J is for Jiminy (Like the Cricket)

[François Laffont]

First week!? Yeah, now he was certain he had a good reason to worry. And of course, Frank did not. Sometimes he wondered if she was even able to. She seemed more interested in her time machine than her health. Now, François did put other people before himself, but never to that extent. “Yeah, I’m not sure those really work,” he argued again. But hey, if she wanted to try building one. Franck was even ready to help her build a totally useless machine, if she accepted to get some sleep first. Some, as in half a day at least.

“I guess so,” he replied when she talked more about Amanda Bynes. He supposed when you had clear mental issues, you better sort them out before going into acting again. Besides, didn’t she claim to retire even before people found out about her problems? It could be another child actress who said it. They seemed to like saying so only to come back the next year. He did smile at the thought of Frank in a fashion school. “Fashion will be very colourful this year then, with candies as accessories,” he said. He even laughed as she suggested he did it. “Bitch, you are faaaabulous and all this?” he replied, faking one of those ridiculous way of talking people in fashion talked, or at least those playing gay in fashion in tv shows.

Franck sighed as she didn’t seem to get how important sleep was. He took the pot from her hand though let her finish the spoon, quite literally. “Sleep is needed for your health. Just please I mean, I’m worried. You don’t look well, you really should rest,” he said. If reason didn’t work, maybe empathy would. Too bad he could only get feelings from people and not send them his. He would totally try to calm her down then, instead of fighting to keep his focus. “You forget I can feel you’re not all too well,” he added, hoping it would work this time. Though somehow he was not that sure.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

"These totally do! That's why they're illegal and stuff! But the military totally uses them for all sorts of weird, sketchy, military stuff! My supplier said so," though Frank certainly didn't want to reveal the name of said supplier. Well, part of her sort of wanted to, but she didn't think that was probably a good idea right now. Frank nearly asked Franck about that, but decided not to for some reason. Just like she decided to do nothing but giggle as Franck did his little impression and talked about fashion. See, that was why everyone needed a gay best friend! Though Frank was pretty sure that she actually had several gay best friends and maybe a bi or a pan friend too come to think of it though she wasn't quite sure how you could really tell which was which besides the fact that in her mind the bi people had sex while riding bicycles while the pan ones apparently used pans in foreplay or something.

Thankfully, all of this wasn't running through Frank's mind at this moment, instead being things that she'd said at some point that are being brought up now for context. Because if they had, well, Franck would be even more confused and concern than he already was, and that was saying something.

"Sleep is for the weak!" declared Frank, thrusting an arm into the air, finger pointed up. "I've replaced sleep with being awesome and eating candy and it's super awesome. So awesome," she squealed then hopped back to her feet, practically bouncing up and down. The peanut butter got left as Frank headed back to Franck's kitchen. 'I promise to pay you baaaaaaaaack!" she called behind her, her intent obviously on consuming yet more fooood.

[François Laffont]

My supplier said so didn’t sound like the kind of thing Franck would trust. It would be like a drug dealer telling you his shit were the best, that your trip will be awesome and the risks minimal. Who the hell introduced energy drinks to Frank anyway? Didn’t she have enough energy on her own already? He could barely keep up with her in her normal state. If she wanted a boost, she could settle for coffee, like the rest of the world. That too sounded like something he would rather not witness. He could just imagine Frank after drinking a double espresso. She’ll be going faster than the Road Runner in Bugs Bunny.

Franck sighed seeing that Frank just didn’t get it. Her body needed sleep. Or else it would simply give up on her. How long before she crashes, really? He had no idea what the record was for staying awake before having major health problem or even dying. He sure didn’t want Frank to try and break that record. Let her eat more burgers than the rest of the world if she wanted to break a record, not that. He shook his head at her attitude.

He joined her as he watched her going back to the kitchen. He grabbed her from behind to make her stop. “Please Frank, try to be serious for a minute.” He knew this was asking a lot of her but he wanted her to understand there was something wrong. He turned her around so they could look at each other face to face as opposed to talking at the back of her head. “I think we all know by now how awesome you are, but your body needs some sleep. Before it gives up on you,” he said. If only he could understand how her brain worked, he’d know what to say then for her to get it. “Look, just get some rest, real rest, and then we’ll find out how to make your time machine. Or anything else to cheer up the school. Deal?”

