Living Life on the Wild Side (Open after Andrew)

[stryderstalk]

Stryder Stalk hadn't hung out with his favorite roommate of all time in a while. Lately things had been stressful for Stryder . With getting a letter from his father, passing out, making sure that Maryn was alright, losing his drawings, and on top of that keeping good grades in classes, Stryder was booked. He needed to have fun and he knew that Drew was the man that would make Stryder laugh more than ever.

Stryder knew Drew the best out of all the boys at Hogwarts, well beside his cousin Tom. He would even consider Drew his best friend, even though Drew's owl River would drive Stryder insane in the mornings. Then again Stryder couldn't talk much considering his owl Slate probably did the same thing to Drew. Well the boys had their laughs over their three years at Hogwarts. They always dreamed of starting a band, Drew being vocals and Stryder being guitarist, but the dream was in the making.

Earlier that morning Stryder had gotten up early to finish his late Muggle Studies work that he hadn't finished. He was so overwhelmed with everything that he knew that hanging out with his best buddy would help. Stryder told the half asleep Gryffindor laying in bed still asleep, that he should meet him by the lake after classes were down.

Classes had finished and instead of heading to the Library where he sadly had spent a lot of his time in lately, headed out towards the lake hoping that Drew had heard at least parts of what Stryder had told him earlier that morning. Stryder sat on the rock by the lake and waited for Drew to arrive. He's probably off flirting with some girl or even snogging. Compared to Stryder, Drew was a ladies man. It seemed that he could get any girl he wanted. Stryder laughed at their last night talks about random Hogwart girls. Those were the days.

Stryder was glad that the day was nice compared to the rain they had been getting before. It would be a nice day for a swim and apparently Stryder took that literally. He looked around for Drew for one last time with no luck. Stryder looked down at the water. It was begging for him to jump in. So Stryder took off his shirt and jumped in with his school pants on. The water felt nice on Stryder's skin. He swam up to the surface and looked out to the shore to see his roommate looking at him.

"It's about time you showed up. So who were you flirting with now?"

Stryder yelled across the lake not caring what people thought of him.

[Andrew Thornton G6]

((It turned out a bit longer than expected. I'm trying to get into Andrew right now and he seems to want to talk a lot in my head so sorry about it being so long.))

Drew ruffled his hair once more as he continued his chit chat with some girl from Hufflepuff or maybe it was Ravenclaw. He couldn't keep track of them anymore. He glanced quickly down at the tie and smiled at the blue. Ravenclaw it was. He had met her last year some time, but he couldn't remember her name. She definitely remembered his though as she continued to use it in almost every other sentence. He wondered briefly if she was trying to see if he remembered her name. Of course he was. He was straining his brain trying to come up with a name to match the face. However it was evading him mind as most things did when he got tired of listening to someone talk for a few moments. His eyes drifted off to the picture behind the girl. A woman in a white dress was dancing around her bedroom as if she was the only one in the world. At that time a loud crack was heard and he felt his head flip to the right. A look of shock passed his face as he turned his eyes back to the girl. She was glaring at him with cold brown eyes.

"What was that for?" Drew asked as he placed a hand on his cheek. It hadn't hurt, but it had woke him up from his day dream. She looked hard at him and he wondered if he should take off running for the hills. However, she cracked a smile at him and shrugged. He just nodded and forced a smile before telling her he had to go. What kind of person just slaps you out of the blue? he thought to himself as he pulled the shoulder strap of his bag up higher on his shoulder and taking a quick glance behind him at the girl who was watching him go. Bloody Hell she has to be daft, whatever her name is. He brought his eyes back to the front as he put a hand to his cheek again. He hoped there wasn't a red mark on his cheek. That's all he needed now, was to be walking around school with a nice red hand print on his cheek. It was a good thing classes were over.

Class get done... the thought passed through him. Wasn't he supposed to be somewhere after classes got done. Stryder! Drew said as he smiled to himself. He took off down the staircases, trying to avoid unsuspecting victims. However, he was more the victim when he hit a 6th year Slytherin who probably would have hurt him if Drew hadn't been running at top speed and turned a corner before the Slytherin had time to curse him. Down more and more stairs he went until he reached the front doors and wrenched them open looking around wildly. Where did he say to meet him? Drew thought to himself as he wracked his brain for the memory of that morning. He had been asleep, deeply asleep when Stryder had woke him. The lake maybe, he thought and took off in that direction.

