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Leland wasn't a hateful guy, but it was safe to say he hated freshman toward the end of the semester. Grade grubbers was a good way to describe them. Of course, he always had the slackers who balanced out the brown-nosers, but they were just as hard to deal with. They seemed to all swarm into his office at the same time, begging for extra credit or even for extensions on the normal credit. He was a nice guy and a lenient teacher, but he could only bend so much.
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So he ended up packing up early and heading to Rosie's. Office hours were over anyway, and he opted to be selfish and grade his final assignments over a cup of coffee, and hopefully in silence instead of sticking around campus.
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The diner was uncharacteristically empty, which Leland attributed to the bad weather. He picked a booth toward the corner, where he figured if a rush of people did come in he wouldn't be getting much traffic walking by him and distracting him. He set his things out in front of him and headed to the counter to order a black coffee when he noticed a familiar face a few stools down from him. He didn't look too good, and Leland considered letting him be for a moment. But he looked like he could at least use a hello, how are ya.
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<b>"Cormac,"</b> he said, nodding slightly in his direction and extending his hand for a handshake. He didn't want to be too overbearing -- the guy looked really upset over something. <b>"It's been a while. How's it going?"</b>


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i was gonna wait to see if anyone else took this because i already snagged one of your opens and i don't want to be greedy but i couldn't resist because cormac. D:

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Cormac didn't look too well, but he supposed it could have been anything. Before they had randomly stopped keeping in contact for whatever reason, he knew his dad had heart problems. It could have had something to do with that. Cormac also had managed to find himself in a serious relationship, so it could have been that. It could have been work, his health, cold coffee, or anything, so Leland didn't want to make any assumptions.
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<b>"No? Why not?"</b> He sat down, figuring his stuff would be safe in the corner table of the diner while he sat and rapped with Cormac for a bit. Hardly anyone was there, anyway, so he ordered his coffee and made himself comfortable on the stool next to Cormac. <b>"Yeah, you look beat, but I didn't wanna say anything."</b>


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Leland nodded. Clearly he had never been married or even close to it, but he could imagine what it felt like to lose someone you had expected to spend the rest of your life with. He offered a sympathetic look, but didn't want to say too much on the subject. There were situations that didn't warrant a discussion, and Leland felt that this was one of them. He would just listen.
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He had known Cormac for a while, at least long enough to know that he was resilient, particularly after he had slowed down on his drinking... Sort of. Moving on and getting over it were two very different things, so the occasional hang up like the one Cormac was having now was nothing to be too concerned about. <b>"Busy as fuck, dude."</b> He gestured over toward his set up sprawled across a table in the corner. <b>"Next week is finals week, and I got a tournament in Sacramento this weekend that I can't miss,"</b> he explained, referring to the pool league he shot in. <b>"I'm hoping to make some bank. If my team gets first place, supposedly my cut is $500? We'll have to go chasing fat chicks again, my treat."</b>



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<b>"Yeah, I remember."</b> He thought back to when they had first gotten to know each other, before Leland knew just how outrageous Cormac could be, when Cormac told him he had gotten arrested for having sex with a fat chick in the middle of the road. And then there was the fat chick who wanted to ride the mechanical bull who kept making eyes at him. There was no denying that he was definitely a fat chick magnet, from what LP could remember.
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Cormac asked him what the odds were for his team winning first place. Leland shrugged. <b>"I won't lie. Pretty damn good this year."</b> He didn't want to brag, but there were certain things he just couldn't manage to be humble about. Shooting pool was one of those things, if only because he had been doing it since he was tall enough to reach over the table. <b>"I might have to pass 'em off to you, though."</b> He snerked. As if they would be flocking toward him like they would be toward Cormac, anyway. <b>"I've actually got a girl."</b>

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<b>"Manatees,"</b> Leland repeated, trying not to laugh. <b>"So wrong."</b> More like he felt bad for laughing. He knew exactly what Cormac was referring to, or who. Leland had dated his fair share of them, his sister had been one, and he hoped that Alix wouldn't turn out to be one, even if he had no idea where their relationship was going at that point.
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<b>"You sound surprised,"</b> he said, pretending to be offended. <b>"No, no one you're related to. I know better."</b> He laughed, trying not to let the thought of Cormac pounding his skull into the pavement get to him. <b>"I don't think you know her. Well, I don't know, this <I>is</i> you we're talking about... Alix Caffrey? She teaches lit at the high school. Brunette, real pretty eyes... Dresses kind of strangely?"</b>


