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

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Lucky DuBois




The drive to the dance was quiet. Amy attempted small talk. It was nice of her. Decent. At least she tried, but the conversation just kept fizzling out. What do you say to the girl who lives with the girl you fucked over? There wasn’t much. Everyone wanted to hear apologies. Maybe if he was laying in bed, desolate and pained. Maybe then they’d feel like he was paying for his mistakes. Lucky didn’t do desolate. He didn’t lay in bed and think about his mistakes. If he did, he’d never do anything else.

The paparazzi was a surprise. Like…it was a high school dance. What scoop could they really get? It didn’t seem like a big deal. But then again, this was Hollywood Arts. Everything here was different. Everything here was more intense. Everything here was high stakes. He watched as Amy walked slightly ahead. The paps wanting solo shots of her. She had a name. She was someone already. And what surprised him more was that he was wanted for pictures. Told to pose. Amy had overheard and because of her kindness, gave him a few pointers. It was strange. He didn’t hate it. Except why him? And then the questions came. Mostly about his relation to the Harlows. Guess news got around fast. He had expected it. But it was attention he didn’t want.

His mind wandered back to Angela’s threats. He needed to keep a positive profile…as much as he could. Could she ruin him? He 100% knew she could. And it ate at him. That she had her thumb over him like that. So he’d placate. For now. Until he could figure out how to stick it to her. Would it get him in more hot water? Probably, but that seems to be his new MO.

He and Amy finally made it into the ballroom. It was…nice. Way nicer than any dance he’d ever been to. Not that he’d been to many school dances. Once or twice in New York—mostly cause his mom made him, but since then? Nothing. He and Amy made small talk for a short time before he had to excuse him to play their first set. It went great. Ki and Javi were on their A game. And the crowd went wild. Well, they at least sounded like they were enjoying themselves.

Afterwards, Javi found an excuse to be where Lucky wasn’t and Ki went off to do whatever it was that he did between sets. That left Lucky alone. He’d scanned the crowd. He figured he should maybe check in with Amy, but she was with her people and didn’t feel like making any more small talk. Definitely didn’t want to deal with the looks and stares. He was definitely regretting not bringing a flask, but just one more set. Then he was free to go. It was better than being in a room where literally everyone despised you.

————————————————-

The time seemed to go by at a snail's pace. When they were about to head back on stage, Lucky made his way back toward the backstage area. Javi was already there…avoiding eye contact which only pissed him off more. Seriously…what was this fucking guy’s problem. He didn’t even know Josie. Why was it so important to him? He walked up to him and slid his hands in his pockets, but kept his distance. He opened his mouth to say something…dickish, obviously, but then he stopped himself. They needed to be civil. Ki was having a difficult time with their rift and if they weren’t careful it could be detrimental to the band.

Like a savior, Ki came from behind and wrapped his arms around both of them. “Ready for a killer Act Two?” He was. For multiple reasons. A light chuckle escaped his lips as he looked over at Ki. The guy was like walking sunshine. “Yeah, dude, let’s get on with it.”

—————————————————

The set was EPIC. They had saved their favorite songs for this set. They wanted to go out with a bang. The crowd ate it up. Ki and Javi did their thing. Even surprised him with a couple rifts that had been unexpected, but had the crowd really moving. His eyes had scanned the crowd. Even Ash had been dancing…however slightly. A smirk formed on his face as their eyes locked and he went back to the performance and paid attention to the rest of the crowd. This was what he came here for. The rush. The contentment of playing your music and having people get it. Enjoy it even.

His eyes came across Josie who looked like she was into it. She had always been a fan. Pushed him. Made sure he knew that she was proud of what he and the guys were doing. She was always a frequent flyer when they rehearsed. Always cheering them on. Then their eyes met. And her face fell. He expected anger. Maybe a middle finger. But she just looked sad. And he quickly averted his eyes as he moved on. It wasn’t time to let himself get distracted. He’d made his bed. He had to lay in it.

The set came to a close and they made their way off the stage. Stilly hyped from how it ended, he wrapped his arms around the others as they celebrated a successful first show. “Guys…we fucking killed it out there.” He said still out of breath. “Those rifts were amazing and…” he patted Javi’s chest. “That thing you did to close out Bang was awesome.” He said as he took a deep breath. “We did it guys. This is just the beginning.” He said as he realized that he had his arm around Javi and tried to slide it off as nonchalantly as possible. “Please tell me someone has some way of celebrating?”





mood
defeated location
the danceoutfit
outfit





playing...
it's alright

by mother mother




mentions
josie, ash, kian, javi
interactions
javi and kitags
hery hery geminiy geminiy


º º code by ditto º º
 




































  • how she's feeling...



    awkward.

















june



-the actress-












June backed away, feeling her cheeks burn a bright red. The wind she had revelled in not even a minute ago was quickly becoming her biggest enemy; she pushed her hair out of her face, behind her ears and over one of her shoulders, nervously untangling it with her fingers.

If she hadn’t felt embarrassed before she certainly was now- especially considering the blonde girl she had run into was nothing if not model status. Learning she was new as well was a shock; she already looked like she fit in, and then there she was, dressed in a simplistic white cocktail dress that was about to be smoke-scented based on Niamh’s huffing.

“Yeah, I’m alone, too. I wasn’t really expecting this thing to be such a big deal...” June trailed off, chewing her bottom lip. It seemed as though the crowds entering the building had died down. The press had certainly thinned. Maybe now was the time to slip out.

Things grew quiet between them, nothing but the muffled bass of music and faint laughter floating in the air.

“I’m probably just gonna leave,” June said, finally, trying to avoid Niamh’s intense gaze. For a fellow new student, Niamh certainly looked like she knew her way around, and June was willing to bet she wasn’t coming across as friend material considering how awkward she felt.












































♡coded by uxie♡
 
MOOD: band

OUTFIT: ball fit

LOCATION: backstage
basics
MENTIONS:
Angel, Jo, Saint, Maddie, Jared

INT:
geminiy geminiy (Kian)
gh0stwriter gh0stwriter (Lucky)
tags
TL;DR no
tl;dr
Javier Cervantes

The week was tense. Between all his typical lighthearted, raunchy conversations, all Javi could seem to think about was Lucky and how much of a stupid dumbass he was and how much he wanted to sock him in the face, and then kiss it better, and then punch him all over again. The arrogant asshole’s guarded demeanor lingered in the back of his head like a festering sore, souring his mood at the most sporadic of times.

Why couldn’t he just accept his shortcomings in a way that wasn’t soaked with self-pity and shameless deflection? Was that so hard to ask? Even when faced with that, Javi still found it in himself to want to be there for Lucky, but the guy was hellbent on calling him a hypocrite, shunning the support he so desperately needed. Javi hated crying, especially in front of people, but even he had the sense to know that floodgates are made to be opened on occasion.

And then they’d get a free moment to talk. Lucky would exasperatedly ask, “What do you want? What am I supposed to do?” Javi would fall silent, faltering with a dull edge despite the way his heart beat like a hummingbird. It wasn’t his damn job to save his soul; isn’t telling him to do that enough? Jo could care less if Javi apologized on his behalf, as much as he wanted to. As hard as he found it to look at Lucky like the person he was before, it was even more difficult to face Jo without displaying patronizing sympathy or burning rage toward the scumbags who made her hurt.

Bad things happen to good people. It’s the crux of modern philosophy, and the desolate mindset of nihilists. The hardest piece to accept was that maybe Lucky was a bad thing after all. That he could be capable of carrying out such a heinous, egregious act.

That he didn’t come to Javi first.

With the night of the ball upon the students of H.A., the heavily-conflicted bassist found himself outside his brother’s place, reclined in the driver’s seat of his shabby, red sedan. A jacket-covered arm rested outside the window, his hand grasping a smoking joint. The chilly air nipped at his fingers, which saw an oasis of warmth in the joint’s radiating heat. He raised the tightly-rolled paper to his mouth while pensively gazing upward. Where did everything go wrong, he wondered, then he recalled all the back-and-forths he shared with his bandmates, the two charming dickheads he fucking cared about so much he grew to resent them because of how much they’d changed.

Everyone was so fucking stressed all the time. Being on-edge killed his muse more than the withdrawals, but at least he felt an ounce more sane knowing he had yet to spiral like Lucky and Kian. However, under all that tensity and worry was a world-class bassist who had this band shit down to a T. If anything was to be fine, it would be tonight’s performance.

In. Rough smoke spilled into Javi’s lungs. He gritted his teeth with a sharp breath, eyes glazed over. Out. Smoke plumed out of his mouth, and he coughed a little. How nice this would have been to share with the old Lucky, but…

He had prior obligations. Exiting in his place in a dorky little suit was his dorky little brother clutching his cell phone. God, just looking at the ass-kissing dipshit made his skin crawl. In. Just get through the night. Just let the kid in, take him from Point A to point B, play the song, then jet. Out. Maybe with a girl, but dances like these weren’t exactly prime grounds for picking up a new bedfellow to add to the rotation. Adriane didn’t have a boyfriend yet, did she? If all else failed, she probably wouldn’t have been opposed to a quickie.

“Got a hot date, chato?” the curly-haired stoner remarked with a derisive “tch.” There wasn’t much of a point in listening to his brother’s stuttered mess of an answer; even if he had somehow landed a date, he would surely be overly-modest about it. Then again, there was a cruel irony in Angel landing a girl and not Javi for once.

Immediately upon arriving at the venue, Javi kicked Angel out of the car and watched him plod off with creased brows. The shorter boy had a special place in his heart; he was the very first to turn his back at the most crucial of times. From then on, Javi was merely his acquaintance and chauffeur. Not his protector, not his brother, and certainly not his friend. In the end, there are always others worth saving. His mother was, up to a point. Angel was, up to a point. Maddie was, up to a point. Lucky was… is, even though it seemed that point was verging even closer upon them by the day.

In. Out. Javi released his last cloud of smoke, then stepped out of the car. He patted down his pockets for his phone, his keys, and his lighter. Slung over his shoulder was the nylon guitar case that housed his sleek, red electric bass and a few other small goodies. He had since purchased a new one since enrolling at the school thanks to the small grant he’d been provided for materials. Sometimes, it paid to attend an establishment primarily catered for rich assholes.

After his first step, he tossed the tail end of his joint down and stepped on it, rubbing it into the earth. The cameras were lurking in every corner, and Javi had to just hope his smoking habit wouldn’t be picked up. Record labels probably wouldn’t like a musician to have a gnarly smoker’s cough.

But they could deal. It was a part of the Cervantes charm, sans its youngest. He took apathetic, heavy steps to the entrance, taking delight in flashing his signature cocky grin at straggling paparazzi. With a flippant strut, he struck a pose, imitating the wink of a dashing moviestar on the red carpet. And then the photos stopped for the next arrival, signifying it was time to get inside and prep for the first set.

“Good luck, champ,” he cooed snarkily to Angel, who was loitering alone beside the front door. With a grin, he discreetly slipped a rubber in the younger boy’s pocket and patted it, leaving its recipient dumbstruck and hot with embarrassment. Once he was away from him, he felt a different sensation of shame washing over his body. Champ. He was champ. Not fucking Angel, as much as he wanted to rid himself of the giddy smirk that arrived when Lucky lovingly (but condescendingly) made use of that moniker.

Javi then made it backstage, tuned his bass, then forced himself through a set with a guitarist sick of his shit and a lead singer he couldn’t stand to look at. He had to admit they were pretty damn good, but nonetheless it felt wrong. Lucky wasn’t deserving of compliments; he was on bro probation… brobation. Unsurprisingly, the adored them, swinging and even waltzing to their beat. Each melody varied from slow to fast to slow, and Javi had to admit that the slower songs brought him the most pain. Somewhere out there, Maddie was probably swaying side to side in the arms of that rich, smarmy asshole. He didn’t even like her. He didn’t even know her. All he saw was a pretty girl with a powerful name and the lack of backbone to take it. Well, what the fuck ever. She deserved what was coming to her.

The moment the band got a break, Javi made himself scarce, not so much as giving either of his bandmates a pat on the back for their admittedly stellar performances. Kian and Lucky probably had their own things to do. They didn’t need anything to do with him while they snorted coke or talked up their ex-best friend’s ex-boyfriend or something. With an unnaturally lonely look on his face, Javi sat with a scowl tucked away backstage, strumming tunes in preparation for the second half of Jet Black Neon’s performance.

Once the trio reunited right before their next set, Javi crossed his arms with indignation consistent with his behavior prior. No special performance was going to keep him from being offended, betrayed, irritated, and anything between that and fucking pissed. Lucky had arrived backstage first, so Javi naturally looked down at his dirt-encrusted nails to avoid interaction with him.

He was a little startled when Kian arrived to throw his arms around them, but he couldn’t afford to show it. He threw up a clever attempt at an overly-confident grin, displaying a vastly greater degree of kindness toward the innocent bystander of a guitarist. “Ready as ever, pal,” he replied, dramatically strumming an imaginary guitar, “These fancy motherfuckers are waiting on us.”

The muscled teen clutched his bass, then jogged onto the set in the front of Lucky and Kian. The stage’s lights blinded him, but in the best sense possible. He’d never felt as much of a star as he had then, all eyes on him and his tight tee. He couldn’t help but chuckle incredulously at the thought that he, some stupid asshole from West L.A., could end up making music with real, seasoned professionals. Like he meant something. He glanced at Kian, then Lucky. It was even stranger that some of the people here were just like him.

