Westbrook Season 2

[PenguinFox]

A small lopsided smile found it's way onto Ian's face when Ash rolled her eyes at him. It was those kinds of reactions that made him want to joke around more. Sure people laughing at the things he said was great, but he really cherished the groans and eye rolls the most. Hence most of his joking around was puns and dad jokes. Sometimes he wondered if that meant he would make a good dad. He didn't like to think about it too much though. He didn't plan on being a dad anytime soon or possibly even at all.

It was comforting to have Ash leaning into him. She helped to remind Ian of his purpose for being there. She didn't need just anyone looking after her, she needed him. At least that's how it seemed. She wasn't leaning on anyone else for support, and no one else could really understand the anxiety they were both about to face with getting into a car. The others could absolutely keep Ash out of trouble, probably even better than Ian, but they couldn't provide the same support for her that he did; and that was his reason for going. To make sure his best friend was in a good mental state so she could relax and have the fun she deserved.

Ian returned Ash's grip with his own, hoping to anchor her as they got in the car. As they settled in he switched hands over so that his arm closest to her could wrap around her, gently rubbing her arm. The seating was the new guy, Brayden, driving, Tatum riding passenger, Ian behind Brayden, Sebastian behind Tatum, and Ash in the middle. It was a little worrying for Ian because Ash could see the entire windshield which was probably very taxing on her. He knew it would be for him. He gave Tatum a grin when she flashed the alcohol. He wasn't going to be partaking, but it was thoughtful of her to think of everyone else.

Leaning forward Ian looked to Sebastian. "You definitely need to be there. Everybody who's cool is going to be there." he flashed a grin before continuing. "And let me just say it will be a night to remember. Westbrook may not party as hard as the West coast, but believe me it's pretty close, and it's always memorable." Ian had only really been to the West's ski lodge party but that was the most unforgettable party of his life. It's where he met Nova. His heart sank in his chest and he swallowed hard as he thought back to that week. Everything happened so quickly but had felt so right. He was so sure about her, she might have even been his soulmate, but he went ahead and ruined that didn't he? Nova was one of the greatest things Ian had ever had and he pushed her away and let her slip through his fingers. Now he was likely to live his life alone. Yeah there would always be friends, but someone to share the hardships and ups and downs? Ian had squandered that.

The tight grip on his hand pulled Ian from his hopeless romantic thoughts and back into reality. The car's engine had started and Ash's grip had tightened. Ian knew he had to be strong for her so he closed his eyes to block out the visuals and lightly rested his chin on her head. He began to very quietly hum Hallelujah, hoping it would have a calming effect on Ash. When he was a lot younger Ian's sister Sierra would sing that for him when he had had a nightmare. The songs gentle melody now held a comforting meaning behind it for him. His hope was to pass that comfort on to his friend.

Before he knew it they had arrived at the party and Ian didn't take his time exiting the car. He continued to hold on to Ash's hand until she was fully out herself to help her. Then he stretched as if he had been sitting for much longer than he had. It had felt like hours to his body and everything was stiff. Perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but it felt like a long, cramped road trip to his limbs. "Well." he said to the group he was now starting to view as a little family of misfits. "Let's set the tone for the rest of the year." and with that he somewhat confidently, albeit awkwardly because of the limp, began to lead the group to the door of the Jameson household. Winona 0k_mang0 Elf_Ruler

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer
​

Sawyer was on the fence about whether Drake actual had this. She knew she definitely wouldn't just let someone back into her life that ignored her for four months but Maisie wasn't her. There was no telling really. Sawyer felt for the guy, she did, but he was going to have to do a little more than buy a fake cat and cry. Drake was kind of a wuss she thought. He'd literally just tried to hide behind her. If there was anyone on this earth that was the definition of a strong baby then Drake would be it. He'd been working out, that much was obvious, but that didn't change the fact that he was a baby when it came to most things. Sawyer actually found him kind of endearing sometimes. Sometimes. Other times he was doing things like hiding behind her and she was just annoyed.


Alaska pushed Drake off toward Maisie and Sawyer snorted as he stumbled forward. Sawyer leaned back against the wall in anticipation, ready to watch this unfold from a distance when she spotted JJ on the stairs. She watched as JJ rammed into Ryder and frowned as her crown fell to the floor. JJ seemed to be a bit exasperated by it and Sawyer found herself wanting to go over there but she made herself stay by Alaska's side. There wasn't any reason to go rushing to her rescue, JJ could handle herself and Sawyer wasn't the bodyguard. Speaking of bodyguard. Sawyer glanced over at Luke who was too busy forcing a relentless boy out the door to have seen Ryder and JJ. Good.


"You're brother has literally crashed into JJ." Sawyer informed Alaska, "He might get turned to stone."

Winona a z u l a

 

[Winona]

Drake

A yelp of surprise escaped him as he was shoved forward roughly by Alaska. Drake cast a glance over his shoulder, maybe begging for some help, then turned and looked at Maisie. She hadn't noticed him yet, and that's when he realized that maybe, just maybe, that was for the absolute best. He was a mess, wasn't he?

Drake had always been comfortable in knowing who he was -- a drug addict with an abusive mother and brother, and with no real connections. Sure, he had Alaska and later Nova, but aside from that... It had always been him alone. And he'd been happy, even if the happiness was based around fake highs brought on by the needles in his arms, or the pills clenched in his hand.

He'd been clean. Sober. Maisie had wanted that. Maisie didn't like drugs. Not that Drake blamed her, but...

Well, it would be wrong of him, wouldn't it? To make Maisie think that Drake really liked her, and maybe even to make Maisie fall for him. It would be wrong. Drake's path had been laid out from the day he was born. He had been born a drug addict, and he'd die in the exact same way.

There was no way he could even promise to stay there for her. Who knew how long he'd been able to stay in Westbrook?

So before Maisie could see him, Drake turned and disappeared into the crowd. He headed for the door, brushing past people with the cat dangling from his hand. With one hand, he pulled his sweater hood up over his face and then he was having trouble breathing -- the people were so packed together, and the door felt like it was only growing further away.

But finally, he was at the front door, shoving his way back outside where he stopped on the porch, the oxygen burning in his lungs. His pale eyes darted around for a moment, and then they landed on Aaron.

