Not My Intent

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex was certainly not looking forward to the start of Fall classes.  While she couldn't deny taking the next step toward the completion of her education was an intriguing one, there was something to be said for being able to spend the majority of her days lounging around in her pajamas and being lazy.  Today Alex had crawled out of bed well after noon with hopes of retrieving a bowl of cereal from the kitchen.  Her hair was a mess, still crazy from the night before and she was wearing a bright pink onesie, complete with the padded feet.

Stifling a yawn, Alex shuffled out of her room, making a beeline for the kitchen.  Opening the fridge, the tiny girl squinted at the light before reaching in and plucking out the jug of milk and moving it to the counter.  "Hey, Onnie."  She murmured to the other girl in the room.  It had taken a moment for Alex to register anyone was around even though her stunningly beautiful roommate was difficult to miss.  With another yawn Alex moved over to the cupboard and stood on her tip toes, fumbling with the knob some before finally getting it to open.  She peered up into the shelves, eyes searching for her precious box of Lucky Charms though it was nowhere to be found.  Alex's shoulders slumped as she finally spotted the glorious red box sitting high atop the cupboards.  "Ezra."  She muttered, evoking the name of her much taller roommate.

"How's Jack doing?"  Alex asked, raising her voice just enough so Onnie could hear her question.  Alex had slowly and unsteadily began climbing up onto the kitchen counter in a desperate attempt to reach her lovely box of kid's cereal.  "He looked like he was doing better last time I saw him."  She shrugged a little to herself, turning her head to see of she could get a look at Onnie from her spot perched precariously on the kitchen counter.  "At least mentally."

[Oneyka A. Duffuor]

It was like Onnie to be up earlier than everyone else in their dorm. It was hard to break a habit of being up bright and early so that you were prepared for your day. The only problem was that she had nothing really planned today and found herself in the kitchen area of the dorm, leaning against the counter, and reading away at one of her many digital books on her iPad while her mug filled with hot tea sat on the counter.

"Good Morning, Dearie. Or maybe I should say; Good Afternoon." She replied with a soft smile while not really lifting her eyes from her ipad. Most of her friends and roommates would have probably realized by now that she was very aware of what was going on around her, while also managing to juggle other tasks in the process. Reading, studying, singing, dancing, and noticing the very bright onesie pass her line of sight were among the things she could multi-task.

It was seldom that you were blessed to get to room with such creative and bright minds. So Onnie often enjoyed being around Alex's fiery red hair and always colorful pajamas. It kind of livened up the environment. "I suppose he's just fine." Or as fine as Jack McCarthy could be. There was always something going on with him and Onnie constantly found herself trying to keep up (and as hard as it was, she seemed to be managing just fine). Her brown eyes looked up from her iPad and to her roommate who was climbing the kitchen counter. She managed to take a sip of her tea. "Why? Had he gotten his arm stuck in some kind of machinery again?" The thought of it made her chuckle, before taking another sip. She'd have to also remind their other roommates to be mindful of the shorter people. 

"I swear I love that boy, I do. But I also question his perception, awareness, and mental stability at times. So I can't say that I blame you for worrying." Onnie had an idea that Alex and Jack were pretty close, so the ebony girl was sure that whatever holes he had dug himself in, Alex would know about it. Her finger pushed her reading glasses closer to her face as her brown eyes focused back on her book. "I was just with him the other day, he seemed a bit more aggy and tired than usual but I figured he had stayed up the night before playing video games."

[Alexandra Lawson]

Even though she was standing on the counter top, Alex still had to stretch to reach the box of cereal. Her eyes lit up the moment she was able to curl her slender fingers around one of the corners of the box and began tugging it off its perch. She smiled with childlike glee as she brought the Lucky Charms down and held it with both hands as if the smiling leprechaun character on the front was her closest, dearest friend. Turning the box over in her hands, Alex couldn't help but smile broadly at the smooth, round pebble that had been taped to the cardboard. She affectionately plucked it off and stuck it into the front pocket of her onesie before moving to sit down on the counter.

Onnie's words hadn't fallen on deaf ears, even if the constantly distracted Alex had taken a moment to register them and prepare a reply. She popped open the flaps of the box and stuffed her hand inside while her feet swung idly in the air. At leas sitting on the counter allowed her to see eye-to-eye with her much taller roommate. "Not that I know of." She said with a frown that managed to persist even as she went to shove some of the marshmallow-y goodness into her mouth. "I don't know." She said after she'd chewed enough of the dry cereal to be able to speak without spewing flecks of marshmallow all over the kitchen. "I haven't been able to get him to game lately."

She swallowed her mouthful of cereal and craned her neck a bit to peer down into the box. Her eyes lit up again as she spotted her quarry and reached in again. This time, instead of a handful of cereal, Alex plucked a small, wrapped, red plastic toy car with the eponymous leprechaun riding it. She actually issued a small, gleeful giggle as the box settled onto her lap so she could free her hands to work on the toy's wrapper. "But I'm not going to force him."

