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[abrightboy]

This is Bright. Leave a message.

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[creeksidealtarboy]

"Guess so," he mutters, finally picking up his glass and drinking from it.

"Did see that movie, though."

And he gives him a lopsided little grin.

[abrightboy]

"There's a newer movie about DID you might enjoy. It's called Split, if you're poking around the movie section of the library," Malcolm tells him.

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Don't care about it that much," he laughs. "I found a whole bunch more that I used to watch the other day. Had a whole movie marathon in the common room."

[abrightboy]

"Cool. Which movies?" Malcolm asks.

[creeksidealtarboy]

Confident that he's gotten around the subject he didn't want to talk about, he leans forward, enthusiastic.

"Uh, Bill and Ted. Ferris Bueller. That kind of stuff. That kid, uh...Hunter. He came and joined me for a while, actually. Felt a little normal."

[abrightboy]

"They made a third Bill and Ted, you know. Shortly before I came here," Malcolm tells him.

[creeksidealtarboy]

"No way! Really?"

He finds himself laughing a genuine laugh. "I gotta see it."

[abrightboy]

"I'm sure they have it in the library. Keanu Reeves is a huge action movie star by that time, if you can believe it," Malcolm tells him. "Had Speed come out by the time you got here? What year was it when you left your world?"

[creeksidealtarboy]

"That's the one with the bus, right? It's - uh - 1996," he answers, remembering the question just in time.

[abrightboy]

"Yeah, that's the one. It ends up being his catapult to action movie stardom," Malcolm tells him. "Along with a movie called the Matrix, which you've only missed by a couple years or so. You should check that one out."

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Huh." Hard to think of that guy as being a movie star in any capacity.

"I'll have to find it."

[abrightboy]

"So what about music? What's your favorite band or type of music?" Malcolm asks.

[creeksidealtarboy]

"I dunno. Metallica. The Stones. Pearl Jam. Nirvana. I like all kinds of music. Why?"

[abrightboy]

"I don't know. Isn't that a safe subject that people talk about with people they're getting to know?" Malcolm confirms.

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Dependa on if you're being my shrink or being my friend," he tells him. "If there's any kinda lesson in this."

[abrightboy]

"I can't really be your shrink until this..." He gestures at the space between them. "Is a safe place for you. So, in the meantime, we chat. I'm not great at chatting, because I accidentally read people's faces and body language a lot. But. Certain topics are socially safe, right? Books, movies, music..."

[creeksidealtarboy]

"The hell does that mean? Safe place for me? No one's gonna attack me in here."

[abrightboy]

"A safe place for you emotionally," Malcolm clarifies. "Where you feel comfortable opening up about stuff."

[creeksidealtarboy]

"I feel like I've told you a lot. You're like Miss Rebecca. 'Cept she's better looking."

[abrightboy]

"I feel like you've told me a lot, too. Who's Miss Rebecca?" Malcolm asks.

[creeksidealtarboy]

"She's my teacher. She didn't want me goin' to the mines, so she helped me get to the high school. Gave me extra lessons and shit," he explains.

[abrightboy]

"She believed in you," Malcolm observes. "Did you graduate?"

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Yeah, she did," he agrees, a little smile on his face. "And uh - I did. Did a few college courses by mail, but never finished, obviously."

He shrugs. "Maybe I will later."

[abrightboy]

“You’ve got lots of time,” Malcolm tells him. “You can get a jump on it in the Library here.”

[creeksidealtarboy]

"Yeah, I know."

He downs the rest of the second drink, swallowing back the cough this time.

"I know what I can and can't do."