GOTTA LOVE THE FOOD HERE (TAG: AXEL)

[zach]

”Yeah, yeah, yeah, man. I’ll catch you later.” Zachary laughed as he turned away from his friend and headed into the cafeteria. He would have headed back to his dorm to eat something, but he knew Trenton would be there. And as much fun as he was having pissing Trenton off, he really didn’t want to deal with him today. But now, he would have to deal with cafeteria food. And what was on the menu today? A smorgasbord of foods probably, but cold chicken and mushy fries, definitely not his idea of a delicious lunch.

Zach pushed up the sleeves to his black long sleeve shirt as he headed over to the very long lunch line. He squeezed in between some guy bragging about banging this girl at a party last weekend and some preppy girl complaining about the A- she received in her Pop Culture course. Zach smirked. If he got an A of any kind, he’d probably pass out just from the surprise. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had gotten an A. It had been quite a while. It wasn’t that he didn’t care at all about his education. He really did, but his ADHD would always be a serious problem no matter how hard he tried to work around it. But what irritated him was the fact that this girl was complaining about an A-, when Zach tried hard just to come out with a B.

”Chicken or beef?” Zach heard the woman behind the counter ask him.

Zach glanced at the food in the pots in front of him. Of course, there were hamburgers or chicken patties and fries available today. He chuckled looking at the woman. “It depends. Which one is cooked all the way.” The woman glared at him. Gosh, why did he have to be such a jerk about things. He couldn’t never seem to keep his thoughts to himself. “I’ll just take the chicken and fries,” he said nodding. It was a good thing he could see her handling his food.

[Axel Hayden Evans]

It had been a pretty dull afternoon, so far. Usually he would go for a run with Rodney and then get a bite outside the university somewhere, but not today. Rodney was probably off frollocking with Merry in the public library about something. He didn't really know what was going on with those two, if something was even going on at all. Good for Rodney, at least his love life didn't appear to be too complicated, unless there was something about Merry which he was missing altogether. She could be a demon or something, but why would a demon take up the job as a librarian? Beggers can't be choosers, maybe?

He slumped himself into the cafeteria, looking around at all the people sitting in their groups at the numerous tables. He then eyed the buffet where the old ladies were seen serving food to the unfortunate students. This reminded him of high school now. Though, he did hope that the food here was a lot more tasty...And healthy, than the food at Miami High. After all, he was stake man now! He needed his nutrious lunch to keep him going for the day. But as he walked up to the counters and stepped in line, he noticed there was nothing nutrious about what was being shown. Lamb and chicken patties, with fries. He sighed softly, and was rather startled when the line was going quicker and he hadn't even decided what he was after. Within moments, the lady was questioning what he was after. "Uh...Do you have any fresh fruit? The lady glared at him. "What does this look like, a fruit market?" He sighed again feeling defeated. "I'll take one of each, no fries." She slumped the food onto his plate, and he walked on out of the isle looking down at his fork, which caused him to bump into someone without looking.

"Sorry I was...Uh..." He looked up, shocked to see the person he had bumped into, was none other than Zachary. Great, just to make things even more awkward between them, this had to happen. Unless this was some kind of predetermined ice breaker, which he really thought was more appropriate for Jace and Zach, not for these two boys. "Zach." He stated as he looked over at the other man, not sure really what to say. "What are you doing here? He asked curiously, which was probably a stupid question considering they were in a university cafeteria.

[zach]

The woman behind the counter put one of the chicken patties that Zach was betting wasn’t cooked all the way onto a bun. She then added some fries to the mix which weren’t even enough for what he was probably going to pay for them. He hated when places skimped out on fries.

“There. Enjoy your mean,” the woman snidely remarked which was to be expected. He was a bit of a jerk to her. But it was a fair question that he had asked her. It wasn’t his fault that she might have taken it the wrong way. Besides, if she was going to cook food for a bunch of students, it was probably a good idea to make sure the meat was cooked all the way.

“Thanks,” Zach said giving her a smirk as he turned to head towards the register to pay. When he was almost to the counter to pay, someone walked right into him from behind causing Zach to almost lose those mushy fries all over the floor. “What the….” he said as he turned around to look at the douche that probably wasn’t watching where he was going. Zach was definitely not expecting to see Axel Evans standing in front of him. Zach really wasn’t sure what to say, so he just said the first thing that came to mind. “Wow, two days in a row, man. Is this weird or what?” As Axel said his name, Zach couldn’t help but look past him hoping to see Jace. He hadn’t seen her since the pizza shop, and boy had that been a nightmare. He had accidentally freaked out yet again. It was almost like nothing had changed, at least that was probably what Jace was thinking when it happened.

