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Realistic or Modern DotC High

Korren smiled and laid next to him, chuckling at his comment. They kissed, and she looked in his eyes while they were nose to nose, her smile spreading wider the more she looked at him. Soon she was pulled closer, and moved so that her head was laying on his chest. To be more comfortable, she laid on her side, laying against him with her legs sprawled out in the warm sand. She leaned down and was met with a kiss, tilting her head ever so slightly to deepen the kiss. Her eyes were closed, not noticing the people around them that were packing up and moving away from the rowdy group of teenagers. This didn't bother any of them, since it meant more room for them to play. Something stirred inside her, and it was tempting to push it and just be in the moment. She wasn't stupid, though. Even if she loved Sage, she knew he was called Sleeze for a reason, whether it be intentionally or not. She didn't want to egg him on or implement the idea that there were no limits between them, when there truly were. Carefully and slowly she pulled away, moving her head to lay on his chest. Her heart was beating faster than before, though she didn't want to show it through her breathing. Ever so slowly she regulated her breathing by taking deep breaths. To replace the silence, she decided to revert back to the subject they were talking about before they started kissing. It took her a moment, but she managed to remember. "You know..." She started her spiel of how tanning could cause skin cancer. Once she began, there would be no easy way of stopping her. She even brought statistics in and averages, speaking mainly by memory. Korren couldn't help it, facts of life in general were interesting, whether it be history, science, and so on.


The other two girls had gotten out of the water, walking over and grabbing their beers while setting out their own towels, chatting all the while. Patch had pulled out her phone, and was listening to abstract indie rap, which sounded much more meaningful than the usual rap song. They kept their distance from the two, knowing that they needed some room. Eventually Winsley started building a sand castle, grabbing a lime green bucket that was left out on the beach to get wet sand for the foundation. Every now and then she would get back up, carrying a whole bucket full of sand with her.


Kilo nodded to the directions, focused on the task at hand, which was to bring this girl home. It was funny though, during their whole interaction they had managed to not share names, at least not until now. All he was waiting for was for her to break the ice, since he usually didn't ask so much as names with costumers or passer-bys. He chuckled as she called him silly, raising a brow. "Alright, Winnie it is," Kilo smiled at her. Winnie, such a nice name. "It's your car, play what you like. I'm good with it all." The car started moving, heading in the direction of her home. He knew every area by heart, since he's lived her practically his whole life. At the moment he completely forgot to share his name, and was just listening to the music. His eyes were set on the road, glancing up at his rear view mirror every once in a while. There was a short pause in between speaking before he started up again, feeling a need to fill the gap of silence with this girl, as if it helped her settle her anxiety. "My buddy Sage and I listen to it all, from metal down to country. You name it, we play it." By now he had forgotten partially about the ordeal with him getting on to her about what Bucky said to her about there being crazies. Then he remembered that she said directly that Bucky told her these things. He froze, his smile partially dropping. There was silence for a whole minute before he finally asked the needed question. "How long did you talk to him, to Bucky? Who was he talking about?" It felt prying, but it was needed. Bucky was a manipulative shit and everyone knew it, all except for new blood, including Winnie. He was sure he already knew the answer to the second question, but he needed to know for sure who it was. If it was someone that wasn't close to him, the drama wouldn't have mattered at all. If it were Sage or any of his own crew, he would be sure to be extra protective of them, even if they didn't care about their reputation.


@McMajestic
 
Sage listened for a bit, smimling softly as she rambled on about tanning and cancer. It was adorable. He loved to listen to her talk, to get passionate about all the facts she spewed out, although after awhile he found himself growing bored, though he didn't quite have the heart to just up and tell her to shut up. Sage rested his hand on her cheek as she talked, before pulling her into a kiss, letting one hand rest on her back, holding her close as he tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss, wanting her mind to go blank, wanting her to forget about skin cells and cancer so they could have a nice day. He wouldn't go farther than making out, of course, especially not on a public beach (not that he hasn't done that before) since he knew Korren wouldn't want that, but hopefully she could at least appreciate the kiss. He began to grow passionate, though, as they kissed, turning slightly so she was on her back and he was over her. Not long after this he stopped, letting out a heavy breath and smiling down at her before moving to nuzzle his nose against her neck. "Let's go on a date this Friday. Me and you and none of those other losers," he whispered. "Somewhere expensive, where I can give you the treatment you deserve. Wine and dine and all that rich people shit." He chuckled and placed his lips on her neck, letting them linger there for a moment before moving back to give her a quick peck. "Is that okay with you, love?" he asked, wanting to make sure she was good with their date. Although he couldn't deny how much he liked kissing her, he felt he might have been a bit too aggressive and he wanted to make sure she was okay with things before he did them so he reminded himself to start asking again. 


Sage. The name made Winnie uncomfortable, and she shifted in her seat, feeling a small panic re-ignite in her. Especially after the question was asked. "I um, he walked me to my first period, and we have Video game design together," she said, her voice quiet. She felt a cold sweat break out and bit her lip hard, a habit that wasn't going away anytime soon. She stayed quiet for a long time, mostly to control herself, and wrapping her arms around her stomach to give herself the hug she needed to stay calm. "He was really nice to me. And he made sure I was okay and set for everything and he carried my stuff and-" she cut herself off, knowing she was avoiding the question. She was scared to answer. Sage was his friend. She wasn't scared of Kilo, but she was scared of his reaction. Anybody would be upset to know someone thought badly of their friend- though she had a feeling he already knew. "Sage. He told me Sage was the one who hurt innocent people. He also told me he spent a week in a psych ward because he made plans to kill someone." She took a deep breath. "And he said this girl Korren was a pathological liar, that she hurts herself for attention." Winnie stared at the floor. What if Sage and Korren were both Kilo's friends? What if he stopped the car right here and left her alone? What if he turned it around and decided to show her just how bad these people could be. She deserved it, for believing it without question, she supposed. "I'm new. It was my first day!" She cried out suddenly. "I don't care if it's true or not I... I just want to fit in. Is that such a fucking bad thing to want? I just want friends and Bucky seemed like a nice friend. I'm sorry if they're your friends and I'm just being part of the problem but I don't know what's real and he was the first person to help me and I- I-" The breathing was happening all over again. No, no, not again. Please not again, she thought, knowing she'd need something pronto to calm her down. Her brother used to always hug her or hold her hand but he wasn't around and how could this guy possibly know she needed some type of affection? @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren stopped when she was pulled in for a kiss, closing her eyes and sinking in to the moment. Her mind slowly went blank, and was pulling away from the topic of science and cancers and into a black abyss of nothingness. All she could do was feel, and what she felt was a flame igniting inside of her. She placed her hands on his cheeks, holding herself in place as she was rolled over to lay on her back. Before she truly lost control of her own mind, he pulled away, She let out ragged breaths, though tried to stabilize herself. Korren smiled up at him before he leaned down over her, feeling his nose against her skin. Her heart skipped when she realized how close he was as he was quite literally towering over her. For a moment her hands lingers around his cheeks, ending up wrapping around his neck since she didn't know where else to put them. A fancy dinner? That would cost a little more, right? It was a nice gesture, but she didn't want him to be paying for such a thing, let alone go through the painfully proper traditions in a fancy restaurant. "Maybe we can do that, go out for a meal, but maybe go do something. Something like.. ice skating. I don't think I've ever done that before." She was trying not to hurt his feelings by a change in plan, but it felt better if they just went out and did things. Besides, Bucky took her out on fancy dates before, always ending the night with getting drunk at his house and pushing her to do things she didn't want to do. Her main association of fancy restaurants always turned to there being some kind of end goal to it all.


Kilo kept his eyes on the road, listening to every word. Of course Bucky would say things about them, but he knew that Sage would not be happy by what Winnie was telling him. This girl had already hung out with him and his friends, which was a bad sign. He looked over when she suddenly, surprised by her outburst. On the road he swerved, so he decided to park at the nearest parking lot, which was a run down gas station. As she was coming to a conclusion, he looked over again with major concern in his eyes at this point. "Woah, woah. Take it easy there, Winnie." He spoke quietly, reaching his hand out to grab hers. From holding her he had a general understanding that she would be calmed down if she had someone to hold, so he would help her in this way. "I understand that you're new. I apologize for being harsh on you." Each word was calculated, placed carefully since he genuinely cared about making this girl feel better. "You didn't know, and that is okay. I'm just here to help you, alright?" There was a long pause. He felt like holding her hand wasn't enough to help her. Carefully he opened the driver's door and let go of her hand, crossing over to her side of the car. Once he opened the passenger door, he crouched down and picked her up in his arms, leaning his back against the car. "Shh, it's okay. We all want to fit in. I'm just trying to keep you from what Bucky does to pretty girls like you. He isn't gentle, kind, or caring in the end. I know it's a lot to process, but someone needs to tell you now rather than never. You don't have to listen to me, and that's okay." Except it wasn't okay. He really was trying to warn her the best he could. From the looks of Korren, Bucky would not be changing any time soon. She was beaten pretty badly after being sucked into the popular group. He cradled her in his arms, making sure to allow her to move if she wanted, and if she wanted to get down he would put her down.


