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Realistic or Modern hollywood arts: main (open!!)

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Ezra Gray
@EZGoing has set their status to:
winky winky

@EZGoing has set their outfit to:
... nothing?

@EZGoing has set their location to:
his apartment

@EZGoing has mentioned:
n/a

@EZGoing has interacted with:
Mikaela

@EZGoing has tagged:
Xed Xed

Mikaela matched his energy and that was rare. Usually, people got all blushy and tongue-tied around him, or were only able to meet him halfway when it came to his flirtatious bite. But Mikaela, she was different, her words entirely mimicked his own in their intensity and interest. So, naturally, Ezra found himself intrigued.

“Dinner sounds lovely.” Mikaela spoke over her shoulder as she walked past him. “Is that the only thing we’ll be splitting tonight, or do you have more in mind Mr Gray?”

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡​

Spoiler alert: dinner went cold that evening.

Look, Ezra had entirely intended to actually split his meal with Mikaela, his first offer was entirely truthful. Sure, Mikaela was hot but Ezra wasn’t about to be a bad host. After all, he had a whole meal that could easily be split and an empty apartment that could use with the company. Mikaela was cool, she deserved that much. They got to talking on the drive home, the traffic a little less stressful with a friendly face in his passenger’s seat. Turns out, Mikaela was even more interesting than originally anticipated.

But then the friendly talk turned flirtatious.

And then Ezra was texting Spencer and telling him he had someone over for the evening.

And then the front door was locked and Ezra’s lips were on Mikaela’s, his boots sloppily getting kicked to the side with a laugh between kisses.

“Welcome to my humble abode.” Ezra teased as they stumbled through his living room and down the hall. “Here’s the living room, where we do our living.” A few more steps and Ezra’s lips along Mikaela’s jawline. “There’s the kitchen, where we do our kitchening.” Another few steps and a push open of the door behind him. “And this is my room.”

Ezra fell back onto his bed and pulled Mikaela on top of him, his hand reaching up to brush her hair back as his lips met hers again, smiling against her touch with a soft, mischievous laugh. “Now what was that about having more in mind, Mikaela? I think you should show me.”

º º code by ditto º º
 
Kian Phelan
@lockandkian has set their status to:
o shit

@lockandkian has set their outfit to:
oh look, it's black

@lockandkian has set their location to:
um, it's a long story

@lockandkian has mentioned:
n/a

@lockandkian has interacted with:
Felix

@lockandkian has tagged:
ohdittoh ohdittoh
Dude, it was all so much.

Felix looked sad, real sad, the kinda heart shattering sad that would make grown men cry. Why else was he covering his mouth and shaking like that? Poor lad thought he had just lost his best friend, dead and gone to a deadly fall. Kian wasn’t sure why he was being so dramatic though, clearly he was fine as he stood to his feet and brushed himself off.

But then everything was fine and they were back in the golf cart and Felix, the beautiful bastard, was confirming Kian’s own suspicions: he was a god.

Hell yeah he was, look at him! His skin was all sparkly, kinda like that one scene in Twilight where Edward was all “grrr I’m a killer Bella” and then proceeded to glitter and shine like a Hallmark Christmas card. Plus his hair, damn his hair was all soft and totally matched that award winning smile that everyone obviously knew Kian for. And then Felix agreed that he had that leader-type charm and, well, it was entirely downhill from there.

Felix was right, this community was perfect. They were all old and lonely and sad and could use a lovely dose of Kiki in their lives, their bright and shining saviour in a time of turmoil. He could really do something with all of this untapped power. Kian could really make changes, it was finally his time to shine.

“Yeah… Yeah, you are totally right, Fefe.” Kian whistled, dropping his chin onto the top of the steering wheel. “Glenda’s husband… Glenda… That poor woman, she’s so sad, Fefe.” Kian whimpered out, brows knitting together and eyebrows furrowing. “Mr Glenda never knew what was comin’. He just… he… he died, Fefe.”

Was he crying? Absolutely, the kind of gross sobbing, all red cheeked, glassy eyed, heart thumping, gasping for air cry.

“Fefe, we need to help her.” Kian managed as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

So help they did.

Felix took the reins at first and Glenda was far from amused, immediately going off on something about extended warranty for her car, if that is what an F150 was (though it could have just as easily been a lawnmower for all Kian knew), and then something about a sweepstakes. But Felix, Felix always had a plan. Of course he did, he was the brains of every operation he was involved in. And little old Glenda? Well, Glenda was falling right into their trap.

In came Kian, tripping gracefully out of the golf cart and over to Glenda and Prophet Fefe. Reaching out a sweaty hand, Kian looked down at his damp palm and gave it a quick wipe on his jeans before reaching it out again.

“Namaste, Glenda, I am the Great Kikian, founder of the uh…” Think, Kian, think. “Church of Kiphelanology. I see my wise Prophet Fefeian has foreseen your future with us. Tell me, Glendian, do you feel lonely?”

“No,” she replied sharply as she began to walk away. Kian reached out and grabbed her shoulder, giving it a few solid pats.

“There there, Glendian, there’s no need to lie. I know your husband recently died, the great Prophet Fefeian saw this in his dreams.” Kian grabbed the woman’s face and shook his head, the tears falling down his face once more. “Glendian, I am so sorry you lost him.”

“Get off of me!” Glendian yelled as her knee lifted with quite some force and made contact with his Phelan family jewels. “I was never married! Security! Security!”

Kian couldn’t breathe.

His poor nuts.

His poor ego.

His poor cult.

How was he going to survive?

A couple walked down the opposite side of the road and Kian burst into a sprint, waving for Felix to follow him as he tripped over his own feet and struggled to lift his legs through the quicksand concrete underfoot. He was moving but he was moving in slow motion, as if he was running away from a monster in a dream. But then he was in front of the couple, embracing them both.

“You are healed, my children!” Kian yelled as the two struggled from his grasp. “Find hope in the Church of Kiphelanology! We are the way to your holy salvation, we are the true path of light! Prophet Fefeian has seen it with his eyes! Rejoice in the presence of the fou-”

WHOOP WHOOP!

Kian knew the noise before he even turned around, every muscle in his body tensing. The lights were already flashing behind him as Kian looked to Felix, the colour draining from his sweating face. The damn cops were right behind them.

“Prophet Fefe…” Kian whimpered. “We gotta go!”

Kian didn’t wait for Felix, he simply made the assumption that Felix was behind him. Before he knew it, Kian was behind the driving wheel of the golf cart tearing down the road past the cops and through the gate with a rushed whisper of “ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit” jumping off his lips as he struggled to keep the cart on the road.

His vision was blurring.

The road was twisting.

Grass and dirt and rocks were flying everywhere.

Then suddenly, the road wasn’t underneath them anymore.

There was a moment of clarity, a break in the drug-filled haze, where Kian realized that the damn golf cart had caught air as they launched off a hill towards the parking lot. Then they crashed and the wheels hissed under the pressure and screeched against the pavement.

“Dude, let’s get outta here!” Kian yelled as he hopped in Felix’s car. Safe from the cops, Kian let out a heavy sigh as the pounding of his head began again and his eyes drifted shut.

º º code by ditto º º
 
winter ball
  • Index






    • Damien Slater


    His fingers angrily yanked the tie from around his neck again and Damien glared at the reflection staring back at him. His hands came down to rest on either side of the porcelain sink and he leaned in closer to stare at the hollow look in his dark eyes. He tilted his head this way and that way, studying his pasty skin for a moment before he leaned back, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he looked back down at the tie.

    He picked it up once more and brought it back around his neck. He looped it around and he tilted his head up, gaze focused on the tie in the mirror as his clumsy fingers attempted to tie the knot once again. And yet again, the knot came out clumsy and poor, and Damien wanted nothing more than to reach out and break the mirror in front of him. There was something about seeing that mocking look in his eyes directed right back at him as he tried to tie this fucking tie that was just fucking... just... pissing him the absolute fuck off.

    Damien angrily tugged at the end of the tie to try and pull it from around his neck, except that he'd fucking knotted it, so he ended up just yanking the knot up closer to his neck until he was practically fucking choking. His fingers came up, struggling to undo the knot, until the limp gray tie fell to the sink by his waist.

    He glared down at it.

    Mother fucking tie had just tried to murder him.

    He grabbed his phone, opening up YouTube and searching for a video on how to tie a goddamn fucking tie. While the video played, Damien tried to follow along, his clumsy fingers again struggling to follow through with the video -- plus, the longer he attempted, the harder it was getting.

    "Dane, we can't keep doing this."

    "What do you want me to do? I can't--"

    "I want you to take this seriously and try--"

    His mother's voice was cut off by his father's hand slamming against the table, and the startling noise caught the attention of everyone else in the room and a couple nearby guards. His father gave them a smile and a small nod of his head as he lifted a hand up to run through his dark curly hair, the chain dangling from his wrist clanging against the table as he did so.

    "Miranda, I can't make my sentence go any faster," he said through gritted teeth.

    "Would you just work with the lawyers? I can't..." his mom reached over, and her hands closed over Damien's ears -- he could still hear her, but he always pretended to not because he knew that it would just make his mom feel bad. "I can't pay rent and take care of Damien all by myself. I don't even have anywhere to take him when I'm working at the club -- I can't do this, Dane. I just can't anymore."

    She released her grip on his ears, and Damien smiled at his mom. The worried expression on her face melted away for a moment as she smiled down at her son and then looked back towards his dad.

    His father was getting frustrated -- Damien could tell that.

    "Look," Damien stated proudly, and both of his parents looked towards him. He pushed himself up farther in his seat and leaned across the table, pointing at the tie that he'd clumsily tied around his neck. "I got a school dance later and I wanna wear this. Didn't I do good?" He asked, lifting his chin up as he did.

    Dane let out a chuckle. "Yeah, looks real good, champ," he said and started to reach across the table to adjust the tie. "Here, let me show you how to--"

    "Hey, hey sit back," one of the guards said as he started towards them.

    His dad leaned back, his hands slamming against the table. "Are you fucking serious? I'm trying to show my son how to tie his goddamn tie."

    "You know the rules, you can't interact."

    "Are you fucking kidding me? No, this is fucking bullshit. I'm just--"

    "Actually, I think your time is up." The guard gestured for another one to come over.

    "They just fucking got here. I'm not leaving."

    "Don't make this harder on yourself."

    Damien's hand shot out and he grabbed his phone. The video was still playing but at some point, Damien's thoughts had drifted off and he'd stopped listening. He picked up the phone and threw it towards the opposite side of the bathroom. It slammed into the wall and fell to the ground with a thunk, but the video didn't stop.

    He could still hear the faint sound of the video playing, and that just pissed him off more.

    There was a knock on the bathroom door.

    "Damien, are you okay?" His mother's voice asked.

    "Yeah, yeah I'm fu... I'm fine," he mumbled. He'd turned his head back down, his fingers digging into the edges of the porcelain sink once again. Still hanging from his neck was the fucking tie.

    Silence for a moment, and he thought his mother may have walked away.

    "Can I come in?"

    Damien glanced towards the door. "Yeah," he grumbled, and the doorknob twisted as his mother stepped into the bathroom with him. He lifted his head back up so that he could stare into his reflection's gaze once again.

    "Oh my gosh, turn so I can see you," Miranda said, and Damien did as his mother had asked him as he turned so she could study him. Her hands readjusted the jacket hanging on his thin frame, and then her fingers hovered near the tie. Her lips downturned into a small frown. "Do you want me to get George and see if he can help you with that?"

    "No," Damien answered quickly. He gave a shake of his head. "No, I'm just ahh..." he pulled away from his mother and headed towards where his phone had fallen. He picked it up from the ground and turned off the stupid fucking YouTube video as he did so -- the screen had cracked, but that was nothing new.

    "I gotta uh, I gotta go pick up Luci, mom," he mumbled.

    "Yeah, yeah, of course," his mother said with a smile. "Have fun, alright?"

    "Yeah, 'course."

    -----------------------------​

    Damien was not having fucking fun.

    He'd gone and picked up Luci, and he'd given her the corsage bullshit that he'd bought for her, and they'd done all of the dumb ass date stuff, you know. Dinner and all that shit -- but there was this part of him that had hated every minute of it, even if the company was at least decent.

    Like he could've been stuck with a worse bitch.

    But now, they'd actually gotten there. To the Winter Ball. He'd parked, and he'd done the whole fucking holding the car door open for Luci -- he was pretty sure she would've eaten him alive if he hadn't -- and now they were walking up towards where the actual dumbass school dance was being held.

    As they walked up towards the Winter Ball's location, Damien found himself tugging uncomfortably at the tie around his neck again. There was a few quiet curses muttered under his breath, but he'd pasted a smile on his face every time that Luci bothered to look in his direction.

    God, he didn't know why the fuck he was here, allowing himself to be pulled around by this bitch. Sure, she was hot, but hot only got you so far before your demands were just fucking ridiculous. Damien wasn't the dating type at fucking all (yeah, he knew what a surprise -- fuck you), and this was pushing it for him. Being some chick's date to the fucking Ball, and having only slept with this single chick for the last few weeks...

    It was really getting to him.

    And fuck, this tie was going to be the motherfucking death of him.

    He finally let go of it and decided he was just going to look like a fucking five-year-old for the night when his dark eyes caught sight of Kian fucking Phelan, who'd actually shown up despite throwing a fit on Twitter earlier and claiming he wouldn't be. Damien let out a huff of indignant air, a slight shake to his head.

    "Hey, I'll meet you in there," Damien told Luci. He reached out with one hand, his fingers lightly brushing against her arm, and then he offered her a small smile (not at all fucking forced -- fuck you) before he turned and walked towards Kian. His hands went to rest lazily in his pockets, his lips drawing back into a harsh grin.

    "Thought you weren't coming," he snapped, his tone coming out harsher than intended as he came to a stop in front of Kian.

    "Sorry to disappoint you, but I couldn't bail on the boys." Kian spat. "Did you get ditched already or somethin'? Or did you just come over to rub some bullshit about how lonely I am in my face?"

    Damien let out a snort of laughter, an annoyed look on his face. "No, fuckhead," he snapped, "I'm meeting Luci inside." How fucking dare he assume that Damien had been ditched, and better yet, how fucking dare he assume that Damien was just here to treat him like shit.

    Like sure, that's probably what Damien had in mind, but still.

    Fuck him.

    Also fuck him for saying his only reason was coming to not "bail on the boys." That was so fucking dumb. He barely even knew Javi or Lucky.

    Kian seemed a bit off, but Damien didn't dwell on it for too long. Not that he really fucking cared.

    "Seriously, what the hell do you want, Damien?" Kian asked.

    "I don't fucking know," Damien snapped back. His fingers reached up again to tug at the tie that was closed around his neck, because the longer he talked to Kian, the more it felt like it was seriously fucking choking him out. "Just came to wish you good luck or some shit because ahh... I don't fucking know."

    "Dude." Kian blurted out suddenly, his eyes dropping from Damien's face to the blue silk around his neck. "Damien, Damien stop. Cut it out," he huffed, smacking Damien's hands away, "you're going to choke yourself out. Here..."

    With a huff, Damien let his hands drop to his sides and slip into his pockets. "I already fucking did," he grumbled.

    "You never could tie these things." Kian said as he fixed the tie. Damien's eyes were focused everywhere but Kian's face, until he'd finished with the tie, and his hands rested on Damien's collarbone. Then he found his dark eyes trailing back to Kian's face. "You, um, you look nice tonight."

    Silence for a second. Nothing really but the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.

    "Jet Black Neon, you're on in five!"

    Kian's hands dropped away, and Damien glanced towards the voice. He huffed, kicking at a rock by his foot.

    "I, uh... Have fun in there with Luci." Kian rushed, and Damien looked back towards his friend.

    "Yeah, ahh... you, too," Damien mumbled. "And thanks, I guess..." he grumbled, pointing towards the tie before giving Kian a thumbs up and watching as his friend disappeared into the building.

    Once he was gone, Damien turned back around and walked towards the front of the building with his hands in his pockets. He slipped inside, hesitating near the entrance as he glanced around until his eyes settled on Luci. A small grin formed itself on his face as he sauntered over to her.

