Westbrook Season 2

[Winona]

Mason

Fuck, Mason wanted to be alone.

He glanced over at Jay when he offered him the sweets, but shook his head. Mason hated sugar. Sweet things. In the past, Mason had always saved his sweet treats and would give them to Drake. His little brother was a sugar magnet, and it was nice to be able to see him happy. But personally? Mason wouldn't care if he never tasted sugar again.

"No thanks."

Mason was a man of few words. He had never been super talkative, and right now, his thoughts were caught up with thoughts of Raven. He desperately wanted to ask her to Homecoming -- maybe to prove that he did still care about her. That even if he'd fucked up a lot, Mason still wanted Raven. It wasn't like all those girls over the summer had meant anything. It had just been... he was drunk. High. Out of it. And then they were there, kissing him, and Mason couldn't stop himself.

He was barely even here, in this conversation with Jay, when he saw Norah storming out of the gym in a flurry of movement. Well fuck. Mason's steps came to a halt, and he hesitated, watching her for a moment.

"Gotta go. Catch you later, Jay." He spoke, this time in English.

And then he was heading down the hallway after Norah before he could have time to think. At least this was... distracting him, at least for the moment, from thoughts of Raven. Of the summer. Of his regrets.

Norah was a good distraction.

He had to jog to catch up with her -- for a girl that wore a lot of heels, she could move -- but finally, Mason managed to catch up with her. "You okay, princess?" He asked, slowing back down to a walk beside her. He didn't make any move to touch her, or to stop her. Mason just... walked with her. Keeping pace with the smaller girl.

"Wait, that's fucking stupid. You're not okay. What's wrong?"

dendygar BELIAL.

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

Zander

The sound of JJ's heels could be heard coming down the hallway. Any sane person would've hidden -- dove into the closet, underneath the table, ran away for their life. JJ was like the Wicked Witch of the West. Medusa in name brand clothing. Her very gaze made children cry and turned people to stone. JJ was synonymous with bitch.

And then she was in the room, advancing on him like a tiger that spotted its prey. The important thing was to not show any fear, and that's exactly what Zander didn't do as he continued to work on his sketch, trying to fix the giant dark mark that had been caused just by JJ texting him. He listened as she spoke, but made no move to acknowledge her.

Her bitchy "I'm waiting" comment just made Zander take longer to answer her.

God, Toby needed to hurry up.

"Have you ever heard of the Bro Code? Because I adhere to that code strongly. And one of the rules is never telling your brother's girlfriend what his plan for Homecoming is." Zander finally looked up from the sketch to smile at JJ, which soon turned into a little pity frown. "Imagine being so insecure about your boyfriend asking you to Homecoming that you hunt down his little brother to bully him into the answer." He made a tsk sound, looking back down at his sketch.

He just needed to distract her long enough for Toby to be ready.

Zander was going to die.

Soap​

 

[dendygar]

Tadita

It was almost if she and Norah were in sync. Just as Tadita was moving forward, Norah was moving away at a near breakneck speed. Were those tears? Fuck. I fucked up. I really fucked up bad doing this shit. The situation was already sticky and she'd just walked in on some familial drama. Fucking fantastic, way to go Redmoon! Lunaroja. What do you even go by? Inwardly she beat herself to shreds, and then he said to his friends that he would be right back. Tadita didn't know if she should laugh, cry, fucking run around in circles like a rat that ate arsenic. Don't think about rats. Focus, Tadita. Why the fuck am I thinking so much? Tadita saw him pause in front of some lockers, and she held her box and leaned against the opposing side. Her kept her eyes low, focusing on his chest.

Before the dark-haired girl could think of anything to say, he'd bitten the bullet for the two of them, and she could see him regretting it. Parts of his speech sounded like gibberish. English sounded like that to her some days, WebMD saying that it could have had something to do with the language interpretation centers in her brain. It also said that bilingual people with Alzheimers could forget fragments of a language. I don't have Alzheimers. However had done this to her obviously wanted to kill her but couldn't go through with it. "Oh, you did?" Tadita asked, her eyes widening and her eyes met his and held his gaze. Confusion. Someone cared? A sliver of hope was restored in her heart for a second. She could have cried. Extreme mood swings, a common symptom of PCS. "I.. I couldn't go. Parker tried forcing me but I threatened to jump out of the car if he did. It's not as bad as it looks.." But God, right then she could have asked him to push his thumbs through her eyes to release the pressure on her skull. "Trust me, the other guys look worse."

Tadita rubbed the back of her neck, shifting the box under one arm. Her eyes fell again. "Not to be stupid or gay or whatever shit," Spoken like a real dude, Tadita. One of the bros, fuckass! "But that kinda meant a lot that you did that. Even if you didn't, the fact you said it was.. enough." Special? Enough to make you cry? Give you the inkling that this dude wants to go to homecoming with you or breathe the same god damn air? Puta. "Uhm." Tadita held the box again and pushed off the lockers and moved closer, now standing in the middle of the dimly lit hall, the muffled voices and music of students coming from various rooms. But right then, it was like they were trapped in some sort of wormhole. The world was muffled and far away around them. Just the smell of the waxed floors, muffled tales of existence around them, but in that bubble..

Pop.

The black box opened. The underside of the box had in glittering blue letters, "I would cheer real loud if.." And then in red party tinsel and string was a classic good ol' pigskin, decorated with, "I scored a date to homecoming with you." Her heart slowed in her chest, and she almost burst into tears from anxiety. He's going to say no. You're so fucking stupid for doing this. "Will you be my homecoming date?" Her words were so soft, he would have to lean in to hear them.

TheFool {MENTIONED: PenguinFox }​

 

[PenguinFox]

Toby took a step back and admired his work, well his and Zander's work. He really couldn't have pulled this off without his little brother. It looked really good to him, he just hoped JJ would like it too. He turned the lights off and slipped out of the classroom, only letting enough space for his figure so that no nearby onlookers could see his plan. He felt promposals were dumb and pointless, but JJ was special. She deserved more than just a 'hey let's go to homecoming together', she especially deserved better than to be asked over twitter. Toby had been thinking about this for weeks and while he wasn't the most creative, it wasn't a bad idea. Zander appreciated it, or at least that's what he told his older brother.

Taking a look around Toby noticed a semi familiar face, once again staring at something basketball related. A small smirk tugged at the corners of his lips as he studied the other boy for a moment. It seemed like he wanted to play but something kept holding him back. Either that or Toby had gotten through to him, but he didn't think he was that persuasive. Toby double checked the door to the classroom and made his way over to the guy.

"Hey, Sebastian right?" Toby had a friendly grin plastered on his face. He casually looked at the flyer as if noticing it for the first time, when in reality he helped put those up. "Thinking about trying out or something?" he shrugged, keeping a cool composure. "That's pretty cool." Nailed it. He didn't want to pressure the dude and scare him away but if he was as good as that first shot he made then he really ought to pursue joining the team. At least that's what made sense in Toby's head. If you were good at something you did it. That's why he did everything. 0k_mang0 Mentions: Winona

Ian waited patiently for Ash outside the school. She had been in the hospital visiting Grace after hearing what had gone down. Obviously she had told him, they tell each other everything. Mostly. There were some things that Ian had yet to tell his best friend but they weren't that important. Ian had considered going with Ash but he didn't know Grace as well as she did. That and seeing someone lying there, facing mortality...that just wasn't on his to do list. He would eventually come around and visit Grace but not yet. He felt guilty about it but he just...wasn't strong enough yet.