When Drew reached the side of the lake he found Stryder's things, but no Stryder. He realized his room mate had decided to take a swim. He smiled as he saw the face of his friend resurface. It had been too long since they had hung out. It seemed that things were getting more and more busy as time went by. They were only 3rd years now, what would happen in a year? Would they even have time to do this? He hoped they would. Besides they still had that band to get together. Maybe they would be able to find a drummer soon and a bass player would be good. He distanced the thought when Stryder spoke. Drew smiled in defeat, "True enough. But for the record I was only talking to the girl, though I don't know what her name was. But it's not as good as it sounds, the bloody girl slapped me. She was totally daft!" Drew threw his bag on the ground and pulled his shirt off before canon balling right into the lake near Stryder. He wondered if the girls that were sitting near the lake got splashed. He resurfaced quickly to see for sure.

"Got em!" Drew laughed as he pointed to the girls that were drenched in water and scowling over at them. Drew laughed heartily at the fact that the girls could only see Stryder, since Drew had taken the opportunity to swim behind him, therefore they all believed that he was indeed the one that had just gotten them all soaked with water. "You see, that's why I get all the girls and you get none. You just can't seem to control yourself. You should really apologize for splashing them," Drew said in a mock adult voice. Drew laughed again as he took off away from Stryder before he decided to retaliate.

[stryderstalk]

Stryder was glad that Drew had remembered to show up. Sure Stryder was popular and could hang out with other people but it seemed like forever since he had actually hung out with a boy. Stryder had followed Drew's flirting tips and had found himself surrounded by girls lately. Though Stryder liked it, it was starting to drive him crazy. It's hard being a ladies man but I'll get used to it. Stryder couldn't help but laughing at Drew's situation, the same thing had happend to Stryder just the other day, except he hadn't gotten slapped. He know just ignored 'no-name girl' and avoided her at all costs.

Stryder knew immediately that Drew was going to cannonball in. He liked big entrances and it just happend that there were two girls their age sitting near the lake. As soon as Stryder saw Drew run to jump in, he stuck his head under water to avoid the splash. The girls weren't as lucky though.

"Got em!"

"What's the score now 20 to 12 in your favor?"

When the boys did swim they liked to have these contests and started keeping scores. They each had their own talents at the game. Stryder used the style technique and Drew just attempted to get the biggest splash. It turned out that the bigger splash worked better than grace.

Stryder laughed along side Drew but was surprised to see that his friend was hiding behind him. Stryder realized that the girls now thought that it was Stryder who had splashed them. Stryder just raised his hand, put on a charming smile, and waved at the soaking girls.

"Who says I can't get girls. I've had plenty of girls following me around lately thanks to your "Ladies Man 101" class. I think I'm ready to move on to "Ladies Man 202."

Stryder said laughing as he winked at the girls and attempted to dunk Drew under the water. Unfortunately though Drew had escaped Stryder this time but both the boys knew that when it came to swimming Stryder could kick Drew's butt any day. Therefore it didn't take Stryder that long to catch up with Drew.

"So what's been up with you lately?"

((no worries, I love long posts. They're the best, plus it made me laugh))

[marcy]

((Hope you don't mind me joining. Bit bored.))

Marcy, being raised Muggle, knew most of the good bands. She knew what to listen to, the lyrics, the music, the rhythm, everything. Then again, Marcy was rather talented with music that way. She would never get a career in music, however, she didn't want that much stress. Too much stress was bad for you. Marcy knew this from experience, her foster mother had so many wrinkles around her eyes because of stress, and she was only 40 something. Marcy was determined not to get as many wrinkles as her foster mother had. She didn't want to be ugly like her. Maybe this was why Marcy ate well and was very carefree, happy, even. With her WWW playing Linkin Park in her ear, Marcy strolled through the halls of Hogwarts - oblivious to anyone and anything.

Her wacky hair, which was a dirty blond today, was pulled up into two knots and had bright coloured fabric over them. She was out of her uniform, her jeans and neon purple top with splatters of neon green were quite a sight. And to top it all off she was wearing bright pink chuck taylors. Her outrageous outfit would just look bad on anyone else aside from her. Her grey canvas bag was banging along her side as she walked down the corridors toward the huge doors, they almost ate her alive when she first arrived at Hogwarts. They were huge, and kind of scary at night. Marcy pushed them open with both hands and surveyed the grounds. Her eyes landed on the lake, and she made her way over there - her arms crossed her eyes looking from groups of people to groups of people.