To go out with a bang was the only prerequisite, or at least that’s what the band had discussed before the ball. Kian kicked it off with a masterful riff, then Javi joined in with his bass. Of course, the main draw in the band was Lucky’s lady-killing vocals, which amplified the effect of their shared rhythm. It was hard to stay mad while being so in tune with such talented, irritating, beautiful, backstabbing, charming guys. Javier repeatedly found himself sharing eye contact with Lucky while onstage, and while it was ostensibly a display of chemistry, it was moreso a fault on Javi’s part. He couldn’t help but sneak a series of glares at the guy, and it showed in the way he strummed at his bass with even greater vigor. It was a great aid in his precision and passionate rhythm, but a slight slip of the finger would have ended it all.

Sweat beaded on his forehead. He had to go harder, faster, livelier. He shouted on cue with great zeal and plucked his strings with the pointed force of seventy darting dragonflies. At times, he even threw himself onto center stage, cockily upstaging the band’s lead singer. While the music possessed him, so did the raw emotion that carried his body from place to place.

It was impossible not to look at Lucky, watching his eyes that so rapidly moved from face to face. He’d seen it in an instant as the boy’s blue eyes halted in the direction of the crowd’s center, straight towards Josie. The girl he’d so cruelly wronged. Javi’s heart broke a little, but he couldn’t afford to falter. He held the hope that she’d make the tiniest glance toward him, but all the girl could do was give a gloomy look toward the lead singer, then at the ground.

Fuck. Why couldn’t he do anything? How was it that every single goddamn person slipped through his fingers like sand in an hourglass? It all felt so brutally inevitable, as though every person Javi came across and happened to give a shit about was fated to fade into the abyss. As cold and isolating as it was, he was onstage on autopilot, strumming a bass he’d hardly registered was in his hand.

That would do no good. If Kian got an even firmer grasp of the disarray within the band, he’d split, then Javi and Lucky would really have no chance. Even when their chances seemed their slimmest, the bassist couldn’t help holding out hope for a renewal, something that would restore the passivity and peace they had once taken for granted.

To compensate for his lull in enthusiasm, Javi worked mental overtime to keep up with the others, breaking his fingers to catch each and every opportunity he had on the strings down to the picosecond.

Finally, the set that lasted weeks reached its close, and all Javi could do was stand still, heaving as the lights dimmed and the energy in the room stalled. “Thank you…” he gasped into the mic before trudging back from where he came, wiping his forehead with his forearm.

Lucky wasted no time complimenting the two, exercising his expert skill of pretending like everything was fucking peachy as he cheerily pat Javi on the chest. “That… was fun…” he heaved, still a little reluctant to admit how well they’d done amid an inter-band crisis. His shoulders tensed at the feeling of Lucky’s arm around him, and the boy seemed to notice before quietly removing it.

“Obviously we’re the fucking best,” he scoffed, laying his bass against the wall, “The crowd lost their fucking shit. Imagine what would have happened if I really had ripped my shirt off.” He cracked his back and flexed, stretching after a long day’s work all while leaving an eye on Kian. Was this fucking charade enough for his sensitive ass? Hope he was grateful watching Javi sell his soul to the devil for some damn peace between the three.

“You were fucking perfect, Kian,” he added with a playful push on the shoulder, intentionally avoiding looking in their lead singer’s direction. The fake motherfucker wasn’t real. If Javi couldn’t see him, he couldn’t hurt anyone. He couldn’t lie or indirectly garner pity or call anyone out or just… be himself. Right then, any of that was too much, and Javi’s bare fists were all too ready to hit something.

“Hope Jojo was somewhere in that crowd,” he added, pretending he hadn’t watched her standing awkwardly, “‘Sober Up’ was for her.” He shot a quick look at Lucky, partially to torture him. Hope he liked how it fucking felt. Two people he seemed to care about and one stupid notion. “Promised her I’d hang if we both ended up alone tonight.”

He laughed inwardly, his dark brown eyes counting the boards on the floor. “You know, for once I think I’ll pass on celebrating with something. I think I’ve had enough things inside my body for the day.” He winked, returning his gaze to Kian. “Unless you’re supplying.”

See? Acting normal is easy when you’re the weirdest fucker in Los Angeles.
code by valen t.
 
MOOD: Cheerful

OUTFIT: Ball Dress

LOCATION: Johannes mansion, then ball
basics
MENTIONS:
geminiy geminiy
Winona Winona
INT:
strawbqby strawbqby
tags
TL;DR Lulu was accepted into HA. She is going to ball with Matt.
tl;dr
Tallulah
You would find her in a Polaroid picture
Tallulah Newton liked to live her life believing in small miracles and the little joys that got people through their day. She believed that good things happened to good people so she did her best to be as nice a person as possible. Recently it seemed like that was paying off. When the Newton's first came to LA Lulu spent a lot of time following her brother around. While not necessarily shy, she found it difficult to make friends. She trusted her siblings endlessly and often followed them around and tried connecting to people they connected with. Her older sister made it quite clear she shouldn't be hanging in the same crowd as her but Newt was always happy to bring Lulu along on most of his adventures. Sometimes, through Newt, Lulu became more close to people than he was, including Jace and Gen.

Over the past year or so they've known each other, Lulu would say that she's grown quite close with Gen. She is someone she really looks up to, and as a bonus she is one of her favorite people to photograph. Gen is almost like another big sister in Lulu's eyes. Perhaps that was why Gen suggested using her influence to help get her into Hollywood Arts. Tallulah had never really considered going to HA, that was always more her brother's thing for one. Secondly, she didn't think she was even good enough to join the ranks of the most elite and talented kids in L.A. Sure some of her photos were actually bought and used but that didn't mean she was any sort of talented photography right? It was likely just Gen being the subject of the picture that made people want to buy it. Yeah, that was probably it.

Gen's offer therefore came as a shock to the youngest Newton. Clearly the older girl believed she was good enough. It felt a little uncomfortable accepting such a huge favor from from anyone, let alone someone she really admired and looked up to, but if there was one thing Lulu really loved in this world; it was photography. She couldn't turn down the opportunity to hone her skills and become even better. She had already decided that taking pictures was what she wanted to do with her life, this could be her chance to make her dreams a reality. So, she agreed to let Gen do what she thought would help get her into HA.

With the excitement of her brother's performance at the Arts Fest Tallulah had actually entirely forgotten about what Gen was doing for her. She had been minding her own business, wandering around the fest and just generally enjoying it when she was approached. At first she was quite intimidated by the very professional looking person, and was worried that she had been breaking some kind of rule about not taking pictures. She was half right; the person was coming to talk to her about her pictures, just not the ones she had been taking that day. They were there to offer her a scholarship to HA after seeing a portfolio put together by Gen, an offer which Lulu graciously accepted. There was much celebration within the Newton family that night, and while her brother wouldn't allow her to go to the after party, Lulu wasn't entirely left out of festivities. Liv invited the youngest Newton out to a night of dancing. She wasn't used to the same type of dance the older girl was, but she did enjoy herself nonetheless.

~
Lulu was adjusting well to being an HA student, making as many friends as she could and doing her best to avoid drama as much as possible, and there was a lot of it. The night of the ball was upon her and she had to admit she was quite nervous. She had originally intended to attend ball and take pictures of things and if someone wanted to pay for a polaroid of them and their date she would happily oblige. She saw the event as a great opportunity to spread her work and talents, maybe even make some all important connections.

The teenagers plans had to be slightly adjusted however. For the past few weeks, unbeknownst to any other member of the Newton family, the matriarch had been secretly wingwomaning for her youngest daughter. A coworker of hers had a son roughly Lulu's age and the two were friendly enough so they figured why not try and hook up their children? The only problem was that she sprung the news on Lulu fairly last minute.... that and Lulu had never been on a date before. Heck, she'd still hadn't had her first kiss yet. So she was incredibly nervous about doing absolutely everything wrong. She had no idea what she was doing and her sources of help were... less than ideal. She didn't have the unrivaled confidence of Gen, the cool demeanor of Kayla, the experience of her elder sister, or really any trait that anyone she looked up to had. She was rather shy about this type of thing and she didn't think she knew anyone that shared that feeling that she could ask for advice; so she'd have to fake what she was missing.

That train of thought led to Lulu asking Gen for makeup advice. The Johannes sister was never not flawless and maybe she could impart some of that beauty wisdom on to her to help boost the young girl's confidence. Her friend seemed more than happy to help so Lulu tagged along with Newt, who was picking up Ash, to the mansion in which the older two girls resided. On the way over the sister admitted that she had a date for the night. Newt took it exactly as Lulu thought he would; not well. If he was anything, it was an overprotective big brother. So by the time Gen let the siblings inside his fists and jaw were both tightly clenched. He was fully ready to actually fight this mysterious date, despite the fact that this was entirely the fault of both parties parents.

Gen eagerly got to work on Lulu and Ash both, excitedly dolling the two of them up. Lulu obeyed every instruction given to her promptly. She entirely trusted her friend to give her the best makeover possible. When she finished the result was even better than she could have expected. The youngest Newton even froze for a moment, her throat tightening as she held back tears. Gen had done more than a good job, she did an amazing job. This was the prettiest Lulu had ever felt and she was beginning to lose some of her jitters about her first ever date thanks to that. She gave the artist of her beauty a tight hug before heading off to put on her dress.

While she was getting changed Lulu heard the doorbell ring. She took a look in the mirror and smiled at herself, taking in how she looked. She emerged from the bathroom and on her way to find Gen took a selfie with her polaroid. As she shook the picture she heard her name being called out and turned to see Gen coming from the front door, but no one with her. Wasn't there someone there? Did she not let them in? At the mention of her date being here she became even more confused, her head tilting to the side slightly. Where was he if he was here? Gen began leading Lulu to the door and it clicked in her head what had happened. Hopefully her protective friend hadn't scared off her first ever date. That would not only be embarrassing but also hard to explain to her mother.

Despite the overprotectiveness of her, Lulu greatly appreciated Gen and everything she had done for her, tonight and just in general. She wasn't sure how she could ever repay, but for now she settled for a kiss on the cheek for her friend. "I only look this gorgeous thanks to you. Thanks for everything, truly." Lulu gave her a second quick hug before gathering her handbag that was near the door and being gently pushed out. Gen's wink was returned with a tentative smile, and then the door was closed and she was alone with her date; Matt. Her nerves were slowly returning so she took a deep breath before turning to him and offering a sweet smile. "You look really nice." she managed to squeak out quietly. She began to nervously fiddle with her finger as she looked up at him. He was nearly a foot taller than her and it wasn't helping her nerves. The only thing keeping her from completely losing her courage and being frozen in place was the fact that this wasn't their first time meeting. That would have been terrifying for her. Since their parents both worked at the same place and Lulu enjoyed spending time at that restaurant like her brother, she had met Matt a few times before. They didn't really speak much but it wasn't like they were total strangers.

The drive to ball was mostly silent, Lulu being much too nervous to be able to hold conversation, or even really think of what to say. What exactly did people talk about on dates? Everyone had told her to just be herself, but what if he didn't like who she was? If he didn't like her, and it was still early in the date would he just ditch her? Or would he stick around with someone he didn't like? Neither option sounded good in Tallulah's mind so she settled with not speaking at all. You couldn't dislike someone you didn't know, right?

The location of the ball was picturesque. It was exactly the type of place Lulu dreamed balls were held, like something out of a fairytale. She walked close to Matt to denote that hey were there together, but she wasn't sure if either of them were comfortable doing any sort of physical contact yet. She noticed several people taking pictures of various attendees and she frowned slightly. While Tallulah Newton did not look down on paparazzi, she did believe they tended to take things too far. Too often were they invasive and disrespectful, and in the end the pictures didn't come out all that great anyway. It sort of lessened the art form of photography and sometimes made photographers in general look bad. Paparazzi had created this niche for photographers that made people not care about quality of pictures anymore and that saddened Lulu.

Once inside Lulu finally worked up the courage to speak to Matt again. She internally decided that, despite the nerves, she was going to try to have fun tonight and do the things she wanted to. "We should probably get a picture of us, at the very least our parents would like that." she offered a soft smile to ease any awkward tension and then pulled out her digital camera she had brought with her. It felt like most girls brought make up and whatnot in their handbags, but Lulu brought camera equipment. Since Gen had done her make up in the first place it's not like she could fix it if something went wrong anyway, so there wasn't much point in bringing anything like that. Plus she needed the room for both her cameras and some extra film for her polaroid. "Since you're taller, you should take the picture." She very carefully handed Matt her camera and showed him which button to press, all the while hoping he'd treat it as carefully as one would treat a baby animal. Once the pair had been memorialized on digital film, Lulu tucked her camera back into her bag and turned to face Matt directly. "So... what does uhm... what do people typically do now?" she hoped he would take the lead given that she had no experience on dates.
code by valen t.
 


@niamh.foz​

Niamh Foster​

mood : high/awkward

location : winter ball

outfit

mentions : oates, ollie

interactions : june

tags : _em_ _em_


Niamh enjoyed June’s presence. She thought she seemed… normal. By that, she meant she seemed less high-and-mighty than some of the other students she’d seen tonight. That could be nice. A normal friend. No drama, no hassle. Just a pain-free friendship. That wasn’t too much to ask for, right?

Despite this, Niamh could sense June’s awkwardness and for a brief second her own confidence wavered. She’d been told it all before; she was a bitch, she was cold, she was blunt. But this time she was really trying. Maybe she hadn’t been the most welcoming person in the past, but neither had others. Niamh gave as good as she got. So far, June seemed pretty good.

‘I’m probably just gonna leave,’ said June, glancing away from Niamh. She peered out as if she were a deer caught in headlights – Niamh being the headlights.