Zach brought his attention back to Axel when he asked him a question. He wasn’t sure how to take his tone. I mean it wasn’t mean or anything. It was more of him really trying to understand why Zach was there. Zach wondered if Jace had talked to Axel about what happened at the pizza parlor the day before. He hoped not. Maybe Axel had purposely walked into Zach to start trouble. Just when he thought things might get better too. Even with his apprehension, Zach managed to chuckle. “Well, I do go to this University, too. I’m doing what any campus student would do. Go eat shitty food in the shitty cafeteria.”

Zach really wasn’t sure how to go about this situation. Should he ask Axel to come sit with him for lunch and maybe catch up? If he wanted to weezle his way back into Jace’s life, he’d probably have to get along with him. Yes, he had sort of made up his mind to try to get close to Jace again. He wasn’t sure what that meant for them. After all, he wasn’t even sure that was what she wanted especially after yesterday’s blast from the past. But he didn’t really care how she was in his life, she just wanted her there. He was never one to be a depressed individual, but he knew that he wasn’t over Jace. He’d known for this whole year. It was just hard for him to accept what happened. And he still wasn’t sure how to accept it, but at least he was going to make an effort. “So, uh….did you want to join me? Besides, I really think it’s better to endure this lunch with someone instead of just by yourself.” He was kind of hoping Axel would agree to it, although he really wasn’t sure what the heck conversation was going to be like.

[Axel Hayden Evans]

He did find it strangely coincidental he had ran into Zachary again, it was as if they were supposed to sort out their issues together or something. It wasn't like it was everyday old friends just happen to unknowingly move to the same city, a large one at that, and end up in the same college and actually run into eachother multiple times. The college was also rather large. Things like this, and all the supernatural happenings really made him wonder if he actually had any control over anything that happened in his life. He couldn't control getting attacked by vampires and crazy women, finding out he had two brothers, falling in love with another man, not being there to help Eli when he needed him, and the list goes on. He didn't know if there was anything he could control. And the things he thought he could control, could just be pre-determined as well. Destiny could be a real bitch sometimes.

He figured Zach of all people would have some smartass comment when he stupidly asked what he was doing here for lack of a better question. "Yeah...I guess so. Just didn't see you for one to be in a cafeteria after all those bad food experiences we had in Miami High." He smiled softly. Yes, he think he had nailed down the ice breakers for this conversation. Talking about past experiences they shared together was always good conversation and made things less awkward. It was awkward enough talking to Zach civilly after everything that had happened between the two of them in the past. "And before you ask why I'm here, got ditched by my roomate, so decided to give this place a go. But after seeing what was slumped on my plate, I'm really wishing I just starved." He had seen a bad cafeteria at Miami High, but this was on that level. Sure, the food here looked edible at least, but he had expected a lot more, considering this place was a university at all.

He looked around at the full tables as Zach asked him to join him. It seemed Zach was making the first move at socialising with Axel, so he wasn't going to be one to rudely decline, despite what had happened between them and how much of a dick Zach was. People changed, right? He definantly had, so he had to at least give the guy a chance. He just hoped he wouldn't regret it, especially if Jace found out. "Sure...Getting pretty used to this alone thing anyway, though. Things are different here." He looked up at Zachary softly as he begun walking towards the tables, finding an empty one and sitting down, dumping the tray on the table and thinking about how he was going to tackle this. Things were definantly different here, with everything which had happened to him here since his arrival. He was starting to get everything under control, but it still proved difficult at times. "So...How are you?" Who would've thought these two would be at a table sitting down and eating together?

[zach]

Zach chuckled. Oh yes, all of those bad food experiences. How could anyone forget those. And it wasn’t just the horrible food at Miami High. It was the food fights that really did them in. Zach would always get into trouble for starting food fights. But that was what kids did when the food wasn’t edible; they played with it. “Yeah, well, unfortunately, I keep forgetting to make a lunch. And I don’t have loads of time between classes to go back to the dorms.” He would have started where Axel did. The best way to handle this was probably through memories. It was better than rushing into things and then getting into a fist fight which Zach would totally lose. Zach was never a fighter. He was better at using his words to cause problems.

