... you earn the name scumbag [[ o p e n ]]

After Abi walked away, Darnell felt pretty much exactly how he should have felt. Like total, utter, completely useless crap. The bottle was looking a lot more enticing, and feeling as horrible as he did, he had no problem giving in to it's aura. But he knew it was especially unwise to do so out in the open and the cold. So he walked back to his dorm, bottle stuffed into the big pocket of his sweatshirt, the cigarette still spewing embers in his hand.

He really hoped word hadn't gotten to El yet- his friend was probably going to kill him- especially since Nikki was going to mad at him for upsetting Abi. But didn't anyone understand he was only doing this for her own good? At least... that's what he kept telling himself.

He trudged through the dorm door, flicking his cigarette away- he didn't want to smoke inside. Correction: he couldn't smoke inside. The bottle would have to suffice. Pretty soon, he found himself falling asleep, laid across his bed.

Today had been....well okay. It had started off, how any other weekend should be. Being able to do completely anything at the spur of the moment. Though after her spur of the moment shower, and Abi coming in completely upset, the day seemed to fizzle from being great to just okay. After Abi had calmed down, and all the senior girls ate enough junk food to last the rest of the week, Audie went for a walk. The walk didn't last to long. She got caught up in wondering why the hell her and Will kept making plans to hang out but never actually hung out.

Deciding, on the spur of the moment, she headed back up to the senior dorms, but instead of going to the girls like she should of, she headed straight to the guys dorms. She wasn't sure if Will would be there, and she was definitely hoping Darnell wasn't there. She wasn't the one to yell at someone because of something they did, but she did not want to be the first on of the girls to run into him after that whole him and Abi thing.

She pulled on her messy pony tail, before knocking loudly onto the door. Even if Will wasn't there, she wanted to do something. So she was determined to hang out with whoever was in there. If it happened to be Darnell, well then, they'd get past Audie telling him what a completely retard he was and she was going to be sure they'd talk. Though she needed Will to be there, or at least Clay. She hadn't seen him in a long time. She frowned, what was with these Senior boys? Disappearing all over the place. She knocked harder on the door again.

The one thing Darnell really didn't want: visitors. And guess what? There came a knock on the door. Darnie rolled over- he'd been nearly asleep. His head was pounding, his whole body ached in fact. He was in this really weird mood. And it was all his fault, but still...

His pillow in his face, he managed to mutter, "Don't come in... go away..." But it probably sounded more like: "Dnnnnnncmnnngoophhhwaay."

He pulled his blankets over his head and tried to block the knocking out.

Audrey stopped knocking long enough to hear a mumble of some sorts. She tried to figure out what it meant, but it wasn't really working. She frowned and started knocking again. Now that she knew someone was in there, she wasn't going to leave without at least asking where Will was. That was her whole reason to coming up here.

She stopped knocking again and glared at the door. The person obviously wasn't coming to politely let her in. She shifted slightly, before giving knocking one last try. Finally, she gave up, pushed the door open herself and looked around. She shook her head slightly in the disarray, but couldn't really say much considering the girls room was probably worse.

She spotted one moving subject and guess who it was. Darnell. Audie sighed and made her way over to his bed. "You know you could of been a little nicer and actually opened the door for me." She reached for his covers and pulled them back quickly. "What's wrong with you? Why'd you say that crap to Abi? Huh?" She frowned at him, wondering why in the name of monkey's butts, he was laying around in his bed for. "Darnell??" She might of sounded a little annoyed, but he wasn't jumping for joy at the fact that him and Abi weren't friends. That was a start right?

Darnell tried to close his eyes and pretend this person wasn't there- but the more he kept quiet, the more she kept talking- and the less he was able to understand her, because it was the more that his head throbbed and the more he wanted her to stop talking. And then, all this occurring at the same time- his head began to hurt even more just thinking about it- and somehow she was still talking!

"SHHHH!" He mumbled into his pillow.

He turned over, revealing his face to Audrey. His red eyes should have spoken for themselves.

"If I tell you- you'll tell Abi. And for the love of all things good in life please lower your voice..." Darnie was not very happy. Indeed, no. But he wasn't going to be a jerk. He was going to try not to. He'd been enough of one for one day.

Audrey frowned at his red eyes. What was with smoking and drinking with these guys? She rolled her eyes as he shushed her. She put a hand on her hip and listened to him whine about how loud she was talking. To be completely fair she was talking in a completely acceptable talking level for being inside. "You know if you were smarter you wouldn't have to ask me to not talk so loud, but since I'm bored, and worried. I'll talk quieter." In the process of that sentence, she lowered her voice to a whisper. "This better? Anyways, yeah of course I'd tell Abi, but she has a right to know you know. You shouldn't of said what you did. It wasn't very smart. I mean you have the rest of the year to hang out and have fun. Why ruin that now?"

Audrey sighed and pushed Darnell over slightly, so she could sit on the edge of his bed. She situated herself onto his bed, the thought that she was sitting on a guys bed didn't even cross her mind. She looked over at him, before continuing in a whisper, "Why do you do stuff like that?" She pointed to the bottle and pack of cigarettes. She wasn't going to give him some life lesson, she was just honestly curious. Yeah, she drank once or twice at a party, but it wasn't something she looked forward to. The whole headache and not remembering what happened wasn't something she enjoyed. She leaned forward and rested her head on her hand while looking at Darnell. She wasn't leaving without answer's, so she figured she'd might as well get comfortable.

