Legally Magnus

Chip On My Shoulder: Part One

Magnus was sitting in the empty quad, on a bench, crying. It was almost midnight, which meant no one was out and about on a school night. Everybody was sleeping or studying or with Annabelle. So when Magnus heard footsteps, he started to dry his tears. Maybe Malcolm had come after him. Maybe he did love him more than her. But when he turned around it wasn't Malcolm who had noticed him crying, it was Alec.

"Magnus? What's wrong? Are you crying?" Alec made his way over to him, and sat down on the bench.

"Love." he said.

"Excuse me?" Alec asked, his cheeks turning red.

"I put my faith in love. I followed where it lead."

"Love lead you here?" Alec asked as he looked around them at the quad.

"To my personal circle of hell. I wish that I were dead, because instead of a wedding, I'm flunking out of school, and I'm a total laughing stock, someone he and his friends can just pick on."

"Wait, go back. You came to Harvard to follow a man? What rich romantic planet are you from?" He asked bewildered.

"Malibu?"

"Instead of tanning by the beach, you stocked some guy to Harvard? That is the weirdest reason I have ever—"

"Oh, why'd you come?"

"I didn't ever get to tell you how I struggled did I?" Magnus shook his head. "I grew up in the slums of New York, with my sister. I was surrounded by men who showed me all the ways I could fail. I got through school by busting my ass. I worked two jobs while having classes to study for."

"Two job? How'd you do it?"

"I didn't go to parties, and I didn't spend hours doing my hair."

"Hey! I don't spend hours." he said with a smile.

"But I know that it'll all be worth it when I win my first trial, and buy my sister a house out on the Cape."

"That's sweet."

"Nope. It's the chip on my shoulder."

"Well, that sounds highly negative. All I've got to do is prove that I'm serious." Magnus said.

"No, what you have to do is get to work. Okay let's go." Alec stood up, and waited for Magnus to follow.

"Where are we going?"

"To your dorm."

"Alexander!" Magnus gasped jokingly. Alec blushed but ignored his comment. When they got to his dorm, Alec raised his eyebrows.

"Well this is..."

"Amazingly fabulous? Well decorated?" he offered sitting on his bed. Alec just stood in the entrance taking it all in.

"Sparkly." he finally said. Magnus chuckled.

"Yes, that too." Alec shut the door, and looked at the bookshelf.

"Where are your books?" he asked. Magnus got up and looked around the room.

"Um...well I know they're here somewhere..." Magnus began to look under his bed, and under clothes.

"You know," Alec said walking to his makeup table. "this vanity is really nice, but it started it's life as a desk." Then he started to pick up things and examine them. He picked up a laundry basket and started to clear off the desk.

"What are you doing?" Magnus asked, not angry, more like annoyed and confused.

"Making room for books." he said like it was obviously. "What is this?" he asked picking up a curling wand.

"It's for hair."

"You can wear a hat." he said putting it in the basket. "Spend more time improving what's inside your head than what's on it." He started throwing random things into the basket. "Out, out, put it in storage, sell it on eBay—" Magnus crossed his arms, and tapped his foot. Alec looked over his shoulder at him and smiled.

"What are you angry? Good, get angry 'cause you might find a chip on your shoulder—"

"Ugh." Magnus groaned crossing his arms. He would have stopped him, if Alec weren't his only chance of passing school and getting Malcolm back.

"What? With the chance you've been given how are you not driven as hell? I'm sorry but there's no easy way around it." After he was finished he placed the basket on the floor. "And the books?" he asked. Magnus remember that he should have been looking for them so he returned to playing hide and go seek with his law text books.

"Found them!" Magnus shouted finding the two black books. He proudly handed them to Alec. Without breaking eye contact with Magnus, Alec ripped the plastic wrapping off.

"Been reading them hard, I see." he said sarcastically.

—-NOVEMBER: THANKSGIVING—-

"Bye, Malcolm. Have a great thanksgiving! Say hi to the family!" Magnus shouted out his doorway to his ex boyfriend, before closing the door and returning to studying.

"Define malum prohibitum." Alec asked looking up from his laptop. Magnus picked up his cat that was sitting by Alec's feet. Chairman really liked him, which was strange because he usually didn't like anyone, not even Malcolm.

"Malum prohibitum is um..."

"An act prohibited—"

"And act prohibited by law like jaywalking or chewing gum in Singapore!"

"Therefore malum ensae?"

"Is an action. That is evil in itself, like assault, murder, or white shoes after labor day." he answered adding the last reason in to make Alec laugh, which it did.

"Good." he complimented him. Magnus placed Chairman Meow on his bed, and began to finish packing his suitcase. "Where are you going?"

"Home, of course." he said simply. Alec looked at him. "What? It's thanksgiving break remember?" Alec nodded slowly, before shutting his laptop's lid.

"Interesting." he got up.

"What?" Magnus said standing in front of him to stop him from leaving.

"I predict that you'll pass—"

"Yes!"

"—but in the bottom percent of the class."

"What?!" Magnus said. But he'd been studying really hard all week.

"If you're going for mediocre you've done great." he said picking up his bag.

"That's not fair!" Magnus protested. Alec turned around, and looked at him. Really looked at him, making Magnus shift slightly.

"Look," he said seriously. "they're laughing at you like they laughed at me. We're the same if you think about it, and people like us, we can just do things half fast. We can't win if we don't give it one hundred percent, so maybe your vacation plans can wait?" Alec held out his text book. Magnus thought about it, and Alec waited for a response. He snatched the book from his grasp.

"Ugh, why are you always right!"