Life Is A Highway...Sort of

[Toris Lorinaitis]

Well, for Toris, he had been glad that he had gotten to school. A month before he had been living with a cousin for a while and actually bought good car from him for a slightly reasonable price.

He pulled into a parking spot and looked in front to see other students unpacking. It was a new day. A new beginning.

He nervousy reached into his pockets and grabbed a smoke and a lighter shaking while lighting his cigarette.

I should not really do this...I probably seem like a hooligan now.

He leaned his head back onto his seat and exhaled.

This always happens a new school year and I go through the same thing. Maybe in college people won't walk all over me? I just gotta have what the Americans call...swagger?

Toris finished his cigarette and boldly went out of the car and boldy walked straight forward...
Until he came back because he had his belongs in his car.

He lands his head onto the side-top of his Ford.

From far away one would think he was praying on his car.

"I hope I don't make a horrible first impressions," he whispered to himself.


----
(oh dear...short...oh well...meh.)

[Ivan Braginski]

Ivan walked along the campus, bag slung around his shoulder. He had dropped his stuff off in his dorm room but hadn't bothered to unpack anything yet. It was probably the fact that he'd just received a phone call letting him know his absolutely insane little sister was now attending the same school -- in the same program, mind you -- and needed a little fresh air and thinking space to clear his head.

He took a step onto the tarmac of the parking lot he'd been treading on for six long years of education. Hoping to cross back to the walkway and inside to begin cleaning up his stuff in his room, the air becoming too full of his thoughts -- wanting to be controlled once again in his head. This was air pollution.

Ivan sighed heavily as he passed by a very frightened Freshman. His first thought was, 'Keep walking. This kid will find his way eventually...' but the second was, 'Ivan. Stop. He looks lost. You've been here for 6 years and you could probably answer any, if not ALL of his questions. Give him a chance.' ...Hm. And this would definitely stop the flow of... thoughts of the sister...

He stopped, turning on his heels to greet the Freshman, a smile wide on his face, "Hello! I couldn't help but notice how frightened you look," It's a good look for you, "If you have any questions I am happy to help you!"

Ivan was 23, going on 24 years old. He definitely looked significantly older than the lot of the students -- a 7 year program and no sleep will definitely age a person,

"I've been here for years. Don't be scared to ask me anything." He scratched the side of his mouth as he grinned. Placing his hands in his pockets to rock slightly on his heels.

[Toris Lorinaitis]

Toris took his head off from the roof of his car and noticed the older student. He seemed slightly worn out. Maybe he had an...all nighter...is what that what they would call it?

Ah! Maybe he can help. He seems old enough...And the first person I meet so try to seem confident! I can't afford to lose face! Then again, I never really had face to begin with...

"Ah,hello, Im Toris Lorinaitis, a freshman, can you help me I'm recently new here in America, and wondered if this school happened to be in supply of...swagger?"

Toris smiled blissfully hoping the elder knew where it would be sold. He had tried to find it before a drug stores and supermarkets and the workers all gave him strange reactions like he was crazy so maybe college would be a place most people obtained...swagger.

"Would you know where they happen to sell it here?"

There was a reasonable explanation as to why Toris assumed that Swagger was attainable object sold at stores. His cousin who he had been living with had deceived him of the actual meanings and concepts of words so that he may get his kicks. All Toris was taught by his cousin was Swagger was something you could buy and would make you seem...manlier and possibly rugged. His cousin of course never specified how or where to buy because he said asking in stores would help.

[Ivan Braginski]

"Ah, I'm Ivan! Ivan Braginski." He shook the trembling young man's hand. He was fine, if not feeling a little awkward, until the boy asked him another question, to which the Russian stopped, a dead-pan expression on his face. He blinked, laughing lightly,

"I... I don't know... Swagger?"

Although he'd been in America for a number of years now, he was still only rather familiar with basic English and what he had taught himself/picked up watching his favourite films (all of which happened to be from the 1960s-70s) so his slang wasn't up to date.

Oh. Swagger... Wasn't that someone who was cool? Someone was cool because they had a certain... swagger about them? He remembered having overheard this a couple years back from one of his American roommates. Ivan didn't really like to follow trends. He was wearing a scarf long before it became "trendy" to do so. He was wearing pea coats and saddle shoes before it was adopted by the "hipster" community of New York City. He tend to purchase his clothes from local Goodwills and -- if he had a chance to get there -- Greenwhich village market sales.

"...I suppose if you want to look cool you could look in the mall. I do not go there much, but I'm sure they would know what to do," He mumbled something probably self-deprecating to himself before smiling again, "The school store sells campus merchandise if you want that though."

[Toris Lorinaitis]

"Ah, thank you very much! You know, seem to be the only person to have helped me find it!" the young freshman replied to that he muttered about buying that later.

Not later after was an awkward tension of silence that well, kinda scared the heck out of Toris. He usually was great at conversing but the customs of America which he knew only from movies, had made him tread carefully.

