The Story Begins Here: NYU School Campus

"It's fine. You're allowed to say whatever you want." Alexis said, following after him as she rubbed at her eyes. Frankie trotted in front of them, sniffing at the air.

"I guess so, it just sucks. I guess I have to learn to filter my mouth although lets face it that won't ever happen." James stated.

***

"Its not disgusting, mom. Its a habit, besides I won't get arthritis from it its proven it does nothing! You rather I do drugs instead?" Jake focused his brown eyes on her green ones.

Evelyn gave Jake a serious look and stopped walking to face him. "I always thought you were already on drugs," she said, like this was a proven truth and he was a dumbass for not knowing it. She waved a hand. "I mean, your stellar personality."

Jake was confused at what she was getting at for a moment, and then he remembered, "Oh yeah that, I don't take my meds you know that, its why I have alcohol." He grinned.

Alexis gave a small smile at this. "Well, I guess it's the same for both of us then. Because I can never filter my mouth and it gets me in a lot of situation that I don't wanna be in."

Evelyn frowned. She tilted her head, green eyes widened innocently. "I didn't mean your bipolarity. I meant your...you-ness."

Jake pouted, "Everyone loves my me-ness. Even you do, I make you laugh and you know it." He said poking her in the side.

***

James nodded at this thought and looked at Alexis, "You know its not us that are fucked up its them! We're doing them a favor by being so honest."

"You say that about your best friend at the same time though.." Alexis gave him another small smile as she rubbed at her neck, it hurting from being so tense.

Evelyn squeaked in alarm, batting Jake's fingers away. "Do not!" she protested, trying to hide her grin. He was right though.

"Do not what?" He asked widening his eyes innocently..."Do what? This?" Jake said a grin twitching on his face as he continued to poke her in the side.

***

"Oh well for you I'll lump him in the "screw you category."James said smiling.

Evelyn yelped and tried to stop the laughter bubbling out of her mouth. She danced a few steps away from Jake, out of arm reach, trying and failing to glare. "No, seriously, people already know you're that looney tunes who scaled our building. I have a sanity to protect."

Alexis smiled fully at this and shook her head. "Thanks James."

"Hey you thought cracking my knuckles was weird look I can make it look like I dislocated my shoulder." Jake rolled his shoulder, popping one of the joints and turning to face Evelyn, "See another fun fact, I'm double jointed." He grinned fully.

***

"No problem, the wind and sun have to stick together." He said wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

Evelyn clapped her hands over her ears, disgust on her face. Her stomach lurched. "Oh my God, I think I'm going to throw up." She felt her tongue sour and walked ahead of Jake quickly, before realizing she didn't know where to go, pausing and meekly turning around. Her cheeks reddened. "Um....where is Olivia's place?"

Alexis wrapped arm around him in a one-armed hug in thanks as she let out a breath quietly. "Frankie seems to be happy with his long walk."

"Yeah I'd be thrilled too, poor dog kind of spends a lot of time in our lovely abode. Oh and Connor isn't getting him back by the way, if he wants Frankie he's gonna have to fight me for him, and I'm a damned good fighter." James said smiling, and flexing his arm.

***

Jake chuckled, and looked up at the buildings and he said, "She lives a couple of blocks down, so we're almost there actually." Jake yanked out his phone from his pocket and decided to harass Evelyn through Facebook although she was standing right next to him.

"Poor Connor." Alexis smirked, obviously not caring if Connor got Frankie back or not. It seemed James and his roommate did a better job at taking care of him then her own cousin did. "He'll probably whine a bit and then go get a chihuahua or something gay like."

Evelyn stopped searching for a manhole - after James had frightened her with them before, she wasn't as fearless - and slowed so she was walking with Jake. She punched him on the arm. "My face is up here."

"Really? He doesn't seem like the chihuahua type. Seth does, but Connor seems more manly. he seems like a Pomeranian type of guy." James smirked.

***

Jake's phone buzzed as he continued to laugh athim and Evelyn's mini-letter fight they had started on Facebook, his phone buzzed and as he read through the last statement he collided into a telephone pole.

His phone fell on the sidewalk, and he saw stars for a few seconds he blinked several times and said astounded, "Wow... Evelyn you're strong."

Alexis laughed, grinning. "He told me about some Pomeranian girl at the party who kept talking about her dog. Maybe we should find that girl for him so they can click over their love of Pomeranian's."

Evelyn clamped her hands over her mouth, stiffing her laughter. She tugged his shoulder to turn him toward her, grinning like mad, and placed a hand under his chin to examine his face. "Oh...yikes, Sal. I'm sorry!" She tried to stop her grin. He had an ugly bruise on his forehead.

"That's the godfather of all pimples," she said, reaching up to run a thumb over it.

"Shut up? I think I saw her... or heard her. I don't have a high enough IQ to hang out around her, I dodged that bullet." James snorted.

***

Jake shook his head, his head was throbbing and he was sure that was going to leave a mark, or bump.... something. Oh crap he just remembered he had been concussed only a few nights ago.

"Heeeeyyyyyy.... Evelyn?" He slurred a bit, and looked at her, "Um would slamming the front side of my head effect what went on in the back of my head a few nights ago?" Jake asked his eyed widening, and then he closed them and stopped for a moment to stop from falling forward.

Alexis chuckled some. "She was apparently pretty annoying." Alexis nodded and watched as Frankie tugged away to try and go after another boxer dog.

Why does this seem to be happening too much? Evelyn asked herself as she reached up and braced her hands on Jake's shoulders to hold him steady. He outweighed her and she felt him sag. "Uh, I don't...I really hope not," she muttered. She felt horrible. That joke wasn't so funny now.

"Ah crap," she said out loud, unsure what to do. She moved her hands up and cupped Jake's face to get his attention since he seemed ready to take a nice nap right there. "Sal? I need to sit you down. I can't hold you up."

"Yeah well actually I saw this one drunk girl at the party we were at, and she burst through the door and was all like... "whooo I'm drunk!! I just smoked the wrong end of a cigarette! I love this songgg!!!!" James said imitating that drunken girls shrill voice.

***

Jake straightened and looked into Evelyn's eyes and he whispered, "You have pretty eyesss, they look like two leaves." He lowered himself and sat on the sidewalk his back against the building tilting his head back, he took a deep breath and tried to recollect himself.