At this moment in time you currently feel a lot worse now than you did before you started conversing with your friend… That was a really really dumb and uncool thing to do and you should feel like crap because you just shit all over one of your best friends. Jade was just trying to help and you got flustered and insulted her and now probably made her feel worse by just leaving the conversation like a bitch! That was wickedly lame man… You lost your cool in front of someone who worships it and you like some sort of ironic god.

Sliding the shades that look oh so similar to your brothers off, you rub the bridge of your nose and let out an annoyed groan. And if it was possible, things get worse. "What's bothering you little man?" Of course he had to be home NOW of all times. You slide the shades back on in time to see your bag be dropped in your room by your older brother who is leaning against the doorframe like a chill motherfucker.

"Nothing." You say hoping to pass your tone of voice off as the normal 'i-don't-give-a-shit' way you usually speak. You should have known, however, that your Bro knows all and there is no way he'd buy that even if it had some one dollar discount deal going.

"Uh-huh. Right. Thought I raised you knowing that lies ain't cool." God you hate him right now… Him and his all-knowing ironic brotherly knowledge… Why'd he have to be such a god damn good guardian?

You sigh annoyed and fold your arms over your chest and prop your feet back up on the computer desk. "I pissed off Jade okay? You happy now?"

"Not really no." He responds, voice sounding like he knew that was the reason all along and just wanted the satisfaction of hearing you admit it. "Because I don't really buy that. She doesn't seem like the type to really get 'pissed' at anything let alone a 'cool kid'."

You snap your gaze over to him, frown falling over your features. "Have you been reading my shit again?"

Bro just smirks for a moment but then shakes his head. You sorta freeze in shock. You and your bro have moments now and then but they're few and far in between. You're too cool and he's too ironic. Well, you're both too cool and ironic but the point is they don't happen often. When they do though, you're always shocked by the side of your brother that you get to see. It's a completely different one from the bro you know. "I don't gotta read your computer screen when your face is an open book man." What is he talking about? You take great pride in your poker face. Nobody can read it and you make sure of that. "Tells me all I gotta know."

"Liar. You flash-stepped and read my conversation." Bro just rolls his eyes behind the pointed dark shades which hide his own oddly colored pair of eyes. He gives you a look that says to come off it, but you can't help it. The idea that your mask could be read irritates the hell out of you and the fact that the one person who read it was the one you made it for irritates you further. Okay, so maybe that's a lie. You didn't make it for your bro. You made it for the world but still. NOBODY can read a Strider poker face just like you can't read his when he dawns it.

Your bro adjusts his own shades a bit more onto his nose before shifting his weight in the frame and crossing one leg over the other. "So you going to tell me what really went down or am I going to have to read that shit for real?" You sigh annoyed to tell him this isn't a subject you want to talk about and hope he lets it go because it's not cool to force things. However, he doesn't budge other than allowing a small smirk to curl part of his lips. God he can be an ass sometimes…

"I told you. I just pissed her off." He, again, doesn't move. Just stands there waiting for you to actually explain what happen and for some reason… you do. Maybe it's because you are tired of bottling in things for once or maybe it's because deep down (so deep down that it would take minors their whole fucking lives to find it) you really do want advice on the matter.

"I was talking to her about how terrible I'm doing on tests and shit at school and-"

"You're doing bad on tests?"

You just eye your brother who is once again smirking that 'i-already-knew-that-but-it's-nice-to-hear-you-admit-it' grin of his. You frown and pretend you want to get to your point rather than argue that he already knew that and he's a dumb-ass for trying that. "Do you want to hear this shit or not?" Bro just chuckles and shakes his head, holding up one of his hands for you to go on. "Like I was up and saying, I was telling her about school and she gave me the suggestion that I tie these dumb pieces of string around my fingers to remember shit like she does."

You pause there and your bro cocks an eyebrow, wondering why you stop. "And…?"

"And I sorta said that wasn't going to happen because it wasn't cool."

