Bad Luck: Bruised, Battered and Annoyed (OPEN)

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe couldn't recall the last time this had happened, that he'd had a truly bad day beyond being sleep deprived. His day started off with a few cups of coffee (as usual), but the normalcy ended there.

He'd stubbed his toe when he'd gotten up to shower in the morning on a dresser that had always been there in his room and then dropped the bottle of shampoo on his foot in the shower. At lunch, he'd spilled his Coke all over his shirt and his combat boots and when carrying a heavy box of art supplies for the art club, he'd dropped the box on his foot. Not to mention, he'd just fallen backwards in his chair at the library with a loud crash. His body ached and he was thoroughly annoyed.

He'd decided to head back to his dorm room, just happy the day was over, hoping he'd make it back in one piece and passed through the common room on his way.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn had been having her own bad luck as of late... starting with her growing depression. She didn't know why, but the approaching winter always brought in a sense of melancholy along with the dying trees and chilling cold. It was always hardest to be alone during these months, so she enjoyed sticking to someone or something until they passed. It didn't help that she had that little 'episode' with Vincent a month or so ago that sort of sparked the metaphorical fall she was having.

The first person, for some reason, she thought of when needing someone to just hang out with wasn't Travis, Alyssa, or even Tori. It was Monroe. They had a pretty good time at the little anti-Halloween gathering that they had with a few of his friends, which was nice. Adaryn pulled out her phone and found Monroe's contact and pulled up a new message page.

Hey, what are you doing today? I was wondering if you wanted to hang out.

Simple, but to the point. Texting was so much easier than talking in person, because there was no fear of looking like a fool. Well, there was if you said the wrong thing, but Addie wasn't looking to have a full on text conversation with Monroe, so she doubted she'd make a mistake.

She sat on her bed, bouncing up and down, waiting for a reply.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe threw open the door to his dorm, coffee in one hand, key in the other. He was eager to get inside and not move for a couple of hours. Maybe then he wouldn't have a chance of injuring himself.

He was halfway through the doorway when his phone buzzed in his pocket and then he tripped over something one of his roommates had discarded near the door, which sent him careening to the floor, his foot landing in an odd position and his coffee spilling all over the front of himself. Almost immediately, his ankle exploded in pain and he gritted his teeth as the hot coffee soaked into his shirt as well.

Really? This was really going to happen right now? He let out a deep breath that it seemed he'd been holding in all day. It was one thing after another. Maybe this was finally the last thing that would happen. All his bad luck had led up to this. At least he could take comfort in the idea that it was probably over, right? It wasn't as if he could go anywhere now anyway.

Shifting his position, so that he sat more comfortably, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, remembering that it'd vibrated and looked at the text message from Adaryn.

He sat there staring at the message for a moment before typing a reply. Not so sure you want to hang out with me right now. It may be kind of dangerous.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn's phone buzzed a few minutes later, and she slid her finger across the screen to input her lock code. Her brow raised in confusion as she read the message.

Not so sure you want to hang out with me right now. It may be kind of dangerous.

He was really talking to her about dangerous? Oh the irony of it all. Even still, she wanted to know why exactly hanging out with him would be 'dangerous', of all things. She probably had the potential to hurt him far wore than he to her. But that was quite unlikely, considering she learned her lesson about that the first time around.

Dangerous? Why dangerous? Did you forget to have coffee this morning and you're afraid of potentially falling asleep standing up and knocking me over?

Adaryn did a double take at the message, and hesitated when sending it. She was a serious person, and she didn't want to offend Monroe, but lately she had been feeling a bit more comfortable and she figured she might as well make a little joke... right? It was all in good fun, right?

A typical teenager wouldn't even hesitate about sending that message, but Addie was no typical teenager. In the end, however, she did send it, and waited for another answer. If she had to, she'd weasel his location out of him and find him herself. Today wasn't going to be a day of isolation. Honestly, Addie was becoming stir crazy, and it seemed that Monroe would be her only escape. At that thought, her cheeks burned.

She thought that. About a guy. Oh god, who was she turning into?

