Alfie

 “Ah.” Alfie nodded in understanding before a huge grin broke out on his face. “Luckily you have an absolute ray of SUNSHINE that’s more than willing to help. Spoler alert: it’s me!” The moment Zander shut his offer for help down, he threw his hands up and whined in offense. “That was so rude! I’m smart! I COULD help!” Not that he particularly wanted to in that exact moment. His nose scrunched up at the mention of Ches and he made sure he made his most disgust face, though he at least had the decency to not start talking shit. “Oh, come on, ZANDY! Don’t tell me your Valentine’s was actually that boring! Wait - what did Jack get you? Do I want to know?” Alfie’s eyebrows scrunched up. “I got some entertaining roses myself but most importantly, I have a brilliant idea to help get your mind off things. What do you say I set you up with someone, huh? Sounds great, right?”

 Alfie barked out a laugh. “Okay, TRUE. Three hands is better than just two. As soon as we figure out how to coordinate like this I propose we create some elaborate scheme and prank some poor souls.” Though he was more than happy that him and Jökull seemed to be on the same WAVELENGTH regarding the food and the interesting stuff that lurked in the different booths. “I think it was in that one oooover-” he lifted their joined hands to point to a booth not too far from them “-there. Or something like that.” Alfie sighed happily as he started heading for it. “I’m so happy I go to a rich school sometimes. Yeah, SURE, it’s full of spoiled brats but... I think the chocolate fountain makes up for it.”

Your superior 

 Looking at the board of the pairings, Alfie was honestly SURPISED by his sheer luck. He’d gotten a person whose company he enjoyed last time and now again. It was weird, especially for such a rotten school but he was thankful. “I suppose pranks would be hard to pull off with only one arm free,” he pointed out, grinning at Jökull as they got their hands cuffed. “Should we go through the BOOTHS? I think I saw a chocolate fountain and I’d be lying if I say I don’t want to get my hands on it ASAP.”

 Alfie laughed. “Are you BRAGGING about transcending the hoe life? I’ll have you know, it’s still very much fun. Until some anonymous fuckers try to murder us.” He hummed, pushing around the egss on his plate with clear disinterest. He didn’t seem to have much of an apetite after the fire from the night before. “Yeah, I guess. But at least the Circle had the balls to ADMIT it, these ones are trying to make it seem like they do have a reasonable goal, just horrible ways of achieving them. Which is all a big lie, naturally.” 

 “This,” Alfie started, eyes narrowing as he pointed at her, “is a TRICK question if I’ve ever seen one.” There was no real malice in his word as he was simply teasing and was genuinely thankful that she’d gone out of her way to spend time with him. “I know what I want to say, you know what I want to say and we both know it’s going to be a no again.” He waved a fry around to articulate his point a little better. “So we can just save my dick the PAIN of being rejected. Again.”

 Alfie CHUCKLED as well, nodding his head. “Okay, Haddie. Though, you sure look like a sweetheart to me.” He smiled at her, hopefully in a reassuring manner but as she explained, his eyebrows went up in surprise and he whistled. “You really are really high right now.” He furrowed his eyebrows, looking around. It was pretty late and he couldn’t just LEAVE her alone, plus he had a family to avoid. “How’s your thanksgiving going so far? Aside from the drugs?”

 Alfie hummed quietly as an answer. SURE, it wasn’t his fault and he wasn’t quite aware of the situation but that didn’t stop him from wishing he could shake some sense into their parents. He placed his hand over his chest, playing it as if Rob’s words had wounded his soul. “Okay, WOW, first of all, has no one told you that it’s incredibly rude to expose people ulterior motives right off the bat? Second of all... I would never!” Though, it was admittedly a pretty good bonus. “Okay, that’s perfect because my parents LOVE company and I was around them too fucking much when I was young so they have too many stories.”

 “I was out of line,” he admit, awkwardly fiddling with his thumbs. He rarely CARED what parents thought of him but still, offending or saddening Nathaniel was not something he wanted or meant to do and yet, it was exactly what had happened. Alfie’s jaw dropped at the man’s question. Had Elliot not mentioned ANYTHING? His dad must have known they broke up, at least. Scrambling to regain some semblance of normalcy was more difficult than expected and he stammered a little until he managed to form actual words. “No, um he hasn’t said anything. He - uh, we don’t really talk anymore. At ALL.” He bit his lip, hesitating. “But he seems okay, if that helps. Happy. Plenty preoccupied with his... friends. And this school is kind of crazy, so, um... yeah.” 

 His shoulders which were previously sagging with his mood, lifted up a little as Alfie, himself, perked up at the promsie of a PRESENT. “Shut up, Minnie Mouse,” he scolded her playfully as he excitedly reched for the little box. A laugh left his lips at the sight of th eboxing gloves before he squeezed her shoulder only to decide he had to bring her in for a hug. “It’s wonderful. I love it. Thank you so much! I can’t BELIEVE you even doubted I’d like it.” His friend had successfully managed to put a permanent smile on his face, Alfie’s mood turned all around all of a sudden. “You’re really determined not to swear this morning, huh? But yeah, I was. My jeans caught on fire for a second, even, but otherwise I’m fine. I should have stayed back, as well, though. This shit keeps getting more and MORE ridiculous.”

 Alfie let out a GIDDY and bewildered sound, a grin growing on his face. “You made it for me?” He hadn’t expected to get many gifs aside from the ones his family had probably prepared for him so the cookie was a really pleasant surprise. “Thank you! You didn’t have to, Kenzie!” The boy held the cookie up, waving it around to PROVE his next point. “See, few rich people would do this. You’re too down to earth to be considered a part of those assholes. Welcome to the side of the broke hoes. We have one cookie and it’s MINE now. Sorry.”

 “Can't believe I woke up with a headache and the taste of ashes in my moyth on my own fucking BIRTHDAY,” Alfie grumbled over his plate of lunch, which was technically his breakfast since he'd woken up pretty late. “I get that these fuckers don't like spoiled rich kids - believe me, I don't like them either - but why should the rest of us broke hoes SUFFER, as well?”