can't remember why i came -- [devin]

Devin sighed as he tapped his fingers on the side of his leg, waiting in line at the convenience store. In his other hand was a couple of energy drinks, chips, and some of his favorite candy--gummy worms. Normally he would have bought himself a soda, but he had plenty of those at home. No, he would need an energy drink because who knew how late he would stay up with Sandra "studying", which pretty much meant "group procrastination". They did this every time exams came around; they would talk about studying together, get together, and then do absolutely nothing. Well, they did stuff, but it pertained to video games and eating junk food and saying how they should stop and study for a while. Then forget and keep doing whatever it was they were doing. It was a vicious cycle, really. He enjoyed Sandra's company none the less, and was looking forward to some hang out time. He had avoided females quite a bit lately after Autumn, but Sandra was so light hearted and fun to be around. Maybe she could boost up his spirits a little bit today. "Did you find everything you needed?" The cashier asked, finally taking Devin's items and running them across the scanner. The blonde nodded. "Yep! About to go and procrastinate studying for exams." The man laughed and shook his head, looking a bit thoughtful. Perhaps he remembered the good old days of putting of studying until the last minute? "There you go sir, have fun shirking your work." Devin took the bag and smiled. "Will do!"

The walk back home was short, but a bit chilly. He had definitely put on his jacket today, something he had not really missed over the warmer months. He was not opposed to winter entirely, but spring was definitely his favorite time of the year. Everything was bursting to life, vibrant and green. Summer was okay, but a bit too hot for his liking. And with the fall came allergies, which he hated. Winter was a good reprieve from the allergies but it was not good for much else. He arrived home shortly after and walked in just in time to hear Sandra calling out to him from the living room. I have impeccable timing. He thought proudly to himself as he entered the room where Sandra was sprawled out on the couch. He shook his head. "Aw, I'll miss you too," Devin replied as he set the bag down by the coffee table and slumped down beside her, patting her head affectionately. "Hopefully I won't be at college for too long though. I'm kinda working towards being a professional skateboarder." It was a long-shot, and he knew it, but something that did not require sitting in a classroom and reading text books all day sounded infinitely more appealing. The fact that he and Sandra set up study sessions only to put it off until the night before exams proved he was simply not school material. "So what's the plan for tonight then?" He asked, staring at the ceiling as he leaned against her. "Should we procrastinate now? Or later? I brought energy drinks and chips, and of course my own sugary snackage." His shoe brushed the bag to show her, but nothing more. Sitting up required too much effort right now.

"Ah, I won't be too far away though," Devin replied, shaking his head and patting her again. He was not an extremely touchy-feely person, but when it came to friends he was willing to make an exception. It was his way of displaying the attachment he felt towards them, saying 'I trust you' without putting it into words. Some people were affectionate all around; Devin was only loving towards the people he was close to. "I'll come and whisk you away on my skateboard, to roll off into the sunset, away from the tyranny of homework and boring professors." The boy opened his hand and held it out before them, moving through the air horizontally in a sweeping motion. The school would most certainly not approve of said actions, but why would he care? Devin was never one to follow someone else's rules all of the time. He only followed them when there was no need to break them, and busting Sandra out of the school to escape...well, school was reason enough to do so. They both shared in their dislike for the educational system (not really the system, but the boring way they handled education) and Devin actually found comfort in that. It was nice to know he could laze about with someone and not feel pressured to study. Joshua always made him feel like he was not working hard enough in his studies, though it was probably good he did.