He then just nods his head as if he suddenly understands everything and knowing Bro, he probably does. "And she took it as you called her uncool. I got'cha little man." He slides the almost always present hat off his spiky blonde hair and runs a hand through it to smooth it out before replacing it. Moments like that make you realize just how similar the two of you look, but also just how different you both are.

You swivel the chair around to face him and let your feet drop to the floor. "Why are woman complicated." You groan out as you rest your head back on the chair to look up at the ceiling.

"They are bro. Trust me. They get worse with age." He sighs a bit and shakes his head as if the very thought wears him out. "But I don't think this has anything to do with Jade being a chick, dig?"

You perk your head up and frown a bit. "No." Bro pushes off the door frame and goes over to the edge of your very messy and, as usual, unmade bed. Any other time you'd surely find a few puppets in there as revenge for not making it but for the moment you think you're safe.

"Well it seems to me that she didn't over react and blow your words way outta line like most chicks tend to do. More like she was rather calm about the whole ordeal where as YOU blew up at HER response." He says as he turns his gaze to face you. More of bro's weird and deep fucking words of wisdom that make no sense.

"She did up and twist them though man! All I said was it wasn't cool to tie colorful rings on my fingers and-"

He cuts you off there, blonde eyebrow hitched. "And she does that, right?"

"Yeah but-"

"And you said it wasn't cool?"

"Yeah, BUT-"

"Then you sorta did call her uncool bro." You frown annoyed at him now. Why the hell was he taking Harley's side? Wait… when were sides involved and why are they even here? Minutes ago you admitted you were in the wrong to yourself… And when you think about it… You guess you can see how she took it like that. Your gaze falls down to your socks where you study them deep in thought. Your bro chuckles at you and you cast him a glance asking what the hell he finds so amusing. "You." He replies to your unasked question. "For someone as mature as you like to be, moments like this always kind of take me back to when you were just a tiny tyke."

Childhood memories. Great. "Jeez. Thanks for rubbing salt in the festering uncool wound there bro." He just grins more at you and rests his head in his palm. All things aside, you are sort of shocked he's even giving you level 'advice' and not throwing insult after insult your way. …Or plus rumps for that matter. You decide you should probably take advantage of this moment. "If you're so fuckin' great at this advice shit and some master of the female mind-"

"I am."

There's that cocky attitude of his. You roll your ruby red's behind the shades and go on. "Then how about you fix this shit?"

That little grin of his turns into a smirk and you instantly regret asking him to help. Well, you didn't really ask for 'help' so much as for him to solve this problem… Right away you see your mistake. "Little man, I don't have to fix shit. It's not my woman you called uncool." You feel heat rise to your face but will it away as you've already lost enough coolness for one afternoon. Blushing would just be pushing it way past the limit. Before you can counter with the typical child response of 'she's not my woman', Bro goes on. "But if YOU want to fix YOUR OWN problems, just tell her the truth and admit…" He deliberately start's an over the top dramatic pause and you turn, slamming your head down on the keyboard.

"You're not funn-"

"You're wrong." You knew it was coming but still, your body tenses. Strider's don't apologize… Strider's never do anything that causes them to apologize… Well at least they didn't until you came along. But you really shouldn't feel all that bad because for someone whose never needed to say sorry either, your bro sure did know how to fix this mess. (Honestly though, you really should have thought of that before he got involved. It's so fucking obvious to someone with less pride.) You turn to grill him on the matter but as should have been expected, he's gone without as much as a glimpse out the door.

Right. How unsurprising. You roll your eyes once more behind the pointed shades. "You need new tricks old ma-JESUS CHRIST!" There sitting on your keyboard, chilling like he motherfucking owns the place, is Lil Cal. God he has a nasty fucking habit of doing that shit! Your eyes narrowed rather annoyed on the lanky-limbed puppet before you grip his torso and turn in your chair to toss him non to gently down on your bed. You fucking HATE him sometimes. You take a deep breath but log back into PC. May as well get this once in a life time event over and done with so you can quit feeling like the world's largest ass hole…