ALICE | you never know what to expect

[bryancox11]

Lucas sat down on one of the empty sections of the food court, his Panda Express placed neatly on the granite counter top as he pulled out one of the chairs. He placed one of the many bags he had been carrying with him on the floor beside him as he peered inside of the bag containing his greasy "Chinese" food. Panda Express. The only greasy food that could somewhat satisfy me when I'm hungover. he thought as he dug his fork into his chow mien noodles, filling his mouth with the greasy heaven as he began to chew mindlessly. His head was throbbing with immense pain and being at the mall wasn't exactly the best thing for his headache. Lucas wasn't much of a drinker in the first place but his frat brothers forced him to endure yet another night of booze and for that, he suffered today.

The mall was filled with its usual patrons - the "girlfriends" who shopped and dined together, the elderly people who went to get the latest sales, and the teenybopper high school kids, who never had money but decided that going to the mall was fun. Lucas never understood this town that he lived in because he wasn't very social in the first place. Okay, that was a complete lie. Lucas was extremely social, he just talked when he felt comfortable enough to show his sarcastic and quite humorous behavior. He began to dig in the now cold orange chicken that was on his plate - his mind beginning to wonder off to the people he seen walking by, most notably one of the guys Lucas had found cute for quite a while.

The thoughts running through his head were enough to drive him crazy and he wanted to approach the boy as he had done so many times with women, but he opted out because it wasn't acceptable for a guy like him. A guy like him was supposed to be a alcoholic, someone who enjoyed a good party. A guy like him was supposed to be a ladies man, not some dude who liked guys. He had hated this about himself for a long time but he knew he couldn't come out just yet. He wasn't ready. Until he as ready, he would continue to have himself with every morsel of his being. That was the life right? He scooped his fork back into his chow mien, wondering what he did to deserve this life he had. He had virtually no friends outside of his brothers, and he was the type of guy who loved attention from anyone he could get it from. Yeah...this was going to be a fun Saturday...alone.

[sorry, I'm oddly distracted and I was just trying to get it done. It'll be better with my next post of course.]

[alice]

Usually, Alice had better things to do on a saturday than be at the mall. For one, she didn't really enjoy shopping and that whole consummerism thing as much as the regular female, especially not in a place with highschool posers, cheesy pop music and air conditioning systems that had to be cloned from polar winds and solar blasts. For two, the weekend was her time to relax, her days off. With no classes being held and no rolls to make at the sushi bar, on the rare occasions in which she didn not have yet another essay to write or a clinical case to diagnose, the brunette either lazed about the house - a difficult matter when her parents were there -, or lazed about the town. On this particular saturday, however, she was unable to do either. No, instead she had been charged by her mother with the task of buying an appropriate birthday present for her soon-to-be-thirteen cousin.

How was she to know what teens were into these days? Sure, she saw girls walking around wearing only the latest trends, but that was about it. Music might be a good idea, maybe some of that Justin Bieber crap. Why girls went crazy over a boy whose voice sounded like he was one of them, she'd never know. Maybe it was the hair. Wandering from shop window to shop window looking for gift candidates was proving to be more tiresome than Alice had anticipated; maybe she should ask some giggling highschooler for a few tips.

As if to protest against that course of action, Alice's stomach rumbled audibly, not-so-subtly reminding her that she hadn't had breakfast and that last night's dinner was long gone. I'll think better on a full stomach. With that thought in mind, Alice hurried to the food court, feeling a ravenous hunger settle in her stomach with all the finesse of a pack of wild hippos. Just as she was pondering what to get to appease the beast, her eyes caught sight of a familiar figure sitting at a table all by himself. Great, Lucas can help me. With the food and the present.

Alice ruffled Lucas's hair playfully as she walked past his chair, after which she plopped down on one next to him. A look and a whiff at the contents of her friend's bag had the girl shaking her head sadly. "How many times have I told you, if you're in the mood for actual Chinese just give me a call?" she asked rhethorically, her voice both playful and scolding.

[bryancox11]

Lucas was lost deep in his thoughts as he took another mouthful of the greasy fake Chinese food, chewing slowly as he gazed on mindlessly at the random patrons passing by. The mall was never exciting because it was the same people day-in-and-day-out and it irritated every morsel of his being because it was ridiculous. Lucas looked down at his food in disappointment, shoving his fork back into his food and shutting the lid. Panda Express was never what he hoped it was going to be, a shame because Lucas had craved the food for the past two weeks and hoped that the food would turn out at least somewhat appetizing. It was a shame that it wasn't any good because Lucas hated wasting money. Sure, he could finish the food, but why torture himself? It wasn't a big deal to him if he got rid of the greasy food that failed to satisfy him. Who knows, maybe someone would come by and finish it for him, it wasn't like he cared anyways.