@McMajestic
 
Sage thought for a moment as Korren replaced his suggestion with one of her own. He was sure fancy dinners weren't always her favorite, since he could imagine Bucky loved the rich kid scene, but he hoped that was the only reason she was changing the idea. Sage may have not have been rich but he got a steady paycheck and he had budgets. he knew what he could afford and what he couldn't and how to get around bills he couldn't pay. He didn't want Korren to think they couldn't do things just because he didn't have her income- of course, that had been one of the conditions for dating him. He had said in the beginning he couldn't give her everything she wanted, but that didn't mean he couldn't do nice things for her every once in awhile. "Sure. Ice skating sounds lovely with you," Sage finally said. "But I want you to know something, Korren. I don't know if this has anything to do with it or not, but I'm not poor. At least, not like you probably think I am. If I'm offering a fancy dinner I can afford it, okay? I just want you to know that. If it's on the table then it should never go off because you're worried about money. I'd never bring it up if it was out of budget." He leaned down and kissed her again. "But ice skating sounds like a lot of fun. We'll have to cuddle real close to keep ourselves warm," he added with a smirk. 


Kilo's words were muffled as Winnie struggled to calm down. She hardly registered the serve in the car or him parking, but she did feel his hand holding onto hers and she squeezed tightly, needing the comfort though it wasn't enough. I can't breathe. I'm seeing stars. What's wrong with me? His hand was gone. Her panic increased, she could feel herself growing light headed. "Where'd you go?" she whispered, not realizing her eyes were squeezed shut in the first place. She couldn't see but she couldn't even register that she couldn't see. What do I do? And then she felt it, two strong arms picking her up. Winnie had tears in her eyes as her arms wrapped around his neck tightly, burying her face in his chest. She was crying. She was apologizing for crying. She couldn't help it. She pushed herself as close to him as she could, trying to calm down. It took quite a bit of time but she finally started to relax, and her shaking began to subside. Winnie opened her eyes, feeling horrible as she noticed the mascara stains on his chest. She probably looked like a raccoon. She didn't want to look up and face him, so instead she tried to listen to his words, to process them. Bucky's a bad person. Not the people he talks about. She sniffed obnoxiously, closing her eyes once more, resting against Kilo now, one hand sliding to rest on her stomach while the other rested against his chest. "Please don't let go. Not yet." It was all she could say as she tried to figure out what to believe. She didn't really know Kilo but then again she didn't really know Bucky either. For now, she'd take both warnings with a grain of salt, and she'd keep it in her mind not to judge someone before she knew them. Who knew what was real in this new world for her? Minutes went by before Winnie decided the poor guy must be getting tired of holding her up, and she shifted slightly to get down, landing on her feet before hugging him close. She still needed the comfort, but hopefully this would be more comfortable. Her arms wrapped around his waist and her cheek rested against his bare chest. Funny, she had barely noticed he was shirtless until that moment. She certainly didn't mind the view, though that was merely icing on the cake. "I'm sorry. This must be horrible for you, to have to hug some stranger." Of course, he didn't have to. "I promise I'll let go soon," she whispered, trying to get to a complete state of calm before she let go, that way she could ensure this wouldn't happen again. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren looked him in the eye, smiling as he agreed, though arched her brow slightly to the rest of what he said. It was true that she was worried for him spending money on her, since she didn't feel like she was worth spending so much on. "I don't think you're poor, I just.." She trailed off, trying to find a way to phrase it. Meanwhile he leaned down, giving a quick kiss. She blinked a few times, smiling at him. It would be interesting to be tripping on the ice, but at least she would be tripping with him by her side. Her fingers trailed through his hair, brushing through it as she looked at him. "That sounds like a plan." She spoke softly, losing memory of what she was going to say. All she knew was that it was depressing, so it didn't need to be said to ruin the moment. Jokingly she ruffled his hair, sticking her tongue out at him before lightly giggling. She adjusted herself under him, leaning up with her elbows holding her up. In a sense this made her feel less trapped, since she was starting to feel anxiety bubble up from being stuck underneath him. Easily she hid this emotion, though it still lingered partially in her stomach. She tried her best to ignore it, even though she knew it was there.


Kilo held on to her gently, rocking ever so slowly to comfort her. The poor girl had been crying, and apologizing while doing so. Every now and then he shushed quietly, holding her close. There were stains of makeup on his chest, but he didn't care. He looked down at her, holding a caring look in his eye to her. The comfort was helping, and he was glad of it. She asked for him not to let go, and he would do as she commanded. Over time he started feeling a little more comfortable with this girl in his arms, not really wanting to let go. Instinctively he kept her in his arms, feeling as though his heart warmed up by the touch of her hand over it. His eyes softened, smiling gently at this girl. After a few minutes though, the feeling had been torn away as she moved herself to get down. He leaned her down to set her on the ground, though just as she was on the ground he already wanted to pick her up again. Where was all of this feeling coming from? He was just helping her get through a panic attack, right? His arms lifted slightly as she wrapped her arms around his chest, pressing herself against him again. It made the feeling come back, though he refused to let it consume him. What if she already had a boyfriend? It was too soon to feel this away about some girl he just met, so he set it to the side for now. He rested his arms around her, placing his hands on her back. "It's alright, Winnie. I'm here to help. If it helps, you can hold on as long as you wish." His voice was low and quiet as he smiled down at her. Admittedly she was cute beyond the shadow of a doubt, but he probably wouldn't talk to her ever again once today was over. Sure he might see her in the hallway, but only for this year, then he'd be gone and off to his adult life. The next thing he did was instinctive, and he didn't realize he moved until it was done. He laid his chin on the top of her head and moved his arms so they were wrapped around her. He wasn't being aggressive about it, but moving any closer to this girl wasn't something he felt he was suppose to do. Kilo loosened his grip so she could move away at any time, and made sure not to apply any pressure to her head. It was too late to take back what he had started, but at this point he didn't really want to. Whatever she wanted though, he would oblige and obey her every word. He tried to just tell himself that he was helping this distressed girl and to get out of his own head, but that was difficult to do. There was silence between them that was timeless and peaceful, though the sun beating down on them was a pain.


@McMajestic
 
As Korren ran her fingers through Sage's hair, he felt himself melt, a deep sigh falling from his lips as his eyes closed and he rested his head against her shoulder. He chuckled as she ruffled her hair, his hand moving to her stomach, his fingers trailing over the scars lightly. For the longest time he forgot he was with Korren, not in the actual sense of forgetting who she was, but rather her situation, and how Bucky had hurt her. He didn't even realize he was making her uncomfortable for quite a bit, and so he only pushed himself closer against her. Although after a handful of moments he noticed the smallest shift in Korren, and he sat up slowly, looking down at Korren. "Are you okay, love? You know, if you want me to back off you just have to tell me. I'll do whatever you want." He took her hand in his own, squeezing gently. He sat up a bit straighter, offering Korren a small smile. "I'm here to make you happy, Harvard, just remember that." He kissed her palm before letting her hand go, leaning back a bit as he waited for her response to make sure she was okay.