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Frank flitted about the kitchen, pulling at stuff and looking for something she could totally eat, preferably something loaded with sugar and/or processed. She found a box of what she thought were cookies of some kind and started crunching down on them. She should've grabbed some of her own snacks; she really didn't like eating other people's stuff, since she didn't really do great at stopping. Sure, she could pay them back, and Franck was a friend in this case, but that didn't make it any less rude, really.

"Why so serious?" she rasped in what had to be one of the worst Joker impersonations to ever be attempted. She giggled again, then reached up to bop Franck gently on the top of the head with the cookie box/tin/thing. "aww, you think I'm awesome. I think you're awesome too---oh, it's like that song! The one that talks about how everything is awesome! But I totally don't need sleep. It's like I said, I stopped sleeping and started being awesome instead," she grabbed another handful of cookies, barely seeming to chew them before gulping them down.

"Rest is for boring old people, Franck, and we are not boring or old," Frank shifted to put a hand on either of Franck's shoulders, leaning forward, "we are awesome, totally and completely," she nodded slowly, then reached up to grab Franck's face, working to squish his cheeks together and move his head into a nod, obviously figuring this was the best and most accurate way of getting him to accept whatever she had to say.

[François Laffont]

François had no problem with Frank going all over his kitchen an eating everything. Of course, since he was not paying for the food, it was normal it didn’t affect him so much. His father might not appreciate to find an empty fridge after her. She was like those grasshoppers, or crickets (was there even a difference?), wiping out an entire field of green grass after swarming there. He knew she could not help herself. It was mostly due to her ability.

He sighed again though with a little smile when she joked instead of taking his worry seriously. Really someone, if you know how to make her listen to you, tell him the secret! She retained a few words, such as awesome, the rest apparently he spoke like the adults in Peanuts or something because obviously she had no idea what else he said. He wasn’t sure what song she talked about and he had to force himself to shake that thought off before her airheadness made him forget what he meant to tell her.

The only reason why he was not giving up already was because he could feel something a bit off deep down of his friend, hidden behind her extravagant nature. He wanted to dig it out because he didn’t like to feel it there. “I’m not sure your body agrees with you,” he replied but she was already dismissing that thought by claiming rest was for old and boring people.

He shook his head, his smile still on. Alright that didn’t work as planned. He wanted to try something else but she grabbed his cheeks and he started to groan as she moved his head into a nod. Franck recalled one of his aunts who liked to pinch his cheeks when he was a child. He hated that. Apparently he still disliked the feeling. He grabbed her hands and made her let go of his cheeks gently. “Look I just... I can tell there is something,” he told her. He had no idea what that something was. It might as well just be that she would not be able to get her favourite flavour of her energy drink or something. He doubted, since that would not make her stop sleeping, unless she decided to taste every other flavour to find a new favourite one but he digressed. “If you tell me it’s fine, I won’t bother you, but I can’t help worrying there might be something. I’d worry a lot less if you were to sleep a little,” he added. Attempt number... how many times was it already? He lost count. But he was slowly giving up. He’ll keep looking at her with furrowed brows but he won’t say anything unless she gives him another reason to.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Of course Frank didn't really seem to hear (or perhaps just not care) that her body wasn't agreeing with her. It probably did want sleep, but Frank was gonna feed it more food instead. She knew that would totally work, mostly because, well, that had been the plan for ages now. The cookies wouldn't last that long, not with Frank, who was now eying what looked to be a cute little jar filled with sugar. At least, she assumed it had sugar in it, what with the label affixed to said jar saying sugar.

But there had been some cheek rubbing and face moving and him prying her off and junk. Something. "I don't think there's anything," Frank replied, tilting her head to the side. She shook it a few times. Then Frank tilted her head the other way and shook it. Then she just shook it from side to side, "nope, nothing wrong in there."

