If It Looks Like Chicken – Evan, open tag

[Evan Hughes]

Evan was starving, and the two chocolate bars, as well as the packet of Reese’s Pieces, that he managed to get through during class hadn’t done a thing to help, so he was glad when lunch finally came around, even if it seemed to take forever. He knew just why he was hungry though, he always seemed to go through a lot of food whenever things were going good for him. And things were going really good. Yesterday had all the makings of a really, really bad day, but just when it seemed like it was about to hit its peak on suckiness, it all got good again. Like real good. Like he still had the best girlfriend ever, and spent all night watching movies, eating candy and making out with her good.

And lunch wasn’t going to change the goodness, he realised, as he arrived at the cafeteria, out of breath, a big grin on his face as he realised that there were chicken nuggets. He loved chicken nuggets! Well, he loved food in general, but, yay, chicken nuggets! He was one of the first ones there, so it didn’t take long to get to the front of the line. Plus, the cafeteria ladies all knew Evan on a first name basis, he was hard to forget after all, so it wasn’t hard to charm them into giving him a plate overflowing with the nuggets.

It wasn’t hard for him to get a free table, so plonking himself down, Evan started to chow down on his well deserved meal. Only the sound of someone approaching the table was enough to distract him. “Wonder how much chicken are in these nuggets.” he mused aloud, holding one up to study. “I mean, I know they call ‘em chicken nuggets, and they look like chicken. They taste like chicken too, but everything tastes like chicken. Ah, who cares, they’re awesome.” he decided with a laugh, before offering his plate. “Want one?”

[Freddie Franklin]

Freddie stood at the counter paying for his meal with a smile on his face, he'd gotten another photo from Penny of his babies eyes open blowing bubbles at the camera... well okay maybe that last bit was an exaggeration but it was enough to brighten his day. As he went looking for a place to sit which was admittedly not that difficult this early in the lunch period he chose to sit at a table with someone at it, he was a little surprised when said someone asked him about the chicken nuggets on his plate.

"Honestly I think your happier not knowing the answer to that question, its processed meat, what goes into the chicken nugget, is about 12% a lot of fat and the rest is processed ick" Freddie said honestly. "Sorry you probably didn't want to know that." he added with a smile. "No thank you, I'll stick to the curry on my plate." Freddie said to him with a slight nod to his food. "Not really my cup of tea if I'm honest but it looked better than everything on offer today." Freddie said with a smile.

"I'm Freddie by the way and I do hope I didn't put you of your lunch, that wasn't really my intention when I sat down." Freddie said to him.

[Evan Hughes]

A quick glance at the curry on the guy’s plate was enough for Evan to be certain that he made a good decision in choosing the not so chicken nuggets. He didn’t have anything against curry, it was food, so like most food, he was all for it, but chicken nuggets that may or may not be chicken nuggets were still yummy. And so, as proof of this, he shoved another one in his mouth, chewing and swallowing it hastily before beaming a broad grin at Freddie.

“I’m Evan, and no worries. I’ll let you in on a little secret, that anyone who’s seen me eat knows. Nothing can put me off my food. I love my food. I know, hard to tell with this figure of mine. I keep in shape, gotta keep the canons for my special lady friend. I know she likes ‘em.” he laughed, before grabbing another nugget to start munching down on. “Mmm, processed ick.”

He paused his eating for just a moment to wash down some of that processed ick with a swig of very healthy Coca Cola, wiping his mouth as he set the bottle back down. And he figured, now that he had company and all, he should maybe slow down the eating, to actually be sociable and all. Not that he minded, he liked talking with people almost as much as he liked food. He would never be a quiet kind of guy.

“You’re really missing out. With the nuggets.” Evan smirked, pushing them around his place. The guy looked kinda familiar, Evan was good at remembering faces, not so great at the names, unless they were in a class or something together. People seemed to notice him though, strangely enough. And he was always so shy and reserved. “This is my favourite period. Lunch counts as a class, right? Cause it’s during school. So it should be.”

[Freddie Franklin]

"Its good to know you can't be put of your food, but you should definitely stick to something you know the contents of for sure... this school has a history of causing food poisoning according to rumour that is." Freddie said to him smiling like a cheshire cat.

