Issue 1 Downtime

Classes didn't start yet, of course, but with all of the various specialized classes that the Xavier's students needed, the student move-in date came a bit earlier than some schools.

Alex looked at the pile of boxes in the back of the SUV. His mother had, of course, parked and then run off to take care of paperwork, tuition, and all that other garbage that she loved and he hated. Not that he really expected anything else. He glanced at the avatar standing next to him, then shrugged as he started grabbing boxes out of the back of the SUV and carrying them up, the Avatar doing the same (only with heavier items). Three trips, tops. I hope. Oh who am I kidding, I packed too much crap.

"You're going to need more blue guys," Brigid quipped, a bag slung over her shoulder. "Or Tommy's sister."

"I think there's a guy-code against that last one," Alex said, grinning as he saw Brigid. "Good to be back?"

"Eh, not too fun yet but it's early."

"Well, we'll have to fix that, right? Besides... there are people here. That's enough for me for a start." He shoved open his door, dropping the box he was carrying inside and letting the avatar pull it farther into the room. "You get all your stuff in? Or are you still unloading?"

"I didn't bring a lot. I ah... well, you don't accumulate too much stuff there."

"Oh," Alex said. "Oh, duh. Yeah," he sighed, shaking his head. "Well, that just gives excuses for shopping trips, right?" he added, smirking.

"You bet. As soon as I find Theresa."

"Ahhh, that's right, we're back in the thick of things, so you can afford to be choosier about who you're seen in public with," he teased.

"I need someone with an eye for clothes, and I know what you'd pick," she smirked.

"Some would say that that makes it a valid suggestion," he countered.

"I'm not going to wear anything animal print."

He froze a minute. "Okay, now you do know that I was joking when I was saying that stuff, right?" he said, giving her a look.

"Sorry, sorry..." She said with a faint blush.

"I just figured... well, if Theresa picks embarrassing stuff, you can have an 'I told you so,' alright?"

"Now come on. I might joke some, and sure I might get a gag gift here and there, but if I'm going to tell you something looks good on you, it's going to be because it looks good on you. Have a little faith in me not really being a dick, okay?" he chuckled, nudging her with an elbow as they headed down the hall.

"Yeah, there's just stuff that looks good on me, and... er... stuff that looks good on me."

He looked at her curiously. "What's the difference? I think you segued into speaking Girl, and I'm not exactly fluent yet."

"Well you know, like... date clothes."

"Oh, so we're talking good and impressively good," he teased. "Well, or something like that. I don't think you've got much problem impressing."

"I'm just saying, it'd be awkward to pick with a guy along. At least at first."

"Right, right, point taken," he said. "I'm just used to being bored as hell and grabbing onto any 'something to do with people' I can get by now."

"What, you're not going to hang out with that Hawaiian guy?"

"Hell, I'd forgotten about him. And I'm sure we're not going to be hard up for things to do. Plenty of people here, right?" Wonder what Dana's up to...

"Yeah, but I bet you're gonna find out you're rooming with him, now."

"Maybe," he admitted. "Ah, well, who knows. I'll find out later, I've spent too much time sitting around in a room to just sit in my dorm and wait," he said, smirking.

"Yeah, that never works in movies."

"Probably not. But if this was a movie, we'd be on our second car chase by now."

"I think you watch different movies than me," she stuck her tongue out.

"Okay, then by your movies, what should be happening now?" he asked, smirking back at her.

"Well let's see, you'd probably be falling for some mousy looking girl, let's say Dana, who we find out is ridiculously pretty if she just stands up straight and makes eye contact."

"Yeah, I don't see Dana learning to make good eye contact, so that must just be a movie thing," Alex said, smirking.

"It's always the ones you least suspect."

"We'd need more spontaneous coordinated dancing, too."

"Oh geez, this is gonna be a musical?"

"Teen movies always have dances, I thought."

"Yeah, but at dances."

"Well, how can we keep this from being a musical, then?"

"It means you have to wait until Homecoming," she smirked.

"Well, that's how we'll know if this place is a musical. If it's not, then there'll be some weird crisis that makes Homecoming get cancelled."

"No, no, that's just an opportunity to save Homecoming through a whacky scheme," she nodded knowingly.