Alex tugged on the top of the wrapper to no avail. She grumbled to herself before casting a glance to Onnie and offering a warm smile at the other girl's sweet words about her boyfriend. She loved Jack to death and adored the way he spoke of his girlfriend. To the naked eye the two of them couldn't be more different. But to hear them talk of each other it was obvious they had something special. "I think he's been handling it all pretty well, though, don't you?" She offered, twisting the wrapper around in her hands to try the other end and failing miserably at that too. "I mean, I'd be..." Alex paused as she steeled herself and began pulling as hard as she could on the stubborn plastic that stood between her and the precious cereal box toy. She let out an exasperated exhale of breath and her shoulder slumped as the wrapper remained intact. "I'd be freaking out." She finished, keeping her gaze locked upon the toy and its infernal barrier.

[Ezra Cooper]

Ezra woke up bleary-eyed as he grumbled. He wondered why he was even awake on a weekend. But since he was awake, he decided he might as well get breakfast. With a quick shower, he changed into a clean pair of basketball shorts and a black tee and went out of his room to find his roomies in the kitchen. He was still sleepy as he shuffled over to them and stole Alex's cereal box from her and poured it out into the bowl he had taken out from the cabinet above her head.

He didn't interrupt their conversation as he got the milk out of the fridge and poured that into the bowl as well. Sniffling as he always did in the mornings, he grabbed at the toy in Alex's hand and ripped it open before placing it in her hand. He ruffled her hair and looked at the two girls with a nod.

"Ladies." He then shuffled back into his room where he went back to sleep, his bowl of cereal immediately forgotten.

[Oneyka A. Duffuor]

Her petite fingers flipped to the next page of the digital copy of her book, as she nodded, taking in the fact that her roommie had mentioned not knowing... and not being able to get Jack to participate in video games. Oneyka took a glance up from her tablet as she made a face, "Odd..." Jack always enjoyed participating in those games they played. Unless something was upsetting him... which wasn't a vibe she currently picked up when around him. Then again he seemed to enjoy hiding his feelings from her.

Hearing the cute giggle, Onnie looked towards Alex and gave her a smile. "Well that's nice of yo- Did you just discover a toy?" Which would make sense as to why she sounded so pleased. Oneyka almost forgot that companies still put toys in cereal boxes. She didn't eat much of those kinds to keep up with the times.

Alex's earlier mountain climbing mission to obtain her well deserved cereal hadn't bothered or surprised Oneyka at all. Considering who she was dating, Alex had been way easier to be around. While taking a pause in her reading, she placed her tablet on the counter and picked up her mug of tea once more. What Alex said next caused her head to cock to th side a bit. She was confused or at least couldn't remember any reasons, "Sorry. I'm not understanding. What is he handling well?" Did she know about the whole talk she had with Jack about Lux?

Her attention then went to their much taller roommate who seemed to have just greeted the new day. "Good afternoon, Dear." She gave him a short and smile before her attention went back to Alex, because now Oneyka was worried as her brows were now furrowed. But at least now Ezra solved Alex's solution to the toy problem. "Why would - Why on Earth would he be freaking out? Did something happen?"

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex's face was already bright and cheerful in spite of the infernal toy wrapping, but her eyes lit up even more at the sight of the tall, lanky teen who trudged into the kitchen. She beamed happily as the kid's toy was taken from her only to find its way back into her hands now free of the troublesome packaging. It was, indeed, the little things in life that Alex found the most joy in. Her adoring gaze shifted upward to Ezra as his fingers went to ruffle the still wild strands of brilliant crimson atop her head. She pursed her lips and blew a stray tendril from her face and made grabby hands to the box of cereal Ezra had hijacked until it, too, made its way back to her. "Thanks, babe." She uttered quietly with a faint nod toward Ezra.

All the while, Alex was, amazingly enough, listening very closely to the slow shift in her roommate's demeanor. The only problem was Alex had already committed to a handful of cereal that was just a bit too large for her mouth when it all finally dawned on her. Her jaw went slack, spilling a good portion of the marshmallows and sugary pieces back into the box. Eyes widened as they slowly turned to the tall, statuesque beauty beside her. The moment Alex caught sight of that concerned look she recoiled slightly and panic flashed through her eyes.

Alex suddenly began looking around the kitchen as if attempting to seek out an exit. For a second she considered trying to hide in one of the cupboards or using flour as a smoke screen so she could make her get away but she felt the icy hand of dread creep up her spine as her options were quickly dismissed as foolish, impossible, or both. "Oh, um... yeah... so..." She stammered, not even knowing what words she was failing to say. "You... Jack didn't..." The manic state dropped as quickly as it had flared up. Alex still peered at Onnie with wide, expressive eyes though she now looked as though she wanted nothing more than to shrink into a tiny ball and roll away. "Jack didn't tell you..." She said, her voice low. The tears that were already beginning to form in the corners of her eyes glinted in the soft white light of the kitchen. "Did he?"