Winnie stayed against him for a while, allowing herself all the time she needed in order to relax. She found her breathing was beginning to slow to a normal pace, and her heartbeat wasn't quite as loud as before. Although even as she relaxed she felt a need to stay against him, and tightened her arms around his waist, her eyes fluttering closed as she felt exhaustion began to prod at her. It had been a long day for her mental health, which only deteriorated as time went by it seemed, but at that moment she had someone to help heal her. "Thank you," she whispered, her body loosening completely and all her weight pressing against him. She was so comfortable she could have drifted off against him, but she knew that wouldn't be right. "Ever since we moved things have gotten more... difficult. I've been on edge, I guess. Thanks for taking care of me. I know I'm probably not worth your time." She finally stood up straight, moving a step back from him and looking him over once more, frowning slightly as she noticed the makeup on his chest. She pulled the hem of her crop top up to her mouth, licking it once and effectively showing off her hot pink bra, though she didn't mind too much. She rubbed it against the mascara stains on his skin and thankfully got it off, before letting her shirt fall back in its place. "Um sorry about that, uh... I don't think I caught your name?" she asked, looking up at him with her dark doe eyes. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren's breathing shook as he pushed himself closer. It wasn't that it was him doing it, but just the feeling of weight being pressed on to her made her nervous. Her stomach jolted as he trailed his fingers over the scarring, causing her to let out a squeak. It didn't help that she was ticklish, especially around her waist. She let out a deep breath as he moved off of her. Relief fell over her, and the anxiety began to depart her. She squeezed his hand back, relieving some stress of memories that bubbled up. Was she okay? Certainly she wanted to be, though she didn't feel completely okay. "I'm just not use to... uhm.. stopping people." It was a light way to put it, but she was sure that he would understand. He was Sage Vixen, not Bucky Cypress, and she knew that well. They were two very different people: one who respected others, and the other who was a selfish brat. She smiled at him when he kissed her palm, looking down at her palm for a moment. This calmed her to be reassured, to not be pressured in to doing anything. She decided to try out the water now, since most people were tanning or packing up to leave. Korren stood up slowly, beginning to walk ahead of him towards the water. "Let's try this again, but maybe don't dive in this time." She winked at him while looking back, before turning her attention to the water. As she walked up, she wrapped her hands around her arms, taking in the sight of the sun faded behind the waters, trailing behind warm colors mixed with cooler colors, almost seeming like a painting. She let out a sigh before dipping her toes in the water. It was rather cold, but water always seemed to feel warmer once you got use to it. Waves pushed sand back and dragged it into the ocean, making her feel like she was being dragged with it, but she was only sinking in the sand.


Winsley and Patch had walked off to have some kind of girl chat. It must have been a deep conversation, considering they were walking slowly and not looking up at random dudes. It was good for Winsley to vent out. She needed to do it or else she would blow up on someone.


Kilo held on as she stayed there, feeling her weight lean more into him as time passed. He heard a whisper from her, and he smiled gently. Her voice was sweet and clear as day as she filled the silence. "No problem, Winnie. Any time." He let go, knowing it was probably for the best, though it was strange what she did next. She used her shirt to clean off the makeup, and while it was a kind gesture, it was a costly one. Kilo averted his eyes as not to look at her chest, yet he had already gotten a minor glimpse of it. He felt extremely awkward, not knowing what to do with it. Sure he had made out with girls before, but only once did he ever make a move on one or seen that girl in less than a shirt and pants. He scratched the back of his head, moving into a stretch to play the awkward mannerism off. His focus turned back when he mentioned catching a name. "I don't believe that I threw it." It was a joke, and he chuckled slightly, wanting to lighten the mood. "You can call me Kilo." It wasn't directly telling his name, but then again not even his close really knew or even remembered his name, which was actually Tyler Diaz. Not many knew this except for teachers and his mother, though his last name was tossed around in his class. He wasn't sure as to why he was so protective over his own name, he just was. That was how it always was since he changed his diet and lost loads of weight over a year or so.


@McMajestic
 
Sage nodded once, listening to her speak and making a note to himself that he needed to be extra careful about consent with Korren. Sage always enjoyed being spontaneous, just randomly showing up and taking his girl out to some romantic date. He liked picking her up out of nowhere and making her laugh, or cuddling so close that there was no air between then, but he couldn't be sure Korren was okay with all of that just yet, and so he needed to be cautious and always watch for signs. He never wanted to make Korren uncomfortable, and as much as it killed the bad boy inside him he would wait as long as it took- even if it was months- for her to be ready for real contact. When she brought up heading into the water, Sage got up and followed after Korren, letting the back of his hand brush against hers though he didn't quite grab on yet. "Korren, before I initiate the splash war that will end your life, I want you to know that you should always tell me what's on that beautiful mind of yours, because I genuinely care about everything you're thinking- no matter how silly you think it might be, I promise it's important to me." He kissed her temple before walking out in front of her. "Now, prepare for death by splash," he added jokingly, winking at her before smacking the water hard, sending quite a bit of water in her direction.


Winnie giggled at his little joke, before nodding once at his name. "Kilo..." The syllables rolled off her tongue and she looked up into his icy blue eyes, making sure to remember their startling color with such a simple name. Something told her it was more of a nickname, but she didn't press. "It's nice," she finally said, smiling up at him before feeling a small shriek leave her mouth. "oh my God, I must look like a raccoon on steroids!" Winnie quickly turned away from Kilo, yanking her phone out and using it as a mirror so she could check the damage. She looked horrible. "Jesus Fuck, I look hideous. You've been calling me pretty and I thought you meant it!" She cried out, half joking even as she began to clean the makeup off her face with her shirt. The crop top would be stained and ruined after this, but she didn't mind. She had a whole closet full at home. She cleaned off her makeup quickly, until it was just her average face, which revealed a light sheet of freckles across her nose. She sighed, turning back to Kilo. "There, now I'm actually pretty." She laughed lightly, stepping towards him. She was fine now, much better than she had been now that a lot of the pent up frustrations within her had been worked out in the form of panic attacks and tears, although her confidence faded into a shy sort of question as once again her eyes averted to the floor instead of up to Kilo. "Do you think you could still drive me home? I know you don't have a real reason to but I... I wanna thank you- I could make you some dinner! A nice, home cooked meal, to properly thank you," she offered, smiling adorably with a hint of excitement in her eyes at the idea of getting to cook. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren briefly looked at him, giggling at the mention of a splash war. She smiled genuinely, though she flinched when the water was smacked. As it the water sprayed on her, she couldn't help but squeal, smacking water back at him while laughing the whole time. It was such a silly thing to do, but a childish side of her came out then. She just couldn't help it, since she hasn't played like this since she was little. There were smaller splashes sent towards him in a barrage, but still splashes nonetheless. 


Kilo smiled at her, though shrugged when she mentioned how she looked. Even if there was makeup running down her face, she still seemed pretty to him, though once the makeup was taken off she was naturally rather beautiful. "I did mean it." He spoke without hesitation, since it was the truth after all. When she turned back to him, he couldn't help but notice the subtle change to her face. There were freckles that hadn't been showing before, which were adorable to see. How could someone hide such cute little features under makeup? The confidence flickered in her eyes, though faded out into a shyer being. The offer was nice, and he still had to drive her home. He nodded to her question, smiling at such a nice little gesture. Part of him didn't want to be intrusive on her home, but she needed help. "Sure thing. That sounds neato, Winnie." Kilo winked at her before crossing over to open the passenger seat door for her, making sure she safely got in to the car. Once she was inside, he carefully shut the door and crossed over to the driver's seat, stepping in and closing the door. It took him before he started the car up again, hearing the muffled engine boot up. Off they were again to her house, though this time the mood was a little less daunting. Kilo tapped away at the wheel to a Spanish guitar solo that was stuck in his head. It wasn't too long before the peaceful silence, broken by the tapping, ended.


He pulled in to her drive way, parking the car and leaving it on for now. Kilo looked over the house, seeing that it was upper-middle class. Telling from the easy 100 she gave him earlier, she definitely wasn't poor. He wasn't much for talking, so he didn't think about striking conversation with her, and instead sat peacefully, glancing over once or twice to smile at her, to comfort her in a way. After a minute, he took a deep breath and exited the car, crossing over to the passenger seat and opening it for her. If need be, he held out her hand to her, letting her take it or not to get out of the car. "Here we are." At this point he had completely forgotten having no shirt on, but wasn't embarrassed at all.


@McMajestic
 
Sage laughed, splashing her back with all his might before slipping in a bit closer. Already he was forgetting about his caution as he picked her up in his arms and dunked her under the water for a moment before tossing her deeper in, to make sure she didn't hit the ground. He snickered, wading towards her, careful not to go waist deep, especially since his arm was already stinging pretty bad from the splashes, though he tried to ignore it. He splashed at Korren again, excited to be having some fun with her. 


Winnie smiled slightly before getting into the car, enjoying the quiet drive as she watched him tap along to his music. Although as they pulled into her driveway she couldn't help but notice her brother's car was still there- and so was Dalton's It worried her quite a bit, but she tried to suppress that for now, and just enjoyed sitting with him until he came over to open the door for her. When Kilo offered his hand, Winnie took it without a second thought, stepping out of her car and leading him to her front door. "My adoptive dad, Dalton, is home. If he sees me with a boy he might freak but don't worry, he's all talk and no action." Of course, he was an extremely famous lawyer that hadn't lost a case in seven years so his face was on billboards quite often. And his name was one for all the people in trouble to know. 