She reached the lake, but continued up to the cliffs that over looked it. With her bag behind her, she started the climb up - not really afraid of falling. Someone would surely see if she did. Her left hand reached up, then her right, and in moments she was at the top overlooking the lake and the grounds. It was really a breathtaking view. She sat down, and changed the song on her WWW before taking out her book from her bag and returning to where she left off the day before. That was when she heard a splash below. She took out the headphones and looked down at where the sound had come from, Stryder Stalk a boy in her house and year had decided to take a swim.

Moments later another boy in her year and house, Andrew Thornton joined him. Marcy continued to watch them for a bit, her eyes wandering over the girls they had soaked. Then she stood up and cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled down; "I hope you apologized. They might just get you back one day."

[stryderstalk]

((Anytime))

Stryder waited for Drew to answer but instead he heard someone else. Stryder turned towards the noise to see something standing on the cliffs. It had asked if he had apologized. Stryder looked at Drew with raised eyebrows and decided to find out what the thing was. Stryder began to swim towards the cliffs and came close enough to realize who it was. The girl was Marcy Fairfield and crazy girl from Gryffindor and in his class. The reason Stryder hadn't recognized her was due to her spunky outfit that she had actually pulled off. Stryder loved seeing people out of their uniform, it made him get to know them a lot better. Marcy always had the craziest outfits that she would wear in the Common Room, Stryder just didn't know that she wore them around the grounds as well.

"Come on Marcy you actually think they could do something to Stryder and Drew. Also known as the greatest guys in Gryffindor."

Stryder joked as he swam closer to Marcy. Her shirt was the thing that Stryder had seen from a far. Stryder hadn't seen that many neon colors together before. He didn't know how she didn't manage to get a headache from it.

[Andrew Thornton G6]

Drew laughed loudly as Stryder caught up with him. Drew was good at sports, but when it came to swimming he just wasn't as fast as Stryder. He really needed to remember that. Next time he would have to come up with some crazy way to get away from Stryder. Drew stopped in the water and avoided Stryder for a few seconds until Stryder asked him about what he'd been up to lately. Drew smiled brightly at Stryder and was about to respond when he heard a distant voice. "Apologize? I didn't do anything, it was Stryder!" Drew exclaimed back as he turned to see someone standing on the cliff near the lake. He followed after Stryder who had also taken interest in the voice. Drew couldn't keep up with him, but he caught up when he stopped swimming and looked up at the voice.

Drew nodded and smiled as he realized it was Marcy. Perhaps the only Gryffindor crazier than he was. Especially since she wasn't afraid of wearing crazy outfits to remind people of that fact. Today was no different. She was sporting some crazy colours that were so bright it hurt his eyes a bit to look at her. At this point Drew decided it would be better to get a bit closer. He hit Stryder in the arm and pointed to the rocks. He smiled in delight before swimming right to them and slowly, but surely he began to climb. Rock climbing was another thing he enjoyed. It had been a while since he had had a good climb, but today was the day. The only problem he was having was that he was wet and it was making the rocks a bit slick, but he managed them well enough.

After a few minutes of fighting his way up the cliff he reached the top and panted as he sat down. Looking down he smiled at the water below. "Yeah, Stryder hurry up I don't have all day!" Drew yelled down to Stryder. He smiled and laughed as he turned to address Marcy. "What are you doing up here? Felt like being on top of the world, because you're getting dangerously close."

[marcy]

Marcy rolled her eyes at Stryder and laughed, "Bit full of ourselves aren't we, Stryder?" She knew they considered themselves big shots in year 3, but Marcy wasn't that impressed. She had seen many of 'big shots' in the foster homes she had been in. Of course, that didn't mean she was completely rude to them, well any ruder than she was to anyone else. But Marcy didn't consider herself rude, she was just outright and opinionated. Besides, Marcy had been through a lot - she deserved to be a little bit defiant when it came to people. That was only toward people who thought they were better than her, though. Georgey-Porgey was treated with respect and TLC, Golly she missed that little guy. When Drew protested, saying it was Stryder not him; Marcy raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really? You didn't give him a competitive push? Alright, you're completely innocent Thornton."

He started climbing the cliff and Marcy's eyes grew wide, "You're coming up here? Oh, darn. And here I was enjoying talking down at you, more like screaming." She cleared her throat at the mention of screaming and sat back down on the cliff - her eyes following him up the cliff. Then she let her gaze drift back to Stryder to see if he would follow suit. But Drew had reached the top and turned to her after yelling down to Stryder to hurry up. Marcy's eyes narrowed and she contemplated what he had asked. "Top of the world? Nah, I've already had that feeling. Hot air balloons are marvelous for that. I just wanted to get away and read, without cocky boys splashing me." She turned her music on again, but didn't put it in her ears - she didn't want to seem to be ignoring him - that wouldn't be too nice. Marcy smirked at that thought and lay back on the rock.