Lucas was so deep in thought that he let out a slight jolt when his female friend rubbed her fingers through his hair. Never mind that it actually felt good, like she always intended it too, but he wasn't expecting it. He figured that she would laugh at him for acting like a little girl when she touched him, but what else could she really expect from him? He was frightened easily and she knew it. "Hey." Lucas said tenderly after swallowing the remains of the Orange Chicken he had been chewing. He smirked at the girl, who seemed disgusted at the food he had in front of her, and pushed the container toward her. "Want some?" he said with a playful grin as he shoved the container closer to her seat.

Alice was perhaps one of his closest friends and Lucas was extremely pleased to see her roaming the crowded mall on a Saturday afternoon. They had been friends for almost two years - at one point spending the night, unknowing the the R.A's, in each others dorm room. Lately, however, they hadn't been doing that as often. Lucas moved into the fraternity house and while they have still hung out from time to time, it wasn't the same as when they first met. He still loved this girl though, and was happy that she saved him from the horrible disaster that is shopping. "I know.I should have called you, it would have sure beat this crap. What brings you to such a lovely place?" he said sarcastically, a cheesy grin forming on his thin lips. "I mean, I know you love the mall and all..."

[alice]

As the greasy container inched closer to her, Alice sank further back into her chair, as if she were trying to avoid contact with a nasty creature like a cockroach or a spider. "No thank you, that's vile!" she complained childishly. How those unidentifiable balls of grease and fat passed for Chinese food was a mystery to her. More mysterious still was the way people bought and ate them. Even Lucas, whom she held in high esteem, had fallen for the Panda trap. Well, nobody was perfect, right? Still, her friend came closer to that than most people she knew - he was really a great guy, even if there were one or two things he needed to work on. Surprisingly, her parents felt the same way, and more than once had her father told her that 'if only your friend were Asian too...' A wry smirk played on Alice's lips as she recalled that comment. Nope, that wouldn't go anywhere, and not just because she didn't want to.

"Oh, I just had, you know," Alice started, speaking in an extremely girly and annoying tone tone as she twirled a strand of black hair with her index finger, "to, like, check out boys and, like, clothes and stuff." She only managed to keep the act for a few seconds, bursting into chuckles as soon as she stopped talking. The scariest thing was that some people actually did speak like that. "I have to get a birthday present for my cousin," Alice explained dejectedly, crossing her arms on the table and burying her head in it. "I don't even know what pre-teens girls like these days." The muffled sound was barely audible. "Do you?" she asked, lifting her head and looking at the male with hopeful eyes.

Chances were Lucas didn't, either. But maybe he had suggestions that weren't as ridiculous as hers. Either way, Alice had made up her mind and decided that she was going to recruit her friend to help her in this troublesome, high-profile mission. Because that's what friends so. They bore themselves silly together doing boring stuff that would be even more boring if they weren't together. "I'll treat you to dinner tonight if you help me," Alice added with a wink, hoping the bribe would be enough incentive.

[bryancox11]

Alice could safely be considered one of Lucas' best friends in the whole world. When these two were together they were practically dynamite for years, and they, at one point, were practically inseparable. Lucas knew that no matter what happened in his life that Alice was going to be there for him like she always was. It was a damn shame that he couldnt tell her the truth. He was gay. It was so hard for him to come to terms with his sexuality, because what if he wasnt gay? I mean, he never even had a boyfriend to begin with. Sure, he's made out with a few guys, but he also enjoyed hooking up with girls. Lucas never believed in being bisexual - you were either one of the other. Someday she would learn the truth, if she didnt already know. Lucas shuddered at the thought.

The more and more he thought about his decision to buy Panda, the sicker he got. It always sounded like a great idea at the start, but the first bite always ruined it for you. I mean it was practically grease and oil mixed with probably frozen pre-packaged food. Thats nasty. Lucas laughed when she put on her teenybopper facade because he knew that she did it too well. That was Alice though, always being the comedic relief. That is what he loved about her; the ability she had to make him smile at almost any moment. " Well, you know you can never go wrong with the Biebz." he said almost nonchalant. He had tried his best to keep a straight face, but Alice knew him too well. He couldnt keep a straight face if his life depended on it. That is how Alice always knew if he was lying. "I don't know, but we can look." he finally said after deliberating for a bit, his brow crinkled in frustration.

He couldnt help but smile at her attempt to bribe Lucas with dinner in order for him to "help" her. Once again, he knew Alice, perhaps better then her own family did. There was no such thing as "helping" Alice, because she was so good at getting you to do all of the work, you just never can realize it because she was so sweet and innocent. It didnt help that Lucas was easily manipulated and she knew that about him. Lucas would swear that he could never be manipulated, instead believing that he was 'just a nice guy', but it was true. You could get him to do just about anything you wanted if you tried. "Dinner eh?" he said with a slight smirk, "You're on."