    "Hey," he greeted, and Damien slipped an arm around her waist. "You know, when you get bored of all this dumb fucking glitz and glam shit, we could..." he gave a little tilt of his head, "you know, maybe sneak out, do something a little more fun, just the two of us..."

    As he trailed off, a grin spread its way across his way.




    mood
    hatethishatethishatethis

    location
    Winter Ball

    outfit
    bruh this dude don't have good pictures in suits





    playing...
    Sad Songs
    by Kyd the Band​




    mentions
    Kian

    interactions
    Luci

    tags
    Stardust Galaxy Stardust Galaxy


    º º code by ditto º º
     
  • Index






    • Nathan Woods


    When it came down to it, Nathan Woods typically didn't get embarrassed or feel insecure. Sure, Nate had a lot of issues -- he wouldn't be the first to admit that, but he did recognize that it was true -- but one thing he typically never had an issue with was, well, himself. He was fucking hot, and he knew that.

    So, generally, Nate didn't find himself self-conscious about much of anything, least of all the clothes that he chose to wore. After all, clothes were something that the wearer decided on, so why wear something that really showcased your insecurities and made you uncomfortable?

    Well, guess he was kind of a hypocrite on that front tonight.

    As he brought the red jacket up over his broad shoulders, Nate found himself staring at his reflection in the cracked mirror that he had sitting in his bedroom. Sure, he knew he looked good in the dark red suit, but he also knew that it was... well, it wasn't the kind of suit that people could really overlook. It would be the kind of thing that would draw people's attention, and that was what caused some kind of insecurity to bloom in his chest.

    Why was he wearing it then you ask?

    Well, Evie had made it for him -- for that fucking Arts Festival thing -- and she was wearing a red dress. Of course, he hadn't told her that he was going to be wearing this because he kind of wanted it to be a bit of a surprise. But staring at himself in the mirror, he was wondering if he should just give in and swap it out for something else.

    Nathan Woods like to fade into the background and be someone that people generally overlooked, and there was nothing about this suit that was going to do that for him.

    Of course, he'd kind of given up on that little comfort the moment he'd asked Evelyn Sinclaire to be his girlfriend. There was nothing about Evie that faded into the background, and he... well, he knew that. He'd known that from the first moment his lips had crashed against hers, and the that first time that he'd gone home with her. And he'd thought "hey, good thing it was a one night stand," but it had turned into more, and now...

    He was all twisted up with her.

    There was that familiar little feeling of... sickness, in the pit of his stomach. The fight or flight instinct that would kick in sometimes when he thought too much about the feelings he had for Evie.

    Before he could overthink himself and change out of the suit, Nate grabbed his shit so he could leave to go to Evie's. As he started out of the bedroom, though, he lit up a joint to smoke on the way.

    What? Helped with the nerves.

    ------------------​

    Nate had driven the familiar way to Evie's apartment, and he'd parked outside of her apartment, but he didn't get out quite yet. Instead, he remained seated in the driver's seat. He took another hit off the joint before he put it out and dropped it into the center console of his car alongside his lighter.

    Just last weekend, he'd hung out with Mike and Lucky. A good portion of that day had been snatched from his memory, forgotten in the fog that had claimed his mind following the pills he'd popped and the alcohol he'd consumed. When he'd actually come out of the fog, there'd been some feeling of guilt.

    Guilt, mixed with a familiar itch.

    You know, that itch that was that hunger inside of him, demanding to know when it would be fed next. When he'd sate it with his next set of drugs.

    He'd smoked some weed, and that had edged it off, but not enough. He could still feel it creeping at the edges of his thoughts, and Nate had found himself scratching at his wrists all week long until they were red and raw from his fingernails. All in an attempt to sate that itch without falling backwards.

    Before you judged him, no, Nate hadn't told Evie, because there was no reason to worry her about something that was nothing more than a minor blip.

    Nathan Woods was no longer a drug addict. Nathan Woods had recovered.

    So he swallowed the guilt he felt, and he opened his car door.

    Nate stepped out onto the pavement and as he started towards her apartment complex, he locked the car behind him, waiting for that familiar beep beep before he headed inside.

    He made his way up to her apartment, and he pressed the doorbell. Nate stepped back for a moment, waiting until the door opened up to reveal his super fucking hot girlfriend.

    "Hey," he breathed, "You look... amazing." He said, his dark eyes looking her up and down.

    There was a wistful smile on his face and all of that guilt from before? Gone.




    mood
    mellow

    location
    Winter Ball

    outfit
    this dude wears red suits a lot





    playing...
    Kissaphobic
    by Make Out Monday​




    mentions
    Mike, Lucky

    interactions
    Evie

    tags
    jasmyn jasmyn


    º º code by ditto º º
     
    MOOD:
    fine. just fine (liar)

    OUTFIT:
    navy blue boy
    ​
    INFO
    LOCATION:
    johannes mansion, getting ready

    WITH: gen

    MENTION:
    family group chat, chanel​
    ACTIVITY
    geminiy geminiy
    TAGS
    cappie
    Cappie had just a healthy amount of nervousness.

    It was a reasonable amount of it. Not about the way he looked—although, he spent at least 10 minutes trying several different hairstyles, and then he asked everyone in the house if the clay-pomade that styled his clean hair in place smelled overpowering or not. (An mellow earthy-floral-ish scent of sage, lavender, and a hint of mint. Because Cappie knew better than to buy cheap chemically perfumy products like Axe.) His navy blue three-piece suit with a double-breasted vest was smooth and crisp, not a single lint of wrinkle in sight; and his black leather shoes were freshly polished, laid aside, ready to be worn later on.

    So, why should he feel nervous?

    Well, the way his necktie looked was bugging him. Its knot always looked kind of lopsided from doing the most basic and most common tying, and it just didn’t seem to fit the overall neat, symmetrical appearance of his suit. There were many different ways to tie a necktie; they were quite complex and difficult to get right, and neither his mom nor step-dad were here to help him with it. He wasn’t OCD or an everyday perfectionist, but he was meticulous about his appearance when it mattered, especially when it came to his hair, like he was a baby Uncle Jesse. No way was he would want to look sloppy for an event like Hollywood Arts’ Winter Ball.

    His main concern was more towards a surprise gift that he impulsively promised to give to someone because a generic corsage was lame and this someone almost decided not to go to the ball. When you’re friends with rich people who can already easily afford all sorts of fancy stuff and have other rich friends who can give them fancy stuff, finding the perfect gift under a limited personal budget wasn’t easy.

    He managed to find it yesterday—after several days and many hours out in the town, while also having his own suit shopping. It was tucked away safely in a small and flat plain, unassuming cardboard box. For some reason, Cappie saw the box as too plain, like it would make anyone assume he wasn’t really trying, even though he was in his own way while under a limited budget. And his winter ball date wasn’t known for being easily impressed...

    He pushed aside his silly insecurity, distracting his thoughts with the DM group chat with his housemates. It was stupid fretting over how boring and underwhelming his gift packaging looked.

    So what if he was nervous? So what if he had some insecurities that were clearly trivial while attending a school full of judgemental people? What gave Cappie the right to have such a simple human feeling? Shameful.

    Thank god he didn’t dwell on that thought any longer. Gen Johannes, who somehow lost her shoes in the mansion, offered to help fix his hair and necktie. She was also going to smell his hair for a bit—she was the only person in the mansion that hadn’t smelled the hairstyling product in his hair yet. Cappie was still a little indecisive about which hairstyle he should go for, but he’d probably end up with his basic go-to side-parting.

    He knocked on Gen’s bedroom door. “Hey, big sis, ready to sniff my hair?” Cappie was nearly done dressing up. Currently, his navy blue blazer was still hooked on the hanger, so it was just his vest and pants, and his necktie draped loosely around his shoulders. His blandly packaged gift was tucked safely in his pocket, to remind himself to deal with it later.
    code by valen t.
     






    Hunter Drake


    “So the day has finally come.”

    Today was a day that Hunter had found himself thinking a lot about. He hated that he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the past, about Nickie, about how he had visions for them. The Winter Ball, as well as so many other days to come, were supposed to be spent with her. He envisioned them meeting somewhere, having dinner, and then eventually getting to the ball in a fashionably late manner. Everyone knew the main stars always came a bit later than everyone else, so he wanted that for him.

    But the only place they went to was breakup city, a place that filled Hunter’s formerly romantic heart full of bitter words and images of wanting to make Nickie Abrams’ life a living hell.

    Some might say Hunter was never mighty, so he couldn’t have fallen so low, but then those people were pretty low on the social ladder anyway, so why the hell should he care? The only people who he actually gave a damn what they think were Casey, Newt, Amy, Chas, and Remi. Zeph and Stella were on that list too and Ash as well. They were the only people whose opinions held any sort of importance to him.

    He didn’t always try to be a dick. He wanted to be better, but when the universe was enabling his worst tendencies, he found it too difficult to not make Nickie’s life miserable any chance he got.

    Tonight wasn’t about Nickie, though. Or at least this moment wasn’t about her. Her time would come very shortly, he had no doubt about that, but right now, there was another girl in Hunter’s life that was going to be made a focus and one that he didn’t think he’d ever prioritize.

    Last week, when he was at the mall and just shortly after she was done dress shopping, Hunter had his second date with Ronnie, of all people. Their first date came after when he gave his performance at Arts Fest. He tolerated her then and tried his best not to brush her to the side, but she had proven to him that she wasn’t a bad distraction. They DM’d each other before his performance and met afterward for coffee.

    But last week was when Hunter couldn’t ignore that something was brewing. They had a second date and he even went to the liberty of ordering food for the two of them and they just hung out. Hunter complained about how much he hated buses and she told him about what happened when she was shopping for a dress. They talked about that for a bit before they just...talked. After they ate, Hunter would soon find himself looking at Ronnie.

    Looking at himself in the mirror, Hunter was smiling when he recalled asking her to be his date.

    “Can’t even believe it.” Hunter kept staring at himself in the mirror, shaking his head and smiling more as if he was a schoolgirl or something. He didn’t get this way and definitely not about Ronnie Crosby, but fuck he was like this for Ronnie Crosby.

    He saw her in such a different light. A light that really made him see that she had an amazing head of ginger hair. And her freckles that were damn near delectable in the right light.

    God, was he actually a simp for Ronnie now?

    God, no he wasn’t. But, he wasn’t going to be offended if one of his friends said that as a compliment.

    “Right. Time to go!”

    Before he left, he sent Ronnie a message that read:

    hey omw out! Should be there in 5 if the elevator is kind to me


    Giving himself a finger gun gesture in the mirror, Hunter grabbed his jacket on his way out of his dorm room and made his way down the hall. As he entered the elevator, he leaned against the back of it, just counting the seconds when he would reach Ronnie’s floor.

    For an odd reason, he was nervous. Nervous because this was going to be his first date with her. He didn’t know if this meant they were official or not or if they were just “seeing” each other. The thought alone made him laugh to himself, but in a good way. Hunter didn’t think he’d be here. He never thought he’d ever be in a place where he was dating Ronnie.

    But things change.

    Hunter has changed.

    Some people he knew might say not for the better, but they weren't on his small list of people that got to comment on what he did. What mattered was that Ronnie was now on that list and he knew she’d always have positive things to say about him.

    As if on queue, he heard the ding and the doors slid open. Moments later, Hunter made his way through the hall and knocked on her door. To his delighted surprise, Hunter had to do a full up-and-down body check of Ronnie. He didn’t know what to expect, really, but hot damn, they were going to be the best-looking couple at the ball. “Damn, you’re smoking almost as hot as your hair, Ronnie!” Hunter flashed her a sly smirk.







    mood
    Fly like a G6

    location
    Hollywood Arts Dorm Building

    outfit
    Back in black





    playing...
    Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
    by The Offspring​




    mentions
    His friends (Ash, Remi, Amy, Chas, Casey, Newt, Zeph, Stella)

    interactions
    His smoking date!

    tags
    hery hery


    º º code by ditto º º
     






    nickie abrams.


    Dominicka Marie Abrams was uncharacteristically happy this week. Like…like, she was the kind of happy where she caught herself smiling, even when she was alone. She was the kind of happy where she kind of just, like, felt kind of floaty. She was the kind of happy where she heard her negative thoughts and she was just able to ignore them and shove them aside.

    She was the kind of happy where she was just, like…happy. And there wasn’t really too much else to say about it.

    She had friends now. Did she tell you all? She, like, actually had friends now. Like, not the kind that she felt like she could, like, lose any second. Like, actual, legitimate friends. Like…well, she guessed she really just had a friend and a best friend, but they were real friends.

    Slater. Liv. Friends, you know?

    And, like, yeah, like, Slater was, like…everyone said that he wasn’t a great guy or whatever, but Nickie had been talking to him a lot and even, like, some in person, and he, like, legitimately seemed like…you know, fun. Funny. And, like, really wise. She guessed that people just didn’t get him.

    And Liv? Like…as much as Nickie had sworn up and down that Liv was some, like, divisive bitch who had it out for her…now, like, Nickie realized that that wasn’t true. Liv was just…Liv. Caught up in a lot of drama — caught up in a lot of girl drama — but, like…that was just what Liv attracted, she guessed. Liv was just, like…herself. And Nickie, like, had hated that before, but now, she kind of realized, like…

    Liv was kind of just…the girl she wanted to be.

    The more she hung out with her, the more she realized, like, just how…kind of, like…she didn’t know.

    It just felt good to hang out with her, and it made Nickie happy, but also…

    It kind of didn’t. It kind of, like…wore on her a little bit, too.

    It was a lot to explain, and, like, explaining would ruin her mood, so, like…moving on.

    The last week had…happened. The days all kind of blurred together. Monday felt like Wednesday felt like Friday felt like Tuesday felt like Thursday. She guessed that, like, the main thing that she could say about this week was that people ignored her for the most part. She walked down the hallway, and everyone kind of…looked the other way. Guess that there were other people for them to stare at.

    That didn’t really feel quite right, did it? Nickie, just, like…being happy? Having a friend and having a best friend and just…living quietly? Like, Nickie was a disaster. Nickie had always been a disaster — the disaster. The school fuckup for everyone to point and laugh at.

    Things just felt a little bit…too good right now, she guessed.

    You know, like, things felt a little bit too good getting ready with Liv for the ball. Things felt a little bit too good calling Liv her best friend. Things felt a little bit too good getting in Liv’s car and riding to the ball. Things felt a little bit too good getting out and walking in with linked arms.

    Nickie didn’t know why, but things felt…too good.

    Like she was forgetting something, or like something was forgetting her. Like something fucked was going to happen, or like she was going to fuck something up, or like she should be fucking something up, or just…

    She didn’t know. She didn’t know, but she was so damn happy that it felt like a crime.

    She chattered a bit with Liv, but then Liv needed to get something or do something, and…so Nickie was just kind of alone again.

    A little something cracked inside her. Alone, at the ball. Watching Liv going around and greeting everyone. But it was just for a moment, she reminded herself, and, like…she cheered up again. Right, like...she totally cheered up again.

    But it was a little bit more than just a moment, and something was starting to kind of crack inside her again. Ducking her head, she made her way over to the refreshments table.

    She came to a stop by the punch bowl, and she just kind of stared into it.

    At least her reflection looked nice enough tonight.

    Something was unsettled in her stomach right now. There were anxious flutters in her chest.

    But...but no. She was fine. Still happy, like...like, her mind was on nothing but, like...happy shit right now.




    mood
    : ) but also conflicted

    location
    the ball

    outfit
    red dress





    playing...
    normal
    by nickie.​




    mentions
    slater

    interactions
    liv

    tags
    Soap Soap


    º º code by ditto º º
     






    Gen & Liv



    Breathe, Gen.

    Her fingers were still trembling despite her grip on her steering wheel, manicured nails tapping against the black leather as her eyes drifted from the front door to the upstairs window, Liv's bedroom window. She was probably in there somewhere, lounging around with soft music thumping through speakers while she awaited Gen's 'I'm here' text. When they had been dating, Gen wouldn't have bothered with a message, instead walking right up there herself to see her. Most of the time, Gen and Liv had made their plans, but sometimes they never left Liv's room.

