from him though, he's actually kind of a dirtbag."

"Oh? So is he a football player? He looks way too wimpy.." Clare started, knowing her brother had a lot of issues with some of the football team.

"No, no...a different kind of dirtbag. Nevermind...eat your pizza," Ryan was not about to get drawn into revealing why he was leery of Phoenix.

[samson manyhorses]

"You know, you can go to the memorial, if you wanted."

"I know, but...we weren't exactly friends."

"Still, it would be nice if you could come. His parents would really like it if you did."

"Well, I'll shake their hands and stuff whenever I see them."

"..."

"Alright then, I'll see you after the service. You'll be at the arcade in CiCi's, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Well, be safe."

"Bye."

His aunt just had to mention the memorial. She'd already made painfully apparent that she was going throughout the entire week... and that she wanted him to go. She even bought a new dress for it; black, with a lacy collar. Martha had gone, too. Yet, she appeared to be less choked up about it and seemed to go out of obligation.

Dr. Mary Birdsong had a way with passive-aggressiveness that would make the biggest person feel as small as an ant. Except for one Samson Manyhorses, her bleak, tall, and seemingly unfriendly nephew who was several inches taller than her at sixteen. He just didn't budge whenever she wanted him to. Whether or not it had something to do with his inability to really socialize was another issue entirely.

After leaving Hissy with her food, a white mouse, he began to leave. He walked the entire way and had decided to dress in a lilac colored dress shirt and slacks, just in the case of his aunt demanding he go.

He knew her too well.

As he walked, Samson could see the numerous posters that were graced with Benjamin Turner's image, as if he were a Catholic martyr. Benjamin, in Samson's opinion, was not a bad guy. He was actually fairly nice to him. He wasn't exactly sure what Phoenix or Calliope's friend, Isaiah, meant by calling him an 'asshole', but maybe that was just him? To be honest, the real reason why he didn't want to go was because of the fact that on this day, this particular day, his sister's body was discovered. He didn't want to point it out, but he could hear it underlying in his aunt's voice that she understand why he didn't want to go.

Death seemed to follow him, he escaped to Cici's just to avoid it. He didn't even want any pizza, he just...wanted the day to end.

He entered the establishment, unannounced, and gave Naomi a small wave; she seemed busy. Ryan Monroe was there with his sister, Samson didn't really know the boy, but he felt he was obligated to at least nod at his direction. He seemed alright.

The arcade area was what he was really looking for, and before he was able to run to a machine, he found Isaiah Button and Phoenix Boulstridge, two people he'd never expect to be at the same table, let alone the same room.

"Phoe-phoe, Izz." he said plainly, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he stood by their table, "...You're not going to the thing, aren't you?" Of course, they weren't, they were here, weren't they?

[isaiah button]

Isaiah grimaced a little at the pizza in front of him. He liked it alright, but it was hard for him to enjoy the acidity this early in the morning. He probably hadn't made the best choice, but he wasn't about to let it go to waste.

The bell on the door to the establishment jingled, and instinctively he turned to see who it was. He tensed a little when he saw a face he knew. Phoenix Boulstridge was not his favorite person in the world; hell, anyone who blackmailed him into doing things wouldn't necessarily be his best friend. He took a deep breath, though, nodded back to the blond, and turned back to his own things. All he had to do was get through this. That wouldn't be so hard.

Phoenix sat down across from him, and Isaiah watched as the other boy's plate slid half an inch when he sat it down. "Look, Button, I think this goes without saying, but when my friends get here, don't tell them you're helping me with my homework." Isaiah chuckled a little.

“What am I supposed to tell them then? We don't exactly hang out, unless that's something you're wanting to tell people.” He stopped himself, opting to take a nicer route. “If you want, we can tell them that you came in with your homework and saw me doing mine and we decided it would go a lot faster if we just work together. Sound good?”

