gray areas & expectations

“have to say i agree with you on that one. some people spend most of their time daydreaming instead of putting in effort to pursue those dreams. people need to stop being lazy and get to work. we should start a campaign and spread the word.”

"i know, thanks.” kendall chirped enthusiastically, then abruptly removing his hand from percy as if his shoulder was fire and kendall was burnt. the blond couldn’t help but grimace upon hearing percy’s claims -- with which kendall strongly disagreed -- and felt the need to defend himself. “eh, debatable. people are still much more impressed with those who can do mental calculations and solve complex problems, aren’t they? and, well, is there really any doubt as to who outweighs the other in that area?” there was a smug smile across his lips as he repeated the other’s statement verbatim.

kendall’s eyes dropped back down to the open book that was resting between his hands on top of the table, absent-mindedly reading the writings on the page as he gave the other a rather lazy shrug. “it doesn’t help much. green or ginger tea with mint works a whole lot better.” he kept his facial expression blank as he made a show of being too focused on his reading, his tone dull and insipid -- his pride didn’t want him to sound as if he cared enough to help her and give her advice on how to deal with whatever she's going through. “but you do you, i guess. are you going to get a cuppa? you should get me one too.”

"i guess we can all agree on one thing: growing up sucks. everything was much simpler and just generally better back when we were kids.”

“probably just to prank you or give you a good scare. which makes her a very horrible neighbor. yeah, you should. or better yet, sneak it inside her bedroom too. that'll teach her a lesson.”

“exactly. that’s one thing i’ve learned from my business studies class: build bridges, make connections, ‘cause you’ll never know when you’re going to need someone to do something for you in the future.”

“don't worry. i'll send you a package of memory enhancers and brain boosters to help you remember next time. consider it my birthday present to you.” kendall boasted as he patted percy's shoulder consolingly. “happy birthday, mate. you may be older than me, but i am still smarter.”

“good. now stay awake or mr. beckett’s going to sock you in the face.” kendall whispered just enough for holden to hear, glancing at the direction of their professor talking in front before shifting his attention back to holden. “what were you doing last night anyway?”

“that is why some pet shops run a background check on the potential pet guardians. they want to make sure the potential owners are capable of providing a loving home for pets before they are allowed to adopt. are you planning on adopting another fish soon?”

with eyes fixed on the screen of his phone, he slowly shifted the focus of his camera towards the building stairs. he was filming the busy hallway for a project in one of his classes, sort of like a social experiment on how students behave outside of the classroom. so when someone stumbled on the stairs with books flying out of his grip, kendall unfortunately captured the fall on his phone. kendall thought it was pretty funny, but he bit back his laugh as he ran to the male's aid. “i’m sorry but i actually, unintentionally recorded the whole thing.” he slightly grimaced, pointing at his mobile as he crouched down to help him with his books.

“oh please, i already have a suit ready and a snazzy little bow tie to go with it, mate. i'm just waiting for your funeral. but seriously? why do you have three jobs? is that even legal?”

“i’m not stupid and i’m also not hungry. hey... is that a cheat sheet?! that’s a cheat sheet, isn’t it?”

kendall doesn’t even have to ask-- just one look at arden’s unkempt appearance and he already knows what's up with her. that elicited a roll of the eyes from the blond, not really holding himself back when he shook his head as a show of disappointment and uttered point-blank, “you look like shit.” kendall wasn’t afraid to be frank with her since he knew she wouldn’t get offended when he said things like that. “just in case you didn’t know, english breakfast tea is not an effective cure for hangovers.”

“maybe next time they can give you a discount or even little freebies? hey, it’s actually a good thing they all know you well by now. you can use that to your advantage.”