Westbrook Season 2

Sebastian had been quite silent since Tatum changed the topic, slowly putting away a few supplies and listening to what she and Ian wanted to say, and all he could comment in a murmur was, “That’s rough.” He glanced at a few random new customers, his co-workers greeting them as they entered the store. No one else seemed to be paying attention to their small impromptu group therapy session. And then he listened to Ash’s story, but it was more than a summer break story.

Just… damn. How was he supposed to react to that? Sebastian knew she had issues, but he didn’t expect to hear all of that from her this soon. When Ash said she was “fine”, Sebastian subtly raised his eyebrow at her for a moment. That forced smile wasn’t fooling him – Ash was not completely fine. He could’ve called her out right there, but it didn’t feel like the right time, especially in a public place with two other friends next to her.

“I… I had a few bad dreams about my brother. But that’s pretty much it,” he casually stated. Then he stepped away for a few moments to deliver a few drinks. It was really an excuse to avoid saying the details. No, he wasn’t ready to talk about his own shit yet. This wasn’t what he signed up for this job. He wanted his last therapy chat to stay in New Jersey, not here.

After making a latte to-go, Sebastian returned to the three misfits as Ash ranted about Kanen. Wait.

Kanen? That tattooed jerk, who had threatened to beat up and thrown a chair at our local skateboarding barista, didn’t want Ash to get drunk? He sounded an awful lot like a hypocrite since he was clearly drunk himself the last time Sebastian saw him. But at the same crappy time, Sebastian found himself kind of secretly agreeing with him. Was Ash even okay to be partying? She clearly had some problems, and drowning in alcohol was not a good way to cope. Knowing her stubbornness, he doubted trying to convince her himself would work.

“Just try to avoid him as long as you can while you’re there having fun. Also, try not to die from overdrinking ‘cuz that’s no fun,” Sebastian said.

Elf_Ruler · Dec 3, 2019

Tatum had been silent as Ian spoke and asked about who would be driving, of course Tatum wasn’t a fan of having to drive because she knew she had been drinking more than normal but she could tell from the other two that she was pulling the short straw. A sigh escaped from her lips, “I have a car. I’ll drive us just please don’t criticize my driving.” She could already feel herself getting stressed by the thought of the party, driving, and her need to drink. She was in for a rough night. But that was how life would end up for the time being, they were all a little screwed up in the head.

She had stayed silent as Ian spoke and nodded her head, which made it understandable why he didn’t want to drive, and it wasn’t like Ash’s crash wasn’t known so of course Tatum felt more than obligated to drive because she hadn’t been in a car crash. She watched as Ian shifted his wait and a small grimace appeared on her face. She could only imagine the pain that he must be going through both mentally and physically. She didn’t need to know him well to know that he was just as broken if not more than her. How had they all wound up so broken? They were young and yet Tatum knew she was extremely screwed up and not for a better lack of trying to be perfect.

When Ash spoke, Tatum had been more than silent she had been shocked. She knew Ash had been through a lot, but she hadn’t known the extent of it all. Ash wasn’t fine she was fucked too. Tatum was about to respond when Ash had asked her why she hadn’t spoken to Caleb. Her heart was beating rapidly, “How do you tell the guy that you have the biggest crush on that ‘hey so while you were away for the summer I hooked up with a stranger under a bridge’ I don’t think he would take it well or want to be with me. Who wants to be with someone like that? I’m scared.” She had admitted to Ash. As she was speaking, she could see Ash texting quickly and then the words came. Kanen. Tatum rolled her eyes, “Already got you covered, babe.” Tatum smiled.

As Seb walked over before going to another table she could tell he had more going on than just dreams but she didn’t know him well to push him. Her only knowledge of him was that he could injure someone with a pan and if that wasn’t badass then nothing else was. She could see why Ash enjoyed his company, “She won’t die from overdrinking, she just might puke and that happens. A lot. For some people. Or maybe just me.” She shrugged it off like it wasn’t a big deal.

0k_mang0

PenguinFox · Dec 3, 2019

As Gianna got out of his car Parker insisted on his earlier offer. "Well I certainly will have weekend plans once you agree to let me drive you. If it was a hassle I wouldn't offer. And as far as not really knowing each other, we can learn a little each time. You're my cousin's neighbor, it's not really weird. Unless you make it weird that is." He didn't really plan on going through with his offer, at least not for long. Once she agreed to sleep with him he'd do his best to never see her again, as was typical for Parker Bates.

He followed her into the home and took everything in. It was...strange. It only barely looked lived in. Everything was just a little too neat and tidy. What, did she actually live by herself or something? What was making Parker most uncomfortable was that this weird emptiness wasn't unfamiliar to him. It was very reminiscent of his own house. Sure his place was a lot messier because often he didn't care enough to clean it, because why bother? But it had that same empty feeling. He couldn't help but let a scowl rise to his face for a moment.

Parker's smile returned as Gia thanked him again and offered him something to eat or drink. There was definitely something he wanted as payment, but he wasn't about to say that right out. She didn't seem like a damsel in distress type who would just put out for little to no effort. No, it was going to take some serious effort to get her into bed. He always did like a challenge though. "Just some water would be great, and really it's no trouble at all. I'm happy to help. A lot of people assume I'm some kind of bad guy or whatever, but most of them don't even get the chance to know me y'know?" he leaned against a counter and thought for a moment about everything he knew about this girl and how he would move forward. What would his play be? "So...and I hope this isn't like a rude question or whatever....where is everybody? Like you said your parents are busy and stuff but, this place seems pretty quiet and almost abandoned. There isn't a whole lot of typical signs of occupation." he crossed his arms casually and gave Gia a gently inquisitive look. Parker was truly interested in the answer to this, just not for the reasons one would expect, and if he accidentally offended her or brought up a sore subject he already had a contingency plan working in his mind.

Dede · Dec 4, 2019

Stu

His jaw nearly dropped when the girl kicked the vending machine. It wasn’t just your run of the mill kick either. She looked as if she’d seen one karate kid film too many or maybe fancied herself a Muay Thai fighter. Either way it did the trick, and the snack came tumbling down to the bottom of the machine in style – even though Stu was too busy watching their six to notice. What? Kicking a vending machine wasn’t something he’d ever dreamt of doing himself. Certainly he didn’t want to get in trouble along with this crazy stranger. The last thing he needed was to get kicked out of the hospital because. . . well, where else was he going to go?