‘I get you, but don’t leave yet, c’mon.’ said Niamh, trying to lighten the mood. ‘We can hang out for a bit – I mean – if you want to. If I leave, the only place I can go is my grandma’s, and that’s even worse than here.’

In reality her grandma’s place really wasn’t terrible; Niamh was just suffering from a lack of people. She knew people - more or less all friends of friends through Oates – but she had no one she could turn to; no one she could just sit and moan with and say, you know what? This is shit. Being new is shit and I am not having fun. I miss my room. I miss my sister. I miss being in familiar places with familiar people. Now I’m alone and it’s all shit.

Thank God for Twitter. The little cyan lifeline had introduced Niamh to some Hollywood Arts students if only for a brief moment. Mostly Niamh had no idea what any of them were talking about; cliques and friend groups engulfing the timeline in short, sniping comments or he-said-she-said gossip.

‘There’s actually another girl on her way, uhh – Olivia, sorry – Ollie I think? I haven’t talked to her much but she seems nice and says she’s on her way so…’ Niamh paused, drawing a breath. ‘You can meet her with me, if you want?’

​

​

º º ... code by ditto ... º º
 






Elizabeth Sterling


Oh my god, no, Beth totally wasn't practically hanging off of every word that Spencer said, like... she wasn't watching his body language to see if he was showing any signs of jealousy (as he should) and she totally wasn't clinging a little tighter to Mike as she did all of this.

No, there was no part of her that wanted Spencer to be jealous, because why would she? It wasn't like she was into him or anything (shut up).

Of course, her wistful staring up at Spencer was ruined when beside her, her date spoke up. She blinked, looking towards Mike, and then released his arm because like sure, he was hot, but also eww, she didn't want to appear too clingy. So instead, Beth smiled up at Spencer and crossed her arms over her chest as Mike introduced himself.

“Some people know me as ‘the hottest man alive’,” Mike joked, “but you can just call me Michael.”

No, because the hottest man alive was actually standing in front of them. Duh.

And yeah, Beth had totally thought it, but she kept her (true) opinion to herself.

“Thanks again for showing me around last weekend. I had fun. Ah, Beth kindly gave me a tour of LA since I’m new here.” Spencer explained, and Beth smiled.

"Oh please," Beth responded with a sweet smile. "The pleasure was all mine."

Wait--

That had kind of like... that had kind of come out a lot weirder than she'd thought it would, and Beth was wincing on the inside. Like totally wanting to slam her head against a wall or something in embarrassment as she tried to keep any kind of regret for her words from showing on her face.

Just smile and wave, boys.

That was totally going to be the motto for anything that happened tonight.

“I moved over from New Zealand with my older brother Ezra. Perhaps you’ve met him?” Spencer continued.

But like, oh my god. Mike had totally overstayed his welcome and sure, Beth totally got it. Obviously he wanted to stay around her -- his super hot, super amazing date -- but he was also going to kind of be ruining her game. Like, totally stepping on her toes or whatever if he stuck around.

She knew how she needed to come across to Spencer.

Hot, but like totally available. Oh, and desirable. Like, so he'd jump on the chance to ask her out as soon as he could, before someone else like Mike slithered their way into asking her out.

"Oh, Mike probably doesn't know him," Beth said, quickly cutting off her date before he could speak. "He totally just hangs out with the models and stuff, and like, I don't even think he has that many friends." She smiled over at him, trying to give him a look that said now scram.

Well, without making it too obvious what she wanted him to do.

She didn't want Spencer getting the wrong idea of course.




mood
yeah, I got a hot senior date. suck it.

location
Winter Ball -- duh, where else?

outfit
red is, like, so her color





playing...
Heat Waves
by Glass Animals​




mentions
N/A

interactions
Mike, Spencer

tags
@Xed ohdittoh ohdittoh


º º code by ditto º º
 






Jace West


Oh god, oh god, oh god.

He was panicking, and Jace couldn't really place why he was panicking-- well, that was a lie, he knew why he was panicking-- like, he knew why his breath was catching his throat, and he knew why his heart was going badumbadumbadum even faster and harder and faster and harder in his chest until he wished it'd just get the whole thing over with and just bounce right out of his chest. Or how his palms felt really sweaty and clammy and cold all at the same time, although he knew they were dry and fine but they kinda felt that way, and oh god, was it just his imagination, or was it really, really, really hot in here and god, the tie around his neck was suffocating him and-- and-- and--

Her hand grabbed his.

His nerves kind of maybe died but then he was really confused, and he was still panicking, and he still really, really, really wanted to leave. His other hand, his free hand, was tapping against his thigh in some kind of weird pattern. It was just a relaxing thing he did -- his fingers dancing across his leg in a pattern reminiscent of playing the piano, because yeah, the piano was something that had always really, really, really comforted him.

And right now?

Right now here at this Winter Ball with his ex-girlfriend who was the first person he'd actually come out to?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

His nerves?

Absolutely sky high.

Through the goddamn roof.

He still felt a little light-headed, a little sick to his stomach, but his trembling lips pressed into a half-hearted smile as he looked at her. She'd laced their fingers together, and Jace was hoping that if the paparazzi caught any photos of this, it'd be easy enough to pass off and make sure that the media had no idea that Jace -- whose sexuality was currently a question mark when it came to the public's knowledge -- might be back with Stassi.

Just friends, just friends, just friends.

Heck, they weren't even friends. Just two strangers whose paths had crossed and once had meant the world to each other, but had since completely drifted apart, only to find themselves crashing into each other once again in one of the strangest fashions. In a fashion that Jace barely understood, because it didn't make any sense.

He'd gone from being happily on his own to practically being back in a relationship with Stassi and he hated it, hated it, absolutely freaking hated it.

It wasn't really Stassi's fault.

Jace just didn't want to keep doing this with her.

His hand felt gross laced with hers, but he kept any disgust that might cross his face away.

“I thank you for doing this Jace…you were there during my recovery and you’re here for me again…I really do love you..”

Jace let out a small, awkward chuckle.

She was kidding, right?

Oh shoot, she wasn't--

She was--

She--

She was--

Serious?

Oh god, oh god, oh god.

"I... I ah... uhh... I... ah... same..." that didn't sound very convincing, so he tried again, tagging words onto the end of his previous little word vomit. "I... love... you..."

That sounded horrible.

Gross.

Like acid on his tongue.

It burned.

He didn't mean it.

She was nothing to him, and yet here she was, lying so she wouldn't throw a fit or make some kind of scene. To try and keep his currently untarnished reputation, the reputation that had absolutely no drama attached to it, staying as such.




mood
hahaha nervous

location
the Ball

outfit
this is the best you all are getting because finding this boy in a normal suit is impossible and you all know what suits look like





playing...
when i'm with you
by Jace West​




mentions
N/A

interactions
Stassi

tags
AkuTheWolfOkami AkuTheWolfOkami


º º code by ditto º º
 






Zeph Evermore


He'd made it to the Ball with his awesome girlfriend, and Zeph was honestly having a great time. They'd posed for some pictures, and he'd done his best to look as good as he could next to her. At last year's Winter Ball, he'd kind of just... flown under the radar -- he'd been nothing special and, even now, Zeph wasn't anything special.

But his girlfriend was, so he found himself having to worry more about his image. About who he hung around, about what he wore, just... everything. It was more important, and now he had to stand in front of the cameras and the paparazzi while they snapped photos of the two of them together, but he didn't mind.

Even before when they'd been just friends, Zeph would've done anything for Stella -- really, it was just the kind of person he was -- but now that he was her boyfriend? Well, now he felt that but ten times more. Now, it wasn't just because they were friends or something, but because it was uhh... like... his job or something.

Yeah.

Wait no, that sounded--

Okay look, whatever.

The point was that he was really happy to be here with his girlfriend.

But after spending some time together -- you know, hanging out, dancing, whatever it was -- they'd drifted apart for the time being. Talking to their own separate friends, greeting people, and that was where Zeph found himself now. Moseying through the Ball, hands in the pockets of his pants, a lazy smile on his face.

Pretty much everyone was with their dates, so there wasn't even anyone for him to really talk to.

Bummer.

But then, his dark gaze landed on a girl that he vaguely recognized. Her name was... Katya, yeah? Yeah. She was in a few of his classes, and although they'd never talked too much, she seemed nice enough and... well... she was all on her own, and Zeph was all on her own, so that just seemed like a great recipe for friendship, right?

"Hey," he said with a grin as he walked over towards her, giving a little nod of his head as he did so. He came to a stop beside her, gaze moving across the students that were dancing, before his dark eyes settled back on her. "Katya, yeah? Zeph," he introduced himself and held his hand out very politely for a shake. "Don't know if we've ever officially met, but ahh... I dunno, you looked lonely, so ahh... hey."




mood
chill

location
the ballroom

outfit
snazzy. classy. very handsome.





playing...
Uh Oh
by Junior Doctor​




mentions
Stella

interactions
Katya

tags
qunqun qunqun


º º code by ditto º º
 






Casey Clairmont


There was a little bounce to his... well, he wasn't stepping, so to his standing? Yeah, he kinda did a little boop boop, Mario noises inserted here kinda bounce on the balls of his feet when Bella actually caught his gaze and came walking towards him. For the most part, his lopsided grin and his blue eyes were glued to the pretty girl, but then he kinda caught outta the wee corner of his little eye -- he did eye spy her -- Kelli waving at him.

He gave a lil ol' wave back, 'cause that was the nice thing to do, then his gaze was stuck back on Bella like that song said. Ya know the one that's all stuck like glue, baby, stuck on you like glue or something.

Yeah that was his eyeballs on Bella.

“Hello Casey.” She greeted, “You look wonderful.”

"Me?" He echoed, letting out a little chuckle as his fingers went up to tug at his polka dot tie. "Yeah, it ain't a flamin' hot suit, but lookie," he poked at the tie with a proud smile, "I gotta get some cool ahh... ya know, little circles... bubbles... polka dots." There was a sure nod of his head as he remembered what he was trying to say, followed by a beaming smile. "I mean yeah, I look good and all, but I mean, ya know..."

He let his gaze travel over her, letting out a small laugh and a little shake of his head. "Ya look amazing," he said with a grin, "The flowers are real nice -- and the little skirt, I bet ya can go all," to make his point, he did a quick little spin, of course facing Bella once more with a grin and finger guns, "ya know, and your skirt goes all..." he trailed off, waving his hand behind himself and making a swoosh noise.

“I am… surprised I even saw you here,” she finally managed, dropping her gaze to the floor and the friendly act all at once. “I assumed that you would be with Chas. But, I am glad you are here. I do believe that you said that you would save me a dance. That is if the offer still stands. Things have… changed since then. I understand if you do not want to."

"Oh yeah, I told Chas I'd get us drinks, but eh," Chas gave a little shrug of his shoulders. "He's probably getting swamped by some friend and can wait a bit, ya know? 'Course our dance is still on." To make sure she knew he was dead serious, he gave her little finger guns, and then Casey remembered.

His eyes lit up, his smile falling as his lips kind of formed an o shape when he remembered.

"Oh, oh, oh," Casey reached out, his fingers going to grab Bella's hand, and he tugged her along after him as he looked for the table where he'd left his box with the flower, his blue eyes scanning the tables, trying to remember which one it was on, and then, and then, he saw it.

"Now, now," he started chattering away as he let go of her arm and picked up the box, turning towards her. As he got ready to gift his second flower of the night, he started getting all nervous again, but for different reasons. With Bella, he was worried she'd be mad 'cause she'd be real against him getting this flower corsage-y thing.

But inhaling a deep breath to calm his frizzly nerves, Casey popped open the box and held it out to Bella, a huge grin on his face.

"What ya think?" he asked and, without really waiting to hear what she thought of it, he reached in and pulled out the light pink corsage (he hadn't really known what color Bella liked, but pink was a universal girl color, right?), so he'd settled on something like that, and he hoped she'd like it.

He dropped the box to the table, and held the flower out.

"Do ya like it?" He asked again, and then gestured towards her wrist. "Can I ahh... ya know..."

Slip it on was what he wanted to say, but the words were failing. What a surprise.




mood
hypeeee

location
balllll

outfit
look he has a fun tie





playing...
Stuck Like Glue
by Sugarland​




mentions
Chas

interactions
Bella

tags
geminiy geminiy


º º code by ditto º º
 
MOOD: awks as per usualll

OUTFIT: suit

LOCATION: ball
basics
MENTIONS:
Javi, Kian, Lydia, Bella

INT:
ohdittoh ohdittoh (Kelli)
tags
TL;DR no
tl;dr
Angel Cervantes
Being a short, amateur artist whose last big project was a set of eclectic caricatures inspired by a comic he'd read, Angel never expected to be taking a full-fledged dancer to a dance, even just as friends. Like, dances are supposed to be where these dance kids are most in their element. Was he really doing her any favors being the one there with her instead of some cool guy with sunglasses and loose hips?

Javi made it a point to keep the drive to the dance as tense as possible. Impatient "I'm here" texts, ear-deafening rock music, only a handful of words spoken... the works. Angel couldn't stand how intimidated he was of the guy, but as it stood, there was no changing how things were. Whatever brotherly love they had was gone and the older sibling just relished the moments he had to rub that in. For such a straightforward guy, Javi really was a petty asshole.

Even with their strained relationship, it was somewhat of a brotherly duty to give him a ride to the dance. Javi was still reluctant, of course, but at least he'd said yes with little convincing. Maybe a part of him was just excited to hear about how his little brother was getting on in this big, fancy performing arts school he'd been attending while the newly-admitted bassist flip-flopped between public high schools.