Devin smiled and wiggled a little bit to get more comfortable, already dreading the opening of textbooks and class notes. Studying was so...boring. There were so many other things they could be doing! Like video games. And sleeping. And eating junk food. "Never make promises you can't keep Sandy," The blonde scolded with a finger pointed at her. "Especially ones that involve being a good student." It was possible he promised Josh once or twice that he would delve more into his studies but never did, which made him feel a small pang of guilt. Josh knows me though. He shouldn't expect too much. It still did not erase feeling bad for shirking his work. "Ten minutes sounds like a plan to me." Hopefully they could focus long enough to get to that point. He figured that the night before exams he would be cramming, which he was good at. Procrastination was actually beneficial to Devin. He seemed to retain the information better in one rushed sitting than over the course of days. "I have history, biology, English, and math. What about you?" Being in different grades, he knew their material would be different, but that did not mean they weren't able to ask one another questions or something. Not that they really did much studying anyway. Devin watched with a raised eyebrow as she grabbed the bag and took out the chips. "Figured you might like those." He was then showered with a handful of candy, and laughed. "Hell yes! You are too good to me. Can't go wrong with candy." He immediately unwrapped a Jolly Rancher and popped it into his mouth with a quirky smile.

The Earth boy chuckled. “I’ll be going to the college at the Academy, and I don’t plan on leaving the Hollow, so no worries!” It was nice to know that he would be missed among his high school friends, even if he was not going to be going anywhere any time soon. He had lived in the Hollow his entire life, and to be honest it was a place he wished to stay in for the remainder of his days. Joshua was here, Nell was here, Sandy and Anna were here…there were enough people in his life that made him happy. And, with his aunt and sister moving back, it made the Hollow all the more homey. Devin puffed out his chest a little bit to try and look manly tough, but with that boyish face it was a bit difficult to take seriously. He was muscular and strong, but nothing like a hero. “Here I come to save the day!” The boy shouted, chest still puffed and finger pointed to the ceiling. Ever the dramatic. He glanced over at her with a smirk. “Me? Dueling? Come now dear Sandy you should know I can’t even wield a fist.” And that was incredibly true. Devin was probably the least confrontational person you’d ever meet. He would fight for his friends if it came down to it, but there would be a great amount of hesitation. Sandra pouted, resulting in Devin poking at her lower lip playfully. “You do that, and it’ll stay that way y’know.”

His friends were always so endearing. It was nice to know that he had people around like Sandra who could really brighten his day. Not to mention she encouraged his laziness, which was always greatly appreciated. “But I highly doubt you can keep that promise. You were the one that suggested ten minutes of studying, remember?” He didn’t want to study at all, but figured he could at least tell Josh the truth when he said ‘yeah, I studied for my exams’. There would be no scolding from his best friend this time! Unless of course he found out that the studying consisted of ten minutes, and the rest of the time spent playing video games. Devin slid off of the couch and leaned against it, spreading his arms out over the cushions for support. “I…have no idea. Maybe something with easy questions, like History.” Dates, people, events…they were all going to be the same in every history book. It would make it easy on both of them. Being in different grades finding the common ground was best. He smiled brightly at her and shrugged his shoulders. “I wouldn’t be a really good friend if I didn’t remember the basics, right?” Although Devin was lazy with schoolwork, he was not lazy when it came to his friends. He liked to remember the little details, tiny things that he could use later to let them know he cared. It was just a bag of chips, but it meant he thought about her none the less. “The party will start after we study. Which sucks. But we should try at least ten minutes.”

Instantly, Devin frowned. He forgot that he would not be staying in the Hollow all of the time if he were to take on a skateboarding career. There will competitions in other cities around Canada and possibly the United States, so he would be gone quite a bit. This actually brought him down for a half second before realizing something. "Mmm. Well, it won't kick start immediately anyway. I'll be at the college until that does happen. And if it doesn't...then I'll still be here." Devin smiled brightly at her, trying to be optimistic while at the same time keeping a realistic edge to it. It was true; he planned on staying at the Academy until something worked out for him with skateboarding, but he had other options if that did not pan out like he planned. "I also talked to Josh about being a video game tester. The pay is pretty good and doesn't require a bunch of school. I can do that as my main job or as a side, depending on the skateboarding thing." That was the best route for him. Avoiding school and getting paid to play video games was Devin's dream, though professional skateboarding was ranking high up there. He did not set that particular goal up at the top, being as, realistically, becoming a pro boarder was very difficult and took a lot of time and practice and patience. At least being a paid gamer would tide him over until such a time where he might be able to make skateboarding possible. I would miss my friends terribly though... Traveling everywhere meant leaving people behind. He was not so sure if that would work out...but at the same time making a name for himself would be fun. So much deciding!