The grin on Ian's face was unmistakable as Ash wrapped him in a tight hug when she finally arrived. "Thanks Ash." She'd already done quite a bit for him today in announcing his birthday on twitter. People typically never even remembered his birthday, besides Sierra that is, it just wasn't that big of a deal usually. Not even in a depressing way, just that Ian's birthday was not a major deal ever. But Ash was making it a big deal and...it was nice. "It's not the location that matters, it's the company." he said giving her a playful shoulder nudge. He felt Ash's hand in his and worried she would notice the marks on his palms that were still there from his previous drumming incident. "You really didn't have to get me anything you know...but thank you." Ian wasn't great at receiving gifts, never feeling like he deserved them, but Ash was different. Plus she had thought of him and he would hate to hurt her by making her think he was unappreciative.

As they were talking a third individual joined them. Theo, the girl Ian had given drum lessons to. She wished Ian a happy birthday again and he gave her a grateful smile. She was a sweetheart and was possibly single-handedly keep Black Mill's name out of the mud. Granted Ian hadn't really met any of them or talked with many of them, but he had seen the twitter wars. Most of Westbrook had a high disdain for the newcomers. Maybe there was good reason for it and some deserved the hate, but Theo did not. Theo had been nothing but kind and Ian felt bad that she was lumped in with the others.

"Thanks again. Feel free to join us." Ian leaned down and picked up his bag, about to turn and head inside when Theo said she had something for him. "You really didn't-" before he could finish his sentence the girl was pulling out a bag of sticks. Ian's jaw practically dropped. "Wow, this is incredible...I don't know what to say..." he was at a loss for words. They barely knew each other but here she was giving him a gift as meaningful as this. The rest of the Black Mill kids had a lot to live up to. Ian was truly not expecting this level of generosity. He would've given lessons for free and completely forgotten about it if it was an option. Trying to get back into his passion was payment enough from her, now he almost felt like he owed her. "...if you ever want to practice more, or even just play feel free to shoot me a message. It's the least I can do." he gave her another grateful smile before placing the precious gift into his bag. He retook Ash's hand and looked between the two girls. "C'mon, let's go before we get locked out." With that he turned and led the way into the school, albeit slowly because of his limp. Winona TheFool

 

[Winona]

Ash

The Black Mill girl came up, and Ash would've been lying if she said she didn't feel at least a little jealous when his attention turned to the other girl. It wasn't for anything really, just that Ash got very little alone time with her best friend, and more people tended to make her feel... breathless. The girl -- Theo, right? -- passed him a gift, and Ian's hand let go of hers to accept it. She didn't know what to do with her hands. Her fingers tried to find the bracelet on her wrist, only to remember that that bracelet with exactly twenty-three beads was still missing. Instead, her fingers started rubbing at the skin around her wrist.

She peered over Ian's shoulder, rising onto her tippy toes to be able to see into the bag, and her heart dropped, a frown forming on her face for a moment before she pushed a smile back. Now her own gift felt stupid, and just weighed heavily in her backpack. There was no way that she could match something like that.

Ash stepped back as he kept looking at the drumsticks, talking with Theo, her teeth biting into her bottom lip until Ian's hand reached back for hers, and she relaxed. At least a little bit, her fingers lacing with his, her thumb brushing against the palm of his hand. And yeah, she noticed the sores on his palm, but Ash didn't say anything. Not in front of this Black Mill girl.

They headed into the school, and headed for the gym. Ash didn't have much to say -- she didn't know what to say, so instead she just brushed her fingers against Ian's hand, letting Theo and Ian do the talking until they got to the gym, where things already seemed to be interesting. Tatum had needed help with the video games, and Ash didn't know what was going on between Theo and Ian, but she quite simply was not interested in standing here listening to them talk.

"I'm going to go help Tatum. I'll catch up with you later." Ash started to lean up to give Ian a good bye kiss on the cheek, in a totally platonic way, but then caught herself. If he did like this girl or whatever was going on, then Ash did not want to be the reason she lost interest. So instead, she just gave him a smile, and squeezed his hand one last time.

Granted, maybe there was nothing going on. Ian had said that he liked Alaska. And if she had to choose between her ex's sister or a Black Mill kid, Ash would choose Theo every time.

Sorry, Alaska.

"Nice to see you again, Theo. I'll catch up with you later."

And then she let go of Ian's hand, and headed over to the video game setup where Tatum and Brayden were figuring out the video games. Or... well, where Brayden had figured out that Tatum had forgotten to plug the TV in. She smiled, pulling her backpack off and tossing it near the wall before she approached the two of them.

"Hey, Tatum. Ready to win this thing? Show these losers who's boss?" Ash glanced over at Brayden with a smirk, before her attention turned back to Tatum. Even if things felt stressed sometimes between the two of them, Ash was looking forward to a night of no worries. No yelling, or arguing, or stress. Just... fun.

PenguinFox TheFool Elf_Ruler​

 

[0k_mang0]

colby

Raven Soap​

Colby smiled again and it wasn’t forced this time. He was glad, and maybe relieved, that Raven didn’t have an awkward reaction. He understood what she was doing, so he played along. “It could mean a lot of ways. Hard to pick which one,” he responded in a subtle coy tone.

“I work there occasionally, so yeah, you would be working with me. The storage room does have some tight spaces, by the way. And sometimes behind the bar counter.” Colby walked around Raven, close enough for their arms to nearly brush against each other by a hair width, and stood in front of the vending machine. He took out a smooth five-dollar bill from his pocket, and when the snack machine accepted it, he waved his hand to direct Raven to get whatever. He was sure her dollar was either fake or just janky enough to be rejected.

“Although, I don’t think if your buns-of-steel boyfriend would appreciate me getting a bit too close.” Colby was referring to Mason, who had literally broken Noah’s leg with his, well, buns. News traveled around fast in this town. He knew Raven and Mason seemed pretty close, though they sort of had a weird way of showing it. It wasn't obvious, but there was this complicated tension between them that Colby didn't know about.

 

[geminiy]

Jacqueline Dupont

Students were slowly making their way into the gymnasium, little clusters of students forming around the room. Jackie watched them for a moment, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. The vague feeling of loneliness came with the turf of being the new kid and although she had been through it many times, the feeling still was unpleasant. And, no matter how many times Jackie told herself that she wasn't going to get involved with people, Westbrook seemed to have a way of pulling her in to the drama.

While she waited for someone she knew to show up, Jackie found herself a comfortable spot in a corner and pulled out her calculus homework. Sure, she was there for fun but until the fun arrived, Jackie needed to focus on her studies. Jackie had recently found a scholarship to an amazing STEM based program on the West Coast and it didn't take Jackie long to fall in love with the program. It was perfect for her in every way: she could be away from her mother, though being away from Bella would be hard, she could study in STEM like she had always dreamed, and they had a wrestling team. She could never afford to go to the school without the highly competitive scholarship so Jackie had begun dedicating all her spare time to studying.