Winnie keyed in the code for her door, not caring if Kilo saw it or not. She trusted him- despite the fact she barely knew him. Kilo didn't seem like the type to be cruel. He was quiet and sweet, and Winnie adored that personality. She offered him a reassuring smile before heading into her house, closing and locking the door behind her. "I'm not trying to lock you in. We just like to be safe," she said quietly. She tapped the lock once. "Besides, this is easy. Just turn it if you feel the need to sprint off." She chuckled lightly, though a small part of her was worried Dalton truly would cause such a reaction as she led Kilo into the kitchen. After she had, she nodded towards the counter. "You can just sit, and I'll get to work on something really good," she promised, getting out some ingredients and a pan, putting it on the stove. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren covered her eyes with her arm, laughing all the while. "Hey!" She was picked up before she could think, and dunked under. Before going under she took a quick gulp of breath, holding it when she was in the water. When she came back her hair was covering her face, but she felt him toss her in to the water. Again, she took that deep breath before landing in the water, scrambling to surface herself. The water was freezing, but she was starting to get use to it. She broke through the water, breathing as much as she could while shielding herself from another splash. Laughter filled the gaps to all other noise. She sank back down in the water, though kept her nose above the water to breath. Her legs floated out from underneath her while she walked on her hands towards him. At first she was using her finger tips, then her palms to move. She hadn't splashed at him again, or touched him for that matter. Instead, she looked up at him with those big blue eyes, before pushing herself away and out into the deeper part of the water to swim. Even if he couldn't join her, she was simply enjoying herself. There were minor splashes to each stroke, pushing herself in the water. After a minute she stopped and laid on her back, floating along in the water. It was peaceful, though she wanted to enjoy it more next to Sage. She swam back, standing up when she could and wading over to Sage with a smile on her face. Korren was covered in water from head to toe, and shivered just barely as she got out. The contrast of temperatures made the water feel colder. Soon she sank back down in to the water, kneeling in the water so she would stick to being used to the water temperature. As she sank back down, she winked at him. During the moment, she completely forgot about what the water would do to his arm.


Kilo nodded as she informed him of her father figure. It was usually the case with fathers that they were protective of their daughters, and for good reason. If need be, Kilo would act out of utmost respect for the man, since he understood the intentions. There were guys in this world that wanted more than just a chat or a quick hug, and he knew one of them very well. He followed her to the door and inside of the house, chuckling at her little joke. There was no need of him to run, though there was one issue he hadn't realized until it was too late. How was he going to get back his job? He wasn't going to drive her car again, because that would serve no purpose. She led him to the kitchen, where he took a seat at the table, flipping the chair so he could lean his arms against the back of it. Most street rats did this little trick, but he doesn't really sure why. Perhaps it was a minimal tradition or unspoken rule. If a street rat ever sat with perfect posture and poise, they would be looked at funny by other factions. It was just a natural thing to do for them, almost as natural as smoking. "Sounds good." From there he watched her work, interested to see how she would cook.


@McMajestic
 
Sage snickered, watching her as she swam away, his laughter fading to a smile as he watched his beautiful girl swim around, obviously enjoying herself. He let his arms rest by his sides as he watched his love have a good time, happy that he could provide a good experience for her. As she came back to him, he tried to shake that dreamy smile away so she wouldn't know he'd been staring. As she slid under the water though, so only her eyes looked up at him, and then winked, he couldn't help but smirk as he dropped down to her level and pulled her into a deep kiss, his arms wrapping around her. Fuck, what about caution? he thought to himself as he only deepened the kiss, his hands moving to rest on the small of her back. I'm in  cold water, it'll be fine. he reasoned with himself, already heating up. He wasn't trying to be rough or harsh with Korren, just passionate, and by her sultry little wink he thought it'd be okay. 


Winnie continued to cook, getting some more food out to work on a stir fry her mother had used to make. She figured she could do alright at it, and set to putting all the ingredients in the large pan before turning back to Kilo. She walked over to him as everything began to heat up, and smiled softly. "So, why don't you-"


"Gwendolyn Jane Calloway, why is there a half naked boy in my house?" a voice hissed, and Winnie turned with a fearful look in her eyes towards Dalton, who... oh God... had a pistol on his hip. "What are you doing with that?" she shrieked, instinctively stepping in front of Kilo. "I saw your little guest, thought he was stealing or something." Dalton shrugged. "But now I see he's doing something different," he hissed, his eyes narrowing as he walked over to the table. "If you're not going to wear a shirt, you could at least sit properly in the chairs I bought." 


"Dalton, please! He was just helping me out. There's no need to scare him," Winnie insisted frantically. Dalton looked over at Winnie, raising an eyebrow at her. "And what was he helping you with?" Winnie went quiet for a moment. She knew Dalton only worried when she brought her panic attacks up. "I just had a small episode. He was bringing me home, that's-"


"What the fuck did you do to my little girl, you-" 


"DALTON!" Winnie yelled, and Dalton blinked but went quiet. "You're gonna be late for your five o'clock," she said quietly. Dalton sighed deeply, taking the pistol out of its holster and polishing it with his sleeve as he glanced up at Kilo. "You better be gone when I get back." He stood, glancing at Winnie once, making sure she was stable. "And remember kid, I never miss." Dalton slid the pistol back into its holster and headed out of the house, and Winnie let out a deep sigh of relief. "Sorry about him," she whispered, hoping Kilo hadn't been scared too bad. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren giggled as he went down to her level, though was surprised by the kiss. Her eyes widened, though over time they fell shut, falling captive to the kiss. She leaned heavily into him, unable to support herself as she was so zoned into it. Her arms laid slack to her side, though her palms did stilt against her thighs, keeping her up as the water moved up and down in waves. A shiver was sent through her as his hands rested on the small of her back. This wasn't what she had in mind when she stayed in the water, though she didn't mind it either. She moved closer until she was almost sitting in his lap, though still knelt over him. Her legs kept his in between, adjusting between kisses until she just barely was over him. Just by making any sort of move she knew she was being risky. Most of her didn't want to push this farther, but she couldn't control it. Her emotions moved for her as her mind sat back, having no say in the matter. Whatever she was doing she needed to stop, yet she couldn't think on her own with this boy around. Usually she had to think, but right now she failed to do so. She needed to control herself. Her arms moved around his neck, folding her hands together behind him, her eyes held shut. They were halfway in the water, though she had kept most of head above water. Maybe she could keep herself under control in a few minutes, but for now she let out love that had been pent up inside her, unknowing when to be let out until now. The only thing she didn't want was to push the moment any farther than it had been pushed. Kissing was enough for her, and she didn't want any more than this. Thankfully by now the sun was going down and people were packing up and leaving, while the two other girls were off still chatting and having a good time.


Kilo watched as she worked away at cooking, wanting to say something as she turned away from the food to speak to him. It was never good to leave the food unsupervised, but he didn't say anything. A male voice hissed behind him, and he immediately turned around to see her supposed adoptive father standing not far in front of him with a gun by his side. He stood up, putting his hands out in front of him in surrender. Truly he meant no harm to anyone, especially this threatening man. It relieved him to see Winnie step out in front of him in defense of him, though he was sure that wouldn't save him from this man. He backed up when he was addressed directly, nervously keeping his hands up where they could be seen. There was momentary silence as Winnie yelled, and he kept his eye on the gun, which was pulled out to be polished. "Yes sir." Kilo spoke quietly, slowly putting his hands down when the man was finally gone. Surely he had made a horrible impression on her adoptive father, and regret it. He didn't mean to seem so shifty or cause her panic attacks, since he didn't know any better until now. "It's okay, don't be sorry." Kilo breathed out, following it up with a sigh. "He's just protecting you."  He ran a hand through his hair, leaving a few hairs to spike up in jagged places. Even after the man was gone, he was stressed out. He couldn't stay for too long, or else he would surely pay for it. Instead of focusing on that thought, he looked down at Winnie and smiled to comfort her, not wanting to cause her any grief. Sizzling popped in the background, as the smell of food beginning to burn filled his nostrils. He turned around and walked with long and few strides, turning the stove down to the lowest setting.


The last girl he genuinely cared about and loved, her parents could care less on what she did, but luckily Kilo cared. He treated her like a lady and a friend, though they did have intimate interactions at least once before she broke up with him to be with someone else. She truly broke his heart, saying that he wasn't enough for her. That was a year from now though, and he was over her completely. Nowadays that girl slept around the school, having one night stands and casual affairs whenever she pleased, though she dropped out of school one day after finding out she got pregnant.


@McMajestic
 
Sage was a bit surprised by how Korren so easily got into the kiss, and the way she pushed herself against him, but he didn't argue. It was encouragement that he wasn't making her uncomfortable if nothing else, but it also egged him on a bit, and while he wasn't stupid enough to try anything in the water he did want to have a little fun. He continued to kiss her for a few moments, picking her up and guiding her legs around his waist so he wouldn't have to worry about the height distance and leaning towards each other anymore. "Hey Harvard, I got a secret for you," he whispered, moving to trail kisses down her jawline. "I'll tell you at the ice skating rink, alright?" He moved passed her jaw, pressing kisses lightly against her neck. The sun was setting and he knew they'd have to leave soon, but he didn't want to. Sage was having a great time, and he hadn't even had a full bottle of beer yet. He definitely wasn't ready to go. Hopefully nobody else would be either.