    A pang of guilt ripped through Gen's stomach as she dropped her gaze from the bedroom window to her phone to send Liv the message. Gen couldn't be thinking about that, about the sneaky kisses and the late nights and the embraces. Liv was her friend now, things were strictly platonic. Besides, Gen was in no position to be thinking like that about anyone but Landon.

    It was hard to make the disconnect between the past and the present when it came to Liv, especially when her current relationship was so... dramatic. Landon was perfect: kind, thoughtful, attractive. The connection was there between them but there was also something else that Gen couldn't quite place. With Liv, things had been rocky but Gen never doubted how Liv was feeling about her, never thought about anyone else when she was on her lips, never wondered if being with her was the right idea. With Landon, it was different. He was perfect as a boyfriend but there always seemed to be something in the way, always Evie or a friend or some stupid bullshit that Gen just wanted to ignore. Even with the drugs, Liv's priority was Gen. She couldn't say the same about Landon.

    "Fuck." Gen groaned as she leaned her head back against the plush headrest. There was that guilt again. She shouldn't be here, not now, not with Liv, not while Landon had no clue where she was. They'd only been dating a week and Gen was already lying, already running around behind his back with her ex-girlfriend. The only reason Gen had even agreed to go was because they had promised things would be different this time.

    Liv appeared in the doorway and Gen instantly knew that her promises of difference was a lie.
    ──────────── ❖ ────────────​

    She didn't know what the plan was. What was she supposed to wear? What are you supposed to wear when you're going out with your ex-- as a friend. Liv had... no doubt she would be able to pull it off. She has tons of friends. Okay, not really. But she knows how to be with her friends. All she had to do was take the flirting aspect out of talking with her friends. Which... was easier said than done with Liv.

    Especially because Gen wasn’t just a friend no matter how many times she tried to convince herself of that fact.

    There was too many feelings, too much history.

    It was complicated— but she was forcing it to be normal anyway.

    They both were.

    It was a small price to pay when you miss someone that much.

    Liv settled on some dress. Fancy— but not too fancy, short but not too short. It was nice to wear something a little less… bright.

    Was she trying to impress her?

    Yes.

    Liv, even herself always knew that no matter what she did— or how she did it, subconsciously she’d always have the thought of Gen in her mind.

    It wasn’t that every choice relied on that. But it was a really good amount of em.

    She wished this was an actual date.

    Which was unfair to Kayla— even though they weren’t exclusive or… oh, they only had one kiss!

    But Liv only feels guilty for wishing this was something more for Gen’s sake.

    She’s the one with an actual relationship.

    She’s the one who has feelings for someone other than her.

    As much as she hated it, she still felt terrible for even allowing the thought to cross her mind.

    A text announced that Gen was here and her heart skipped all-too-many beats.

    And no, it wasn’t because of the drugs.

    She wasn’t dumb enough to take something just before their date. Gen knew her too well for that and Liv isn’t planning on ruining today

    Besides, it was one day.

    She can go without Oxy for a day.

    Liv exited the lavish apartment building, catching Gen’s gaze through the car window, failing to suppress a smile.

    This wasn’t fair.

    Soon enough, the passenger door was opened and a Liv was plopped down onto the seat with an almost beaming smile.

    “Hi.” She greeted, a soft semi-awkward giggle escaped her.

    “Sorry, sorry. It’s just…”

    I missed you.

    “Nevermind. You look gorgeous— to die for. I could probably jump off a cliff and be revived just by your beauty.” Livanna said, her shoulders rising on a half-hearted shrug.

    Friends can compliment friends, right?

    Er… exes can compliment exes, right?

    Sure they can.

    ──────────── ❖ ────────────​

    Liv appeared in the doorway at the same time that Gen realized just how horrible of an idea this all was.

    "You're just friends." Gen reassured herself as she reached over for her door handle, fingers lingering over the silver lever. No, getting out and opening the door would seem date-like, romantic, not at all platonic. Friends just got in the car themselves, that was it.

    The door opened with a burst of cooling autumn air, carrying the sweet scent of Liv on the breeze and into the front seat. The mild bite of the wind was nothing compared to the warmth that came from that well-known scent, the type of smell that Gen had come to love when dancing her lips along Liv's neck or wrapping her hands up in her silky hair. It was all too familiar, all too dangerous.

    “Hi.” Liv's giggle cut through Gen's chest, her heart letting out a few heavy thumps behind her ribs as she drew in a breath. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just…”

    'Fuck, I missed her so much,' Gen thought quietly to herself.

    “Nevermind. You look gorgeous— to die for. I could probably jump off a cliff and be revived just by your beauty.” Liv complimented with a mild shrug that Gen caught from the corner of her vision.

    Gen slowly forced her gaze away from the road to look at Liv for the first time since she had entered the car, her eyes hungrily eating up her appearance as if trying to etch each curve and edge and colour in memory. Maybe it was habit, maybe it was concern, but Gen briefly found herself out of her trance to look for the signs she had grown to hate, physical signs of the fucking drug that had ruined everything. But Liv's pupils were normal. Her hands weren't shaking. There was a healthy glow to her skin.

    Liv wasn't high.

    "Thanks." Gen managed softly as she let out the breath she had been subconsciously holding in. Reaching over, she took Liv's hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "You look beautiful too."

    Friends could compliment friends, that wasn't weird. But her grip on Liv's hand lasted too long, her fingers were too at home woven between Liv's, the magnetism of it all still threatened to pull her in. Gen knew it was wrong but she couldn't let go, couldn't convince herself to look away.

    "I, um..." Gen attempted to start, her tongue wetting her lip. "We should hit the road, yeah? San Diego's a bit of a drive."

    She didn't wait for an answer. Her hand left Liv's and the engine roared to life. Gen had to drive, had to do something other than just sit and look at Liv. If she didn't get away now, it would be too late.

    ──────────── ❖ ────────────​

    Gen's hand reached out for hers and Liv didn't pull away. Well, she didn't even have time to react but even if she did, she wouldn't of pulled away. Her heart began to race at the sudden-- yet oh so-familiar contact. But she didn’t do anything. As much as she wanted to smile wider, squeeze her hand tighter, do something super incredibly couple-ish and lift Gen’s hand to her lips, Liv knew she couldn’t.

    And that just made it hurt all the more.

    Gen pulled away and Liv tore her gaze away from her. “Probably, yeah. Superrrr long ride.” It wasn’t super long… She sounded so dumb. She was so nervous. All she had to do was be normal.

    Normalllll.

    Normal like… not sneaking glances over at her as she drove.

    Normal as in not allowing her gaze to run over the slight curve of her jaw, back to her lips and below. Normal like… not wishing Liv could just tell her to pull over and find herself on Gen’s lap, kissing the crook of her neck.

    But, uh.

    When has Liv ever been normal?

    Dinner was… less awkward than she imagined.

    It was weird at first, but Liv just started blabbering about the last time they were there and… conversation kinda flowed naturally after that. It was like old times. As cliche as it was, it just felt nice. It was selfish, but it felt right.

    Gen kinda gave her one of those looks and eventually, Liv felt bad and actually ate the actual dinner instead of focusing on dessert. No sexual innuendo implied— like, seriously.

    But it just added to the familiarity, and Liv wasn’t shocked how easy it was to fall back into that with her.

    Her laughter died down from some… definitely not funny but incredibly funny thing that Gen said.

    “I missed this, y’know?” She started, taking a spoonful of cake, gesturing towards her with the spoon.

    “I missed us.”

    Nothing has ever felt more true.

    This?

    This was the only thing in Liv’s life at the moment that remotely made sense.

    ──────────── ❖ ────────────​

    “I missed us.”

    It hurt. Those words cut through Gen like a hot knife, pulling her ribs apart and digging directly into her chest. The elephant in the room was finally addressed, thrown out into the open by three simple words. Liv had taken control, said those words with hesitation or inhibition. She didn't just miss Gen, she missed them together. Gen had tried over and over and over again to convince herself that she didn't feel the same, that it was a love of the nostalgia and not of Liv. But she did, she missed Liv more than anything else in her entire life. Gen realized that she had been standing there staring at Liv and took her hand in her own, turning around and pulling her along behind her.

    "Come on," she spoke softly.

    Down the pier the two went, Gen's fingers sturdily laced between Liv's as she tugged her along behind her at an unrelenting pace. Gen didn't stop walking until the tickets onto the private rental boat were in her hands and the polished deck bobbing between her feet. Even then with the hum of the motor and the splash of the water up the side of of boat, Gen couldn't find it in herself to speak or let go of Liv's hand. The motor cut off and the boat slowly drifted to a halt, the sun lowering on the horizon casting a warm orange glow across the rippling waves. It was only then that Gen dropped Liv's hand, heart thumping sporadically in her chest.

    What was she supposed to do now? Tell her everything was over again? Tell her that she had been lying all that time in saying she didn't care anymore? Close the gap between them and burn the energy firing between them? Genevieve Johannes was nervous, fingers tapping against her knees and words stuck in her throat, threatening to spill over the edge with each passing second.

    "Livanna..." Gen trailed off, a heavy sigh falling out of her lips.

    So many excuses, so many what-ifs, so many fanciful words that simply wouldn't be enough. Her head tilted slowly to the side, eventually resting it on Liv's shoulder. For a long while, Gen just listened to the sound of Liv's breathing and the rhythmic thumping of her heart. Fingers intertwining once again, Gen tilted her chin up to look at Liv through her lashes, the faintest smile on her lips as her eyes looked her over as the grin spread across her cheeks.

    Gen pulled herself off of Liv's shoulder and reached her spare hand up, fingers gently stroking down Liv's cheek to her jaw and towards her chin, tilting her face up towards Gen's. Her lungs felt as if they were about to pop, her honeyed cheeks turning redder with each nervous thud of her chest. Eyes drifting down to Liv's lips, Gen smiled wholly this time as she leaned closer, the feeling of Liv's breath warming the cool sting of the ocean air on her face.

    "I missed us too."





    this post was made in collaboration with the lovely soapapa






    playing...
    hurts so good
    by astrid s​







    Soap Soap


    º º code by ditto º º
     
    "Goddess of Chaos"
    Magnolia Darrington
    @Rebel.lia.on has set their status to:
    Charming as the Devil and twice as pretty

    @Rebel.lia.on has set their outfit to:
    Bold as ever (Orange is the new black)

    @Rebel.lia.on has set their location to:
    Winter Ball

    @Rebel.lia.on has mentioned:
    Josie, Ash, Lucky, JJ, spencer

    @Rebel.lia.on has interacted with:
    Remi ( AkuTheWolfOkami AkuTheWolfOkami )
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    It of course was just Maggie's luck to bump into Ash of ALL people. For a city as big as LA it sure did feel like a small town sometimes. The blondes awkward stuttering didn't help improve her mood about the whole thing either. In fact it only served as further irritation because it just proved what very little bark Ash had online (which probably wasn't even 100% her) was no where to be seen in person. She had no bite, and was shrinking away as per usual.

    Maybe Lucky had spoken to her and this was her way of avoiding further conflict, but that only semi-satisfied her. Only semi because there wasn't a doubt in her mind that even if he hadn't, she'd still act like this once she was face to face with her so long as it was without her little white knights there to rescue her and speak for her.

    Before Maggie could open her mouth to say something her phone started buzzing like crazy. She took it out and noticed it was Josie and what she was saying her eyes growing wide as the messages poured in both through DM's and on the twitter main.

    Fuck.

    "I gotta go. Have fun." She waved at JJ a bit apologetic since she didn't plan on ditching her so abruptly, but Josie needed her and as cool as JJ was she wasn't her best friend. She was no Josie.

    As Maggie made her way to the front of the mall ordering an Uber while still messaging back Josie as quickly as she could the rage in her started to build.

    How dare he!

    This was the "pile" Lucky was talking about earlier. He'd been fucking up all day and all Maggie could think about was WHY. What was going on with him that he thought any of this was ok? No that's the thing, he wasn't thinking he couldn't have been. He was just reacting and doing whatever he damn well pleased. Why? She had no idea. But she for damn sure was going to find out. Why he woke up this morning and choose betrayal.

    She hoped inside of the Uber and gave her driver the address to Josie's apartment. Well she had to make a couple pit stops along the way just a few pick me ups for Josie to help her feel a bit better. She was going to get fucked up regardless, but it's better with a friend. Not to mention Charlie sounded like she'd be there soon too which would help. She stayed their most of the evening and night doing anything and everything to help Josie feel even a fragment better before leaving her in the capable hands of her roommates.

    Then she stormed over to Lucky's apartment afterwards for some well deserved god damned answers. What she got? Bull shit and dick. Not the best outcome, but if there was anything all of them had in common was how fucked up they all were. This just proved it.

    She spent the rest of the week basically avoiding him unless she had to speak to him. She hated what he did, she hated he was still cool with Ash, she hated the fact she didn't 100% hate him when he damn well deserved it. She hated the fact she couldn't tell Josie either because she didn't need to feel betrayed by BOTH her best friends. Even if every time they spoke it was still Maggie telling Lucky to get his shit together and make things right with Josie.

    The night of the ball was here now though and she convinced herself she was going to have a good time and have it involve as little drama as possible. Lucky was apparently going with Amy of all people which was just too fucking weird for Maggie's taste. Like what was with him and these goodie-two-shoe girls all the sudden?

    Whatever it didn't matter. What did she care what a backstabbing prick with a damn good prick did? Nothing that's what. She could not see him the whole dance and be better off for it as far as she was concerned. Well that's what she told herself over and over again because fake it till yah make it right?


    She got dressed and waited for Remi to call saying he was here. It felt a little weird all things considered for them to be going together, but she knew they were just friends and knew he had eyes for someone else anyways, so the chances of them spending much time together was slim. She tried to let that calm her anxieties as she did her hair and make-up. Thinking a little about how funny it would be if JJ saw her right now. Maggie was hot and she knew it but she also knew she dressed in a certain type of way. She liked attention. She'd grown to love even the bad kind so long as it wasn't from those she truly loved. Not that she truly loved JJ but her thought and comments were amusing, and in general she did like the girl. More so then she'd ever admit in a serious tone.

    Remi arrived looking dashing as ever and honestly it didn't take much time at all for all those anxieties and fears to wash away. They had a nice dinner and everything felt really nice. She forgot how much she missed spending time with him. They beneath all the playful flirting and teasing they actually really were friends. Spending time with people like him without being high outta her mind was becoming oddly refreshing. Kinda like she felt that day at the arts fest with Spencer.

    Now they made their way into the open ball area she turned grinning at him, "Here we are." she turned to look in the direction of the DJ, "Too bad they aren't playing anything good right now. I guess it's too early get turnt." she giggled. "see anything worth exploring ?" She hummed.
    º º code by ditto º º
     
    "Focus on me, I'm about to blow them all away"
    Stella Bailey
    @Steller.Bae has set their status to:
    Baby it's cold outside~

    @Steller.Bae has set their outfit to:
    Winter wonder

    @Steller.Bae has set their location to:
    Winter Ball

    @Steller.Bae has mentioned:
    Kinni, Lin, Landon

    @Steller.Bae has Interacted with:
    Zeph ( Winona Winona )
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    The fitting was quick and painless. Maybe the girl wouldn't be annoying after all to get to know. Plus knowing someone her age with some talent in the Plastics department could prove useful in the long run. Not to mention Beth seemed to think she was a decent enough person to befriend so maybe there would be a chance later for them to actually get to know one another.

    The rest of her day seemed like it was going to go smoothly as well. Filming was great! She loved her job, and loved getting to work with her friends whenever the opportunity presented itself. Landon was great and she could just feel it in her bones that this show was going to be a hit! Then again with talent like theirs on the screen who could it not? find another pair of actors their age more talented then them? (Except Dorian and Channel of course) She'll wait...nothing? Thought so.

