Urban Survival - The Uglier Side of City Living, Wednesday, Period 2

[myownface]

"So, squatting," Sparkle said, feeling a little bit like he'd been hit by a bus and mostly just looking like he'd spent a few days drinking under one, "or homesteading - and I learned last night that you have to use both terms in your Google searches if you don't want to learn about cows or how to lift heavy boxes - is, by the most loose definition

Comments

Talk to Sparkle

[myownface]

He'll, you know, attempt words. He's all responsible that way.

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[intotheout]

So Sparkle wasn't looking terribly focused today. And the radio had had a few comments earlier in the week about people checking up on him. Tip figured he probably didn't need yet another person asking him stupid questions, so instead of asking if he was okay, she spend some of the quieter time in the class drawing a quick sketch of someone with dark, spikey hair and eyeliner kicking a bunch of people in top hats, monocles, or pearls out of a castle while a bunch of raggedy looking punk kids partied on the ramparts.

She folded it into a little paper football and with the deadly accuracy that could only be learned spending time in public schools, flicked it at Sparkle's forehead as soon as class ended.

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[myownface]

And Sparkle was out of it enough that the paper football hit its mark, and blinked him out of his... well... you had to actually be thinking about something for it to be a reverie, didn't you? It yanked him back to his senses, anyway, and he squinted for a moment before noticing the paper football and unfolding it.

...

"Okay," he said, smiling a little at the picture there, "this is totally going on my fridge."

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[intotheout]

Tip shot a victory text to J.Lo, then came up to show Sparkle the reply.

"J.Lo says he's glad I was able to make you smile."

J.Lo's reply was misspelled and heavily dependent on emojis, but clearly celebratory in nature.

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[myownface]

Sparkle blinked at the phone, and then smiled a little bit more.

"Well, you tell J.Lo that I think he's good people."

And still had the most awesome name ever.

"Thanks, Tip. I kinda needed that."

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[intotheout]

"You're welcome." Tip shrugged. "It's all in the power of art to heal. Or at least distract."

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[myownface]

"I'll take being distracted," Sparkle decided. "I'm one of those dumbasses who picks at scabs if I'm not distracted, anyway."

Or lights them on fire.

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[intotheout]

Don't light your scabs on fire. That was a bad idea.

"I thought it might be better than another sympathetic 'are you okay'. I tend to go a little nuts if too many people do that to me."

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[myownface]

"Hey, I can live with that," Sparkle replied, shrugging. "Kinda obvious I'm not, anyway, isn't it?"

What with all the staring blankly and wanting to throw things at people he'd been doing today.

"I'd run out of lies if I had to start making up shit for everyone."

He wasn't very good at scraping up stories this week, anyhow.

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[intotheout]

"Little bit. But hey, you showed up anyway. And no movie day."

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[myownface]

"Pretty sure if I were to have to come up with a movie we'd all be watching, like, The Littlest Hobo or something."

Which was less about homelessness and more about a dog.

Also, it was very Canadian.

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[intotheout]

Tip shook her head. "I don't know that one."

Being not Canadian. And from a world where Disney World was Happy Mouse Kingdom.

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[myownface]

"It's a puppy dog adventure show," Sparkle replied, shrugging his shoulders a little. "Puppy dog adventures are about my speed if I throw in the towel right now, I think."

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[intotheout]

"I'm pretty sure the school's not going to mind if you have one class full of puppy-dog adventures," Tip said. "You should demand extra pay for not doing it."

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[myownface]

"I've managed to avoid puppy dog adventures so far, haven't I?"

This was his first class ever. Or, well, his first class that hadn't been dropped into his lap while he was TA halfway through the semester, anyway. He was hell-bent on doing it right.

"Dunno. Of all the courses I could have wound up teaching, I don't want this to be the one I end up half-assing."

Re: Talk to Sparkle

[intotheout]

"I thought the point of not working customer service was you got to take sick days sometimes," Tip pointed out. "But if not . . . I'll just have to draw you more cartoons."