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"Nah, someone else already tried that a couple years back and found out that when I didn't drop anything, I got shoved into a locker." Alex replied, waving a hand. "Even though I ended up with a black eye, it was actually pretty nice to be shoved into a locker y'know? I got to skip several classes and stand around playing my handheld game. Best skipping day ever, minus the fact that I got a black eye and several bruises out of the whole thing."

At Demy's response, Alexander stared. Then winced. "Ouch! I trapped myself in that one faster than a flash puzzle gone wrong. Ah well. I wonder what'll happen if I poke you again...?"

"Z? Who's that?" Alex asked, tilting his head to one side. "I don't exactly get out much, if you notice." A vague hands was waved towards the trashcan, where packages of instant food and wrappers of candy decorated the inside. "I eat in here when I can and rarely venture out into the dorms, y'know? Most of what I do is either at the arcade or random encounters on the streets. Nothing special."

At the threat, Alex was nice enough to slowly inch back and away from the other boy. As tempting as it was to throw a pillow at him, he figured he better not. After all, Demy could outlast him at Guitar Hero -- he didn't want to find out what else he could do. "Hooooookay, don't come tryin' to kill me if someone else pokes you in the ribs and loots your wallet then!"

Alex would be better off knowing the exact details about Demy and Z's relationship. If he knew, he would probably wonder if that was the secret to Guitar Hero... then Demy could have that game all he wanted. Alex enjoyed looking at things at eye-level that bounced across the screen. He was exactly what most female protagonist love interest designers aimed for and would be more than happy to stay that way, thanks. He does love his pixels'n'polygons, even if it means in the end that he'll never get the real thing. Ohwell!

"Like what, man? The last time I went out, I got jumped by someone," he rubbed his neck and winced at the memory. Demy didn't need to know that it was by a Crystal Academy girl in a blue leotard. Really. "Besides, I do go to the arcade and sometimes get together with my Meadowview buddies to record stuff. Or did." Alex sighed, adding, "Since most of them moved away and all and took most of my social life with them. Jerks. Ah well, that's why video games were invented!"

There was something about that statement that made Alex get a real long look at Demy. While the phrase 'safety in numbers' tended to be more true than false, he couldn't help but to wonder if he was being serious. First off, they were rivals. Secondly...

"Uh. Dude. Have you taken a look at yourself?" Alexander pointed at the other boy, resisting the urge to reach out and poke his ribs. "Yooou look as if you got jumped by something. Now if it was a random encounter then I'd be understandable since those things are random and are more of an annoyance than anything, but seriously man, it looks as if you took one step in the wrong high-leveled area and got your a** pwnt by something."

Twitchy twitchy. His young days of hunting with Duck Hunt and the quick draw of Bayou Billy had taught Alex to be careful with impulse. He lowered his hand and shook his head. "Man, that had to bite! 'Here you go sir, your Mushroom Kingdom burger with Shy Guy fries and a side of beating, just for you sir!'" His voice dropped the nasally quality to it as he rubbed his head. "Eesh, you got messed up bad. Just lookit you! I'm surprised you could walk given your reaction to the earlier... poke."

At the suggestion, Alex shrugged. "Weeeell," he began, "Most of the games I play aren't made anymore. I mean, yeah I have a PSP, but I mostly do trade-ins either at the shop or down at the flea market when it's open in order to score good deals and get more games then just one y'know? Games these days aren't cheap and my habit of going to the arcade isn't smart. Does Z play games out of curiosity? We'd just be one person short of having some sort of awesomely epic 2-vee-2 battle."

"Nono man, if I rubbed it in I'd probably write it down on a piece of paper and tape it to your back or something," Alex corrected with a grin, scooting back onto his bed and as far from Demy as he could get, just in case. "Funny you should mention breathing deep man, 'cause what'll happen when you fall asleep? 's not like the screen goes black and you wake up with all your HP restored!"

Freaking RPGs. They lied to him each and every night with a lack of HP-restoring abilities. At least he wasn't like that one kid down the hall that woke up in a wet bed with his hand in some luke-warm water. That sucked even more.

"WHAT! No way man, no way! You're living with a non-gamer and haven't managed to get him on games yet?! What the hell!"

Alex was tempted to take his chances with Demy and poke him again. That'd show him if he was fine or not! All though... hey! Didn't this mean he wasn't feeling to well, meaning that he most likely wouldn't go anywhere in that condition?! The arcade! Man! He could beat his score while he was down! Hahaha! Read it and weep, STAR! Your injury is going to cost you some scores!

He wondered what the boy would do if he found AAAA had beaten his score. Or BBBB or whatever lazy non-highscore inclined gamers put in. Now was the perfect opportunity to find out!

"Yesss though now now, it'll have to be later in order to really do it since it's too late to go now and I think I'm currently out of quarters," Alex mused outloud, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, then blinking. "Huh? Planner? Hm. Have you tried getting him into RTS' or lead-your-army-here-and-beat-stuff games?"