He stepped over, shoving the stuffed cat at Aaron. "Take it." He ordered. "I got it for Maisie, but... I want you to give it to her. You're better for her, yeah? You won't disappear."

Drake waited until Aaron took it, and then he was down the stairs, his hands shoved into the little pouch of his hoodie. He walked quickly, his thoughts focused on one thing and one thing only.

The one thing he was good at.

Being numb.

KingofAesir a z u l a Soap mikaluvkitties​

 

[a z u l a]

Ryder

It had been a long first week of school. As excited as he had been to return to Westbrook, it seemed there wasn't much here to miss. Of course, he had Nova now, but Ryder's friends had mostly graduated and school was pretty lonely. There were plenty of people he considered friends, his teammates and a whole lot of girls trying to flirt with him, but he wasn't very close with any of them. It seemed like there were a lot more people here who hated him than those that he considered friends.

The only thing he was looking forward to was the first party of the year. Even if it was JJ's. As he was walking in past the stairway, he bumped into something small and soft. He reached out to steady whoever he had knocked over, drawing his hands back quickly as he realized it was none other than JJ. She may have been the only female who hated him more than Lexi and Ash combined, and that was saying a lot.

He heard the stupid nickname she whispered under his breath, and while he clenched his jaw he chose to ignore it. It was her birthday after all. He couldn't believe the stupid insult Lexi had passed around after he dumped her, which was not true, had stuck around this long. Everyone knew Lexi was a liar and took pride in ruining people's reputations, but it seemed no one really cared. Or they just hated him too much to care.

"Oh uh, we got you a Chanel bag." Ryder answered, pointing to a pink and black box on the table. Truthfully, it was one their mother had never opened or used and that was just sitting in her closet full of shiny things. The twins took it and Viola hadn't even noticed, and truthfully Ryder had been excited to see JJ's face when she opened such a nice gift from her least favorite people.

"Here, you dropped this, princess." He smirked, bending down to pick up the tiara she had dropped and handing it back to her.

Soap

Alaska

Before Drake could make it to Maisie, Alaska's attention was diverted by Sawyer pointing towards where her idiot brother was standing talking to JJ. "You would think he would avoid her like the plague considering we're banned from her house." The small brunette huffed, watching her brother chat with the demon brat instead of running the other way like any smart man would. The two families had always disliked each other, but really Alaska didn't have a problem with the girl except for her snobby attitude.

"I'm going to get us another drink." She spoke, slamming back what was left in her cup and heading for the kitchen. It was nice to spend time with her friend. but she was nowhere near drunk enough to deal with JJ yet.

KingofAesir ​

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Aaron​

Aaron didn’t look up at the sound of someone coming outside.

In fact, Aaron didn’t bother paying attention to anything but the good enough music and okay enough beer until he was quite suddenly being assailed with a stuffed cat.

Sure, it was better than some of the things Aaron had been assailed with recently, but it was still unexpected and, more importantly, undesired.

For a second, Aaron simply stared into the cat’s eyes. Slowly, his gaze rose to meet Drake’s, stony-faced as he took the cat.

“What in the hell-” he started, only to end as Drake began to walk away.

Despite himself, he stood up. He’d never learned to leave good enough alone, had he? After all, this didn’t mean anything- At least, it didn’t have to, not if he didn’t let it.

He hated Drake- He did, with all the passion a heart as frozen as his could allow. He wanted him dead, gone… Unable to exist in enough space that even seeing him made Aaron feel like he had to run to the bathroom and stare in the mirror until he no longer wanted to throw up and bawl.

He could just let Drake go, one less in a growing sea of enemies present at this god-forsaken party, and throw the cat away.

And by god, he should have.

He trailed after Drake like a lost puppy dog, walking faster than he may have liked, close to maybe even chasing after him.

”I’m better for her? Me? The kid who broke your fucking nose? You’re positive about that?” His voice wavered from the effort to keep it from raising. “And- And because I won’t disappear? What does that even- More importantly, you clearly don’t know anything about me.” He shut up, coming to a halt despite himself. That had been too much, too far… But it wasn’t really like a druggie like Drake would notice, was it? After all, Drake likely cared for Aaron less than he did for Drake. It was typical like that, wasn’t it?

He was losing him.

Aaron sped up, actually moving with purpose now, and shoved the cat into Drake’s back.

“Take it,” he said, voice as centered as he could force it, “and give it to Maisie, and then leave her alone, because she deserves better than either of us.”

Winona​

 

[Twin Fantasy]

Charlie McAllister

So, this was off to a bad start right off the bat.

Charlie arrived with a few things. The Starbucks gift card addressed to JJ, his guitar, and a bottle of port. The port was for himself, and for the party. He hadn't put a ribbon on it, or dangled anything around its neck, but apparently bouncers are absolutely fucking indiscriminate when it comes to that shit. The man eyed him up, dwarfing him by some nine-million feet and three-trillion tons. The density of his muscles were no doubt pushing googolplex.

"Well, the guitar's useless, since she doesn't play." The man snatched the port out of Charlie's hands. "But this'll do nicely, thank you for your contribution."

"Wait, you don't understa--"

"Thank you for your contribution." The man shoved Charlie inside before he could argue further. The lights were blinding, but otherwise, nothing had really changed. Same old place as last year, same old booze, same old people. Well, not exactly the same, but mostly. Now he was portless, having to rely on the cheap ichor of the shit-addled masses with his arms stuffed into his pockets. At least the man didn't take his guitar. He was tired of losing guitars at JJ's house.

He gnawed away the cap of a beer bottle, taking a hasty swig and shoving it in his pocket. Gross gross gross. Disgusting. But he had no right to complain. He was the one who came here, in spite of his flagrant dislike of parties.

At the very least, there appeared to be someone as confused-looking as he was. He approached the other. Just standing there, gawk-eyed like a fish. Another mere human being.

"The beer sucks, don't it." Charlie mumbled, probably barely audible. "I'm Charlie, you probably know me... I had this band. Shit got too corporate though so I fucked off." A lie. It ended because the only other member, Harper, decided he wouldn't make enough money off of the act. As if money was EVER a motivator in Charlie's eyes. He'd always been in it for the art, and would continue to be until his death.

