Ambitchious

✦

hand rested on his chest as he took a heaping breath in, relieved to hear amari’s voice even if it was shouting profanities. if anyone was going to be having the same worries as him about the sound, it was them. he gave a half ass laugh at their joke, if he wasn’t completely spooked it would have been a full ass laugh. “ we’re only in the first act, it’s shitty writing if we die this early. ” he countered, continuing down the hall with a hurried pace. he’d love to just stand and chat with amari, but time was surely of the essence. “ you and me, ” he gestured between them as he glanced over his shoulder back at them, still moving forward as he did. “ we’ve gotta be making it to act three, at least. ”

if he were to categorise everyone at broadripple into scream characters (which he had definitely done at some point), he’d at least put amari in the same category as himself, randy meeks. if not bump them up to a gale weathers. “ it sounded like it was basically just outside the window, but i couldn’t see anything. did you see anything? ”

a part of them wanted to stay and chat. because of the unexplained thefts amari had a lot of speculating to do with conny and he was one of the most tolerable students at broadripple. calling him tolerable was an understatement.amari enjoyed hanging out with him,he was cool in a dorky way. having an encyclopedic knowledge of horror movies and a camcorder made before the birth of christ didn't do him any favors in the popularity ranking but it endeared him to amari (who according to them and only them was the wisest person at broadripple minus their favorite faculty members). the more rational part of amari knew that they couldn't stand speculating in a dark deserted hallway. they had a mystery to solve.they followed closely behind him, careful not to tread on a creaky floorboard. "ooh at least the third act.do you plan to be the fan favorite comic relief that the writers are forced to bring back for the sequel?" it was hard to whisper in a light teasing tone. it was also hard to think of wise cracks during a top secret mystery solving mission at three in the morning.neither of these factors were going to stop amari from trying, being trying was something that they excelled at."no." the disappointment in their voice was as sharp as the clattering noise that dragged them out of bed. they had a justifiable reason for wanting a bed close to the door but in this situation they regretted their choice."that's why I'm here ; i couldn't see whatever the fuck was outside from my bed."an obvious answer to an obvious question.usually they'd fire a snarky remark, having no time for questions with obvious answers. it was too early to be a smart-ass and it didn't matter what time of the day it was they always had more patience for conny.

♫: Most played song this week?

i've been listening to a lot of big joanie and the spook school lately so probably new year by big joanie or gone home by the spook school. or maybe cut your bangs by girlpool. i like things with indie and punk elements but in a chill way. it helps me focus when studying or writing. i can't concentrate while listening to classical music like some people can.

✌ : Post the sixth photo in your camera roll

not counting memes and reaction images it's the capri sun casey made me take a photo of because she thought it looked like the outline of a ghost.

☾: Who was the last person from school that you dreamed about?

Name:Mulder with better hair

Photo:

Ringtone:this masterpiece

accepting questions for meme weekend

“I wouldn’t call it a problem, more of a perk if you ask me.” Domenico chuckled. “I mean, without some, I’d die of boredom.” Yep, definitely, not that he didn’t have stuff to do, after all his life was pretty busy as it was and yet… 

“Well, athletes aren’t exactly known for surviving in horrors…” Domenico chuckled again.

“Although, if this was a more modern one rather than from the eighties, I’d at least have a chance.” He shrugged. There was actually something in the tone that they had used that the young man didn’t really like, but whatever, he wasn’t there for a fight over some bullshit. “A chainsaw… a bit cliche-y if you ask me, but I’m definitely going to consider it.” He teased.

“Yeah? I mean, they could watch for all I care, you know?” He chuckled again. “I mean, I imagine they would expel me though, so yeah… maybe I can care a little, but a part from that whatever. “Besides, they would be way more chill if they were actually getting some.” He smirked.

“Why not? A bit of art an craft to keep myself busy.” He nodded. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy after all.” He smirked, although, cabin fever it was actually a problem that was way more plausible at the retreat than any machete wielding maniacs.

