i'm at an all time low

alejandro lopez. there's a non-zero chance you'll hear me on the line when you dial 911.

[nick-duval]

text 📲 @alejandrolpez

Nick: Confession time: I didn't actually realize you and Jeff were that close, and that's clearly on me for not paying attention lately. When did that happen? HOW did that happen? And more importantly, how do we convince him that his excellent taste in friends is one of his finest qualities?

[11. A confession via text]

[alejandrolpez]

Alejandro: eh, it's alright. hell, i wouldn't waste my energy trying to map out every friendship in town, so i wouldn't really expect anyone else to do it for me. Alejandro: we've been close for... maybe the last seven or eight years? it wasn't until after i came back to town after college. i actually thought he was annoying as hell when we were younger, but eh, i chalk that more up to me being even worse back then than i am now rather than anything he did. he was actually always persistently nice to me even when i was being a dick. anyways, we reconnected a bit right around the time his dad passed and i'd say that brings us to now. Alejandro: is that not just a fact? i'd think he's already aware of it, but he can be annoyingly humble.

[ethanxstjames]

Ethan: okay first i was going for smooth in that kind of aloof way like don't wanna come off too sure of myself you know? Ethan: and second if you're not the cute girl i was chatting with at the carnival, who are you? Ethan: anddd double checked nope she just game me a totally wrong number. damn. i thought she was really into me too.

[alejandrolpez]

Alejandro: uh-huh, sure. Alejandro: oh, i'm nobody. just her boyfriend that told her to give any creeps that hit on her my number instead so i can scare them away from her. guess you're next.

[alejandrolpez]

text || @jeffthomassterling

Alejandro: i'm almost offended that i put myself at such a highly social event as the carnival and managed to not run into one of the few people i actually don't mind being social with. Alejandro: i'm not actually offended, for the record, and i know there was no formal arrangement for us to meet up, but still. did you enjoy yourself?

[brodywestonx]

text 📱 @alejandrolpez

Brody: unbelievable

[alejandrolpez]

Alejandro: elaborate?

[ethanxstjames]

text 📲 @alejandrolpez

Ethan: heyyy so not sure if you remember me but this is Ethan, we chatted at the carnival and you gave me your number? Ethan: was wondering if you'd wanna talk about going on that date? maybe to the movies? your choice, I'll buy 😉

[alejandrolpez]

Alejandro: 'not sure if you remember me'? how are you being confident and not at the same time? does that work for you? Alejandro: anyways, i'm not this poor girl you're attempting to woo. you either got a number wrong when sending this text or she purposely gave you a wrong number and it just so happened to be mine. both are pretty embarrassing for you.

[mercedesjonesx]

Mercedes laughed softly, shaking her head. "See? I knew you weren't actually going to ignore me. And thank you for proving me right, though I wouldn't exactly say no to a little friendly competition," she added, one brow arching with amused confidence as she linked her elbow around his. "But no pressure. We can stick with me being the only one making questionable financial decisions tonight. You can stand there and judge my technique instead." She started toward the row of game booths at an easy pace, coming to a stop when one of the oversized stuffed animals hanging overhead caught her eye. Pointing at the giant teddy bear with the confidence of someone who hadn't thrown a single ring all night, she smiled. "That one is coming home with me." Her gaze lingered on the prize for another second before she laughed. "I'm choosing to ignore every logical part of my brain that's reminding me these games are probably designed to make us lose."

[alejandrolpez]

As Mercedes linked her arm through his and tugged him along, it admittedly felt a bit strange to him given how detached he usually was. But, at the same time, her warm tone was almost infectious and, though a frown or neutral expression were much more frequent for him, he found his lips tugging into a small smile. "That does sound much better to me. I'm pretty good at judging people, though don't worry, I'll keep it to just to your technique this time," he assured, a slightly teasing edge to his voice. As they arrived at the game, he glanced overhead and checked out the much too large teddy bear, letting out a snort of laughter. "Oh, they absolutely are. But, eh, it's fine. We're playing carnival games. Pretty sure they operate on logic being thrown out the window."

