01<@Ardweden> [Day: Tuesday, September 28. Time: 5th period lunch.]
 01<@Ardweden> [All morning, rumors have been swirling about Tyler 
flipping the fuck out. By third period, Javy's also heard rumors about 
Tyler in the hospital. Some of those rumors put Tiffany in the hospital, 
too. The cause of his injuries varies from jocks to muggers to Tyler's 
own friends, and the injuries Tyler (and sometimes Tiffany) sustainted 
vary just as widely.]
 01<@Ardweden> [Now Javy's walking into the cafeteria, which is abuzz 
with gossip.]
 01<@Ardweden> [Start!]
 06* Javy looks around worriedly as he comes in, thumb under the strap of 
his backpack, as he gets in line. He tries to see who's around that he 
actually knows and could talk with here.
 01<@Ardweden> [The usual table is empty, but people are still filing in. 
Kit's already sitting at the swim team table. A couple of students get in 
line behind Javy, talking about how they heard some guys got in a fight 
this morning. They're not naming names, though.]
 06* Javy makes his way through the line. He almost turns around to ask 
what they need, opening up his mouth, but then closes it and forces his 
gaze forwards. Better to just order and get to the table and talk to 
people he knows already.
 01<@Ardweden> [It's certainly a plan! Javy gets to the end to find out 
that it's a baked chicken and mashed potatoes sort of day.]
 01<@Ardweden> [Also a vegetable. Looks like green beans.]
 06* Javy orders a small helping of everything and gets some unsweetened 
ice tea to boot, and then takes another final look around before heading 
to the swim table if no one more likely’s shown up.
 01<@Ardweden> [This is a fancy cafeteria what has unsweetened iced tea. 
And yes, the usual table is just empty and forlorn. It's almost sad.]
 06* Javy looks worriedly at the table for a beat, and then heads to the 
swim table, sliding into the seat opposite the other boy's. "Hey Kit."
 01<@Ardweden> [Kit's nose is buried in a Spanish textbook; a workbook 
lies open next to him with a barely touched but full tray of food on the 
other side. "Hi." He looks up at Javy, then blinks as he realizes who's 
actually in front of him. "Do you know Spanish?"]
 06* Javy pokes at a piece of chicken, and nods. "Yeah, uh. My mom, she, 
um. She speaks it, and I... I got it. From her." He reddens slightly. 
That makes Spanish sound like a disease.
 01<@Ardweden> [It does! But Kit latches onto the first part. "Great! Can 
you, uh, could you help me with this?" He pushes the workbook over so 
Javy can see it. "I'm not really good at conjugating verbs..."]
 06* Javy looks at it and nods. "Sure, but, uh... you mean, like. Tricks? 
For doing it?"
 01<@Ardweden> ["Yeah, I just don't get it."]
 06* Javy turns the book, and tries to think about how to approach it. 
"SO, uh... just. Before I start, um... did you..." He stops, and takes a 
sip of tea. "The fight, I heard there was one, do you... who was doing 
that?"
 01<@Ardweden> [Kit shrugs, reaching over to grab a forkful of mashed 
potato. He shoves it into his mouth before talking. "I dunno. I just 
heard some guy got beaten up and is in the hospital." While he talks, 
Jonah arrives. Predictably, he has a tray of mashed potatoes and green 
beans. "Javy!" he says happily. "Haven't seen you at this table in a 
while."]
 01<@Ardweden> [Jonah sits down, right next to the stuttering wonder.]
 06* Javy nods to him. "Hey Jonah," he says, more easily. "It's. Yeah, I 
thought. I felt the same."
 01<@Ardweden> ["Got tired of sitting with the other group all the time?" 
Jonah turns to look across the cafeteria.]
 01<@Ardweden> [Kit quiets, putting food in his mouth.]
 06* Javy looks down at this plate, and makes a low noise of agreement 
while he picks out a piece of chicken, before saying, "Just... don't want 
to lose. Uh. I... new friends, you shouldn't leave the old ones. Right?"
 01<@Ardweden> [Jonah smiles. "Sure." He glances over. "Looks like the 
table's empty, anyway." And then, more thoughtfully: "Heard Tiffany got 
in that fight. Or skipped. Something like that."]
 06* Javy looks up at him sharply. "Huh?"
 01<@Ardweden> [Jonah shrugs. "Just saying what I heard. You sit with her 
most of the time; you'd know better than me." He spears a green bean, 
bites it, and makes a face. But he keeps eating the thing. Kit looks up 
from his food and timidly asks, "Who's Tiffany?"]
 06* Javy reddens along his cheekbones and his ears get hot, and he half 
looks down. "She's, uh. She..." He swallows. "We... we're friends and 
she... we're going. Um. To the dance. Together. Um. Date together. Not 
friends together. She's..." He shrugs helplessly and takes a large piece 
of chicken.
 01<@Ardweden> [Jonah looks back at Javy at that. "Wait, what?"]
 06* Javy is way too busy chewing chicken and looking at a cup of tea to 
answer that question.
 01<@Ardweden> [That's fine. Jonah can wait. Maybe because he's an 
asshole, but probably because he's curious. Meanwhile, Cole appears. 