“But I mean, unlike at the Overlook we can actually bring something fun to do at the cabins… I for once, I’m gonna download a few movies once we get back at the school… “ Yeah it made sense, he won’t be able to stream, but at least he could leach the Academy wi-fi and get his fix of shows and movies to watch in the evening.

“Definitely, who doesn’t right?”

“We are all on the same boat I guess…” Domenico shrugged. “Ain’t gonna last forever though.” Well, he didn’t know that, but it made sense, eventually the dorms would get back to normal… Right? Right?

“That’s a good one.” Domenico laughed.

“there’s a difference between a healthy amount of imagination and the type of imagination that makes you start accusing people of witchcraft.”sometimes it was hard to know when amari was joking.they’d say dramatic and exaggerated things with a flat tone and face like stone.they didn't have the energy to be anything other than straight-forward. they also enjoyed the mystery that came with constantly having a monotone voice.

he was right when he said jocks usually died in slasher movies but he also had plenty of options.”you could always be the main character or bland boyfriend.”they suggested ,refusing to not have the last word."you can't say you want a hockey mask then disrespect the classics like that. a chainsaw is the best weapon to have when you're in a shitty cabin in the woods."their aloof facade briefly slipped,lips curving upwards into a small smile as they referenced a movie they loved. 

“jesus christ, that’s disgusting on so many levels.”amari liked to analyse the way people’s minds worked but sometimes other students said things that they didn’t want to touch with a ten foot pole.somethings weren’t unpacking; they were better off gathering cobwebs in a spooky attic.”i meant from wood”,they corrected.”.i’m not expecting you to make a paper mache machete.”either way they didn’t care as long as it didn’t involve them getting their hands dirty.they hated anything practical. 

“the overlook seems like it would be a pretty fun place to stay if jack wasn’t there.”,they commented.it was in the middle of nowhere but at least it had indoor toilets.”there’s a bunch of freaks staying there and ghosts definitely exist in that universe.”the thing they hated the most about ghosts was that there were an interesting concept but with no evidence.they were probably fake but amari wanted some kind of answer no matter what it was.”i don’t.i’m an open book.” they shut people out but that wasn’t the same as being secretive.

amari sighed. being in the same terrible situation as other people didn't make it easier to deal with. if anything it made the situation worse because now they had to deal with cramped rooms and other people overreacting."any time spent here is too long."they knew that complaining made them sound privileged but that wasn't going to stop them. staying is a run down cabin was not what they bargained for and they assumed the school could so better seeing how much admission fees were."thanks, i suppose you have some taste.",they commented dryly. seeing how often nico referenced movies that they loved he had more taste than they'd ever give him credit for.

Domenico chuckled. “I’d say that it will be inevitable that someone does, I mean have you seen this place.” He pointed toward the cabins, there was a grin on his lips though, sure the accomodation was uncomfortable, but the horror vibe was on point and for a boy that dreamed to be a director of the genre one day, well it definitely was fashinating.

“Besides, I don’t like my odds if it’s not me. I mean, I have seen enough movies to know how I’d end up.” Yep, Jocks and athletes, were the first to go. “At least I’d probably be while I’m making out or something.” He grinned again.

“Yeah bummer.” He joked, a playful smile on his lips. “Whatever, it’s not like I’d need a real one anyway.” Yep in fact a prank would definitely work better if there weren’t real weapons involved. One thing was risking detention, another was actually hurting someone by mistake.

“Hey, maybe I can borrow one from the hockey team… I mean a mask… not a machete.” Yeah it made sense, they wouldn’t even need to know that he was ‘borrowing’ it actually.

“Anyway, have you managed to settle in a bit? I mean, state of the art facilities my ass right?” Yep… Understatement of the century. “If I have to make a bet on when the stabbing begins… I’d say tomorrow morning, when everyone rushes in for a shower…”

"i think your biggest problem is going to be your over-active imagination."sure the cabins looked like a cliche horror movie location but that didn't mean it was one.at least it wouldn't be as long as mass hysteria didn't set in.

