The case of the missing bottle opener.

Claude was in a pickle. He had a bottle of beer, just waiting for him to drink it, sitting happily on his bedside table, but he had lost his bottle opener. It wouldn't have been so bad if he could find something else sharp to open it with, but he just couldn't. What happened to all his stuff? He needed to buy himself a belt that had a bottle opener attached to it. That would be amazing. He needed it. Like he needed air to breathe.

But alas he did not have one, so instead he found himself outside of Artemis' room, knocking on the door and waiting patiently. Or as patiently as he could. He did have a tiny bit of a hangover after all. So it seemed like a good as time as any to try the theory of 'more alcohol cures a hangover'.

"Hey Art, you home?" he called. It was about midday after all. He might have other things to do.

Artemis was laying on his bed. He couldn't get Megan off of his mind.
He then was thinking about the lapdance that he got from her. It was
amazing and had to be the best night for him. And it wasn't for the
fact that he was drinking. Art knew that Rhea thought it was weird
that he went to the club without her. But for once he wanted to go by
himself.



He then heard someone knocking on his door. But her was too lazy to
get up and answer the door. For all he knew that could be Rhea
looking for more food. Or it good be Theo trying to see if his
roommate was here.



“ Yeah the door is open.”

Claude recognised Artemis' voice and opened the door, poking his head round and taking a moment to take in the sight of his room. Not that he hadn't seen it before, though not very often. The rooms were all very similar really. He briefly wondered where the oh so well spoken of roommate was, before realising he had more important things to think about.

"Hey," Claude turned to look at Art, moving fully into the room and shutting the door behind him. It felt weird to only be half in the room. "I was just popping over to see if you had a bottle opener? I have beer, but I've lost my bottle opener."

He should probably start worrying about how much he drank soon.

Artie then realized that it was Claude.
He then seen that he poked his head and was looking around. All the
rooms looked the same. But he been over to his room with Theo before.
Artie then seen that he was looking for his roommate. Which he really
didn't keep up with what he did. And he didn't care.


He then seen was he was now in his
room. And he was asking if he had a bottle opener. “ Did you check
to see if Theo had one that you can use. With the way he drinks I
know he has one.”

Claude couldn't say he was really surprised at the question he was posed with, though it wasn't the most promising answer to his own question. Maybe picking Artemis was a bad choice. The boy didn't drink that much, did he? Claude couldn't quite remember.

"He probably does, somewhere, but Theo's not home, which is a tragedy for sure, and I'm not sure how I feel about rummaging through his stuff," that was a lie really, he was fine with it, but he'd already looked and couldn't see anything. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing to say.

"You can have some, if you want, if we find a bottle opener. I have another bottle in my room if you want your own?"

Artie knew that he had a bottle opener.
He had to keep it around in case Theo decided that he wanted to
drink. Or even when Rhea came over. He had never sat down and
wondered why his brother and sister was always drinking.


“ Theo should have more than one.
Just in case he loses his. And I am sure that Theo wouldn't care if
you went through his stuff.”


Claude then said that he could go get
him another bottle. “ Yeah I have one because of Theo and Rhea. But
I am getting over a hangover from last night at the club. That was a
night to remember got me a lap dance.”

Claude shrugged slightly, wondering whether or not he had more than one. Did he have more than one bottle opener? Did Theo have more than one bottle opener? This was actually a very good question. Why didn't he have more than one bottle opener? More importantly, who was more likely to have more than one bottle opener, because that would answer whether or not Theo probably did.

He was getting a little off track here. "He probably wouldn't, no. But you know, best to check with you before destroying his stuff. I imagine there's an order to it all and stuff."

He grinned as Art finally fessed up that he had a bottle opener. That was more like it. He was beginning to think the answer was going to be no. Claude whistled at the mention of a lap dance, kind of impressed. Artemis had never struck him as the type. "Bet that's a hangover you don't regret. Well done Art! Was it a good one? Let me go grab you that extra bottle while you get your opener," he said, darting out the room for a moment.

It didn't take him long to find a second beer. They were just hidden under his bed. Entering Artemis' room again, he passed one of the bottles to the other boy. "Here you are! Hope it's okay for you, cheap beer is cheap."