[mercedesjonesx]

Mercedes was leaning against one of the railings near the front gates, a fresh funnel cake in one hand and a lemonade in the other. The carnival was fairly packed, and she was mostly just people-watching while she waited for the sugar rush to kick in. Spotting a familiar face in the crowd, she offered a bright, easy smile. "Honey, I know you're not about to ignore me," she called out playfully, offering as much of a wave as she could with her hands already occupied. "Because I'm gonna need someone to hold this food while I go waste all my money on the ring toss. Come win a giant stuffed bear with me."

[alejandrolpez]

Even though he'd heard the warm, familiar voice behind him, it had taken him a second to actually turn around and address it. Even as he saw it was Mercedes, he couldn't help pointing a finger at himself as if to silently ask if she was really trying to pull him, of all people, out of the crowd. When it was clear she was, he closed the distance between them. "In my defense, I wasn't actively trying to. Which, when you consider me being me, is actually a compliment," he couldn't help quipping to start. "But you know what? What the hell, sure. Better you than me, anyway. These damn games bring out my competitive edge way too much and before I know it, my wallet is crying."

[alejandrolpez]

@jeffthomassterling:

Oh, stop it, you're making me blush!!

Yeah, you're welcome. You know how hard it is for me to be nice, but I guess I don't mind making an exception for you sometimes. Plus, I mean, it's easier when I'm just stating facts.

[nick-duval]

Wish I knew, maybe then I could do it on purpose. Patience of a saint is pretty accurate -- he's put up with my unfocused ass since high school, so that's saying something. He might look very unimpressed if I went so far as to call him my work husband, though (even if it’s true and he knows it, 😂)

[alejandrolpez]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, your spot in that little game was more about you just being blatantly gorgeous than any sort of specific vibe you give off. Trust me, I highly doubt you'd actually choose to jump in a bed with me, of all people. Eh, work husband sounds about right to me. He can deal with it.

[alejandrolpez]

@nick-duval:

...I'm starting to wonder if I've been giving off a vibe I wasn't aware of, 😂 I do agree that Jeff is absolutely husband material though, A+ choice there.

And what kind of vibe is that, Nicolás? Genuine question since I'm curious. And, yeah, historically, not many people are willing to look past my normal asshole tendencies and actually want to be my friend, so I take that to mean he clearly has the patience of a saint and would be a good spouse for anyone.

[alejandrolpez]

FMK: Jeff, Nick, Brody

F: @nick-duval. I mean, let's not act like the guy isn't very easy on the eyes. I wouldn't kick him out of bed, is all I'm saying.

M: @jeffthomassterling. Maybe in a different reality where even just having a romantic relationship isn't challenging for me, someone else could take this spot, but... yeah, no. Jeffrey's who I'm closest with, so this is the default spot for him. And, I mean, I do actually believe he'd be a good partner to whoever he's with, for what it's worth.

K: @brodywestonx. Luck of the draw, really. He's easy on the eyes too, but he's less humble than Nicolás, so I'm more inclined to not want to boost his ego any more.

[hadleyberry]

You haven’t seen the third one?! Oh my gosh, it was the perfect ending that really fit with everyone who grew up with the first two. I swear, I went to a late night showing and the whole theater was filled with millennials and there was not a dry eye in the place. But anyway, yeah, streaming would make sense, but the internet is so quick to post spoilers anymore and there’s really no easy way to avoid them on social media. So I’ll probably just go into it without super high expectations and maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. I appreciate the advice, though!

[alejandrolpez]

Yeah, no, never got around to it. I'll take your word for it, though. I saw the classic Disney movies here and there growing up, but only when my other siblings were watching them, so my general knowledge is pretty spotty. Abuela never let me watch much Disney myself. I don't think she thought it was 'manly' enough. Fair enough. If avoiding spoilers is your main thing then, yeah, probably better to just see it yourself. Maybe drag a friend along or something so, even if you don't like it, you can at least have some company to vent to.