She had closed her eyes, but now she opened her left one and glanced at Drew. She closed it again and said; "Tell me," then she raised her voice so Stryder could hear if he was still to far away to hear her normal voice, "are all boys show offs? Or is it something only you two special in?"

[stryderstalk]

Stryder wasn't sure if he was full of himself, he liked pretending like he was. Then again Stryder was handsome, was popular, and could get girls if he wanted to. Stryder though didn't really want a girlfriend, he liked flirting around a lot better. Sure he had a few girls on his mind that he wouldn't mind going out with but if he went out with them it would just cause to much drama. Stryder hadn't dated anyone since his first year and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to consider Catrina as his first girlfriend anymore. Either way Stryder loved messing around with girls and what other way than pretending he was the best at everything.

Stryder watched as Drew swam past him and started climbing up the cliffs. That was the thing about the two boys friendship they both had their strengths and weaknesses and knew each others weaknesses. They also liked to compete, after all they were just typical boys. Stryder wasn't surprised when Drew quickly reached the top of the cliff and called down to Stryder and then started talking to Marcy. Stryder couldn't hear what they were talking about but if it was interesting Drew would always tell him later.

Stryder looked up at the cliffs, he was never too good at climbing. Stryder could see the path that Drew had taken due to the water that had stained the rocks. Stryder was contemplating taking his friends path but knew that Drew was an experienced rock climber and could handle anything. Stryder instead looked around for an easier way. Stryder grabbed hold of a rock and realized that this wasn't going to be easy considering he was soaking wet. Stryder was now gripping onto the cliff going much slower than Drew had gone. He was almost to the top when he heard Marcy yell down to him:


"Tell me, are all boys show offs? Or is it something only you two special in?"

"I'm afraid Drew will have to answer that question for you, he knows better than I do."

Stryder laughed, sure Drew had gotten points for the rock climbing but Stryder got him there. That's what Stryder loved about their friendship, they always messed around with each other but they were the best of friends and took nothing to heart. Stryder had finally reached the top and walked over to Marcy.

"Are all girls afraid to get a little wet in dirty as well?"

Stryder asked Marcy as he layed down on the rocks. The heat of the rocks felt nice against his back. He rested his head on his arms and looked up at the sky wondering what they were going to do now.

[Andrew Thornton G6]

"Hey, I am innocent!" Drew said with a laugh. "Okay maybe not so innocent, but don't I look innocent?" he said as he made the shape of a halo above his head with his hands. He knew he wasn't innocent in this instance, but that didn't mean he had to incriminate himself. "Oh come on you don't want to be all alone up here, because if you did you would have just ignored us and not have said anything. But since you did it gives us fair game to climb up here and bother you. Besides I was in need of a bit of adventure. I'm not cocky by the way, I'm just self assured," he said with a laughed. Drew knew it was essentially the same thing. He thought he was being funny though and to him he was the funniest person he had ever met. "Hot air balloons really? That's pretty awesome. Haven't ever been in one myself, but once I purchase the broom I want I guess I'll be high enough not to need a balloon."

Drew laughed loudly at Marcy's question and then again when Stryder arrived and told him he would have to answer the question. It was true. Drew was a bit of a show off, but it wasn't like he always intended to be. He was just good at it and he had a tendency to do it whenever he was around others. When he was with Stryder things didn't really matter. The two could compete and show off all they liked, it usually just ended in a draw. They were both good at something different and when the one would start something the other couldn't do it was pretty much giving in when they finished. Drew loved that about their relationship though. It meant that the other could never out do the other. They would always be tied in everything they did, which meant more excitement and adventure in the long run because they would always be trying to out do the other. That always made for interesting conversations and actions.

Drew smiled at Stryder. "I almost forgot about you, took you long enough to get up that wall. However, you're right, only I can really answer that question. I believe that boys are not show offs all the time, but men are," he said as his smile widened. "And I am a man therefore I am a show off all the time, what do you say Stryder do you want to be a man with me or are you going to stay a boy? And Stryder does have a point with his question. Are you afraid of a little water? Are you like the Wicked Witch of the West, do you melt when touched by water?" Drew asked as he ruffled his wet hair, spraying water around him in a circle hoping to get a few drops on Marcy to see if she melted. A smile played across his face as he waited for a response.