Multiple calculus questions later, and some playful Twitter activity, Jackie looked up and spotted Tatum, Ash, and Brayden at the video game setup. Jackie packed up her calculus things, sort of glad to be done with the complicated subject for the moment, and made her way over. She had just come within earshot when she heard Ash ask Tatum if she was ready to win their gaming competition and calling her team losers. Jackie chuckled to herself, pulling her dark hair over her shoulder.

"Don't be so certain of your victory, chérie." Jackie called out, walking over to the three. "I promise you that we, the truly victorious team, are not going to make your lives easy." Jackie teased with a wink thrown in Ash's direction. It occurred to her then that she hadn't actually met Tatum or Ash in person, save for her first day on the field when Jackie broke up the fight between Ash and Stu. Jackie hoped that they didn't remember that was her, seeing as that was their only interaction ever outside of Twitter. Still, Jackie didn't turn away from the playful taunts and teases, being an absolute sucker for friendly competition.

| ash Winona | brayden & tatum Elf_Ruler |
​

 

[TheFool]

Theo

The gym was so lively. Even though it most definitely was not full. Still, her nerves for the coming lock in had been more than soothed. Ian’s reaction to his present had low key made her day. Well - high key. It’d been a boring day. On their walk here, they’d talked bit by bit. About drumming mostly. Because it was the only thing Theo could think to talk about. She, fairly, didn’t know much about Ian other than his passion for making sweet music. She also didn’t know much about Ash, other than the fact that she was supposed to introduce Theo to like… her brother, or something? Whoever he was. She was sure he was nice anyway.
Ash seemed nice.
So hopefully that niceness ran in the family.

As they stopped. Standing in the gym. By the doors. Theo spotted her tribe. Her people. The Black Mills. She waved at Riona, who was the first to see her. And then flashed a smile to Gus and Fitz. Gus was looking a lot more handsome than usual. She wondered if he or his Frankenstein’s monster of a best friend “scored” yet.
Boys will be boys,
She thought.
Though she couldn’t help but smile at that thought.

Ash left.
Which surprised her. The pretty blonde said she was going to go and help Tatum. Tatum. Theo felt a wave of relief knowing that she knew someone else who was already here. “Same, gal. Chat later!” She said, chirpy. The kiss on the cheek had… made Theo feel a bit awkward. She wondered if the two of them were dating or something? If they were a thing?
Who knew.
A part of Theo hoped they weren’t. A part Theo didn’t listen to very often.
And a kiss on the cheek could be platonic. Couldn’t it? She kissed Malachi on the cheek more times than she could count. She kissed Mal on the lips just as much. Though that was how it was done in France. And Theo was a very touchy-feely person when she was drunk.

And her and Mal were always together when drunk.

That was just how it’d be.

“Ash is really great.” Theo said, breaking the ice once the girl had left her and Ian to themselves. Theo stepped closer towards the wall by the door and placed her bag down there. Claiming the spot for now. “So how’re you feeling?”
She asked him.
“You think tonight’s going to be a total bust or?” She giggled, sweetly. She looked around the gym. At the people in it. Trying to see who else she knew. She could see Tatum, over by a television. She bent down and opened her bag -
Checking to see if she did indeed bring the essential bottle of pinot grigio. The other Black Mill kids had told her to be prepared. Drinking would likely be the only way to get them all through this night. Except for Norah. Theo didn’t think she drank.
Speaking of which -
Where was she?

Theo continued checking her bag. And smiled when she saw the wine, carefully tucked away within the sleeping bag. She gave it a joking pat and then stood up straight, turning her attention back to Ian. “Again, I really hope the present wasn’t too much? Like I know we’ve only known each other barely a week.”
She was being sincere.
She didn’t want to come across like some creep who was trying to buy people's affections.

She smiled.
Deviously.

“Do you… drink?” She asked Ian. “Wine specifically. That’s all I got, but I think my fellow rich kids might have something else if you’re, like, into beer or anything.”



PenguinFox
Winona




River

Oh no.

Oh fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

There were… literally no other words.. Nothing came to his mind, though nothing usually DID come to River Walsh’s mind. He cracked a smile at first. At the box thing she had in her hands. When it opened, he thought it was cute. It was poorly made but it was cute. And then, of course, he read the actual words on it. Homecoming.
He felt his throat dry like a… like a… He didn’t know. Like a fucking desert or something? He couldn’t think. He couldn’t speak. He just stared at her open box. And not even the good kind of open box. Fuck. He tried to swallow. Fuuuck.


“Tadita…”


That was all he could bare to speak. The only word that came out right. “I - Uh - I’m - I really…” Fuck. He could see her expression becoming more and more disheartening. More and more let down by his words. Or his lack thereof. He felt like a little boy again. With no authority and no way out. That little boy that woke up one day and didn’t want to go to training.
Because his mother had just died.
And he didn’t want to get out of his bed and face a world without her. But, he ended up doing it. He ended up going to that practice session. And that was what had to happen here. He had to bite the bullet.
There was no NOT facing this.
None whatsoever.

He took a breath.
Inhaling.
And softly exhaling.

Thinking of what to say. How to approach it. Approaching it like it was a game of football. He had to be harsh. He had to be ruthless. If he wasn’t, Tadita would’ve recovered from her upset and still try to… connect with him. Get to know him.
She would continue liking him, unless he was brash.
He had to go in for a tackle.
And take the ball for himself.
For Z.
For Gus.
Because he didn’t want to fucking let them down again.

“Tadita, I’m gonna be… real honest.” He started. “I’m seeing someone. I have been seeing someone. It’s complicated but that’s what it is. I honestly…”
He stopped.
He frowned.
“I don’t know who the fuck you even are? You’re just some fuckin chick I stuck my fingers in and that’s that. You send me fuckin mad vibes on twitter AND fight with my sis. You’ve got your fuckin boyfriend or whatever givin me shit as well when I wanna try be a decent human fuckin being for once.” He stared down at her.
Continuing,
“Been here a week or something and you come here with your - whatever - fuckin violent drama and your black an’ blue fuckin face and give me this stupid thing.” He looked at the box. It wasn’t stupid. It was cute. But he couldn’t be like that. This was a game. Just another football game. “I appreciate you think am gonna sit ya on my fuckin dick and ride off into the sunset but this ain’t that. I’m with someone.” He brought Zia back to the conversation. As so to remind himself of her. “Someone who’s perf. Who’s hot as fuck. Who… I… I care for. Get that into your head now.”
He stopped leaning towards the wall and started for the doors leading back into the gym. But before he did, he looked back at her.
For a moment.
“Ah don’t need any of your fuckin weird ass bullshit. So… think it’s better if we just be people who go to the same school. Because I doubt you’ll ever be anything more than that to me.”

He pushed through the doors.