"Hah, that would be awesome! Captain Canada. With a giant maple leaf on his chest, and a fancy cape. And his maple syrup gun." Devin rolled his head back on the couch and laughed, shaking his head at the thought. Devin was the least confrontational person, so to imagine fighting off anyone, even with maple syrup, seemed rather far fetched. Unless it was in fun, then he could manage that. He watched her with an amused glow in his bright blue eyes. She always managed to make him smile. "Now that I can do," He agreed, shaking a finger in her direction for emphasis. "I'm sure he might actually like to jump in on that one. We'll have to see." The wheels in his head started turning, coming up with a perfect day to execute his food fight plan. "You are such a genius, Sandy. Where would I be without you?" He sighed, adding a dramatic flair by placing the back of his hand to his forehead. Devin giggled as Sandra poked his cheek, eliciting a bright smile. He poked her on the cheek in return. "No lying here! It really could you know." He teased. Going back and forth with his friends always put him in a good mood, especially his closer friends. The blonde gave her a nod and yanked the history book from his book bag, which was lying further away from the couch. He had to practically lean out to grab it, nearly falling on the floor. "Mine World History. Ohhh joy." Blue eyes rolled up and around to further prove his (lack of) enthusiasm. "So let's see..."

He took out his notes and flipped open to the last few chapters. "How do we wanna do this? For each question we get right...we uhh. No no. How about for each question we get wrong, we have to take a truth or dare from the other person." His eyes glinted with mischief, clearly trying to make studying fun so they might actually get something done. The boy set his book in front of Sandra and opened his palm to take hers into his hands. This would at least be entertaining, even if they did only go back and forth for ten minutes. Devin liked games, so maybe they could overlook the fact that they were studying and enjoy it a little more. However if they turned to video games, that was fine by him too! He was always up for anything, especially with people he enjoyed spending time with.

[Asdfjskp I had to rein in this boys muse. It was ridiculous. .__. Hopefully we can come up with some good questions and answers for truth or dare. XD]

Sandra’s confidence was always a welcomed thing. Devin was a realist—which was surprising considering he actually assumed he might get somewhere with a skateboarding career—but having people who were more optimistic than he was greatly helped. It gave him that extra boost. If he could go around and thank his friends for every time they uplifted him he would probably spend days upon days doing so. He could only hope they knew how thankful he was. “I hope so, but if not that’s okay too! I have a back-up plan at least.” With video game testing you could not go wrong. He supposed it was a rather lazy way to get out of school and potentially doing more with his life, but if he loved it then what did it matter? Devin pointed at her and closed an eye. “Exactly. Avoiding school would be kinda epic. No studying, no tests, no nothing.” Quickly he added, “Although I enjoy my study sessions with you because it hardly involves any real studying.” Devin liked that he could chill out with someone close to exam time and not feel any pressure to be some super amazing student who spends hours on end going over the same material repeatedly.

“Oh! Right right! I forgot about that. Wouldn’t want to get caught in a plane turbine or sucked into a tornado.” Devin pretended to look worried, but the smirk on his face betrayed him. He knew for a fact he would make an awful super hero, even as an average every day person. One could protect their friends to a certain extent, but the Earth student was not a fighter and did not feel confident that he could effectively defend someone via fist fight. “Wafflesss. We should definitely do breakfast tomorrow morning. My treat?” His blue eyes searched her face for a moment, bright and vibrant as ever. He figured if they were gonna be up most of the night gaming it up, there was a chance they would just crash on the couch when they got tired. If she needed to go home that was fine too, but the offer was practically there in her lap. Devin laughed. “That would be the best prank, though…I’m not sure what that would do in regards to my chances at college.” He shifted his eyes back and forth. “Ah, to hell with it. I’ll see what I can do to execute our food fight.” Logan was a really laid back teacher and never said much about things like that, so he figured they were in the clear. Besides, Devin usually did what he wanted anyway, repercussions or not.