"that's not true you'd probably have a bunch of options in a horror movie."it was easy to be a mediocre white guy in a movie.it was easy to be a mediocre white guy in general."just smuggle in a chainsaw instead of a machete and you'll be fine.",they advised with a small smile.they doubted that any of their classmates would find the necronomicon but making an evil dead reference was still irresistible."you really want to make out with someone less than a meter away from a nun?"they quickly regretted suggesting that nico could potentially survive.amari thought that shame was a construct meant to control people but they also judged shameless people.shamelessness often overlapped with a lack of a survival instinct and for amari life was all about self preservation.

"you could always craft one.we don't have anything else to do."it was a playful suggestion coming from a place of genuine concern.one of amari's biggest issues with the retreat was the lack of ways to keep themselves occupied.they would have the time to focus on work or read but what were their going to do besides that? after a long day of learning and putting up with annoying classmates watching a low quality movie on youtube was a vital way to rewind.

amari rolled their eyes at nico's unnecessary clarification.either he was being condescending or he was gormless and amari didn't like the thought of either of those options.conny was endearingly awkward but awkwardness from most other people was uncomfortable to sit through."i knew what you meant. some members of the hockey team definitely have some skeletons in their closets but i doubt somebody has a secret machete collection. i wouldn't rule it out ,though." ,they joked.it was unlikely but anything was possible with the weirdos at broadripple. some of amari's classmates had real stepford smiler vibes , it was offputting in a bad way.

a humorless chuckle left their mouth."of course i've had a rough time settling in.this place is a dump and i hate that i'm sharing a room with a fuckton of people.i'd rather be anywhere else."they replied ,bluntly.they hated small talk but they could survive it when they had to ; being able to survive small talk was a necessary skill to gave if you wanted to make it in the world.however, this wasn't a situation where they felt the need to play along with the rules of small talk."nobody's getting murdered in the shower , put the chocolate sauce down hitchcock.",they remarked.it was kind of fascinating to amari how quickly their classmates had resorted to imagining ghost stories.

Location: campgrounds, outside the main hall Time: mid-afternoon

@ba-central​

“Do you think they have a vegetable garden here?” Honey Bea asked to the nearby student as she leaned down to press her hands against the dirt. It was firm, but it had some moisture in it. This wasn’t the worst soil for farming, and the cook could probably grow some great root vegetables. But looking around, she didn’t see anything that resembled a garden which made her start to questions the kinds of food they be preparing for breakfast and dinner. She was not a canned veggies kind of girl, that was for sure. “I don’t think I’ll be able to eat much here.” She said with a sigh, hands coming up to curl around the bill of her baseball hat, a nervous habit she had picked up over the years. “You think the Sisters would look at me weird if I sneak a bunch of food back from campus? Or will I just have to eat a big lunch?”  

“what do you think the word abandoned means? there’s nothing here expect us ,an outhouse and two shitty cabins.”,they stated bluntly.amari couldn’t understand glass half full kind of people but they could tolerate them.what they couldn’t tolerate was people that looked at a glass with only a few droplets of liquid in and thought ‘oh look it’s almost full’.people needed to accept the reality of their situation.and the situation a select number of broadripple students were stuck in was staying in decaying cabins because their school was too cheap to find them better temporary accommodation.”you could probably make your own garden.unless the soil has been ruined by dead bodies.”it was a genuine situation wrapped up in a morbid joke.amari’s only experience with plants came from the philodendron in their dorm but helping to grow a vegetable garden could be a good way to ease the boredom.”why?do you have some kind of dietary restriction?”,they questioned.”potentially.but a weird look is better than damning you or forcing you to clean the outhouse.” strange looks were the least of amari problems.people had been looking at them weirdly their entire life ,it was something they had learned to deal with.what they didn’t want to deal with was being punished by the sisters or other members of staff.they aimed for an immaculate record.

location: campground

time: mid-morning

@ba-central

“No. You absolutely didn’t see me shopping for a hokey mask.” Nico smirked, as he pretended to hide the screen of his phone from the newcomer. If the pretty specific denial wasn’t enough already, it definitely wasn’t hard to get a glimpse of a collection of apparel wouldn’t be out of place in Jason Voorhees cupboard.

