Disclaimer: These rusty carparts are my own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack was staring at his computer. He was positive he could hear a faint cackle coming from the speakers.

"Ah, meester paper. We meet again. But this time, I have brought my leetle friend. MR. CLIFF NOTES! Back, back, you devil!"

The Cat stared at him.

Jack stared back.

"Mrrr," said The Cat.

"Go away," said Jack.

The Cat proceeded to lick itself and ignore Jack. Jack opened his mouth to come up with a rebuttal when the door slammed open. Quickly Jack snagged The Cat around the middle with his foot and threw it under the desk.

"It's just me. Let my cat go."

"Ah! M'sieur Neil. What a pleasure. We have your customary seat saved and everything. And nice bloodstains, by the by."

Neil shrugged, walked to his bed, and collapsed. After a few moments his arm went out and pulled the covers over his head.

"Bad day?"

"Mmph."

"I get those too."

"Mmph," answered Neil, curling up under the blanket.

The door opened again. The Cat, who had pulled itself out from the computer wires and was beginning the slow process of putting every strand of fur Just So, was once again thrown back.

"You're going to kill it doing that. I don't think the RA would even care if he did know about The Cat, anyway," said Alec, taking off his shoes.

"I get a strange joy out of it. I mean, Neil cleans its litterbox, you feed it, I give it concussions. It's like the circle of life, only not."

"Where's Neil?"

"He's in the blanket mound."

"Bad day?"

"Mmph," said Neil.

"He had bloodstains!" said Jack cheerfully.

"Bloodstains?" Alec said, frowning.

The blankets curled up tighter.

"It went POP," came Neil's voice, muffled.

"You need a new major."

"See, he should do philosophy. Very unstressful," said Jack, going back to the computer and ignoring The Cat's glare.

Alec shrugged and looked over Jack's shoulder, reading for a moment.

"Jack...?"

"Yes?"

"Weren't you explaining this to me a week ago?"

"I may have been."

"And wasn't it something of the opposite of what you just wrote a few pages on?"

Jack stared at the screen for a moment before diving for his notes.

"..."

"So. How long have you been working on this?"

Jack gave a choked whimper and let his face fall on the keyboard.