That was it, wasn’t it? Did he really come to the hospital to see Grace or because there was nowhere else for him to go? It felt almost selfish of him, but it sure felt good being away from home. Even though he’d always dreamt of living in a mansion, and he enjoyed Jace’s company more than he thought he ever could, he still missed having his own room and being just. . . a normal kid. Not that he was ever a normal kid. Still he missed living in a simple apartment, spending quality time with his dad – without Elise. Before he kind of liked her. Now he couldn’t stand the sight of her, or how cuddly Dad and her were together. But he could have gone to a mall or whatever to get away instead of coming to the hospital. There was nothing terribly appealing about these white walls and sterile clean corridors. . . well, at least here he felt like he was doing some good. At least here, he didn’t feel. . . completely alone.

‘I mean, you seem to know your way around,’ he said. ‘. . . Who’s to say you’re not stalking me?’ Anyway, it was nice for Grace to have her neighbour visit her. It would be nicer if said person didn’t just use his money to buy snacks for herself. He hated pretzels.

Chicken tenders, on the other hand, he could live with.

Well no, not live with. If Mason found out he was living with chicken tenders, he’d never hear the end of it. It was bad enough that his twitter handle was HappyMeal now. Thanks Mason.

He didn’t remember agreeing to lunch with the girl, but he blinked and suddenly they were in the cafeteria, and low and behold there was a McDonald’s there. Hell, it seemed like there was a McDonald’s wherever he went, as if his life and whole existence was one long advertisement for the fast food company. He might as well have an M tattooed on his forehead. It would've still been better than that horrendous tattoo Kanen was sporting.

He plopped his tray down on the table and took a sip of his coke. Then a guy walked past their table bearing a pile of chicken nuggets.

‘I hate chicken nuggets,’ he said.

There was a time when he liked nuggets, then he went out and had McDonald’s with Grace and Sawyer, and since then, he’d hated them. It hurt to think about that now, and he went quiet for a bit. Oh, and there was that other minor incident with Mason when he threatened to shove them down his throat, but that was another story altogether — a tale of incalculable pain and suffering.

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Elf_Ruler · Dec 4, 2019

Camden could only shrug at Milos’ comment, he was a flirt, but he had learned a lot from his cousin, so it was bound to happen. He was comfortable with lettering someone know when he was interested. He was interested in Milos and all his little quirks; the boy was cute. He could sense that Milos was starting to feel more comfortable with him and his flirting which gave him a better in. He wanted to get to know this guy and he hoped that Milos wasn’t a clinger just because he was flirting. He didn’t want to rush anything, but he didn’t want to feel like because he was flirting, he was committed. He leaned just a little closer to Milos, “I do find an honorable man most attractive.” He couldn’t help but tease the boy.

He looked around and did notice some people staring, but he didn’t mind. Cam only nodded his head, “Let them stare. But I guess sitting on the ground is a little uncomfortable.” He stood up slowly and moved to a bench not far away to heal a little more. The walk home would be rough, but he also didn’t want to end his time with Milos. As he looked over at Milos he could still sense a little discomfort, “Not used to attention?” he joked, “You’ll get used to it. I can make sure of it.” He gave the boy a cheeky grin.

Elf_Ruler · Dec 5, 2019

Gia could only nod at Parker’s comment, but she still felt weird at that moment. No male had given her any attention like Parker had and she wasn’t sure how to handle it. She wasn’t as pretty as the cheerleaders or some of the other girls around Westbrook and she couldn’t understand why Parker was being so nice to her, “I guess if you want to help. I would really like that.” She gave him a small smile and moved her hair from her face. Sure, it was a small gesture but for her it meant a lot because the walk was hard, and she knew once it got colder, she was going to have a harder time getting her groceries and would have to plan based on her parent’s inconsistent schedule.

As she moved around putting away groceries, she listened for Parkers response and once she heard him request water, she pulled the stool she had folded up by the fridge and placed it by where the cups were located. Her house had not been made for short people and she had learned how to adapt. She grabbed one of the glasses from the cupboard and then looked back at Parker, “I really am super thankful for your help. I think everyone should have a chance because everyone has good in them.” She moved to her fridges and pulled out a pitcher of water. Gia always enjoyed cold water and she assumed Parker would appreciate cold water as well even though she really had no idea. She set the glass next to him and went back to put her stool away and that’s when she heard his question. Gia froze.

She thought about his question and she didn’t know how to respond. She placed her stool back by the fridge and didn’t look at Parker. She shrugged trying to keep her composure. She was having a hard time not letting her emotions out, “They’re um.” She still couldn’t get an answer out for Parker. She knew he place was barren and that’s because most of her correspondence was just a post it notes. She tried to quickly wipe away a stray tear and hoped he hadn’t caught it with her back still towards him, “My parents are just busy with work stuff a lot. It’s not a big deal.” She tried hard to lie to him. It was a big deal and Gia felt herself begin to shut down. She just wanted to go in her room and be alone. She never really had anyone who understood her parents or understood her struggle. So she had actively avoided talking about her parents.

KingofAesir · Dec 5, 2019

Sawyer

Sawyer was glad Alaska was back. She could use as many friends as she could get right now. Not that JJ wasn't more than enough. Sawyer had actually come to find that JJ was good for her. Sometimes she felt like if things had started off differently the year before that maybe things would be different now. Sawyer could imagine how much easier life would be if Ash's party last year had never happened. That party just lead to one thing right after the other, granted she had gained Grace out of it. Sawyer found herself smiling softly at the memory as Alaska spoke about being back in the box with her soon. Grace was quite possibly the only good thing to come out of last year, plus JJ of course. But she couldn't help but wonder if things would be better if she'd just hung out in the garage with Ryan that night. Maybe he'd still be here. Maybe a lot of people would still be here. Sawyer shrugged her thoughts off as Alaska questioned her about what she was doing this weekend.

Sawyer ran a hand through her hair and leaned back in her seat, crossed her arms over her chest and smiled, "I'm helping JJ out with her party set up and then I will be attending said party." She tapped and finger against her bicep and chewed at the bottom of her lip. She wanted to hang out with Alaska but she definitely wasn't going to flake on JJ that'd be shitty, not to mention the wrath she'd incur, but Alaska and JJ didn't really get along so she was nervous about putting them in the same house.