// DrabberRogue //​

 

[Soap]

Raven

She didn’t have a gift, but that didn’t prove to be a problem. Raven wandered into NewsPaper after school once because she wanted to catch up on a few things, and... well, she saw a little more than she bargained for. Thankfully for everyone’s sake. Luke decided to just let Raven through.

There was no way she was going to spend good money on a present the princess wouldn’t appreciate. In this case, Raven’s a mere peasant and those few gold coins would do a lot than it would to please royalty.

Throwing the 1800 slang aside.

The bright and vivid colors of pure spoiled rich kid almost made Raven blind. Her car was the size of that corner over there and this chick just has it all? It’s weird how some people don’t deserve things and yet they still get them. That could be applied to both good and bad. Not that the brunette believed she deserved the world, but Raven liked to think she deserved much better than whatever the universe kept throwing at her.

She caught eye of Mason heading towards the kitchen, while moving to follow she hesitated. Mason probably didn’t want to see her after she basically ghosted him. But then again, he probably wouldn’t care. Online he seemed as if he was in a ‘happy’ relationship anyway...

What’s the harm in saying hello?

A stride forward and rounding a corner to only come face to face with another one of her not exes.

“Alaska. Hey.”

Thanks Universe, but no thanks.

“Awesome, great talk.” Raven said as she begun to move away from the brunette. Alaska had done the disappearing act more than once and everyone knows a magician would never reveal their secrets, and Raven for the first time in her life— did not want to know one.

a z u l a​

 

[DrabberRogue]

It was a good thing he'd decided to cover his entrance under the smokescreen of a bunch of other people, Jace thought as he turned to look around the entryway of JJ's mansion. One of the bigger jocks seemed to be playing the part of a bouncer, taking presents like some sort of toll. That girl really did fit the part of a princess. From the snobby attitude, to the diamond tiara, to literally taxing her subjects on the way into her party. Yeah, it was definitely a good idea to sneak in. Having to go back out and find a present would've been a pain...

He couldn't just stand around watching the bouncer watch the entrance forever though. That was gonna get boring quick, and anyways it felt weird to just be standing around while everyone around him was partying. So his piercing blue eyes started scanning for someone to engage with. Hey, weren't the Vaughns back in town? Maybe he ought to go looking for-

'Something something beer.' Apparently Jace didn't have to go looking for someone to chat with. Instead the chat had come to him. Curious, he tried to look for clues to fill in the gaps of what he hadn't heard while the other boy continued to speak. Beer bottle stuffed into the pocket, guitar in hand, and a less than enthusiastic expression on his face. The blonde still could barely hear the other boy, but he put on a friendly smile anyways, trying his best to parse what little he did make out over the music. 'Charlie... band... corporate...' Something something cyberpunk? Nah probably not, he didn't look the type. A shame really, Jace liked that genre.

Drawing in a breath to respond, the semi-well-dressed boy took a moment to wrack his brain for any memories of this Charlie figure. The mention of a band didn't ring any bells... Oh! Guitar, kinda seems hipstery, there was one memory Jace thought he might be able to pin on this guy...

"Charlie, huh? Well my name's Jace!" He responded in a jovial tone, his lively voice projecting clearly above the music. That wargaming group had been kind to his speaking skills. The boy's introduction was accompanied by an extended hand, almost reflexively offering a handshake. "Hey, this might seem like a weird question, but uh... Are you that guy with the..." Jace stalled for a moment. C'mon, what was the reference again?

"The uh... David Bowie reference? In your Twitter handle?" It was half a shot in the dark. While he was pretty confident in his memory, Jace also didn't pay a whole lot of attention to older music. All he remembered was that someone had spacesomething as their Twitter handle and that he'd lowkey gotten the reference wrong when he tweeted about it. Time to see if he could remember things from... Okay wow, when did that actually happen? It had been one of the parties he didn't go to last year. Narrowing it down to about... Most of them.

Twin Fantasy

 

[0k_mang0]

sebastian

Location: JJ’s party
With: Ash Winona , Brayden, Tatum Elf_Ruler , Ian PenguinFox
​

If Sebastian heard Brayden’s grumbling, he would pretend he wasn’t.

“Fun and memorable. Right,” Seb echoed the words as if reminding himself they existed. “I’m sure I’ll have fun there. Just as long no one throws up on me.” Behind his dry humor was a quiet growing concern running through his head, and he wasn’t nervous about whether or not he would have fun or mess up at the party. His aunt was a cop, a police detective with a sense of smell like a bloodhound. Sebastian told her that he was meeting up with Ash and two more new friends at the cafe tonight, but he didn’t mention the birthday party. If Aunt Lucia discovered he’d done anything illegal like underage drinking, she might do worse than ground him for life.

Sebastian sat on the other side of Ash, apparently right behind Tatum. Along the way, he could sense her silent anxiety. Her vice-like grip around Ian’s hand was evident. He hoped the hand-holding was enough for her to bear the car ride. Sebastian was about to offer Ash his earphones to listen to music from his phone if it helped distract her, but then Ian started humming an old song. And now Seb’s idea seemed kind of pointless to do, and it would probably be rude to interrupt because Ian was just trying to be a good friend to Ash, too.

Eventually, they made it to the location. It wasn’t hard to miss the big house, with a bunch of party guests strolling about through the windows and music playing loudly. Following Ian, Sebastian noticed a bodyguard at the entrance and furrowed his brows as he watched a couple of random teens being rejected from going inside because they didn’t have presents.

“We’ll be okay getting in, right?” Sebastian asked with slight hesitation in his voice. He certainly didn’t bring anything. What should you even give to someone who can afford to buy anything they want at any time?

 

[Winona]

Drake

Why wouldn't everyone just leave him alone?

He barely even heard Aaron, but then the guy was right behind him. Pressing that stupid little cat into his back. And then Drake was whirling around, and he wasn't seeing anything. All he said was red as he snatched the cat, ripped its head off, and tossed it to the ground. "Don't touch me." He snapped at Aaron.

And then his hand curled into a fist and he was bringing it forward and slamming his fist not into Aaron's face, but into his stomach. Drake wasn't a total monster.

He stumbled back, holding his hand still in a fist, and for a moment Drake actually felt bad, but then anger just crossed his face again. "Seriously, get the fuck back to that party and leave me alone."