"Um, so, do you usually come here often?" Toris said surveying the area and then looked at the older student in horror, "Not to imply anything, I just-I-I-!"

Then he proceeded to shaking his hands in a back and forth and and shaking a bit.

I'm not hyperventilating again am I? Great. Now I'm probably a freak now. But this always happens to me. I slightly freak out and then I'm stuck as the loser or weirdo. Maybe I can passit off as a heart condition that I have...yeah, that could work!

"Eh,No, I didn't mean it like that, don't-don't mind me! I just-eh?" Toris then bit his lip and pondered.

Well, so much for that idea, maybe being weird this time is a good thing, like Lady Gaga. Maybe I'll get famous? Okay, back to reality here. What the hell do I do to look good in this situation. I knew I should have bought swagger earlier. Mehh! Okay this is totally strange I'm freaking out in my mind as well. Does no one but me go through this?

[Ivan Braginski]

Ivan just simply smiled and nodded, "It really isn't a problem at all. I did ask you if you needed help with anything," He shrugged lightly, "I'm happy my advice could help."

That damned awkward silence that returned moment later, however, was not so welcomed. Ivan tapped his foot impatiently, staring intently at the young Freshman -- maybe hoping that his stare would elicit some sort of reaction... And it did. The younger one had begun to shake and spew conversational English that -- to put it simply -- made no wink of sense whatsoever.

Do you come here often? That's what he had been asked. Quickly followed by a string of noises, grumbles, repeating of words -- a very uncomfortable situation for most. Ivan relished in it. He laughed quietly, eyes wide with smile, and mouth grinning openly,

"Have you implied anything strange?" He placed a hand on the shaking boy's shoulder, patting it, "No, not at all! Say, why don't you and I grab something to eat? I can tell you more about this... swagger. And about the school. Do you need help finding certain rooms or something?"

Ehhh the least this boy could do would be to provide Ivan with some sort of entertainment until he hit up the bars that evening. Hm. Maybe Toris would prove him wrong -- maybe this is how he makes all his first impressions? If that was the case, he was more than intrigued as to how he would function in a different setting,

"Don't worry about it. I can pay for you if you would like."

Fantastic. Nobody lets an offer like that down. Ivan, you are smooth...

[Toris Lorinaitis]

Toris did not hoped he had not implied anything strange. Usually from the movies he had seen, it was kind of a way of flirting, a very little way of flirting. Not to big. Apparently the elder seemed to have eased poor Toris' panic.

But he must have done something right to have received an invitation to eat with him.

Oh wow! How awfully nice of him to invite me! What a really nice guy! Wait, did he just mention he'd pay? Well, it does sound lovely...I really got lucky today. And to believe I thought today was going to be like the other school days where there was a bully and I became...they're source of entertainment. Somebody up there loves me.

"T-that sounds lovely-I mean, good." he had to toughen his speech to sound manly and deepened his voice to create the feel, "Sooo...where wold you like to go?"

The young freshman felt up to a good start. He had already met someone and was going out somewhere on his first day. Usually in the most American movies he had seen the protagonist always has a crappy first day in college, but that was not the case for this freshman. He was blissfully content. He felt like smiling like a giddy idiot but that would deprive him of his manliness and opted to a calm nod.

[Ivan Braginski]

Ivan didn't make much money working his 2 to 3 shifts a week at the flower shoppe down the street... but Ivan still offered to pay regardless, considering Toris probably didn't have a source of his own income yet and... his restaurant in mind wasn't that expensive.

He shook his head, and shrugged lightly, "There's a nice place down the street that serves delicious cold borscht... I... recognize your accent as Lithuanian..." He chuckled lightly, " I figure you would enjoy Eastern European cuisine instead of this... American garbage, da?"

The kid was a newbie at the school and, despite having been here for years, Ivan didn't really have friends of his own either. This was the first time he had gone long enough without scaring somebody into never talking to him again -- no promises that it would stay that way the rest of the meal, but for now it was alright. Besides -- this little Lithuanian boy was... kind of adorable in his naivety. Ivan could get his kicks; this boy gets some good beets. It's a win-win.

"Come on..." He said, shrugging his head in the direction of the restaurant down the street.

Once the two began to walk through the parking lot, Ivan struck up conversation, "So, what are you majoring in? Why did you choose to come to America? ...Are all of your family Lithuanian? Have you ever been to Russia? I've been to Lithuania... It's pretty nice... Do you miss it? I miss Russia. I miss walking to Red Square on a day where it wasn't painfully cold... I hate the cold. Don't you? It almost feels as though someone is clawing at your skin -- and sometimes you can't help but wish you could make that escape and jump from the depths of your own frigid skin, find a new body to take on in a warmer location," He paused, looking at Toris, laughing lightly, "Ahh. I'm sorry... I'm rambling..."