”Your roommate ditched you, huh. At least you guys are friends. My roommate is a complete ass hole. But I’m learning to work around it.” Zach smiled. He really did hate his roommate, but he sure had fun pissing him off when he had the chance. “Oh come on, you don’t like half cooked chicken and beef?” He said after paying and heading towards the tables. Most of the tables were full, but there were a few left, and he headed towards them. He was hoping conversation would continue to go this smoothly. And when Axel mentioned being alone, Zach could definitely relate. He didn’t have very many friends now, and the ones he did weren’t like the ones he had in Miami. Most of those friends were people he grew up with, were very close too. These people seemed to be just acquaintances. And as far as girlfriends went, yeah, that was a joke. “Yeah, they are different for sure. Who knew moving to the opposite side of the US would be such a big change, huh?” Zach followed suit and sat down in the seat across from Axel. He glanced at the napkins already resting on the table expecting them to float up into the air again like they had done at the pizza place when he was with Jace. But they hadn’t at all.

Zach sighed as he moved his eyes from the napkins to his food. He picked up the chicken patty and took a bite of the sandwich expecting it to be cold. He rolled his eyes. “Yep, definitely not cooked all the way. If I die because of this, I’m coming back and haunting that lunch lady.” He said looking back at Axel who had now asked him a question. “I’m alright I guess. Just been busy with work and school. Trying to adjust to the California life style. What about you? What made you decide UCLA? I mean out of all the schools. You really must have wanted to get away from you family.” He chuckled tossing a French fry into his mouth. “Hey! They aren’t mushy for once!” He said. It was random, yes, but he had been thinking about it since he asked the lady for them.

[Axel Hayden Evans]

"Zachary Cartel busy with classes. Thats something I never thought I'd hear." He chuckled softly before looking back at the other man playfully. "I'm just kidding. I know what you mean...Its pretty hectic here aye. I feel like its consuming my life, among other things..." It truthfully was consuming his life, but he wasn't exactly going to get into the "other things." He had seen Jace recently, and found out who she really was. She explained to him the real reason Zachary broke up with her, and although it was horrible to hear that happen to Jacinta, at the same time, he could understand where Zachary was coming from. It was a lot to take in, he could see why Zach freaked out. Hell, he himself had freaked out when he found out about this supernatural world and wouldn't believe it. It was a lot to take in. Hearing this actually gave some respect back to this boy; not for breaking up with his close friend, but because he had assumed Zach was just a jerk and sleeping around with another girl or something like that.

In saying that, he couldn't really tell Zach who he was; he didn' need Zach freaking out and dumping him, even though they technically hadn't really made up as friends. He didn't want to scare Zach, he probably only knew about witches. He didn't need to be bombarded with the vampires, hunters and demons trying to cause apocalypses in front of your nose kind of deal. No one deserved to be bombarded with it, but unfortunately it had happened too frequently in this town, whether intention or not. Its how Eli had gotten involved in the whole dilemma, and look what it had done to him now, which wouldn't have happened if he hadn't met Axel. Destiny could be a smartass at times.

"That sucks," He commented in regards to Zach's roomate. It was good to have friends, and a roomate who is your friend. Rodney was one of the only friends Axel really had in this town, until he met Eli and then caught up with Jace and Jayla. His brothers were his friends in many ways also, as he was still getting to know them and hadn't gone through all the fighting and dramas with them as children, so he could only see them as he saw people like Rodney and Jace; on the outside, not actually growing up with them. It was good to have people who looked out for him, it was something he seemed to be longing for, though didn't expect to have again. He looked up at Zach. "Gone soft? You were never one to take assholes for granted." He smirked softly, easing the mood of the conversation.

That was, until the family comment came up, and why he was in UCLA. He really didn't know why he was at this university at all, he hadn't come here to study, he came here to find his parents. Studying was just an added extra. He look up again at Zach. "Thats the reason I came here...Get away from everything. Its complicated, but they died. I couldn't stay there." Even though it was actually his aunt and uncle that died, going into the whole 'find my family' stuff just seemed too much after just speaking with Zachary briefly. In many ways, speaking with Zach was good and reminded him of the fun they used to have. Could they even get back there?

