right down the avenue

&& ⎯ Smiling at the soft laughter emitting from the petite blonde next to her, Melodie couldn’t be more content by the fact that she was able to make someone smile today, as it seemed like her words were a reminiscence of good memories for the other. “ That sounds like a hell of a good time. Your brother and I would get along just well “ she hummed, taking yet another sip from her hot drink before speaking up. “ Now now, I’m trying to find my stuff not get possessed by a demon “ 

Madilyn shook her head smiling still, “Well, isn’t that what Ryan does on that show?” She asked. “Or is that Shane? Oh, I don’t know I just know one of them is constantly saying things like that and he’s never been possessed. Saying that he’s also never found his stuff.”

“ chill , chill , ” the boy advised , pearly whites flashing while he slid closer to the beeping printer . “ i did the same thing last week , ” he practically whispered as if afraid the hawk-eared librarian would POP OUT of the stacks and give him another stern lecture on respecting school property . “ i think you gotta push these buttons …. i think ?? ” an uneasy grin . “ or … i don’t know …. just keep clicking stuff before davies appears !! ” the way he says her name ( almost like a curse ) you would swear she was a crass , old ghost stuck behind to HAUNT the students — as the rumors claimed .

“Just a little,” Gabe replied, empathetic. “Don’t worry, this won’t be the hardest thing you’ll go through for the rest of your college years. Some freshman walked into my geology lecture one time and was this real goody two shoes study hard type from the surface. Kid unfortunately kept asking questions until he realized he was supposed to be in… drum roll.. geography.”

“I was kind of hoping that my printer issues would be the hardest thing I’d have to overcome here,” she laughed. “Oh come on that’s an easy mistake right, they sound so similar. Plus, both study -- like what -- like the world and stuff. It’s so close to being the same thing that he wasn’t really that wrong. I wouldn’t put it past me to end up in the wrong class so if you ever see me sitting in your lectures please show me the door.”

“It’s fine,” she assured Madilyn, colliding with the girl to move her aside. Blonde locks swiped over her shoulder in order to get to work, Jackie began to troubleshoot the problem on the printer, nodding her head once it had sorted itself out. “Always fucks up and jams. I used to work in the library freshman year.” 

“Ooft,” voiced Madilyn as she didn’t expect to be pushed aside so abruptly but decided to bite her tongue in order to get the help she required. She watched as the older girl navigated the confusing machine with apparent ease amazed. “Impressive,” Madilyn mused quietly. “I couldn’t work in the library --- it’s far too confusing for me, evidently.”

charlie looked over to see the distressed blonde trying to figure out the printer. “uh- yeah let me see what i can do” he replied, walking over. looking at the screen for a moment he touched a few buttons and then looked back to madilyn, defeated. “i really don’t think i know what i’m doing”

Madilyn huffed momentarily as the boy seemed just as clueless as herself. “Plan,” Madilyn stated quickly. “So you stand here and watch the printer for a few minutes while I find out where its plugged in and I’ll just unplug it from the mains! That way, the beeping stops and my stuff doesn't print so no one will know it was me.” If this didn't go how Madilyn had planned in her head then she did not want to be the one that got caught standing at the printer.

“First of all why are you raising your voice? But anyway there are so many people printing at once they won’t know when it messed up. Like I web print and send my things to the printer so how would they really know?”

“Sorry,” Madilyn mumbled feebly. “They’d know it was me it’s so obvious. Its pictures I’m trying to print out and some of them are very stupid ones of me. I would much appreciate if some random person didn’t happen across them once the printer started to work again.”

Gabe looked up at the sound of someone’s voice, peering over to who it belonged to. He walked over to the printer nonchalantly, tapping buttons on the menu before it rumbled and spit out the desired paper for the girl. “You were on the wrong setting,” he advised. “Freshman, I take it?”

“Hmm,” Madilyn hummed as it came out after a simple press of a few buttons. “Thank you --- I thought I was going to get a letter from that cranky old library woman trying to make me pay for this stupid thing,” She quickly grabbed her paper and turned to the boy. “Is it that obvious,” she laughed.

     imogen looked over at the frustrated girl as she tried to decode the impossible printer. “oh, honey. don’t use this printer, ever” she said, rushing over to lend a hand. “this printer is cursed or something- everyone learns about it the hard way though, I figured it out on my second day”

Madilyn smiled at the friendly girl as she advised her against using the printer. “Really? Thank God I thought I had seriously just messed it up big time,” Grabbing her stuff Madilyn stood up straight suddenly less burdened with the worry of a broken printer. “At least I know now. Plus I feel like im now in the now about the dodgy printer.” she laughed.

“You’ve just been hitting it?” Teddy answered back, whirling around slightly to raise an eyebrow at her. “Seriously? You realize that’d just break it right?” Sighing as he turned back to the machine, he hovered over it and checked the back, humming when he found the power button and pressed it quickly. “God, no wonder you couldn’t see it. Probably too tiny to even see back here.” He mumbled, despite the fact that the blonde was actually quite tall.

Raising her eyebrows back at him. “Are you seriously telling me you’ve never hit something to make it work!” She asked disbelievingly, her voice raisinh slightly out of frustration and panic. She did not want to be the freshman known for breaking the printer. “I don’t know,” she sighed. “I thought hitting it would knock the something that was wrong, right.” She watched as he learnt round and successfully found the power button. Gleeful, she threw her arms up briefly forgetting about the coffee causing some of it to leak out. Wiping it off on her jeans she looked over at him confused. “I’m nearly as tall as you. --- is that it fixed now?”

“But that wouldn’t teach you a lesson now, would it? Welcome to university.”

“I’d suggest just running, you don’t want to end up the bitch that broke the printer,” Aly shook her head, “Maybe hit it a few times?”

“That bitch? Surley people wont be that mad about it will they? I mean there are other printers,” Madilyn trailed off slightly. “All I’ve done so far is hit it.”

“You’re asking the wrong one. Just go and send it to another printer and act like you didn’t do anything.”

“No you don’t get it! When this stupid bit of paper finally prints out it’s going to be so obvious who it was!”