"I know you and JJ don't exactly get along, but she's been really cool to me and I cant flake on her. We could always use the extra hands? Maybe you could just come to the party instead. I'm sure plenty of people will be there." Sawyer leaned forward on her knees and tapped Alaska's knee twice with her finger, "I'll buy you lunch Monday if you come." She chuckled and leaned back again.

a z u l a [/CENTER]

mikaluvkitties · Dec 6, 2019

Hazel

The line to get herself some coffee had been hell, but Hazel reassured herself it would be well worth it, especially when she arrived to her friend meeting with a coffee for everyone- A coffee for everyone they would like, too.

She was great at remembering her friend’s orders, and they were lucky to have her, weren’t they?

She’d finally made it to the front of the line barely a moment ago, and she was already on the third coffee when some chick behind her spoke up.

Honestly, on any other day, Hazel might’ve turned around and picked a fight. But not today. Today, Hazel was on a mission, so she settled for a dismissive lift of her hand as she kept relaying her order to the barista.

PenguinFox · Dec 7, 2019

Ash's grasp on his own hand was a welcome comfort to Ian. Knowing he could still move and feel his left hand brought no small amount of relief. With everything that had already been broken it was good to know he would be able to at least function normally in most of his limbs, albeit there was a little less sensation now. It was also comforting to Ian knowing Ash used him for support, rather than the beads. Sure the beads were a great support or whatever, but deep down Ian selfishly wanted, perhaps even needed someone to rely on him. He hated that fact, it made him feel terrible, but it gave him purpose; something he needed in his life. He was more likely to stick around if someone needed him, and Ash definitely needed him. Yeah, it didn't have to be him in particular, she just needed someone, but right now that someone was him.

Ian gently ran his thumb over Ash's fingers as she spoke about cars. Neither of the two of them were very comfortable around cars nowadays and even talking about them was probably bringing her unnecessary stress and anxiety. He was hoping to keep her grounded in the now with the anchor point being their hands. After Tatum and Ian both shared their stories and the silence was left to Ash to break she let go of his hand and shared her story. Of the whole year. Ian's lip made it's way between his teeth as he listened intently. None of it was fair. What exactly had Ash done to deserve the universe to keep kicking her over and over again? Sure some of the problems were self inflicted, but most of them were just happenstance. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and hug her tightly. Tell her things would be okay. But that was a lie wasn't it? One that Ash wouldn't believe. Things wouldn't be okay, things were always going to suck moving forward. That was life. But dealing with the bullshit thrown at them and surviving? That was something Ash could, and has done. Even after everything she was still standing, she needed help standing now, but she was standing nonetheless.

When Ash returned her grip on Ian's hand and moved closer to him he felt his muscles relax again. He hadn't realized he tensed up during Ash's story. He was about to open his mouth to say that she was in fact not fine, and she didn't have to be all the time but she was already changing the subject. Perhaps that was best for now. Sebastian shared his story next, and there wasn't much to it. He clearly wasn't entirely comfortable with the group yet and that was fine. It's not like anyone really expected this impromptu group therapy session. The barista seemed like a decent enough guy to Ian. Level headed, aware of other people's feelings. His thoughts on Kanen telling Ash not to drink at the party mirrored Ian's. The Evans brother nodded as Sebastian spoke. He wanted Ash to have fun because dammit she deserved it, but she was prone to overdoing it and that could be a problem. It seemed like Sebastian and Ian would be the two keeping Tatum and Ash in check tonight, which he was thankfully for. There was no way Ian could keep an eye on both of the blondes by himself. "Looks like you and I are on 'make sure the girls don't do anything too stupid' detail. It's going to be an honor serving with you." he said to the barista with a joking grin and a mock salute with his free hand. Wasn't exactly the most entertaining way to spend a party but Ian couldn't really participate in parties the way he used to.

So it was decided. The three older kids would meet at the cafe at the end of Sebastian's shift and Tatum would drive them all to the party. As Tatum spoke Ian's gaze shifted over to her, studying her. They had only just met but from what he could tell she was genuine person was just struggling with a hard time. Really a perfect fit in this group of misfits. "Well..." he started slowly. "Everyone makes mistakes." his gaze dropped to his lap. Ash likely knew exactly what Ian was referring to. Looking back to Tay he continued. "Communication in relationships is so important." Again, he was speaking from firsthand experience. "If a couple can't find a way to move forward after something major happens, then maybe they just aren't right for each other..." He trailed off as if he had lost his voice. It was probably not the advice she was quite looking for but his words were true. Though, he wasn't sure who he was actually trying to convince. His hand gave Ash's a light squeeze as he thought of his own breakup over the summer. All of it still hurt deeply, but surely Nova was better off without him, right? Of course she was...

0k_mang0

Winona · Dec 7, 2019

Milos

If his cheeks got any hotter, Milos was worried that he might... explode or something. He tried to will the blush away, but he was pretty sure that just made it worse. Damn it, he needed to calm down. No guy liked someone that was this blush-y or nervous. He followed after Cam as he stood up and headed for a nearby bench, and managed to get in a few deep breaths and calm his nerves somewhat as he took a seat next to the other boy, a grin growing on his face as Cam kept talking.

He was at a loss for words for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest. Camden was so confident and upfront, and Milos was so... well, himself. A socially awkward mess -- a sweet socially awkward mess, but still. Sure, he was more confident and comfortable around his friends, but with a hot boy, Milos' brain seemed to just fizzle out.

"Please," he scoffed, "I'm sure you're this... you with everyone." And although he truly believed that, it was still nice to have some focus on him for once. Obviously, Milos needed some work in the whole "flirting" field.

Deciding to change the subject, Milos asked; "So why are you even out running? It's so early." Okay, so it was like after ten. Maybe closer to eleven. But Milos typically didn't even roll out of bed until noon, let alone be out for a run now. Not that he would run at any time of the day -- physical exercise kind of sucked.

Elf_Ruler

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

Keisha

Oh she did not just--

Keisha stepped forward, shoving the other girl out of the way and leaned against the counter, looking over the menu. "I think I will take..." she frowned, thoughtfully trying to decide, and waiting for this blonde bitch to make a move. The barista looked scared, hesitating between taking the order or waiting for the blonde to step back over.

"An iced coffee. And you can just add it to my friend's bill. Thanks." She said with a sweet smile, turning so that she was now facing the blonde who had been ordering way too much coffee.

"Thanks for grabbing the coffee for me, babe." Keisha said with a wink.

mikaluvkitties

Winona · Dec 7, 2019

Ash

She hated this -- the downcast looks of her friends, the sad tones of their voices. For once, Ash just desperately wanted to feel like the world wasn't beating her down, over and over, and leaving her gasping for air. It hadn't felt like that since... well, since last year, and all she wanted to do was feel normal for once. To forget her issues, her friends' issues, to forget about the people's lives that she had crushed and ruined, about how Grace was still struggling to live in the hospital.