He didn't particularly care for this arrangement. Lying wasn't usually his thing, though he did it when he needed to. If Phoenix had approached him under different terms, trying to get to know him, there was a possibility the two could've been friends. Isaiah wasn't one to say no to having a friend. But, alas, that hadn't happened, and here they were.

He turned again when he heard the jingle: another boy, around his own age, and a younger girl. He recognized the boy's face, but it took him a few seconds to place the name. During these few seconds, though, he didn't look away from him; he had sort of a bad habit of fixating on something until he knew enough to satisfy himself. That's right; his name is Ryan. At the end of his thought process, however, he was caught staring and quickly gave a nod back before turning back to his plate.

He looked up again when he heard Sam come up behind him. He looked up into the tall boy's face, and, quite frankly, he was glad he had shown up when he did.

“Nope. I can deal without having my morning filled with empty tears. Life goes on.” He nodded toward his bookbag. “I have plenty of other things that need to be done.” He paused for a second and pulled the bag out of the chair, tugging the jacket off the back as he did so. “Would you like to sit with us?”

[phoenix boulstridge]

For a typical day at CiCi's, it wasn't very busy. To Phoenix, though, on the day of the Golden Boy's funeral, it seemed to be very full of people - people he didn't necessarily want to know that he was getting help with his summer math homework. For someone who liked to know everything about other people and their secrets, he was very careful to keep his own secrets to himself. He didn't want people knowing what his mom's ex-boyfriend did to him; he didn't want anyone to know why his dad wasn't in his life, and he definitely didn't want anyone to know that he'd once had an identical twin brother. On top of all that, he definitely didn't want people to know how incredibly stupid he was. Most of his classmates probably had an idea that his grades were abysmal, but he preferred them to think that it was because he didn't try. He had told the couple of friends he did have, like Schuyler, that he wasn't going to do the summer work at all. The truth was, though, that Phoenix did try, and he tried hard. He just wasn't smart enough to do well. Talk about humiliating.

Fortunately, Naomi seemed happy to pretend that they weren't here at all. Her manager seemed like a pretty big jerk, too, from the sideways look he gave her, maybe that was why she acted like they weren't there. All the better for him, so she wouldn't see how much he was struggling. In a little while, he'd see if she wanted to buy a little something that would help her forget about how depressing the day was. She didn't do it that often, but today seemed like a good day for it and she looked like she could maybe use a nice stress release.

Then Ryan came in with a girl in tow that Nix could only assume was his little sister - at least, he really hoped it was. If he was hanging out with little girls who could be pre-teens, the guy had some pretty serious issues. Neither of them came near Isaiah and Phoenix, either. So far, so good. If the girl was Ryan's little sister, Nix was pretty sure he didn't have to worry about either of them bothering them, either. He and Ryan weren't exactly on great terms, and he seemed like the kind of guy who would be particularly protective of his little sister. Still, he couldn't help but notice the way the girl looked at him and he smirked a little to himself. He made a mental note to figure out who she was and talk to her some time. He wasn't attracted to her, of course - that would be disgusting - but she looked like someone he could turn into a regular customer. Plus, it would piss Ryan off, which would be a good added bonus.

Then Sam came in. Damn. Samson was a nice enough kid, if a little weird. Nix had actually taken a bit of a liking to him. Samson may not have remembered what happened to him before he'd moved to Ashwick, but Nix had his own ways of finding things like that out. Because of his own past, Nix sympathized with what Manyhorses had been through. One might have even said that Samson and Phoenix had become friends in the time since the large boy had moved to town. They were at least friendly enough that he knew Samson would come say hi, probably even sit with him as it wasn't exactly like the guy had a lot of other friends. Phoenix sighed to himself, trying to figure out how he would keep Sam from seeing how much he struggled.

Isaiah wasn't helping, with his smart mouth. at least he kind of back-tracked from his sass, coming up with a good answer to his own question. "There you go," Nix whispered harshly. "That's why you're the smart one. You come up with the ideas.