[marcy]

"Looks can be deceiving," Marcy muttered, but her lips turned upward into a smile. "And I did want to be alone, but I figured you were rude to splash those girls - or encourage the splashing - and they deserved an apology, which I didn't hear by the way." She raised an eyebrow at him, but she didn't expect him to give one - boys were insolent that way. Maybe Marcy was thinking bitterly from experience, but she didn't mind. All boys were the same, no matter if they came from well to do families or orphanages. When he compared hot air balloons and brooms, Marcy scoffed and looked away; "They're hardly the same thing, Drew. Hot air balloons let you take in your surroundings and appreciate beauty, brooms are speed. Beauty is something you should appreciate, I don't mean on a girl either." She said pointedly.

Stryder made it to the top and said that Drew would have to answer that question, this caused Marcy to sit up and look at both of them with narrowed eyes, "You can't answer it, too? What a shame? I was hoping for more than one opinion." She said dryly, but that small smile still stayed on her face. Drew answered, though, and she laughed out loud at his response. "You're a man, eh? Tell me, then why do you still look like a little boy? The men I know don't need to show off, anyway, girls are attracted to them like magnets- or should I say, women? Besides, boys are always boys - no matter the age." Marcy didn't know if there was ever a man who matured completely, they all had their moments.

That was when she felt water drop on her, she closed her eyes and breathed calmly, "Not all girls are afraid of water, and I certainly don't melt like the Wicked Witch of the West. Some girls," Marcy said as she leaned back on her elbows and stared up at the sky, "if brought up right, will know that getting dirty and having fun is much more important than looking pretty. After all, don't boys want someone they can have fun with, and not someone who complains about their designer shoes?"

[stryderstalk]

Girls were so funny about other girls. For instance if your going out with a girl she wants you to meet her friends. The thing is if you say one thing about her friends, like "she's pretty" your girlfriend will be offended but if you say "she's ugly" your girlfriend will be mad at you for insulting your friend. Therefore your are supposed to just stand there and pretend that your girlfriend is better than everyone else but act it out, unless your girlfriend likes putting her friends down. All in all girls were confusing.

Stryder was thinking of writing an essay about girls for his muggle studies class, comparing muggle girls vs. Hogwart girls. It would have been a great paper but his request was denied. Stryder would have put Marcy wanting him to apologize for Andrew's splashing in there. Stryder sat up and looked over, he didn't see the girls anymore.

"I made my own apology. One of these numbers."

Stryder said and then cleared his throat as if he was about to perform something amazing. Stryder then put on a serious face raised his hand and waved at Marcy. Along with the wave his face turned into a gleaming smile. When his hand returned to his side, Stryder's face became serious again and he bowed. Stryder loved acting and since the drama club had basically died at Hogwarts he would act all the time wherever he was.

"Thank you I'll be here all month." he said as he returned to laying down on the rocks and started listening to Drew and Marcy's conversation. They were talking about hot air balloons vs. brooms. Stryder preferred brooms though he had never been in a hotair balloon but after riding brooms it would be weird. After all you could just go slowly with your broom and look at the 'sites' like you would in a hot air balloon. Stryder was ready to defend Drew by saying that both boys appreciate girls beauty but Marcy saw it coming. She was good at this. Stryder wasn't sure what 'this' was but she was good at it.

Stryder shrugged his shoulders when Drew commented about him taking a long time to get up the cliffs. All Stryder cared about was that he hadn't fallen and that he had made it up before they left, though Stryder doubted that Drew would leave him. Knowing Drew, he would have jumped back in the water and climbed back up the cliff to see how many times he could do the climb as Stryder did his first. Stryder smiled and listened as Drew answered Marcy's question.

"And I am a man therefore I am a show off all the time, what do you say Stryder do you want to be a man with me or are you going to stay a boy? And Stryder does have a point with his question. Are you afraid of a little water? Are you like the Wicked Witch of the West, do you melt when touched by water?"

Stryder laughed and immediately stood up tall.

"I'm a man! " He said proudly looking at Marcy who soon replied.

"You're a man, eh? Tell me, then why do you still look like a little boy? The men I know don't need to show off, anyway, girls are attracted to them like magnets- or should I say, women? Besides, boys are always boys - no matter the age."

"Well Marcy dearest, dozens of 'women' are attracted to the two MEN standing in front of you. They even form a line outside of our dormitory waiting for us. Huh Drew. How many were there yesterday? About fifty right?"

Stryder laughed and messed his hair up. Normally Stryder liked his hair nice but he really didn't care, it was wet and would eventually fall nice.