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe sat and waited for a reply, rolling up his dark jeans from his ankle and wincing as he took off his right combat boot to inspect his ankle. He was no doctor, that was for sure, but even he could see that it was swollen. He was actually afraid to get up and try to move. Sure, he could probably hop over to his bed on one foot, but by the way today was going, he didn't want to take any chances.

His phone buzzed again and he picked it up from beside him. No, that's my usual problem, but I've had plenty of coffee today. He was even wearing his coffee much to his dismay. It's been a long day of....injury. I'm never this clumsy. Can I ask you a favor? Part of Monroe was annoyed that he was going to ask her for help because he should be able to do this on his own, but he was frustrated beyond belief even if he really didn't show it and someone's help would be nice.

[Adaryn Breslin]

No, that's my usual problem, but I've had plenty of coffee today. It's been a long day of....injury. I'm never this clumsy. Can I ask you a favor?

A day of injury? Well, he seemed to be having just as interesting of a life as she had been, apparently. Her ribs still ached and the bruises were finally going away, thankfully. Everyone around her seemed to be plagued with bad luck, which if Addie was a probability manip instead of an empathetic manip, she could help with. But no, that wasn't the case for her, or any of her friends. Actually, she wasn't even sure she personally knew a probability manipulator.

Yeah, sure. What happened?

She just hoped it wasn't too bad, because then she'd have to start worrying about him, which was something Adaryn did not need at the moment. "I hope he's okay," She muttered. She pulled on her ratty old navy blue converse and a grey cardigan and waited for the text that gave her the direction to leave her room.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe looked down at his phone again and sighed. Jeez, his situation sounded so ridiculously stupid, but he told her anyway. It'd been a long day and he was sick of it. Maybe her presence could help.

I think I sprained my ankle pretty badly. Thought my bad luck was done, but I guess I'm not even safe in my own dorm room. I could...use some help. Room 505. It wasn't often that Monroe asked for help from people, but he figured that she wouldn't mind. She did want to hang out, right? Even if this wasn't her idea of it...

He sent the text and looked down at his ankle again and his discarded combat boot on the floor next to him. It hurt, throbbed even but he almost felt as if it was in the background because honestly his fatigue outweighed everything.

[Adaryn Breslin]

A sprained ankle? In his room? She thought, with his combat boots protecting his feet, he would never experience a sprained ankle. Obviously she was wrong. She supposed her desire for people to remain happy lead her to believe that, as childish as it sounded. She wasnt foreign to the pain of sprains and bruises, being that she was suffering from some right now, so she figured she would try to help with his injuries.

Adaryn tried her best to hide the limp that she sported by holding her breath whenever the pain shot through her, but it didnt do much good. It wasnt that anything was broken, but it still was sore as hell. When Addie reached his room, she didnt bother knocking. He wouldnt be able to get the door, anyway.

Instead, she opened up the door (thankfully it was unlocked), and she stepped in to see Monroe on the floor with a coffee stain on his tee shirt and his combat bout flicked off to the side. "Sheesh," Addie said. "You're in even worse shape than I am. What happened?"

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

A few minutes later the door swung open just missing Monroe, as he was extremely close to the doorway. "Jeez, Addie." Yeah, she'd scared him. He'd been too busy examining his ankle. He felt weird with one of his feet out in the open. He always wore his boots but now he was only wearing one and he felt strangely exposed in front of Adaryn. Although he probably would in front of anybody, without his combat boots he felt naked. He might as well be. Although that would be a lot more awkward. "What happened to you?" he asked her considering her statement. "Please don't tell me injury is going around and I was just unlucky enough to catch the disease." He'd realized that he hadn't explained his current state either but honestly he was much more interested in Adaryn than his own stupid problems of the day.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"I...Fell." Addie hesitated a moment. She wasn't lying, but she wasn't being completely truthful, either. She was shoved, kicked, and spat on by a boy who she manipulated. But falling could be considered a bit more brush-off worthy. "You probably did. I've heard quite a few people have been tripping over invisible chords and things like that." Adaryn crouched down beside him and gently touched his ankle. The unease and pain was evident by the gray aura that surrounded Monroe, and the slightly sickened feeling in the pit of her stomach. His ankle was obviously swollen and was very warm to the touch. She bit her lip and stood up.