As Samson came over, Phoenix smiled at him. "Yo, Tonto, he replied. He knew Sam hated being called Tonto, but Sam knew that Nix hated being called Phoe-Phoe, like some kind of fluffy little female poodle. "I got no desire to go the funeral of some dirt-bag, either; I don't care if the whole town did worship him. And yeah, do join us, man. You creep me out, towering over us like some kind of giant eyeing up his next meal.."

[indiana olsen]

Indy groaned as she felt the light hit here eyelids. They gently fluttered open and she slowly stretched before rolling out of bed. She awkwardly ran a hand through her tangly bed hair, yanking her fingers through the knots. After padding to the bathroom, she stared at her reflection for a few moments before straightening her tank top. Shrugging, she surmised that she looked perfectly fine in her Batman tank and yellow shorts. She made her way back to her room to grab her phone and Glancing at the clock, she sighed. Indy had taken a not-so-quick nap. After falling asleep at 2, she hadn't woken up until about 6:15. In the evening.

She sighed quietly before wandering throughout her house. With her mom at work, she was home alone, and the food in the refrigerator just didn't suffice. Indy had a slight craving for pizza. As she closed the fridge, she noticed a little yellow sticky note with easy, script-like handwriting.

Indiana,
I didn't want to wake you up, but I've left for the memorial. You can choose to come or not, but it would be courteous to give your condolences.

No doubt, her mother wanted her to go to the service, but there simply wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that she would. See, Indy didn't feel particularly affected by the death of her colleague. Though Ben hadn't been particularly unkind to her, he hadn't gone out of his way to make her day pleasant. In all honesty, she wasn't sure if she was elated by that. It gave her no real reason to not go, other than that she didn't want to.

Indy gently cracked her neck, back and knuckles before deciding that she was going to Cici's to satisfy her craving. I mean, it's not like she was one of those girls who dieted or anything.

As she made her way out the door, Indy grabbed a twenty-dollar bill and stuffed it in her pocket, right behind her cellphone. She snatched her helmet and stuck it on her head, and slipped on a pair of boots before slamming the door shut. Groaning, Indy quickly spun on her heel and walked right back into the house. She grabbed her motorcycle key and her leather jacket before leaving a second time.

After arriving at the parlor, the teen propped the bike on its kickstand and took off her helmet, shaking out her long hair. She entered the store and inwardly cringed at the sound of a light jingle. Indy's stormy blue eyes scanned the area before she walked over to the register and paid for a buffet. She dropped the coins into the little glass jar beside the register, not wanting to worry about change, before stuffing the bills back in her pocket.

The inked girl quickly strode to the buffet where she grabbed two slices of cheese pizza and a cup of Sierra Mist, awkwardly squishing her helmet under her arm. As she turned toward the arcade, she took in her surroundings. Her sharp orbs landed on a certain blonde, among other things. Seeing Phoenix was a relatively common affair. Seeing Isaiah with him was not.

Phoenix and Isaiah weren't the only students in the vicinity; it seemed as though half of her grade had decided to skip out on the funeral and hang out at Cici's, which was weird since Cici's wasn't exactly a place where people hung out. Indy smirked, cherry red lips standing out, before seating herself at one of the booths and setting her helmet beside her. "Sup." She monotonously commented, inclining her head toward the other two teens, her own booth against the wall a few yards from their table. Indy glanced warily at the other students, Naomi, Ryan, and Samson, before taking a bite of her cheese pizza. They weren't really people who she wanted to see outside of school grounds but she wasn't one to complain.

Indy easily slid back in her seat and propped her feet on the booth seat across from her. Her eyes darted toward the curly-haired girl, and she watched as Naomi awkwardly busied herself with trivial tasks. It seemed like she was trying to get out of public view, but wasn't really succeeding. On the other end, Ryan, from her class, and a younger girl were heatedly arguing. She deduced that they were siblings, as their facial structures resembled one another's. Though she watched the group with slight amusement dancing in her eyes, she didn't make any effort to reveal herself or really socialize. Then again, it's not like she was able to enter the building without drawing attention to herself due the the stupid little bell.