Walking back over to Gus and the group. His head airy. His chest was tighter than it had ever felt. A part of him couldn’t believe what he said had just been said. But it was what it was. It always was. He thought of Tadita. He thought of Zia. He approached Gus.

He thought of his mom.

“Let’s get fuckin destroyed.” He said, grinning widely. Smacking Gus’ backpack.



dendygar
Hypnos



​

 

[dendygar]

Tadita

The soft exhale that came as he said the first syllable of her name. That was when the first bit of ground gave. But she couldn't move, she had planted her feet there firmly, and her words had taken their root. Here came the farmer with his scythe, in one foul swoop- one syllable- it was over. He looked so hurt, so fucking confused, so torn. The sweat on her palms almost made the box slip out of her hands. Tadita's dark, doe-like eyes gazed into his. A fawn who had followed the sound of a deer call, met with the barrel of a gun. And then there was silence, and for the first time in a week, her head wasn't throbbing.

The world was so quiet that she could hear nothing but the air entering River's nose, and then out through his mouth. The way his lashes brushed his cheeks as he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were as hard as flint. That fucking mask went on, and Tadita knew it was over. Here comes damage control. Tadita knew this trick very, very well- she used it all the time at East Park before Sha'nay waltzed into her life and changed her perception on love entirely. Even though could see him put the mask on, it didn't make his words any less severe- and it made it even worse because it was aimed to destroy her, knock her at the knees so that she couldn't get back up again.

She wished someone was there to witness it. To witness someone making her feel so small, so utterly useless and disgusting and play it back to her later. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. The box fell at her feet as he started to pick up his voice, her lungs starting to hurt from how long she had been holding her breath. Her fingers began to twitch and her hands clench into fists. A dog that had been kicked too many times, ready to finally bear it's teeth and snarl but alas still had it's tail between it's legs. The primal sensation of being packed into a corner- River was feeling it too. But she didn't know that.

Tadita kept her head lower as River walked away, the box still at her feet. Tadita blindly ran to the nearest girl's bathroom, her hand covering her mouth as she burst into a stall and threw up from a mixture of nerves and physical agony. She sat there on the stall floor and sobbed into the sleeve of her baggy sweatshirt that read ALO, ARIZONA. She screamed into it, blood staining from her lip wound opening too wide. In rage to stop herself from vomiting again, she kicked hard at the wall and pounded her free fist above her head into the plastic stall wall. Tadita didn't know how long she sat in there and just cried. Tadita thought she was on the verge of blacking out when it was through. Struggling to stand up, she stumbled to the sink and wetted some paper towel, holding it over her lip until it stopped bleeding and running down her chin.

When she arrived back in the gym, her nose was red and her skin blotchy, her eyes bloodshot. Tadita gave Tatum a thumbs up as she came closer, her hands no longer holding the box. Jay had just walked in too, and Tadita felt like she was gonna vomit all over. Tadita, Jay, Ryan and Alex had been practicing instruments together. She didn't want Jay to see her like this and start asking even more questions. Because Jay would find out it was River who had hurt her feelings, and Jay would try to be 'man-to-man' with River who could bodyslam him and snap his spine in half. "God. Fuck." Tadita hissed to Tatum, very clearly turning away from Jay.

TheFool Elf_Ruler​

 

[ailurophile]

ZIA​

Mercifully, the bathroom appeared to be empty when Zia entered, but that didn’t stop her double checking: only after she’d nudged open every stall door and paced along the row of sinks did she finally set her bag down and open it up.

She just needed a moment to herself, just one. A minute without her brothers or Norah or Riona or River.

After rummaging around, her manicured fingers closed around cold glass and she slid the bottle from amongst the tangled fabric of tomorrow’s outfit. Dom Pérignon, not the most expensive, but still too costly to waste by chugging it directly from the bottle.

Which was what Zia did.

Before the champagne had even calmed from having its cork ripped out, she raised it to her lips and drank deeply, ignoring the way she’d probably lost half of the bottle just from the little streams that trickle from the corners of her mouth and down her neck, disappearing beneath her shirt. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, then tighter, pushing herself to finish, and then slammed the empty bottle down on top of her bag.

Took a deep breath.
Locked eyes with her reflection’s in the mirror.
Smiled.

It’d been a strange week, but by all accounts, a good one. She was back in school, she was settling in, she’d been to cheer practise, she’d reunited with River, she was happy.

Except she wasn’t. Although she’d been doing everything she could to pretend that she was.

First, she’d thrown out all of her old clothes and acquired an entirely new wardrobe. Then came the manicure, the highlights in her hair, a new ear piercing.

When that still hadn’t been enough, she’d tried again. Spent every available moment with River doing all of the things she’d always been to good or too shy for before. Doing all of the things that girlfriends were supposed to do, even if she wasn’t sure either of them really wanted to. But it made her feel better for a time, basking in the afterglow, that perfect moment before reality hits again.

If Zia kept telling herself that everything was wonderful, it would be, because it had to be. There was no reason for it to feel like it wasn’t except for her own paranoia. She had the perfect family, the perfect boyfriend, the perfect house, the perfect everything.

And that was something she had to maintain.

Zia cast the bottle carelessly into a little bin beneath the counter and pulled her bag back over her shoulder before setting off to find the group. A lock-in sounded fun in theory, but in practise? It was definitely the kind of thing that’s success depended on keeping the right company. She caught River just as he reached Gus.

She wondered where he’d been.
She didn’t ask.

It didn’t matter.

“Destroyed? On school property?” Zia used her very best big-sister voice, even though she’d never really had any authority. “Well I hope someone brought some mixers because I only have gin, and I’ve never done a shot.”

Her hand found River’s and she smiled.
Willing him to smile back.

TheFool Hypnos

 

[TYPE]

A L E X - S H A R P
@sharpattack

INTERACTION - geminiy || Ryan

He heard the guy before he saw him. Quickly looking around, he saw no teachers yet, as he Alex hobbled over to the music room door, and peaked in. He could not help the smallest of grins grow along his lips. The way Ryan had positioned himself... no more scares? Just... being here. It felt better. Already. Of course he was right to come.

Forget everything. Just... cast it aside. Have fun, yeah? Promise yourself that. God knows you deserve it...

Stepping into the room, Alex softly closed the door behind him, before leaning against it, just listening to the other pluck about. The smile turned sad, just for a moment as he saw how passionate Ryan was. It was a waste. Such a waste... of potential. No... He would not want pity. Of course he did not. Alex did not either. In a way, they were awfully similar.

Two peregrines unfeathered by life.

Smiling at Ryan when the music stopped and he looked up, he pointed the door, before placing his finger over his mouth exaggeratedly. "The room is somewhat sound proof... but keeping the door open tends to negate that." He started to hobble over. He needed to sit. Just for a bit. His thighs were burning and he could feel them wanting to cramp. Lightly patting Ryan with the side of his cane, to scoot over, he sat down next to him on the piano bench, placing the cane back across the black lacquered surface, his eyes running over the music. "Don't want any teachers coming along here? Stopping our fun eh? They might make us socialize."