    It was great till she got a text from Zeph saying he was in the hospital...and of fucking course guess with who? Lin! Ding ding ding we have a winner but the prize isn't money or fame or anything. Nope! It's a medical bill because why the hell wouldn't Zeph finally get injured trying to keep up with Lin's crackhead level energy. It was only a matter of time honestly. And while she was worried sick and she was also mad as hell. Because how could he be so...so irresponsible?! His body is literally his whole career here!

    She was turning red due to all the high emotions running through her body. She couldn't even respond to the text for a moment because she didn't want to lash out at him instantly. Firstly she just sent him back asking where he was specifically. She could lecture him later and in person far better then over a text. Plus they weren't done filming for the day so she couldn't just leave anyways.

    To bad she was so worried and frustrated she kept messing up her lines. The director finally just told her she could go and make sure he was ok.

    She felt awful. She's NEVER been sent home from a job early. Sure the director was super cool about it and understood that he was important to her and it was only natural...but she was still embarrassed, and she hated it. He didn't even care enough about his own well being and career to know how to tell Lin he won't do something that'll get him hurt, but here she is caring so much about him that it's affecting hers! She didn't know if it was unfair or hypocritical and that just served to annoy her even more.

    By the time she got to the hospital and her rage turned to hot tears of relief as the only major injury was in fact a broken arm. She was worried sick because knowing Lin's shenanigan's it could've been worse. Of course Lin wasn't injured which only pissed her off more. But she refused to even recognize Lin's presence. If she had she'd have gone off on him and that would've made Zeph uncomfortable, and then she'd have gotten into it with Charlie and she didn't want all that headache on top of how she was already feeling.

    She got him home and then took care of him the rest of the evening telling her roommate she wouldn't be home that night. she didn't talk a whole lot that night knowing everything she said would be soaked in venom from her foul mood. But she wasn't about to just leave him either. Stupid as she thought he was in this moment he was still her best friend and her boyfriend. She wasn't going to just leave him high and dry.

    Luckily it seemed this event finally got through to Zeph as the rest of the week she didn't hear anymore about him going and hanging out with Lin. In fact? He'd spent most of his time with her just like they used too before his new best friend came along. Selfishly...she kinda liked it. She didn't realize how badly she'd been missing him until he was back in her life full swing.

    She didn't voice this because she didn't want him to feel bad or like he ditched her before or like he wasn't a good boyfriend. But she appreciated the change of pace and hoped it would stick. Well at the very least the staying away from Lin part. Contrary to what it might seem she had no problem with him having friends outside of her...she just liked him to have decent friends outside of her. You know the kind that don't lead you to getting broken bones.

    She also didn't ever voice the reason she was able to get to the hospital so quickly was because her filming got cut short. She didn't want him to feel guilty since that part she fully put the blame on herself. Plenty of actors performed after traumatic news even things like parents dying and gave a hell of a performance. They didn't cancel or leave when the show needed them! No that a a flaw in herself, and so she was disappointed in herself.

    The night of the ball had arrived and she'd done her best with the help of Zeph being aground as a distraction to push those thoughts away. She'd sent an apology text to Landon even though she was pretty sure he understood.

    Stella took her time getting ready. She loved the white shimmering dress she'd picked out and hoped Zeph would like it too. She was excited for tonight because it'd be the first date they'd been on in a little bit. It'd also be the first school even that he wouldn't be looking for Lin hopefully the first chance he got, and would actually spend the whole night with her.

    She felt giddy like a school girl almost when she heard the knock at the door. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest as she fluffed out her hair a bit one last time then went to open the door. "Hey handsome." She smiled brightly, as a light blush crossed her cheeks at the sight of him.

    He did look super cute and handsome right now. It really wasn't fair how good looking he was because it made it difficult to stay mad at such cute puppy dog eyes. Even if he hadn't spent the whole week trying to make things right with her, the sight of him right now would've made her melt. She got up on her tip toes and gave him a soft peck on the cheek. "Ready to go?" She chimed.
    º º code by ditto º º
     






    MICHAEL K. REID​


    What could Mike remember from the weekend? Jack shit, he was going to be entirely honest. There were little bits he remembered, of course. They drank. He did cocaine. Swallowed some weird pills. The sky looked like a bowl, the clouds tripped him out, the birds looked like hot women. Double Ds on the pigeons, not even fucking joking right now.

    It was the best time he’d ever had, though. Even if most of it was blotted from his memory thanks to the various influences he wound up under, Michael had had the damn time of his life. There was something about getting and being fucked up in a family friendly park with the (platonic) love of your life and a guy who you call Balls half the time that really freed your soul. Like, fuck it, yeah, life sucks, but for right now, it’s okay, or some sentimental shit like that, ya know.

    You could allow him that, right? The sentimentality? Oh right, no, he forgot you were complete assholes and wouldn’t — but fuck it, hadn’t he already said that he’d stop giving a shit? Fuck it, yeah. Yeah, he could be as sentimental as he wanted.

    Woods? Best damn friend he’d ever had. Best damn friend. Last weekend only proved it more to Mike. Guy probably didn’t give a shit about Mike’s problems, but he listened to him anyway. Sexy guy always there to support him, hyped him up even more than Mike’s own ego did, which was a feat. Funny as fuck, too. You wanna know why Mike said he was the (platonic) love of his life? Because he was, man. Seriously, if he was gonna date a dude, it would be Nathan Woods.

    Thruple time, Evelyn?

    (For your information, he was kidding. Grow a sense of humor.)

    Anyway, as great as that weekend was, dealing with the aftermath? Yeaaah, that was as close to hell on earth as you could get.

    For one, the hangover fucked him up. You could count him out for ever doing shit like whatever the hell Woods’d given him again. He could hardly pry himself out of bed to take a piss, much less do anything else. He could leave that kind of awful feeling to the experts.

    Like Nate, or his crackhead mom.

    But even worse than that was the discovery, once he came to his senses, that he had not only volunteered himself to go to the ball, an event that he wanted less than fucking nothing to do with thanks to all of…that shit and the fact that he’d been trying to show his face as little as possible to the dickfucks who thought that it was peak comedy to bring up that shit, but that he had also gotten himself a date, something that was completely fucking offbrand. Need he remind you that he was a player asshole who felt nauseated at the thought of commitment, big scary rawr, yeah?

    And it got worse. How, you might ask?

    It was a fucking sophomore. A redheaded fucking sophomore. Not Ronnie, but honestly, he would have preferred Ronnie to this…stranger. Yeah, she was a literal fucking stranger, and he’d thought it was a great idea when he was fucked up to ask her to be his date.

    Great fucking going, Michael. Way to really break the streak of regretful actions.

    He could spend several fucking days trying to figure out how the hell he got to this point in his life, but if he was honest, there was no point. He was here, and he needed to fucking not be.

    Damn his sense of fucking responsibility. Thanks to that, he’d rented a suit that was uncomfortable and hot and too fucking tight at the crotch (at least he still looked fucking sexy in it), bought her a corsage worth more than himself at this point, dutifully flirted with her, driven this girl to the ball in his shitty ass vehicle, or walked her in with her arm in his.

    He grinned widely, gave people nods and winks as he strutted in with…Beth? Yeah, that was her name — with Beth, like he actually wasn’t ashamed to be seen with her. Confidence or shit like that. If people judged him, fuck them. They had bigger issues themselves.

    Still…he wanted to get the fuck away from her.

    She kept talking, strutting like she was some grown woman, and Mike…yeah, he had to hold back cringes. Look, it was nice that she was trying, but come on, kid…really?

    And now, she was trying to boss him around. “Come on,” she ordered, dragging him toward this random ass twelve-year-old.

    Mike held back an eyeroll. You had to be fucking kidding him.

    “Oh hey, Spencer,” Beth said, letting go of Mike’s arm finally. He tried not to make his sigh of relief too obvious as he shoved his hands in his pocket, giving the boy a once-over before looking at the ceiling indifferently. “I didn’t know you were going to be here. Yeah, Mike and I like just got here. Oh, actually —“ Shit. She grabbed his arm again, and he held back a groan. “— have you met my date? This is Mike. He’s a model.”

    Mike looked at the twelve-year-old kid. He gave the kid another once-over, then looked back at his face. Kid was tall. Too fucking tall. Goddamn it, why was every kid taller than him, huh?

    Silas? Was that the kid’s name?

    …

    God…fuck, well, he had to keep this act going, he guessed. Didn’t want to make the poor kid cry.

    Smirking with a forced cockiness, Mike gave a little tip up of the jaw toward Silas. “‘Sup,” he said. “Some people know me as ‘the hottest man alive’,” he half-heartedly and disinterestedly joked with a grin, “but you can just call me Michael.” He pulled a hand from his pocket for the boy to shake. He pulled it back a few moments later and ran a hand over the side of his hair. “Plastics department, country-renowned model, at your service. Pleasure to meet you and all of that.”

    Get me the fuck out of here.




    mood
    ; ) (kill me now)

    location
    the ball

    outfit
    i'm fucking sexy.





    playing...
    drunk face
    by machine gun kelly​




    mentions
    nate, lucky, & evie

    interactions
    beth & spencer

    tags
    Winona Winona Xed Xed


    º º code by ditto º º
     
    Genevieve Johannes
    @NextGen has set their status to:
    goddamn shoe

    @NextGen has set their outfit to:
    comfy

    @NextGen has set their location to:
    the johannes-west-monterey family home

    @NextGen has mentioned:
    Ash, Eli, Chanel, Cami

    @NextGen has interacted with:
    Cap

    @NextGen has tagged:
    0k_mang0 0k_mang0 Winona Winona

    Gen lost her goddamn shoe.

    Losing a shoe is easy enough to do in a rush, kicking them off haphazardly in a foyer or ditching them after a party, but this is Genevieve Johannes we’re talking about. The same Genevieve that rotates her closet every month to bring the most relevant and trendy pieces to the front, the same Gen that collects the tags and information for every article of clothing and every accessory she had ever purchased, the same Gen that could tell that Ash had borrowed something from the racks without ever having said a word to her.

    So yeah, Gen losing her goddamn shoe was a pretty big deal.

    Items were moved around the house, cupboards pulled open and ripped apart on the hunt for that stupid shoe with absolutely no luck. Eli was long gone to pick up his drycleaning and to pick up some sort of stupidly fancy flower corsage for the Least Annoying Clairmont, Ash was off doing who knows what, Cap was busy fussing over himself a few rooms away, putting in way too much effort for Demon Clairmont. What the fuck was up with the damn Clairmonts and posessing her brothers?

    Gen was alone. Shoeless, Landon text message-less, Ash-less, Eli-less, Cap-less, calm-less.

    She put off getting ready for as long as humanly possible to look for her stupid shoe and to get a hold of Landon, the latter of which she did manage. Everything was fine now that he had responded, the worry and rushed feeling subsiding just enough to let the shoe hunt down and start to get ready. Sat in front of the marble vanity running through her morning skincare routine with soft music pumping gently out of a nearby speaker, Gen got to work powering through hair styling and makeup applying, a slew of powders and creams and sticks and brushes scattered across the tabletop.

    Ash still wasn’t home when Gen walked back to her room with her hair still pinned up in the setting bubbles on the top of her head to pick out jewelry to match her dress. She was done worrying about Ash, she’d have messaged if there was a problem and she absolutely wouldn’t bail on Gen. Instead, she began debating between diamond or sapphire or blue topaz.

    Her fingers lingered a moment too long over one pair and her chest gave a squeeze. They were the perfect pair, flashy enough to scream Genevieve but lowkey enough that she seemed elegant and refined. The only downfall was the fact that Liv had given them to her before their breakup.

    Their breakup.

    Gen’s mind flashed back to the boat, the sound of Liv’s heart and the feeling of her breath on Gen’s warm skin.

    She decided to go with the sapphires next to them.

    A knock on her bedroom door pulled Gen entirely from her thoughts as she spun on her heel with a quick “come in!” as she wrestled the earrings into her lobes.

    “Hey, big sis, ready to sniff my hair?” Cappie asked from the doorway. Gen beckoned him in with her spare hand while the other wiggled the back onto the earring.

    “Absolutely. Come, come.” Gen spoke quickly.

    Within arm’s reach of Cappie, she gently took him by the shoulders and wafted his scent towards her face. Leaning in closer, she got a bit of a better sniff and thought for a moment as she adjusted his collar and then the loose tie around his neck. Gen’s horrible habit of fixing people up while talking to them was rearing its ugly head again.

    “I don’t think it’s too bad. Even if it is, you look quite handsome so I doubt it’ll matter.” Gen complimented with a roll of her eyes. Another waft of hair gel came across her nose and she leaned in again. “Actually, I don’t know. Maybe a bit heavy handed, you need like…” Another deep sniff and a knitting together of Gen’s eyebrows. “You need something. Maybe something more perfumy to offset it?”

    º º code by ditto º º
     






    Ashton West


    Like, yeah, she was sure that this came as like, a total surprise, but Ash was actually really happy. Like for the first time in what felt like... like forever, she actually felt positive and like the day was going to be good or whatever. For once, Ash didn't even think the day was going to be good. She knew it was going to be perfect.

    It was Winter Ball, and dances were kind of Ash's favorite thing -- like, she'd attended every single dance that she could've since she was little. She'd even bought that stupid puffy pink dress with the sparkly top to drag Cappie to one of their dances in middle school (and yeah, she'd definitely dragged him with her to more than one).

    Sure, she didn't really dance, but she enjoyed like... just getting to get all dressed up and feeling super pretty for a night.

    And tonight was going to be great, because she was going to show up with Newt and sure, he wasn't Trevor, but he was like the best other date she could've asked for. And they'd have a really good time, and he actually looked really hot because she'd managed to convince him to wear something that wasn't too bad, and they'd dance or whatever, and it would be fun, and at some point, she'd hangout with Trevor, and she'd try to convince him to dance with her, and they'd have a good time, even if she was going to have to keep it totally, completely platonic.

    That was like so fine with her.

    However, before Ash had managed to get a ride home from Trevor's, Gen ended up texting her in a panic. After a short conversation, Ash promised to grab some coffee (and she'd managed to like calm Gen down -- mostly, she hoped), and she ended up walking all the way to the stupid coffee shop.

    But hey, she was still super happy.

    So, with dress and coffee for everyone in hand, Ash managed to get an Uber and headed home. Of course, like, there was some traffic that kind of slowed it down, and as such, Ash ended up kind of dozing off a couple times in the car until they actually made it to the mansion and now, she was home.

    As she stepped through the front door, kicking off her shoes as she did so, she was surprised by the lack of activity downstairs. Her eyebrows furrowed, her lips down turning into a bit of a frown as she looked down, kicking her shoes to the side when she noticed one of Gen's shoes. A left shoe. All alone by the door, and then yeah, it clicked in her head, and she stooped down to pick it up with the arm that had her dress draped over it.

    Ash started up the stairs to Gen's room. She was ready to knock on the door, but was surprised to find it already open, and she could hear the familiar voices of Gen and Cappie on the outside. The pleasant smile on her face just grew as she rounded the corner to step in.

    "Gen, I found your..." she trailed off, her expression turning into one of just pure confusion as she caught Gen, currently sniffing Cappie's head.

    "What... what are you guys doing?"




    mood
    the happiest ever

    location
    the house

    outfit
    whatever she had on yesterday so like jeans and a jacket, some shirt





    playing...
    Generous
    by Ash West​




    mentions
    Trevor, Newt

    interactions
    Gen, Cappie

    tags
    geminiy geminiy 0k_mang0 0k_mang0


    º º code by ditto º º
     
    MOOD:
    fine. just fine (liar)

    OUTFIT:
    navy blue boy
    ​
    INFO
    LOCATION:
    johannes mansion, getting ready

    WITH: gen, ash

    MENTION:
    eli​
    ACTIVITY
    geminiy geminiy , Winona Winona
    TAGS
    cappie
    Gen doing that thing with his outfit was expected. Cappie didn’t complain. He knew this habit of hers very well—she must’ve had fussed over his clothes over a dozen times since the beginning of their friendship. It was annoying at first, mainly because his mom also always did this to him and it made him feel like a little kid who didn’t seem to dress himself quite right, but he’d gotten used to it over time. It was actually a bit nostalgic to him.