Artemis was just looking at Claude. He knew that Theo had more than
one because he would always buy his brother one. And it was because
he would misplace them when he was drunk. Artemis knew that he always
had to keep one on him. And it was because when Theo couldn't find
his he would always come to his room.



“ I am sure Theo wouldn't care if you went through his things.”



He then told Claude that he had a bottle opener. But he then told
about his hangover and his lap dance that he got. It was something
that he wasn't regretting now. And he knew that she was a vampire.
But he wasn't about ready to tell everybody that. “ Yes one
hangover that I don't regret.” It was weird when Claude was telling
him that he did good job. “ Yes it was really good.” He then
watched as he left the room.






Artemis then seen that Claude came back with another bottle of beer.
It was something that he didn't drink. But he took it anyways. “ I
will keep it for Theo.” He then pulled out a bottle of whiskey. “
Why drink cheap when I can get the good stuff.”

Claude rolled his eyes as Artemis said that Theo wouldn't mind him going through his things. "I'm beginning to get the impression you'd rather I went through Theo's things than asked you!" he said with a light tone, more joking than serious. Then again, it was rare for Claude to actually be serious.

"A lapdance. I can't say I've ever had one, not that there isn't time to have one, got many years ahead of me," the briefest of flashes of the question of whether or not Rhea would grant him that flickered through his head. And he decided it probably wasn't good to think or talk about that at the moment, considering who it was he was sat next to. "So long as you enjoyed it dude. And the best things are always the ones you don't regret."

He raised a brow when Artemis said he'd keep the bottle for Theo. He wasn't about to ask for it back, even if the idea did seem a little strange to him. Maybe Artemis lacked any alcohol Theo liked. In which case, Claude would happily leave the beer if it meant Theo would get good alcohol. He scrunched his nose up at the whiskey bottle. "Ugh, don't know how you can stomach the stuff. It's like wine, you have to like, practice drinking it for it to become nice. And then you get those Whiskey Snobs who demand it be drunk in certain ways and-ugh, I'll let you keep the whiskey."

Artemis then started to roll his eyes. He could tell that Claude was
joking with him. And Artemis was sure that he didn't have a problem
going through his things. Since Theo was his best mate and
everything. “ Yes you should have gone through Theo stuff before
coming to me.” Artemis used his bottle opener to open old bottles
of cola.



“ Yes this was the best lap dance. Even though it was the first one
that I had ever gotten.” He then was smirking as he was thinking
about Megan. There was something about that girl that he couldn't get
her off of his mind. And he hoped that he would be able to see her
again. And maybe something would come from it. Because only meeting
her once and it was like he was head over heels for her. But he would
never admit that to anybody. Even though Theo said that he should
marry this girl. And have babies and live happily ever after. “
Claude she was a older women. Of course it was something to
remember.”



He then seen Claude reaction to when he brought out the whiskey. And
he couldn't help but laugh. Because it was the same face he had
gotten for the first time. “ Oh believe me I don't drink this
because I want to. I use it to make up some cough syrup. And it is
nasty but I will say that it does the trick.”

Claude grinned wickedly at that. "First one and hopefully not your last, am I right? If something's that good it's definitely not something you only want once. Do you think you'll see the chick again? Where even did you get this lapdance?"

"Older woman, you lucky man. Am I the only one who hasn't had an older person on their list?" he probably was the only one who had a much younger one though. Even if it wasn't that big of an age gap. It'd certainly seem smaller if she hurried up and turned sixteen.

"Cough syrup? Are you kidding me?" he looked at the bottle. It certainly had the same offensive taste to it as cough syrup. "Cough syrup tasted so good as a kid. I remember loving the stuff. And now it tastes like..." he tried to find a suitable word. "Medicine."

Artemis was grinning. “ Yes I don't
think that this will be the last one.” He knew that this would
happen again. And the only person he wanted to give him another lap
dance was Megan. “ Yea I think that I will see her again. And I got
the lap dance at the club the other night.”