Freddie gave him a grin, "If it is we both probably aced it, its just such a shame that the food doesn't stand up to much in this place. Actually English school dinners, make LA school dinners look like fine cuisine, I'm so glad that my Children and sister will be raised in this country. Not so happy about them not having English accents, but I can live with that." Freddie said to him with a smile.

"Um chicken curry I'd love to know how they manage to make the chicken have the consistency of rubber, it would come in handy the next time I throw a dinner party with people I don't like. What a way to get rid of them, or at the very least order in pizza for everyone... no more fancy food." Freddie said to him with a grin on his face rolling his head. "You have no idea how much the English stiff upper lip can annoy someone who has the stiff upper lipped thing going for him. You have no idea how much I would have liked to take a baseball bat to a few peoples heads the last time I had people over for dinner." Freddie said to him. "Then again the last time we had a party at the house, my wife was eight and a half months pregnant and I was sleeping on the couch for having cold feet." Freddie said to him. "Yet more stuff you didn't need to know."

[Evan Hughes]

“Yeah, I heard about that too. People getting sick from the food here. But, I’ve eaten a heap of food here, like, a heap, and I haven’t gotten sick yet.” Evan pointed out, grinning back at Freddie, obviously proud of this fact. “I reckon I must have like an iron stomach or something, cause I can eat anything and I’m fine. My mum reckons cause that’s what I used to get up to when I was a little kid, like eat anything I could get my hands on. And a lot of it wasn’t actually food, Well, I got hungry a lot when I was a kid!” he chuckled, defending himself. “Not that anything’s changed since then, I still get hungry a lot. At least know I know what food looks like. That helps.”

For a moment, Evan figured he heard wrong when Freddie mentioned having kids. Maybe he had pets he referred to as his children or something, though that thought changed when the new guy mentioned accents. Then he figured that Freddie was talking about kids he would have in the future, cause he would be staying in America. It seemed just a little odd to mention that, Evan thought, but he was a little odd himself, so he wasn’t one to comment. Still, kids were the last thing on his mind, and it would stay that way for a long time. He was far too young. Sure he wanted to pop out a couple of Mini Evans, but not for many years yet. He still acted like a kid himself, he couldn’t see himself raising any.

He’d been to a lot of parties, he loved them, all the noise and the people and the occasional drinking, but he couldn’t remember ever being invited to a dinner party. It would feel funny, going to a party where you had to stay sitting and make polite conversation (at least, that was his notion of a dinner party) but at least he’d have a reason to wear his tuxedo shirt. Smart, but casual. “Why would you throw a dinner party for people you don’t like? Wait, pizza? Ok, that’s kinda cool. I love pizza.”

If Freddie’s dinner parties involved the possibility of people getting beaten with a baseball bat, they were certainly more lively than Evan would have assumed. “That’s alright, you’ll hear a lot of stuff about me you don’t need to hear, if you stick around me long enough.” Evan chuckled. “Like, this one t....you’re married? And she’s pregnant? No, was pregnant? You’ve got kids? Wow.”

He stared vacantly for a moment before shaking his head, a grin crossing his face once more. “Well, it’s it congratulations? Is that what I say?” he wondered aloud, thinking to himself that Freddie didn’t look any older than him. It was one thing to be married, but to have kids too, and be in high school, well, wow. He didn’t know how anyone could do it. And so he asked. “How do you do it? I mean, it’s it like tough? I know if I got married, like now, my mum would freak.”

[Freddie Franklin]

Freddie had the biggest smile on his face possible, "Twins, little boy and a little girl, not even a month old yet... so its all pretty new to us." Freddie explained. "Every guy or girl for that matter has a best friend, my best friend just happens to be my wife of a year. I was seven when I met her, it was at the summer house in Hampshire, a wedding between friends of our parents. We stayed friends, then when I was fourteen our parents dropped the bombshell that they had arranged a marriage between the two of us. We hit the roof, then it just kind of made sense after sixth months." Freddie said to him. "I didn't see myself married for a year with twins at seventeen, when I was you know eleven. I don't think any one does." Freddie said.

