"Sorry, unless it's American football, I don't really watch it. Or-- well, the last guy I saw was really into basketball." And sometimes you had to sit through things for someone you care about, mindnumbing or not.

But wow, before magic ruins his life-- it sounds like John's teenage years were surprisingly... normal. Not in a good way or anything, but nothing involving demons or being arrested or tortured for trying to do the right thing. No getting wrapped up in a war. Although it sounds like it gets plenty busy later.

"I think I'm pretty much a dropout now. I tried to finish school, but I had to hit the road with my friends, then I wound up here and they don't really have schools." Unless you count that weird orientation, but yeah. He'd rather focus on taming his potentially reality destroying magic anyway.