“But, I mean, one must be prepared.” He chuckled. Leaning with his back against one of the cabin walls.

“Do you think that they would let us mail order a machete?” Another chuckle. Now he still didn’t have any plan, yet, but the camp definitely had too strong of a Friday 13th vibe to let it go to waste didn’t it? Then again, yeah, he would have to figure out a way that didn’t end with him being expelled, or half of the school running away screaming through the woods though… Well…  

amari sighed at nico’s confession.they were looking for tips on how to get a good wi-fi signal ,not for an insight into his latest immature games.if they were being generous they’d acknowledge that he didn’t deserve to have their ire directed at him because he wasn’t responsible for the lack of indoor plumbing and cramped living arrangements. but they weren’t in the mood for generosity ,they were in the mood to be bitter.

 “prepared for what?do you think you’re going to go all jason on us?”.they inquired.if there was a betting pool of which students were going to become slasher movie villains amari would put their money on gwen or damian.damian was disturbingly similar to pamela voorhees and gwen’s signature blue ribbon must have been cutting off the blood circulation to her head.whatever was going to happen amari had a front row seat to gwen or damian’s downward spiral.that is if they weren’t one of the first victims. “we weren’t allowed panini presses in our kitchenettes there’s no way we’re going to be allowed machetes.”,they commented with a small smile.with certain members of the student body it made sense why they weren’t allowed flammable objects but it still hurt to be so tightly monitored.

BASICS

name:amari dorothea austin

age:eighteen

grade:senior

house: seton

cabin room:one

how long have they been at broadripple:two years:two years

where are they from originally: rayleigh,north carolina

extra curricular: speech and debate

TRAITS

positive personality traits:ambitious ,quick-witted ,inquisitive and  creative

neutral personality traits:matter of fact,outspoken ,off-kilter and analytical

negative personality traits:insensitive ,judgemental ,obsessive ,cynical

FACTS

they’re as southern as iced tea and biscuits and gravy but they play it down as much as possible.that’s why they applied to a school on the other side of the country.they wanted to leave their past behind and attend somewhere that looks on college application

besides from transferring to broadripple at the start of junior year the most drastic change in their life was the divorce of their parents.it was strange at first and being in the middle of legal battles was exhausting but for a nine year old amari took it farely well.the seeds of a distant estranged relationship with their father were starting to plant anyway so only seeing him on the weekends didn't have much of a negative impact.alan austin never knew how to connect with his precocious child with scrutinizing eyes

they never grew out of the phase where children ask questions about everything ,amari's defining trait is their curiosity (but some people describe them as intrusive).if there's something to learn they want to know it doesn't matter if it's facts or school gossip.

HEADCANONS

they have a huge passion for writing ,both fiction or non-fiction.they enjoy writing non-fiction because of their thirst for facts and knowledge but love fiction because of the lack of boundaries and ability to comment on real life using metaphors

amari is a horror movie junkie.jump scares are fine but what they enjoy the most is psychological horror.they like movies with grand ambitions that genuinely try to get under people's skins.they can also appreciate the artistry and effort needed for practical effects and fx makeup

they're vocal about their dislike of the house system.in amari's mind it's a contrived and transparent way to attempt to foster social cohesion.they also have a natural dislike of teamwork.they hate having to rely on people and the only person they trust to properly get things done is themself

they rarely bite their tongue except when it comes to teachers and the nuns.they feel like people should earn their title as an authority figure.however they know that if they want to be academically successful they need to avoid arguing their teachers even if they're in the right.