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merr

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<b>"She teaches literature. Gets really into it. Like... <I>Really</i> into it."</b> He said, grinning. Her enthusiasm was something Leland could respect, and he hoped it transferred into other aspects of her personality as he got to know her better. <b>"We're not a thing yet. She was married, I'm a little weary of that to be honest."</b>

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UGH IT'S INEXCUSABLY TURRIBLE AND SHORT

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Leland wasn't sure what he meant by "really," into it, or at least why he had put so much emphasis on it. <b>"Like, she gets really into the books. I saw the backseat of her car once, it's full of old timey dresses and what not, she's got this huge library in her house she knocked out like two bedrooms for..."</b> He shrugged. The way he said it made her sound weird and obsessive, but he thought it was cool and unique.
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<b>"Nah.. Her husband died. She talks about him sometimes. I'm not sure if I want to try anything if she hasn't moved on, you know?"</b> Maybe Cormac wasn't the right person to ask for advice, but he figured it couldn't hurt.

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merr

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<b>"Yeah, like that."</b> And had Leland been more into drinking he probably would have appreciated Cormac's enthusiasm more. Even if reading wasn't his favorite pastime, it was nice to finally meet someone with a passion. <b>"Sort of."</b>
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Cormac had a point. <b>"I guess not. I just never know how to respond."</b> Just because she talked about him didn't mean she wasn't over him, but it was easy to feel that way. There had to be a different etiquette when dealing with ex-husbands and ex-girlfriends, but it still made him uncomfortable.

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Leland knew that was what he needed to do -- get over himself and his stupid fear of coming on too strongly and just ask her about it. She obviously had no problem discussing it, and the only reason she probably ever cut herself off was because he looked so visibly uncomfortable. But he couldn't even explain why. It wasn't jealousy, because the man was dead. He had no idea what it was, but at least Mac was helping to show him how ridiculous it was.
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He figured he'd change the subject, sort of, and figure it out later on his own. <b>"Her knockers are pretty sensational. Thanks for the tip."</b>

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<b>"Now that's counseling I would pay money for."</b> He laughed at the thought of a poor, unsuspecting young couple coming into Cormac's office, looking for serious advice on how to fix their crumbling marriage. Cormac would probably say something along the lines of "More blowjobs" and send them on their way. All of a sudden, Leland felt bad for the imaginary couple.
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<b>"Man, let's not talk about teaching. Finals are almost over, all I got is pool tournies and poetry slams this summer."</b> He was officially in summer break mode, even though he still had plenty of work to do. Mostly grading, obviously. It was still all sprawled across the table in the corner of the diner, mocking him with each passing minute he spent talking to Cormac. <b>"How's the radio gig paying off?"</b>

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LP always wondered how he'd do in radio. Probably shitty. He was a public speaker by trade, but it was different when the audience could see him. It was sort of like talking on the phone -- people were more patient with his stutter when they could speak to him, face to face, whereas on the phone they usually got fed up and annoyed. Cormac seemed to have the voice and personality for it, though LP still hadn't gotten the chance to give his show a proper listen.
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<b>"That's always a plus."</b> Especially for a person like Cormac. LP could count the number of times he had done the hungover teaching thing on one hand, and he wasn't very fond of the experience. <b>"I actually haven't really heard much of the show. You guys a rowdy bunch?"</b>

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<b>"Man, that seems right up your alley."</b> Not that Cormac was mean spirited or anything, at least Leland didn't get that impression, but he definitely had a mouthpiece and a really shitty filter. if someone didn't have a decent sense of humor, they probably wouldn't get along with the guy. <b>"You guys play music, or just shoot the shit all night?"</b>

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LP listened as Mac explained all the stuff they did, and besides the regulations about swear words and advertising and whatnot, it seemed like he was getting paid to hang out for a couple hours every night. <b>"How'd you land that job?"</b> It wasn't meant to be a dig at Mac - How'd <I>you</i> get that job? - although after he said it, he realized it could be taken that way. <b>"Seems perfect for you."</b>

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<b>"Man, that's awesome."</b> For such a fitting job to fall into his lap like that... Leland was a little jealous. Not that he didn't think Cormac worked hard. Mac gave off that "work hard, party harder" vibe, but he had never taken him to be lazy. <b>"Is this a permanent gig, or...?"</b> If it sounded like he was interviewing Cormac, that's because he was. The longer he kept away from grading, the more he wanted to put it off.

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