[hadleyberry]

I'm so torn on this new Toy Story movie that's coming out, you know I really think that the 3rd movie wrapped things up so nicely and the 4th one had promise, but then they messed it up with where they took Woody's story. I've honestly disliked it so much, I usually refuse to even acknowledge it in its entirety. But the more I see about this 5th movie, I can't help thinking it could potentially redeem the 4th one and so I'm trying to decide if I want to see it in theaters when it opens. But I don't want to waste money if I don't end up liking it, you know?

[alejandrolpez]

Not to breeze past your dilemma, but uh, can't really relate with all that. I haven't seen any of the newer movies past the second one. Anyways, from what I understand, seems like you have some pretty simple solutions to me. You could just wait for streaming, for one. But you could also just check out reviews when it comes out or maybe see what any friends you have that might see it have to say about it and make your own judgment call from there.

[camille-diane]

Camille glanced over just in time to watch another ring bounce uselessly off the bottle neck, amusement immediately flickering across her expression.

“I don’t know,” she mused, crossing her arms lightly. “At this point you’re close enough that quitting now might actually be embarrassing.”

The corner of her mouth lifted slightly as she looked over the setup. “Though I do think carnival games exist solely to humble people with otherwise healthy levels of confidence.”

After a beat, she added with dry amusement, “Which unfortunately means your stubborn streak is exactly what they’re counting on.”

[alejandrolpez]

Alejandro fell silent for several moments, considering the woman's words. "Okay, yeah, you're right," he finally said, deliberately taking a step back from the game. "Embarrassment be damned. I'd rather keep my healthy levels of confidence and my wasted money than keep trying at this thing." He looked back at the game with a look of disdain. "Besides, I can just get some food or something. Food doesn't try to humble me."

[dariarutherford]

Daria had been running a booth out in front of her cafe the same as she had previous years on Founders Day, though this year she found herself trusting a few of her staff enough to step away and check out the other vendors. Walking up and down along the street to check out the entirety of the festivities was something she hadn't done... probably since before she first opened the Java Jams. Making her way down towards the games area, she couldn't help but chuckle as she just managed to witness Alejandro's most recent miss on the ring toss. Sidling up to him, she shook her head as she put a hand gently on his shoulder. "Alright, this is me telling you to stop, then. Especially since I, personally, think your money would be better spent on something from my booth or cafe," she added with a sly grin.

[alejandrolpez]

Feeling the hand on his shoulder, he glanced over to the woman and allowed a chuckle to fall from his lips. "I mean, you're probably not wrong," he admitted, an amused tone to his voice. "Still, though. I think you might need to sweeten the deal a little to convince me. For all you know, I could waste a bit more money on this and finally win," he added, raising a challenging eyebrow. Of course, even as he said the words, he knew they weren't at all true given that his only prize for winning at this game would be a stuffed animal he really had no use for as a grown man but, for the sake of his pride, he wouldn't admit that.

[alejandrolpez]

Hugely social events like these were not Alejandro's cup of tea, to say the least. In fact, he usually would choose to run the other way and not subject himself to having to interact with so many people. Unfortunately, he was once again at the dangerous line of crossing over into becoming a hermit with the amount of time he'd been spending inside when not working at the dispatch center and that was usually about the time in his routine he knew he had to force himself to get some interaction with other humans in, even if it was ultimately just for niceties - well, as nice as he could get. And, at the very least, he didn't mind showing up in support for the town's various businesses. But as he watched the ring he just tossed circle the bottle's neck before flying off once more, he was beginning to regret it. "Alright, tell me to stop before my stubborn streak kicks in and I stop caring about how much money I'm wasting on this rigged carnival game," he spoke aloud, fingers already itching to retrieve more money from his wallet against his better judgment.

[jeffthomassterling]

It´s that one day of the year, April 30th, and our whole generation has one song stuck in their mind. Or at least that one sentence from that song. You know the one I´m talking about. And I know you wanna say it, so let me hear you finish this... 🎼 IT`S GONNA BE...🎤...

[alejandrolpez]

Absolutely not. Only if you're willing to pay for me doing so. Not that you should, given that we're now several days into the month and the one or two days people are obsessed with the song are now long over. At the same time, I wouldn't stop you from giving me your money, so... feel free.