Well, obviously there was something wrong with Frank, but that didn't have a whole lot to do with any underlying causes. She reached around Franck for the sugar jar, working at its lid. It didn't immediately open, and Frank opened her mouth, somehow fitting a fairly decent portion of the jar's lid in there, where it promptly got stuck. She looked up as he kept going, saying that there was something about worrying and sleep, and Frank shook her head. "Whail mont beed bamei eeekp." (which was of course: "I don't need any sleep" but she had a jar in her mouth... obviously).

[François Laffont]

Franck still found it pretty unbelievable. It was one thing not to listen to people’s concern but how can you ignore the signs your very own body sent you? It was not like you refused to admit a bump might be a tumor out of fear or that those heartburns were caused by stress or something. He was talking about a basic, essential need here. He never thought someone would voluntarily deprive themselves of sleep. But no one was quite like Frank Cox.

He shook his head another time at her little display to look if there was anything wrong at all in her mind. Alright, he got the message. If he wanted her to see his point, he needed to play along apparently. He suddenly felt a huge wave of sympathy for the therapist should Frank was ever sent to one. He bet even the school counsellor felt like hitting her head against the desk before the end of the meeting.

He made no attempt to stop her from grabbing the jar of sugar. Anyone else, he’d arch and eyebrow and wonder what exactly they were doing. But Frank could eat anything and generally didn’t stop herself from doing that. He laughed lightly at how she worked on opening the jar. He helped her get it out of her mouth and opening it, handing the sugar as he assumed it was more what attracted her than the jar itself. “Fine, fine. What did you exactly have in mind when you came here?” he asked. The only other thing he could think of was to play along with her. With a bit of luck, her excitement will drop just enough for him to say she looked tired or something and for her to agree to a little rest. If not... well he was not quite sure what else he could do. So for now, he’d have to deal with time machines he supposed, and any other random thing that could come to her mind.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Frank kept working at the jar for a few moments, almost as if she didn't notice that Franck had spoken to her. The words must have eventually worked their way to that fogged, sugar-hyped brain though, for Frank looked up at her friend, blinking at him. She opened her mouth, raised a finger, then lowered both. She pursed her lips for a moment, blowing a loose strand of hair out of her eye. She tapped the lid of the jar, drumming out a little tune. She raised her finger and opened her mouth again, then lowered both.

"Y'know, I really can't remember," she admitted. Frank rapped her fingers against the lid of the jar, then moved to put it back. "You got anything else to eat? Like ,sugary stuff. I swore I had more stuff in my pockets or something," she tapped the lid for a bit. "Hey, you wanna head out and get some food or something? I mean, I guess we could, like, make food here or something, but I've got this sudden urge for, like caffeine or--oh, oh, oh!" Frank danced about for a bit, "Wouldn't that be awesome? If we, like, filled an entire room of the school with coffee beans! Squee!"

And no, she didn't squee, she literally said squee. Then she hopped and ran to get out of the kitchen, only to, well, miss. And hit a wall. And bounce back, holding said wall, and kinda of stare awkwardly into the distance.

[François Laffont]

What else could he do, it was not like Frank agreed to listen to reason. She even seemed more interested in his jar of sugar than whatever he might have to say. Well, it was true that she had never been really good at focusing on several things at once, unless said several things were different food items. He waited patiently for her to answer him. When she did however, he looked at his with an eyebrow raised, as if asking her how that could not be a clue there was something wrong. He kept a small smile on however so she probably wouldn’t read it well anyway. Or even notice. He never knew what his friend noticed, really.

And of course, she went back to food. Not that it was really surprising coming from her. He started to think what he might have around to satisfy her. “There are some cookies in the pantry, or some ice cream if you like,” he said. He wasn’t sure the level of sugar in anything around here would match the level she wanted. He had several fruits, juice, some cookies, perhaps a bit of chocolate but probably not as sweet as she wanted it, or too healthy for her. “We got Sugar Crisps,” he added with a shrug which probably was the closest to something full enough of sugar to please her.