He had turned his head to the side, just a bit, keeping his eyes on the music. In the reflective mirror finish of the piano he watched Ryan, though, and he felt that general unease again when he saw how the other turned his head towards Alex's mouth, and his eyes kept to his lips.

Even at this distance?

Turning back to him, Alex picked up the sheet music for the Jazz piece. "May I?" Not really waiting for the other, he closed his eyes. He had been practicing and refining his initial mental transcription since he had first heard it. Looking at the music had him fixing only a few things, but for the most part it was almost exactly as he imagined it. Playing again, this time just by ear, letting his fingers move across the notes in a perfect representation of what was written now, he quickly stopped and sighed. "It's just not the same. It feels... clinical. There is no improv... no... spirit? You play it so much better. I sound like a midi engine." He offered a small smile at the other with the compliment.

Tonight would be good. He was doing good. The wetness around his sleeves from having to wash a fucking car. The lightness of his wallet. The fact that he came here without a bloody sleeping bag... it did not matter. These moments mattered. Jay was... good. A nice guy. Alex liked him. A good friend to have. Ryan... was more like him. The kind of person Alex could have spent his entire three years with and never wanted more from him. Just... company. That soft and gentle nature set Alex at ease. His speaking was always soft and... there was a delicateness about him... perhaps because of the... hearing thing - which he still did not understand... but... Alex liked it. Everything about Ryan was soft. Nothing in Alex's life was. The quick dependency made complete sense. At least in his mind.

Looking the duet piece over, he smirked at the other. "You get that ready, yeah?" As he slowly got up, and limped over to one of the music notation cases. "You ever wonder by She only books the level one students in the afternoon?" Obviously referring to the head music teacher. "She get's the people who can really play in early, and then in the afternoons she gets in the ones that can't." A smirk grew on his face, walking backwards slowly so the other could read his lips. "She is a perfectionist." He pointed to the insane level of organisation in the room. "She is conservative." He pointed to a few placards showing religious quotes. "She considers herself a proper lady." Referring to her way of speaking and her dress. "She is also cautious. She does not take risk... or at least. When she does... it is calculated." He points to how everything is placed in a neat place where it can't be hurt easily. In some spaces the things are packed too high, but only because she clearly has come to trust the shelving. "So how can a lady such as her, who can't stand to hear a false note in the morning, be so at ease in the afternoons when she has to listen to the clanking of the first years?" He turned around, against one of the shelves there is a locked cabinet, and knelt in front of it, taking out a hair pin from his wallet. Shit lock. Cheap. Many exploits. It barely took a second, before the door swung open, and he spotted his prize. "Why need a cabenit for 'old sheet music' when the shelves above it have not been filled? Because she is not hiding sheet music down here. Of course." He stood up, taking a bottle of sherry out, and a small glass. "Tada." He smiled, before walking over with it to the piano. "You drink? It's not that much. Just enough to warm you up really. The English drink it during festive seasons. She does not want to drink before 12 because that is improper and because this is technically considered a dessert wine, she probably does not even feel guilty about it." He poured himself a 'shot' before downing it. "You want some? You don't have to. Of course. I won't pressure you." He smiled sitting back. Placing the drink down and the small glass next to where his cane rested, he looked the music over.

God the teachers of this school. He shook his head.

"So, what we playing?"

Still looking forward he took a breath, warmed by the sherry in his chest. Not speaking, just mouthing the words. Not making a sound. "How long has it been like this." Still getting ready to play, waiting to see how the other would respond.​

 

[Hypnos]

Gus Windrift
​

River Walsh might have been one of Gus’ best friends back at Black Mill, but Vodka and Beer were certainly not far behind on that ranking. He was excited. Excited to get the night going and excited to settle down for a good sesh with the lads. Honestly, he couldn’t even remember how long it had been since the Black Mill Boys had actually gotten together to down a few shots, and even though he was thus far enjoying his stay at Westbrook, he couldn’t help but yearn for the time when everyone knew his name, and anyone was willing to bro-down with a red paper cup in hand. All in due time. He had only been here for like, a week, who knew what the future would bring. Slowly cracking away at their shells.

If only the shells weren’t so damn thick.

‘If you're feelin' down, guess I’m gonna have to prescribe something real strong. If you behave yourself, I’ll even get you a lollypop for being such a good boy.’ Gus’ smile didn’t falter, and he followed the Walsh party into the main section of the gym, eyes alight, looking around for people that he recognised, and offering little waves to anyone that would take notice. Some of them still didn’t think very highly of him. Some of them thought that anyone that came out of Black Mill must be scum. But at this point, the invasion of the rich kids was becoming old news, and people were just starting to move on with their lives.

Good.

The group found a small patch of the gym was was unoccupied, and started to lay claim to their territory, Gus sitting crossed legged on the floor with his bag resting gently upon his lap. ‘I brought a bit of everything. Gotta be prepared.’ He smirked, shaking his bag furiously, an action which was ill advised considering the mixers that had been mentioned mere seconds before, thought Gus wasn’t big on thinking about repercussions.

‘Sneaking off to get pissed? What if we get in trouble?’ He was being sarcastic, as was made obvious both by his tone, and the huge shit-eating grin on his face. ‘Wouldn’t have fucking brought this shit if I didn’t intend to use it. I'm totally down.'

His laugh was cut short, by a new arrival, a girl he vaguely recognised from online, though he had never met before in person.

From what he'd seen, he had hoped he never would.

A tornado of dysfunction and barely concealled craving for attention.

Norah and River hissed something at each other too quietly for Gus to hear, but whatever it was, it seemed to make Walshette incredibly upset, and she quickly stormed-off.

He felt a little guilty.

Gus might have run after her, but instead he stayed put. Honestly they weren’t that type of friends. Walshette was a fun-hang, and he had known her so long that she was practically family, but he would happily leave the mushy emotional stuff to someone else. It wasn’t his field. It wasn’t his place.

He wasn't brave enough.

Besides, with her gone, and his sister in the bathroom, someone needed to keep Walshy in his place around all the pretty girls. Especially considering he’d already given beef-girl over here a couple of fingers.

River dating his sister was like owning a poorly trained dog: it’s all good fun, but if you turn your back for too long, he’ll shit all over the carpet.

‘Behave yourself.’ He called out, as River and the girl decided to take things to a more private location. Too polite to follow them, though also too nosey not to wonder what it was they were talking about. Pushing his worry to the back of his mind.

Another thing that wasn’t his place to get involved with.

‘That girl’s looking pretty fucked up.’ He whispered over to his brother. ‘Apparently, she’s like, a massive loon too.’ Even if they were talking about something serious, he tried to keep his tone light. ‘I guess not sticking your dick in crazy applies to fingers as well.’

With River talking to whats-her-face, Gus’ eyes had time to wander around the gym. He wouldn’t mind expanding their little circle a bit, though honestly he wouldn’t know who to ask. That Ash chick from the first day had been really sweet, but from what he’d read on twitter, she was gonna be busy with this dumb gaming competition. Not his scene.

It wasn’t like he knew many others. Theo, he offered a smile, Mal, wasn’t around as far as he could tell, and he hadn’t seen Dannyboy since the first day.

Sigh.