Just this one day, she wanted to act like a normal high school senior.

But her eyes drifted first to Tatum as she spoke about Caleb, then to Sebastian when he mentioned his brother, and finally they settled on Ian as he spoke. She could feel his hand against hers, brushing her knuckles, squeezing tight as he spoke, and it all made her feel like she had some sense of purpose. Ash may have single-handedly destroyed every other friendship or relationship she was in, but Ian was still there, and Ash was determined to protect this.

When Ian spoke about relationships, all she was reminded of was Nova's stupid face. It made sense, didn't it? That Nova and Ryder had ended up together since before Ash had stepped in (accidentally, mind you), they had definitely been on the road to that. But instead, Nova had decided to date Jace, effectively ruining her brother. And then she had left Ian without a word, leaving behind his broken body for Ash. She was so tired of being there for the guys that Nova left behind without a second thought, and then Nova had moved onto Ryder. Ryder. It killed her, and she wished that she could see his face and feel nothing.

"Yeah, communication." She mumbled, only partially listening to the conversation at this point as her gaze drifted down to the table in front of her. Both hands squeezed Ian's, seeking some kind of comfort that Ash so desperately needed. But then her gaze drifted back up from the table, to the three others gathered around her.

It wasn't like this was the first time Ash had been gathered around a cafe table, talking it up with her friends before a party. It was just that before, her friend group had been so different. Ryder, Grace, the other cheerleaders, sometimes Kanen, even Alex. And just like that, they were all gone and had left her for one reason or another.

"I should... I should get back home." She said, stammering a bit as she let go of Ian, standing up abruptly and brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "I umm... see you guys later."

Ash forced a smile onto her face, grabbing the hot chocolate expertly crafted by Sebastian, and started for the door.

She broke everything she touched. And the last thing she wanted was to break any of them more.

0k_mang0

PenguinFox · Dec 8, 2019

Tallulah shook her head and frowned when Jace said he didn't want to bother her. "You would absolutely not be bothering me!" she said crossing her arms. "We're friends, and that's what friends are for." she nodded to reaffirm her thoughts on the matter and bring it to a close. There was no arguing with her now. Anyone who knew Lulu at all knew that once she had set her mind on something there was no wavering her.

As the topic of conversation moved onto her gig, Lulu's face light up. She was ecstatic that Jace was excited for her. "To be fair, I don't think the person that hired me really knows how much to charge for that kind of thing. They've got 'rich people problems'." she chuckled "I probably could've even gotten more but I would've felt bad because let's be honest, I'm not that good." The redhead was willing to accept she had talent, but she didn't have an ego. She priced herself fairly to make enough to help with bills but not to scare people away. Her smile faltered for a moment when Jace said he couldn't offer help but it returned when he explained why. "That's actually where I was hired! If you really wanted you could help me! Y'know between looking out for Ash that is."

Lulu got awkwardly quiet for a moment, mentally kicking herself for bringing up Ash. "If you'd be willing to help, I'd be glad to give you a cut..." she said quietly trying to steer Jace's thoughts away from worrying about his sister. Don't get Lulu wrong she absolutely loved that Jace cared so much about his sister as he really should, but worrying about her one hundred percent of the time had to be unhealthy for him. He would be no use to anyone if he stressed himself to death.

The talk of her own passions gave Lulu an idea. "Hey Jace...have you ever..." she trailed off worried that her question may upset him. Her hand unconsciously raised to her necklace again. "Have you ever considered going out and try to make some money with your musical talents?" What a dumb question. Every person with artistic ability and passion has thought about that, it's what they always thought about! "I mean...instead of this.." she gestured to his workstation. "Not, that this isn't a valid way to make money or spend your time..I-I just mean..." she sighed and lowered her gaze. She was terrible at this. "I'd love to see you perform and make money from what you really love doing...that's all." she shrugged and hoped he knew what she meant.

Winona

"Awesome! I'm glad you agreed because the thought of that walk in the winter..." Parker grinned. It felt like she was starting to warm up to him. That was the first step in his playbook. He helped to hand her different groceries as she put them away. He wasn't about to go rummaging through her things to find where something should go after all. "That is very noble of you. Most people just believe what they hear about me and don't even give me a second thought. It's...unfair y'know?" He left it at that for now for fear of laying it on too thick.

Parker smiled at Gia and thanked her again for the water. He held an amused smile on his face. Here she was basically running the household, yet she needed to carry around a step-stool. The independence was admirable but it still felt a little ridiculous to him. The blue haired girl was facing away from Parker as she answered his question about her parents. It took her a moment to respond and a small smirk rose to his face. So parents were a sensitive subject for her....this could be useful information. Not facing him, the hesitation to answer, she definitely had some home issues. It was time to enact his plan; get laid with sympathy points.

Wiping the smirk from his face and replacing it with a gentler expression Parker took a step towards Gia. "Hey, I'm sorry. Clearly it is a big deal, I shouldn't have overstepped." his tone was soft and he was doing his best to sound comforting. "Listen I uh..." he paused for dramatic effect. He cleared his throat and continued. "I can sorta get what that's like...my parents...well my dad left several years ago and my mom...well she's not a great role model if you know what I mean." Gia seemed like she might be the empathetic type and if Parker was right on his assumption she would totally eat this up, and hey it's not like he was lying to her. His dad had left and his mom was drugged up all the time. He hadn't said anything dishonest. It was just his intentions that were dishonest. "But please just sorta keep that between us. I'm trying to save up enough money to pay for my mom to get some help, but if like officials or whatever catch wind of the state she's in they might put me into the foster system before that." That was only half a lie so that didn't count either.

Elf_Ruler · Dec 8, 2019

Camden watched as Milos became more flustered with every bit of flirting, he was throwing at him. He didn’t originally intend to fluster him but now he was enjoying it. Sure, he could’ve stopped sooner and let the boy regain his composure, but he found no fun in that, because no one had ever been nearly as awkward as Milos. It had been a good sign to see a smile form on Milos’ face and that caused Camden’s smile to grow as well. It hadn’t seemed to go south for him and that was a step in the right direction for him.