when they're not in uniform their sense of style is horrendous.they like being shapeless and comfortable so usually wear oversized t-shirt (especially horror movie t-shirts).they also wear shorts no matter the season.they like the pockets that are included with cargo shorts

they're excited for college but they're still unsure what they want to do with their life.they're stuck between journalism or psychiatry.their contribution to the mental health field would have to be purely medical because they have a difficult time comforting people without coming across as clinical and detached

apart from horror movies amari also has an interest in true crime.they're fascinated by mysterious and examining what drives people to do horrible things.the edith lynch case was one of the things that originally drew them to broadripple

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RETREAT

what do they think about The Retreat?they know that it’s a necessity but that doesn’t mean they have to be happy about it.they're irritated that broadripple is charging so much money for enrollment fees but the best emergency accommodation they can offer are dilapidated cabins in the middle of nowhere.just because amari enjoys horror movies doesn’t mean they want to live like the main character in one!

do they have any previous experience with camping or other outdoors? not really.one time they went camping with their parents but they were too young to help out around the camp site.they almost spent most of that vacation refusing to put down their gameboy and animorphs books.

what does their cabin bunk look like? How will they decorate their space? one of the biggest changes is going to be sharing a room with multiple people.before the infestation they had a dorm to themself so they were able to be as place their things wherever they pleased.most people would call them untidy but amari claims that they operate by a system of organised chaos.they used to put up an array of post-it notes around they dorm to remind them of story ideas and tasks that they needed to finish.as a way to deal with the lack of internet amari brought a portable dvd player with them as well as one of those classic dvd/cd wallets.they have horror movie posters for the soul reason of offending damian

do they believe in the supernatural? to what degree? they’re a sceptic by nature.Amari won’t believe anything until they get presented with evidence.they think that there’s a logical explanation for most supernatural encounters but they’re willing to change their mind

are they easily spooked? no! they believe that what the paranoid human mind imagines is scarier than the actual scenario.If anything they would try to attract spooky situations.They’re desperate for proof of the supernatural so would attempt to arrange an interview with any potential ghost or demon

AND FINALLY,

Still rubbing at front of his leg in an effort to soothe the sharp aches, Damian grumbled, “I don’t have anger management problems.” Though the way his body and face was tensing up in all sorts of places at the accusation had him wondering otherwise. Whatever, this was just a bad day. A frustrating day. People were allowed to be in sour moods. Even House Captains. They didn’t always need to be… them. (They did. They really did. They needed to be the image of a perfectly well-adjusted student.)

Releasing his leg, Damian took a deep breath in through his nose, slowly pushing the air out through his mouth a moment later. He just needed to collect himself. Gather his bearings. He was fine. It was just… a poor impulse decision. Like that time he was spent an unnecessary amount of money online ordering accessories for medium-sized dogs. (He donated what Alpha didn’t end up needing. He wasn’t wasteful.)

Much calmer now, or at least with a better hold of himself, Damian felt more confident about addressing the latter part of Amari’s words. “I’m aware such professionals exist, Amari.” He sighed a little, recalling all the time he spent in Dr. Erlandson’s office last year. “I appreciate you for bringing them to light, but their services won’t be of use to me. I’m sure they’re doing their job with people who actually need that kind of help. I’m just having an off day.”

Yup, that’s what it was. An off day. Damian was a well-adjusted human being. He didn’t need a therapist. 

 Amari raised their eyebrows in disbelief.They weren't buying Damian's bullshit excuse.Of course he was allowed to have bad days ,under that composed House Captain image he liked to hide behind he was a clueless teenager making it up as he went along like every other student at Broadripple ,including Amari even though they also pretended they knew what they were doing,. But they couldn't believe that lashing out at unsuspecting bags was a normal thing people did.That wasn't how Amari reacted when they were having a bad day.Their bad coping mechanism came in the form of shutting people out more than they usually did.

They looked on from their seat as Damian attempted to compose himself.Watching silently as he took in deep breaths then breathed out again.In theory Amari knew how to comfort people.They had read plenty of psychology textbooks.But in actual situations they were clueless.They didn’t know how to say comforting things that didn't sound clinical."Are you okay?",they asked."I know ,stupid question but it doesn't hurt to ask.You don't look okay."