[zach]

Zach smiled when Axel joked about him actually being busy with classes for once. It wasn’t a surprise to hear something like that coming from Axel, but that was just because Axel really never knew Zach. In high school, Zach never did make the grades. That was evident. He was always getting low C’s and D’s. But it wasn’t because he didn’t try. Zach tried very hard to do better in school, but there was a point when blaming the ADHD problem made sense. There was only so much he could do without the medication to help him focus. Apparently Axel didn’t know this about him, which was completely fine. It wasn’t something he liked to broadcast to everyone. But even when Axel mentioned that he was messing around, Zach didn’t believe him mainly because most people believed that he didn’t try in school. Zach was so wrapped up in these thoughts that he totally missed the end of Axel’s statement where he was actually attempting in a way to open up. That was normal Zach behavior though. For him to miss certain parts of conversations. He was pretty sure Axel would remember that about him.

When Axel commented on his roommate issue, Zach laughed. “It does suck. It sucks a whole lot. But I find that annoying the shit out of him helps me cope with the situation. The next time you hate someone, you should really just annoy them to no end. It really works!” Zach took another bite of his chicken sandwich. It only took him a few seconds to realize that Axel might have thought he was referring to he and Axel’s relationship back when they were at high school together. He looked over at Axel as he swallowed the portion of sandwich in his mouth. “Oh man, I didn’t mean us, really. I just meant in general. It’s a good way to get mad without breaking your fist or something. And besides, you know I’m just a shit talker.” He grinned at Axel. It was true. What he was doing to his roommate Trenton was usually what Zach did. Instigating to cause problems was way better than getting violent with someone, mainly because Zach hated the idea of getting beat up. And when Axel said that Zach was never one to take ass holes for granted, he nodded referring to his interaction with his roommate. “Hence the reason I’m watching out for this guy. He’s a real jerk.” He set his sandwich down and glanced out the window into the courtyard. “And I haven’t gone soft. I just don’t have a lot of friends here. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m making friends, just not as many as I had back in Miami. It seems like here I have no ‘real’ friends. They are just people that hang out because I’m fun or whatever.” He wasn’t trying to be egotistical. He did tend to have a lot of fun, but that seemed like the only reason people hung out with him. But what could he really expect? Zach wasn’t one to listen to peoples’ problems. He looked away from the window and back at Axel. Hell, why was he even talking to Axel about his problems.

So, when Axel spoke up about his parents dying, Zach was relieved that the subject could be changed. “What? Ah man, I’m sorry to hear that.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t be able to stay there either. Maybe it was good for you to come to LA then, huh. Fresh start and all. I see that you and Jace are still spending time together?” It probably wasn’t the best time to bring up Jace, but he figured Axel wouldn’t want to discuss his parents any more than Zach wanted to hear about them. And besides, Jace was bound to come up in conversation eventually.

[Axel Hayden Evans]

He looked at Zach, smiling softly at his comment. "Sounds like fun, but I don't think annoying people you hate would work too well for me..." Annoying vampires wasn't exactly going to achieve anything really, unless it was as some kind of distraction to get them worked up and become reckless. He remembered what he had said to Zach, deciding that Zach probably wouldn't be able to make sense of the meaning behind his comment, as did he not want him too. "I mean...I usually just prefer hating people I hate." Good save Axel, making yourself seem like a fool and all.

Zachary was right, though. He had no real friends, which was something Axel didn't have the luxury of either, showing that they shared that in common with eachother. It wasn't like Miami, as Zach had said, and Axel had noticed that too. People were different, living here was different...Everything was different here in Los Angeles. And for Axel, that was more than Zachary could ever imagine. Yet being here in Los Angeles, talking here with Zach...He felt like some of Miami was still with him. As was his feelings with Jace and Jayla also. It was good to have something to hold him onto what he did have back then and still be able to have now, in a way.

He nodded his head at Zach's sympathy for him losing his parents. "Thanks." He was right, fresh starts were good, though he did miss a lot of what he had. And even some of the things he had crept back upon him; which happened to be the things he was trying to avoid and get away from. He noticed as Zach brought up Jace; he supposed it was only a matter of time. He really couldnt' understand their relationship. It was obvious Zach still had feelings for the girl, but with everything that had happened, it just seemed like it was too much for him. He could understand that, he really could. Zach had the choice which Axel didn't, and he made it. "Yeah...Haven't seen her much though. With university life..And other things, its difficult to manage the time to hang out with eachother. Its not like Miami." He smiled softly, putting his hand down, noticing the time on his phone. "Hey, I have to go, got classes soon. It was...Cool hanging out with you." He smiled softly, getting up and putting his hand out for Zachary to shake before finally walking off.