Aaron was right, though, wasn't he? Neither of them deserved Maisie.

mikaluvkitties​

 

[Winona]

Ash


The car ride sucked, but at least it was made a little bit better by Ian. She stayed pressed against his side, her eyes squeezed shut and her face pressed against his shoulder. Ash stayed like that, refusing to budge until she finally felt the car come to a halt. Her eyes fluttered open and she pulled her head away from Ian, looking to see that they had successfully arrive in front of JJ's house, totally alive. Ash let out a breath of relief and then hopped out of the car, her vodka water bottle in one hand.

"It does." Ash said, agreeing with Ian. "And hopefully the tone for the rest of this year's parties will be fun, but with no stupid freshman getting drunk and ending up in the hospital or, you know, fights." But if Ryder and Alaska were back in town, then counting fights out of parties was just ridiculous. Those two attracted violence like nothing else.

Ash cast a grin at Sebastian. "Please. I came prepared." She said and held up a bag that she obviously had the whole time and I'm not just writing this in now because I forgot. "Gifts for everyone." Ash led the way across the yard to Luke, who was apparently bouncing this year. Well, it was better than fucking Kanen.

She held the gift bag out to him with a smile. "I got her makeup and a specially made cupcake." Ash explained, and then gestured at the other four behind her. "It's from them, too." Luke took the bag, peeked inside, and then let them in. And yeah, Ash had planned on making a bunch of weed cupcakes to ruin JJ's party, but no one deserved that. Instead, she had made a single weed cupcake for JJ to enjoy later when she was all alone. That was a lot nicer.

Ash pushed through the front door, bypassing a couple students and looked around at the party that was already in full swing. Her gaze swept across the room: Alaska and Sawyer heading towards the kitchen, Raven, the princess herself in conversation with Ryder, which just made her stomach lurch. Ash hadn't expected to see him here since, you know, JJ hated the Vaughns for some reason. Well, not that she could blame her because Ash wasn't particularly fond of them these days.

"Alcohol." Ash declared, finally looking away from Ryder back at her friends with a bright smile. And bonus? She hadn't seen Kanen, which meant that she was free to drink as much as she wanted without some stupid drug addict trying to tell her how to live her life. She started towards the kitchen, not even waiting to see if the others followed.

"Excuse me," she brushed between Laurel and Mason to grab a couple solo cups. Ash paused for a moment, leaning against the counter in front of Laurel to flash a grin at Mason. "Hey, you look really good tonight. I'd say hit me up if you weren't... you know." Ash shrugged, and Mason's eyes just widened and he was left speechless.

Ash pushed away from the counter with the cups in her hand, and smiled at Laurel. "Hey, you look... well, good, I guess. I'll see you at cheer practice Monday." And with that, and a wink at Mason, Ash turned around to the island where she set the cups out.

"Alright, drinks." She started pulling bottles of alcohol towards her, pouring whiskey and vodka into the cup before she lifted it up and took a drink, setting it back down in front of her. It tasted horrible, but Ash wasn't here for stuff to taste good. Ash was here to get drunk, and to just let herself try and... forget.

PenguinFox 0k_mang0 Elf_Ruler
Mentions: mikaluvkitties​

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Aaron​

Aaron watched Drake tear the head off the cat in something near horror, even if his face simply grew more and more still. Something inside whispered that he should have just given Maisie the cat, that, when you really thought about it, this was all Aaron’s fault in the first place. He stomped that thought down viciously.

He was a bit too distracted to notice the fist coming at his stomach, gaze still glued on the cat on the ground. He was curling in in an instant on pure instinct, wind knocked right out of him. He gasped in a breath as he processed the fact.

Drake had hit him. That hadn’t happened at all last year, and Aaron had committed much grander transgressions than a simple touch.

Did Drake think that he could just get away with punching Aaron because his brother could fuck Aaron up?

Had Drake always been prepared to hit him?

He pushed back the thoughts, the stinging in his eyes, and forced some semblance of resolve. A weak frown spread across his face as he straightened up, looking up at Drake.

Drake looked angry, and Drake really thought he could just give Aaron an order, didn’t he?

For half a second, Aaron considered that maybe this anger- this urge to destroy Drake and everything he held dear- might serve him better in the future.

And then he dismissed it, because Aaron wanted blood and he wanted blood now.

He lunged forward, slamming his fist into Drake’s dick as hard as he could.

Winona​

~`*`~​

Casper​

Initially, Casper didn’t recognize Noah’s voice, and his immediate response was to curl in on himself, giving a quiet sniffle. He really wanted to go home.

Then it clicked, and his eyes snapped open, head snapping up as relief visibly flooded through him.

This was someone he knew, and sure, he smoked cigarettes, and he almost got Casper in trouble, but that was okay- After all, Caper was fine, right? No harm, no foul!

He gave Noah a grin, though it weakened as the kid tried to remember Noah’s words, only to grow brighter as he recalled the words. He nodded hard, pushing off the wall and towards Noah. “Mhm! You’re…” He got quiet for a second. “You’re nice!”

Yeah, that felt right!

An awkward moment of silence passed, and then Casper asked, “Do you come to parties a lot?”

mogy​

~`*`~​

Laurel​

If there was one thing- And really, naming just one thing was hard- that Laurel loved about being with Mason, it was the way he made people move.

With a hum of satisfaction, she searched for a soda, pausing only when Mason spoke. Her lips pursed in thought as she considered the question. Really, it was a good one, and she couldn’t blame him for asking, even if she would have rather avoided the question.

She shrugged, mind racing as she smiled to him. “Well, now we just hang out, silly… And I mean, if we really wanted to, I doubt JJ would mind if we started up some games ourselves.”

And then that bitch from Hell entered the room. First, she flirted with Laurel’s boyfriend. Then, she insulted Laurel. She gave Ash a smile.

“Hope you enjoy the party and the drunken sex I’m sure will come with it.”

She watched the girl leave, forcing herself to keep her face neutral, then turned to Mason, gaze ablaze.

“I want her dead.”

Winona​

 

[mogy]

Noah Stewart

​

Getting complimented on being nice wasn't exactly the kind of response Noah was expecting from Casper, but it was a compliment, and getting genuinely nice compliments, especially on your personality felt really good. Noah felt warm inside, and not the kind of warm you feel after a couple of shots, but just a nice warmth around his heart.

He couldn't help but form an even bigger smile on his face while looking at Casper, who still looked a little bit pale. At least he looked somewhat happier than before Noah came and talked to him.