"Guys our age should be enjoying single life, playing the field, checking out girls or what ever floats your boat. Eating terrible food, without having worry about having a heart attack before you turn thirty. Getting drunk without worrying about dependants, being shouted at by your parents for coming in late, smoking or coming in drunk as a skunk." Freddie said. "What we shouldn't be doing, is think about names for children who will be scarred for life if you choose the wrong name." Freddie went on. "But I do normal stuff to, I enjoy getting drunk every once in a while I like to smoke cigars from time to time, I can cook just about. I go see fo... soccer games, basketball games all with friends.. I also get to play dolls with my little sister... enough about me though... kid talk at a lunch table in school not a good topic of discussion. I guess I'm just a proud papa bear." he said.

"So change of subject is in order, I can see what your favourite pass time is, do you do anything besides eat and learn? Drive fast cars drive slow cars or old ones... what do American teens do maybe you can tell me what I'm missing out on... I like to think of the road not travelled." he asked.

[Evan Hughes]

“Twins? Okay, that is kinda cool.” Evan enthused, happily to take that one subject and run away with it with abandon. “I always thought it would be mad fun to be a twin, you know, having someone to team up with, do cool stuff with. Especially if I was an identical twin! That would be sweet! Imagine all the funny tricks me and my very good looking brother could play!” The whimsical expression that lit his face as he spoke made it very clear he was imagining himself, and whatever it was he was imagining, he found it hilarious. A thought brought him back to Earth though. “Well, I hope brother. It would be a bit weird, wouldn’t it, if I had an identical twin sister. Yeah, brother, that’s the way to go. Though, it’s not a foolproof plan.” he pointed out. “My best friend Patch, he’s like the most awesome guy ever. And he’s got an identical twin who’s definitely not cool. So, suppose being an only child isn’t too bad after all. Uh, what were we talking about again?” he asked, lost, glad when Freddie turned back to talk of his wife. Wife, weird.

“Well, I’m glad it worked out for you. Wouldn’t want my parents picking my future wife.” he decided, pulling a face as he paused to finish off his last nugget. As he chewed, he glanced down at his watch, holding his arms above his head in victory. “Alright, new record! What was I saying? Oh yeah, I mean, my mum’s cool and all, but I don’t know if I want her picking out who I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with. I mean, she likes Brit, but still, she might pick like, a girl who doesn’t like chocolate. That would be bad. But, good for you and all.”

With Freddie saying everything he thought guys their age should be doing, it just made Evan glad for what he had. And want to do everything on Freddie’s ‘list.’ Except for checking out girls and playing the field. He and Brit were finally good again, he couldn’t imagine them staying that way if he started checking out other girls. Not that he would want to, no matter how cute the girls are. It wasn’t worth Brittany getting angry at him again, and besides, most importantly, his girlfriend was easily the hottest in the school anyway, so checking out other girls was pointless. “I’ve thought about kids names before, so that’s not too unusual. I wanna give my kids, when I have ‘em when I’m like forty, cool names. Like Clint Eastwood. That’ll be sweet.”

Laughing, he shook his head, pushing the empty tray away from him. “You mean besides eat. I dunno if what I do here is classed as learning.” Evan smirked. “And you’re close, this is my third favourite past time. Number two is watching movies. I love movies. Got a big collection of them. Nothing better to do than get comfy and put on a movie. Except for number one on my list. Watch movies while eating junk food. Preferably junk food. Now that’s the best thing to do, ever.”

“But what else...” he asked himself allowed, taking another sip of Coke. “Well, I just hang around with my friends, you know, just muck around. I like doing, well, some people say stupid, but I reckon it’s just fun, pranks and stunts and stuff, getting it filmed. Like rolling down a hill in a trolley, and stuff like that. It’s really fun!” he enthused when the expression of Freddie’s face told him that he didn’t share his joy. “Patch joins me too. But he’s usually more for egging me on. Which is cool fun, it’s mad being cheered for! Oh, and I play the drums. Awesomely, I have to say. I just like noisy things. So, I dunno if you would think you’re missing out on that.” he laughed. “I’m an acquired taste.”

[Freddie Franklin]

He nodded, "Twins are fun to deal with at two in the morning, we both have to get up to deal with them, they wake up together they fall asleep together... it drives us mad. That first year of their lives your just waiting for them to sleep the night through." he said. "As for naming them, I end Alfred which is why I lengthen my name to Freddie... my sister normally scream Alfred at me when I do something she doesn't like. I swear the women in my life have me wrapped around their little fingers." Freddie said with a smile. "We called our little boy Oliver and our little girl Sarah... Penny and I got lumbered with either long or just terrible names. Alfred was cool in the 1920's or something but in th 1990's it just doesn't work at all." He said.