"Not all girls are afraid of water, and I certainly don't melt like the Wicked Witch of the West. Some girls, if brought up right, will know that getting dirty and having fun is much more important than looking pretty. After all, don't boys want someone they can have fun with, and not someone who complains about their designer shoes?"

Marcy knew Stryder better than she thought she did. That's the exact description of a girlfriend he wanted. In his second year he had met a girl named Lillie who was a bombshell. She was gorgeous and a year older than Stryder in Ravenclaw. Then only problem with her was that she was rich and let it go to her head. She was always shopping and would never be caught dead in nothing less than designer brands. Stryder could never picture going out with a girl who refused to horseback ride. It was just impossible. Lillie ended up having to leave Hogwarts after the attacks and left Stryder a designer watch that he never wore because it would remind him to much of what he didn't want to be. Stryder though didn't admit any of this to Marcy. All he did was look at her and smile.

[Andrew Thornton G6]

Drew smiled before he ruffled his hair in thought. "I think it was nearly a hundred Stryder. It was hard to get out of the building," Drew said with a laugh. He couldn't help himself. It was the way he was. He wanted to have a blast in life and he knew that you couldn't just sit around and have life be good. You had to write your own story and make your own history. That's what he was doing. He was going to make his own destiny by having the most fun he had ever had. The only way to do that was to enjoy life and enjoy every possible moment. Not to mention inserting your own little whimsical remarks into conversations whenever possible was always a good thing to do. It gave you an opportunity to feel like you were making a contribution to society. Especially if that comment was at the expense of others.

Drew laughed at Marcy's comment about girls. "Yeah, sure Marce, you show me a girl that has all of those things and I'll definitely go after her. I mean honestly, what woman doesn't like designer labels. The only ones I know are those that like them and want them and if they don't have them they are definitely trying to buy them or find them some way or another. Girls are all for those kinds of things. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if they actually liked that more than anything else," Drew said with a shrug. He knew all girls weren't like that, but he like trying to tick Marcy off, especially with her brand new nickname, that Drew had so graciously just bestowed upon her. He'd been trying to think of a really good one, but that was the best he could do. Marce, at least now it was only one syllable. He liked that kind of thing. He smiled as he leaned back against the rock trying to dry off. He was about ready to jump back in the water.

"So Marce, do you like to swim then? If you're not like the Wicked Witch of the West, than you wouldn't mind going for a swim?" Drew asked as he stood up tall. He ruffled his hair and watched the water shoot off. "Come on Marce, just a little dip into the lake. Stryder will go first. That way you know it's safe to jump in from here," Drew said as he motioned to Stryder with his head. He smiled at the fact he just volunteered Stryder to jump into the lake from this height. It was a bit dangerous, since Drew wasn't sure how much water was actually in the lake near the cliff. If Stryder jumped first that would save both Drew and Marcy from getting hurt. He turned to is friend. "Isn't that right Stryder? You'll jump in first as long as Marce follows and then me?"

[marcy]

Marcy raised her right eyebrow at Stryder and then nodded slowly, "I think I underestimated you, Stryder. You are a moron all on your own, you don't need a clown like Drew tagging along." She shot Drew a innocent smile and then listened as Stryder declared that 50 women lined up outside their dormitory. She laughed aloud at this and looked at him with such incredulity she couldn't help but want to jump off the cliff. She smiled mischeviously and tilted her head, "50 you say? Well, I must tell Professor McGonagall that you two are off telling other houses our password to the common room. You have to be, considering no girl in Gryffindor would give either of you two the time of day." Actually, Marcy didn't know that. She didn't know much about what girls looked for in the guys. Guys were... just.. well... cocky. Especially the two she was talking to at the moment.

When Drew called her Marce, she raised her eyebrows so high they started to hurt. She relaxed them as she listened to what he was saying about all girls liking designer labels. Marcy laughed and shook her head with amazement, "Do I look like a girl who likes designer labels? Do I look like a girl who wastes my time with designer labels? No, they're just material items. You're gonna grow out of them anyway, so why get them? Why pay so much? Just to be in style? Rubbish. It's stupid, if you ask me. I'd rather be out working hard for something I can be proud in - not pretty." Drew had upset her a little bit, stereotyping all girls the way he had. Marcy knew the value of a dollar, and she made sure she didn't waste her money on stupid things like that. And she most certainly didn't wish to buy anything like that.