He wouldn’t mind heading out. “Let me make a note in case my father comes in before...” he began to say, not really listening to her as she was going on with a room full of coffee beans. He didn’t even want to think how many beans would be required to fill a room. But he stopped talking as he heard a loud thump. He had been digging through to get a notepad and a pen and had started writing something when he turned his head and saw Frank by the wall. He frowned, dropping the pen and walking to her. “Hey, are you alright?” he asked. He didn’t witness anything really but from the noise he could assume what happened. “I think you had enough sugar for now, you’re jumping everywhere,” he said with a smile, gently bringing her to one of the kitchen chair to sit down a moment. “Will you be alright?” he asked and he bent down next to her to look at her.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Frank did hear all of Franck's answers regarding the location of food, twisting and turning to look, but not coming to any real decision. She was far more focused on her own thoughts, which was probably why she ran right into the wall and all. Which stung a bit and mostly disoriented her, which of course Franck had noticed. Frank didn't even put up a fight as he brought her over to a chair, simply plunking herself down in it for a few moments. She stared at Franck like someone who, well, didn't quite know where they were. she blinked.

"Franccccck!" she said, somehow stretching the only sound in Franck's name that didn't actually matter. She stretched her arms wide and circled Franck into a hug, pulling him close to give him a big, sloppy, wet kiss on the lips. "You are awesome, you know that/ Super awesome. We should totally do awesome stuff together and junk. Like getting drinks, not, like alcohol, but something with a lot of caffeine and sugar and junk..."

Frank tilted her head. "Weird, I'm totally getting deja vu right now. Is that happening to you too? Did we find a portal into the past? Are you a time lord? No, wait, they're British, not French..."

[François Laffont]

François knew his friend was an airhead but even Frank had a limit to her airheadness. Anyone could get distracted and hit a wall. Once, Franck got caught in his own feet and fell flat to the floor, luckily no one saw that. Just like he supposed it was normal to be a bit disoriented right after. Made it easy for Franck to make her sit down as opposed to running around like she normally would. But even if her state could be explained by the hit against the wall, he was worried yet again. It happened because of her bubbly self not seeing a wall that didn’t move from since its creation, or she was simply too tired to focus enough on not hitting it? One could ask himself the question.

Of course, Frank decided to be Frank and to disrupt her friend’s train of thoughts. By kissing him no less. At first he thought she’d hug him. But no. She planted a big, wet kiss, on his lips no less. His eyes remained big even after she was done. If you wondered why he was not into girls, that would explain it. She was being incoherent as she kept talking. Were drunk people speaking like this, because he could swear they were, except perhaps with more difficulty on the pronunciation.

And then she talked of time lords. Channeling Doctor Who again, could you believe it! Franck felt sorry for her brain, he had no idea how it was able to keep up with her. He sighed but with a smile on his face. Oh, he was still worried, but that didn't make her any less amusing. “I think we mentioned we were awesome before. And that you wanted to go out and get coffee. And also the time lords,” he told her. So yeah, that explained the déjà vu. Franck however was not so sure anymore they should go out. “Maybe we better stay here though. You hit your head pretty hard. You should take it easy for a moment,” he said. Again, he wished he could send his feelings but apparently God made him be a receiver and not a transmitter. “You need anything?” he asked her. Like, for example, ice for her head.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

"We probably did mention how awesome we are, because we are awesome, and that is what awesome people do," said Frank, nodding several times. She brought a hand up to cup her chin, giving it a few rubs, considering the matter with the utmost severity and sincerity. Mentioned coffee and timelords and, well, that all just sounded like a normal conversation to/with Frank. When Franck mentioned that she'd hit her head though, the excitable girl just waved her hand, letting out her lips in a manner that created a buzzing sound.

"My head's fine. I just totally ran into a wall! Ah, see, I remember now! Wall," she pointed, "well, door frame, thing. That, there," more pointing, this time with waving. And Frank popped right back to her feet, looking as though she hadn't just effectively lost her memory a few seconds earlier and started hallucinating about time lords (which again: fairly standard for Frank, all things considered).