Partway through the drive, the dreaded line made its appearance. Javi asked if he was bringing anyone to the dance, which the artist technically wasn't, but he knew what was implied. "A little. J-just a friend. But it's not, like, serious, because I know what you're probably thinking. She's..." His quivering voice faltered, stopping just short of providing any details on Kelli's identity. How weird would it be if he admitted to taking his older brother's bandmate's younger sister to the dance? Would Javi be thrilled or disgusted?

It wasn't a chance Angel was willing to take, and it didn't appear to be something Javi cared much about given how quickly he'd moved on to headbanging and tuning out Angel's voice.

Next thing he knew, they were at the venue, and it didn't seem like Javi wanted to be seen with his anxious loser of a little brother. Understandable, but still fairly hurtful. The nicely-dressed boy hopped out of the car and strolled up to the entrance, attempting to look as casual, friendly, and photogenic as possible. The cameras didn't seem all too interested in him, though, which was a blessing but also a bit embarrassing given all the practicing he'd done in front of the mirror for this.

He grabbed his phone from his pocket and began to text once he'd got inside, typing a full paragraph to Kelli before erasing it all. He'd enter a one-line message instead, then feel guilty for being so terse. He wanted to ask where she was and if she was there, but that felt needy. Their invitation was more of a "Hope to see you there! Let's hang!" and he wanted to honor that, but this girl was kind of the only plans he had for the night. His fingers tapped away at another message apologizing for being too late or early, and one more hoping she was having a good time and that they'd hang when she was done with her humungous posse of friends and paparazzi.

Neither message made it. Their conversation for the day remained empty, a symptom of the awkward state of their friendship. That kind of stuff didn't really come easy, and it wasn't a wonder why he kept such few friends. It wasn't so bad, but it really did make meeting people a drag. Moving out with Lydia really exacerbated that; he didn't have to go outside to talk to someone anymore, that was if the girl wasn't at her computer or away somewhere. She cared so much about the news and what was going on. It was admirable, but it all felt so bland and tiresome. Angel didn't have the attention span for that.

Finally, enough time had passed for Javi to enter the ballroom. Unfortunately, the taller boy caught sight on him and headed over with his hands in his pocket and a derisive grin on his face. They met eyes while Javi's hand moved, covertly sneaking something square and crinkly into his pocket. Uh?

He slipped a hand into the pocket once the curly-haired boy disappeared into the crowd and felt the object, slipping it between his fingers. It wasn't something he'd ever felt in his hand before, and he was a little afraid to know what it was. If it was drugs, he definitely couldn't take it out and inspect it in front of all these people. And what if Kelli saw him with something illicit!? What would she think, then? What would her brother think? He'd flip the nice guy switch off and kick Angel's ass because he's a bad influence and because everyone worth anything doesn't pop pills or tabs or what have you to have fun. That idea never left him after all these years.

More time passed, and Angel had to come to terms with the fact that he'd have to enter the crowd eventually instead of standing by the wall like a dog on a leash. With shaky hands, he ventured further in with his hands in his pockets, toying with the mystery plastic within. He was far from the dancing type; not so much as a tiny jig came from him, and his clean, straight posture really set him apart from the carefree teenagers getting down.

He tried to dance, kinda, and it wasn't going great. It felt like everyone's eyes on him, and while he logically knew no one was really staring at anyone at these things, it was still frightening. He gave Javi a small wave while he went onstage, not that he could ever have seen him. That was the silent support he was happy to provide.

An uncomfortably longer span of time passed, and Angel decided he had to just call it quits on miraculously and casually spotting Kelli somewhere. He turned on his heel and trudged side to side trying to dodge people, because light shoves didn't feel very ethical.

But because fate is just like that, Angel's eyes landed on the girl on the outskirts of the crowd. Then, the hardest part came: how did he approach her? What was the least creepy and/or awkward way of going about it? She looked like a dainty little ballerina in her dress that glimmered under the warm lighting and he was just some stiff in a suit. There was nothing romantic about them in any context, but it still felt wrong for he to be seen with such an all-around unimpressive guy. Whose great idea was to turn on the lights for this dance?

His fingers quivered slightly while he inched closer to her. Stars shot across her kind eyes as she admired the grandeur of it all. He couldn't interrupt that. He couldn't compete with that. Instead, he opted to remain still and wait, alone with his thoughts amid a gigantic crowd of hot people. Being the wilting leaf atop the greenest tree in the world felt crushingly lonely.

Moments later, the dancer moved forward, and Angel slunk through the crowd to keep up with her. God, it was so creepy. He was so creepy! Why was he watching her? Granted, it couldn't have been more than a minute, but he felt dirty just standing there at a loss for words. He finally stopped in place, and it was then that Kelli turned and began taking steps in his direction. He couldn't move; the girl had frozen his feet in place, demanding he float toward her like a moth to a flame. She was the Sun, and he was the foolish comet fated to succumb to her gravitational pull.

And then they bumped into one another, which was entirely Angel's fault because he could have easily stepped back or gotten her attention. He began to apologize with immense fear in his eyes, but Kelli beat him to it. Except, she was happy to see him and was in high spirits. How!? Didn't she have, like, things to do!?

"Hi!" he managed to force out, going in for a hug, his body still trembling a little. His throat began to close up, but it was something he was used to enough to stifle. She was just... looking at him. Paying him mind like he was worth being next to. He couldn't help but join her in her infectious laughter, genuine delight spreading across his face. It was such a relief; it didn't feel real.

And she remembered his name!?

"But... but you!" he stuttered, frantically waving his arm at her, "You don't look real. Like a... like a doll, or something. Like the fabric of your dress is a dreamy, starry sunset and, uh... eheh... you know. It's really well-made. It's a good dress." He cleared his throat. "And you, obviously, look great. You know. Obviously."

Okay, cut your losses, Angelito.

"You were waiting for me?" he continued, his cheeks growing warmer, "Sorry to keep you. I feel a little out of my element at these things..." He shrugged, habitually scratching at the back of his head. What was he talking about again? "I know you're supposed to dance at dances, but it's kinda..." Hell no. No to dancing. Ever. And in front of all these people? He'd die out there.

"I feel a little inadequate being unable to compare," he admitted with a nervous chuckle and a defeated sigh, "I'm glad you and Bella had fun dancing, though. She's really nice. Are you sure you're not missing her right now...?" God, he sounded insufferable. He was beginning to think there was no right thing to say ever. "I don't want to keep you from busting a move or something. Our brothers are playing right now, so... there's only so much time while the good music lasts and they gotta get to their girls."
code by valen t.
 




































  • how she's feeling...



    toxic with a twist and depressed

















Kaash



depression with a twist













A light breath escaped the pursed lips of the young rising hip hop star as her brown eyes became fixated upon a single light fixture in the recessed ceilings. The raised ceilings (how high her ceilings were enough to dissuade any would be spider assailant) provided just enough distance to keep her grounded. Her anxiety had been through the roof, though she supposed that was not out of the usual for her. The bigger problem was today was the ball and well…she was technically dateless just a week or two ago, though not for lack of trying. Just perhaps just trying with the wrong person.

There was a moment where she thought that maybe she just wouldn’t go. That made more sense to her. She didn’t have a date and she didn’t like events like this in the first place. Yet, in her depression, heartbreak, and desperation she scrambled and asked Tilly as her date. So, there was a bit of a hesitance to move from the bed this morning, but because she wasn’t sure that she made the right decision. Decisions out of her depression were rarely the right ones.

Her right hand went out to reach for a rolled cigar filled with well, you know, her preferred way of self-medicating. As her fingers rolled around it, gripping it gently as not to disturb the surface of the pearled cigar, she smiled. There was a gentle transfer to her other hand as that previous hand went back to work to grab an accompanying lighter. Placing the cigar on her lips, she flicked the lighter and lit the cigar taking in a slow inhale. Yeah. It was one of those days.

Eventually after her private smoke session, she raised out of her bed and moved to the center of her living room where the tux she bought for this specific event sat. It was simple, traditional Italian styled tuxedo. Fine. She would go, but she wouldn’t like it.

So, after a quick shower, she tied her hair up in a ponytail and got dressed. She moved fluidly through her loft picking up a cigar, a regular cigar…well not so much as regular since it was a Cuban as much as not mary jane. She took her clipper, clipping the end before tucking it neatly away. A short trip to her elevator later and down the parking deck she reached for her keys out of her pocket. Yes. It was the all black 67 challenger with the chrome wheels. She slowly got into the car, before turning the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life.

Eventually, she would pick up Tilly and they would do things that you did for a ball. When they arrived she would open the door for her and all that good stuff, but for herself, she got out and lit her cigar taking a few puffs and sliding her shades on with her freehand. She would hang outside for a while making sure to get her cigar session in before flicking the cigar off.

Now she found herself sitting across from Tilly, with a bit of an awkward countenance from behind those shades. It made it hard to see inside of course, but they were serving as a way to hide her red and drooping eyes from Tilly. Things were awkward enough as is, she didn’t want the girl opposite of her to feel as if Kayla needed to be high to get through this. It wasn’t THIS specifically, she needed to be high to get through most things in her life.

Uhm

That had caught Kayla’s attention enough to look towards the girl, tilting her head to the side a bit as she rose a brow.

The music they’re playing seems nice. I mean, the student performance is so amazing…

It just hit Kayla in that moment. They were playing music. She had been so in her head and so high that she didn’t notice her surroundings outside of them at the table. She took in a deep breath for a second before she thought about it letting the music flow through her ears to actually process it.

“Uhh it’s okay, “ the young girl offered with a slight shrug and a forced smiled that showed off her diamond encrusted grill in her mouth. She let her fingers strum against the table for a moment before she tried to figure out what to say. She didn’t have anything against Tilly, they were very close friends before everything happened and actually more than friends really. Kayla was just not in a good space before…still not…but now she was able to navigate it a bit better…allegedly. That was why she asked her to the dance, right?

“Think it would be better if I was able to get on stage and let it rock though, but I rather be here with you so..here I am. I missed you.”

















































♡coded by uxie♡
 






Mick Murphy



He let the cleats hit the field of Hollywood Arts in full pads and a white practice jersey. The one he wore at Beverly Hills, because he hadn’t yet got the equipment from the state champion program. He assumed he probably wouldn’t until next season, but that was fine. He was here for one reason and one reason only, to build a rapport with one of the top rankings qbs in the country, Remi Michel. He would be lying if he was to say he wasn’t a fan, in fact, he had watched Remi play in the state championship before he even knew he’d be coming to HA.

“It’s a blessing the weather in LA, right? To be able to play football even in the winter?”

Remi stood across from holding a football in a red jersey (the no contact qb jersey) and rest of the HA colors with a smile, “I’m Haitian bro..this is still cold to me.”

The next two hours were spent with Remi throwing darts, and spirals, and perfect balls to his new comrade. Mick would hit every route crisp, clean, not dropping a single ball as if he had studied the playbook in its entirety before he ever stepped foot on the field. Which, he did do. The chemistry wasn’t immediate between the two, despite the no drops. Their timing and thoughts were just a little different, but as the time passed by, they could probably have done the same routes with their eyes closed.

It felt amazing to be back on a football field. It felt amazing to play with a 5-star recruit. He was excited to be here and all he needed to do was check out the dance department, but that could wait. He needed to go to his doctor appointment as that was part of his condition of playing at HA, weekly doctor appointments to check on his heart for any abnormalities.

The next day was the ball and he was merely going as a formality. These types of things didn’t really interest him, but he had learned from his parents that rubbing elbows with the right people could you into places your hard work couldn’t.

So, he stood there in the ball with his nice Italian suit and felt a little awkward because he didn’t know anyone. He was supposed to make friends, right? So he let his feet carry him to the drink table where he let a young woman who seemed to be having a tough time, “Quick, tell me three things you see?”







playing...
Ocean Avenue

by Yellowcard




just a regular suit




Melanin-Gxdess Melanin-Gxdess
mentions mentions mentions


º º code by ditto º º
 
MOOD: Bored.

OUTFIT: mmm fancy

LOCATION: Ball
basics
MENTIONS:
Stassi

INT:
Zeph Winona Winona
tags
TL;DR Hello~
tl;dr
Katya

Katya arrived at the ball in her usual splendor. There were a couple of eyes on her, but mostly the paparazzi were there for other people. Fair by her. She kept her vision straight ahead and walked with purpose. One day she’d make them look for her instead of anyone else.

Once inside, she realized that she didn’t actually have much to do - the pros and cons of going to a place stag. Mostly, she was here to see if her sister would need assistance just yet. While they were often quite antagonistic, when the parents were gone there was really no need for open hostility.

And usually she wasn’t openly antagonistic anyhow.

She decided to mingle a bit before leaving early, and talked here and there. She was approached by a boy.

Evermore, a dancer in her grade (and despite being from Australia), an American. He was in a couple of her classes, but she didn’t see him as a threat or an obstacle to her goals. So she didn’t often pay him any mind. Funny he wanted to talk to her.

She’d allow it, considering that there was nothing better to do. Alright, Evermore, dazzle her.

“A pleasure.” Katya said, taking his hand in a handshake, but nothing too firm or untowards. She let the Australian (American) ramble for a while, wondering very briefly if she should take offense to being called lonely.

She hadn’t been lonely, she’d just been taking a small break from a spot of mingling, thank you very much. But, instead of taking offense, she decided to add “socially awkward” to her knowledge of Zeph.

But whatever, she had company now. And besides, she could do a lot worse than an up and coming dancer.