Milos hadn’t been entirely wrong Cam was confident with most everyone and didn’t let his discomfort take over. He had learned from his dear cousin how to play people. He also learned how to be comfortable and read others to gauge how they would react to them, when to come on strong and when to back off. Sure, it seemed questionable at times, but he wasn’t one to just ‘hit it and quit it’ he was better than that…sometimes. He shrugged at Milos, “I might be more me with you.” He teased. For Cam it was nice to have someone react more to being flirted with. Most other girls didn’t have the same reactions, most other guys flirted back with the same veracity so of course Milos was a welcomed difference. It made Cam like the boy just a little more each time, he found the awkwardness endearing.

“I’m out running to keep myself in good shape for sports. Can’t let all this get flabby.” He motioned to his physique. He really didn’t care about his looks that much, but the running did help so he wouldn’t get winded, “I also like running earlier, less people I know and the ones I want to see happen to be around.” He gave a slight shrug. He had always enjoyed running when it was cooler in the day compared to the afternoon which made running suck a little less. “Why are you out so early?’ he questioned back, “Out to meet some attractive suitor besides me?” he laughed after his comment. He knew it would probably cause a reaction from Milos and he really wanted to spend as much time as he could before he had to leave to prep for Parker. Not that Parker would care if he said he was trying to get laid. It would be a lie, but his cousin didn’t need to know that. Camden really just wanted to get to know Milos and it had been hard with them being in separate cliques so now he was getting his chance.

Winona
--

Gia had been more than happy to give Parker a second thought, she had seen the way he was with Cam, and even though he had tried to talk with her before while she was taking out trash, she had always felt uncomfortable around him. Not because she thought he was bad she had just always been nervous around males. She had always thought he was attractive, but she wasn’t ever going to act on her feelings because she hadn’t spoken to him and she had never really known how to even start a conversation with him. Now, he was in her house helping her with groceries and being overall nice to her. She wished people would be more open to others and getting to know them.

She had still been upset with Parkers question, and she knew he didn’t know, and she knew he hadn’t meant to upset her, but she didn’t want to cry in front of the boy. That would drive away any possible friendship she had with him. He had been so nice, and she didn’t want to hurt him or make him think he had done anything wrong because he hadn’t, he was just asking a question that was more than fair to ask. She shook her head at his comment, not quite turning around and she swallowed the lump in her throat, “It’s okay, you didn’t know.” Of course, she still listened to Parker talk about his family issues and for once she felt like she had someone who kind of understood her situation. She turned around but she knew the sadness was still in her eyes.

“I won’t say anything.” She gave a small smile to Parker and then she struggled to hop onto her counter. She was silent for a moment thinking of her next words, “You’ve been the nicest guy to me ever. Like most guys never notice me or really help at all. They all are interested in helping the pretty blondes and you.” She paused for a moment, “you have helped me so much. It’s different getting friendly male attention rather than all the creepy guys that say things to me while I walk to and from the store.” The smile was sitting on her face a little more now and she hoped Parker would stay her friend and at least help her through some of the winter. Sure, she knew she could do it on her own but it was going to be nice if she had some help and to know that she had someone she could talk to about her home life and not have to lie.

KingofAesir · Dec 8, 2019

Ezio

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Ezio could remember back home when the sun would reach it’s highest peak in the sky he would feel himself beginning to get restless shacked up in his manor of a home all alone. There was something daunting about being in a place like that all alone. There were always the live-in maids and Gaspar, of course, but there was only so much a few maids and a butler could do for a lonely and extremely angry teenager. So, he would sneak away into the town, shirking his tutors before they even had an opportunity to begin his lessons. The bustling streets of Bilbao gave him comfort and made him feel like he was just another person on their way to work or market and not the heir of one of the richest families in town. He’d slink into the crowd and make his way into the cities Old Quarter along the river walk. His hands running gently along old stone walls of houses and bars as he went along. More times than one he’d find himself standing outside the Catedral de Santiago gazing up at its Gothic facade and the scallop shells carved above the main entrance. The scallop shells were a symbol of Santiago, he’d often hear one tour guide or another telling some American tourists, though they almost always referred to him as his Western name, St. James. Ezio never went inside when the tourists were there. Their loud exclamations of wonder and flashy cameras made him want to punch them. They were interesting, the Americans, but he stayed far from them observing their mannerisms with an almost childlike curiosity. During the winter, when the tourists were far and few between, Ezio would find himself wandering the ancient halls of the cathedral. Sometimes sitting in the pews and staring at the lavishly excentric golden depictions of Jesus and Saint Mary at the front of the Church. Ezio had never been a deeply religious man, but the church had always somehow given him comfort. He’d stay in the confines of the cathedral until late, his parents never seeming to much mind, until Father Leon would place a soft hand on his shoulder and tell him it was time for him to leave.

Father Leon’s face was deep with age, bearing the marks of a man so many years into his priesthood that it was hard to determine just how old he was. Father Leon had been at the church since Ezio was young and he could never remember him looking any different. The soft lines of his face and the droopy form of his cheeks made it look like he was always frowning, but his eyes told a different story. The deepest hue of caramel gold that Ezio had ever seen, Father Leon’s eyes held the quiet whisperings of a loving man behind his permanent frown. They were deep-set in face from age but had to have been quite beautiful in his prime years. Ezio would allow Father Leon to slowly walk him to the doors, with a guiding hand on his shoulder, and Ezio would always stop just before the door and ask the father the same question he always did.

“¿No puedo quedarme, padre? A mis padres no les importará.”

And he’d always receive the same answer in return.

“No, hija mía. Tus padres se preocuparán.” And he’d be sent on his way, out into the cold night air.

Your parents will worry.

Father Leon’s words echoed in his head now as he wandered down the streets of Westbrook. He wondered if they worried about him now. Or perhaps they never had. There was no grand church for him to waste away his hours in here. No old stone walls or Spanish markets to disappear into. There were Americans at his every turn and he could no longer avoid and watch from a distance, so he had no choice but to insert himself. That’s what Ezio was attempting to do now as he ducked into a coffee shop with sleeping hedgehog hanging above its door instead of scallop shells. In the place of quiet pews were small tables with laptop equipt students scrolling along. Instead of lavish gold depictions of Saint’s, there was a menu displaying different types of coffee. It was no grand cathedral, but it would have to do. Ezio ordered a simple black coffee and shuffled his way over to a table by himself. Curious eye observing the patrons much the way they had observed the tourist back in Bilbao. Except this time he was constantly searching for flaws. A self-conscious shoulder-scrunched posture of a man in line, deep worry lines around a mother’s eyes as she frowned at her phone, a boisterous laugh of a man entering the shop with a cigarette between his lips. Anything that made someone less perfect. Something that marred them or might make someone avoid them. Something that made them human and something that distracted him from his own. No one wanted flaws and Ezio felt like his were the worst of it.