Winnie watched as he walked over to lower the heat on the food, and rushed over, grabbing a wooden spoon to stir the meal. Her mother always used wooden utensils when cooking- she claimed it added some type of comfort taste that Winnie had never quite gotten the chance to taste. It made her a little sad, to know there were so many secrets she had never gotten to share with her mother or her father. She wished they could be here with her now, but she was grateful for Dalton- even if he was a bit much sometimes, and not enough at others. "It's really not okay. I think he tries to overcompensate sometimes. He's not a dad, you know? Doesn't really like kids, but he got stuck with Bronze and me. He's not much of a father, really, but every now and then he tries, and I know he cares about us but I wish he'd stop looking at movies for parenting advice." Winnie laughed quietly, before grabbing a plate down to put the stir fry on as she finished cooking it. Amazing, some of it was burnt and some of it managed to be undercooked, but she didn't notice as she put it all on a plate for Kilo and set it down on the counter with a fork. "Here, try this. It's awesome. My mom used to make it all the time," she said, her voice feel of excitement. Winnie really did love to cook, even if she was horrible at it. It made her feel closer to her mom, even if she was doing things without really understanding why she was doing them. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren tightened her legs around his waist, making sure to wrap her arms around his neck to keep herself held up. As he paused the moment to speak, she struggled to regulate her breathing, letting out shortened breaths while her heart beat in her ears. The grip on his neck tightened as he moved down from her jaw to her neck. Her head bowed and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. She closed her eyes, letting out a satisfied sigh as he kissed her neck. "Alright," Korren whispered out, allowing a smile to creep on to her lips. It tired her to be in his arms, but in a good way. Sage could offer all the objects in the world and none of it would matter, just as long as he was there to hold her.


Curiosity crept into her mind as to what this secret could be, yet it was pushed away by the reminder of her neck receiving light pecks. Her breathing had slowed down and was at its normal tempo, along with her heart beat. All she did now was relax in his arms, though held on tightly with her legs and arms. She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, costing breath to splash against the skin in short waves.


Kilo backed up as she stirred the food, watching over her for a minute before walking back to take a seat. The way she cooked it wasn't the best, but he didn't want to interrupt her over it. Instead he crossed back over to the counter, standing in front of it as she put the plate down. He understood what she meant, but did not say anything bad about Dalton. In this little vent he had no place to say anything, since he only just met the man, even if it wasn't on the best conditions. "I understand."  He smiled at her, picking up the fork and scooped some into his mouth. The taste of it was okay, though it was partially burnt and under cooked all at the same time. She seemed excited over it, and he felt bad over it. He swallowed down the food, and put the fork down, crossing over to the stove and looking over at Winnie. "It's alright, but let me help you, okay?" Would he lie to her about cooking? No. She wasn't the greatest cook, but he knew a couple things about cooking. With a hand wave he gestured her over, having a concentrated look in his sharp blue eyes, yet he still held that kind smile. Kilo turned the stove back on, setting it to a medium temperature with the stir fry still in the pan. He looked over the ingredients added, and decided to add some spice to it, to give it zest. While he was looking for spices in the kitchen, he turned the stove to the lowest setting, as not to mess with the stir fry. Carefully he searched until finally finding the spice he needed, pulling it out and placing it on the counter. Before he started, he picked up the wooden spoon and decided to demonstrate the correct way in stirring. "What you did was good, but it must be evened out. Don't stop stirring until it's done, and you will know when it's done." He smiled at her, stirring it as he spoke before stopping and handing the spoon to her. "Here, you try." Though after he handed the spoon over, he added the spice to the stir fry, knowing it would give a little more flavor to it. The spice sprinkled over the quietly sizzling food, and would be mixed in all the way soon.


@McMajestic 
 
Sage slid his hands underneath her thighs, holding her up as he kissed her neck, not wanting her to have to press so hard into his hips anymore since it was a bit painful after awhile. He stopped after a moment, smirking to himself at the way she sighed. This was definitely a hot spot for her, and he'd keep it noted in the back of his mind. Sage began to hum softly, just holding her up in the water, watching the sun set across the sky. "Let's go drive off. My arm is hurting pretty bad," he admitted, though instead of letting Korren down he continued to carry her as she was, taking her back to shore and only setting her down when he got to the towels. He noticed his phone was lit up with a missed call and a couple text messages, and he picked it up to unlock it. The missed call was from his mother, but the texts were from Rose. I'M HOME. The first text. MY PEACE TEA IS NOT IN THE FRIDGE. YOU ARE DEAD TO ME was the second. Sage let out a soft chuckle, his face lighting up like Korren had probably never seen before. "WINSLEY! GET YOUR FAT ASS OVER HERE, I'M GOING HOME!" Sage yelled over to his friend, the excitement buzzing in him as he bounced up and down slightly. "She's home! She's home," he added, hoping Winsley would get the point as he rushed to pack everything up. His big sister was going to sleep in her own bed tonight. He was going to get to see her without all the tubes and that unfashionable hospital gown. Maybe there'd be a little more color to her skin. Maybe she could keep something down- a nice meal. He'd make her favorite!


Winnie frowned slightly when Kilo wasn't immediately taken to heaven by her cooking. She tried to hide it though, since it was dumb to be upset over something so trivial. Yet still, it bothered her. Not what Kilo said, but the fact that she wasn't good at it. She knew what 'alright' meant. Dalton always said something was alright when he didn't like it. She walked over to the stove with Kilo, watching him and noticing the spices he pulled out. Maybe her mom had used those, or something to that nature. She took the spoon and stirred like he did, trying to pay attention to what she was doing this time, watching the spices melt into the stir fry. She smiled gently, thinking back to when her mother used to this and tell her how important it was to stir it the right way because if she didn't everything would go wrong- and it had. She glanced up at Kilo, as if to look for his approval, when she heard a loud thud and a groan from upstairs that startled her. "Oh no," she mumbled, listening to the slow pad of footsteps. "No, no, no. Go back to sleep," she whispered to herself, looking down at the food. She was clearly panicking, though this time was not as harsh as previous moments. She wasn't about to succumb to a panic attack, but she certainly was sweating and breathing differently. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren relaxed her legs as he supported her up, but still kept her arms wrapped around his neck. The sound of his beautiful voice with the waves in the background made her at peace. She nodded to what he said, though was still in his arms up until they got to the towels. Finally she opened her eyes and maneuvering herself so that she would touch the ground with her toes, finally standing up again. She went over and started packing up the towels, rolling them up and putting them in the bag, as well as the extra beers that weren't opened. When she turned around to look at Sage, his face lit up with a bright smile and laughter. This made her smile, and she looked over to see Winsley and Patch running back. Winsley had the brightest smile as he shouted over at her, recognizing what he meant. Before reaching Sage, she began booking it to the car in order to start it up. They would need the quick trip out to his house. Patch followed her to the car. She pulled it out of the parking garage and zoomed around near the beach so he could easily hop in. Korren picked up the bag and brought it over to the car, jogging over since whatever was going on was so important to all of them. They must have been talking about his sister, which made her happy. Yesterday he was so down about it, but now he was so happy. It was good, and she was happy for him.


Kilo smiled down at her, glad that that she was learning so quickly. A smile on her face suited her well, and made her eyes light up, with the twinkle of a star in the night skies that are her irises. There was a loud thud upstairs, which made Kilo jolt. "The fuck?" He mumbled, looking at Winnie to see if she was okay. She was panicking over the footsteps. He wanted to hold her, to get rid of the panic in her eyes, but he first wanted to know what strange being had been climbing down the stairs. Defensively he stayed close to Winnie, but not close enough to make her uncomfortable. He turned down the stove, turning it off for now. The stir fry was almost done, but the cooking could be paused for now. From there he turned around, leaning against the counter with it poking into his back, while his thumbs stuffed into his jean pockets.


@McMajestic
 
Sage grinned, grabbing Korren's hand and pulling her alone quickly as they all piled into the car. "She made a joke! She's always feeling better when she says I'm dead to her. We only make death jokes when we know she's safe from it. Maybe they fixed her!" he patted Winsley's arm excitedly. "Maybe she's cured!" It was wishful thinking, but it was the same mindset Sage always got into when she came home. He was always wrong, and it always spurred him to get drunk after everyone was asleep to forget that he was ever hopeful. It was a cycle all his friends knew very well and Korren would be experiencing for the very first time. "Fuck, Winsley, think about it! She could grow her hair out all long again, go to her dream college in New York! And I can come visit and mom will start cooking again! Fuck, she's gonna be okay. I know it. This is it. This is her remission moment. I feel it." He always felt it. He always wanted Rose to get better. One time, he had told Winsley he wished he could have the cancer instead. He remembered being drunk but not drunk enough, and just sitting in front of her, praying to God that he'd give the cancer to Sage instead. Sage had wanted to die then, because he thought he was going to lose his sister forever- but now that feeling was only occasional, and at present it was gone entirely.