Drew declared they should jump into the lake, and volunteered Stryder to go first to make sure it was safe. It was as if Marcy was too afraid to jump off a cliff into a lake. She glared sharply at Drew and stood up, "He doesn't have to go first. I will. I'm not a baby, Thornton. I have jumped off this before, you know." She bent down and unlaced her shoes, taking them off and kicking them aside. Then she peeled her socks off and flung them next to the shoes. She reached up, undid the fabric from her hair and placed them in her canvas bag. When it actually came to jumping into the lake though, she froze. Then before they could say anything about her hesitance, she arched her back and dove. First, she was just falling, and then the coldness of the water surprised her so she was in shock for a second or two. She swam around a bit before resurfacing. Her eyes glared up at the cliff and she waited for them to come down.

[stryderstalk]

"Ya it seems like the line get bigger and longer everyday. I keep on telling my professors that I'm late to class because of the crowd but they still don't believe me. Ya I don't get how they get the password either, and as far as Gyffindor girls go you should be talking to Maryn about that one."

Stryder didn't actually know if Maryn liked him or not. At the beginning he thought that it might have been possible but now that Maryn had all her problems with her brother Stryder knew that there was no way Maryn was thinking about Stryder like that. She had enough on her mind to think about a boyfriend.

Taking his mind off of Maryn, he listened to their conversation about designer labels. Stryder' cousin Brigitte was a girl who was in love with Prada, Chanel, Dior. Anything designer name, she loved it. Stryder knew that the Butlers couldnt' afford to buy their daughter all of her purses, clothes, and dozens of sunglasses so Stryder wondered if they were real or not. Although Marcy claimed she didn't like the labels Stryder wondered what she would do if he stole on of his cousin's bags and gave it to Marcy. She would probably keep it. Stryder thought to himself as he stood up at the sound of swimming.


"Isn't that right Stryder? You'll jump in first as long as Marce follows and then me?"

"Marcy you can count on me to be your night in shining armor."

Stryder said with a smile as he approached the cliff looking down. It was a long fall but it didn't scare Stryder. He was good at this stuff, as long as he planned it out. Stryder saw the different rocks that he had struggled climbing up, he had to avoid colliding into them. He finally found the right spot when he heard Marcy volunteer herself to jump. Before Stryder could jump himself Marcy had already gone in the water. Stryder smiled and looked back at Drew.

"This girl is something else, huh Drew?"

Stryder smiled and jumped off the cliff in a nice dive. He landed the water making a graceful splash and swam over to Marcy. Stryder loved swimming and diving, he could probably win those muggle olympic things as easy as one, two, three.

[Andrew Thornton G6]

Drew smiled and chuckled at Marcy's comment about Stryder being a moron without Drew tagging along. This girl was definitely something else. She wasn't into Drew and Stryder like most girls were and if she was she certainly didn't show it. It was challenging. Drew was more interested in girls that weren't falling all over him. It made him feel that girls that didn't do that had a mind of their own. They weren't going to sacrifice their beliefs and morals for a guy.

Drew laughed loudly when Marcy ridiculed the comment about the girls. He looked at Stryder and nodded. "You see Marce, you have to understand. These girls don't get the password from us. We don't know where they get it, but it's true getting to class in the morning is so difficult. It's like they just want us to sleep in. So I do sometimes. As for no girl in Gryffindor. I'm pretty sure there are a couple. I think Leah is a bit interested in me, but that's cool. She's a great girl, but I'm not looking to get into a relationship with anyone right now. Maybe some day," Drew smiled. The whole thing was amusing to him. Of course he wasn't going to lie, he would like it any time if a crowd of girls were lined up outside his dorm room waiting to just get a glimpse of him. It's probably one of the reasons why he wanted to start a band. He thought maybe that would shoot his name to fame around the school. Of course that wasn't the main reason, but it sure did help with the appeal.

Drew put his hands up in defeat. "Hey don't bite my head off Marce. It's not my fault I see all these girls concerned with labels. Heck, even my own sister is and she's the coolest girl I've met. Of course she's a struggling actress in L.A., but that's not the point. She still buys designer labels whenever she can. So calm down. Didn't mean to offend you," Drew said with a faint smile. He couldn't help it. He enjoyed making her angry. There was just this bit of intensity in her eyes when she got flustered about things. It made him laugh.

Drew watched in amazement as Marcy took off and dove into the water first. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. "Yeah, that girl certainly is something isn't she?" Drew said with a shake of his head. He looked down over the cliff and laughed when he saw his friend hit the water. Now it was time for him to make a splash and a splash he was going to make. He took a few steps back and took off at a run, jumping at the last second, he pulled his legs up into his chest and wrapped his hands around his legs. This was going to be the best canon ball ever! He took a deep breath just before he felt his body hit the water. It splashed out from him and he sank down quickly. He unballed himself and pushed up from the rocks below. He rose to the surface with a huge smile of satisfaction on his face. He had landed right near Marcy and Stryder. He knew that his splash had encompassed them. It had been his plan all along. "So what do you say Stryder? What's your ranking for that canon ball?" Drew asked with a laugh.