His coffee was cold.

“Excuse me.” He waved a barista over, “This is very cold and it’s made me rather sad.” The barista looked at him with confused brows, “Could you bring me another that isn’t so depressingly cold.” The barista simply nodded and whisked is cold coffee away. Ezio sunk back into his seat and continued his observations.

OPEN

mikaluvkitties · Dec 8, 2019

Hazel

One second, Hazel was giving the barista her order.

The next, a totally embarrassing squawk was exiting her mouth as she was shoved. She turned to the girl with a sneer as she straightened back up, a hand moving to her hip as the girl turned around.

She almost could have handled it, but then that stupid fucker made one comment too many, and the sneer intensified.

“Don’t be gross. And I’m not buying you coffee. If you want coffee, you can pay for it yourself. Outright aggression isn’t going to get you too far, you know. It’s just going to get the cops called on you.”

DrabberRogue · Dec 9, 2019

Jace (Rose)

Summer for Jace, the other one (wholly unrelated to Jace West), had been awesome. Mostly. The start of summer immediately following the school year hadn't actually been all that great. Starting in February and building up to prom he'd been continually plagued by a growing feeling of loneliness, a kind of dissatisfied emptiness that kept sneaking up on him when he was bored and letting his mind wander. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling, something similar occasionally cropped when he was alone in his parents' decently large house or sat in the middle of a party with nothing to do, but that year's Valentines Day had prompted those thoughts to start appearing more and more often. Worse still, they also started becoming harder to just dismiss.

He'd known it was his fault for being so coy with Ash. Not just coy, but wholly inactive despite the feelings that he definitely probably might've had for her at that point. Okay, well, he wasn't quite sure. She was still reminding him more and more of an alcoholic Russian bear with every passing day. That's alcoholic by Russian standards, mind you. The alcohol tolerance of a bear fully considered. Yet for some reason he'd still felt that familiar pang of jealousy in his chest every time he saw her with Sean. The same kind of feeling he always used to get back when she was dating Ryder.

Not at all wanting to put up with feeling like that he'd started hanging out more and more with Serena, who had been surprisingly receptive to all his off the cuff invitations and unannounced visits. Normally she was at least a little annoyed when her daily plans were interrupted by a sudden injection of Jace. He couldn't complain though. The two of them had ended up becoming decent friends again, perhaps even more so than in middle school, with the rather athletic girl even getting him back into sports. Something that coincided well with the approaching warmth of Spring and Summer. The occasional pangs of loneliness never really went away, but the times he was with Serena were enjoyable. He might joke about the legendary game of 'sportsball' with some of the nerdier kids at Westbrook, but he actually enjoyed playing sports quite a bit. Even if it was kind of a struggle trying to keep up with Miss Perfectionist basketball star. Although in his mind that was really just part of the fun.

It had been on a fishing trip, when Serena finally convinced him to go fishing with her and her dad, that he'd had an amusing thought. The fishing trip itself was boring, obviously. He could never figure out how anyone was able to go out and just sit around for hours like that. However it did give him a lot of time to think. It had been only a couple weeks before prom was due, and for once he was actually dreading the event. Ordinarily he would've been somewhat ambivalent about something like a school dance, maybe mildly optimistic. That was how he'd approached the previous Homecoming after all. This time, however, he'd been certain that the night was going to be miserable for him.

So with the fateful day coming up fast he had asked Serena to Prom. As a friend. Obviously. It would be, like, weird if they went as the other thing. Besides she probably would've said no if he'd tried to make it an actual date. If there was one thing he knew about Serena Harper it was that she was very discerning about who she dated. Heck, he had fully expected her to say no anyways. She surprised him.

Prom still went terribly, of course, but it wasn't Serena's fault. Dancing with her was easily the highlight of his night. At least for the short period of time when he'd actually had her attention. For whatever reason she was distracted and kept glancing off into the crowd. Although he wasn't terribly focused either, so it wasn't the most awkward thing ever. Absurdly pretty as Serena Harper was, especially in that dress, his gaze still kept drifting to a certain cheerleader. When she was in line of sight anyways. A whole year had gone by and he was still in the same place as before. Dancing with a friend while he was pining after Ashton, watching her with another guy. At least this time his dance partner was too distracted to call him out on it.

Unfortunately that little bit of heartache wasn't actually the worst thing that had happened that night. It wasn't until after Prom was over that he finally heard about the incident. Both Ash and the captain of the cheerleader team in the hospital. Jace actually didn't find out what condition Grace was in until much later, when Serena told him. He was admittedly kind of biased when it came to paying attention to the storm of gossip on Twitter that followed. Still it was kind of surreal and put the previous year in perspective for him. Sure his situation hadn't changed much since homecoming, but Ash... It felt like just yesterday to him and his good memory when she was the popular, peppy cheerleader he had very definitely wanted to get closer to. Now though? It seemed like there was always someone gossiping about her drinking habit or her supposed messing around with older guys. Now she'd even managed to almost kill herself and practically kill her best friend in the process. Or at least they used to be best friends, from what he remembered.

Jace always said she'd better off without the vodka...

So yeah, the start of summer had been kinda shit. Over the following months Jace had grown even further away from the other students of Westbrook than he already was, fed up with all the drama and just wanting to get away from it. He'd even fallen out of touch with Serena again. After all of the crap from the previous year he had just wanted a little time to himself. To just shut it all out and play games, or something.

That only lasted about a month though. A combination of loneliness and boredom had eventually driven Jace back out of the house, searching for something to do or someone to interact with. From there on things really only got better, for the most part. He'd met a few fun people from other schools, started playing sports a lot more often, and had even gotten himself involved in a niche little wargaming group. For a couple blissful months he'd been able to remove himself from all the Westbrook bullshit. During the last couple weeks before school he even got to tag along with his parents to Germany, following his dad on a business trip. Needless to say it was awesome.

All good things just had to come to end though, didn't they.

Jace had actually missed the first couple days of school, on account of Germany, and so got to skip all of the pointless stuff that classes always started the year with. The best part was he didn't even have any catch up to do. He'd just get the stupid syllabus and, like, never bother to read it. It wasn't like there was anything on it he hadn't already been told a million times anyways.