Taking a sip of his beer, Noah looked at Casper when he asked him a question after a moment of awkward silence. "Uh, I usually go, yeah. I like parties, they're fun, especially when there is alcohol." Noah jiggled his almost-empty beer can, gesturing that it is alcohol.

mikaluvkitties (Casper)​

 

[Winona]

Drake

The pain that exploded through Drake was bad. Not the worst pain he had ever felt, but still fairly bad. And then Aaron's little body was slamming into him and knocking him into the street with the crazy kid on top of him. His head slammed into the asphalt and for a moment Drake's head was swimming with pain before he came back to his senses.

Now, last year Drake may have chosen to stay away and avoid any kind of fights, but now he was pissed. He was pissed and didn't have the high of drugs to keep him calm, and he was pissed that fucking Aaron had decided to chase after him. But at the same time, he didn't want to completely fight Aaron. He just... wanted Aaron to leave him alone.

With Aaron on top of him, Drake grabbed him and threw him off, sending a kick into Aaron's body as he did so to send him flying. Drake then rolled over and got back to his feet, stumbling a bit as the world around him started spinning again. Fuck, his head hurt. He reached up to feel the back of his head and his fingers came away red.

"Fuck off, Aaron." He spat and tried, once again, to walk away.

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

Mason

He was on cloud nine.

Mason had never been the kind of guy that got the cheerleaders -- sure, he got girls but not cheerleaders and certainly not the blondes. Oh, it was going to be fucking great to rub that in Parker's face. Sure, Ash had that whole "sleeping with anyone" vibe thing going on, but it was still fucking Ash that had just hit on him.

His attention turned back to Laurel when she sent a jab at Ash.

Ash simply smiled back at Laurel, and then turned her gaze back to Mason, and he thought his heart might fucking stop. "Oh I will. I'll see you later, Mason." And then Ash was turned around and ignoring them, and Mason was trying his best to fucking breathe and not let on just how flustered he was as he looked back at Laurel.

She was pissed, and that just made Mason laugh. "Fuck, are you seriously jealous? That's adorable." He said with a laugh, and wrapped one arm around Laurel. "It's okay. You're way better than Ash... and I don't think I can kill her for you, so sorry about that." He said with a huge, lopsided smile. Was Laurel even jealous, or just mad?

mikaluvkitties​

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Aaron​

Aaron didn’t mean to tackle Drake- it was just kind of what happened when a being of formidable size ran into another with all their force.

He was already trying to push himself off and away when he was being grabbed, and thrown, and all he could do was remind himself in a panic that the best thing to do was to roll with it- Just roll. He had practice with that, didn’t he? The kick had hurt, sure, but it was really the falling that could fuck him up.

He looked up at Drake as soon as he could, and he couldn’t help a grim satisfaction at the darkness on Drake’s hands.

And then Drake just had to go and speak. The fuck was he trying to do, sound tough?

Aaron let out a humorless huff of laughter, unable to hold back a snarly grin.

“Don’t play the victim.” He stood up. “You’re the one who couldn’t just let me be. Was that cat even for Maisie? You didn’t seem to really give a shit about it.”

His eyes couldn’t help but drift for a second time to the cat on the floor, smile drooping away.

Winona​

~`*`~​

Casper​

Casper nodded along to what Noah said whole-heartedly, starry-eyed.

It only began to fall apart at the mention of alcohol, Casper’s lower lip being sucked between his teeth as the corners of his mouth tugged down into a frown.

Even almost a year later, he couldn’t think about drinking without thinking about that horrible trip last winter, and more specifically, that party.

He hadn’t even liked it in the moment, and the best thing about it had probably been sitting on the patio, freezing his butt off as he tried to sober up with Stu. When was the last time he had spoken to Stu?

And that was when Aaron had found out.

He picked at his hand absent-mindedly as he looked at the glass.

“That’s nice,” he said lamely. After a moment of silence, he continued, “What do you like to do at parties like… other than drinking?”

mogy​

~`*`~​

Laurel​

Mason was acting cute. Laurel hated it.

She rolled her eyes, aggressively popping her soda open as she leaned begrudgingly into Mason.

Of course, he very clearly knew just what to say, and she couldn’t help but smile to herself as she took that first sip of liquid goodness.

“I’m not jealous,” she said unconvincingly, soda held contemplatively as she looked up at Mason.

For a moment, she was quiet, considering other people that could murder Ash, the ways she could dispose of the body and, most importantly, the punishment if she were caught.

Totally not worth it.

Her gaze lowered back in front of her. “Don't be stupid, Mason. I wouldn’t really kill her…”


She paused for a moment of contemplation- She was always being told she should take more of those.

“Well, unless she was fucking up badly enough in cheer. But, well, she’s…” Laurel sighed. “She’s decent. Better than Tatum at the very least, and really, that’s all that matters, right? I should go easier on her. She killed her best friend and suffered some serious head trauma. Who knows what that did to her, right?”

Winona​

 

[Twin Fantasy]

Tim Hart

"The fuck is this thing?"

The bouncer heartlessly flicked the unlabeled cassette tape Tim had handed him. Tim threw his arms up. "Kid, you know nobody uses these anymore, right?"

"Girl's loaded, 'm sure she can buy a tape deck an' it won't make a dent."

The bouncer shrugged, dropping it with the rest of the gifts and waving Tim inside. Tim was this close to taking that cue. But his process was interrupted by something, something like a GUH sound. Tim withdrew his flick knife, almost like an instinct. In Amitytville, they calls that a fight. In Amityville, ain't nobody winning shit. One guy comes out beat into a pulp and the other has to run from the cops. But the battle, the art of it, the glory, it made Tim's chest pound in anticipation.

The bouncer couldn't care less that he was armed and going around the side of the mansion like a sneaking thief. Either that or he simply didn't see it.

A bloodstain on the concrete wet Tim's shoe a watery red. A headless stuffed cat lay strewn aside, like a crime scene in a child's room. It was nostalgic, though Tim had hardly owned a single plush toy to speak of. He'd been robbed once... or twice, something like that. Either way, he'd been very young.

"Fuck's going on here?" His words were accusatory, but his expression hardly reflected that. Instead it was one of grim amusement, knife pointing out from his hip. "You two havin' a domestic dispute?"