“My hero.” She said, with a small smile. Well, small for Russian standards. Practically nonexistent for American standards. She didn’t want to be too forward or friendly with the boy. After all, he did have a girlfriend. And besides, a bit of frostiness could be called her Russian charm. “Saving me from social isolation.”

Or something like that. She gave a slightly broader smile - for his sake more than her own. It’d been a while since she’d truly actually tried to have a pleasant conversation with someone that wasn’t for the family image.

“How is the ball so far? Fun?”
code by valen t.
 
ahlivia richardson
Junior - Lit - 17
winter ball
anxiety ridden - intrigued
Pretty in Green
interactions

mick AkuTheWolfOkami AkuTheWolfOkami

"Quick, tell me three things you see."

Ahlivia had been gripping her empty cup tighter than she thought she was, fingers breaking through the plastic and poking at her skin. Even though she had managed to get away from the crowd the fact that it was still so loud kept her on edge. The scene before her had started getting blurry and mushed together, the sounds feelings distant. The tightness in her chest only got worse - her eyes welling up with tears.

That is until that voice spoke to her.

She whipped her head towards him, face contorted into one of confusion.

"What?" She asked though she had clearly heard him. He wasn't standing too far away so it wasn't like his voice would have been drowned out in the noise. Still confused she pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead. She was willing her brain to process the guy standing before her. The new kid, right? Plays football. Liv had seen him in the halls but she wasn't the sporty type so their paths had never crossed. Plus, he was an underclassman so they didn't have classes together. So then why was he standing in front of her asking weird questions?

'To calm you down,' her calm brain said.

It was the same thing her moms did whenever she was having an anxiety attack. But, when she realized that was happening it only made her freak out more. She wasn't supposed to be having an anxiety attack right now. She was supposed to be enjoying her night and dancing and doing normal things teenagers did but here she was; standing next to a stranger who had kindly decided to help her calm the fuck down.

"Um, I guess people dancing?" She said looking around. "Uh, that super tacky dress that girl is wearing, and-," Ahlivia turned her face up and shook her head at the sight of two people making out at a nearby table. "And that guy practically sucking that girl's face off. I'll never understand why people think a room full of people is the perfect place to release their sexual frustrations. I mean, I don't have a problem with PDA in the slightest, but that's a bit much, don't you think?"

The fact that she had already started rambling was a good sign. Bad for her new friend, but good for her. She had something else to focus on at the moment that wasn't the onslaught of people bumping into each other. Turning her attention back to him, she smiled and stuck her hand out.

"I'm Ahlivia by the way. You're that new football player, right? The one that just transferred?"


coded by natasha.
 
MOOD: Friendly

OUTFIT: Look Ma I'm Tryna Look Good

LOCATION: Ball
basics
MENTIONS:
Jordan (kinda)

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

Bailey scooted over when Kinni walked in, grinning brightly as they were complimented. It was nice to receive compliments - they didn’t really try to show off much. More of the “behind the scenes” kind of person, so having their efforts recognized felt rewarding.

Aw yeah baby, no crises here that they had to solve. All pure just vibing. Exactly what they’d been missing from literally everyone at this school for the past couple of weeks.

“You look absolutely beautiful as well.” They said, pulling a lock of hair behind their ear. “Your boyfriend must be so mad right now.”

A gentle tease as the lyft took off to the school, but as most jokes were - it had a slight grain of truth. What kind of idiot would ditch for a night in? Especially if Kinni had wanted to go really badly. What a weirdo.

And now something they’d never experienced before: the paparazzi. They just didn’t show up much for people like Bailey, who worked mostly behind the scenes and just tailored costumes. Yeah, they were good at navigating interpersonal relationships, but they were never really good with press or public speaking.

A quiet kind of awkward smile for the flashing lights as they got out of the car and offered a hand to their friend to help her out of the lyft. And an elbow for walking. That’s what they had to do right? This was a normal thing? How did normal look?

“I haven’t had to deal with them before.” Bailey said quietly as they walked into the ball. The tailor decided to very politely not really give the cameras any heed. It made their stomach a bit queasy to know that they were on display once again, even if it was more their image rather than anything like giving a speech.

Once they went into the ball, Bailey gave Kinni a bit of a smile. “So what would you like to do first, then?”
code by valen t.
 






Majid Al Khalifa




COLLAB WITH Kitsune2202 Kitsune2202
She asked if he had a favorite food and it had taken him a moment to figure it out. It was small talk, but it was conversation meant to get to know each other. The thing first dates were supposed to be. He couldn't really think of anything in particular, because he had eaten so many different food, especially those of high quality, nothing really stood out. Every time he thought about one thing another would pop up, until he found one that stuck. "I like um, like things from mom and pop places the most. It's like they're made with love. My mom used to give our chef's a night off and cook for us sometimes..."

That was before they got to the restaurant though and now they had moved on to a different topic. She was in awe of the view, and to be fair, he was too. He hadn't been in Los Angeles for long as this was still a beautiful view to him,"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" he stated picking up an apple from a spread that had been laid out for them to snack on while they enjoyed the view and waited on their food,"This is all for us. It's a preset menu for us, but you have two main dish options. They're paired with different accompaniments of sides and what not, but the two main dishes are a lobster omelette with spinach, goat cheese, and bruschetta and a vegan option, with avocado toast, tofu scramble and hasbrowns."

He took a moment to bite the apple as he looked over to the ocean, "The spread is for us to enjoy while we wait. You can tell the maitre'd over there your entree choice and we can sit on this swing here and talk. Like I would like to know your favorite foods, and your favorite music."

It was kinda funny to imagine a queen cooking in a kitchen for her family, but it was also...sweet. Sure her own mother cooked all the time for them, but that was because they were too poor to be eating out and certainly couldn't hire someone to do that for them. Something about not needed to do something but choosing to was special. She wanted to live like that one day. Doing things because she wanted to and because she liked to not because it was the only way to live and survive.

She listened to him talk about the food and was pretty impressed. This was certainly the most elegant and extravagant date she'd ever been on. To be fair it was to be expected all things considered. Still there was a difference between imagining something like this and living it.

Both food options sounded delicious. She'd never had lobster before tho, so she knew that'd be her choice in the end. She could get tofu from plenty of places if she wanted that. Her eyes roamed over the spread before them as he spoke about it and decided to pluck a grape from the dish before popping it into her mouth. "Amazing..." she spoke softly mostly to herself. Even the fruit tasted better here, fresher.

This was why she knew she was destined for the finer things in life. One day such luxury would be common place for her, it was her destiny. "Hmm both sound amazing, what are you thinking about getting?" She asked curiously plucking another grape off. "As for food? I don't know. I've not tried a lot so anything new? I'm always excited to try something different." She explained, "But I will say hot dishes like soup to keep you warm if I have to pick something I know." she popped the grape in her mouth.

She walked over to the swing he'd mentioned and sat down wanting to take it all in for a bit and relax with Majid before ordering just yet. There was no need to rush in her eyes if all this was all for them. She smiled over at him, "Hip-hop and R&B but also classical. I like the melodies and beats of most songs more so then the lyrics usually. You?" She asked casually. No point in the questioning being one sided. "Siblings?" She asked.


Majid's eyes stayed on Cici, but in an attentive manner, not a creepy fashion. She inquired about his choice. He pondered over it for a second, trying to figure out what was the appropriate way to respond, "I'll be taking the vegan option. My family strongly believes that lobster is haram, so it is forbidden for me to eat." He stopped for a second looking to the sky before shrugging,"Though it's a disagreement amongst some believers if lobster is haram, we tend to lean that way. But you are welcomed to enjoy it. It's why I picked it, of course."

He listened closely to her words, and thought a moment about it. It was strange to him that she hadn't tried many different types of food, but he recognized his privilege that as royalty there were very little limits set upon his culinary adventures. "Soup warms the soul," he told her with a smile before letting himself sit on the swing.

She was into hip and r&b, which was kind of interesting. That's where his skillset lied too,"Same. I um, make music based heavily in r&b and hip-hop. Admittedly, I've been forced to learn classical. I'm really big into the lyrics though, but my friend Jordan? You'd love him. He produces all of our music and has this almost unreal understanding of melody and harmony. I feel almost embarrassed to not be as skilled as he."

When she asked him about siblings he could not contain his smile and excitement. His elder brother and sister were the joys of his life. They had always been there for him and protected him, and though their legacy cast a large shadow, he didn't know where he'd be without them,"I have a brother and a sister, Abbad and Tahira. Abbad runs a few companies in Bahrain, and Tahira...she's probably somewhere jetsetting. She's a world renown neurosurgeon. I am extremely proud of them both, what about you?"


Cici made a mental note about him choosing the vegan option and even why. She also made a mental note to look more into his culture and religion. She didn't want to accidently offend him or something one day. Though he seemed so kind hearted that such a thing seemed far fetched even for her. "I understand. Thank you for explaining it to me." She chimed softly.

Not that she was expecting a kiss on the first date, but he might be hesitant now if she ate the lobster. Some people were like that you know? Now if she had to choose between a kiss and the food she was going to have to side with the food right now because well...what if this ended in disaster anyways? This way she at least got to try something new.

She couldn't help the smirk that curled onto her lips at his remark about the soup. Yah, the soul, sure. She wasn't how sure that was considering she'd been called icy before. Just because it wasn't her strategy right now didn't mean it wasn't a part of her. Soup kept the body warm that's it as far as she was concerned. Alive and not sickly. Her soul was largely unaffected in her eyes.

She hummed a bit listening to him speak about his music. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, you compliment each other. It's nice to have the same skills as other sometimes because it helps sharpen your own, but having people around you with different skills just sharpens you in a different way. Plus we wouldn't have the joy of collaboration if you could do everything perfectly on your own." Maybe she was saying more then necessary, but music was a passion of hers and one of the few things she genuinely liked talking to people about.

As the topic changed to his family his face lit up even more so then it had about music which was kinda cute. She just smiled and listened to just how accomplished both siblings were already. It kinda made sense all things considered that she knew so far. "That's amazing! I would be too." she giggled, " Oh I've got an older brother named Enzo. I actually moved here with him." She explained. "He's not been as social as I though since arriving."

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

Majid was happy with Ciara’s responses to his conversation and thought their conversation flowed naturally. The food being ready to serve cut into their conversation, but the rest of the date went on and he thought it went well so much so that he confirmed plans with her to attend the ball together.

So, the day of the ball came, and Majid still hadn’t chosen what he wanted to wear. It wasn’t an easy choice for him because of his resources he wasn’t sure what he should do. He feared that over doing it would be a turn off not only to his date, but to the others had Hollywood Arts. He already felt like he was having trouble making friends and he wasn’t sure that being too extravagant would help.

So, he stared in the mirror of his high rise, running his hand through his hair as he looked over his five o’clock shadow that rested a little roughly on his jaws. He needed to think carefully about this, because of his royal background he knew that politics were a big thing. He ran some water in his hands and splashed his faced to clear out whatever that was bugging him. He always his movements, and moments analyzed before but felt like he had more freedom in Bahrain. Here…he couldn’t lie the pressure was a bit more than he anticipated.

There was a buzz next to the sink that caught his attention, and it was from Ciara. She was just confirming the time he would pick her up in which he responded to and placed his phone back down. He moved away from the mirror and traveled to his overly large closet with he hardwood floors and ran a hand through his hair again as a nervous habit.

Maybe he should wear a more modern, upscale version of his traditional garb from his home country. He was concerned though that with that came the alienation from others. He didn’t want to be othered as much as he loved his home, he loved his culture. He had already been othered enough and he was growing weary of it.

So fine, with a normal boring suit, is what he was going to choose. He moved over to the black section of his clothes and grabbed one of the black suits and slipped them on before adding some cologne and shoes.

He put on his glasses before moving out of the penthouse and up the stairs to the helipad where he was greeted by Amal and Zara, grabbing the headset, and moving into the pilot’s seat next to the main pilot before the two security guards followed him in behind into the helicopter. He had asked Ciara to meet him a specific spot so that he would have room and permission to land his helicopter. He forgot to ask if her if that was okay – if she was fine with taking a helicopter there, so he had his convoy of security vehicles on stand by near if she was against it.

It wasn’t an overly long flight – maybe like ten minutes, but it was more time he could log in for his license he’d be receiving. He stepped out of the helicopter and moved towards the spot where he said he’d meet Ciara.








playing...
Her

by Majid Jordan​




OUTFIT




Kitsune2202 Kitsune2202
mentions mentions mentions


º º code by ditto º º
 






Hunter Drake


Hunter was feeling confident.

And he had every reason to feel like that. He had an amazing date who, even if she saw him talking to Nickie Abrams, he knew she wouldn't think much of it. As far as anyone was concerned, Nickie was his past and Ronnie, who Hunter took the time to glance over at and she was as fine as he stated just a few moments ago. Meanwhile, Nickie, even though she looked good, there was no comparison.

Okay, yeah sure there was a bit of anger that resided in Hunter's heart, especially after everything that Nickie took way out of context for.

But he was over it. Clearly, because he wasn't trying to lure her back into his good graces (as if he'd want that). He was over her and he had Ronnie now. She was his date and he was hers. Case closed.

“What a fucking charmer--"

Hunter laughed. "You would know, wouldn't you?"

And then his laugh faded as Nickie continued on and on about things he said in the past. Like it even mattered! Clearly Nickie was still hanging onto the fact that he forgot to tell her about Liv.

Or maybe she really was jealous of Ronnie.

Yeah, that had to be it.

Of course, Nickie was jealous of Ronnie. Why else would she bring up shit that didn't matter anymore? Plus, that whole thing about him staying around because he hasn't fucked ROnnie was getting old.