Unfortunately classes weren't the only thing he'd had to worry about as he dove headfirst back into life at Westbrook High. The stupid drama was already back on full blast, as if summer hadn't even happened, with the airwaves of Twitter pretty much constantly filled with salt flying back and forth. Even worse was the new principle. Elise? Seriously? Did anyone in Westbrook pay attention to anything? The last time that woman had been put in charge of children, Ash happened. Needless to say he wasn't feeling very confident about the year to come.

Still, he had to try to make the best of it, and he had a plan to get back into the swing of things. Hopefully without getting sucked into Westbrook High's favorite pastime of ruining lives. Like clockwork, the real start of the year would be marked by JJ's birthday party. Jace actually hadn't shown up at the previous one, but this year he'd decided that would change. Yeah, bad idea, he knew. He was just gonna end up bored and leave early anyways. However Jace figured that a little boredom might be worth it in the long run, just to get his foot back in the door and start doing things. Start chatting with people, maybe get entangled in whatever happened on Twitter later, and maybe he'd find someone entertaining along the way. If he was lucky.

So he was already halfway ready, reclining in a chair and playing a game while he waited for the party to draw nearer. He was, naturally, planning to be slightly overdressed as always. With a collared shirt already on and a blazer sitting nearby on his bed. Formal-ish clothing that he liked to wear with his dark blue jeans and rather expensive looking sneakers. His golden blonde hair was slightly damp from a recent shower and, naturally, had only been combed to the point where it wouldn't go all over the place as it dried.

His phone was nearby on his bed as well, having been somewhat haphazardly discarded after its owner read the latest conversation on Twitter. Even a year later he just couldn't resist watching the notifications scroll by on his screen as people just hurled insults at each other across the internet. There was something entertaining about it, even if he'd gotten fed up with the actual drama it was tied to. For the moment he was trying to ignore anything further, however, just focusing on his game.

Oh, right. Was he even invited? He wasn't sure either way.
...Meh. Half the people who were gonna be there probably weren't invited anyway, so it probably didn't matter. Crashing parties had to be, like, a Westbrook tradition or something.
As boring as parties were, Jace had to admit he kinda liked that tradition.

Soap · Dec 9, 2019

Raven

Raven couldn't help the smile forming on her face, moving her body to the side as if she was posing. "I would look 'banging' with anything, thank you very much. But I appreciate the suggestion." It'd look nice for the party tonight, but Raven wasn't planning on going over her budget. Considering her old job didn't exactly want to take her back. It's not her fault everyone enjoyed giving her tips instead of her co-workers.

Raven was just a magnet for attention, and she wasn't complaining.

Except for now, right now? Those tips would've came in handy. And now that she's 18, she didn't have to use a fake ID to get a job at one of the more... popular places. --And no, she doesn't mean a strip club. "So, are you just in WestBrook for the coats? Or you're new here." Another one of the sucky things about being gone for so long, it was hard to keep up. A year ago Raven would've known who Dante was without them even meeting.

It's almost saddening how she actually felt herself change. The old Raven was much less complicated.

mogy

Juliette

She rolled her eyes at the compliment but her smile widened, Juliette pushed him gently. "Whatever, you're so cheesy." Compliments were always welcomed with JJ, but Toby just had a way of making her feel appreciated. Pulling away from the kiss and she shrugged at the mention of his attire, it was fine. But Juliette wasn't going to pester her boyfriend about dressing a little more... sophisticated. "No, no. Nothing's wrong with it." God, who was she turning into?

Her gaze swept over most of the party supplies before returning to him with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Just a bit of it... Y'know, it'd be a shame to ruin this amazing outfit. Maybe you should take it off to work more... efficiently?" Juliette gently pulled on the shoulders of the blazer, slipping it off in the slightest way before she pressed her lips to his again. It probably would've esclated if it wasn't for the few staff, or...

If Ava hadn't walked in.

Whoops.

She pulled away and wiped the corners of her lips. "Ava, Zander." No, she wasn't particularly fond of her boyfriend's brother. With a sigh, Juliette put her hands together resulting in a small clap. "Okay, okay. So, the banner has to go up, uh... Ava and I will go put the streamers up."

Evie

Evie didn't take much offense to his statement, while she wasn't outright stalking him, she paid attention. There's not much to do in this hospital. This place was depressing and the brunette took an interest in the girl who got the most attention in this place. At least, the most attention in this wing of the hospital. "Who knows if I'm stalking you or not? I'm super sneaky." She shrugged and threw the quickly, now empty back of pretzels into the garbage can.

--

She hated the cafeteria, sure unlike most hospitals, they had McDonald's which was a plus, you could only eat something a certain amount of times before you got sick of it. "You seem like a nugget kind of guy though." Skinny, nerdy, a little bit annoying.

Maybe more than a little.

"Look at us, Grace's friend, Grace's neighbor having lunch together." If only he knew she didn't even know Grace's name until today. She held a french fry with her hand as she continued to pester the brown haired boy.

"I liked the blonde hair better."

She didn't even know his name, but Evie preferred blondes better.

Dede

Greyson

Greyson furrowed his brows, confused at her words. "Huh? Wait, what's a meet cute?" He scratched the back of his head before he realized that the girl must've heard him speak. He doesn't mean to voice some of his thoughts out loud. It just happens. "Oh! Nothing, nothing. Just a little nervous about something."

He stood there lingering for another moment before his brain caught up with him. "I'm sorry! Right, I'll buy you another. It was my fault in the first place, come on." He held the door open for her, insisting that he would get her one. He felt bad enough, and well, how much could a little crystal thingy be? It should be fine. --Besides, money wasn't a big problem with his family unlike some of the less unfortunate. Greyson would like to donate whenever he can, but then again in his own eyes, he was still a kid and he couldn't do much.

At least in everyone's eyes he couldn't do much.

He glanced at some of the other things they had on display. Peering over the other ornaments and gifts to see her, "I'm Grey, it's um, nice to meet you. It probably would've been nicer in different circumstances." Oh no, where's the other little dolphin? They had to have more, right?

Right?

PenguinFox

PenguinFox · Dec 10, 2019

"Even still I feel bad, it was a sensitive topic and I should have been more considerate." Parker really did regret bringing the topic, he didn't want her to be upset. Not because he cared, but because it lowered his chances. Everything was always about his chances of getting laid, and he was pretty good at that kind of math. After that blunder however it didn't seem like he was getting lucky today. Gia would need time to recover from his comment. She'd come around eventually but today was unlikely and if Parker pushed it he could ruin his shot entirely. That was fine though, he was a patient man and could wait to obtain a prize. It was more fun when it was a challenge anyway.