They instinctively rolled their eyes at Damian's protest.It wasn't a surprise that he thought he was too good for therapy.Amari got the impression that he was the kind of person that thought he was too good for bedsheets that weren't made of silk."Actually ,I read somewhere that therapy can helpful for anybody.It's nothing to be ashamed of or think you're too good for.",they stated matter of factly."And this isn't just me trying to get a head start at getting a client if I fail at becoming a writer.",they added with a small smile.A playful smile unlike their smug smile from earlier.

“So. Plot twist. He stood me up. Like, just completely didn’t show.” Ella dropped her purse on the table in Broadripple’s dining hall. It was the only one she’d brought to the Academy with her, the only one nice enough to be deemed worthy of going out. But instead of a promised Friday night escape to one of the local restaurants just out of town, Ella was left waiting at the gates for a ride that never showed up. If she was being honest with herself, the first of many red flags had arisen when Brent kept trying to slide their texts into the realm of sexts. And optimism was always an excuse she fell back on when she knew she wanted something unrealistic. “Just so you know, the guys from Somerville High are lame. I swear, this guy didn’t even know Sappho was an actual person.” She definitely wasn’t bitter about it. She totally didn’t care. Even though she’d wasted an hour trying to recreate a make-up tutorial and slaving over an outfit that looked effortlessly cute. An hour that she could have spent on something meaningful. Like practicing lines or reviewing Griffin’s latest edits for Broadripple Uncensored.

Instead, she’d spent her open afternoon rifling through drawers, switching out her earrings, and trying on nearly every article of clothing in her wardrobe. Gwen would have a mouthful to say about the pile mounted on Ella’s bed when she got back to the room, but Ella considered that an issue to suss out later.

She looked over the food on her classmate’s plate. Ella frowned. “Okay, that tuna casserole looks expired.” Ella cracked a smile. “Does it taste as sad as it looks?” 

 People that were familiar with Amari's routine would have been surprised to see them in the dining room on a Friday night. 

 They usually spent Friday nights alone in their dorm ,doing writing exercises or falling into the black hole that was bad Netflix Original horror movies,.Most people would have seen that as pathetic or anti-social but that criticism didn't phase Amari.They couldn't change the part of their personality that made them enjoy spending time alone.Even if they could change they wouldn't.They felt a sense of pride at being able to be alone with getting bored.They didn't need anyone.No man was an island but Amari was no man. 

 However,Amari was still a mere mortal like everybody else.Forgetting to eat after dinner resulted in them being hungry just like it would for any other person.That explained why they were perched on a seat in the dinner hall.Listening to what was going on around them instead of laughing at bad CGI in their dorm."You expect teenage boys to know anything about Sappho? You might want to lower your bar a little.",they commented.Their snarky comment wasn't aimed at Ella's expensive.It was more a dig at teenage boys and what Amari assumed their priorities were."Classics nerds can barely name the token female poet nevermind the average boy.",they continued sourly.They were hardly a Sappho expert but thinking about how classicists could only place her poems together from fragments and how some classicists originally translated her poems in a purposefully heteronormative way made Amari's heart sink.

Amari looked up from their Tuno Casserole to take in Ella's tragically wasted date night look."You scrub up nicer than Brent deserves."It was an attempt at a compliment but not a very good one."Not that you really needed to scrub up.You could wear a paper bag and would still be out of Brent's league ,intellectually and looks wise.",they added ,failing to dig themself out of a hole.She was outgoing ,intelligent and had big crystal doe eyes.Nobody could ask for more.

"It"s made of chickpeas, not tuna.",they stated plainly.They would rather point out that the casserole was a vegan alternative than talk about the quality of it.An attempt was made but like Amari's attempt to give Ella a compliment it wasn't a very good attempt.

