Scriggins

He nods. He vaguely remembers her from high school. Always hanging out with Mae. Well, at least as far as he can remember. That meant she probably remembered him. Ugh, everybody remembered him. Yeah he locked that teacher in a locker for a week but he was a dickhead, and yeah maybe he bullied a freshman or two but only because they picked with him.

“I remember you from high school. Always hanging out with that Borowski girl, right?”

Man. Having a conversation with her was hard.

“So uh…you come here often?”

She did remember him, but for now she didn’t quite care to admit it, simply staring out into the semi empty street. It was chilly out with Autumn rolling around, but she didn’t care. A sigh once again as she held out her cigarette from her mouth for only a moment, turning her head to give the other his attention.

—— “ Yeah, she actually came back recently. Staying for a while, I’m takin’ it. ”

Bea doesn’t care if her cig stays lit anymore, she’s not caring about much right now. Her emotions are kind of tied up in a bunch of other stuff, plus the distraction between her fingers helped a little more to not think.

“Oh,  you work there? I mean I never walk through town normally but I thought that place was mostly empty. Don’t see people go in or out too much.”

He’s picking up on the more subtle details in her body language. Something’s funky here. He shoves his hands in his pockets, giving her a sideways glance.

Normal, boring old day at the Ol’ Pickaxe. Not much was going on, save for a few stragglers needing simple screws or whatever. She was tired, so tired.  She was busting her ass every day to be here, simply because her father can’t. Ugh.

… Maybe a quick power nap… No one will mind, will they? Yeah… Maybe she should just close her eyes a little and….

Peeking around the corner out of the back, he’s about to ask her a question, stopped by the sight of her just...napping. Upright. He has the urge to yell really loudly but instead he’ll just let her stand...sleep? Whatever it is she’s doing.

Surely he can handle one customer, right? The customer that just walked in through the door. Hopefully...be friendly, Steve-o, remember this ain’t your business.

“Thanks, thanks.”

He takes the lighter, flicking it on and holding it to the cigarette, giving it a couple seconds before it catches. He inhales, handing the lighter back to her.

He puffs on it, making sure it’s not gunna go out. “I appreciate it.” He stands there in silence next to her, collecting his own thoughts. Silent solidarity, hooray.

Though, after a while, he does open his mouth to speak.

“You’re uh. Your name’s Beatrice. Right?”

She pocketed the lighter in a quick motion, going back to her own cig, making sure it stays lit, holding it in before exhaling through her nostrils. Small little trick she learned along the way. But eh, she’s not here to one up the other on her smoking habits.

—— “ Yeah. That’s me. ”

“I remember you from high school. Always hanging out with that Borowski girl, right?”

Man. Having a conversation with her was hard.

He looks over, putting the empty matchbox back in his pocket.

“Be real grateful if you had one.” He says, giving them a once over. Huh. This was this Beatrice chick wasn’t it? Worked at the Pickaxe with her dad? He hadn’t seen her since highschool. She was a sophmore when he was a senior or something, if he remembered right. “Hate to be a bother, but sometimes the world just tells you to eff off, you know?”

—— “ Heh. Know the feeling too well. ”

He takes the lighter, flicking it on and holding it to the cigarette, giving it a couple seconds before it catches. He inhales, handing the lighter back to her.

He puffs on it, making sure it’s not gunna go out. “I appreciate it.” He stands there in silence next to her, collecting his own thoughts. Silent solidarity, hooray.

Though, after a while, he does open his mouth to speak.

                Have you seen her around?                                                      Have you seen her today?

                I only knew her a week                                                     Before she went away.

He has to resist the urge to say ‘yeah, you should be’ and instead just inhales real deeply on his cigarette, blowing it out his nostrils.

“Heh. S’fine. Even ruthless villain ne’erdowells like me gotta take a break sometimes.”

He shifts his weight to his heels, tapping the ashes off the end of his cigarette and placing it back in his mouth.

“I ain’t out to getcha, ya know. I never am. It takes a lot of energy to be likeable all the time, ya know.”

he stares off, nodding quietly.  normally gregg would be getting louder and more energetic, but… today just wasn’t his day, it seemed.  he was… not himself, it felt like.

gregg kicked a stone off into the street, huffing.  he jammed his hands back into his pockets, glaring at the ground.  he’d never seen so… conflicted seems to be the best word to describe his expression.

“You uh...you good there, buddy? Why the long face? I didn’t say something wrong did I?”

“D’sn’t matter. Stole ‘em from the Snack Falcon anyway. I always wonder how anybody bears being around this much energy. Guh.”

He scratches his nose, sniffing.

“A good time doesn’t always mean what you think it means, butthead. I’m not allowed to not be doing something? I always gotta be workin’ or junk?”

“Maybe I just came by to say hi, Gregg. Don’t assume I’m always up to no good.”

“ya gotta give me some slack, scriggs.”  he huffed.  “you got a habit’f causin’ ‘no good’ to happen.  ain’t my fault you’re like that!”

“…though you do have a point, i guess.”  he flicked his ear, looking to the side.  “doin’ nothing is like, the best thing ever sometimes.  just sittin’ ‘round and just.  vibin’!  real nice sometimes.”

“Heh. S’fine. Even ruthless villain ne’erdowells like me gotta take a break sometimes.”

He shifts his weight to his heels, tapping the ashes off the end of his cigarette and placing it back in his mouth.

“Relax, dude. Was putting it there so I could get it back later. Don’t ask me how that works but it does, my guy.”

One of those types of things where you hide away some stuff so you can get it back later when yoou needed it.

“And what made you think I don’t like you? You’re just a lot to handle.”

he snickered.  “well guess what scriggs!!  you’re not gettin’ these back now!!  i’m gonna give ‘em to bea instead of you!!  hahahahaha!!”

“and yeah, but at least i’m able to be handled!”  he snorted.  he wasn’t usually this mean or rude to people outside his friend circle, but scriggs… was an exception.  he didn’t quite consider scriggs to be a friend, but he didn’t quite consider him an enemy either.  they knew each other, at the very least.  he can live with that.

He scratches his nose, sniffing.

“A good time doesn’t always mean what you think it means, butthead. I’m not allowed to not be doing something? I always gotta be workin’ or junk?”

Casually slips a box of cigarettes in his pocket. Yoink.

his gaze quickly catches the other, and he throws his arms up and shouts big.  “whoa!!!  were you tryin to rob me???  or were you plantin’ something in my pocket???  wait, no, let me see for myself–”

“Relax, dude. Was putting it there so I could get it back later. Don’t ask me how that works but it does, my guy.”

One of those types of things where you hide away some stuff so you can get it back later when yoou needed it.

He fiddles in his pocket for a loose cigarette, pulling it out and sticking it in his jaws. He reaches in his other pocket for the box of matches he kept there and pulls it out, opening it to reveal only one match left. He goes to strike it, but it snaps, and the broken bit falls onto the sidewalk.

“Mother EFFer.”

@weirdaxtxmn​

She really shouldn’t be smoking, but here she is, right outside on the sidewalk. Shit has built up too much, and the fake one wasn’t doing it right now. A quick puff was all she had before she eyed the other, hearing his exclamation as her cigarette rests on the edge of her mouth.