Realistic or Modern Westbrook

[Maree]

Theodore Presley

Mood: Angry| Interacting with: Jace, Stu
Mentions: Winona Dede

Theo frowned as the little rat exploded and called Jace a homo. So not only was the kid a little rat. He was also a homophobic piece of shit? If this is how he reacted to him having his arm around Jace. Then how did he react to Grace and Sawyer? If he had mistreated his Grace because of her sexuality. Or even worse was the type who only hated gays and sexualised lesbians. That sicko. Oh, this kid was going down. No one hurts or threatens his friends.

When Stu tried to run at him to get past he basically bounced off of him. Did he really think that he could move someone much bigger and stronger than him? Oh, he was getting more and more pathetic by the minute. He shoved the boy back hard. He didn't use his full strength. Unlike Mason, he didn't need to use his fists to resolve things. He met Jace's eyes and shook his head. It was obvious that what they had been saying wasn't going to work. "I got this" he mouthed to Jace before turning back to Theo.

"Wrong answer buddy. You see. I was never going to hurt you. No, That's far too easy" Theo chuckled, pulling out his phone from his pocket. "Beating you up wouldn't do much. You're friends with Mason." he shook his head as if disappointed in him. He hummed softly, typing into his phone. "I could destroy you. It would be easy. But no. I'm going to ruin your friend's life. The little one. Casper?" he looked up from his phone to meet the boy's eyes. Once they locked eyes he smiled, although it wasn't a kind smile. "I will destroy Casper. I heard his home life isn't too great? I can make it worse. He's quite a sensitive little thing. I doubt he would be able to handle me making his life absolute hell" he said, looking back down at his phone and continuing to type. He didn't want to destroy some poor kids life but he would without hesitation to protect his friends. "He will wake up every day hating you more. I will make sure he knows that everything that happened to him is all your fault. Tell me, do you think he'll survive it? Oh, don't worry. I'll make sure changing schools isn't an option."

When he finished typing he looked back over at Stu. "You brought this on yourself. I gave you a chance but you know I'm nice so I'll give you another one" he said, flashing him a fake smile. "Are you still going to tell everyone? Because if you so much whisper Jace or my name... Caspers life is over." Once this was over he was going to have to watch a lot of kitten videos to make himself feel better. He had to do this to protect his friends. There was no other option.

code by Ri.a

 

[Kipsy]

Melissa

Mood: Relaxed | Interacting with: Wanda | Mentions: Sook

The compliment put Melissa in a much better mood. "And I'm here for the pretty customers. Although I have to admit, they're a rare sight lately. Guess I got lucky today." She set down a menu on the table Wanda was seated at before walking away to fill up other customers' glasses. Every once in a while, her eyes drifted over to Wanda, checking on her periodically. At one point, her attention was caught and she returned to the table.

"Well, what'll it be today?" she inquired with a patient smile. Scribbling down the order in her notepad, Melissa nodded. "Number twenty-three it is." She looked up from her writing upon hearing the more conversational question from Wanda. "Oh, well... something like that." It wasn't so much that she drew the short straw more so that she chose to willingly beforehand.

As Wanda continued to talk, Melissa lowered her hands which help the notepad and pen, feeling much more at ease. "I am local, yes," she replied, then paused in thought. "I think I'd like to show you around, although I... I don't really get out much myself. I dare say I know the city just as well as you do." She laughed meekly, a little embarrassed. Her hobbies did tend to keep her holed up in her room like a hermit.

Writing down milk too, Melissa bowed her head slightly. "Alright, I'll be right back." She headed to the kitchen and tore off the piece of paper with Wanda's order on it. It didn't take long for the food to be ready, she knew, and she busied herself with pouring a glass of milk and bringing it to the table. "Here you are," she said, setting down the glass next to that of the water. "The food will be right out."

Melissa hoped no one noticed how attentive she was being with Wanda. It was a striking difference compared to how she interacted with the other customers: as little communication as possible. But there was something about this girl that made her not so antisocial. It was pleasant and she enjoyed the way she felt around her.

Making her way back to the kitchen, Melissa grabbed the bowl and returned to Wanda's table. "You know," she said as she placed down the food, "I can barely handle Doritos. I don't know how you enjoy something so spicy."

code by Ri.a

 

[Maree]

Tristan Reneaux

Mood: flirty| Interacting with: Jae
Mentions: Kipsy

Tristian smiled softly as Jae met his flirty quote with one of his own. There was something refreshingly different about him. The way he flirted was much more innocent than he was used to. There were no sexual implications behind it. It was weirdly nice. It wasn't like he would actually date him though. It wasn't that he didn't like him, he was cute. He just didn't do relationships anymore. They were far too much work. Besides, the costs far outweigh any benefits that came with them.