She wasn't in earshot of the two boys, but she found herself certainly able to hear Isaiah chuckle. As she was facing their table, she could also see the duo, soon turned trio. She smiled into her pizza and sighed quietly as it hit the spot. That Samson kid, weird as he was, had joined the two.

It was weird, she didn't go out of her way to be a bitch to him, but she assumed that her curt and blunt words scared the kid into avoiding her. Indy noncommittally shrugged to nobody before watching the scene unfold through narrowed eyes, genuinely curious about what Nix was saying.

[naomi williams]

Naomi was a little surprised to see just how many people decided to show up here of all places instead of attending the memorial. Not the faces themselves...Phoenix and Indy she thought for sure would find somewhere private to get stoned and mock all the people who were mourning today. Sam was usually here, but never in a group.

The manager stopping hovering and went to the back for a moment. With him out of sight she went and grabbed a spray bottle and rag from behind the counter to wipe down tables and seats, none of which had even been sat at or on today. Coming next to the table where Ryan and his sister sat, she broke her silence and spoke, "Hey." A single word, more of a verbal burp really. She glanced warily back behind the counter to make sure the manager couldn't see her 'socializing' on the job. "How are you doing?" And why aren't you at the 'We love Ben Show' like everyone else, she wanted to ask. But then Ryan and Ben hadn't been friends since hitting high school. In fact if she thought about it, there'd been rumors going around that Ben cheated his way through his classes. Some people said Ryan was just jealous. Knowing what she knew now, Naomi thought there might have been something to it. But what difference did it make?

[ryan munroe]

Samson entered the place just as Ryan chomped into his second slice of pizza. His little sister took note of the tall dark haired guy, "He looks mean."

Ryan looked up and saw Samson nod in his direction so he returned it, it might not be much but it passed as communication of a sort for a lot of students who were neither friends nor enemies.

"He isn't mean," Ryan corrected her.

"If you say so," Clare did not seem convinced.

Ryan saw the tall boy go over toward the other two guys and strike up a conversation with them. Oh well, it's not he expected the boy to actually come over anyhow. They didn't have much in common other than the same school. OK, not quite true. Samson didn't get along with some of the jocks, just like he didn't.

"And another one, looks like a lot of people didn't go to the funeral," Clare now observed a girl come in.

"Told you I'm hardly the only one who didn't like Turner," Ryan eyed the girl, he knew her by face and she had a distinctive enough first name to remember, Indiana. Another person he didn't have much to do with, well that was a common enough theme. Yeah, welcome to The Life of Ryan.

"Bet the football team all liked him, he was really good they said," Clare declared, like she was telling him anything new.

"Yeah, well they can have each other," Ryan huffed and then took a drink of coke.

Just then one of the the employees moved up, she was wiping tables. Ryan knew her also from school. Naomi...Naomi something. She had always seemed nice enough from the little he knew of her. She spoke to them, saying a simple enough 'hey'.

"Hi," Ryan replied right back. Clare even smiled as she said, "Hey back."

Naomi followed with a standard question as how they were doing.

"I'm fine. Looking forward to school....I guess," Ryan shrugged, "See you had to work so you couldn't go to the funeral then?"

"Least she has an excuse, "Clare interjected with that smug look on her face.

"Ignore her, she's my kid sister," Ryan pointed out to Naomi with a roll of his eyes.

[samson manyhorses]

Samson didn't really say anything when his 'friends' reacted a bit harshly to him asking about the memorial. It was probably best he didn't even mention it at all, but he just had to try his luck, didn't he? Indiana walked in, just as sour as she always had. He never really understood what Phoenix saw in her. She was sort of an asshole, herself, but he never made his discomfort with her really known.

His aunt always told him that the best way to avoid being triggered is to avoid negative people, altogether. So he took her advice to heart.