In order to keep them focused, it always helped to have some form of entertainment. Studying was only manageable when it was fun. That was probably why he could not stand most of his classes; the teachers were stuffy and repetitive and sounded like Charlie Browns’ teacher when they babbled away endlessly. It made Devin tired just thinking about it. He shook his head a bit and focused on the book in his hands, flipping through a few pages. Devin glanced up with his trademark smirk of mischief when she agreed to play along with truth or dare. “Excellent! Then maybe we won’t get bored and start drifting around as much. Gotta make this stuff interesting, yeah?” For what was life without a little spice? He nodded at her, then pondered the question for a moment. “Enlil I think? The god of air.” There were a few gods they deemed very powerful, but Enlil was one they greatly revered. Devin was fortunate that he had a photographic memory with retaining skills to boot. “My turn!” He flipped a few more pages, scanning the pictures and bolded words with a quirked eyebrow. “What year did the Rideau Canal open?”

"I haven't really looked up much for it yet," Devin admitted with a faint shrug, not all too worried about rushing headlong into anything. He had a job at the club still, as a disc jockey, so it was not as though he was pining for cash. Did it makes sense for him to go to college then? Probably not, but it would certainly please his aunt. Judith's happiness was important to him after all the woman had done in his life. He owed her an attempt to do well in a college setting if he could. "I might have to go through a few semesters of it, but I think I can survive. Right?" He glanced at her with a smile. If he could survive high school and fights with their enemies, then college was not going to be much of a challenge. At least, he could only hope so. A faint frown did crease his lips. "We'll still have our study sessions right? Even after I graduate? I think I would feel kinda weird not having one every once in a while..." Devin did not mind change; usually he was able to cope with it quite well and allowed life to take him wherever it led. However when it came to his friends there were some things he preferred stayed the same for a while. Even if they never cracked a book, he wanted to continue spending time with Sandra. The study session label was merely to keep family off of their backs.

Seriously, it was times like these that Devin really appreciated his friends. Always kept him smiling and laughing. His blue eyes sparkled with amusement at the thought of wearing the superhero outfit, and an idea struck him. "Dude, you guys make me that outfit, and I'll wear it for Halloween next year." He promised, pointing a firm finger in her direction to confirm his words were truth. He did not mind going all out for the holiday; hell, most of his Halloween nights were spent getting drunk as opposed to dressing up and having a good party with friends. For the first time, Devin truly considered having such a 'good' party simply to dress up in this outfit and have fun with whomever wanted to join. The prospect actually excited him. "Oh, yeah, you should probably do that." The boy rubbed the back of his head and suddenly placed himself on edge. That was weird. I wonder what Matt would think, her staying at a guy's house? Even though he and Sandra had been friends for quite some time, Matt was her older brother and Devin knew all too well how protective one could be. He was an older brother himself. He had no intentions with Sandra of course, being only her friend, but he refused to step on any toes. Devin shifted slightly where he sat but made no facial expressions other than the smile he was wearing a few moments ago. "I wouldn't do that to you!" He shook his head. "If I'm gonna start it, I'm gonna finish it. Logan probably won't go hard on me anyway."

Studying was definitely not on Devin's list of 'favorite things', but at some point it had to be done. Fortunately he was very intelligent and did not need to spend hours on end stuffing his face into books day in and day out. Devin smiled. "Yes! One right for me." He did a partial fist pump--considering he was sitting down--and chuckled when Sandra almost dropped the book. He looked down and scanned over the page again before glancing over at her with a smirk. It looked as though he was about to tell her she was wrong before giving up a curt nod. "Yep! Nice job." So far, so good. He wondered when they were going to get a question wrong and they were going to begin their game. What stupid shit were they going to be able to come up with? He had no clue. The next question caused Devin to pause. Shit. He placed a finger to his chin. "Uhhh...damn. I can't remember." The boy rattled his brain to try and figure out what page it might have been on; images, bold words, random sentences...and nothing. His face was partially scrunched in thought before he leaned back and sighed. "Ugh. Why can't I remember? I think it starts with a P..." Pterodactyl? No, of course not. That was stupid. Devin looked at her with a bit of a defeated shrug before looking at the open book in his lap with a chuckle. "Guess I'll take truth." His finger ran over the pages before flipping to another chapter entirely. "What club was founded as a front in the women's suffrage movement?"

