>>66681700>I notice them before they notice me. A frail looking Ptero. Hair shaved short, tattooed and still wearing the solid black attire. I look around to see if we're alone in the aisle here before deciding to approach. They're looking over some condiment bottles.>I step forward and clear my throat. They spy me and flinch. Guess they didn't want to see me.>"Uh, hi principal Spears." They wearily state.>"I don't happen to be your principal any longer, you can just call me Chuck." I smile down to try to kill the tension.>"Can I just call you Spears? It feels weird calling you by your first name." they shy away.>"That's fine. How has life treated you?" I ask, hoping their frame doesn't match their mood.>They sigh deeply. "...bad." it pains me to see a former student like this. I check my watch. I have plenty of time before the missus will start worrying so I decide now's the time to step in again.>"Would you like to speak about it?" My instincts as an educator kicking in.>"I uh, sure. Why not." they sigh>"I work a job I hate. Live in the shittest part of town. Have no friends and no family. You?" their voice is furious and mocking. Not at me but themselves. I ignore the question.>"You don't keep up with Miss Jones or Mr Weefer?" I inquire about their two bandmates.>"...no">"Nor Mr Mous? You two seemed-" I cut myself off as I note how tense Fang is now.>"No." their voice is quiet and far away. I touched on a poor topic. I gather my strength and offer the best I can.>"I think you can find your way forward. Life may be rough now but you're a fighter. I know that for a fact." I attempt to push the mood slightly lighter. It works.>"Thanks, Spears." they give a small smile.>I start to consider turning back to my errands but Fang speaks again.>"You probably wanna know what happened, then?" I nod.>"Only if it will make you feel better to share." I solidly state.cont.
Yes I really did decide Reed is called "Weed Reefer"