"We need to get you to the infirmary. I don't know how to fix potentially broken or sprained ankles..." She wouldn't force him, since she had just dealt with pleading for Vincent not to take her to the infirmary when the... incident happened. Instead, she would wait to see whether or not he agreed to it.

"If you don't want to go, I won't make you... But please tell me you have a first aid kit or something?"

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"Seems like I'm not the only one getting injured as of lately," Monroe commented, not thinking much of her comment as falling seemed fairly normal as of late. "My day has been ridiculous. I must be covered in bruises and this is just the icing on the cake." Like he really needed a sprained ankle right now.

"Your hands are freezing," he stated when she touched his ankle. He flinched slightly and looked at her as if she had two heads for a moment. "Broken? You think it's broken?" And did he look like the kind of guy that had a first aid kit laying around? "I don't even have any band-aids around. Sorry." He shrugged.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"I'm not a doctor, Monroe." Adaryn stated quietly, removing her hands from his swollen ankle. She had her own experience bandaging things since she has had her share of twisted ankles and cuts. But in no way was she experienced enough to make a diagnosis. She was only in eleventh grade, for goodness sake! "I just... I think you need to go to the infirmary."

She could also go back to her room and get some gauze since she always has some handy for her own personal reasons. But Adaryn didn't want to leave him there on the floor while she left to get something from her room. "Can you try and stand with your good leg so you can get to your bed? I can get some from my room."

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"I know you're not...sorry. It's just been a really long day. You know? The kind of day where one thing just keeps happening after another," Monroe rambled. He wasn't usually one to be bothered so easily by these things, but today was just really getting to him and he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was all of the injuries. He wasn't this clumsy! He really didn't want to go to the infirmary. Mostly because he just really hated medical attention of any kind. It reminded him of all the doctors he saw for his insomnia which hadn't been a pleasant experience.

"Yeah, okay." He nodded. He knew she was small, but maybe she could help him get up, at least a little bit in the process. He shifted how he was sitting after kicking off his other combat boot (regretfully) and attempted to get up while trying not to put pressure on his one foot.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"I don't blame you. I'd be pretty irritated if I kept tripping over my own feet, or hurting myself, for no reason at all." Adaryn felt her cheeks get hot. It wasn't because of something he said, but rather her ability to start speaking to him without stuttering. That, and he was a guy, which made another, completely valid reason why she would start blushing.

Adaryn nodded as he started to adjust himself to stand up. The top of her head reached his chin, so her arms were probably going to reach his waist for support. "Normally it'd be a lot easier if I were taller..." Adaryn mumbled, linking an arm around him gently but firmly. Her size really didn't show how tough Adaryn really was. She wasn't physically too strong, but she could endure quiet a bit of pain and weight against her. "Let's get you to your bed, okay..?" Addie took a hesitant step forward, as if to see if he could follow, and when he did, she continued until they reached the bed he had said was his.

She helped him adjust his leg and placed a pillow underneath of it just so it was elevated, and her eyes landed on his chest after. Well, not his chest, but the giant stain that his clothing. "Uh.. Let me get you another shirt... You can change when I leave to get the gauze and maybe even an ankle brace..."

She was pointed toward the closet and she grabbed a black (not that there was much choice in the color) tee shirt and handed it to him gently. "I'll be right back. Going to get the stuff. Don't you dare try getting up while I'm gone." It was the most strict her voice had ever been before, and she turned away before he could notice the blush coming back.

And with that, she was gone. At least, for a few minutes.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"Trust me, I'm not usually this irritable," Monroe said, running a hand through his hair after Adaryn had helped him settle onto his bed with his ankle up on a pillow. He felt ridiculous, with his combat boots lying on the floor. They were apart of him and he was detached from them for the moment being. The feeling only intensified when she looked at the stain on his shirt. It wasn't often that he spilled on himself either. But he directed her to his closet and told her he didn't care which shirt she grabbed.

"Thanks," he told her gratefully. "And believe me, I won't be getting up." He had no plans to injure himself further. And he wouldn't unless the ceiling caved in and fell on him.

When she left the room, he pulled his shirt over his head and pulled on a new black one before tossing the coffee stained one at his laundry hamper across the room. It missed, but it didn't matter. He settled back and waited for Adaryn to return, sighing to himself. He couldn't believe he was in this mess.