Devin giggled when she nudged him in the side, the blonde nudging her in return. It was so easy to be around Sandra; there was no pressure to be someone he wasn’t, or act a certain way. He was content to simply be himself and she accepted it. “You’ll be the first to know, I promise.” And Devin made pretty good on his promises. This was a simple request anyway, not like she asked him to sprout an extra set of legs or something. That would be impossible. “I hope it won’t be too bad. But you’ll help me survive.” He placed an arm around her in a sort of side hug, resting his chin on her head. He enjoyed being affectionate with the people he was close to; a sort of way to let himself know that they were somewhere nearby. With Josh it was difficult because it seemed to be an unspoken sort of “bro” thing to high five or knuckle bump or give a firm clap on the shoulder, but that was about it. Devin was not opposed to that at all, but it was nice to hug on someone every now and again. The boy cracked a smile. “Good! Because seriously I think I would feel off balance without them. And we should do it more than twice a year.” He nodded eagerly. “We can pretend that we have other really important stuff to do. Yeah.”

It was quite the ego boost to have Sandra brag about his superhero outfit, the excitement welling up in his chest. Would this actually be possible? It sure as hell would be a fun way to spend Halloween for sure. Though Devin did find it amusing that out of anyone who would wear the outfit, it had to be the least confrontational and lazy person at the Academy (next to Sandra of course). He was well built and strong, but nothing like Superman or most of the guys his age who actually went to the gym. Devin lifted his free arm and flexed it a bit, glancing over at her with a smirk. “Oh yeah, me and the ladies you know. Me and my muscles will just have them flocking all over the place! And I’ll live in a big fancy house like Bruce Wayne.” For some reason he did not like discussing having a bunch of girls around him, even though that was a fairly frequent thing. He pouted. “You would steal my best weapon? What if I told you I used that to make waffles and pancakes? Without my gun I couldn’t have breakfast.” And being one who liked sugary foods (and food in general) it would suck not to have such an awesome meal. His mind drifted to tomorrow morning and hoped they could stuff their faces for breakfast somewhere. Maybe at Timmies. Devin nodded a little bit, still feeling anxious about Matt but saying nothing more. He just hated making people angry with him and refused to cause a problem with Sandra’s older brother.

Although Devin claimed himself to be rather intelligent and had the capability to remember random facts and information from textbooks, that did not mean he was going to get everything right. The question totally threw him for a loop, and he wondered if he must have fallen asleep during the lesson or (no surprise) he honestly thought he had a grasp on the subject and ignored it completely. “Well damn,” Devin muttered. “I knew that it was something like that. Oh well! At least I know now.” Hopefully it would be on the test. That would be one right answer out of…however many. He tapped his chin a little bit, trying to think of the best response. “That’s a tough one actually. Me and my grace, I’ve fallen down so many flights of stairs—oh!” A memory struck him. “It was probably the time I was walking down the hall with my classmates and my friends decided to shank me. Nearly took my boxers with my shorts. Nearly.” That was possibly one of the most embarrassing moments of his life. Luckily Sandra did not have the right answer either. Devin grinned triumphantly; a random thought struck him and figured to use this opportunity to bring it up. “Nope! It was the The Toronto Women's Literary Club. So let’s see…truth…” He pretended to ponder over a possible question. He turned to look at her, arm still over her shoulder. “Would you go to prom with me?” He asked, eyes bright. It was innocent enough, right?