He was going to take a seat, he was actually going to socialize. He was gonna do it and then, "Actually, I think I'll just get some pizza first, and uh, hey Indiana. " He wussed out. He panicked and he made up some excuse to buy himself time. He shouldn't have listened to his aunt, he should have tried to be normal.

Samson bowed out, "I'll be back." and went back to the food line, not even hungry, but he had to do something.

[isaiah button]

Isaiah quickly turned his head toward Phoenix, shooting him a glare. He kicked his classmate under the table, a quick blow to his shins. He knew how it felt to be teased, and he wasn't about to let Phoenix get away with it.

Indiana walked by and greeted – could that really be counted as a greeting? - the boys. He clammed up a little, choosing only to nod to her as a response. It didn't make a lot of sense, but it was better than trying to say something and having it all come out awkwardly. His attention was caught when Samson decided to go get food, though, and he watched him walk toward the buffet. When he was out of earshot, he turned back to Phoenix.

“Dude, seriously, knock it off. You don't need to be an asshole to him.” He sighed and picked up his pizza. “He can't help how tall he is. Him being a good person is all that matters. And I'm pretty sure he's never hurt anyone.” He took a bite, taking a moment to pull the cheese apart. “So j'st chill ou'.”

[phoenix boulstridge]

A smile tugged at the corners of Phoenix's lips as he saw Indy enter the pizza parlor. He had always bee pretty fond of the girl; she was a realist like him, rough around the edges and much, much cooler than most of the loser kids in this town. His feelings had changed somewhat when she'd come over to play video games with him. It was an incredibly simple thing to most teens, but Phoenix simply didn't have people over to his home. For years, he'd been incredibly ashamed of the crappy apartment that was all his druggie mother could afford. Now they were in a middle-class home, which Phoenix had paid for with his own hard-earned money, but it was still strange to think about having people over. His personal life was just that for him - incredibly personal. He couldn't remember a time since he'd lived in Ashwick that he'd really been ready to invite someone to join in that part of his life.

He was pulled out of his momentary distraction by a sharp kick under the table. It didn't really hurt, yes, actually it did; he was definitely going to have a bruised shin because frankly Isaiah was a pretty big wuss, but it did surprise him. It wasn't often that people stood up to him in any way, much less physically. Especially not such a geeky little pushover. He narrowed his eyes at the blue-eyed boy as Samson walked away. Then he pulled back his foot and kicked Isaiah back as hard as he could.

"Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong Button. I understand that you don't have any friends, but believe it or not Sam is mine. Part of being friends is ribbing each other, I'm not being an asshole."

Yes, he'd officially had enough of Isaiah Button for the time being. In fact, he was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to hang around for help with his summer math packet. Maybe he should just not do it, like he planned. The kid may have been a brainiac, but he was actually kind of a jerk and Nix just really didn't need that today.

Nix slung his backpack back over his shoulder and picked up his food and drink. He stood up and walked over to Indy's table, conspicuously choosing to sit next to her instead of across from her. "Hey, Indy. Glad you showed. I couldn't take much more of those losers," he told her with a grin, not carrying whether Isaiah heard him or not.

[samson manyhorses]

His stomach was empty, but he felt no hunger, no appetite when he browsed through the (admittedly, limited) options of the pizza place. He hated pepperoni. It was bland, and nearly flavorless in his eyes, be he grabbed a slice in haste, as to not give off any more of the discomfort that he felt earlier.

Samson was trying to be normal.

His hands shook, when he took a small cup and filled it with ice and water. It was a bit early to have a soda, in his opinion. It gave him an unneeded rush that usually culminated into a headache within the afternoon. He did not need to have another five hour nap. That usually meant that he had to make up for it for staying up throughout the night.

He paid, took his pizza and water and left it on the booth where his 'friends' sat. He went back to grab a chair from an empty table and sat it near the edge, that way, he had his space to move about freely and everyone else could move without having to bump into him. A win-win scenario, right?

He cleared his throat before speaking again, "So...anyone ready for school to start?"