    “You need something. Maybe something more perfumy to offset it?”

    “I don’t know. I don’t really have a cologne for it…” A lightbulb pinged in his head after a moment of consideration. “Wait, Eli has this body mist that he doesn’t use a lot. A calming vanilla. I’m gonna steal it from his bathroom for tonight. Uh, don’t tell Eli.” Cappie smiled innocently. “Anyway, is there a small gift bag of ribbon somewhere in the house?”

    "...what are you guys doing?"

    As Cappie began fidgeting with his necktie himself, Ash appeared holding a dress and one shoe.

    “Just checking how well my hair smells.” He might as well be saying they were simply checking the weather forecast. “Hey Ash, I haven’t gone to you either yet. Wanna take a whiff, too? It’s got a hint of mint.” Then Cappie said, “I’m kidding. You don’t have to. I use this hair clay every day to school, you know what it smells like.

    “You look quite merry today.” He’d always wanted to use that pun somehow—they were going to a winter ball. But it wasn’t the only reason for his remark. For some reason, Ash really did seem merrier than before. During the past several days since the dress shopping weekend, Cappie sensed something off from her. On the outside, she acted fine and normal, but Cappie had noticed her smiles looked kind of imitative, artificial.

    Almost sad.

    He gave Ash a curious once-over and asked, slightly tilting his head, “Are... aren’t those the same clothes you wore yesterday?”
    code by valen t.
     








    Hunter & Ronnie



    Kelli’s boy-related musings stirred Ronnie’s inclinations toward both romance and mystery. Mystery men? Enchanting gowns? Secrecy and fervent, unspoken emotion in the air? This December was the start of her next hit mental novel, one for scrapbooks for years to come. The redhead met her best friend with an inquisitive stare, biting her lip thoughtfully while racking her brain for the identity of this unnamed ball date.

    “Brother’s bandmate’s… hm…” she murmured, holding her chin between her fingers. Her eyes drifted downward, then back up once she was done thinking. A new fire kindled in her gaze as she shot a wry smirk forward. Add “dope junior art student” to the list of boys to keep an eye out for…

    As expected, the question was soon turned around at Ronnie, and she wasted no time leaning back and crossing her arms, preparing her “playing off big news as no biggie” stance.

    “Oh, well, I’ve had my eye on him a while... He’s aloof, hot and he knows it, into music, tastefully cocky…” She stopped herself before proceeding. What fun would it be if she just gave it all away? “You guys’ll see him next week. And I’ll be seeing him in t-minus…”

    The wall clock above beckoned the eyes of the girls, magnetically attracting captive stares with its rhythmically ticking hands. Ronnie’s cheeky smirk returned.

    “Now.”

    With incredible speed, the girl changed out of her dress and called the attention of the seamstress in the back to place her final purchase. As though utilizing eyes in the back of her head, she whipped around and seized the dress she’d been consistently eyeing off the rack behind her. The little shopping trip had been fun and games trying on each others’ recommendations, but Ronnie knew all along what she was after.

    It was perfect.

    For him.

    “Thank you, have a good one!” she chirped, clutching the bag holding her neatly-folded dress for the ball. Making one last glance at Bella and Kelli as she passed them by, she whispered, “Wish me luck! Catch you later!”

    I     will be finding your lover’s identity before the ball, Kelli. And I’ll see who has you acting so shy, Bella. Mark my words.
    ___________________________________________________________

    Sometimes Hunter Drake really hated not being able to do much of anything as far as traveling anywhere that was too long to do so on foot. Things were so much easier for him when he had a girlfriend who could legally drive and had access to a car.

    But fuck that shit and fuck ever relying on Nickie Abrams ever again.

    Yeah, you say that now and yet you’re the one on the bus with a bunch of almost-thirty-year-olds. So what does that really say about you, Hunter?

    Obviously he should just put his earbuds in and hope traffic doesn’t take too long to pass.

    But as he did, he found himself wondering a few things. Of course, not about Nickie. He was more than happy not to think about her. No, the train of thought he jumped on wasn’t about his ex or anyone that was even remotely related to her (although, he briefly thought about Liv). He couldn’t help it, of course. Whenever he had Nickie on his mind, he immediately had to think of the person responsible for his breakup and corrupting Nickie against him.

    But enough of that. He was thinking about Ronnie of all people. He couldn’t stop thinking about her after their unexpected conversation on the night of the Arts Fest. Hunter, for the longest time (or at least since the start of the school year), had gained himself a stalker of sorts.

    Veronica Crosby was that person. He didn’t understand what it was about her fixation on him and why she was so obsessed with him. From Homecoming when he was talking to Evie and trying to be there for Nickie (hindsight is a bitch), she was nearby.

    And then he avoided her time and time again.

    Whether it was staying in the parking lot during the homecoming game, passing her off to Zeph, or just trying to stay out of her hair for as long as possible, Hunter treated her like the plague and he was someone desperately trying not to die. It was working, too. For a while, they weren’t even remotely in each other’s sphere. She was busy doing things with other guys and he was happy with Nickie.

    But then things changed. Hunter was no longer with Nickie and willingly confided in her. Not so much about Nickie, but general jitters he had about his performance.

    And ever since then, Hunter couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe he might’ve wrote her off too soon.

    Whoa, where did that come from?

    He shook his head and looked at his phone and he just stared down at it and checked his DMs, the startling news from Casey that he’s dating Chas kind of floored him enough to take his mind off of Ronnie and Nickie for a while.

    Some minutes later, traffic was no longer being a bitch and before long, he was at the mall.

    He was here for a singular reason. He was actually meeting Ronnie here for a quote-unquote “date” of them just hanging around by the food court. They had coffee together after the arts fest and Hunter just sort of...let this happen. It was definitely weird and he was somewhat cursing himself (but not really) that the StepGod, Casey, couldn’t do much to take his mind off of Ronnie.

    “Oh well, it is a date, after all..” Hunter reminded himself in a low tone.

    Briefly, he took out his phone and set her a text that he was gonna order them some food and for her to look for him. He mentioned he was wearing a white T.

    As he made it to the food court and ordered them a couple of burgers, fries, and shakes, Hunter took a seat at an isolated table. At the least they would be able to eat and just...hang in peace.

    He waited and waited and before long, Ronnie was finally here and, for a moment, he was almost stunned -- was that the right word? Maybe surprised was a better one? Well, it didn't matter. He just found himself staring at her for a few moments too long at how hot she looked.

    Crap, did he just mentally admit she was hot? Well, she was never ugly. So perhaps, by the process of elimination, she was hot.

    “Hey, you made it!” Hunter stood up, pulling out a chair for her. He didn’t know what else to do.
    ___________________________________________________________

    It was a damn impressive feat to not come bounding toward Hunter like an excitable puppy. As Ronnie drew in closer, she could almost pick up a glint in his eye, or at least a prolonged stare that may have meant something. And that something was all the girl needed to fuel her obvious attraction.

    Nevermind Chas coming out as even gayer, nevermind Hunter’s slightly suspicious 180 in attitude toward her, nevermind her involvement in the whole Liv-Nickie revelation thing, nevermind the fantasy image of Mike shirtless in the back of her head…

    This was great. It felt great. She felt wanted, more than a criminal. Like the object of someone’s affection. Ronnie returned the bright light in her date’s eyes in full, a sparkling glimmer of hope for what was to come encompassing her aura.

    She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then seated herself in the chair being offered. “Thanks,” she said softly, meeting Hunter’s grin with a tactfully coy smile. Her attention darted immediately to the food on the table, and she almost felt guilty he’d taken the liberty to purchase her food.

    “Those all for you?” she queried impishly, reaching over to pluck a fry from its container. Then, she stole a fry from the other order, effectively laying claim to both parties’ fries.

    God, she wished they could have been garlic fries. But that wasn’t sensible for going out with a boy; she knew that. But God, she wanted garlic fries.

    They were beyond idle conversation. Hunter and Ronnie had gone for coffee once before. Had a couple of lengthy conversations over text. It wasn’t a stretch to say that something was there. She knew he could see it, and he had to know in at least some capacity that they were, for once, more or less on the same page. Even if Hunter couldn’t help but come off as marginally distracted in the rarest of moments, Ronnie was secure in her charm’s effectiveness. Few would have noticed but Veronica, attentive to a boy’s every move.

    She sat the bag holding her dress by her chair’s side, watching Hunter’s eyes like a hawk. Nobody but the girls had the privilege of seeing her dress early. It was preparation for their wedding day, of course, except the hidden thing was a dress and not, well… herself. In a dress.

    The two budding lovebirds shared a chat about their days leading up to their meeting, laughed a substantial but not obnoxious amount, danced around the whole ball thing, all over a much-needed meal of burgers, fries, and shakes.

    Back to the basics. Either Hunter knew her well, or he’d gotten extremely lucky. Or he’d googled her ideal first date blog post.

    The two lingered around the mall for hours, and by the time it was appropriate to catch the bus back to the dorms, Ronnie was pleasantly surprised to find Hunter wasn’t as tired of her as she’d expected. Was he secretly a huge fan of shopping? She hadn’t been paying much attention at the moment, but perhaps he had a better time sniffing expensive candles than she’d initially surmised...
    ___________________________________________________________

    “Do I look good?”

    Ronnie hastily dabbed another speck of blush, then made a kissy face at the mirror.

    “Okay, how about now?”

    She didn’t wait for an answer, pushing up her assets and running a hand through her hair. Hunter was going to be there at any moment and this look just… wasn’t enough. She glanced at Kelli, suppressing a slight frown. She was treating her date like a casual, unimportant friend the way she talked about him. Like she wasn’t worried at all about what he thought. At least, it seemed so.

    Then again, Hunter only had nice things to say recently. Almost like he started to give a shit, finally. A smile and a look of interest was a welcome change on the brooding boy’s face, as though he could finally rip his thoughts away from his own and Chas’ abs. If the latter even had those, not that it made him any less attractive.

    Ronnie couldn’t recall a moment she’d felt so insecure, so small, even given all the affirmation in the world. She was growing shamefully dependent on this boy’s opinion of her, and it was perhaps due to the urge to slip all her eggs into one basket. Into Hunter’s, the boy who finally gave her attention and who finally talked to her and looked at her like he actually gave a damn.
    Ronnie relished it, yet she never suspected that this was what having a boy all to herself felt like. How did she end up here? How did dreams really come true? Up until this point, it never seemed logical to believe she truly deserved this fairytale scene.

    But things change

    Hunter has changed.

    Had Ronnie too, or was this always in her?

    A knock on the door and a frantic boob push later and Ronnie was leaning in her doorway, sharing a moment of up-and-down looking with her date to the ball.

    “Damn, you’re smoking almost as hot as your hair, Ronnie!

    “You clean up alright yourself,” the gold-adorned sophomore quipped with projected modesty, reaching out to run a hand down Hunter’s arm. She was like a gold-plated disco ball. His black suit was silky smooth, no doubt having been purchased at a moderately hefty price. Either that, or he had a great sense of quality and frugality for clothing.

    Which, if it was true, was insanely hot.

    “You look, like, really good. Great, even,” Ronnie sputtered out, her cheeky resolve cracking. Even amidst all the tasteful layers of makeup, her cheeks glowed bright red. She was getting embarrassed just standing there bathing in the tension, even if she’d secretly been looking forward to giving the girls a glimpse of her date.

    “Shall we…?” she ventured, slipping beside her date and locking their arms together, classic high school prom date style, “When’s our chariot arriving?”

    So, girls, did I do good, or what?





    playing...
    song

    by singer​




    this post was made in collaboration with
    natsukashii natsukashii




    mentions
    Kelli
    Bella
    Nickie
    Zeph
    Casey
    Chas
    Liv
    Mike


    º º code by ditto º º
     






    Ava Sanders


    "Fuck," she hissed as she brought a hand up to press against her eye. Her other hand dropped the eyeliner pencil into the sink before she placed her hand down on the counter, letting out a long string of curse words before she finally pulled her hand away, rapidly blinking her eye.

    Fuck makeup and fuck balls and fuck dances and fuck this school.

    Her eye fucking hurt.

    She leaned in close to the mirror, blinking again until her eye wasn't so fucking cloudy, and she could look at her makeup, the eyeliner only halfway around her eye before she'd dropped it.

    Makeup had never been Ava's strong suit. She was sure that came as a complete surprise, but it was true. Sure, she knew how to apply makeup (mostly), but she tended towards ah... well, Ava preferred horror adaptations with her makeup. So when it came to actually trying to look decently hot?

    Yeah, it tended to piss her off.

    Picking up the eyeliner pencil once again, Ava took back to finishing off her makeup -- and surprise, surprise, it only took a few more minutes before she was actually fucking done. And she'd already changed into her outfit (dress pants and a shirt because, well, fuck dresses) and she was ready to go.

    Yeah, Ava got ready fast.

    So she gathered her stuff, slipping her phone and wallet into her pockets (because, well, she'd rather be caught dead than carrying around a fucking purse), and she headed to the front door. For a long moment, Ava just glared down at the heels sitting by the front door. Not only were they sparkly as all get out, but they were also tall as fuck. There was no part of her that was looking forward to slipping on those absolute death devices that JJ had talked her into, but well...

    With a sigh, she slipped them on, using one hand as leverage against the wall. For a moment, Ava wobbled as she caught her balance, but then she was walking like the bad ass bitch she simply was. No heels, even ones this ridiculously fucking tall, were going to stop her today.

    Or, well, fucking ever.

    The drive to Winter Ball went easily enough -- you know, if you ignored the assholes that cut her off, or swerved too close, or slowed her down. By time Ava had actually managed to make it to the Ball, she was already fuming. But she did her best to quell the anger bubbling deep in her chest as she walked up towards the place that the Winter Ball was being hosted, even when she nearly twisted her ankle from those damn heels.

    She walked inside, pale gaze glaring over her peers until her gaze landed on Saint.

    Right. They were meeting up here.

    With a deep sigh, Ava walked towards him. She forced a half-hearted smile onto her face as she did so.

    "Having fun yet?" She asked, her voice monotone and devoid of, well, being happy about this whole fucking thing as she spoke.




    mood
    uncomfortable

    location
    Winter Ball

    outfit
    as if she was going to wear a dress





    playing...
    Bad Reputation
    by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts​




    mentions
    JJ

    interactions
    Saint

    tags
    ohdittoh ohdittoh


    º º code by ditto º º
     
    Charlie Howell
    @howedoyoudo has set their status to:
    wow (owen's version)

    @howedoyoudo has set their outfit to:
    kachow ; )

    @howedoyoudo has set their location to:
    lin's apartment

    @howedoyoudo has mentioned:
    the roomies

    @howedoyoudo has interacted with:
    Lin

    @howedoyoudo has tagged:
    ohdittoh ohdittoh
    From the second her words left her mouth, Charlie’s stomach twisted into guilt-filled knots. That expression on his face, that fear in his eyes, the way his lip was quivering, all of that was her fault. All this pain and suffering because of one stupid fucking mistake, because Charlie fucking Howell couldn’t ever keep her shit together.

    It seemed as if neither one of them could speak, the weight of the situation falling over them as Lin wrapped Charlie up in his arms, the two silently crying to themselves. Each shake of Lin’s frame dug deep into her chest.

    This was all her fault.

    But soon enough, the sadness melted away to anger, Lin ranting about how none of it was fair and how stupid the whole situation was. Charlie couldn’t deny that she entirely agreed with him: it was a bunch of bullshit. Her entire career was over because of one accident, an accident that would have gone unnoticed and uncared for if it had been anyone else. But it wasn’t anyone else, it was Charlie and Chas, there was no way that was going to go unnoticed.

    Another tear rolled down Lin’s cheek and Charlie reached over to wipe it away gently with the pad of her thumb.

    “You know, Dad’s already ripping away my shit,” Lin said, sparking Charlie to look up from the ground at him, “I’ve got nothing to lose and the cops’re already nearby for easy access for them, so, luhmao, fuck — how much you bet that I could break both of his legs in one go? Fifty?”