Mercifully, it wasn’t long before River returned.

Returned without the girl.

A fact it was pretty clear that she wasn’t happy about.

Even if he couldn’t hear her frantic running to the bathroom, he could see the anguish on her face.

Was he a bad person for not feeling sorry for her?

Better her heart broken than Zia.

‘What the fuck was that? Looks like you just shat on her mom’s grave or something.’

Gus stood, pulling his bag back onto his back, the Vodka already heavy. ‘I guess we should get going before she has a fucking breakdown or somein.’

TheFool ailurophile Braddington

 

[Winona]

Ava


She had come here for one thing and one thing only.

Video games.

Well, that and her parents had basically forced her to come here, insisting that she would regret not participating in her senior year lock-in at one point or another. It was ridiculous. Why couldn't Principal Summers have become principal like... next year? When Ava wasn't there? She missed the days of house parties and no adults, because at least then, her parents didn't make her go. A lack of socialization was exactly what Ava needed, not sitting in the gym that smelled like sweat and teenage hormones.

Disgusting.

Ava hated gym and avoided the room at any costs. Granted, it was mainly because she had barely managed to pass her required gym credit, so now the whole room just left a bitter taste in her mouth. Sorry, but in what world would being able to avoid balls and hit things with bats ever come in handy? Other than, as JJ had proven, breaking headlights.

Speaking of which, JJ was nowhere to be found, which meant that Ava was alone. In the gym. Surrounded by people that she hated. Her gaze had snagged on the kids setting up for the video game competition, but they were all popular. Ava recognized them from sitting with JJ at the stupid cool kid table. Cheerleader, cheerleader, hot brunette girl, dickhead.

Nope.

So instead, Ava found herself a quiet wall to hide by. She took off her backpack, tossing it carelessly to the ground, and then she leaned back against the wall, her Switch in hand as she slid down the wall, starting up Overwatch, because nothing calmed the nerves quite like putting people in their places and killing kids.​

 

[Dede]

Tom

​

‘Shhhhh!!!’ Tom hissed. Stu was standing right there, and Dante was rambling on how he was stupid but a good soul and whatnot. What if he heard her? Who was asking her to expound on her dating preferences anyway? At the end of the day, Tom couldn’t care less if she liked muscle or tall or intelligent or whatever. He just liked Stu just the way he was. Because Stu was Stu. A dork.

‘I don’t pur,’ Tom said, ‘I’m not a cat, am I?’

He shook his head, scuttled on and caught up with his friend.

‘I do have a cat, though.’

‘His cat’s called Mr. Whiskers,’ Stu added.

‘I do miss him.’

Tom tore the KitKat wrapper and began nibbling away at the wafer bar. Meanwhile, his eyes wandered to his side where they beheld peculiar sight.

‘Look!’ he said, pointing. ’That boy's wearing sunglasses, indoors!!’ Followed by his usual chuckle.

Stu looked where Tom pointed. ‘That’s a girl,‘ he said.

‘No, that’s a boy.‘

‘Shhh—’

Stu panicked. He pulled Tom by the sleeve to his side, away from the notice of the girl in the sunglasses. ‘Are you mad?’

‘Oi! Gentle! I only bought this shirt last week—‘’

‘What if she’s blind?’

‘I reckon you're blind, if you think that’s a girl!‘ Tom was giggling again, despite Stu trying his best to shush him in vain.

mogy Twin Fantasy

 

[BELIAL.]

Norah Walsh
location: WHS, leaving gym mention: Winona ​

Norah burst through the doors, clutching her phone with an iron grip. She seethed in breaths, trying to will her chest to quit its incessant thumping. She wanted to be in a corner, curled up in bed. Why had she agreed to this stupid thing? Her face was growing red, and she felt tears burn the back of her eyes. Rubbing beneath one delicately with her wrist she all but sprinted down a hallway.

It was lightly lit, but mostly dark. An errant light or two kept it from being completely dark, but Norah would have preferred the isolation anyway. If there was a salon capable enough, she'd pay whatever price to just lay in one of those salt, isolation baths and just float. Irrelevant and irreverant to the world around her. This was close enough anyway.

Her heels clicked on the linoleum as she half-jogged, feeling a sob rise in her throat. It bit, it clawed, she just wanted it out.

Footsteps. She heard footsteps. The sob caught in her mouth and she swallowed it back, her hackles rising. She was seven seconds from throwing her phone at this person. Two phones in two weeks was a Norah Walsh specialty, and she was more than prepared to make it three.

It was Mason.

"You okay, princess?"

She bit viciously down on her lip, trying to fight that overwhelming urge to cry. Not in front of Mason. God dammit he'd ruined it. She looked over at him as he slowed to a walk next to her, and she also resumed normal walking speed. The skin on her face was itchy. Shit, she had already been crying. He seemed to notice.

"Wait, that's fucking stupid. You're not okay. What's wrong?" He asked and she shook her head, still refusing to speak. She felt claustrophobic in these halls, in this school.

She stopped completely, skidding nearly to a halt. "Is there access to the roof? I don't care if it's a windy ladder or an elaborate escape to the top. As long as we don't get in trouble, though. I guess." She surprised herself being able to speak without outright losing her shit on him. Besides, it wasn't as if he really wanted to know what was wrong with her. They hadn't spoken all week, and she'd assumed they were just kind of ambivalent acquaintances.

"I need to get out of here. Just for a minute."

 

[Twin Fantasy]

May Gu

May grinned widely, folding her hands between her knees for a moment. She was soft. Shay seemed nice, all sorts of polite. May wouldn't mind having her as a friend. Then again, she wouldn't really mind having anyone as a friend. She'd be friends with everybody were it feasible, because everyone has positive qualities. People are afraid to recognize those qualities in others, sometimes. But Mason was, no doubt, as fiercely loyal as he was aggressive. Mr. Kanen cares to protect those he loves. Even the people nobody seemed to like.

That was, after all, how her friendship with Kandi had endured for so long. Kandi never made another friend, which May couldn't for the life of her understand, because Kandi was as loyal as she was loud. (Which is to say, very.)

Why would anyone be out to hurt May? She's just a regular teenage girl.

'I don't remember if we had one last year, but if we did, I didn't go.' She still went relatively slow. Unless Shay requested otherwise, she'd continue to do so. 'I've never done anything like this before, unless sleepovers count.'

// dendygar //​

 

[Soap]

Juliette

Juliette was losing her patience. She knew she shouldn't have come to Zander for the information, as much as she loved her boyfriend, there wasn't many people he was close with. Even though Ash had told her he was planning to ask. Could she really trust the girl? They were almost never on good terms, and they certainly didn't like the other. But she had to admit the girl gave good advice when she actually wanted to be tolerable. "So, he does have a plan?" Normally, his little insult would've ticked her off but Zander had already started giving her some information.

All she had to do was get the rest out.

'Bro code'

Psh.

None of that stuff was actually real.

