Mainlining: The best I’ve seen. Hardly any trolls.

[(Laughter erupts at the table, a few blank bumps follow. Mainlining leans back confidently, eyes glinting with a hint of mischief as he glances at the screen, watching chaos unfold in a freshly trolled thread about grizzlies.)]

Evan39: Mainlining is joining us from Nightcrew. He was of some assistance to Boooom last night.

[(Evan39’s eyes dart towards Boooom, lingering just a bit too long, but quickly looks away before anyone else catches on. He fidgets with his vape, slightly flustered, trying to maintain his composure.)]

Boooom: It turns out Mainlining is quite a fine writer. He was kind enough to show me some of his work today.

[(Evan39, trying to play it cool, shifts in his seat, his grip tightening on the vape. His admiration is mixed with a touch of frustration and uncertainty about where he stands with Boooom.)]

Evan39: [smirking slightly, glancing at Boooom] Boom and I differ somewhat in our opinion of fine writing...

[(Turning to Mainlining, but still distracted by Boooom)]

Evan39: Not to impugn your poasts, of course.

Mainlining: [Mainlining shrugs it off, his screen lighting up with fresh notifications. He looks down at his utensils, unsure which meme to poast next, then turns to Disco Fries.]

Are these all for me?

Disco Fries: Just start with TITCR, work your way up.

[(The table shares a knowing glance, the language of the board binding them in an unspoken camaraderie. The familiarity of it brings a quiet comfort, despite the underlying tensions.)]

Ismay: [joining in, eyes gleaming with the competitive spirit of an old-school troll] He’s got every troll pinned down, don’t you think, Thomas?

Boooom: The board is a wonder, Mainlining, truly.

[(Evan39’s attention is fully back on Boooom now, admiring her confidence as she speaks. For a moment, he’s lost in thought, wondering what it might take to impress her, to stand out beyond just a regular poaster.)]

RSF: And where exactly do you live, Mainlining?

Mainlining: Well, right now, my address is AutoAdmit, and after that, I’m on God’s good humor.

[(He says it with a laugh, but there's a deeper truth behind it. Mainlining’s carefree trolling hides a restlessness, an avoidance of real-world commitments that Evan39 can’t help but envy. Mainlining thrives on the unpredictability, while Evan39 craves something more stable—perhaps even a connection with Boooom.)]

RSF: And how is it you have the means to troll?

Mainlining: I poast my way from thread to thread. You know, graveyard crew and such, but I won my ticket on XO here in a lucky law school decision thread. Very lucky.

[(Mainlining’s tone is casual, almost too casual. Evan39 notices it—the way Mainlining moves through life without attachments, without needing to impress anyone, least of all Boooom. It gnaws at him, quietly.)]

Archie: All life on this board is a game of luck.

Evan39: A real man makes his own luck, Archie. Right, Mainlining?

[(His eyes flicker back to Boooom briefly, as though searching for some shared acknowledgment, a moment of understanding. But she’s absorbed in the conversation, her thoughts miles away, leaving Evan39 to wonder what she’s really thinking.)]

Mainlining: [nodding] Mm-hmm.

[(There's a quiet moment, the subtle tension between the characters simmering beneath the surface. Mainlining’s poasts may seem light, but his unpredictability leaves everyone just a little on edge—especially Evan39, who finds himself pulled between admiration and unease.)]

RSF: And you find that sort of rootless posting style appealing, do you?

Mainlining: Well, yes, I do. I’ve got everything I need right here—air in my lungs and a few good memes. I mean, I love waking up in the morning not knowing what thread I’m going to stumble into...

[(He takes a bite of bread, chewing slowly, savoring the unpredictability of life. The board is his playground, and every post is a new adventure. Evan39 watches him with a mixture of admiration and envy, unsure how someone could be so comfortable with chaos.)]

Mainlining: ...who I’m going to troll, which poaster I’m going to make fun of. Just the other night, I was in some thread about grizzly bears, and now here I am, trolling in one of the hottest threads on the board, sitting with you fine people.

[(To the waiter)]

Mainlining: I'll take some more of that.

[(Back to the table)]

Mainlining: Life’s a gift, and I don’t intend on wasting it. You never know what poast you’re gonna get next, so you learn to take XO as it comes at you.

[(Seeing Evan39 fumble with his vape, Mainlining tosses him a lighter, offering a quick nod.)]

Mainlining: Here you go, Evan.

[(Evan39 takes the lighter, grateful, but his eyes still drift toward Boooom. She catches his glance this time, her expression softening, but still hard to read. His heart skips a beat as he wonders if she’s starting to notice him too.)]

Mainlining: To making each thread count.

Disco Fries: [lifting his glass] Well said, Mainlining.

Archie: [nodding, adding a layer of gravitas to the moment] Here, here.

[(The atmosphere thickens. For all their joking, there’s a bond here that none of them quite understand. Mainlining has his rootless existence, Evan39 has his silent admiration for Boooom, and yet, in the chaos of trolling, they’ve found something close to family.)]

Boooom: [raising her glass for a toast, catching Evan39’s subtle glance again. This time, she smiles—genuine, a hint of amusement.] To making it count.

[(The table joins in on the toast, scattered blank bumps follow. Evan39 hesitates for a moment, then raises his glass too, his eyes lingering on Boooom longer this time, wondering what she truly thinks, and whether there’s hope for something more.)]

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5601063&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310744",#48128965)