    “You absolutely could take him,” Charlie let out a weak laugh, breathy and tired from her lips as she took Lin’s hands in hers, “but your dad and the cops and all that shit doesn’t make or break you. Your life isn’t over because of some bullshit mistake. If your dad even tries that shit, I’ll bet you fifty bucks that I can break Dicky’s legs. That I can promise, I’ll even hop a plane for it. We can make it a romantic weekend.”

    Charlie fell quiet again, her lungs slowly beginning to expand with ease. The pain remained even with the guilt but somehow, it felt a bit better knowing she didn’t have to keep all of this from Lin. It was… Refreshing.

    After a few more moments of silence, Charlie kissed Lin softly and buried her face in his neck, breathing in his scent before pulling away and standing to her feet, reaching a hand out to help him up off the bench.

    “Come on, we should go give Zeph his drink before it gets cold.”

    ⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰​

    Life finally seemed almost normal. Charlie had little time for drama, entirely ghosting her social media pages in favour of spending extra time with Lin and her roomies or working on songs or school work while she still had the time. Her talk with Lin the weekend before at the hospital had helped clear her mind. Sure, she was done at Hollywood Arts, but she was going to go out with one big, fiery bang.

    (Why are you laughing? Perv.)

    That’s why she was standing in front of her bedroom mirror in her red satin dress, making dumb faces as she wiggled her fake eyelashes onto her lash line and a few stray strands of hair away from her face. Hell yeah, now that’s how you make one crazy exit. Nothing says “fuck you and your institution” quite like tasteful cleavage and a dress that hugged all the right places.

    Charlie left long before her roomies in favour of biking over to Lin’s place (yes, in a full dress and formal getup, high heels included). Stowing her bike in the rack outside the building, Charlie grabbed the matching corsages from the bike’s basket: both bright red and, with special instruction, with ‘Kachow’ written on the wrist bands. Their theme was Lightning McQueen after all.

    Knocking on his door, Charlie threw on her biggest cheesiest grin and most ridiculous pose ever. As the door opened, she cleared her throat to let out some stupid joke.

    But there was Lin all cleaned up and in a suit and her words were suddenly gone and her pose melting away.

    Damn, he looked good.

    All Charlie could manage was a “wow” in her best Owen Wilson accent. “Lin, you look amazing.”

    Was she visibly checking him out like some gross dude about to hit on an unwilling girl at a bar? Absolutely. But hey, with a date that good lookin’ maybe the night wouldn’t be so bad after all.

    º º code by ditto º º
     




































    • how she's feeling...



      zooted - out of her mind

















    STASSI



    Junior(18)- Model - Golden Goddess












    First part is collab with qunqun qunqun
    Maybe her eyes were lingering a little too long into the mirror. Maybe they were over analyzing the make-up that graced her face. But why would she do that? She had one of the most talented make-up artists in the Nation, nay, the world. Her father spared no expense for nights like this when his children were going to be on display.

    It was one of the rare times that the sisters didn’t snipe at each other. They had a common enemy – their family. Well, more specifically the world around them. Nights like this were the rare time that if one of them were off, they would face the wrath of their father.

    “Katya! Can you please come here,” she yelled across their home in Katya’s dialect of Ukranian. The make up artist was Russian, and as much as she hated speaking Ukranian she needed to keep their conversations private,” I need your opinion…”

    Katya heard her sister calling for her in Ukrainian. That was the “White flag of truce” language. It really must’ve been serious.

    See, Ukrainian was the “safe” language. The language that meant that they were gonna put aside their little feud to slag someone off. It was just an unspoken rule - mostly because Stassi absolutely hated speaking it.

    Katya came around from where she’d been preparing to take a good look at her sister. As frustratingly lovely as always. “You look good! Why do you need my opinion?”


    The air of frustration that surrounded Anastasia slowly seemed to fade when her sister made her approach. A gentle sigh was able to escape her jaw that she hadn't realized was clinched.

    Those eyes of her rested on her sister for a while before she let out a slow exhale. She provided a sense of calm that she usually didn't, "I just feel like it is off. And, for better or for worse, I trust you will give an honest assessment."

    The elder sibling turned her body to completely face Katya, making sure to move the ring light that was being used by the "MUA" so that Katya could get the best look she could.

    Katya tilted her head as she stared at her sister. Her pleasant cheery demeanor dropping. Her behavior was always on a tightrope of careful shrewd planning and observing, and trying to maintain a general kind pleasantness with the people around her. As she studied more, the pleasantness floated away.

    She went round twice. Once close up, and again far away. Gathering data like a predator circling her prey before she finally came to a conclusion. “Your hair could use work in the back, rather subpar work that she did. And the blush is a shade too bright for your features, the shadows a bit too deep. You look almost unhealthy. Too many sharp angles.” Simple. Short. Without her usual amount of floaty airy pleasantness with her tone.

    “Besides that she did a very good job. I think anyone short of Father will call it perfect.” Katya said. She, of course, did call it perfect upon a first glance. Of course, she’d also been trained by their father to find flaws in others. Exploitable flaws. Oh well, it came in handy in times like these.

    A smile slowly began to creep on her face as she listened to Katya pick out each flaw that she could find. Probably not the usual response to a critique as harsh as the one that her sibling uttered out, but it was exactly what she was looking for.

    She was her father's protege - she learned every trick that he had come up with. He knew how to tear someone down and exploit their weaknesses, and Katya was no different.

    "Thank you, darling," the words fluidly dripped from her mouth without a doubt the most genuine thank you she could have possibly uttered to her sister.

    She glanced to the make-up artist and the usually stoic, slender teenager's countenance began to transform into the most demonic glare a person could have. She began to rip into her demanding the perfection that not only her father desired, but she did too.



    --------------------------------------------------------------------
    There was little left to imagine for Anastasia. With the help of her sister, she was able to ensure the perfect look for the ball. It was edgy, it was racy, but it was a commanding look that you would expect from the daughter of one of the world’s most intense, businessman. There was nothing expected but perfection from anyone around him. Though she had been slipping lately, falling in the traps of her addictions and trauma, she was still her father’s child.

    Always pursuing perfection. Never accepting of mediocrity. Perhaps that’s why she was so in love with Jace? That despite all his whining and all of his antics, she still loved that boy. He wasn’t perfect, and she still loved him the way that she did.

    So, tonight was a bag of mixed emotions. She wouldn’t show it. Come on, this was “Stoic Stassi” as her fellow skating peers would call her. But underneath that cold, calculating expression was a build of emotions just waiting to erupt.

    Everything Jace had done that night was very sweet. It was honestly romantic in a sense though she knew he didn’t intend for it to be, and it was more a effort for her, than anything. It was still, sweet. It wasn’t what she wanted, well not the way she wanted at least. Even with her life as the forsaken child she was still very much upper- upper class. But it was Jace so though his suit left much to be desired for the plastic and the car wasn’t a Maybach, the food was good though, it was still everything Anastasia could ask for from Jace. It was very much what she dreamed of, just in a Jace fashion.

    It was even cute when Jace was struggling to put on the corsage, so much so that she almost let a tear slip. She didn’t, not in fear of ruining her make up (come on that’s what celebrity MUA with setting sprays were for, right?), but just that’s not who she was.

    He was clumsy and awkward, but he was trying. She had to allow room for Jacenanigans of course, things he couldn’t help but do because that’s who he was, but he was trying. She grabbed his hand as he reached to help her stand from the car and took in a deep breath as she readied herself for the strut she was going to take inside. She was STILL a model wearing an expensive, tailored designer dress with accessories and Louboutin heels that altogether probably cost more than the car they rode in. She was still under the pressure of her father to not allow anyone with a camera to catch her looking anything but perfect.

    Did I uhh... ahh... did I mention that you, ahh... you look really good -- like really pretty, really nice dress

    Damn right it was a nice dress. It had better be for her own sake and her designer’s sake.

    “Da, but, thank you nonetheless darling. You look marvelous yourself.”

    A bit of a half truth, he looked nice, but marvelous might have been a bit of her Emma Stone’s Cruella kind of sass.

    As he closed the door behind her, she moved in stride with him, lagging just barely enough behind to allow the man the lead. The average person probably wouldn’t notice, but her father would. He hadn’t grabbed her arm or her hand, which would have been preferred and appropriate but it was okay that he didn’t. She would much rather he had made the faux pas of not, than to outwardly embarrass her.

    Wonder... wonderful... w-weather we're ahh... we're having,

    She glanced with her stained-glass hazel green eyes at him for a second, her stoic expression not budging despite irritation boiling up under her skin. She was feeling too many thing at one time, and Jace was not helping in this moment. How was she supposed to deal with the pressure of being perfect at this ball, with a less than perfect date while simultaneously dealing with a heartbreak she had not processed that was currently being stirred up by the one who caused the heart break. All while being sober, it was just becoming a lot for her, but she couldn’t break down. She wouldn’t.

    “Relax darling,” she started before finally looking away with him, “You don’t have to force anything. Just look the part and eventually…..eventually you can go hang out with the people you really want to be with.”












































    ♡coded by uxie♡
     
    MOOD: Friendly

    OUTFIT: Look Ma I'm Tryna Look Good

    LOCATION: Right outside Kinni's place
    basics
    MENTIONS:
    Naomi

    INT:
    Kinni AkuTheWolfOkami AkuTheWolfOkami
    tags
    TL;DR We're havin a good time
    tl;dr
    Bailey

    Bailey grinned at Naomi. Maybe it was the weed kicking in, but genuinely it was a good sign that she was starting to think more positively. A good influence on shy stoners everywhere indeed.

    “Now you’ve got it.” Bailey said with a little giggle. “You’re gonna be great!”

    Bailey relaxed into the warmth of the weed and the rest of the hangout session seemed to go as mellowly and chill as just about anyone could ask for

    All in all, a very nice first time on marijuana was had.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Bailey was gonna have a good day. Or at least, that’s what they promised themselves.

    See, as much fun as being the therapist friend was, they didn’t really know what was coming over themselves recently. Usually they were not nearly this patient with the people around them. That was just kind of how it was, Bailey usually lost their patience pretty quickly with people that wouldn’t see the solution that was just right in front of them.

    Not really the type to have a shoulder to cry on, was what they were trying to say.

    But here they were: somehow being the ones to give measured advice to a whole three people. (Though, they weren’t sure how much Kian counted considering they were pretty sure he was high as a kite. Or drunk).

    In any case, today was going to be different. Today they were going to be going to the ball with Kinni and nobody was going to ask them for weird advice (seriously, how do you get your hand stuck in a jacket).

    They showed up to Kinni’s place slightly early. Bailey’s dad had had a big pet peeve about people being late to showing up to things. Time was money, and showing up late was a general disrespect to the person in question. There were exceptions obviously… But well, Bailey had been taught from a young age to always show up a little bit early or exactly on time.

    In any case, they climbed out of the Lyft to go pick up their friend, knocking on their door

    code by valen t.
     
    ahlivia richardson
    Junior - Lit - 17
    winter ball
    anxious - excited
    Pretty in Green
    interactions

    no one

    "Fuck, it's a lot of people..."

    Ahlivia was standing off to the side, watching the room fill with guys and girls in their best-dressed fits. The music was loud enough for her not to hear her own thoughts, but not enough to drown out the squeals from other people.

    'Oh-my-god is that Dior?'
    'No, it's Givenchy.'

    Ahlivia had seen the tag from the girl's dress when they were both in the bathroom earlier. It was from 'Saks', but it was still expensive. She just smiled to herself at the apparent need to express how much a dress was. Granted, she was actually wearing Dior, but she wasn't about to start going around and offering the information to show off. No, she wasn't the type of person who preferred the spotlight and wanted to stay far away from it. Which is why she was off in a corner, minding her business and people watching. A few people approached and complimented her dress, to which she gave a wide smile and thanked them. Looking down at her watch, she wondered where Kayla was.

    Or Majid...

    Or Remi.

    Or, really, anyone of her friends she could anchor herself to. She could feel her chest starting to get tight, but knew it wasn't to the point where she had to leave just yet. She could handle people watching for the time being. Besides, the number of people dancing severely off-beat to the music was entertaining enough to keep her mind busy. She wasn't even a dancer but she still knew how to move her feet in time with the beat. Then again people were probably just dancing to dance and didn't really care about people like her judging them. Didn't she use to be like that? Dancing all crazy like there was no tomorrow? Sure, but not at the Winter Ball. Maybe at a party or a nightclub, she could dance like that but not in this current setting.

    She looked at her watch again and saw only two minutes had passed since she last looked and only thirty minutes since she arrived. It felt like she had been standing in this spot for hours but she knew that was an exaggeration. It was her feet. They were starting to hurt. Despite all the tricks her parents had taught her - taping her toes, the gel inserts, even stretching them out - she was finding herself shifting between her feet to give them each a few seconds rest. She could've just sat down, but then she wouldn't be able to escape small talk fast enough. Being able to give an excuse and quickly walk away was a must for the moment and sitting down would only hinder her. Maybe if she walked around a little that would help?

    Oh, but then she'd have to weave in and out of people.

    'Well, I can't stand here all night looking weird.'

    'Can't risk having an anxiety attack either.'

    Whelp, now she was at a loss. Maybe she should've waited outside until they got here. That way, she would already be with them and wouldn't have to worry about anything! She took out her phone from the hidden pocket of her dress and searched for her message thread with Kayla.

    'Feeling like the red-headed stepchild over here.' She hit send and waited for a response before walking over to the drinks table. There were less people now, thank god, and she was able to get herself something to sip on in the meantime.
    coded by natasha.
     
    Genevieve Johannes
    @NextGen has set their status to:
    feeling sexy, might kill someone's date later idk

    @NextGen has set their outfit to:
    queen of ice, heart of fire

    @NextGen has set their location to:
    the johannes-west-monterey mansion

    @NextGen has mentioned:
    Eli, Chanel

    @NextGen has interacted with:
    Ash, Cap, Lulu, Newt, Matt, Landon

    @NextGen has tagged:
    Winona Winona 0k_mang0 0k_mang0 PenguinFox PenguinFox jazzyball jazzyball gh0stwriter gh0stwriter
    Gen was still sniffing Cappie when Ash came in, coffee in one hand with her dress slung over her arm and, in her other hand-

    “Is that my shoe?” Gen exclaimed, immediately brushing past him to Ash. Taking it in her hands carefully and nodding for Cappie to get the coffees before Ash spilled them all over herself, Gen turned the shoe over in her hands. It was the right size, right colour, right shape. This was absolutely, without a doubt, her shoe.

    Gen threw her arms around Ash, giving her a tight squeeze and a quick peck on the cheek, laughing slightly as she reached a thumb to wipe away the lipstick on Ash’s cheek.

    “Ugh, I love you. Thank you for finding it. Did I leave it in your car or somethin’?” Gen asked as she wiggled her coffee cup out of the tray and took a sip, humming happily as the liquid found its way down her throat. “And to answer your question, I was sniffing Cappie. He wanted to know if he smelled too strong. Personally,” Gen continued with a chesty laugh, “I think he should wear whatever Demon Clairmont hates. But since he wants to impress her for some unknown reason, I think he needs something warm and earthy, like vanilla.”

    Without waiting for any input from Ash or Cappie on the matter, Gen raised a finger and made her way out of the room and into Eli’s. She raided his stuff all the time, he wouldn’t care. Going through his toiletries, Gen’s elegant fingers danced along the bottles before pulling a shimmering crystal bottle from the back and carrying it back across the hall. A few spritzes later, Gen let the air settle for a second before smelling Cappie again, nodding slightly to herself.

    “There, that’s a much more complete scent. Take a whiff, Ash.” Gen instructed, holding her hand out towards Cap as she took a step back. “Nice deep sniff, make it almost creepily deep.”

    The doorbell rang and Gen looked at the gold wire clock above her door.

    “That must be Lulu and Newt. Come on you two, it’s time for makeovers.” Gen chirped with a clap of her hands together, looping her arm through Ash’s before looking over her shoulder at Cappie. “Yes, that means you too. Come now.”