When the blue haired girl promised not to spill his secrets Parker gave her the nicest grin he could manage. It was half genuine, seeing how if she did say anything about his shitty home situation CPS could be called in. "Thank you, I appreciate it. I also appreciate you giving me a chance rather than assuming the worst of me." Her next words were very telling to Parker. It was going to take a lot of effort to unbutton those jeans. She'd never received attention that wasn't the kind Parker typically gave girls. She didn't have nearly enough daddy issues either. She was a delicate, gentle thing that required trust in order to let someone into her life, and subsequently pants. In that moment Parker had to make a decision; bail on this girl who was going to be a hassle and take plenty of time to sleep with, or tackle the challenge in the name of saying he succeeded. It wasn't too difficult a choice. The choice wasn't too difficult. The bragging rights alone were enough to convince Parker, so in that moment he decided he would do whatever it took to get with this girl.

Parker raised his eyebrow in surprise "There's no way I'm the nicest guy you've met. You probably meet loads of nice people. Good people bring other good people to them magnetically." Wow that was cheesy, but as long as she bought it. "I'm interested in helping people because it's the good thing to do..." to trick someone into sleeping with him "It doesn't matter what they look like." It totally does. "Another great reason to drop you off and pick you up. There's a lot of creeps out there. It's safer than walking." Parker checked the time on his phone and pushed himself off the counter he was leaning on. "I should probably get out of your hair now. I thank you for your hospitality and for welcoming me into your home. Here-" he gave Gia his phone number before heading to the door. "If you ever need anything at all give me a call. Also call when you're getting ready to head out for those groceries and I'll come pick you up. Don't be a stranger now." he gave her one last friendly smile before leaving. This was a good start. Getting her to believe that Parker Bates was a nice, trustworthy guy was the first and hardest step.

0k_mang0 · Dec 10, 2019

sebastian

Location: Sleeping Hedgehog Cafe
With: Ash

Winona , Tatum

Elf_Ruler , Ian

Sebastian let out a low chuckle after Ian saluted at him. “If we do this again, we should start calling ourselves Super Sober Bros.” Yep, that was basically what they were tonight. The Super Sober Bros: Saving a couple of drunk kids from doing anything too stupid or embarrassing that they would regret it even after death.

When Ash suddenly decided to leave, he thought, Shit. He knew he should’ve said something sooner, or have a better reaction like Ian’s. Then again, Sebastian had zero experience with romance and relationships, so he couldn’t really give Ash or Tatum helpful advice on those subjects. He really wanted to become someone well enough to lean on, he needed to do better at this.

“I guess I’ll see you guys here later, then,” said Sebastian. “I’ll text Ash when I’m done and tell her to let you two know.” He also told Ian and Tatum that he had to focus on his job now as more customers began to arrive in the cafe; he doubted they’d want him to get fired if he kept talking to them.

Before returning to the counter, Sebastian quickly jogged over to Ash, reaching for her shoulder to gently pull her back.

“I understand what you’ve been through is rough, and I know what I said is an understatement. All I can say is… just try staying focus on what’s happening now. That’s all you have to do tonight. You’re gonna have fun tonight. For yourself, not others. And the Super Sober Bros will be there and make sure you don’t drunk-sleep in a bush or with anyone you hate.” Sebastian offered a small, almost pleading smile with his last statement, hoping it would at least lighten Ash’s mood just a bit. Otherwise, he might have to say “Super Sober Bros” in public again, and he didn’t want to.

After lightly patting Ash’s arm and quietly saying bye to her, Sebastian turned around and went back to work. In several hours, he would be ready to go to the birthday party. Right after he finished his shift, he hurried back home, changed out of his work clothes, stressed out which clothes to wear for the party before settling for a white button-up shirt and dark purple bomber jacket (he kept his pants and shoes the same from today’s work), and returned a half an hour before the other misfits would meet up at the cafe. He wiped off a few sweat drops from his forehead and neck inconspicuously with the cafe’s paper napkin – no, he was not sweating because he was nervous about his first high school party. It was just a bitchy girl’s birthday party.

Winona · Dec 10, 2019

Jace

"Right, rich people problems." Jace's laugh was mildly awkward and uncomfortable, because... well... how much did you charge for that kind of thing? It wasn't hard to notice that the Wests weren't exactly aching for cash, and Jace wasn't sure he wouldn't have charged the same that JJ had. "Hey, are you kidding me? You're an amazing photographer." He said, a grin growing on his face. But the mention of the party, and of Ash, caused the grin to falter. "Oh, umm..." Jace hesitated for a moment. He didn't particularly want to attend the party, and he knew that Ash would be pissed, but at the same time... he did need to keep an eye on her... even if she'd said that she was going with some of her friends, Jace didn't trust them to keep her totally out of trouble. And at least hanging with Lulu would give him something to do.

"I'd love to help." He finally said. "But you don't have to pay me. I'll do it all, like, pro bono or whatever that weird term is." Jace wasn't strapped for cash -- his little side business was making him a decent amount of cash, and it wasn't like he had to pay rent or anything here. Plus, Lulu deserved every penny of what she would be making.

And then Lulu started talking about his music.

"Oh, uh..." Jace looked towards his work station as she spoke. Sure, it wasn't what he was passionate about, but it helped keep his mind off of his sister and the fact that he'd given up on his dream. Given up on music. Hell, with Stu moving into his room, all of Jace's music equipment had been shoved into a spare bedroom. He kept meaning to go in there and set it all up and get back to his music, but each passing day just seemed to pull him further from that. The last time he really remembered enjoying his music had been back when he was dating Nova, but now it just left a sour taste, a painful tinge.

Sure, he'd played around with the piano a bit over the summer when Stu had insisted on getting lessons, but other than that... Jace just didn't feel like he had time. The callouses on his fingers from the guitar were starting to fade, and he was almost worried that he'd forget how to play. But that was all fine... right?

"I don't know, I gave up going to college for it and I just... haven't had time since, you know?" He reached up to tug on his beanie, pulling it down more secure on his head, and then one of his hands rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I still do play some, I guess. There's a few kids in the neighborhood that come over for lessons, but... there's a hundred people with guitars that are better than me. There's no room for me to play and make anything from it, you know?"

Last year, Jace had felt so differently. But then it was like life had come in and slammed him reality, and now Jace knew that all of those dreams of doing something with his music had been nothing but feverish dreams.

"Gigs aren't easy. Just uh... don't worry about it, alright? I'm fine."