Just Because You Can Glue Sticks Together Doesn't Make You an Architect {Sniggle & Turtle}

Avery cursed angrily as a popsicle stick snapped between his fingers. "This isn't art. This is atrocious. It's awful. In fact this whole thing is!"

Charlie smirked as Avery tossed the splintered pieces into a growing pile of broken sticks. Her eyes didn't leave her own creation, a popsicle stick pagoda that climbed higher as she expertly glued in more support beams. "This is supposed to be fun, Avery."

"The 'fun' is missing."

"You're missing the fun."

"Same thing, terd."

"Nu-uh."

Avery rolled his eyes and slumped back into his chair. "I quit."

With a twist of her torso Charlie was facing the brunette beside her, his head tilted back in what looked like an uncomfortable position. She poked him in the throat with a stick and he nearly choked.

"This isn't fun, this is torment." He growled, shoving the stick away.

"Your attitude is torment. You know, if you just tried enjoying things--"

"What the hell is there to enjoy about gluing popsicle sticks together?" He jabbed a finger at Charlie's structure in frustration.

Charlie blinked green eyes, thinking for a moment. "...You're just jealous you can't make a pagoda like I can."

"Screw your pagoda."

"Jealousy, man." A wild smile spread across her face.

Avery sighed. "...Maybe."

Abel wandered into the Arts and Crafts shack. It was the one place in camp he almost never went. Glancing around the small room, his eyes immediately snapped onto a dear, dear friend of his who was glueing popsicle sticks together to form small buildings. "CHARLIE! HI!" He yelled, startling a few of the other campers, and earning reproachful glares from two boys- one with light brown hair, the other's almost black- who had been staring at each other intently. Abel walked quickly to his friend's table. "How are yah? It's been forever!"

"Abel!" Charlie jumped up from her chair suddenly and ran around her table with arms open. She threw them around the larger boy with delight. "Oh my god, dude, it totally has! I, like, never see you around camp anymore." A high-chuckle emitted from her throat. She turned around, still with one arm around Abel, and looked back at the sulking boy still at the arts and crafts table.

Avery looked grudgingly at the two of them, folding his arms across his chest, his eyebrows drawing down together in an unhappy scowl.

Charlie kicked the table and Avery rolled his eyes. "Be nice dumb arse." She gave Avery a stern look before her bright smile returned. "Avery, this is Abel. Abel, Avery."

Avery practically snorted. "Absolutely charmed to meet you."

Avery's sarcasm flew right over Abel's head. "It's good to meet you too, Avery!" He extended a hand to shake, a friendly smile on his face. Only then registering the brunette's sneer, he gave Avery an odd look, but didn't withdraw his hand. He glanced over to Charlie. "Is he OK?" Abel asked her quietly. Creepy...

Avery waved off the boy dismissively. He wasn't going to shake the kid's hand or get friendly. He had a pagoda to destroy. His attention was turned to charlie's creation of popsicle sticks, and a sly grin crossed his face.

Charlie, only too familiar with Avery's destructive wave of butthurt, threw an unbreakable glare his way that had the bigger, stronger boy retreating back into his seat, the sinister smile fading back to a dirty scowl. She smirked jabbed her thumb sideways, in Abel's direction. "Just shake his damn hand, Re-re."

Avery tried to glare at Charlie, but it was instantly shot down by her more powerful one. And he grumbled incoherent complaints under his breath as he reached forward, stretching out one skinny arm. He gave Abel's hand a strong squeeze and a curt shake, before letting go and pulling back, lounging into the chair. Re-re was a...special name that only Charlie was allowed to call him. Mostly because Charlie was one of the few people who wasn't terrified of Avery. In fact, she was the more dominant of the two. So he dealt with the occasional name that Charlie threw his way.

"The name's Avery, kid. And if you ever call me Re-re I will snap your little tooth-pick spine in half, and jam it through your jelly neck. Got it?"

Charlie gave a chuckle, used to Avery's threats. As big and mean as he sounded, he wasn't capable of much. Well, she didn't see him as capable of physically hurting anyone, anyway. "He's charming, ain't he."

Abel gave a snort. "Right. So very, very charming." About three seconds later his eyes lit up. "Hey! That was sarcasm! Finally!" He grinned at Charlie, then cast a bemused look back to Avery. Flexing a bicep, he leaned in closer. "Yah ain't snappin' nothing, twiggy boy." Rapidly turning back to Charlie, he gave her an expectant look. "You were tryin' to teach me to be threatening a while ago. How was that?"

Avery nearly choked on his spit, gritted his teeth together with irritating, his face burning red. Really? Was this guy trying to be funny, or just an idiot? He couldn't figure it out. But to Avery, it didn't even matter. An arse was an arse, regardless of the justification. He jumped forward, his chair falling back at the force, and leaned in, taking the beautiful pagoda creation Charlie built and hefting it forward at Abel. Hit the boy and break the art, Avery would get two birds with one stupid glue pagoda. He smirked as he threw it, if only for a second, at the idea of smacking this guy upside the head with it. Dumbarse. He needed to learn is place.

Charlie only had a second of time to gasp at the sight, frozen in place, unable to even stretch out her arms to save the project. She watched as it flew through the air, seemingly in slow motion, spiraling towards Abel's head.

Abel's eyes widened as the small structure flew towards him. He threw up his hands to catch it, fumbled with the pagoda for a few seconds, stumbling backward, before finally running into a table and falling to the ground. A jar of green paint fell from the table, splashing over him and the busted remains of Charlie's pagoda. "You..." Abel sputtered at Avery. "YOU... YOU SON OF A- RRRRG!!!!" He rose to his full height and tore off his paint soaked shirt, giving Avery a glare that would make most monsters crap their metaphorical pants. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM? CHARLIE WORKED REALLY HARD ON THAT! AND I HAPPENED TO LIKE THAT SHIRT! YOU'RE DEAD!"