Not so much about with Ronnie specifically, but everyone claiming the reason he stuck with Nickie for so long was due to they didn't fuck. That had nothing to do with it. It was...

No, we aren't doing that now.

Hunter's amusement was starting to wane the longer that Nickie went on and on about why he was here and his suit. Yeah, he looked nice. And of course, with the way she said it, it held as much authenticity as, well her.

Hah! How funny that she thought that might actually phase him.

"Well, unlike you, I don't need total strangers to like me. I'm content with the ones that do," he added. He had to keep his smile up because hell would freeze over before he would let it show that she was actually getting under his skin.

“How’s your right hand been treating you, Hunter?”

And with a comment like that, it was proving to be more trouble than it was worth. "Perfectly healthy and as full of immense grip strength as you might remember. Thanks for asking."

Whew, that was a nice save, Hunter.

They'd both laugh as she started to let her true feelings go. Hunter, of course, smiled and just remained quiet (which was difficult for him) as she went on about how he was a shitty person. Something, something 'lying about this', 'lying about that'. In his mind, he was trying not to let it show that he was actually quite bored. So what if she lied, right? That didn't matter. Maybe if he actually still gave a damn about her, he might be hurt by it. Maybe if what was between them had been more than petty anger and bitter tastes, then Hunter might be able to bring himself to be more than bored by what he expected.

Honestly, he wanted something original. He knew he was hot and he knew he was a good kisser. What her opinions were now didn't matter.

no, your muscles aren’t impressive, especially compared to Nate Woods’ or…Dei’s…

For the first time since he decided to walk over to Nickie and torment her, Hunter's confidence and swagger that he had on almost all of the time, a swagger that was heavily influenced by Chas and Dei and his WeedBuds, had for the first time found itself shattered at the mention of Dei.

"What did you say?" He asked, his voice only low enough so that Nickie could hear it.

“That’s all. There’s nothing really more to say about that — but oh, while we’re on the subject of fucking comparing you to Dei…I’ve got a secret of my own to tell you.”

"Yeah? And what might that be?" He asked, putting himself not so much on guard as he was staring her down. "You going to tell me how small you think my dick is or something?" Yeah, because she poked fun at everything else about him.

“You and Dei are friends, right?”

"You figure that one all on your own?" Even though his heart was beating in a way where he was anxious, panicking, and borderline-livid all at once, Hunter still managed to retain his sense of wit.

“I mean, I know you are — really good friends. You idolize him. And I mean, why wouldn’t you? I guess he is everything you aren’t. But I don’t think that he really thinks the same about you, does he? I mean, after all…I don’t think he ever told you…”

And now he was bored again.

No, Hunter wasn't bored this time. He couldn't spare it this time. His anger was developing into impatience and he just about reached his limit with Nickie and whatever she thought she was going to tell him about Dei. "Look, if you're going to say something that you think I don't know, then just fucking say it already! I mean, this is why people don't like you. You just make up shit and expect them to care. It's sad, really--"

And then she started revealing what it was that she wanted to say. At first, Hunter was laughing it off, like she was just making shit up. But then he remembered something. Nickie had a big mouth, but he never knew her to be a liar. The only reason he said that was to get under her skin, but she never lied to him...

Until now.

And until now, she was telling him something he didn't want to hear.

Her and Dei..

Fuck there's no way!

Fuck, why do I care? Why should I care? She's nothing to me now.

Hunter felt like someone had stabbed him right in his back and Nickie was driving a knife in the front that was dipped in venom so potent that he might as well be on his deathbed right now. God, he didn't know what to think now. All of the moments they shared, even if they were corrupted by her overreaction, they meant nothing now. Before, he could easily bring himself to maybe let her have another chance. Or maybe even wanting to talk to her about things. In those low moments, when the hate and bitterness subsided, Hunter hurt because there was a part and always will be a part of him that missed her in his life.

But now?

Now, he truly felt nothing for her but a hatred and loathing that as vile as the intent behind her words.

Oh yeah, he felt them. He felt them in the way he knew she meant them.

God, he fucking hated her. Hated her voice. Hated her blue eyes and dark hair. It didn't matter if she did look smoking hot or not. He hated her.

He muted almost everything she had to say after Dei. He didn't listen to what she said about anything after what Dei did better. It was only the sudden feeling of the punch splashing all over his suit that forced Hunter clue in with a noticeable "You bitch!" His voice was high enough to draw attention and even though she said something, the fury of his suit having that punch all over it was what had his undivided attention.

"Yeah yeah, I'm a piece of shit. Boo Hunter, right?" His eyes were lit up with anger and he glared at her. He wanted to do the same thing she just did, but honestly? Why would he sink so low? "Right. Good talk."

It took everything in Hunter to not lash out. His suit wasn't ruined because it was black. So the punch didn't show one bet. It was still wet and he grabbed a few napkins on the table to pat it dry somewhat. He took this time to slowly and calmly (as calm as he could be, at least) got two cups of punch for him and Ronnie like he originally intended to do.

Hunter didn't say anything to Nickie.

At least, not until he was about to head back to Ronnie. "Have a bad night, Nicks. Tell your date that they landed themselves a bad one." He forced himself to smile. "I know you won't, but someone had to say it," Hunter said as he walked away from both the beverages table and Nickie.




mood
Fuck you, Nickie Abrams

location
Winter Ball

outfit
Back in black





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




mentions
Ronnie, Nickie

interactions
Nickie, Ronnie

tags
hery hery ohdittoh ohdittoh


º º code by ditto º º
 




































  • how she's feeling...



    zooted - out of her mind

















STASSI



Junior(18)- Model - Golden Goddess













I... I ah... uhh... I... ah... same...

I... love... you...

Jace was lying. He was an awful liar, at least in this situation, but still hearing those words provided a sense of comfort she hadn’t even known she was looking for. She ran her nails on her freehand across her thigh before she took a bit to think of how she should respond. He was uncomfortable and it hurt her feelings a bit, but she understood. They were really just good friends and she guessed that’s all they had ever been to him.

Still, it didn’t change her feelings just because he didn’t share those. She was her first love, well, her first true love. At least that was how she felt. She wasn’t sure how to process what she was feeling in this moment, it was a lot. Paparazzi were capturing every moment of this, and she was sure they caught at least their lips, if not the actual audio via parabolic mic.

She stopped them, dead in their tracks, before moving quickly to turn and face him. She pulled her hand from his and reached up to his cheeks cuffing them. There was no hesitation as she pressed her lips against him for a couple of second before pulling away.

She knew it was wrong. She knew she shouldn’t have. But being with him, being next to him? Feelings were surging through her body that she couldn’t control so maybe it was more like a last hurrah than anything? A last kiss with the boy she loved who would never love her back? That was something she needed to process that she hadn’t. She hadn’t processed a lot that she needed to if she was being honest.

She heard the clicks of the cameras before she cleared her throat and looked down away from Jace at the floor.

Should she apologize? She knew she was wrong for that but she couldn’t control her emotions in that moment. She reached up to her hair and slid something from under a loc of hair and slid it in her mouth, swallowing, still turned away from the cameras as best as she could. She needed to get her feelings away from the moment, because she was making all of the wrong decisions.

She quickly turned back towards the direction they were walking and stood their silently waiting for his response.














































♡coded by uxie♡
 






MICHAEL K. REID​


The kid, well, seemed nice or whatever, he guessed. He was a kid. Not much to say about that. Freakishly tall, but a kid. He said his name was Spencer or something, and Mike immediately stopped listening.

Kids got on his nerves, yeah, but boringly polite and underwhelmingly nice? Yeah, they were even more annoying. It was always like, okay, he got it, you were gonna turn out to be a nice, contributing member of society who found that life of a star wasn’t much for you and would wind up settling down with a wife in a suburban neighborhood, working nine to five and reminiscing about the good old days of Hellywood Arts to your two fucking perfect children, employing his fucking ilk to be your housekeepers and gardeners and private chefs and shit, you could shut the fuck up and carry on about your life, okay?

They were fucking obnoxious, but they were okay in the end, he guessed. Just boring, you know. Nothing ever special or unique about them, or anything even really vaguely interesting.

Mike yawned, placing his hands on his lips, leaning back on his heels, and looking around the room as Beth and Steven’s conversation continued as a buzz in the background. He was pretty sure that that Steve guy was talking to him, but he really didn’t care. To be entirely honest, this was one of the least interesting things that’d happened in his life. Yeah, pretty humiliating or whatever, but drunk-slash-otherwise-incapacitated Mike needed to get some new fucking material — going out as a date with redheaded sophomores who thought that they were grown fucking women was old the first time, and it was just really fucking overplayed this second time.

Come on, Mike-a-boy, you need to up your fucking game.

“Oh, Mike probably doesn’t know him.” The little redhead’s voice caused him to glance over at her. “He totally just hands out with the models and stuff, and like, I don’t even think he has many friends.”

Had he ever said how much he fucking hated children?

He could punt this one right now.

As she smiled up at him, he really considered it.

He had to suppress a scowl, instead forcing a smirk. He gave a little chuckle. “Cute ya think that, babe, but it’s more like none that you would know. Think they all may be just a little bit too high profile to be in your sightline, but hey, with luck, you’ll know them someday, yeah?” He gave her a little wink.

His compulsion to slip into flirtatious scumbag Mike mode never failed to rear its head, and he never failed to fail to resist it.

He glanced at Spencer. He wracked his brain for who this Sven guy could’ve been talking about, and his mind latched on the name Ezra or something. “Ezra?” he repeated. He gave a grin and a casual shrug. “Possible. Like Little Red said —“ He nodded down at Beth. “— I really only ever hang with models, ya know. Friends close, enemies closer-type, ya know?”

Crossing his arms, he leaned back on his heels, glancing around again. He heaved a deep sigh, looking up toward the ceiling first. “Damn, they really went all out with this fuckin’ venue, didn’t…they…”

He trailed off as his dark eyes scanned the well-dressed crowd, and his mind commanded him: find a way out find a way out find a way out find a way out —

He drew in a sharp gasp, as though he was amazed by something, and he put a finger on his mouth, his brows drawing together. He stared at some nondescript spot for a couple of moments, then looked over at Spot and Little Red. “If you’ll excuse me,” he said, “I think that there’s something that I need to see.” He gave them a two finger salute. “Catch ya on the flip, Steph.” He looked at Beth. “And, of course, you too, Beth.” He gave her another wink, and he slunk around and swaggered away toward nowhere in particular.

No more descriptions needed to convince them of his interesting in whatever the hell. They were kids — it would probably fool them, anyway.

He walked through a small crowd of people in an attempt to lose the kids’ eyes if they were watching him, and then he breathed out a sigh. He glanced over his shoulder, and a victorious grin came onto his face as he realized his plan had worked.

Mike, you may be a piece of shit, but fuck, you’re so fucking genius, he complimented.

Hot, smart, a fuckton of Mommy issues — Mike really was the total package, wasn’t he?

He chuckled, running a hand through his hair as he wandered aimlessly through the crowd of people. The fanciness of the place really kind of pissed him off. The chandeliers, the fancy fucking floors…renting this place probably cost more money than Mike had ever seen in his life, not to mention all of the fake champagne that they had over there in those stupid fucking flutes and shit.

Speaking of champagne, he needed some liquor to get through the night — real liquor. He could feel it.

He was too drained already. Trust him, he really fucking needed it.

Conveniently — speak of the devil — he spotted a gleam of metal as some underclassman awkwardly glanced around and poured something into a drink cup. ‘course, the little guy thought that he was really doing something, with his “subtle concealment” of barely hiding the flask with his coat pocket.

Kids were idiots.

As the boy started to shuffle in his coat pocket again, Mike walked up to him. “That booze?” he asked, coming to a stop and nodding to the startled boy’s coat.

The kid, wide-eyed, blinked. He swallowed hard. “I…” He drew in a deep breath. “I…uh…”

Mike chuckled, waving a hand. As much as he enjoyed scaring little kids to the point that they pissed their pants, he had an end goal in mind. “Don’t fucking flip,” he said. “You give me some, and I won’t tell a single soul you’ve got it, kid. Sound like a deal?”

The boy looked at him apprehensively, and Mike gave him his most sincere look. Finally, the kid sighed. “Fine,” he said.

……………………​

The world felt a whole fucking lot better with liquor in him.

Mike moved back through the crowd, grinning to himself. He was just a little bit tipsy — not much, ya know, but enough that he felt it. He was considering getting completely fucking piss drunk, but then the kid fucking ran out of shit in his flask because it was a tiny ass flask, so it was what it was.

Mike felt his elbow bump something, and he turned his head to see a girl. She was slightly taller than him, dark-haired, had a cute face, dressed in a pink dress that made his eyes do a once-over more than just once over.

He started talking before he could really stop.

“Hey,” he said casually with a grin and a slight nod up of the chin, looking her over again. “Anyone tell you pink’s your color, babe?” he chuckled. He gave her another look, then looked into her face. “But hey, honestly, babe, you’re looking really hot tonight. Don’t think I’ve seen you around, but I feel like you’re the kinda gal who could pull anything off.” He leaned in and added, with a wink, “Including my shirt, huh?”

After a moment, he stepped back with a laugh and waved his hand. “Just teasing you, babe — but hey, seriously, if you do wanna meet up later or something, you can just give Michael Reid a call, yeah? Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Webkinz, Animal Jam — hit me up, babe, ‘cuz I’d love to chit-chat,” he said with a wide grin and a wink, “or a little bit more. We could be best friends —“ He leaned in again to add, “Or best friends with benefits, huh?” With a chuckle, he moved back again. “Call me later, yeah?” he said, and with that, he moved away, not glancing at the girl who had been speaking to her.