Winnie turned slowly, watching and waiting for her brother to stumble down the stairs, moving to grab Kilo's hand for comfort but only swiping through air. She glanced down to notice both his hands were in his pockets, and so she looped a finger in one of the belt loops of his jeans instead, needing some type of hold onto him. It was then that Ambrose Calloway stumbled into view. His ink black hair was shoved in all directions and the stench of booze coated him as he took a swig from a vodka bottle and looked up at Winnie, then over to Kilo. "Why you bringing home fuckboys, Winnie?" he hissed, his words slurred and drawn out, hardly sounding human as he stumbled over towards them, pushing the vodka into her arms. her hand broke away from Kilo and she took the bottle. "You drink that, sillllllllllllly goose! Find you a good old Wasp. Dalton likes'em white and Christian." He winked at Winnie, ruffling her hair before pushing past Kilo as if he didn't exist. "Oh, don't worry, Lopez, I'm not racist, I love your skin tone. great for the summer." He yanked open the fridge, pulling a beer out and knocking the top off before slamming it shut. Winnie winced at the noise, and for the smallest moment, Bronze's purpley-blue eyes softened, but then he took a drink of the beer and any remnants of who he used to be was gone all over again. "Still have PTSD? OH, and still making mom's cooking into a burnt excuse, I see." He snickered, walking past Winnie and punching her shoulder lightly. "I'll be down at the strip joint if you need me- Don't tell Dalton, Vet." Vet. Ever since Bronze had become a drunk he had called Winnie that. It made her flinch again. It was a crude nickname that referenced her panic attacks in a mocking way. Many veterans of war suffered from some type of trauma, and Winnie's trauma after losing her parents were her panic attacks and general anxiety. Ambrose always made fun of her for it. She was shaking lightly, staring at the floor- as she always did because she felt inferior and weak to the people around here- and praying he would leave without another word. He did, thankfully, and Winnie closed her eyes, trying to picture her parents' smiling faces to calm her down. She couldn't. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren smiled at him as he excitedly talked about his sister. She sat next to him with the beach bag at her feet, listening to him with joy. One hand clasped around his, tangling their fingers together. In a way she was excited to see Rose, since she knew of her as well. The girl was one of the popular kids, and floated above all the horribleness in the school. She admired her for the longest time, but was never confident enough to talk to her. After all, Korren was nothing compared to Rose. Rose was a beautiful, confident, nice, and social girl; she was everything that Korren wasn't, or at least that's what she believed.


 It was good to see him hopeful, though for some reason Winsley and Patch didn't seem as excited. Sure, they were smiling and were happy to go see Rose after her being in the hospital for so long, but they didn't have high hopes for this being her remission. This wasn't the first time they saw Sage so excited, only to be let down and waste himself away. Winsley gripped the wheel of the car as they drove off, smiling at Sage to keep him happy. It was easy for her to fake a smile, though in the end she was going to feel horrible for it. They road along to his house, overwhelmed with joy to see Rose again. Patch was almost in tears from the rush of relief that Rose had come home. She never cried around anyone, whether she were happy or sad. 


"Hey, Kilo's gonna want to know, Sage," Winsley said, glancing over at Patch and at the rear view mirror back to the two in the back. "Shoot 'em a text, lemme know what he says." She turned up the music, almost blasting it in the car. This was normal for her to do, though personally she was just trying to drown out the world, including Sage. All she wanted to focus on was Rose, but not her sickness. She didn't want to know the answer she already knew to a question they all asked: Is the sickness really gone? Of course it would be no, but it was always good to be hopeful.


They took one stop at a gas station for Patch to get her favorite candy, along with a few bags of chips. She passed out the chips, though didn't let anyone take her Sour Patch Kids. The bag was not opened, and would not be until they got to Sage's house. She wanted to share them with Rose, to share her one favorite candy with her favorite person. It took twenty minutes to reach Sage's house, but they finally reached it by passing through a few red lights and running stop signs, zooming down the road, screeching to a halt in front of his house.


--------------------
Kilo glanced over to Winnie, who clung on to him by any means. He wondered why she was so scared, until her relative stumbled into view, holding a vodka bottle and smelling like he was marinated in alcohol. Even his words were heavily slurred, which made Kilo feel heavily protective of Winnie, though he didn't move yet. He stared the young man down, barely moving back as he was pushed past. He looked over to the poor girl, who was holding the bottle in hand and being so still. It took all the will power in the world not to push this guy away, but he didn't know the situation. All he knew was that this was her drunk relative and that she was uncomfortable. Personally he wanted to smack the shit out of the guy, but he wasn't going to pointlessly fight over racial insults. As the relative left, Kilo lightly took the bottle of vodka from her and put it away in the fridge. When he turned back to her, she was shaking and avoiding all eye contact. He walked over and reached out for her hand, carefully holding her small hand in his. By now he was standing in front of her, looking at her with a softness to his eyes. "Hey, I'm here, Winnie." If he said anything more like 'it's okay', he would have been lying. Just by one glance at what she was dealing with at home, he could tell nothing was okay. He just needed to be there for her, to hold her and make sure she knew she wasn't alone. After a minute, he steadily pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her and keeping his arms around her waist, slackly placing one hand just under her shoulder blades. The other hand went up to her hair, patting her beautiful blue locks down. "I've got you, you're safe," He reassured her, making sure she knew that she wasn't alone anymore. This poor girl had been through so much. She lived with a disrespectful alcoholic, had to deal with mental breakdowns, just moved over to an area, and to top it off she didn't have her parents anymore. He hung his head low, causing the cold metal dog tags that hung around his neck to tap her shoulder, while his temple tapped against hers. During this time he was closing eyes, taking deep breaths. He didn't mean to be so forward, but this was how he hugged most of his girl friends. This was okay to do, right? It had to be. She didn't seem to mind him being so close, which made him happy. From there he decided he would try to comfort her the best he could, and maybe become her friend, but only if she wanted to be.


@McMajestic
 
Sage grabbed his phone, looking down at it for a moment. He turned and kissed Korren's cheek before sending Kilo a text. Rose is home. You can come over after work and say hey. Sage felt his smile only grow the closer they got to his house. He and Rose had always been close. They had grown up fighting, playing, and always looking out for each other. Rose's status kept people from bullying Sage, and Sage beat the shit out of anyone who ever talked bad about her.  Those people were few and far in between, but every now and then he had to break a couple jaws.  Ever since they were little they had been each other's best friend. Although, since she had been diagnosed Sage had been pulling away. They had talked about it on several different occasions. Rose had pleaded with Sage to stop doing drugs and to just come home for mom and dad- but he couldn't do that. His sister was such an amazing person but he just wasn't. He couldn't bare to be home without her, and so his parents were always home alone, just them against the world, since even their son didn't want to be around.


As they pulled into his driveway, Sage rushed out of the car, sprinting up to his door before pausing for a moment, staring at it and biting his lip. His hand shook slightly as he reached for the handle. Beyond this door was Rose, was his sister, was the person who knew secrets that even Winsley didn't. Was she okay? She had to be. She had to be okay. She had to be in remission. He couldn't live without her- and yet the more he pulled away, the more he tried to convince himself he could. "Get in here already!" A familiar voice yelled, and Sage flung out the door, letting his thoughts run blank. Standing there, thin and with her head shaved, was Rose. She had that optimistic grin on her face, even though she looked sickly, and Sage ran up to her. "Rosey!" He picked her up in a hug, and Rose let out an 'ooph' as she was picked up before hugging her brother back. "Hey little bro, how are you?" she asked, chuckling as she set him down. "How am I? How are you? Did it happen? are you-"


"Sage." Rose's voice was quiet but stern, and her tone answered his question. His excitement faltered and Rose rested her hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "I'm just happy to be home," she whispered, and Sage tried but failed to smile. "Me too," he said, though it didn't have the same joyous tone as before. "I um, there's someone I want you to meet," he said, glancing back out, wanting her to see Korren. "I think I'm in love," he whispered, his voice very quiet. Rose's eyes widened and she giggled, looking up expectantly for the girl of his dreams.