"When is it happening? Is it today? Tomorrow? Oh god... next week?" What? JJ was tired of waiting. She didn't want to be that girl who didn't get a date until the very last second. Yes, her and Toby were dating so it's easy to assume they would be going together. But what girl doesn't get a hoco proposal? Well, Sawyer probably. Most guys would be afraid to attempt and since poor little sleeping beauty is off dreaming, she didn't exactly have many people vying for her attention.

"How about you tell me, and... I could do something for you. Whatever you want."

Winona​

 

[0k_mang0]

sebastian

Toby PenguinFox​

It took a lot of Sebastian’s willpower not to sigh out loud. Toby was starting to remind him of a stand salesperson trying to lure in a passing window-shopper that didn’t want to be bothered. He didn’t like that type of salesperson.

“I am not thinking about it,” Sebastian said indifferently, refusing to let whatever Jedi-mind trick thing the tall guy was using. “Seriously, man, what are you trying to do? It was just one lucky basket. I can get stuffed toys from other places, anyway.” Toby could’ve gone after the other girl that was there with her friend and try to convince her to join the girl’s team. Or, as everyone or most else would do, just forget him. Toby seemed like one of those socially popular guys that would mainly stick close to his circle, especially when he was dating a well-known cheerleader.

Sebastian didn’t want to explain how he was just an ordinary teenaged skateboarder to a stranger – well, semi-stranger. When he mentioned his aunt about a guy named Toby at the festival, his aunt told him how she knew Toby’s mom or his parents. Knew one of them since her rookie cop years, something, something – Sebastian didn’t pay much attention to her story. Because he had no intention of becoming friends with him over family-friend connections. He wasn't five years old anymore.

 

[Soap]

Raven

Good money, tight spaces and good company.

The job sounded like a dream.

Surprise was written all over her face when his dollar worked. Her jaw dropped for a split second before recovering with a smile. Of course it worked for him, the brunette was never very lucky. But Colby? Well, Mr. Sweetheart had lucky written all over him. Raven needed to borrow a bit of it sometime. It was hard to piece together who exactly Colby meant until Raven realized there’s only one guy she’s regularly around— even more so now that they live together again. “Mason’s not my boyfriend.” Did she want him to be? Possibly, possibly not. Whatever Mason wanted was something he needed to make clear himself.

Meanwhile, Raven wasn’t just going to sit around. If Mason was going to be himself around girls, Raven didn’t need permission to flirt with whoever she wanted. “Anyway, I’m willing to get all up close and personal.” She grinned, pressing a few buttons before the vending machine dispensed her candy. “For the sake of work, of course.” Opening the wrapper and putting a strawberry straw to her lips before offering one to Colby.

“Twizzler?”

0k_mang0​

 

[Winona]

Mason

The... roof?

He only thought for a brief second that she maybe meant jumping off, before Mason remembered her obsession with stars or whatever. Right. Apparently, Norah liked to look at stars and the sky when she was upset. Although he didn't entirely understand the appeal, he just nodded his head when she asked.

"Of course. C'mon."

Mason picked up the pace and started leading her through the hallways. The farther away they got from the gym, the less lights were on, until Mason had to pull his cellphone and turn on the flashlight to be able to see. It would be kind of fucking spooky, if Mason was a fucking baby that scared of dumb shit like that.

He finally came to the right door -- one that led into the storage closet, and onto the roof. Most people didn't even know where the roof access was, but Mason had learned firsthand following after Kanen and Adriane. When he'd first started dating her, and later started... well... smoking, Adriane and Mason would sneak onto the roof to smoke in peace. No one ever went up there, after all. It felt weird going through these motions, heading for a roof filled with memories of his ex.

Luckily, the door was unlocked. He held it open for Norah, and then let the door fall shut with a click after them. With only the flashlight shining, he walked over to the quite rickety, rusty old ladder. Mason started up it, unlocking and pushing the hatch open, before he crawled out onto the flat roof of the school.

At least the moon was bright enough that he could see better. He turned his flashlight off, slipping his phone back into his pocket, and then helped Norah up from the ladder.

Mason stepped back once she was up, sliding his hands into his pockets, and turning his attention up to the sky.

"Better?"

BELIAL.

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

Zander

He glanced towards his phone, picking it up and texting Toby back. Zander tried to act like there was nothing interesting happening on his phone, like he was just trying to ignore JJ, but now it was time. He just somehow had to convince her to follow him in a totally nonchalant way and find Toby. And then he would be free.

Zander hopped down from the stool, dropping his pencil onto the artwork and sliding his phone into his pocket. Time to get this vulture flying. "I'm going to go find Toby and tell him all about how desperate you are." He stuck his tongue out at JJ and then headed for the door, sure that she would follow after him.

"Toby!" He yelled as he exited the room, cupping his hands around his mouth. "JJ wants to know all about how you're going to ask her to Homecoming!" He didn't think Toby was within earshot, but...

His goal was to just get JJ to follow him until they found Toby.

He really was the best brother EVER.

Soap​

 

[Twin Fantasy]

Pixie West

If there was one thing both southerners and the English were known for, it was good manners. Bless your heart and good day sir and all. Unfortunately, neither of these stereotypes were accurate, as south-blooded Pixie West was about to throw hands with some kind of newborn infant. She perked up like a small animal, captured by audio stimulus. She did a jaunty hop-skip over to the two crumpets.

"I ain't blind. Or deaf, fer that matter." She flashed rows of jagged teeth, looking like an incredibly goofy shark. "Ain't a boy neither, contrary t' what the wide shoulders might tell ya!" She rolled her shoulders as emphasis. Marty was right about these damn dirty boys. "I jus' like the way I look in sunglasses, gives me a real mysterious vibe, don't it?"

She rocked on her feet a bit, expectant for a response.

// Dede //​

 

[BELIAL.]

Norah Walsh
location: WHS, Roof mention: Winona ​

"Yeah," she said, stuffing her hands into her coat pockets. Feeling the cool breeze against her face, the fall weather really cementing around them, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Her gaze was cast upward, to the sky. The stars were semi visible, with a thin sheen of cloud waving across the blanket of night. The light pollution was atrocious, but she could see them. She could see a few of her favourites. Ursa Major and the north star, reaching toward the horizon. Up and to the right she saw Orion's belt. Norah, without reservation, plopped down on the roof. She laid down, hair sprawling like a fan beneath her. The cement was cold against her skull.

Norah pointed up to Ursa Major, keeping her gaze tracked on it. "Come here... please." She gestured for him to join her. She remained reserved, absolute. A frigid and forgotten counterpart to her usually vivacious self. "See the Big Dipper? Look to the left. That's Ursa Minor. The Little Bear." Norah kept a wishful smile. The breeze snuck into the folds of her clothes, and she was cold, but she didn't want to move. She wanted to feel the pinpricks of cold try and freeze the warmth behind her eyes. The tears.

"My mom used to tell me about all the legends, from all the silly mythologies, about the stars. Orion, the hunter. Gemini, the twins. She said in the slavic legends that a great bear was trapped in Ursa Minor. Polaris. There were two stars who keep the bear there. The morning star and the evening star. If he escapes, he eats the entire constellations and universe and the world ends.

