Coming Full Circle (Onnie)

[Jack McCarthy]

Oh, the old familiar places……

How’s does Jack get himself in these situations?

That was a fairly reasonable question in Jack Mccarthy’s mind. It felt like it was every other week he got into some kind of quirky trouble like stalked by a demon cat or almost getting his face punched through having accidentally started a fight that he had no early business being involved in. Of course, any typical high school student life wouldn’t be complete without some kind of daily dose of drama.

…but then again most high school students didn’t find themselves with his arm jammed tightly in the clutches of a vending machine…

You see Jack had a number of odd self-imposed rules. “Never wear underwear on a Friday” “Never touch another man lunch” and chief among them “Never spend any amount of money on a vending machine.” You see in Jack Mccarthy’s very flawed way of thinking if he gave money to the vending machine “The robots win” and Jack would be damned if he let the robots pull a fast one on him tonight.

So that day Jack had tried his usual tricks to get one of the candy bars to fall. And by “Tricks” he means trying to punch and kick it as hard as he possibly could or maybe ram it with his bat if he had it at hand. But shaking that particular tree didn’t make anything fall down so he went a more scientific route (Well scientific for Jack) as he went down on his knees and shoved his hand up the machine, he tried to shake it pull it  and everything he could to make it come loose but to no avail. So naturally he attempted to pull back his hand to regroup.

And then something miraculous happened. With a grunt, Jack’s hand was removed from the vending machine and to the no doubt shock of the entire planet was quickly followed with a soft *Cluck* of a coke can fallowing out onto the tray.

….At first, Jack could only stop and stare in befuddlement at the coke can like it was the first one he had ever seen. Just letting the knowledge sink in.

He had done it.

He had actually done it.

“Holy shit…” Jack muttered in an awe-struck whisper his hands in his hair rubbing frantically making it messier than ever “EVERYONE!”” Jack screamed unable to keep the excitement out of his voice “EVERYONE COME HERE! TAKE A PICTURE. I DID A THING. EVERYONE COME LOOK AT THE THING I DID”

It was true, twenty-five times was the charm

[Oneyka Duffuor]

Onnie found herself walking through the never ending hallways of Bellefonte as her big curls were tucked together in a bun with a hair tie. Whether it was St. Bethany's or here, it was like you could roam the halls for days and eventually get lost if you had no idea where you were going... but she did. She hugged a book against her chest as several other books were tucked away in her shoulder bag. There were only a book or two on the book club list this month but she didn't want to limit herself incase she could fit another book into her schedule.

She was soon about to pass a student at a vending machine until she saw a few people stop to look at the student suddenly yelling. Most of them with thoughts noting how stupid it probably would be before walking off. Oneyka stopped anyway and raised a brow. Had he been from one of her classes? For some reason she couldn't put a name on it. He was holding a coke... was it a limited edition or something? Onnie took her phone out to take a picture, and mostly so she could post it on instagram with the hashtags #IDGI #

Onnie motioned towards the can of coke, "Holding a can of coke? Is that why you're disturbing everyone's eardrums? For that? Seriously?" She didn't get it.

[Jack McCarthy]

…..This might be the greatest achievement in Jack’s life…..

….Which would be funny if it wasn’t incredibly sad

But Jack like with most things was totally oblivious to how pathetic his excitement truly was. The endorphins pumping through his brain and his elation of having finally outsmarting a beverage dispensing machine after so many years trying to do just that. His stubbornness finally FINALLY paying off in the most minor of ways possible.

...But no one seemed to share his excitement. At this point, he had hoped that people would come in droves clapping and whopping at what just happened, maybe just maybe people would watch with tears square in their eyes before they lifted Jack on their collective shoulders and held aloft as some kind of conquering hero .

But that wasn’t happening. Why wasn’t that happening?! That should be happening?!

“COME ON?!” Jack screamed out at the people that seemed to be waLking away his arms outstretched in bemusement “DO YOU NOT SEE THIS?! WHAT THE HELL THE MATTER WITH YOU PEOPLE!? OPEN YOUR HEAD, EXPAND YOUR MINDS PEOPLE. GAH”

Jack turned his eyes somewhat incredulous by the question, the somewhat familiar looking girl posed (What was her name...He had seen her before...Izzy? Something like that)

“DO YOU NOT SEE WHAT I JUST DID!!! I JUST BEAT THE MACHINES. WHEN THE ROBOT RISING COMES I-”


Jack didn’t get any further than that, you see as per usually while Jack was speaking he as normal began flailing his arms around frantically, which caused the can to slip out of his hand sending the can rolling under the machine.