"Hey, what's going on?" which is immediately followed by Jonah saying, 
"Javy asked Tiffany to the dance." And Cole's reaction: "What?" Maybe not 
actually saved, Javy.]
 06* Javy looks up at Cole and nods shyly, all sorts of blushing now. Not 
going to say anything, though. Just drink some tea.
 01<@Ardweden> ["I've gotta hear about this," Cole says, sitting down. 
"Come on, Javy."]
 06* Javy pokes at a green bean. "I. We're friends. Uh. Like, we... we've 
worked on stuff, and, uh... and. She's, she's... interesting, and..." He 
swallows, and just eats the whole green bean at once. The whole thing, in 
his mouth.
 01<@Ardweden> ["And hot, right?" Jonah asks, and Cole punches him in the 
arm. "Let him finish."]
 06* Javy feels like even his hairline is on fire now. "What... I, it's, 
she's... herself, she's just. She can just be. I..." He looks frustrated, 
and turns his gaze on Kit.
 01<@Ardweden> [Kit blinks and shrinks back a little.]
 06* Javy looks at him for a beat, and then pulls at the Spanish textbook 
meaningfully.
 01<@Ardweden> ["Sorry," Kit mumbles while Javy steals his textbook, 
followed shortly by Jonah saying, "What're you apologizing for?" and Kit 
just sort of shrugging.]
 06* Javy looks appreciatively at him anyway, the blush dying down 
slightly as he tries to find the best place to start here.
 06* Javy points at a couple of the simple verbs at the top of the sheet, 
and asks, "Uh. From here?"
 01<@Ardweden> [Kit nods, and then Cole says, "No way. You didn't 
finish!"]
 06* Javy looks at him, almost pained, and says, "Finish?"
 01<@Ardweden> [Jonah nods. "Yeah. About Tiffany." Kit mumbles, "Lay off, 
he's gonna help me with Spanish." But the two older students don't seem 
to notice.
 06* Javy glances at Kit, and then divides his potatoes in two before 
looking back at Cole. "I. Yeah. I did, she's... she's interesting and 
smart and she notices things and she's, yeah, she's pretty, but that's... 
that's not why, she. I." He eats the potatoes quickly.
 01<@Ardweden> ["Why she and you...?" Jonah says leaning closer. A 
leading question without really being a question.]
 06* Javy shakes his head, frustrated. "We didn't, it's not... it's not 
real yet, it's just, we agreed, and. And." He tightens his fist around 
his fork. "I like her. I... I do, and." He shakes his head again, and 
abruptly pushes himself up, clattering his tray against his half-empty 
tea cup. "I should find her. Um. What happened with her."
 01<@Ardweden> [While Jonah reaches over to catch the tea, stopping the 
cup from toppling, Javy makes his getaway! He manages to half run, half 
walk while Cole yells, "Javy!" after him. But that's not stopping the 
guy! He guns for the cafeteria doors and out, eventually making it to the 
boys' bathroom, nearly running into someone exiting while he enters.]
 06* Javy mutters a quick apology, and goes just to look at himself in 
the mirror, resting his hands heavily on the sink, before shaking his 
head and splashing some water on his face.
 01<@Ardweden> [A wet Javy stares back.]
 01<@Ardweden> [Even as stressed as he is, Javy realizes he's looking 
pretty good.]
 01<@Ardweden> [He also realizes that he left his stuff in the cafeteria. 
That's great.]
 06* Javy shakes his head again, and crosses to stand by the hand dryers, 
tugging out his phone to message Nate. "Hey. Where are you?"
 01<@Ardweden> [A few minutes later, Nate texts back, "Just got out of 
class. Why?"]
 06* Javy paces around the bathroom in the meantime, before breathing out 
with relief, and says, "I left my stuff in the caf. At the swim table. 
Can you grab it?" He sends it, and then quickly adds a second one, 
saying, "And have you seen Tiffany?"
 01<@Ardweden> ["Swim table? What happened?" And then another text: "No. 
I was going to ask you. Heard some stuff."]
 06* Javy blushes slightly at the first question, and sees himself 
blushing in the mirror, and shakes his head, irritated with himself, 
before thumbing in, "Cole and Jonah were asking about Tiffany. Her and 
me."
 01<@Ardweden> ["Oh."]
 01<@Ardweden> ["Little awkward approaching the swim team for your stuff. 
What do I say?"]
 06* Javy leans against one of the stall walls on the end, and responds, 
"Tell them I found a lead on looking for Tiffany. And I'll see them later 
at practice." And then adds, frowning, "That should be fine. They can 
tease me then." And then finally, "And tell Kit I'll help him later."
 01<@Ardweden> ["Sure. Meet at the library?"]
 06* Javy breaths out in relief, and sends back, "Okay. Thanks. I owe you 
one." He checks himself in the mirror quickly, and then heads off for the 
library!
 01<@Ardweden> [Javy heads to the library! Halfway there, his stomach 
growls angrily at him. He still hasn't eaten much.]
 06* Javy slumps slightly, and places a hand lightly over his stomach as 
he walks. The chicken was even kind of good today, he thinks dejectedly.
 01<@Ardweden> [It was. :(]
 01<@Ardweden> [End!]