Claude then was telling him that he was
a lucky man. He was the only one of them to get an older women. “
Oh I know Megan was worth it.” He couldn't wait to meet her again.
There was something about her.




“ Yeah this stuff taste nasty.”

It was kind of sweet, the way Artemis seemed to be really eager to see her again. "We should go back again and see if we can find her. How much older was she? This is kind of exciting," not that he didn't have enough excitement in his own life. "I've been to Wings so many times and I've never had a lapdance. You lucky bastard."

That was a lie, his life wasn't that exciting. Though he should probably not mention that to Rhea. Because that was exciting. You could always do with more excitement though.

"We should mix it. Though that sounds like the worst idea I've ever had. And the best at the same time. Do you have anything else? Man why did your brother and sister have to drink half my alcohol supply?"

Artemis couldn't help that he was eager to see Megan again. “ Yeah
we should go back and try to find her. Yeah she led me on thinking I
was going to get lucky and have sex. But she found out that I was a
student.” Claude then was asking how much older she was. “ Not
sure how much older but she didn't like the idea that I was a
student.” He then was listening to how Claude said that he been to
the club so many times and never had a lap dance.






He then brought up drinking. “ Yeah got things to mix it with. We
could always make whiskey sours?” Artemis really didn't mind
drinking with Claude. He knew that this was Theo best mate and well
Artemis really didn't have many friends. Claude then was asking why
Theo and Rhea had to drink half of his supply. “ Yeah they will do
that and I always make them restock.”

Claude grimaced. "Oh, burn. How did she react to you being a student?" he asked, trying to picture it in his head. Getting so far only to be turned away, how horrible. Especially as it was because he was a student. "But hey, you'll be graduating this year, right? We're Seniors now. Soon, it won't matter that you're a student!"

A large grin spread across Claude's face at the mention of mixing drinks. "Now you're talking! Whiskey sours, now that's not something I've had before! I am totally down with this."

He chuckled at the idea of making Theo and Rhea restock. "I'll have to try that one."

Artemis sighed. “ Well she was asking me so we can go back to my
place. Told her that my roommate wasn't there. And that is when she
found out I was a student. And that is where she was freaking out. I
mean I explained that I was a senior and was getting ready to
graduate. I just hope that she doesn't have a boyfriend who finds out
what I did.”






He then watched as Claude was grinning after he said something about
mixing drinks. “ Yeah have to mix drinks to make things
interesting.”







“ Yeah they don't like spending their own money.”

"I can't imagine she'd have a boyfriend, if she was giving you a lapdance in the first place," Claude mused, frowning slightly as he thought about it. It's certainly not something he'd want his girlfriend doing. "And surely if she knows you're a senior she just needs some time to come around to the idea. Or may you do just need to wait a little longer," Claude grinned, holding up his bottle. "Not long till we graduate after all! That's a wonderful and scary thought."

He took a swig of his drink before he thought any more about mixing more. He still had the bottle after all. "Come on then, what else do you have? I have beer, you have whiskey, throw some juice or something in there to give it more flavour, what else?"

"They like spending your dad's money though. We should force them to pay for their own stuff next time. Or just forget our wallets. Then we'll see how they like it!"

Artemis was listening to Claude talk.
Saying that he was sure that she didn't have a boyfrined after she
gave him a lapdance. “ Yeah I have no idea I just don't want no
jealous boyfriend coming after me. I am so much to live for.” He
smiled. “ Yeah it would be good if she came around to the idea that
I was a senior and was done with school. And we don't have to much
longer till we are let out into the world.”


Claude then was asking him what else
that he had that they could mix. “ I can't think off the top of my
head. I have to keep stuff to mix cause Rhea loves mixed drinks. So I
am sure you will find something.”




Artemis couldn't' help but laugh. “
Yeah I think that you got that right. Theo and Rhea love spending
money. Rhea has already told me that if and when Dad runs out of
money she is going to come live with me.” He grinned at what
Claude. “ Yeah that only seem fair for them them to pay once in a
while.”

"I'm sure after we graduate she'd give you a chance again, if it was that much of a problem. And between us we could fend off any jealous boyfriends. They're a right pain sometimes," Claude grimaced at the memory of having to deal with those boyfriends.