 — @amariaustin ;

It wasn’t everyday Damian was filled with the sudden urge to kick at someone’s belongings. In fact, to him, it was absolutely childish and inane. Why would anyone with a working human brain result to such behavior? Who knows? But as a group of boys, many of whom Damian couldn’t quite care to recognize except Johnnie, jogged off in a huddle to do God knows what, Damian couldn’t help but realize the Ward’s bag was right there and Damian’s Amedeo Testoni-covered foot was also right there.

There wasn’t much of a thought process as he stared at the thing for .2 seconds more before his foot went whoosh! and a loud smack was heard, followed closely by the sound of Damian yelping. It was probably God chiding him for being so foolish. His shin had met the leg of the table the bag was under before his foot could send the smelly sack flying across the room, sending a sharp pain shooting up his leg.

Hand to his shin, Damian stumbled backwards into an armchair, rubbing at the aching spot with a pinched face. It was around this moment when he finally decided to open his eyes and much to his dismay, he realized he wasn’t alone.

Was that… Amari? Oh no.

“Could we perhaps agree that you, erm, didn’t see that?”

Amari needed to finish a certain amount of homework before relaxing.Technically ,there was nothing physically stopping them procrastinating but procrastinating felt wrong.Every time they tried it was like there was a boulder pushing down on their shoulders.Thoughts of unfinished work would haunt them.It was both a blessing and a curse.But mainly it was a fact they didn't know how to explain to anybody else.So they quietly and efficiently stuck to their system without telling anybody how they felt.

After finishing the work they assigned themself for that afternoon Amari marched out of their dorm.They had decided to spend their free time people watching.They knew that most people would think it was weird but that didn't matter to them.They enjoyed observing people,trying to work out what was going on in their mind or if that failed creating a fake backstory for them.

Amari was disappointed that the only people in the room with them were Damian and a group of rowdy boys.But they refused to move from where they had sat down.They were comfy and there was a lot to observe about teenage boys.Especially the one that acted like a stressed business man,who was stuck in a unhappy marriage,

.They watched as Damian failed at kicking a bag.What had that bag ever done to him?And since when did Damian have poorly repressed rage?Maybe forever and Amari had just failed to notice.They would never admit it to themself but Amari failed to notice a lot of things.

Amari chuckled as Damian rubbed his shin.Getting joy out of somebody else's misfortune was probably sadistic but it was also natural enough for Germans to have need a word for it."You can pretend I didn't see anything if it makes you feel better but I'm filing that away for a bad day.",they replied with a grin ,tapping their temple for emphasis."And since when did you ,golden boy of Broadripple, have anger management problems?You know you can talk to somebody about those ,right?I mean an actual professional not a priest."

Leave it to Amari to know way more about Ellen DeGeneres than anybody other than Portia Del Rossi had any right to. Griffin made a face at them as they rattled on about the talk show, like anybody their age actually cared about a show that aired in the middle of the afternoon. Griffin and Amari had solidarity in knowing random shit about random things, but he could admit that Amari’s fact vomiting took the metaphorical cake.

“Maybe they were tripped up because I’m a first time offender,” he suggested. “I’m sure they would’ve flipped Sebastian’s dorm like a contraband search in prison if he’d tried the same stunt.” Which meant Griffin probably couldn’t use the trick again, especially talking about it openly in the library. But it was fine. After his experience at the pool, he doubted he’d be making an appearance at BBC parties in the future.

He gave Amari a very exaggerated eye roll - making sure they saw - when they quoted Kesha. “Poetic,” he mumbled. “I guess I went for the same reasons. To have an experience, for whatever it’s worth. That way when I get to college and people I can actually stand to be around have parties, I don’t make an ass of myself.” It was high hopes for his future, imagining he’d have a circle of friends. But that was what college was about and Griffin held onto the idea with an iron grip. 

“Isn’t it weird that nobody else at Broadripple throws parties?” he asked Amari. “Like your BAU friends. Why don’t you all have an Unsolved party? It’d be way more interesting than anything the BBC has ever conceived of in their lives.”