He continued his movement about the ballroom. God, there were so many fucking people here, weren’t they? All of ‘em convinced that tonight was going to be the night of their lives and shit. Like they were gonna remember this forever, and figuring that they would want to. There were kids everywhere, dancing to the beat and not to the beat and not dancing at all. Look, there was Kirby and the two-penny whore who’d probably turned his fucking dick green and warty by now. Peak romance, huh? And there was Drake and that slut he bragged about for the all of two days they dated, over there by the drinks, looking like they were yelling about something. (That was pretty fucking funny, actually, and Ronnie was standing there beside them, too, so comedy times fucking three, ya know?) And there were…

His demeanor fell suddenly. It was like, for a moment, he didn’t feel or experience anything at all.

There were…there were Landon and Gen.

Just…Landon and Gen. For a second, in his head, that was all that they were. They were matching, in that dress and that suit, and they looked…fucking…

Good together.

Then, the music in the background, the soundtrack to this revelation, suddenly stopped, and Mike felt a rush of emotion that rose in his throat like bile.

All he could feel was fucking rage.

Kill him.

I’m going to fucking kill him.

He could go right fucking now. Right in front of all of them, he could fucking charge the bastard. Guy wouldn’t even be able to fucking fight before he was down and out cold. His blood would be in pools on the floor, and by the time that they pulled Mike off of him, his guts would be, too.

But that’d be in front of all of those fucking people — in front of…in front of Woods, and Gen and shit, and —

Bathroom.

Mike’s mind was reeling as he stormed out of the ballroom and to the bathroom. He was following instinct, following this rage that boiled within him, following this shit that he didn’t really fucking understand, this pain in his throat and in his chest and behind his eyes and in his heart.

It hurt. It really fucking hurt.

This shit just fucking hurt.

His hand found his phone, and he wasn’t even aware that he was typing a message until after he’d pressed send.

Comee to the fukcking bathroom right now. I’m going to fuciking kill you.




mood
tipsy and pissed

location
the ball

outfit
i'm fucking sexy.





playing...
drunk face
by machine gun kelly​




mentions
kayla, nate, & gen

interactions
beth, spencer, tilly, & landon

tags
Winona Winona @Xed natsukashii natsukashii gh0stwriter gh0stwriter


º º code by ditto º º
 
"Life is much more fun in the fast lane..."
Josephine Bennett

@JosieCat has set status to:
"Look at that. It's time-to-get-so-fucked-up-that-we-forget-our-names o'clock."

@JosieCat has set outfit to:
Winter fairy feels.

@JosieCat has interacted with:
Trevor.

@JosieCat has tagged:
ohdittoh ohdittoh
The past week had been a blur. Recap? Josie had gone over to her ex's place thinking maybe they should give it another try and instead stumbled on her best friend (half-naked and slipping out of said ex's room) which had completely shattered her heart. All caught up now?

So yeah, between getting high in the stairwell during class hours to drinking whatever came her way at night she honestly couldn't recall her last sober moment. What? She was fine. Well, she wasn't but people didn't need to know that which was why she had gotten all dressed up for this school dance. She and Trevor had decided to go together (not like a date, weirdos) a while back so backing out wasn't really an option. Besides, Jo turning down a party? Yeah, right.

The dark-haired girl gazed at herself in the mirror, the reflection that was peering back at her actually looked put together. Pink glossed lips, hair neatly tucked into a bun, the dress capturing her spunky personality and yet still blending in with the class of a Hollywood school dance; it was all so PERFECT. Of course, it was also so not real. It felt like an illusion. Like the girl staring back at her was wearing a mask. And she kinda was.

Stepping away from the mirror, Jo made the very short walk from her room to Trev's and turned the door handle without so much as a single knock. Look, Jo wasn't very shy or modest and so her personal space skills were sometimes just...not the best. Anyway, she opened the door which apparently was like Trevor's worst nightmare or something because he jumped so hard you'd have thought a monster just jumped out of his closet.

“…iiiiiite, Jo!” he said, reaching up to touch his throbbing head with a shaking hand. “You almost feckin’ killed me!”

"Drammmmmma king! Come on! The party awaits us!" her voice was almost sing-songy, successfully masking the raw emotions that she'd managed to push far far down. In one hand, she was holding up a flask, and in the other a small baggie with a few pre-rolled blunts which she wiggled enticingly.

Her eyes shifted back to him, just in time to see the disaster of a tie he was about to try and loop around his neck. Her previous expression of excitement had twisted into one of disgust. Was his grandmother trying to make him the laughing stock of Hollywood Arts? Jo liked Nana Callaghan but her fashion sense hadn't quite caught up with the times and there was no way Jo could sit here and let him show up looking like some bad 70s pornstar. Well, then again, at least the pornstars were getting paid to get laid. That tie wasn't gonna have the same effect for poor Trev.

"Okay. Are you trying to get some action tonight or just aiming to get dumped? Because there is no way Ash is gonna see you in that tie and want you to rail her," Jo blurted out, trying to stifle the laugh as she thought about Ash seeing Trevor in this tie for the first time. "Here, let me just," she reached out, adjusting the tie a little before lifting her phone up and taking a few pictures.

Turning the screen to face Trevor, she flashed him the pictures and shrugged. "Send that to Nana and say the tie was a huge hit. You're not wearing that thing to the dance," she instructed, walking over to his closet. It didn't take long for her to pluck a much more tactful tie which she walked over and held it up to his chest. "Now this one, Ash will totally be drooling over you," she said with a wink, letting it fall in his hands.

Okay, maybe drooling was dramatic but whatever. Her best friend was gonna look snazzy and he was gonna go see his girl and everything was gonna be perfect. Right? She was totally rooting for them. Someone needed to be happy around here!

-----

♫ "STRAWBERRY CHAMPAGNE ON ICE. LUCKY FOR YOU, THATS WHAT I LIKE, THATS WHAT I LIIIIIIKE" ♫
​
The wind blew through the open windows as they pulled up to the building where the school dance was being held. Some big event hall, was all fancy and paparazzi littered the parking lot just waiting for a chance to snap some pictures of Hollywood upcoming artists, actors, and so on. It was nights like these that even the smallest people, people who didn't come from status or money or whatever felt like big stars. Like people knew who you were or at least wanted to.

Jo reached for the volume dial on the radio turning down the extra loud pop song that she had somehow talked Trevor into playing like three times. Look, it was Bruno Mars. You couldn't just play Bruno ONCE. "You ready to go in?" she chirped, glancing over at him only to see a look of horror in his eyes.

He was sooooo not ready. Maybe he just needed some liquid courage? She felt around the passenger seat for the flask she'd brought along. "Or we could pregame?" she added as she pulled it from the space where it had fallen in between the seat and the door.
º º code by ditto º º
 
Last edited:
Charlie Howell
@howedoyoudo has set their status to:
9.2

@howedoyoudo has set their outfit to:
kachow ; )

@howedoyoudo has set their location to:
the ball

@howedoyoudo has mentioned:
n/a

@howedoyoudo has interacted with:
Lin

@howedoyoudo has tagged:
ohdittoh ohdittoh
Charlie didn’t have much time to think before Lin was whisking her off her feet bridal style and bolting down the room, leaving Charlie in a fit of giggles as one arm wrapped around Lin’s neck for support and the other reaching over his shoulder towards the paparazzi. With one graceful flip of her hand, Charlie stuck a bright red middle finger nail up in the air towards the cameras, throwing a wink in their direction. Fuck the paparazzi and fuck Hollywood Arts.

What? It wasn’t as if they could kick her out. Might as well go out with a cute middle finger.

Through the crowds they weaved, Charlie’s arms wrapped around Lin and tightening in an attempt to hold on. At some point, Charlie found herself burying her face into his neck to contain her giggles, only opening her eyes briefly.

Oh no.

“Lin! Lin slow down! We’re gonna-”

SMASH!

Charlie’s words were promptly cut off by the wind being knocked clean out of her lungs as she was launched from Lin’s arms and thrown through the air. Charlie flew for what felt like an eternity until she plopped heavily on the ground with a grunt in a flurry of hair and red dress. Ribs aching and lungs gasping, Charlie pushed herself up to roll over onto her back, partially rolling over onto Lin.

They had fucking crashed into a stray serving cart that, thankfully, had been empty.

“Dude,” Charlie groaned, laying her head back against Lin’s arm, “that was… that was fucking AWESOME!”

With a high five to Lin, Charlie pushed herself off the ground and held a hand out to Lin, pulling him up with a little hop before straightening out her dress. A few pats of the red fabric hugging her hips and a couple of twists to stray curls, Charlie reached a hand up to ruffle Lin’s hair. Were the staff behind the table filled with fancy finger foods and one-bite sandwiches pissed off as hell? Yes. Had it been entirely worth it? Absolutely.

“Alright, what do we rate that bad boy?” Charlie asked, nodding to the cart being whisked away by one very pissed off looking waiter. “I think we had a solid 9.2 on that flip. I’d say we’re pretty well on their way to the Olympics. I can see it now,” Charlie wrapped one arm around Lin’s waist while the other framed an invisible space in the air, “Howellin The Nefarious Nose Divers: On Tour. It’ll be great, we’ll make absolute bank.”

The music pumping through the speakers once again picked up and Charlie wasted no time grabbing Lin’s hands to walk him towards the dance floor.

“Come on, as much as it was fun we should actually get this party started. These people don’t know a party until Howellin walks in.” Charlie laughed as she twirled herself around with Lin’s hands. Pausing, Charlie dropped Lin’s hand and opened her bag “Shit, before I forget..”

Digging around in her purse, Charlie scrunched up her face until she found what she was looking for with a satisfied hum. A gentle yank and in her hands was a thin leather bracelet, dyed the same colour as their outfits. Engraved on a thin silver plate in the middle of the bracelet was a hand drawn image of a lizard, the underside reading ‘Terminator’ in Charlie’s handwriting.

“I, uh, I got this made. It’s kinda silly but I figured it would be a pretty cool reminder of tonight. Ya know, the first big event of us being us.”

º º code by ditto º º
 






kellian phelan


As she hugged the taller boy, Kelli felt him trembling a little bit as well. Was…was he nervous, too? Like, uh, you know, the same nervous as her? That was…huh. She couldn’t help but feel a little bit relieved at that.

He was smiling back at her, too, and laughing, which was always super nice — like, the way Angel smiled and stuff was always just nice, you know. It made her giggle a little bit extra.

“But…but you!” Angel said, waving his arm at her. “You don’t look real. Like a…like a doll, or something.”

Kelli cocked her head slightly. “A…doll?”

“Like the fabric of your dress is a dreamy, starry sunset and, uh...eheh...you know,” Angel said. “It's really well-made. It's a good dress."

“M-My —“ She self-consciously reached for the fabric of her skirt, and she felt her cheeks tinging pinker. She looked toward the ground bashfully, unsure exactly of what to say. Smiling back up at him, she opened her mouth to give him a thank you.

He cleared his throat. "And you, obviously, look great. You know. Obviously."

The extra compliment took the girl even more aback. Had she ever mentioned that she kinda sucked at getting compliments? She stared at him in surprise for a moment, and then her face slowly began to screw together in honor at the compliment. She pressed her hands to her chest, the blush on her face deepening. “A-Angel!” she gasped, and she made a few sounds of flattered struggle. “T-Thanks so much!” she finally managed, giving him a broad smile.

"You were waiting for me?" Angel continued.

She gasped again. Oh, shoot, crap balls, she hadn’t meant to get him all feeling bad about it. Quickly, she tried to amend what she’d said. “Oh, uhm, not that long!”

“Sorry to keep you,” he apologized.

“No, no, you’re, uh, you’re good!” she said, vigorously shaking her head.

“I feel a little out of my element at these things..." He shrugged, and he lifted a hand to scratch the back of his neck. ”I know you're supposed to dance at dances, but it's kinda..."

Her brows knit together. “It’s…kinda…?” she prompted.

"I feel a little inadequate being unable to compare," he said, chuckling and sighing. "I'm glad you and Bella had fun dancing, though. She's really nice. Are you sure you're not missing her right now...?"

Him saying that made her heart give a sympathetic little squeeze.

She’d felt that way earlier, honestly. She’d felt that way all week, you know. Like…unworthy. Inadequate. Kind of like she didn’t belong. Dress shopping, she felt that way, and honestly, just before they’d walked in and she’d convinced herself that she was going to just…play the Confident Kelli character all night, she’d been feeling that way, too.

She looked him up and down, her brows drawn together sympathetically. Angel…? A guy like him felt…like, “inadequate” here? That was kind of crazy to her. You know, that a guy as…well, as dope “What?” she asked softly, slightly confused by what he was saying.

"I don't want to keep you from busting a move or something,” he said. “Our brothers are playing right now, so...there's only so much time while the good music lasts and they gotta get to their girls."

Suddenly, she got what he meant — he felt like he was holding her back or something like that, or like she’d rather be somewhere else. She gasped again. “Oh — oh, uh…” She shook her head erratically. “No!” she said determined. “No, you’re not keeping me from doing anything, Angel.” She gave him a broad, sure smile. “I was super freaking hyped to you getting here, though. That’s why I walked away from Bella — ‘cuz I was hype to hang with you, too!” She reached out to give him her most reassuring elbow. “You — you lived up to the hype, too, dude!”

She cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly, her brows knitting in concern again. She didn’t really know how to broach what was bothering her. “But…you said…uh…” That you felt the way I did earlier…

But she couldn’t just come outright and say that. She was…well, she didn’t…she just couldn’t say it that way.