[marcy]

((And here I was about to give up on you two. Glad to see you guys posted though, I love this post.))

Marcy looked up as Stryder jumped in, and then Drew. They were amusing, and ironically she wasn't getting annoyed with them. Most boys who thought they were God's gift to women made her want to jump off a cliff that didn't have water below it. She wasn't all 'let's kill the men because they're arrogant!' but she did have her limits, likes, and dislikes. It wasn't like Marcy had never liked a guy in her life, nor had never had a boyfriend. She just, was picky. Very picky. She liked a guy with substance who can show her a good time without being macho about it. Someone who can just laugh and be. But, she had come to terms with the fact that was probably never going to happen. When they were both in the water, Marcy turned to them and shook her head, kicking her legs to keep afloat; "If Maryn and Leah like you two, no offense to them or anything, but they are in need of a therapist. Who would want to like two boys like you?" She referred to what they had said earlier.

She had met them both, obviously with them being in the same house and year as her. But she had talked to Maryn a bit more than she had Leah. Maryn was a nice person, fun to be around and good taste in music and clothes. But if she liked Stryder there must have been something wrong with her. Or maybe Marcy just wanted to be right about what she had said, who knew? It could be anything. Marcy could be jealous, which she doubted. She wasn't jealous that the two girls liked Drew or Stryder, it was the fact that the two girls could find anyone to like in the school anyway. Was Marcy too picky? Was there such a thing as too picky? She shook her head lightly, "Maybe they see something I don't see, and oh what a pity." She floated on her back her eyes watching the sky for a moment and then turned rightside up again, her hair dripping but still in the knots.

"Alright, so we've established every clinically insane girl in the world is after you two - but who are you after? What do you look for in a girl? Don't tell me you get turned on by the designer label chicks who cry when they break a nail or a hair is out of place. Are you into those mud wrestling kinds, or do you look for a girl with substance. And I mean in the brain, not in the body." She raised an eyebrow at them and splashed them both.

[stryderstalk]

Stryder listened to Drew talk about the idea of Leah liking him. Stryder had only hung out with Leah alone once and they didn't have enough time to actually talk about relationships though. Stryder wouldn't be surprised if Leah did have a crush on his best friend. Drew seemed to have more people liking him than Stryder did. Stryder didn't mind that much unless someone said something. Drew and him would joke about it but when girls said out flat that Drew had a better chance it made Stryder a little mad. He didn't understand what Drew had that he didn't have, but all in all it didn't matter to Stryder because he knew if he liked a girl that liked Drew, Drew would convince the girl to like Stryder. That's what best friends do.

Stryder felt the wave from Drews cannon ball hit him. It felt nice to have his hair fall back with the water. It reminded him of a water park the MacMasters took him to. The muggles would create huge waves that would splash you constantly. Stryder wondered if there was a Wizard Swim Park anywhere. Stryder listened to Marcy talk about the fact that no sane girls could like either of them. Stryder laughed and splashed her. Stryder knew that Catrina was sane when they went out. He wasn't sure if anyone liked him now, maybe Hay or Genevieve, but other than that he didn't really care. He did start to think though when Marcy asked them what kind of girl they liked. Stryder thought about it before giving her a straight answer.

"Well my first year I went out with Catrina Hart who was half a girly girl but at the same time liked being outdoors. Then last year I liked Lillie Taurus who was an extreme girly girl who loved fashion and would be petrified if she broke a nail. We didn't end up going out though. So I think my perfect girl would have to be someone who liked being outside, like riding horses, but cared about her apperance and was outgoing and knew how to have fun."

Stryder had just described a billion girls that went to Hogwarts. So many of the girls loved to get dirty but worried about their looks at the same time. Sure Stryder was attracted to them but they weren't girlfriend material. He wasn't too sure what his next girlfriend would be like, it just sorta happend.

"But I'm not a shallow guy and would date just about anyone as long as they knew how to have fun and stuff."

That was true, Stryder wasn't true shallow, even though looks did help. Dating was just to complicated and caused to much drama. Catrina was a good girlfriend but out of the blue she got depressed and left Hogwarts right before the ball. Stryder didn't want to have that happen again.