    ──────────── ❖ ────────────​

    Everything went perfectly. Into the studio they had gone, Gen practically bouncing with excitement as she sat Ash and Lulu into the chairs in front of two of the three vanities along the back wall. Then, she got to work, brushes and powder and bobby pins flying all over the place as Gen worked her magic.

    Maybe that was the best perks of having a famous model in your back pocket: no one in her crew ever looked less than a 10.

    Just as Gen had sent Lulu off to get changed and to finish pinning Ash’s hair back, a knock on the door echoed down the stairs. Placing her brush down, she spun Ash around in the chair and looked her over, moving one final strand of hair and spraying it into place before giving the nod of approval.

    “What do you think, Newton? She’s your hot date after all.” Gen asked, a warm smile spreading across her cheeks as she spun Ash around towards the mirror and wrapped her arms carefully around her, meeting Ash's eyes in the mirror. “You look absolutely gorgeous, babes. It’s so weird to see you all grown up but somehow, you get hotter every day and honestly that’s impressive.”

    Reminded of the random guest at the door, Gen patted Ash on the shoulder.

    “You go get changed now. If you can’t get the zipper, just yell and I’ll come zip you up.” Gen said as she started up the stairs. “And watch those curls! Don’t crush them!”

    Gen opened the door…

    And was immediately disappointed.

    The boy in front of her (Lulu’s date, Gen assumed) was extremely bland. His face held no ounce of expression and, for a moment, Gen wondered if he was even alive. But then he blinked and he spoke, his voice just as tasteless as his face.

    "I'm here to pick up Lulu."

    Gen crossed her arms, looking down at Lulu’s nameless date from her perch on her stilettos, tilting her head as her straight hair spilled over her thin shoulders.

    “Must be nice.” Gen spoke sweetly as if she was smiling though her plump lips remained unmoving. “Showing up for a date with a 10 as a solid 5 with nothing but a lack of expression and a bullshit attitude. You couldn’t even say hello. It’s pathetic, really. But I should’ve known the cover matched the book: boring, dull, horribly tasteless, and chucked in a goddamn discount bin.”

    That was all Gen had to stay. So there she stood, staring down at him without another word dripping from her lips.

    A minute passed.

    Two minutes.

    Three.

    Gen still didn’t move.

    Then, Gen heard the shuffle of fabric and the gentle click of shoes in the foyer behind her and threw on a brilliant smile, stepping inside and promptly slamming the door shut right in the boy’s face.

    “Lulu, darling your date is here! I was just about to come get you.” Gen spoke sweetly as she made her way over to Lulu, smoothing out the hem of her dress and tucking a few flyaways back into the hairstyle. Taking Lulu’s hand, she gave her a little spin before giving her a quick hug. “You look gorgeous, my darling. Good luck with your date, he’s utterly tasteless. Don’t let all of our hard work go to waste, okay?”

    It was obvious that Gen had tried something with the boy but before Lulu could speak, Gen opened the door and her smile instantly disappeared as Lulu stepped out from behind her. When Lulu was able to see Gen’s face, the smile returned as radiant and glistening as before.

    “Have fun you two!” Gen chirped. Gen’s face fell again as she sized up Lulu’s date before throwing Lulu a wink and closing the door.

    Heading upstairs, Gen made her way into her own dress and looked at herself in the mirror. Landon didn’t know what was coming.

    Armed with a camera and her ability to sneak, Gen pushed the door open to Ash’s room and began snapping pictures.

    “Smile! Mom and Dad would kill me if I didn’t get photos of the occasion.” Gen giggled as she snapped the photos. “Come on, we have to get Cap and Newt too.”

    Taking Ash’s hand, Gen tugged her along down the stairs and immediately began to bombard the boys in the foyer with the flash of the camera and Gen’s orders to pose and smile. Once enough were taken of the boys, Gen set the camera down and pulled the three others in towards her.

    “Come on, we need a good group shot for my Instagram. Pretend like we don’t hate each other.” Gen spoke bluntly.

    Enough photos were taken for a whole damn fashion article before Gen even considered letting Ash, Cap, and Newt go. Even then, standing in the foyer, Gen found herself fussing over all three, fixing hair and straightening ties, and flipping folded hems. Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw Landon’s car pull up the driveway, resulting in a heavy thump of her heart.

    “That’s my cue.” Gen smirked with a flick of her hair. “You three go have fun. Cap, darling, you’d better save a dance for your favourite big sister. And you,” Gen turned to Newt, the playfulness in her voice gone as she jabbed a finger into his chest, “you treat my baby sister like a goddamn queen or I’m ripping your balls off.”

    A few silent seconds passed before Gen let out a laugh and patted Newt’s shoulder.

    “I’m kidding, you two go have fun.” Gen chimed as a knock on the door echoed through the hallway. Walking to the door, Gen opened it with a playful smirk as her eyes hungrily traced the figure on the other side. “Hey handsome. I was starting to worry you were going to stand me up.”

    º º code by ditto º º
     






    LINDSAY MORGAN KAY


    Lindsay Kay was an optimist, ‘kay? Life was a highway, he was gonna ride it all night long type shit. There were enough boring, depressed whiny bitches in the world as was, luhmao — and following the crowd wasn’t Lin’s speed, ess-em-aych.

    But to be entirely honest, last week, for the most part, really fucking sucked.

    Sure, he hung out with Charlie and Zeph a lot — Charlie especially. And he always loved that, luhmao, ‘cuz she was fucking dope and little Zephy, with his broken arm, was basically, Lin had concluded, a less-cool little mini-him, so that was pretty cool. Lin had always dreamt of having a little mini-him, luhmao.

    But it was getting close to finals, so all of his fuckin’ courses were piling all kindsa bullshit like the fuckin’…body systems? Did Lin look like he knew the parts of the digestive system? You ate food and you shit it out. That was all ya needed to know, right? And English, too — he couldn’t find the answers to the questions about that book he never read on that study guide, not even on SparkNotes or fuckin’ Wikipedia. It was bullshit.

    And…well, there was also last weekend.

    What was supposed to be one of the best times of Lin’s life — and the best time in Zeph’s lame life — turned out to be one of the worst times. Talking with Charlie was really nice, and it did make him feel kinda better, but there was also the part of him that knew, if that was the end, there was going to be nothing that anyone could really do to stop it. Not Charlie, not himself. Plus, Charlie’s issues were a lot bigger than his, and a lot more important. There was no way that he would let her do that for him when she wouldn’t even let him do the same for her.

    But talking with Charlie wasn’t really enough to offset the fact that…well, according to his dad’s retelling, Lin made Zeph come over and break his arm (which was bullshit — Zeph broke his own stupid arm on his own stupid own) in the neighbor’s pool after being repeatedly asked by the neighbors to stop trespassing on their property. Bullshit, ‘cuz they had a fuckin’ pool, not just a hot tub — a whole ass pool. According to his dad’s interpretation of events, all of that shit was Lin’s fault.

    If the neighbors had pressed charges, Pricky had said, he would have…

    “Well, you certainly know,” he’d chuckled.

    “Bastard,” Lin had whispered beneath his breath.

    His dad gave him another fucking talk over the phone, like all of his other fucking talks over the phone. Made Lin feel like shit for doing fucking nothing, really. So Lin’d felt like shit about that most of the week.

    But then Friday, he kinda just suddenly remembered that there was the Ball, and then he kinda just forgot about the fact that his life kinda sucked at the moment, because, bro, it was the fuckin’ ball, you know, luhmao?

    Lin fuckin’ thrived at dances. Loud music, lots of people, fancy clothes. Throw the crackhead in the mix, and you had yourself a certified t-i-m-e, luhmao.

    Plus, it was a ball — a ball. Bougie ass. Super romantic and shit.

    Bu-dump, bu-dump, bu-dump heart goin’ wilin’ shit, luhmao.

    Gnawing on the last sour straw from the tenth pack of sour straws tonight (and no, that was no exaggeration), Lin gave himself the good ol’ Lin Kay size-up. He looked fuckin’ sexyyyy, luhmao. Lightning McQueen red looked fuckin’ hot on him. Then again, everything looked great on him — duh, he was Lin Kay after all.

    And, uh, well, also, his heart was kinda already going bu-dump, bu-dump, bu-dump wilin’ shit.

    Not that he was nervous, luhmao. Lin Kay was never nervous.

    But…well…

    Ess-em-aych, it was just…

    Charlie was…

    His mind unwillingly trailed back to last year’s ball — the one he’d gone to with…with Lydia. He’d rather forget it, but he kinda couldn’t. Ya know, even though he was only a year older than he was then, looking back, it was really fucking stupid. Just how he acted, in general. Because he’d gone through all of this effort — corsages, renting a limo, getting photos taken and everything — for this girl who he’d told himself he…he was falling in love with or whatever. Like an idiot. He was all, I’ve never felt this way before. Shit like that. And he was nervous as hell. Going there, getting there, being there.

    That wasn’t love, though. That didn’t feel like this did right now.

    These nerves…he didn’t know. Maybe they were just different because they were for Charlie.

    They were just different because she actually was the girl he really was falling in love with or something really sappy or shit, luhmao.

    “Dumbass,” he said aloud, smiling softly to himself and breathing out a quiet sigh.

    She made him a complete idiot.

    There was a knock on the door, and Lin’s heart thudded harshly against his chest. “Coming!” he yelled, and he immediately took off for the door, running at full force to the door.

    He stopped in front of it before he touched the handle, though, just abruptly braking and standing straight up. Drawing in a deep breath, he looked toward the ceiling, reaching his hands up to smooth down his hair, then moving them down to smooth out his jacket. He breathed on his palm, then smelled it. He cleared his throat, tightened his tie.

    You’re stalling.

    No I’m not, Lin. Shut up, Lin.

    No, you shut up.

    No, you.

    No, you.

    No —

    He huffed out a breath of air and yanked open the door and holy hot fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucking…

    Lin’s eyes were wide, his jaw sunken to the ground as he gawked at his girlfriend.

    There were no words. No effing words.

    Lin’s mouth was asking for words to say; Lin’s brain was leaving him on read.

    “Wow,” Charlie said, like Owen Wilson.

    “Hhhhhhhh,” Lin tried to speak.

    “Lin, you look amazing,” she said.

    “Hhhhhhhhhhh,” he tried again. “Hhhhhhhhhhhhhh —”

    He suddenly jerked his head back, shaking it and blinking a few times. Puffing out his cheeks and letting out a few huffs of air, Lin let go of the doorhandle and stepped forward to give Charlie a hug. “Y-Y-You l-looooooooook reallyreally hot," Lin said, his words stilted. He stepped back. “Reallyreallyreally…”

    He stared at her for another couple of seconds, losing his train of thought again before simply saying, “Kaaaa-chow.”

    He shook his head again, clearing his throat. “AaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhIIIIIIIIII —“ He shook his head, then laughed. “Ah, I gave, uhhhhh, Bishi to the dogsitter already, luhmao, and, uhhhhhhhhhhh…”

    His brain was sending him error messages again.

    “Hhhhhhhhhhhhh…”




    mood
    hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    location
    his condo

    outfit
    kachow ; )





    playing...
    we'll be okay
    by lindsay kay​




    mentions
    zeph & lydia

    interactions
    charlie

    tags
    geminiy geminiy


    º º code by ditto º º
     






    Ashton West


    Right, duh, of course. How could Ash have not realized that that's exactly what they were doing -- Gen sniffing Cappie to make sure that he smelled alright for his big date. That made total sense, and it totally wasn't weird to walk in and see this happen. She let out a soft laugh, giving a little shake of her head.

    “You look quite merry today.” Cap said, and Ash gave a little shrug of her shoulders before Cap said -- which was easily the worst thing he could've said in Gen's presence, because Ash was no good at coming up with lies -- “Are... aren’t those the same clothes you wore yesterday?”

    Ash gave a little shrug of her shoulders, and she started to open her mouth to come up with some kind of excuse that wasn't oh yeah, you know my boyfriend? The one I got in a huge fight with last week when I was high on something and you had to come pick me up? Yeah we totally made up and I stayed over there. Because like... Gen was here, and the last thing Ash wanted was to tell her.

    Well, she did want to tell Gen.

    But Trevor obviously didn't, and she was trying to keep the pressure off of him or... or whatever. And like, after what had happened with JJ, it was just...

    Yeah, it was... so much better... right?

    Right.

    Luckily, Ash didn't have to come up with some poor excuse, because Gen didn't even appear to hear Cappie's remark, which earned a smug smile from Ash. Instead she came over, taking the shoe from Ash's hand and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek as thanks, which earned a small laugh from Ash.

    Gen started talking about Cappie's smell (true story -- like, Ash wasn't even making that up or anything), and Ash nodded along, walking closer to the pair as Gen did so. But after a moment, Gen raised her finger and walked out of the bedroom. Ash's gaze followed after her for a moment, and then she turned back towards Cappie with a smile.

    "I umm..." she reached up, tucking a loose bit of messy blonde hair over her ear. Her voice was low as she spoke. "I like, went to see Trevor last night, and he like... apologized for everything, and I umm... I ended up staying the night," she explained, the warm smile growing back on her face as she explained.

    There was like, some butterflies in her stomach or something when she thought about it, and she wasn't sure she'd ever really felt this good about her relationship with Trevor, but like...

    Like, last night had been amazing.

    Gen came walking back in, and Ash stepped back from Cappie as she spritzed him down. She watched as Gen leaned in, taking another sniff of Cappie.

    “There, that’s a much more complete scent. Take a whiff, Ash.” Gen instructed. “Nice deep sniff, make it almost creepily deep.”

    "Don't say it like that," Ash said, giving a small shake of her head before she leaned in close to her best friend, inhaling deeply, and then nodded as she settled back on her heels. "Oh yeah, you smell like, a million times better. Chanel's going to smell you and she's just, like, she's gonna... be... really happy?"

    Yeah, that was her best attempt.

    The door bell rang, and Ash glanced over her shoulder towards Gen's bedroom door.

    “That must be Lulu and Newt. Come on you two, it’s time for makeovers.” Gen chirped, and then she looped her arm through Ash's before looking back at Cappie. “Yes, that means you too. Come now.”

    Ash looked back at Cappie, giving him a little shrug and tiny smile before she allowed herself to be tugged out of the room by Gen.

    ------------------------------------​

    She'd like, been completely prepared to get herself ready for the Ball like... herself. Ash was capable enough, but Gen had tugged her and Lulu into the studio and before she knew it, Ash was sitting in a chair as Gen got to work. And like, she was way faster and better at this than Ash could ever hope to be, so, like, she wasn't complaining.

    And Ash was like the perfect model -- she did just as Gen would ask of her, tilting her head this way and that, closing her eyes, whatever it was that she asked of her. Every now and again, she would take sneak peeks into the mirror of the vanity, and a little smile was on her lips as she looked at herself.

    Yeah, like, see, she actually felt really pretty.

    It was kind of weird, kind of out of character for Ash.

    You know, for her to feel comfortable in her own skin, but here she was. Doing just that.

    And there was this little part of her, this little bit in the very back of her head where the butterflies were at that were just thinking about how Trevor would react. Like, if he'd think she was pretty or whatever when he saw her at the dance, and thinking about that, and knowing that the dance was going to go like... amazing, it was all just like... god, this was like the first time in forever that she actually felt overwhelmed with happiness.

    Happiness and like, excitement. She couldn't wait to go.

    There was a knock downstairs as Gen was finishing up with Ash's hair, and there was a bit of a confused look on her face, but then she figured like, it was probably just Landon or something.

    She squeezed her eyes shut as Gen finished spraying her hair into place, and then her eyes opened back up.

    “What do you think, Newton? She’s your hot date after all.” Gen asked, and Ash couldn't really help the faint blush that crept onto her cheeks as Gen turned her towards the mirror, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

    Ash studied herself in the mirror, and her smile widened a touch.

    “You look absolutely gorgeous, babes. It’s so weird to see you all grown up but somehow, you get hotter every day and honestly that’s impressive.”

    Her gaze turned from the mirror to look up at her big sister (because like duh, that's basically what Gen was), and she let out a small laugh. "Please," she said with a roll of her eyes, "this is, like, mostly because you're like... like... magic with makeup." She responded.