"We should be heading out! For caffeeeeeeeeeineeee!" and Frank headed toward the exit, arm extended. She paused before the door, walking in place and adjusting till she moved through.... and then promptly managed to trip on.. something, falling flat on her face just outside the kitchen.

"Ow."

[François Laffont]

François couldn’t help but turn his head a second in direction of the door frame she pointed, even though he knew full well what she was talking about. Frank might have forgotten something as painful as hitting a wall, but her friend did not. He saw her standing there, dazed, after hearing the impact. You’d think, with the sound it made, that there would be a hole or something in the said wall. But no. It survived the crash, far better than Frank obviously.

The girl couldn’t care less about one small accident however and now that Franck brought her back on the topic at hand. She had her mind set on caffeine again so how could he expect her to care about what happened a few seconds ago? Well, Franck better stick around, before she kills herself or something. Which didn't seem like that stupid an idea since she barely made a step outside the kitchen before tripping over and falling to the floor. What did she say about déjà vu again?

François quickly went to her and helped her up on her feet. “I’d say we better stay inside, before you find another way to kill yourself,” he suggested, bringing her back to the chair she just left. “I’ve got coffee here, I can make some. But I’d say you need ice more than caffeine,” he pointed out, heading to the fridge and to the freezer part of it to get some ice. He crushed some in a towel and brought it to Frank. “See, that’s what I meant with your body taking its toll. It’s tired. You can’t even walk without tripping over or hitting something,” he told her again, this time putting more weight on his words to show he would not let it slip that easily anymore.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Frank mumbled something into the floor as Franck insisted on their staying home. He said something about coffee though, and she perked her head up. She turned it slowly toward Franck, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him. He kept going, gathering ice for some reason and talking about her body taking its toll or something. She didn't really care about that, and she was half tempted to point out that tripping and stuff was actually fairly normal for Frank.

Perfectly normal and not at all weird.
Nope.
Because frank was perfectly normal and not at all weird.
Nope.

"Is this coffee you speak of... French?" she asked, bouncing her eyebrows a few times. "Like, super French or regular French? And it's not decaf, right? 'cuz I can see it in your very nice eyes, see that desire for me to not get my precious caffeine. Would you really do that to me? To your bestest best straight friend in the whole wide, wide world?"

And then Frank activated her other super power, the one that adults (and close personal friends) everywhere dreaded: the puppy dog stare.

[François Laffont]

At this point, the fact she looked around with a vacant stare, he was ready to blame two hit she did to her head in as many minutes. He did fear there was more to it. He was used to Frank, to her randomness, to her general feelings. There was something off, something not exactly Frank-like. He couldn’t put his finger on it. He could understand how his explanation would make little sense. How can he expect Frank to understand when all he could say was that her crazy was crazier than usual? Yeah, made little sense to one who could not feel it like he did.

He frowned a bit when she talked of French coffee. What did she mean exactly? All he wanted was for her to put the ice on her head where she hit it continuously. But he got what she meant as she explained further. He was actually surprised she wanted one done like that as he often heard Americans claiming it was way too bitter or strong. He almost feared what ‘super French’ then would mean. Even stronger, with a texture similar to molasses? He was exaggerating here but still. She was right though, he had no desire in giving some to her.

He sighed, looking down, trying to avoid her stare as she looked like a lost puppy now. He really didn’t need her to try and buy him with that kind of look. “I’m not sure it’s best for you right now. But what did you mean about filling a room with coffee beans? You mean a class or you intended to fill the entire gymnasium? Or perhaps turn the pool into a giant coffee to swim in,” he said. Yes, it was his way of changing the subject. Frank’s little mind will certainly jump on the idea of having some fun, right? He went to his fridge, got a glass of milk instead of coffee for her and took out some things to eat, sadly for her, healthier than she was used to. “How do you expect to get that many beans though?” he asked as he placed cheese and grapes on the table before getting a knife and some crackers. That was all she’ll get right now, no coffee or sugar anymore.