He sat listening to Evan while he ate, he had done the lionshare of the talking and it was clear that Evan would have a lot to say. It was nice to be right about that as well, he liked Evan, he didn't really know him. That said though their wasn't much to not like about Evan, sure he had the table etiqutte of a dog but he could over look that. Especially when everything else was right about the guy.

"Play drums doesn't mean your an acquired taste, unless you play them badly and people complain about the noise because of it." Freddie said to him.

"People who are to quiet are almost unnatural, noisy but not to noisy isn't a bad thing. I like playing my music loudly in my car on the way to school, I like horror movies to, the old ones though, the stuff that comes out today is to politically correct, unless of course its Saw then all bets are off. Pizza or KFC junk food of choice for watching movies." he said with a grin.

[Evan Hughes]

“Alfred’s a cool name.” Evan disagreed. It wasn’t as cool as Captain Awesome, or Austin ‘Danger’ Powers, or Roger Rabbit, but it was still cool, to Evan’s mind. “You share your name with Batman’s butler. No, sorry, Bruce Wayne’s butler, who is a completely different person. Yeah.” Laughing, he shook his head, juggling the now empty coke bottle from hand to hand for a few seconds. “Well, if it was cool once, it might get cool again. Plus, Freddie is cool. Like Freddy Krueger! Not that he’s cool or anything, well he is, he’s awesome, apart from the killing and all the badness and all, but you know what I mean. And remember, Bruce Wayne.”

“Me? Play badly? No way.” Evan grinned, shaking his head enthusiastically, as though this was all the proof Eddie would need. “I’m actually really good. Well, I think so anyway. Not that I’m bragging or anything, I’m not that up myself.” he quickly pointed out, not wanting Freddie to think he was self absorbed. People like that annoyed him, so he wouldn’t want anyone to think he fell into that same category. “My parents got me into lessons when I was younger, and amped them up a bit when I quit basketball. See, I kinda have a lot of energy, and I get bored real easily, so they wanted to keep me occupied. They thought banging stuff would suit me. They were right.” he laughed.

“Yeah, I play my music loud too. Sometimes to help drown out my singing, if someone else is in the car. You know, to be nice, so they’re not jealous of me. There’s a lot to be jealous of after all. I mean, like my singing, and my mad drum skills, and my good looks. I reckon the black eyes make me look dangerous and cool. Like all mysterious. Kudos for not pointing them out by the way. Most people haven’t either, but heaps of people here are used to seeing me with black eyes, or with cuts and bruises, or with a cast on one of my limbs, so it’s nothing new.” he shrugged. “I got these from a fight, well, not really a fight, it ended too soon to be called a fight. But usually I just get hurt from being clumsy. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve accidentally jumped off a building onto a mattress, or missed the mattress. Or didn’t bother to put the mattress down in the first place. Accidentally.”

“Pizza. Good choice. I like ‘em piled high with meat. And the messier, the better. Eating pizza when watching a horror movie, now, that’s a sweet night.” Evan decided. “I love all horror movies, the cheesier and funnier, the better. The Saw movies are great! Well, the first one really, the second’s decent, and the rest, well, they’re bad, but they’re gory, so that means they’re good, even though they’re bad. Right.” He looked down, as if realising now that his nuggets were all gone. Bummer. Maybe he should get some more later.

Even the curry on Freddie’s plate was starting to look good. He wondered if the chicken in the chicken curry was any more chickeny than the chicken in the nuggets. There was only one way to find out, he supposed. He was going to have a real big lunch. “So where do you live, with uh, Penny, right? And Oliver and Sarah. Do you live with her parents, or with yours, or by yourselves? It’ll feel weird, wouldn’t it, all living with your folks?” He felt odd trying to sneak a kiss, let alone a grab, with Brit when his mum was nearby, so he couldn’t imagine how Freddie handled it. And he and his wife obviously did it, they were married of course, and they had kids. Evan might not know a lot of things, but at least he knew that babies weren’t brought by storks.