    She looked back towards the mirror and started to bite her lip but thought better of it.

    Gen headed off to greet whoever was at the door, and Ash took in a deep breath before she turned towards Newt, a pleasant smile on her face.

    "I'm going to go get dressed," she said, and she reached out to take his jacket, her hands kind of adjusting it. "I'll, like, meet you downstairs, okay?"

    With one last smile at Newt, Ash let go of his jacket and picked up her dress before heading to her room.

    ------------------​

    So like, good thing was that she didn't need help getting the zipper up, and she had only struggled a little bit with get the back of it clasped. After it was all on, though, Ash paused in the mirror to look at it. She turned back and forth, studying it on her form, and she found her hands smoothing down the fabric bunched by her stomach.

    It was...

    A lot.

    Not something Ash would normally, like, ever wear. It felt totally out of character for her, but she had to admit that it did look decent and maybe Mikaela had been sort of right about it.

    Grabbing her shoes, Ash quickly slipped on the heels before she leaned forward in front of her mirror and set to work putting her earrings in. For a moment, her gaze drifted down to the star necklace from Trevor that she was still wearing and again, her lips pulled back into an excited smile.

    And then her door opened up and she heard the click of a camera. Alarmed, Ash straightened up and looked towards her bedroom door, just in time to see Gen. She let out a small laugh and shake of her head, and then she smiled as directed by Gen, letting her snap a few more shots before they took off to get the boys.

    With the boys and Gen, she posed along for the pictures until Gen was satisfied -- or, rather, until Landon showed up so Gen was kind of forced to stop.

    After Gen had departed, Ash turned to Cappie with a smile. She threw her arms around him in a quick hug, and then she stepped back, her hands reaching out to adjust his suit. "You look, like, really hot," she said with a smile, although she was sure he knew that. "Have fun with Chanel, okay? We'll see you there."

    And with her goodbyes to Cappie in order, Ash turned towards Newt. "Ready?" She asked.

    -------------------------​

    Yeah, so after all of that, they were finally at the freaking Winter Ball.

    Pressed close to Newt's side, Ash and said date had made their way into the dance. She paused when they'd first come inside, her gaze looking around at the people around her for a particular overly tall brunette junior that was probably looking really uncomfortable but really cute.

    Unfortunately, she didn't find any Trevor, and a brief frown crossed her lips for a moment, but like... that was so fine. She'd have plenty of time to dance and have fun with her friends before spending time with her boyfriend.

    See? Perfect night was a go.

    "Hey," Ash said as she looked up towards Newt. Again, her hands reached out to play with his jacket, kind of adjusting it a bit as she spoke. "I just ummm... like, I wanted to say like... thanks, for umm... like thanks for coming with me." Her lips pressed into a smile. "You're the, like, perfect date, and I just..." she quickly reached up, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before stepping back. "Thanks for being, like, such an amazing friend."

    She smiled, her hands smoothing down her jacket when she felt something crunch in his pocket.

    With a confused look on her face, Ash's hand felt inside of Newt's jacket pocket, and she pulled out a baggie of... of... gummies?

    There was a confused expression on her face as she looked from the gummies back to Newt's face. "Are these like, edibles?" She asked because like, why else would they be in a baggie?

    And why else would a high schooler bring them to a dance?




    mood
    the happiest ever

    location
    the house --> the Ball

    outfit
    purple





    playing...
    Generous
    by Ash West​




    mentions
    Trevor <3

    interactions
    Gen, Cappie, Newt

    tags
    geminiy geminiy 0k_mang0 0k_mang0 PenguinFox PenguinFox


    º º code by ditto º º
     
    MOOD: sigh

    OUTFIT: suit

    LOCATION: dorm lot
    basics
    MENTIONS:
    Chanel, Hunter
    INT:
    Winona Winona (Casey)
    tags
    TL;DR no
    tl;dr
    Chas Marino

    “Chas, you’ve been keeping something secret from us…”

    Yes, I have. My undying disdain for your stirring-shit-with-a-smile, reality television shtick.

    Chas’ resolve wavered. His blood temperature dropped forty degrees centigrade. He cast an additional glance toward Casey, one of visceral fear. Neither of them quite knew what was happening, and here Casey was smiling and nodding as though this was all part of the script. That was probably the smart thing to do, and although Chas had nonverbally told him to do so, he knew this reaction was out of ignorance for the vile nature of this show’s host.

    The short Italian propelled an anxious laugh from his throat, clasping his hands together and placing them on his lap. His eyes remained fixed on his mother, hanging onto every last word that fell off her lips.

    “When were you going to introduce everyone to your boyfriend?”

    Claudia looked out into the audience, the audience gasped and turned to face Chas, and Casey followed suit. He was sweating bullets; Casey’s curious stare felt like a laser heating up his insides, unmoving. Burning two holes straight through his skin, his muscle tissue, his bone, then beaming through the other side in the opposite order.

    “Heh. Well...”

    What boyfriend?

    How do I even respond to that?

    "Casey and Chassy are even going to go to Hollywood Arts' Winter Ball together. Isn't that just precious? What a great first outing for a fresh new couple."

    We’re what!?

    Like hell! Like hell Chas would ever stoop so low as to seek out Casey goddamn Clairmont, the poster child for weird kids whose fame can only be attributed to their family, whose talents could never make up for the fact that they’re not worthy of a million Instagram followers aside from their lineage.

    And no, the irony was not lost on Chas, but at least he was doing something about it.

    For the sake of posterity, he altered his expression to look at least semi-aware of his surroundings, as though he could properly mask the absence of his soul, which had jumped out of his body mere seconds ago. “Ah, well.” She was looking at him. Casey was looking at him. Everyone was looking at him, waiting for his next words, the response that would ultimately determine whether he lived or died. “You know.”

    In a do-or-die situation, does the hero waste time debating the consequences? No. Unless you’re Jonah Hill.

    “Yes, you got me,” he blurted, that signature smarmy grin returning, something of which he realized in the moment was his most frequently utilized defense mechanism, “It’s true. Forgive me for withholding, but we really felt like doing it live… in front of everyone… coming from my mother… was the reveal you all deserve. Who doesn't love a good surprise?”

    Me. ME.

    Claudia smirked, reveling in this moment of complete control. She challenged Chas with even sharper eye contact, a warning to watch his words. It didn’t matter anyway; as long as he said his piece with a smile and a cheery tone, the audience of old hags would be none the wiser.

    He turned to Casey and went for his hand, his insides squirming as his finger brushed gently along the back of his palm. This was love. This was natural. Just pretend he’s Seb, and it’ll all work out. Imagine his tall, stooped figure and soft-spoken gaze staring right back, affirming and complimenting and being annoying but adorable and…

    Fucking hell, this wasn’t working.

    Cut the cameras, cut the goddamn cameras!

    "With that, we're going to cut to commercial break. But when we come back, we'll get some more details on Hollywood's newest celebrity couple."

    Sharing their first moment of solidarity as a couple, Chas and Casey both heaved a sigh and sunk into their seats. Could this get any worse? “Casey…” he began, unlinking their hands and sitting up with an apologetic look.

    "I think there's some kinda mistake,” Casey started, stretching the pit in Chas’ stomach, "We ain't actually dating." He looked over at Chas and nudged him with an elbow, but he couldn’t bear to look back.

    "Ain't that right, Chas? Tell her. Tell her that we're not really dating and we gotta ahh... cut it or something. Yeah."

    Fuck. It hurt. More than he was embarrassed, he was guilty, having roped his childhood friend (for better or for worse) into this mess. Imagine one’s reaction to the plight of being paired with Chas Marino, Hollywood Arts’ resident pariah. Imagine the unfairness of that same pariah being unable to look you in the eye and say he has it handled.

    Claudia's icy stare sat upon Chas, frozen and fixed as though awaiting the correct response. Chas looked back, hesitating.

    “What’re you saying?” He shook his head. There was pain behind his eyes, but it was incomparable to the pain he’d experience being cut off from his father’s bank account, “Casey, I…” Claudia reclined in her seat, sipping seltzer, clearly satisfied with her work.

    There’s nothing as classy as leeching off of a more successful family’s name. The Marinos had done some shady, underhanded shit to maintain their fame and wealth, but this…

    Chas jumped out of his seat, and tugged Casey in his direction. “We’ll be back.” Claudia didn’t so much as cast a second glance at the two, having completed the day’s agenda. The rest of the episode would be a breeze, especially since Chanel just loved to talk about herself at length.

    With that, the pair speedwalked off the set, Chas leading the way down the hall and into an unoccupied room. He shut the door behind them, then drew in close.

    “Casey,” he breathed, inches away from the other boy’s face, “We have to pretend. Can you do that for me?” His tone was grave, urgent. “Can you pretend for just a little longer while I sort this out?” He patted the blonde twice on the cheek, putting up a smile that said, “No, there isn’t a choice.”

    “We can have some fun with it. I’ll make it worthwhile,” he promised, experiencing the same frustration as asking a toddler to stay put, “You do this for me, and I’ll make anything you want come true. Hell, you want a date with Priscilla? She’s yours.”

    Ew. Fuck no.

    He cleared his throat. “Either way, we can go our separate ways and convince the world this never happened, and everybody lives happily ever after and no one gets clawed in the face by my mom’s poison-tipped nails. Yeah? How’s that sound?”

    He patted Casey’s cheek again. “Great. Let’s put on a show.”

    ___________________________________________

    “Are you ready!?” Chas’ voice boomed from his bathroom, which exceeded the size of a small hotel room. As customary of any of his outings, he brandished a pair of tweezers, carefully plucking at his eyebrows, then following it up with a careful rearrangement of each and every one of his hair’s stray strands.

    Tonight was going to be something; that was just about the only thing Chas could be sure of and he hated it. A week into “dating” Casey had given the tightly-wound boy a more-than-necessary amount of insight into just how positively insufferable his vulgar fake boyfriend could be. But, more than that, it showed just how… kind he was. Maybe a bit of a moron, but he ultimately wasn’t obligated to play along with the charade.

    So, Chas decided, he would cut the guy some slack. “I’m ready. Let’s go.” Upon exiting the bathroom, he was greeted with his goofy-faced date making a go at tying his tie. Taking a pause for a dramatic eye roll, he murmured, “Here. You’re doing it the bad way.”

    With a startling amount of delicacy, Chas slipped a finger into the knot of Casey’s polka dot tie and undid it, then re-tied it with nimble fingers. He patted down his date’s suit, then tightened the tie a little. “You look nice,” he muttered dispassionately, making a move out the door rather than on his fake boyfriend.

    Once they were out the front door, Chas assumed his position in the driver’s seat as always, tapping his foot absentmindedly. His eyes wandered around aimlessly, studying the array of colors marking sunset, the precursor to the more somber, artful dusk. What was he doing? Was it all worth another interview with Teen Vogue? He glanced at Casey, and the knot in his stomach immediately twisted tighter.

    What were they doing?

    Chas reluctantly started the car, regretting the fact that he hadn’t made the choice to attend the dance after a glass or two of red wine, but that was the price of always insisting upon being the designated driver. The ride felt like a drive with a friend around town more than it did a drive with a date to a winter formal. Had someone told Chas’ he’d have been taking any guy at all to a high school dance, he’d have spat on your foot and stepped on it.

    He made small talk. Then regular talk. It was almost business as usual, if it wasn’t for the nagging curiosity of what Casey was thinking about all this. Had the roles been reversed, Chas had to wonder if he’d do the same for anyone, and then he had to wonder why he was doing all this when it was mostly just for Claudia’s satisfaction.

    Shit, he really was just like his mother.

    Pulling into the H.A. dorm parking lot, he shot Hunter a quick “I’m here, hurry up” text, then reclined in his seat. He fished for his smoke stick, took a puff, then slipped it back to his side. He pursed his lips. Eugh! Citrus.

    “So, Casey, just so you’re aware, you’re not obligated to stick with me. As soon as we get pictures in, you’re free to do what you want,” he drawled as he gave a frank look to the boy beside him, releasing another cloud of vapor into the air, “Maybe Lydia’ll be there.” He looked back forward with tired eyes. Most Pathetic Tool of the Year award goes to one Chas Philippe Marino. Woo!!!

    "Tell me how you're feeling. Talk to me." He held out the yellow stick as an offering, then took another hit.
    code by valen t.
     
    Isabella Dupont
    @bellaissima has set their status to:
    why am I here?

    @bellaissima has set their outfit to:
    mon beau jardin fleuri

    @bellaissima has set their location to:
    the ballroom

    @bellaissima has mentioned:
    Ronnie, Casey, Chas

    @bellaissima has interacted with:
    Kelli

    @bellaissima has tagged:
    ohdittoh ohdittoh
    From the second Bella walked through the doors of the ballroom, her heart sank. The twinkling chandeliers and elegant rose centrepieces that would have otherwise put her in a trance of awe and hopeless romantic wonder did little to calm the gnawing nerves in the pit of her stomach or the nagging thought that she would rather be somewhere, anywhere, else than the stupid ball.

    Bella thought that getting ready with Kelli would have helped get her mind off of things, if not for a few hours, and for a moment there it had worked as the duo had gotten lost in giggles and soft music and dress fabric and hairspray. For a while, it was just two friends being excited about an evening of dancing and music and expensive food they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. For a while, Bella was actually excited to be going.

    But then they stepped foot into the ballroom and Bella came to the sinking realization that the night ahead of her was going to be so very lonely in a room full of people.

    Ronnie was already off with her date and assumedly so, Kelli wouldn't be long before she too was gone. Bella would be alone without a person to offer her companionship while the one stupid person she had been looking forward to seeing was off locking lips with some Grade A asshole.

    No, she still wasn’t over that.

    Yes, she understands how stupid she sounded.

    It wasn’t like Bella had some sort of claim to him, everything she felt towards him was pure idiotic infatuation, nothing more. Clearly nothing was reciprocated and really, it never would have gone anywhere anyways. But that didn’t stop the sting that came from seeing him speak honeyed words to someone who couldn’t care less if they were insults or compliments. That didn’t stop her eyes from scanning the crowd subconsciously for him, a hollow feeling burning through her chest when he was nowhere to be found.

    She was all dressed up with no one to be with. Bella could practically hear Jackie now, lecturing her about needing to feel secure in herself and that she didn’t need anyone else to have a good time and that it was perfectly acceptable to feel pretty for herself. But that was easy for Jackie to say when she was the one that was never abandoned, the one with a boyfriend that would do just about anything for her, when she was never the second choice.

    Bella signed and looked back at the door. She could leave and no one, not one soul, would notice or care if she was gone. She could go back to her dorm and curl up with a blanket and a cup of tea and her thoughts, or anxiously raid the kitchen and bake up a batch of something sweet and warm.

    Kelli accidentally brushed against her arm as the two stepped inside and Bella looked from the door to her friend, pulling her back to the present. She couldn’t leave Kelli, at least not until Angel arrived. Once Angel was there, Bella could simply excuse herself to the bathroom and disappear through the crowd and to the nearest bus stop. Kelli would have a great night with her date and Bella wouldn’t have to deal with the painful worry wringing knots in her stomach any longer.

    “This place is beautiful, like something right out of a fairytale. ” Bella forced herself to speak, a smile on her glossed lips to compliment the sweet small talk spilling from them. “I would not expect anything else for somewhere with such prestigious students. It is almost intimidating.”

    Stepping past a group of students near the entrance, Bella and Kelli made their way over to the line of crystal glasses with some sort of pale amber liquid swirling inside. Delicately taking two glasses from the table, Bella held one out to Kelli and offered a toast.

    “To a beautiful night with beautiful friends.” Bella chirped as she carefully clanged her glass against Kelli’s before raising it to her lips. The liquid was fizzy, almost like champagne, but tasted of apple. Probably some sort of fancy sparkling juice to deter children that were absolutely going to get drunk from drinking.

    Bella looked once more at the door.

    “So, what shall we do?” She asked as she gracefully swirled the liquid around in her glass, thin streams of bubbles gliding up the sides before popping at the surface. “Do you have to go meet Angel soon?”

    º º code by ditto º º
     
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