[Oneyka A. Duffuor]

You never knew how much joy a one could get from just a toy hidden in a cereal box, until you witnessed the colorful girl's glee. It kind of made her wonder exactly what Alex would end up doing with it, other than losing it in about a few days. Oneyka could just imagine it now; Being asked if she had seen the toy of a leprechaun on top of a car.

There was a point where Oneyka watched Alex's expression change the moment her roommate noticed her body language changing and it did not help. Onnie so happened to be a shapeshifter and being amazingly observant was kind of a curse of a skill to have. She ended up looking in way too deep into someone else's body language, and the way they moved. Like right now, she watched Alex's mouthful of cereal fall back into the box. Good thing she didn't plan on eating any of it.

But now she could feel her heart picking up the pace, feeling herself become even more worried without even knowing what was going on. Her words, they were there but they weren't complete. Why weren't they complete? What was going on? "Alexandra..." Oneyka's brown eyes couldn't even move to do something as simple as blink. Whatever it was, she was praying that it was something that she could solve, whatever it was. When it came to Jack, almost all of his wacky and unexpected situations were mostly solvable. Onnie always seemed to be able to handle it. "If you know something, that I don't - Please..." Was she going to cry? What was happening here? "What did he not tell me?"

While placing her mug back down on the counter, her eyes never left Alex; Who could have broken Oneyka's heart by just her facial expression alone.

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex felt the panic tighten around her chest again. The weight of her roommate's expectant gaze was too much to bear. She contemplated more escape options before finally putting the idea as a whole to rest. Silently she cursed Jack for putting her in this position. Onnie was a sweetheart who, for some reason, seemed to truly adore Jack. She deserved better than to hear this from the manic little pixie she roomed with.

There was no helping the single, errant tear that managed to escape as Alex shifted to set the cereal box down on the counter beside her. "Um." She started for no other reason than to break the silence and buy her a few more precious seconds. This wasn't her cross to bear. Not her burden to carry. She swallowed hard, and reached up to wipe at the tear that had fallen from her cheek.

"Onnie." Slowly Alex steeled herself. With careful, deliberate movements she turned her gaze back to her roommate. There was a brief moment of hesitation at seeing the expression on Onnie's face. Alex swallowed again and cleared her throat as she reached up to brush her hair over her shoulder so she could nervously fidget with the end of the bright red tendrils. The words that followed escaped in a hollow, hushed whisper. "Jack has cancer."

[Oneyka A. Duffuor]

She wondered how they did it. How? How could empaths possibly stand around others who had such intensified emotions radiating from their bodies? Oneyka was no empath, not even close. She was no telepath either and yet it was like she just carried all of these heavy emotions without even knowing what Alex was trying to say. This was the first time she ever wanted to just jet right out of her dorm room and head to Jack's, just to see if he was okay. Just to see if whatever this troubling thing was, was real.

Then there was that tear that fell from her roommate's eye. Even with nothing being said, seeing that made Onnie's heart quicken even faster. The young ebony woman hadn't known how long she had gone without blinking. Her lips parted ever so slightly to try to say something but still waiting for Alex to speak up. Oneyka just hoped Alex would speak up... She would speak up, right?- "Onnie."

"Jack has cancer."

Her vision blurred from the lack of blinking but then they became cleared again, when she started blinking. There was something of a feeling, something between having your heart shatter right where you were standing and having your other half's soul separate from your own; As if he had already died. Onnie took a step back as her furrowed brows deepened, looking as if she didn't fully understand what Alex said, but she did. For a long moment Onnie had said nothing, she just blinked while trying to figure the equation out. "...you said, Jack has cancer? I mean, w-when..." Onnie suddenly chuckled, nearly forced a laugh. "No, no, no. See, Jack doesn't really have cancer does he? He can't, right? Alex, T-Theres - There's no way.. he uh - could get cancer. Not Jack... He's not allowed-" She looked towards Alex, hoping that her roommate would agree with her, hopefully assure her... or just burst out laughing as if it was some kind of joke. Some fucked up prank.

But there was no laughing... Why was there no laughing?

She constantly blinked, pushing back tears the more it started to sink in. The shapeshifter turned and hurried to her bedroom to grab her dorm keys. There was no thought in her mind that told her that she needed shoes. She just needed to go as she was. "A-And if he did, why-" She paused in her steps now towards the main door to the hallway, "Why wouldn't he have told me?" She was going to try to hold it together, just in case this was some sick, pathetic joke that Jack found funny and even managed to lead his good friend, Alex, on. Onnie left out of the dorm, not remembering to lock it behind her.

This was all one big joke.