Amari responded to Griffin's eye roll with a wise crack.But they responded to most things with a snarky remark.They enjoyed behaving like a college professor that sat on their desk and thought they were too cool to stick to the syllabus."My condescension is always important."It was a self-improvement paradox.They knew they acted like an arrogant prick sometimes but they didn't want to change.They enjoyed it and made it a part of their personal brand.They liked behaving like a college professor that sat on their desk and thought they were too cool to stick to the syllabus."It doesn't matter that I just rambled about daytime TV and Ellen."Amari smirked.They associated Ellen with the Westboro Baptist Church parody she was referenced in.What a hateful banger. 

 "Maybe.",they said in agreement."I don't want to underestimate them."Amari wasn't sure about the rest of the faculty but they were sure Sister Michael was the real omnipotent presence at Broadripple ,fuck God.She was more frightening."Was the party good enough to convert you to the dark side?",they asked with a small mischievous smile.They couldn't imagine Griffin as anything other than a Dead Poets Society reject.It suited him. 

 "Kesha is the voice of a generation.",they deadpanned.It was ironic seeing as they streamed her last two albums.Amari wasn't as snobby as they seemed.In reality they were the exact opposite.They didn't buy all that Good Art vs Bad Art Bullshit.Good Art was anything that caused a reaction and low brow stuff was fun to consume and analyse.That's why they'd watched Zombeavers five times and had a John Waters pin. Their main motivation for attending hadn't been for experience.It had been for research.Research had coincidentally resulted in an experience they didn't enjoy or see the need for.They could tell Katherine Bishop how much they hated her on any day ending in Y.Perhaps hate was a strong word ,but they still weren't endeared to that hypocritical Stepford Wife is training. They nodded along to show that they were still paying close attention.It made sense that Griffin was the type of person to have high hopes for college.Presumably he had the money and grades to go wherever he wanted so he'd probably be able to surround himself with equally pretentious like minded people.If they allowed themself to be optimistic Amari had similar ambitions. 

“By the skin of my teeth. Maybe they figured punishing the two of us would look like some sort of human rights violation,” Griffin sarcastically offered, moving aside his belongings so Amari could sit with him in an act that wasn’t so much friendly as it was practical. “Being infamous for nun murder is one thing. It’s way more damaging these days to be a talking point on Ellen in one of those extra special episodes about intolerance.” 

There was a beat before he offered a real explanation. “Also I stuffed my sheets with a broom and a deflated basketball. I assumed - correctly - that Disney channel original movies would never lie to me.”

He wasn’t sure he’d actually seen Amari at the party, but he’d been rather preoccupied with the giant target on his back that tempted BBC members into bullying him. “Didn’t know you went,” he told them honestly. “I assumed those things weren’t your style.”  

 Amari nodded as they sat down in the seat across from Griffin.They thought he was intelligent enough to know that they were thanking him without needing any verbal cues."The church hardly cares about people finding out about real human rights violations never mind fake ones."Amari sounded exasperated but it was obvious that their mood was caused by organized religion and not by the hipster infront of them.

"Her show doesn't have very special episodes.Some talk shows aimed at boomers and kids skipping school have 'important' hot topic based segments but not Ellen.It's one hundred percent fluff.Also ,very special episodes are more of a sitcom thing and she hasn't stared in one of them since before the turn of the millennium."They said the last part of their speech in a gleeful condescending tone.It was a pleasant change to talk to somebody that could take what they dished out.Talking to people like Kat Bishop ,who had a tantrum as soon as you told her the truth, was exhausting. 

 "I can't believe that actually worked.I need to take notes for the next time I go to a wild party.",they replied in mild awe.In an ideal world they would always be the smartest person in the room but Amari was humble enough to admit that some people could outfox them.It took a certain type of intelligence to know you still had more to learn."I thought there was a PowerPoint in the Broadripple nun training cause about learning how miscreant teens behave."