Winnie's shaking body was pulled against Kilo's, and she collapsed against him, her entire body weight resting against his as she hugged his neck, letting out a shaky breath. "He's my brother- it's okay. It's okay, he's had a tough life. He just... he needs a release. After mom and dad died he was struggling so hard, and then he didn't get accepted into his dream college, and he got into bad stuff his senior year- and it's not his fault. He's such a good person. Bronze is so good, I swear. I swear he is, he just... he just made a bad choice. He's good though. He's good," Winnie spoke, her words fast and worried. It was clear from the way she spoke she was more interesting in convincing herself than Kilo. Ever since Bronze had started drinking he had become obnoxious and cruel, but only with his words. It could have been worse. Sometimes that was the only fact that kept Winnie going. Her brother could be much worse- but then again Dalton was what held him back. Dalton didn't keep much alcohol in the house, and although Ambrose was an adult, Dalton tried to keep him moderated.  He always said he'd rather Bronze be an alcoholic in the house than out of it, and Bronze tended to stay in the house all the time because of it. Winnie thought about all the fights they had had over it. Bronze had even hit Dalton once- though never Winnie. She sighed, closing her eyes. "He just needs a little help but he won't accept any of it." @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren smiled as he kissed her cheek, and decided before she got out of the car to put her shirt and pants on. It was weird to her that she hadn't yet put them on, but she supposed it didn't matter. When they were stopped in the driveway, she quickly slipped on her shirt and shorts, tugging on her clothing to cover over whatever scars she could hide. She was the last one to climb out of the car, since Winsley and Patch darted after Sage to the house, rushing on to the porch and through the door. Soon she followed suit, walking up the porch and nervously entering the house. From there she saw Rose and Sage looking towards the doorway, as if they were expecting her to enter this whole time. She blushed and waved her hand towards them, taking nervous steps towards her. Rose looked much different now from how she used to be, but she was still a beautiful girl, even though she was sickly thin.


Before Korren entered the home, Winsley and Patch had rushed into the house, trailing behind Sage. The room was filled with joyful squeals from the both of them. Patch seemed like she was about to cry, but she was still happy. In her hand were her Sour Patch Kids, which were soon tossed on to the closest table. The girls both surrounded Rose, wrapping her into a group hug. Of course they noticed Sage's expression, but it was expected for him to react this way. It still upset Winsley to see him so down, but they would deal with it later. She didn't want Rose to see any of them sad. After all, Rose deserved only the best for the time she was home. Patch slowly let go after a minute or so, but Winsley still held on, though her grip loosened up. 


---------


Kilo listened to her, to how she tried to avoid the fact that her brother was horrible. He understood the struggles that the siblings both faced, but that did not give Bronze permission to verbally abuse his own sister. There was nothing he could say about her brother regarding alcoholism, though. After all, one of his best friends struggled with alcohol and cocaine addiction.


As she spoke, he ran his fingers delicately through her hair, making sure to avoid catching on tangles. He thought for a moment, wanting to help her in this situation. Perhaps if he could talk with her brother one day, he could help the poor guy. "Physical training is good for guys like him." It was more of a suggestion than anything, but it was true. Exercise helped alcoholics, since it definitely gave them something to focus on rather than chugging their life away. He would have offered to be a personal trainer, though he didn't want to push the idea. It was a good idea though, even if he didn't care for the thought of spending time around the guy.


He held Winnie's weight, and without thinking he picked her up, leaning his back against the counter as he held her in his arms. As he picked her up, he kept one hand on her back and the other scooped up her legs, shifting her so he held her princess style in his arms. There wasn't much thought to what he did, but he was comfortable with her there. It helped her, and it helped him. For so long his heart has been locked away for no one to unlock it. The only people he would open up to was the gang, since they all understood him and respected him, treating him as just another ordinary guy. They helped him through his obesity. By this thought the idea of helping her brother came back. If he was helped through obesity, perhaps he could pass on helping Bronze with his alcoholism. He swayed with her in his arms, looking down at her to check up on how she was, though he kept his gaze. There was a hint of a smile on his lips. He wanted to make sure she would be happy. No one deserved to go through the difficulties she has been put through.


There were no words between them, only comforting silence. This, he was quite use to, since most of his time was spent in silence. It was peaceful. There was a buzz in his pocket, but he didn't answer his phone quiet yet. Nothing was more important than helping her at the moment, though he didn't know the importance of the message awaiting him.


@McMajestic
 
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As Rose was bombarded by Patch and Winsley, she hugged both girls with as much strength as she could. These were some of her best friends. "I got the hot nurse's number. You're both spending the night so I can tell you about him," she said quietly, a light giggle on her lips as she felt honest joy pierce through her. Rose was going to get to spend real time with her friends again, and she couldn't wait. Sage himself was happy for her, glad she was strong enough to suggest a sleepover, though as Korren walked in he walked over to her, taking her hand in his own. "Rose, this is Korren, Korren, this is my sister, Rose," he introduced, and even though Rose was caught up in hugging Winsley, she carefully pushed the green-haired girl back a bit and moved over to Korren. "Hey Sweetie, I've seen you before." Rose grinned, pulling Korren into a hug without much warning. "I'm glad Sage got you instead of a Winsley wannabe," she joked, before pulling back and moving a few steps away. Sage grinned as him and Rose met eyes, and she winked at him, a sign that she approved. Sage grinned brightly and wrapped his arm around Korren's shoulders. "Harvard here played spin the bottle with us and from the first kiss she was hooked," Sage explained, and Rose laughed, although that laughter faded into a cough, which made Sage feel uncomfortable. Rose noticed the look on his face and waved him off. "Relax," she muttered, walking towards the couch and slowly moving to sit on it as her cough weakened until it was no longer happening. She turned to Patch and glanced at the candy. "I'm sure you weren't planning to eat that all on your own, were you?" she asked, trying to keep the mood light and fun. Sage smiled halfheartedly, and it was then his parents both came in. Neither of them looked excited to have Rose back, which worried him, but they offered tired smiles to the group and widened eyes towards Korren.


"And who is this lovely lady?" His mother asked, sounding a bit shocked to see Korren. She walked up to them, looking her over. "This is Korren, my... well, my girlfriend," he said happily. "Oh, how wonderful!" Sage's mom pulled Korren into a quick hug, sniffing her in what she thought was a subtle way before flashing her husband an okay symbol with her hands. Korren was no druggie. This was an improvement. Sage noticed the sniff and shooed his mom away quickly. "She's wonderful," Sage said, and his father chuckled. "Well, Korren, you're certainly welcome around here whenever you want to be. We don't always have a lot of food in the fridge but take what you'd like."


Winnie nodded once to his comment, feeling her body being picked up not long after. Without any thought, Winnie curled up against him, resting her head on his chest, sinking into him as if he was the most comfortable pillow in the world. For a long time she merely rested against him, relaxed in his arms. Her hands slid from the back of his neck and down his chest onto her stomach, where she became dead weight. She supposed he didn't mind holding her so much though, if he was so willing to do it. "Kilo," she said, her voice soft, cracking slightly. Her fingers curled against his chest into a fist, before flattening out, so her palm pressed against his heart, feeling it beat. "Could you please take me to my room?" she asked, her voice meek as she looked up at him, her eyes watery with tears that wouldn't fall anymore. "I'm just feeling a little exhausted after today and I..." She closed her eyes, breathing in, and letting out a shaky breath. She wanted to ask him to stay with her until Dalton got back, she wanted to plead with him not to leave her alone in this house, but she knew that was too much and so she could never ask that of him- she was already asking too much. "I could really use some sleep." She was still in her shorts which she didn't want to wear to bed, and her shoes were still, but she'd worry about that stuff once she was in her room. For now, she just wanted to get there. "I'm sorry I'm bothering you with my silly problems. You probably have your own to deal with. God, I'm so over dramatic, I'm sorry." She whispered. Upstairs, the first door was decorated brightly, and had a large W seemingly graffiti'ed onto it, which would be the hint as to which room was hers. She stayed in his arms, even though she felt like she was being stupid, and closed her eyes, the last few stray tears streaming out. @FlameintheRoses
 
Winsley held on as Rose spoke, giggling and whistling. "Oh, I can't wait." She let go, watching as Korren was introduced.


Korren meekly smiled at the two of them, looking over at Sage as he held her hand. As she was greeted to Rose, she was pulled into a sudden hug. It startled her, since she didn't expect her to be so friendly. She stood still as she was hugged, though still smiled. At this point she was blushing, shrugging at the mention of spin the bottle, her cheeks inflamed with red pigment. She didn't notice the look on his face until Rose said something, and she glanced over to him. Subtly she grabbed his hand, gently squeezing it to lift his spirits. 


Patch followed Rose over to the couch, sitting down next to her with the bag of candy in hand. At the mention of the candy she grinned, trying to avoid the depressing spirits of the moment. "Tell you what, we split 60-40," She winked, holding a handful of Sour Patch Kids up for Rose to have. Of course Rose would have as many as she wanted, because they truly didn't know how much time they had left with her.