Still, she didn’t know how exactly to start. She glanced toward the stage, gnawing on her lower lip and swallowing as she listened to a couple of beats of the music as she thought about how to go about it.

Finally, she turned her head back to him, giving him a soft smile. “Uh, well, I mean…,” she started slowly, “dancing’s not about…uh, comparing yourself to other people — ‘cuz if that’s what it was about, then, well…I wouldn’t be dancing at all, and I wouldn’t’ve danced at all.” She gave a soft laugh, awkwardly fiddling with her skirt.

Maybe that admittance wouldn’t scare him off.

She drew in a sharp breath, shaking her head, and she reached out and knuckle-bumped his shoulder encouragingly. Her smile broadened. “It’s about having fun, Angel!” she said. “Moving your body and kinda just…letting it all out! You don’t have to be ‘good’ or whatever to dance at a time like this — you just gotta dance!”

An idea popped into her head, and she immediately reached out for his hands. “You mind if…? Lemme just…” She grabbed his hands.

When she did, there was a little thud in her heart, and it kind of startled her for a second and made her lose a breath. Her eyes flicked down to their hands, and then she looked back up at him.

She blinked a couple times and giggled awkwardly to try and snap herself out of it. “Lemme s-show you…” She trailed off as she just kind of smiled at him for a second. Finally, with a giggle, she forced her eyes away from him and began to pull him toward the dance floor insistently, saying, “C’mon!”

When they reached the floor, she looked back into his face. An excited expression came onto her face. “Okay, so, uh…I’ll admit, I’m not amazing or probably even a good teacher, but…hey! Frick it, right?”

In other words: time for me to make things up as I go!

She glanced down at their feet. Uhhh, good idea! She looked back up at his face. For some reason, her heart was already beating super fast. “It’s good to start with some leg movement! I think!” she said. She took a step left, beginning to call out her moves as she made them: “Left and right and left and right and left and r —“ She stumbled slightly, muttering “shoot” and looking up apologetically at Angel. The eye contact made her laugh, and so she closed her eyes and just kept going, her commands fading into murmurs fading into mouth movements fading into nothing really.

She opened her eyes again after a little bit, smiling broadly at him. “And then,” she said, “you start the hands!” Again, she started saying her movements as she made them: “In and out and in and out and…”

As those faded away, she found herself caring less and less about the form, and she found her eyes steadying more and more on Angel as she moved, and she found her throat and chest reverberating more and more with loud, happy laughter.

Gosh — something about this was, like, so much greater than even dancing with Bella, you know? Maybe it was the music, or maybe it was…




mood
: DDD

location
the ball

outfit
dress!





playing...
dance
by foxes​




mentions
bella

interactions
angel

tags
hery hery


º º code by ditto º º
 




To say that Luci was already looking forward to leaving the winter ball wouldn’t be that much a lie, don’t get her wrong, she wasn’t antisocial that despised parties, in fact, the girl really enjoyed them; when it involved people, she found interesting or care about; despite that, she enjoyed these gatherings. Being surrounded by every alumni in the school and see what kind of stupidity they would do wasn’t exactly her cup of tea.

But at least the company was decent enough. It could have been worse, but at least Damien was tolerable if you had the patience for him. So while she wasn’t exactly in the mindset of being the last person who would leave the winter ball; at least the idea of staying for a little while wasn’t a living hell as she might have thought. After all, she couldn’t slip from the opportunity for the paparazzi capturing a picture of her. Luci was more interested in the actual marketing point that an event like the winter ball would provide for her career than the “fun” aspect of the event.

And while Damien wasn’t exactly material for the cover of a magazine, he was actually playing his part on this little facade in front of the media. Which Luciana was actually surprised; since it was him, she was already expecting he would all go fuck off for taking his picture or something along those lines. Who would have said that the boy was actually surprising the girl that night.

Once they were inside, Luciana was pleasantly mesmerized by the actual place. Even if she was already used to attending the winter ball, it was still captivating how they could make it better than the past year. But it was quite obvious they wouldn’t go for simply knowing the names of the people that attended the school. The party needed to match the level of the students, even if it was still a dance.

“So... what the fuck do we do at these things?” Damien asked her which caused the girl to let out a chuckle
“I know is your first time in the winter ball, but don’t let the fancy decorations and expensive clothing fool you; this is still a high school dance so you can mostly expect the same stuff from the ones I assume you know. It’s still the same with the people spiking up the drinks, dancing like there’s no tomorrow, people probably doing drugs in the bathroom just with designer clothes.”
She said as she looked around the place.

“I would really love a drink, to be honest. So let’s get something to drink and then let’s dance is best we can do. And who says maybe after just that I’ll be ready to leave”
Location: winter ball | Mood: good vibes tonight
Outift: Here | Interactions: Damien ( Winona Winona )
Luciana Navarro Berrocal

Code by Stardust Galaxy​
 
Genevieve Johannes
@NextGen has set their status to:
...

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

@NextGen has set their location to:
the ball

@NextGen has mentioned:
Liv

@NextGen has interacted with:
Landon

@NextGen has tagged:
gh0stwriter gh0stwriter
“You know, Evie. Holds a grudge like no other. But she’ll come around. In her own time.”

Gen’s head was nodding without input, her energy going towards the sandy feeling in her mouth and the hollow feeling of anxiety rooted deep in the pit of her stomach.

Something that Gen couldn’t quite place was wrong.

Landon was perfect. The way his arm found its way around her shoulders, his warm smiles, his kind words. Everything was just so perfect. Gen was used to turmoil, used to being on the edge of her seat as she desperately awaited the next drop of a shoe. Their love was born in the shadow of anger and lies but since it had all come out, everything was too clean, too precise, too polished.

Maybe that’s what was wrong. Gen needed the chaos and Landon, well, he was like a warm welcome home. That feeling was foreign yet predictable. With Landon, it was easy to fall into safe habits and patterns. With him, it was easy to forget that there was anything else. That security was the perfect place to hide. Gen knew that all too well.

While Landon’s eyes searched the crowd for his sister, Gen’s were busy looking for Liv. A glimpse would be enough to soothe the everlasting ache in her chest. It would be enough, it had to be enough.

Guilt.

She felt so fucking guilty.

“So, who are we making jealous first?”

Gen swallowed, leaning into Landon’s touch as she forced a smile onto her glossed lips. One of her hands moved to hold his hanging lazily over her shoulders. He was familiar, he was safe. Why did it feel wrong? Why did it feel like the closer they stood, the further apart they drifted? Why wasn’t perfect enough?

People watched them from the sidelines. Could they feel it too? The worry? The guilt? The fear?

“No one,” she eventually spoke, turning her body to face Landon. “Tonight isn’t about anyone else but us. We should do whatever we want. Just you and me.”

And the eyes watching us, waiting for the next big move. What would come next? Something had to be coming, things were too easy.

A forced breath. Gen took Landon’s hands and led him towards the dance floor in time for the rock music to melt away into a slow song. Her hands found Landon’s sides, snaking around his waist to pull him closer to her. Their bodies fell into the smooth rhythm of the music, Gen’s head finding her way to Landon’s chest with eyelids fluttering shut. She could hear his heart through fabric and flesh and muscle and bone, the steady unchanging beating anchoring her to the ground.

It was okay. Gen was with who she needed to be with.

Everything was right.

Gen looked up at Landon, the smile on her face now genuine as she brought a delicate hand to trace the side of his face. “You are so perfect.” Her lips pressed softly to his, pulling away slightly to speak. “I-”

Landon’s phone buzzed.

The shoe dropped.

“Lan? Is everything okay?”

º º code by ditto º º
 






nickie abrams.


The blood in her veins was lava, the heart in her throat a pounding drum as her blue eyes watched the boy who she fucking hated with all of her being react to being splashed with watery ass school dance punch. There was a sort of freeing sensation, a wave of power that washed over her as she saw his face screw up in shock, a feeling of victory that flooded her emotions for a very brief moment.

“You bitch!” Hunter yelled, his voice far louder than what she’d expected.

“A bitch?!” she repeated with a scoff, still riding the high of having splashed him. “So I’m the bitch, you fucking piece of shit?!”

“Yeah yeah, I’m a piece of shit. Boo Hunter, right?” he said, his eyes alight with fury. “Right. Good talk.”

Come on, something in her gouged, do something.

His hand reached out and grabbed a few napkins from the table, and he slowly began to pat the top part of his suit dry. His hands were shaking as he grabbed the ladle and two more cups, filling them up with punch.

With her eyes narrowed at Hunter, Nickie took a step back, expecting him to splash her back or something.

And then, he just said, “Have a bad night, Nicks. Tell your date that they landed themselves a bad one.” He smiled, obviously forcedly. Still, even this forced smile made something kind of crack within her, sent a small shock through her chest. “I know you won’t, but someone had to say it.”

And he just…started to walk away.

Nickie watched him take the first few steps, confused. “Is…,” she started softly, her voice hardly above a whisper.

What the fuck? Was that it? Hunter wasn’t like that. Hunter couldn’t do that. Just…have no reaction or some shit. He was an overdramatic little kid. Her heart’s pounding slowed hesitantly, and a creeping notion came into her mind:

He doesn’t give a shit about me.

Hunter, when he was acting like he didn’t fucking care, would say something to try and fucking “prove it”. Like he did in their fights, always.

But now, beyond the bitch comment, he…he legitimately looked like he didn’t even fucking care about her. The look he gave her was one of hurt — like what she’d said had really fucking fucked him up for a second — but it’d dissolved into…dismissiveness. Like, Fuck it, after what she said, she’s not worth even talking to anymore.

For some reason, that thought made something in her chest crack. She’d meant to hurt him, but…but fuck. She didn’t fucking know why, but…shit.

Shitshitshit.

She swallowed hard, slamming her foot down as she started to make her way around the table. “What the fuck, Hunter?!” she yelled after him. “Is that all?!” She followed him a few steps, but he just kept walking.

He doesn’t give a shit about you, Nickie — he doesn’t give a shit.

She felt a pressure behind her eyes and her throat closing up. She stopped walking. Her knees felt weak, and she drew in a sharp breath. She grit her teeth and clenched her fists so tightly that her manicured nails dug into her palms. “T-That line fucking sucked!” she screamed after him. She shook her head, scoffing. “God, so now you’re so fucking mature, huh?! No fucking reaction, huh?! You’re just so fucking over it, yeah?! So fucking over me that you fucking — so now, you’re just so fucking —“ Angry tears threatened to spill over lower lid, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Her chest was so fucking tight that it was painful. With all that was left in her, she screamed, “I fucking hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I —“

She opened her eyes again, her wide blue eyes fixated on the spot where Hunter had been. She stared for a few moments, her expression growing more and more crestfallen, her eyebrows turning up and the corners of her mouth turning down. Her heartbeat thudded thunderously in her ears, reverberating and rocking every part of her.

She felt eyes — all eyes on her.

And she was all alone.

She tried to draw in a breath, but she couldn’t. They were all staring at her, waiting for her to do fucking something. She knew they were all laughing, inside or outside, behind their hands that they covered their mouths with to feign shock.

Fuck.

Fuckfuckfuck.

She dipped her head, clenching her jaw. A tear escaped, rolling down her cheek. Turning around and covering her face, Nickie felt a lurch in her stomach. She clutched her stomach. “I hate you, Hunter,” she murmured. “I…”

Hate me so fucking much.

The thought was booming within her head, and for a moment, she stood there, hearing it echo off the walls of her mind. She lifted her head, looking around her with wide eyes like a stunned show animal.

And then, it was too fucking much, and she couldn’t stop the tears from coming as her feet took off for the door. I have to get out of here, she thought desperately, shoving past people with one hand clutched over her mouth. I have to —

She stumbled a step in her heels as she got outside, and she fell to the ground, catching herself on her palms. She heard a few pops that were probably some of the fucking seams on her dress. This sparked a fury inside of her, and she yelled, “Fuck!” Furiously, she grabbed her heels, gripping them by the heel and yanking them off as hard as she could. She didn’t even fucking care — she threw the heels toward the hedges and kept fucking running.

She reached the car and grabbed the handle, yanking the door open as hard as she could. She threw herself down into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut.

For a moment, she sat, her hands and arms relaxed, her bare feet on the carpeted floor of the still unfamiliar vehicle.

And then, it all rushed back to her — what had just fucking happened.

And the tears overtook her this time.

Why the fuck had she done that?! Why was she like that?! Why had she — why did she — why did she fucking give a fuck?! And why didn’t he?!

God, she was fucking miserable. Fucking pathetic. What the fuck was she even fucking doing?

“Fuck!” she yelled through the tears, slamming her fist down on the dashboard. “Fuckfuckfuck!” Her voice was cracking wildly, completely uncontrolled as she thrashed around furiously.

She heard a pop, and she looked down to see that the glovebox had fallen open. She stilled for a moment, her eyes setting one thing.

Nickie, fuck no, was her first thought, but she couldn’t keep her hand from reaching out and picking up the little baggie full of white powder.

The desperate pain inside her begged her, Fucking do it. Fucking do it.

Drugs were supposed to make you happy, right? And…and one fucking time wouldn’t make her a crackhead like Tittypecs, right?

Oh…oh fuck it. Why did she fucking care anymore?

She held it up in front of herself, narrowing her eyes at it.

She…had no fucking idea how to do this shit.




mood
...

location
in the car

outfit
red dress





playing...
normal
by nickie.​




mentions
liv & nate

interactions
hunter & ronnie

tags
natsukashii natsukashii hery hery Soap Soap Winona Winona


º º code by ditto º º
 
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