// Winona mikaluvkitties //

Charlie McAllister

Charlie's face probably went a little red. Someone knew him. Someone knew him. Most of the time when he pulled that whole "you probably know me" thing, he'd be answered with a big fat "no". He'd wallow in the self-superiority of evading the masses, but moreso feel like he was nothing and nobody and that was that. Someone knew him. Sure, it was based on his Twitter handle and nothing more, but...

He'd been out of school for what felt like forever. In fact, he was held back because of it. He thought he was done at some point before an honest-to-god heart attack sent him out of commission again. Cardiomyopathy. What kind? He can't remember. They implanted some kind of build-in defibrillator into his chest after several surgical adjustments were made, and he spent most of his year at age sixteen on painkillers, watching the world fly by without him. That was how it'd always been. Charlie can't run, he can't play ball, we don't want to pick him for gym class. He has a heart with muscles thick and unforgiving.

Someone knew him.

Charlie McAllister, the heart attack kid.

"Y-yeah," His voice wavered, and suddenly became all too loud, "THAT WAS ME ALRIGHT!"

// DrabberRogue //​

 

[a z u l a]

Alaska

Alaska turned around only to come face to face with someone she thought she might never see again. Raven.

Of course as soon as she had returned to Westbrook she had asked Sawyer about her whereabouts. In fact, the entire time she'd been gone she'd not so subtly asked her friend how her ex-not-girlfriend was doing. Naturally, hearing about Mason and Raven's new perfect little relationship so soon after she left stung, but did she really have the right to be mad at her when she'd been the one to disappear? It wasn't like Raven owed her anything, but it still fucking sucked. Every day Alaska had thought about texting her, but every time she drafted up a message it felt wrong. She had wanted Raven to move on with her life because she didn't know if she was ever coming back to Westbrook, and Raven had moved on.

"Raven I-" The brunette was walking away before she could even process what was happening. As far as Sawyer had told her, Raven was long gone. No one had heard from her in months, and no one expected to. It seemed Alaska wasn't the only one who could disappear.

"Raven, wait." Alaska spoke, grabbing the brunette by the arm and pulling her so they were facing one another. The breath caught in her throat, she didn't know what to say or how to say it, she didn't even really know how she felt about everything. The one thing Alaska did know was that Raven was the only person she had ever really felt anything for. She was the only person who made her feel like she was good for something more than just sex. Alaska didn't really know what love was, but she had thought that maybe with Raven she could figure it out.

She couldn't let that go.

"I wanted to call you or text you but I didn't know what to say." She started, practically yelling over the loud music. It was all too much, the noise, the way her heart was racing in her chest, the way the alcohol was flowing through her veins and how Raven was looking at her with spite. The small brunette panicked, pulling her into the nearby photobooth and closing the curtain to drown out all of the noise.

"I didn't want to leave you." Alaska spoke, much softer now that it wasn't so loud. Nervously, she looked down at the bracelet on her wrist, her fingers playing with the single small charm. It was the same one Raven had gotten her for her birthday last year. She had never taken it off, and she found herself absentmindedly playing with the bird charm every time she was feeling anxious. "I didn't mean for things to end like this and I'm sorry."

Soap​

 

[Winona]

Drake

He tried to tune the annoying droll of Aaron's voice out of his head. Drake just kept backing up, his gaze shifted from his old best friend to the ripped apart cat on the road. Had he really done that? Drake had trouble remembering, even if it had happened just moments before. God he was a bad person, wasn't he?

His eyes flickered up only when a new guy came onto the scene, and that was Drake's cue to leave. "No, I was just leaving." He mumbled, and pulled his hood back up over his head to cover the blood that was starting to pool. His hands were shaking as he slid them into the pocket of his hoodie and turned to leave.

Third time's the charm, right?

His walk was brisk, and soon it turned into a run, even with his head pounding in pain.

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

Mason

Laurel could say that she wouldn't kill Ash, but Mason had his reserves and doubts. She totally struck him as the kind of girl that would kill another bitch, and then her next comment about cheerleading just sealed his opinion. The biggest thing that annoyed Mason about Laurel was her obsession with cheerleading.

It wasn't even a sport! The only good thing about cheerleading was getting to watch hot girls bounce in skirts and yeah, maybe that had been one of the biggest driving forces for Mason to even join football back in the day. The attention from the hot girls -- hot girls like Laurel, although Laurel hadn't paid him any attention until a couple months ago.

And yeah, their relationship may have been a total sham, but Mason found himself actually liking her. And it was fucking stupid and he hated himself, but his gaze caught on Raven just outside of the kitchen talking with that little fucking Vaughn, and any thoughts of liking Laurel seemed to fade just like that. Fucking hell.

He looked down towards Laurel, forcing a lopsided grin onto his face while he tried to push thoughts of Raven out of his mind. "Alright, enough talking about killing bad cheerleaders. Let's go try and start the game." His gaze shifted around at the people gathering in the kitchen. "It's kinda cramped in here, anyway."

With his arm still around her shoulders, Mason led her out of the kitchen.

mikaluvkitties​

 

[DrabberRogue]

The enthusiasm of Charlie's response brought a grin to the tall boy's face. He hadn't expected a reaction like that, especially after all of the mumbling the conversation had started with. Well, it was that and the fact that he'd been right. It was always satisfying when his shots in the dark paid off. Now that aside, it occurred to Jace that he'd actually never interacted much with this guy. A true crime of fate to be sure. As was any instance of him not having met someone he'd gone to school with for more than a year.

"Ahh, so that was you! I still think it's a cool Twitter handle." He chimed, carrying on the conversation as if the other boy's booming reaction was nothing out of the ordinary. Admittedly he thought the username was cool for all the wrong reasons, but he didn't need to talk about that. No one wanted to hear about how it made him think of an old sci-fi movie. Probably.

"So uh... I take it you must be pretty good with that guitar, if you were in a band." Jace's curious, icy blue eyes shifted again to the guitar as he continued speaking, changing the subject so the conversation wouldn't get bogged down. Hopefully. He didn't really want to get caught talking about an artist he barely knew about. Music in general was kinda interesting though, and he liked guitar. So maybe that'd lead to some decent chatting.