His parents entered the living room, sounding rather shocked by the visitor. Again, her cheeks were warm from sheer awkwardness. She was pulled into another hug, which she didn't know what to do. Although before she could do anything, his mother pulled away. Her eyes moved down to her feet for a moment, returning up to his parents with a smile. She reached for Sage's hand, wanting to hold on to him for comfort. This was a new environment for her and a new experience. She was rarely the focus of the group, and before Sage, if attention were centered on her it was to embarrass or harass her. Still, she looked his father in the eye with a smile. "Thank you very much, sir."


Kilo held her close, looking her in the eye as she asked her question with a softened look to his eye. He nodded, seeing how broken up she was. As she spoke he began walking, carefully walking upstairs. "There's no need to apologize, Winnie. You needed help, and I'm here to help." He spoke calmly, smiling at her to comfort her. Truly he had no problem with taking care of her. A little money off of his paycheck to help someone in need wasn't a problem to him. He looked up when they reached the top of the steps, looking around to where her room was. There was a room that was obviously decorated with a large W on it. That must of been hers, and so he took her there. He walked up and shifted her weight in his arms to open the door before walking in. Kilo moved over and brushed the comforter aside, carefully put her down on her bed, looking at her for a moment. Tears fell down her cheeks, which worried him. He brushed the tears away with his thumb, lending her a comforting smile. From there he could have just left and moved on with business, but he wasn't about to leave her alone in such an empty house. He knelt down beside her, leaning his elbows on the bed and folding his hands together. "Is there anything I can get you?" Genuinely he wanted to help her. Seeing a girl cry was heart breaking, and for some reason he felt the need to make up for the tears shed.


@McMajestic
 
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Sage smiled, looking around at his group of friends, his sister, his parents. It almost seemed normal, but yet it wasn't. "Mom, do you think you could make something for us all tonight?" The question brought a bit of tension throughout the room, and his mother nervously glanced at Rose. "Yeah, mom, you should! Make Sage's favorite. He deserves it, don't you think? After finding a girl that doesn't have a record?" She snickered and Sage glared at her playfully before chuckling himself. "Oh okay, I suppose." His mother finally said, and Sage got a bit too excited from her answer. He practically jumped for joy. 'Yes, this is going to be awesome! Okay, Korren, now there is no way you're leaving until after dinner. It's literally the best," he explained brightly. He led her over to the love seat, sitting down and watching as Rose popped three of the little candies in her mouth and chewed. "We should paint each other's nails. Mine look so dull," Rose suggested, holding them up. "Hot nurse boy isn't ever going to make out with me again if I look even worse than I already do," she sighed over dramatically. "What?" Her dead yelled, turning to her quickly. "Rosalina Vixen, did you-"


"No Dad! It was a joke," she interrupted, and her dad sighed with relief. She looked towards Winsley and Patch though and shook her head a little, so they would know it definitely wasn't a joke. Sage noticed this and chuckled. "She totally banged him," Sage whispered to Korren, snickering to himself. "So Rose, how old is that nurse?" Sage asked loud enough for their parents to her. Rose turned to glare at Sage. She was nineteen so age technically didn't matter as much anymore, but she knew her father would be angry. "Twenty-six," she said through clenched teeth. "That's it! We're requesting a change in nurse!" Their dad cried out, and Sage laughed out loud while Rose angrily ate more sour patch kids. "Oh Korren!" she said, her voice suddenly bright with joy. "You know, Sage used to make videos when he was little, I'm sure you'd love to watch some," she chirped up. "Oh no she wouldn't!" Sage said loudly, suddenly in a panic. Those videos were embarrassing as hell. There was no way he would want Korren to see them. @FlameintheRoses


As Winnie fell back in her bed she laid there for a moment, before kicking her shoes off and moving to unbutton her shorts as he asked the question. She thought for a moment, pulling her shorts off, not really caring that he was there. She had spandex shorts on underneath so it wasn't a total strip tease. She tossed the shorts onto the floor and pulled her blankets up, sighing as she closed her closed her eyes. "Kilo, I..." her voice trailed off as she reached out to hold his hand. I want you to stay. "I just want to thank you for everything you've done for me." She leaned up slowly, kissing his cheek, taking her own sweet time doing it, before laying back down. "Today's been a really rough day, but you made it so much easier." She smiled softly, though she never let go of his hand as she shifted under the covers a bit to pull them up to her shoulders. She truly didn't know what she would have done without Kilo. Maybe she never would have panicked in the first place, but surely she would have gotten lost on the way home and freaked out anyways, surely Bronze would have made his choice comments before leaving.


She thought of Kilo leaving, of being stuck alone in this house, and bit her lip hard. "Kilo," she had to ask, otherwise she'd probably end up crying herself to sleep. "Do you think... maybe, you could stay with me? Just until I fall asleep. She moved a bit to make room for him on the bed. "I just... I really don't want to be alone- but if you have to leave I totally get it. I'll just watch some TV or something," she added weakly, not wanting him to feel like he had to stay no matter how badly she wanted him to. @FlameintheRoses
 
Korren looked up at Sage, shrugging with a giggle to him suggesting that she stayed. She followed him over to the love seat, plopping down next to him, watching as the family conversed. She wasn't sure if it would be okay for her to jump in and say anything, though she did smile as they all laughed with each other. It was an honor to be with them, to smile and laugh alongside the group. Her hand still held on to Sage's, gently squeezing it as they all talked.


"You're the best, Momma Vix!" The two girls spoke in a chorus, saying this loud and proud. Patch had been nibbling and savoring her little candies, chuckling at the mention of the hot nurse. On the other hand, Winsley jumped in excitement, though didn't say anything. In her mind she was internally screaming at the fact that Rose had gotten some action at least. She held back from laughing as her parents chewed her out about it, casually reaching in to the candy bag and snagging a handful, quickly pulling it out and stuffing them in her mouth. It was a rather large bag, so it didn't matter if she took at least that much. As a consequence, her hand was slapped by Patch, yet she chuckled between chewing the candies. Winsley nudged Rose with her elbow, winking at her when she was given that look, smiling madly. "Score." She whispered, since not every day do you get a man to get busy with.


Korren's attention was pulled to Rose, looking at her with a curious arch in her brow. Everyone was looking at her again, eager to hear her answer. Before she could answer, she was startled by Sage's outburst. She shrugged at Rose, blushing all the while. Truly she didn't know how to react, and squeezed his hand for comfort. She glanced over at Sage, pondering whether or not to watch the videos. Curiosity made the decision for her, and she spoke up. "I wouldn't mind viewing them." If he really didn't want her to see them, she wouldn't do it. At the moment though she felt pressured to say yes, whether it was curiosity or peer pressure.


----


Kilo kept his eyes away from anywhere past her torso. He didn't want to intrude on viewing her body or making her uncomfortable. He held her hand lightly, surprised by her kissing his cheek. Just one kiss on the cheek, that's all that is was, wasn't it? He didn't think much of it though, thinking of it as just a gesture showing appreciation. "You're welcome, Winnie."  In turn he smiled. The nagging feeling of happiness inside him began to well up again, something he hadn't truly felt until he met her. Perhaps they could be good friends after the dust settled. Maybe he could find her at school and make sure he could protect her from Bucky and his posy of blind followers. Of course though, he couldn't keep her away from the boy, but rather keep the boy from her.


He would have turned to leave, to shut the door and tell Winsley to come pick him up, and yet Winnie had one last request. If anyone else were given the option to be with her, they would have probably taken that and ran with it, but not him. He considered his options, though it didn't taken him long. Helping others was something he put above anything else, so if this was what helped her, he would do it. For a moment he thought back to her adoptive father, how he pulled a gun out on him and warned him to be gone. He would have to leave, but he would do so when she was asleep, and perhaps leave his contact information so she wouldn't be left alone. If she didn't want to contact him, he would understand, but it was best to at least give her the option. "Of course." He stood up and moved to sit by her side, making sure to stay on top of the comforter. Slowly he leaned back, laying next to her while holding her hand. As he relaxed on the bed, he moved his arm around her shoulders, though didn't move any closer. He wouldn't make any advances on her that were unneeded, though he knew that usually it was comforting to make said gesture. If she wanted to move any closer, he would allow her if it helped. Besides, it was nice to just be next to her, to comfort her. It made him happy to help her, this beautiful girl that had been through so much, and was still going through it all. Through thick and thin, he decided that he would help this girl, no matter what pain it caused him. Perhaps it was secretly the love that was ever so slowly bubbling up inside of him. Maybe she was the key to his locked up heart, though only time would tell.


@McMajestic
 
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