Oh no. Darnell felt a lecture coming on. He knew this conversation was totally headed downhill from the moment it started. There was nothing he could say to make Abi understand- nothing he could say to make Audie understand. El was sure to not understand- nor anyone else, probably. But that didn't mean he was wrong.

"I'm not ruining anything. Abi's better off without me to bring her down. I can't keep myself from these things- it's like a chronic disease- I'm always going to be this way... and I knew if I didn't do something, Abi'd always be there for me- she'd waste her own time to try to fix something that's never getting fixed... If she's mad at me... she'll stay away. She'll forget me eventually... and things will get better- for her... she'll be happier..." He turned his head away from Audrey. He'd already said too much- but it was obvious he wasn't going to get away with not saying anything.

"Smoke? Drink? It makes me feel better while I'm on this cruddy earth, and it'll get me off it a little bit faster. Win-win." Wow, that was much more emo than he'd intended.

Audrey rolled her eyes, fighting the urge to interrupt him. When he finished she continued to keep her voice low, "What is with you and all the guys saying they aren't good enough for the girls. Why can't you guys just let us decide and if we don't want to be around you then you can deal with it. Why go through all this.. She pointed to the alcohol and then to him. "It doesn't make since. Why do you all want us not to care? Plus just because you go and say stupid crap doesn't mean we're going to stop." She sat up straighter and crossed her arms. She had heard Jane mention something or another about Will saying something or another.

She frowned and looked back at Darnell, when he started talking about smoking and drinking. She had been hoping for a more...well, she wasn't hoping for his answer. She stared at him for a second, she knew she wasn't close enough friends with him to ask, though...after a second or two she decided she should. "I get the whole it makes you feel better thing..kinda, but the earth can't be that bad can it." She scratched her elbow and crossed her legs trying to get more comfortable. "Look, if you want anyone to talk to...I'm obviously here to lend an ear. Like, I obviously get that we barely talk other than about some music theory or whatever. But since I'm here, and not going anywhere for a while, well I could listen....I fail at giving advice though, sorry." She followed a fly flying through the room, deciding not to look at him. She didn't really want to put him on the spot for him to talk, it was just she didn't want him to think she was someone who didn't care. "I won't tell anyone...not even Abi.." She glanced down at him, mentally smacking herself. She was probably going to regret saying that later, but she wouldn't go back on it.

Darnell looked at Audrey suspiciously. He hadn't really caught onto any of the things she'd said except for the last bit. "Really?" He budged only just slightly at first, but then brought himself into an upright sitting position. He slid his knees in toward his chest and leaned against the wall.

"You won't tell Abi?" He sighed a deep heaving sigh and looked toward the door. No, he couldn't tell Audrey. It just wouldn't feel right. This... this was something only between him and Abi anyway... he shouldn't shove even more people into the craziness. But the craziness was spewing from him before he could get his mouth to recognize what his mind had decided. "I love Abi. I love her more than smoking, drinking, all of it. She's the person who got me through quitting all that stuff the first time...s.... and a lot more stuff too... but I don't have it like most of you guys do. When I leave, I don't know what I'm going to be doing- and I don't want Abi always worrying about me, always wanting to come and fix things for me, feeling like she should... God- I've already said too much about this... nothing more- I'm not saying anything else! And make sure you don't tell Abi! Just tell everyone from me that I'm sorry they all probably hate me and I get it. I'd hate me too right now..." He sighed. "Abi'll get over me..."

Come to think of it. He did hate himself right then. But he'd done the right thing- that's what he kept thinking.

When Darnell sat up, Audie pulled one of her legs up underneath herself on his bed, turning to look at him. She didn't say anything as she watched him think over whether or not to tell her. She knew she probably shouldn't of pushed her head into their fight, but she hated seeing her friends upset. Friends. She considered Darnell a friend. Might not be as good of a friend as Abi is, but still. A friend none the less.

Audrey sat a just listened as Darnell talked. Even though some of the things he said she didn't agree with, she knew that he had meant well what he told Abi that they shouldn't be friends. It made sense in an odd way. "No one hates you! Everyone just didn't understand..." Audrey waited a second before deciding since she had already pushed this far into the issue might as well say what she thought. "You know, If you love Abi, then the fact that she worries and what's to help, shouldn't want you to not talk to her. She worries, but people worry about people all the time. It just happens. Especially with stuff like that." Once again she pointed to the pack of cigarettes.

Audrey stood up and backed away a little towards the door, not really wanting to leave, but knowing she probably shouldn't stay longer. She still hadn't found out where Will was. "You know what I think?" She waited a second then continued. "I don't think you should make Abi choose between caring and worrying about you...and You." She put her hand on the door. "If you see Will tell him I stopped by okay?"

Darnell took a second to let Audrey's words sink in. They made sense... even though he kind of didn't want them to. He'd already done the dreaded deed of telling Abi not to be friends with him anymore. He'd didn't want to realize that his big sacrifice was totally stupid. Even though he kind of had already... ughhh... things were so complicated. And then came the pointing to the cigarettes... He knocked the back of his head against the wall and stared at the ceiling as Audrey left his bedside and headed toward the door.

"Yeah... I'll do that..." He waved unenthusiastically as she left. Yep, he was a big fat dummy.

And then his cell phone vibrated.

Who could that be?...