Twin Fantasy

 

[Cosmos]

Sen stroked down her dress once again with her free hand as she gripped the phone tightly with her other one, checking again as she bit her lip lightly that she got the place right. She'd seen the tweet a little bit ago and had begged her parents to let her come to the party to get to know some of the people she was meant to be starting school with, after all what better way to meet them- r-right? she shook the nerves from her head as she took a deep breath and nodded determinedly.

"Urgh!? No I can't do this, no way!~" she let out in a squeak to herself, closing her eyes and turning the chair away from the entrance, "No, Sen you can totally do this! right? I mean, I needa' know someone there, or at least have seen them around?" She continued to mumble to herself, looking over her shoulder again back at it with a light rosy blush on her face, fiddling with her hands and the present on her lap, it was one of the newer video games that came out- she was into that kinda stuff as it was easy to do sitting down, in fact she may have committed far too much of her youth to league of legends.... but that was besides the point! argh, how did she keep getting distracted!? She just had to enter this party already!
_______

[OPEN- NEEDING INTERACTION]

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Aaron​

Aaron fought very hard to keep his shoulders from hiking up at the sound of the new voice… But it wasn’t new, was it?

That was Tim.

Aaron turned to face him as Drake spoke, no longer paying the other any attention. He’d done everything he needed to. Drake knew that Aaron wasn’t afraid to hurt him. It was better this way.

And the Aaron caught sight of the knife. He rolled his eyes. “Jesus, Tim, is that really necessary?” A faint tremor ran through his hands as he scooped down to lift the torn cat pieces out of the dirt, brushing them off with care.

Quieter, still trying to settle himself, he said, “Drake’s just some asshole. It doesn’t really matter.”

He straightened up, finally processing that Tim was here. There was a moment of silence as he watched him.

“Do you go to Westbrook?” he asked, aiming for nonchalance instead of confusion and only partially failing.

Winona Twin Fantasy​

~`*`~​

Laurel​

Laurel, it seemed, had terrible taste in men.

Or maybe the football coach had terrible taste in team captains.

There wasn’t really any other reason why Laurel should check a peek up at her boyfriend’s face only to see him ogling another girl, even if only for a moment.

Her stomach plummeted. What if someone had seen? What would people say? She frowned just a bit, but then he was smiling down at her, and she couldn’t help a smile up, bonking her head against him before she stood up.

He was a teenager. She shouldn’t really expect him to not ogle other girls… and if anyone said anything about it, well… It wasn’t like her boyfriend would be the only one.

She sipped her coke as she carefully removed herself from the counter, allowing the arm to stay around her shoulder as the pair left the kitchen. He was right- It was cramped, and asking questions there probably wasn’t the answer.

“So who’s the girl?” she asked casually enough, a steady weight against his side.

Winona​

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer
​

Alaska moved off toward the kitchen to get them more drinks and Sawyer was left alone. She watched as people floated by her, laughing or throwing drinks down their throats. Sawyer looked down at her own cup and sloshed the liquid in if around in a circle and frowned. She remembered the first time she'd ever had a drink suddenly. Memories of Dayton and Jesse floating their way into her head. The last thing she wanted to do was think about Jesse, Sawyer had enough on her plate she didn't want to be bogged down by the thought of her old friend. Losing people hurt. Especially when you lost someone the way they'd lost Jesse. Sawyer could remember the funeral like it was yesterday, almost the entire town of Dayton crowded into one small church and not a dry eye in the room. The way his sister, Lorri, and just fallen apart in Sawyer's arms was heartbreaking. Sawyer knew that his parents blamed her for his death. Jesse was an angel in their eyes and the fact that he died because he was drunk was almost unbelievable for them. So, they blamed his state on Sawyer. They blamed her for being a bad influence when in reality it had been Jesse that had suggested they drink. It had been his father's alcohol and everything. But Sawyer never told anyone that, she'd rather them think that it was her than tarnish Jesse's image in his death. Jesse's parents spread rumors about Sawyer's involvement in Jesse's death and the whole thing kind of blew out of proportion so she and her father left.


Jesse Tanner wasn't pushed off a cliff. Sawyer never even touched him. Even with the cloudy haze she'd been in, Sawyer remembered the moment down to the most minute detail. She'd been laying on the good on Jesse's truck and he was balancing precariously on the edge of Hikers Point. He was talking to her about how he felt like he was invisible around his parents, like he was just this shell of a kid who never did anything bad. He admitted that he'd only suggested getting drunk to piss his parents off. Then he paused his pacing and stared down the edge of the cliff with a musing look on his face.


"Do you think I'd feel it if I just jumped?" He'd asked. Completely serious.


"What? I don't know I've never jumped off a cliff before." Sawyer had laughed, not sensing the seriousness in Jesse's voice. And then there was a sound like a desperate half laugh half cry and Sawyer turned just in time to see Jesse disappear over the edge. Jesse Tanner was not pushed off Hikers Point.


He jumped.


"Yo, Andrews." Sawyer was jarringly shaken out of her rather unsavory memories by a familiar blonde boy. A puff of smoke blew by her face and Sawyer glared into shining, bloodshot, blue eyes. Korbin Chase chuckled at her reaction and reached around her to put his joint out in a random ashtray he must've say there earlier. She doubted JJ had an ashtray in her house. Korbin spun around and leaned against the table next to her. "You're in my spot." He informed her although he held no anger in his voice, that same ever calm and easy voice he always had. Korbin was the son of Tyler Chase, one of her father's work friends and seemed to take their father's friendship as an open door to be hers. Sawyer liked him fine, he was just a little infuriatingly annoying. There was nothing Korbin enjoyed more than being cheeky.


"My spot now." Sawyer bit back, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.


"Sure, sure." Korbin chuckled, turning to look back out at the crowd. It was silent for a moment as the two of them kind of just sat there, both watching the party goers milling about, until Korbin spoke again with an uncharacteristically soft voice, "I came over here cause you looked like you'd seen a ghost. Not a good look on you." He chuckled again and Sawyer rolled her eyes at the younger boy, "Anyway, I thought you might need some company. I'm real sorry about your girl. Sucks."


"She's not my girl." Sawyer sighed, "Or least she wasn't when...I don't wanna talk about this, Korbin." She waved him off and he just kinda shrugged.