“FUUUUUUUUUUUU-”

[Oneyka Duffuor]

She slightly turned her head to watch more people walk off or walk past, and she couldn't help to raise both brows in amusement. Onnie had no idea what the big deal about it was but apparently it meant so much more to him than anything else. Not to mention, she was getting a weird feeling of deja vu... like this happened before?

Onnie was curious to see what was going through that head of his, until he mentioned robots rising. No. Absolutely not. There was no way she wanted to be anywhere near that.

The telepathy watched as the can slipped and out made it's home underneath the machine. She tried not to make it obvious, but it was hard to hold back a laugh. This guy was like an embodiment of a joke-

That's it! That's where she remembered him from. He was the cute (and super loud) Irish kid she so happened to be grouped with last year for a sociology project... only for her to end up doing all the work. Right. How could she forget? Digging into her shoulder bag, she got her wallet and grabbed some change while walking past him and up to the vending machine. She bought the same can of coke, "Here." Offering it up to him, "It makes no sense to get dirty trying to reach for it." She moved the coke away from him or a second, "Only if you stop yelling, yeah?"

[Jack McCarthy]

The look of sheer and utter despair painted on Jack’s face was akin to that of someone that just saw his entire family being murdered one by one slowly. He kept looking through to his hands and back flexing them as if willing his crowning glory back in his grubby little mitts. Stuttering every so often not even able to form words due to his utmost horror. He stayed as still as a statue for a moment….

...Before he made a beeline for the crack where the can fell, doing a way too dramatic jump before he scrambled his arm inside the gap sweeping his hand back and forward hoping for his fingers to somehow brush against his prize frantically”Come on, come on.I had it! I was so close!” He cried out in despair lamenting the sheer cruelty of the world. Almost crying.


This went on for several somewhat awkward seconds before Jack eventually turned onto his back sighing in defeat before looking up at Onnie and her coke, somewhat grumbling at the ultimatum posed to him by the pretty girl “It’s the principle of it…” he muttered saddened as he got to his feet pouting slightly at the implication that he’s been screaming….but somewhat reluctantly making a locking motion with his lips to indicate he’d be quiet….

...The machines win this round

[Oneyka Duffuor]

She honestly didn't get it. Onnie couldn't understand what could be so great about a can of soda that you could get anywhere at anytime. Did he just not have money? Was it a special edition can or something?

The whole time, she couldn't help but to just watch him act out on his own terms. The hallway floors were dirty, people stepped all over them and she was pretty sure there was a great amount of dust hiding underneath that machine. Just why?

When he got up, she finally handed it over to him. "The principle of what, exactly? You got a coke from a vending machine and started to shout about it." She chuckled, "Don't you have a class to go to? Friends to meet up with? I don't know, a group project you can skip out on?" Onnie flashed him a smile thought it lacked any humor behind it, because yes, she did remember.

[Jack McCarthy]

Of course, the soda wasn’t the point, In the little nook of his room he had developed something of a hibernating squirrel jamming various pieces of candy, treats and literal piles of soda and cans to the point if there was some kind of nuclear winter (...And given the political climate in the world Jack might have more forethought than us ) No so it wasn’t for a lack of soda. This was about Jack’s never-ending war against the machines that insisted on polluting his hallways wherever he went mocking Jack whenever she went “Oh What’s that? Do you want food puny human? YOU MUST OFFER US MONEY TO APPEAL YOUR MASTER! They seemed to scream at him night and day (Because of course Jack felt the need to personify vending machines. It was a totally rational practice)

So Jack delighted in challenging the vending machine’s oppressive rule and he was so close to do just that but it seemed like once again Fate was a clear and present bitch.

Still Jack grumbled tossing the can in his hands with his typical ungainly and uncordinated yet somehow graceful looking jerky movements, like a baby giraffe trying to walk for the first time, stumbling all over but the place yet somehow standing on it’s feet “It’s about fighting against the machine overlords before they take control” Jack quickly moved aside from Onnie towards the vending machine and made a “I’m watchin you” look before moving back to Onnie shrugging dismissively at the idea of going to a class “We have classes today? Isn’t it like...tuesday? Who even bothers to go to class on a weekday?” He asked his eyes beginning to narrow started to place the girl, the wheels clicking slowly in his brain “I know you…” He said with child like finallity “I know you from someone….yeah you’re that….dancin...you dance right? You either dance or play the trumpet….you’re ummm….watchyacallit” Jack muttered almost to himself No doubt about to showcase his uncainy knack for failling to remember names and sure enough “....Is it Annie? It’s Annie right? Are you Annie? You look like an Annie”