"It's fucking stupid I know, and I thought it was ridiculous when I was a kid. I just enjoyed that she would tell me these stories anyway, to try and... oh I don't know, just kind of give me another outlook on the things I see everyday. God knows I was getting any kind of outside influence from living in fucking Massachusetts. Especially fucking Black Mill; which despite the name, I can promise you, had only like two fucking black people. Anyway, I was always grateful to have our time together. Even if she was high on at least two different opioid medications and drinking aged prosecco from the bottle," Norah said with a bitter edge to her words. She looked away from Mason, already feeling the tears beginning to fall. She sniffled as quiet as she could, before turning her head back.

"She died, five years ago tomorrow. I was one of the ones to find her after her... accident. Maybe that makes me more susceptible to feeling emotional about it, I don't know. But she was one of my favourite people." She choked a bit on the words, biting her lip to avoid sobbing out loud. She pressed her fingers into her eye sockets, trying to will the wetness away. "God I swear, every year I feel more and more alone with remembering her. Fucking River doesn't make it better by getting as high or as drunk as he can. I think, and I've never failed to, fear that he's gonna wind up dead too. High in a ditch. Slobbering over his own vomit on the side of the road. Maybe something just as fucking awful in his bed, and I find him there--" Norah stopped, finally feeling the sob work its way out. She moaned it out, silent and punching against her chest. She bit down on her fist to try and avoid making a fool of herself.

"I'm sorry. Fuck."

 

[dendygar]

Shay

If only Shay had the same belief system as May did, she might have actually been a good person. At her core, more specifically. Shay wasn't put to hurt May, and there wasn't going to be any reason for her too. Shay enjoyed finding people's flaws, worming her way into their personal lives and finding out what made them tick, what made them scared, and then working that angle until she grew bored and then just watched it explode. But for that to happen, the object of her fascination had to have dirt and skeletons in their closet. May wasn't one of those people, Shay could tell that she was sweet and genuine through and through. That made May boring... but boring is better than what some of the other people at Westbrook were. Racists, homophobes, elitists.. Herself included in the elitist category.

"We had some at East Park. I never went either." She signed, starting to remember bits and move slightly faster, the movements of her hands much more fluid. "I never had any interest in going to one. I always could schedule a massage or manicure instead, or sleep over with my friend Dana." God, she missed that bitch. Her bitch. They were the best bitches. "Have you ever had a manicure?" She asked as they walked towards the gym. If not, Shay would have to treat her to one.

Twin Fantasy {MENTIONED: BELIAL. }​

 

[Soap]

Juliette

Her plan wasn't working.

Ugh. Why were boys so stupid? Zander stood up and started to leave the room, earning a groan from the brunette. "You're unbelievable." Juliette followed behind him with a death glare. So what if he told Toby? Okay, well, maybe she didn't want him to tell Toby that she was 'desperate.' She wasn't! She just wanted a damn homecoming proposal and for him to say I love you. Toby was amazing and better than her last boyfriend by a landslide.

But... at least Bryan pretended to love her. JJ pulled on the back of his hoodie halting his movements. At least only for a few seconds.

"Why do you have to make this so hard."

Winona​

 

[a z u l a]

Ryder

The moment that they had finished announcing homecoming court Ash had practically run off of the stage before Ryder could say congratulations or try to make a joke about them being on court together. Since he had come back from New York she had been avoiding him like the plague, except for the two seconds when she'd punched him and then kissed him at JJ's birthday party. All he wanted was to talk to her and apologize and it seemed that she wanted exactly the opposite of that, Ash was so strong-willed he knew he couldn't get her to talk if she didn't want to, but he had to at least try.

It was the night of the lock-in and Ash couldn't really hide from him all night. Or, at least he didn't think she could. Guess he'd find out.

"Hey, uh...Ash... could we talk?" Ryder asked, it had taken him about fifteen minutes of contemplating whether he should or not before he finally worked up the nerve t approach her. It was kind of ridiculous that he was scared by the little blonde, but Ash was a wildfire he'd never learned to contain, not that he wanted to control her, he just wish he could understand her better.

Winona
Chase

The eldest Vaughn had agreed to drop his little sister off at the lock-in so that Ryder could go early and help set up while Alaska had been fussing over some present she'd gotten for one of her friends. Just seeing the school parking lot gave him PTSD to only a few months ago when he'd been attending this hell-hole of a school, but it was much easier now to be here knowing he never had to come back if he didn't want to. He was free from Westbrook High School, though it seemed like he kept coming back here.

He was waiting rather impatiently for Alaska to get out of the car when he spotted a familiar face just a few cars down. Noah was struggling to get out of his car with his crutches, earning a worried frown from the older boy as he watched. Once Alaska had finally gotten out of the car with her stuff, Chase quickly got out of the drivers seat and headed over to where the brunet boy was still struggling.

"Need any help from a handsome stranger?" Chase joked lightly, coming to stand beside Noah and hold the door open so he wasn't hitting the car beside him. "Aren't you probably not supposed to be driving?" The older boy asked, raising an eyebrow as he extended a hand to help the crippled boy.

mogy​

 

[Winona]

Mason

Well this was just getting weirder by the second, and Mason was starting to suspect that first impressions were not good at telling what someone was all about. He watched, surprised and confused, as Norah plopped down in the middle of the nasty roof to look up at the sky. Mason's dark eyes trailed up, but all he saw were stars, and then his gaze fell back onto the blonde as she gestured him over to lay down on the roof next to her. Was she fucking serious?

Fuck.

Mason sighed, but followed after her, laying down on the cold roof beside her. He crossed his arms underneath his head, his eyes following the stars in the sky, but not seeing anything that she spoke about. Norah pointed them out, and his gaze followed where she pointed, but Mason still had trouble seeing these stars depicting whatever she was talking about. But he listened, because obviously Norah was fucked up in the head, and just needed to vent.

The light star talk suddenly took a turn, and Mason's body froze. Tensed up as Norah started describing her mom, and his own thoughts were flooded with memories of the same thing. Empty alcohol bottles, pills scattered across the table. How many mornings had Mason woken up and saw his mother passed out on the couch, his heart pounding, expecting to find her dead? And every day, when she would yell at him to go away, a flood of relief and disappointment would wash over him.

Mason didn't say anything for a moment. Norah was breaking beside him, and he couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He didn't know how to react, what to do, what to say.

And instead of shutting down, Mason did the opposite of what he usually did.

"My mom died a month ago from an overdose."

The words hung heavy in the air for him, and he stopped speaking for a moment, breath caught in his throat. It had happened, everyone knew that it had happened. But no one ever said aloud how it had happened. How she had died. Everyone knew -- Drake had known when he found her body, but no one had spoken it.

Saying it aloud made it feel too real.

"I... worry the same about Drake. He uhh... has a bad history with drugs. He's overdosed a couple times, but," Mason shrugged as if it was no big deal. He would not break in front of this blonde. "He used to joke that he was born addicted to drugs, and that's how he'd die. It's not funny -- it never was, and that... fear of losing your brother. It doesn't go away." Although Norah probably knew that -- why else would she still be struggling over this after five years, still worried about River?

"Sorry."

BELIAL.​