"Might not have still been yours, but you still acted like she was." Korbin straightened up, "I'm gonna go fuck with that horrid ass dog of JJ's. You should get some more to drink. You need a break." Korbin winked at her and disappeared back into the crowd. Sawyer sat there for a moment before deciding he was right. She did need more drink. Alaska probably got distracted by something and wasn't coming back any time soon so Sawyer started making her own way to the kitchen.


Just as she came into view if her destination, Sawyer spotted Ash heading in the same direction. Sawyer shook her head trying to fend off any unwanted, anger that Ash might bring up. It didn't work very well and Sawyer found herself pausing in her mission and just glaring at Ash from the edge of the crowd.

Winona

 

[Winona]

Ash

People brushed past her, grabbing drinks, laughing, and Ash barely even noticed any of them. They just drifted past, forgotten the moment they stepped out of her vicinity -- but there was one person whose cold gaze burning into her wasn't as easily forgotten. And Ash did her best to try and forget about her.

Despite how long Sawyer and Grace had dated, Ash had barely spoken to the taller blonde. And following the accident, Ash had done everything she could to avoid Sawyer everyone else may have forgotten, everyone else may have stopped hating her for putting the Grace Jackson into a coma. But Sawyer hadn't, and the hatred in her gaze could be felt from across the room.

Not that Ash blamed her. She still hated herself for it, and had gone over the accident a hundred times trying to think of how it could've been avoided. Of how maybe, it could've been her in the coma instead of Grace. Everyone cared about the sweet cheer captain, but the alcoholic whore? Please. Ash would've been forgotten immediately, and that would've been for the best.

She poured more alcohol into a cup, and finally made eye contact with Sawyer. Ash hesitated, then grabbed the cup and walked up to her, holding it out. And praying quietly that Sawyer wouldn't deck her in JJ's party because seriously. That was the last thing that Ash needed.

Her memories swarmed with what Sawyer had said about her on Twitter -- because yeah, of course she still remembered. And she was still filled with a bit of anger from it, but maybe this would help. Sometimes it felt like Ash was alone in her anguish, but looking at Sawyer's face made her know that she wasn't. Fuck, she wasn't even close to feeling what Sawyer did.

"Here. Sorry."

KingofAesir​

 

[Soap]

Evie

Evie let the skateboard roll on it's own and hopped onto the bed. And, no, she didn't enjoy hearing Adriane's thoughts about it being her last stay but she decided to stay quiet about the statement, she didn't feel like making things depressing this time around. The two ran into each other more than a few times over the years, and it was fun to mess with Adriane, but if she just suddenly just stopped coming back and not because she was suddenly okay. Evie wouldn't admit it, but it would suck. "Me? Psh. I'm doing fine. Same as always." There wasn't many people that put up with Evie, but Adriane had the ability to mess with her back, it was easy to like her.

"Whateverrrrr." The brunette fought a smile and it ended up being a mock glare that anyone could see through. While it might've been easy to be a total bitch to everyone else, Adriane was a little different. She wasn't a sensitive person and could take whatever was thrown at her. In a way, maybe Evie was a little jealous. She glanced around the room before her gaze settled on her. Yeah, it's a hospital. But she looked... well, not okay and she would've been lying if that didn't bother her.

"Where's ur kid?"

Winona

Caleb

It wasn't a secret that Caleb hated parties. But he didn't exactly hate the one girl he came here for, and he wasn't about to turn down the invitation from her. They haven't seen each other the whole summer and after the big mess at school he'd heard about, well, Caleb had gotten a little concerned. But afterall, it's Tatum. She's sweet and easy to talk to. So it could've just been a misunderstanding because she wouldn't purposefully mess with someone.

At least he doesn't think so.

He handed a small gift bag to the jock with a nod. He kind of felt bad for Luke. Poor guy. Hopefully the cheerleader would enjoy some weird assorted cookies. They were colorful, seemed like something she'd like. Not that he knew Juliette well, but girls liked nice colored desserts right? Whatever the case was, it didn't break the bank so, good present in his eyes.

Sadly, there wasn't any sign of a Tatum around here and Caleb didn't really feel like mingling. With a sigh, he wandered around. She didn't not come, right?

Elf_Ruler

​

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer
​

Sawyer watched with a careful, steady gaze as Ash approached her. That gaze was hard and cold and completely unwavering. Ash may have received pity or forgiveness from everyone else but there would be none of that from Sawyer. She refused to give Ash a soft place to fall. Not now. Not ever. Sawyer's eyes refuted that warm honey-eyed look that most people received from her to instead give Ash a gaze like steel piercing right through her. She had tried to forgive Ash. She had. But it just never seemed to work. Sawyer had swallowed a bitter, hateful, burning pill when the wreck happened and had forgotten to drink something to cool it and now it was burning up through her and targeted right at Ash. It might've seemed like she might breathe fire when she spoke. The taste of metal on her tongue alerted her that she'd bit into her tongue from clenching her teeth too hard, but she held her gaze as Ash approached.


Any sort of control Sawyer might have had over the fire building slowly in her abdomen was gone the second Ash got to her. Sawyer loomed over her, glaring down at the alcohol in Ash's hand like the other girl had just offered her poison. Sawyer's knuckles turned white from clenching her fists too hard and her jaw twitched at Ash's words. Her hunched form exuded an animosity that was like acid- burning, slicing, potent. She wavered dangerously on the edge of exploding. Sawyer was a ticking time bomb and Ash was no bomb defuser, more like the lighter. Sawyer's breathing was ragged and hard edged and her face was her in a hard scowl, but her eyes betrayed her. Behind that cold gaze and swirling anger was someone deeply hurt with no where go let that hurt go and all Ash had to say was sorry.


Sawyer said nothing, remaining scarily silent as she reached for the cup excruciatingly slowly. The second her hand closed over the solo cup it crushed beneath her grip and alcohol sloshed onto the floor. Sawyer sat the cup down in a table with a calmness that odd. Sawyer Andrews was never one to remain silent but the flare in her nostrils and fire in her eyes spoke for her. She said nothing to Ash, just stepped dangerously close to her. Sawyer was near a foot taller than Ash and she towered over Ash like a bear hovering over its prey, but her shoulders were all feline, waiting patiently in the grass to strike.


"Sorry?" Sawyer finally spoke, her voice all sharp edges,"I'm sorry I don't think I understood you. Did you just try to apologize to me?"

Winona