"Well, at least she keeps you stocked up at least? Even if it's kind of forced. Good for me," he grinned, knocking back more beer. "Where do you keep them then, and I'll give it a look?"

"Shame it's not their money they like spending. The amount of things Rhea seems to buy," he bit back an amused smile. "I made the terrible mistake of agreeing to go shopping with her. She can go on forever."

“ I hope that she gives me another chance. If not I guess I am just
going to have to find me another girl. But I am sure that we could do
that. We would have to get Theo to help us.” He then sighed because
he wasn't liking the idea.



He then blinked. “ I keep everything hidden around the room. Yeah I
don't know when they are going to come and check my room. And don't
think the headmistress would like it if I was drinking. So think of
it as a treasure hunt. And if you drink it all I swear you are buying
more.”




Artemis was listening as Claude was telling about his shopping trip
with Rhea. “ “ That is true I usually just bite my tongue and
suck it up. Wait till you are carrying all of her bags.”

“There are plenty of fish in the sea,” Claude said with a nod. It was an old, but true cliché. “But we shall not give up that easily! Between you, Theo, and me, I’m sure we can fight off any potential other suitors and win your lap-dancing girl’s heart.”

Claude gave a nervous laugh at the mention of the headmistress. “Well, I think the headmistress knows I drink, seeing as she caught us hanging outside the dormitories after hours once just messing about. But a treasure hunt sounds like a plan!” he jumped to his feet, looking around the room.
He started under the bed.

“I’m glad there weren’t too many bags. Just shoes. She paid for her own stuff though, which was impressive. Apart from the cake, I got her that. And paid for a shoe for her birthday.”

Artemis then started to roll his eyes.
“ Yes I know that there are plenty of fish in the sea. But what if
the other fish doesn't like me.” He wanted to laugh when Claude
said that Theo and him could fight off any guy just so Artemis could
win Megan's heart. “ I will have to remember that.”




He then started to laugh. “ Yeah I
think that everybody who is anybody in this school knows that you
drink Claude.” Artemis was glad that Claude like the treasure hunt
idea. He couldn't help to laugh as he watched Claude. “ You know
this is also a good way to keep Theo and Rhea from drinking
everything.”




“ Just wait till she actually wants
to shopping. And there are a ton of bags to carry I know I have to
carry both hers and Theo's bags.” He then laughed. “ Yeah
sometimes it is me who has to pay for her little shopping trips. Says
she left her money at home.”

Claude was surprised to find Artemis so worried about whether or not other fish didn’t like him. He’d always assumed that Art didn’t need to worry about those things. “If one does, others will. Besides, you’re a reasonably attractive bloke, you just need to…get out more.”

He gave a long-mock sigh. “Oh, my reputation does precede me. Here I was thinking that I was so successfully tricking everyone into thinking that I’m sweetness and light!” he dropped the act and returned to looking. “This really is a good way to keep Theo and Rhea from drinking everything. Are going to give me a hint? Play warm or cold?”

“Have I ever been shopping with Theo? I must’ve been shopping with Theo. Surely this is something we’ve done at some point in time. For something other than alcohol,” oh man he really couldn’t remember. “Ah, leaving the money at home, classic. And when you’re there at the checkout, what can you really say other than yes? These are hard times we’re living in, my friend. Hard, hard times.”

Artemis wasn’t really sure if he should be talking about his lady problems with Claude. But at least it wasn’t Theo or Rhea. Because they would put in what they was thinking and sometimes they don’t think about it first. “ Yeah if I was attractive like you said then I wouldn’t have to go off campus to find a girl. And this one was older then the ones around here.



He was still listening to everything that Claude was saying. But he couldn’t help but be off in another world. Because he was still thinking about Megan. Even if she didn’t want him he couldn’t stop thinking about her. “Yeah it is the best way to ensure that there is something to always drink. There some under the bed.”



Artemis then started to roll his eyes when Claude asked if he had ever been shopping with his brother. “ Go shopping with both Rhea and Theo and then ask who carries the bags.”