"Don't worry. I don't bite" He teased, standing up from his seat. "Unless you want me too" he added, somewhat joking but also somewhat not. How he reacted would decide which one it was. He put a bill in the tip jar as they walked past the counter. Where to walk to? There were many nice evening walks around Westbrook. Well, as long as you avoid the slums. It was too dangerous to walk around down there at night. Unless you felt like getting jumped that was. But hey, he didn't kink-shame. People get off on what they get off on.

"Hmmm, you'll see. If you trust me that is" Tristian said, with a flirtatious smirk playing on his lips. He held his hand out to Jae, waiting for a moment to see if he would take it. He allowed comfortable silence to fall over them as they walked. Westbrook truly was a beautiful place when the sun was setting. It almost made you forget about what a shitty town it really was. "So what do you enjoy. Besides theatre that is?" he asked, glancing down at the boy. It was pretty cute how short he was. He was pretty sure they gave out teddy bears at the arcade that were bigger than him.

It wasn't long until they arrived at their desition, the waterfront. He pulled a beach blanket from his bag and lay it on the sand. The sun was still setting, turning the water into a beautiful orange. He sat down on the blanket and patted the spot beside him. It was a bit chilly out so when Jae sat down her put his arm around him. The slight chill was worth it to sit watching the sunset. "Was it worth it?" he asked, looking over at him.

code by Ri.a

 

[Dede]

Neck Tie

He didn’t know what made him think he could have just jostled Theo out of the way. In reality the senior barely budged and Neck Tie simply bounced backward hurting his shoulder, and the three remained as they were in a perfect stalemate.

Unable to leave, Neck Tie stood confounded by Jace’s patheticness. Beanie bitch might have called himself a senior, but you wouldn’t know it looking at him or seeing the way he conducted himself around others. It was perplexing how much of a spoiled rich kid he was. This lanky little man-child was so used to having things his way, that he happily used Grace as a human shield against his enemies, screeched like a girl when he found out Elise was seeing his best friend’s dad, threw Neck Tie under the bus when Elise asked about their music, and had a huge hissy fit on the stage in front of the whole school which led to them both being suspended.

If that wasn’t pathetic enough, he now threatened to destroy Neck Tie’s life while his own voice quivered like a wet dog. Indeed if the Guinness Book had a category for the world’s most pathetic life form, the name ‘Jace West’ would have been immortalised for an eternity and a half. As it stands, though, he was just a pathetic nobody, an eighteen-year-old toddler who threw tantrums, broccoli florets and milk bottles from his high chair at his 20 babysitters. Indeed the only thing Jace should be graduating from at the end of this year was pre-school.

Even worse was Theo’s smug attitude, and the way he was just humming and casually texting while he held a freshman hostage. Suddenly Mason was mentioned, and Neck Tie had no idea whatever why that name had come up. Even though they had been public enemies, word must have gotten around school about them selling pies together, but Neck Tie failed to see how this was relevant to absolutely anything.

But his confusion turned into quiet rage when Theo mentioned Casper. Just as he thought these pathetic losers couldn’t stoop any lower, they did. The threat on his new best friend made the boy sick to the stomach. He had no idea how Theo knew anything about Casper. Jace must have told him everything like the big-mouthed platypus that he was. It was bad enough that Jace was joining dirty Theo in threatening to destroy his life. Now this sad excuse of a human being was going to stand idly as Theo threatened Casper? So that the two of them could protect their stupid little secret? That was low. Real low.

Neck Tie found himself on the retreat. The threat on Casper’s wellbeing had tamed him, and he quickly surrendered the fight. When the door was opened for him, after the understanding was silently reached, Neck Tie scrambled outside and into the starless night feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. Feeling short of breath he fumbled for his phone, and saw Casper’s message waiting in the notifications dock. He read it but couldn't bring himself to reply, and he went days without talking to Casper again until it was time for the ski trip.

Winona Maree mikaluvkitties

 

[Dazzle]

Carter


Carter realized there was no talking Kanen off the cliff anymore. He was inconsolable, and had just decided they were the enemy. Carter knew how bad parents could be, their situations were different though. Carter's mom disapproved of her, Mason's mom was a drunk, and Kanen's had abandoned him. But Carter had stopped looking for approval, Kanen still seemed to be looking for that with the getup he was to be wearing.

Time slowed down when Carter saw Kanen's fist swinging at Mason. She was so done with Kanen's shit, Mason and Carter had just been trying to help, that's all Carter ever did. Was help these two dumbasses work out their shit. When they all got along, they were the best of friends, but the three most hot-headed kids in school fighting could tear the town down for a week. "Fuck this." Carter shoved passed Mason, glaring down Kanen.

Carter threw both her hands up on Kanen's chest shoving him backwards. "Don't you fucking. DARE. Punch him in front of his daughter." Carter brought her fist back and swung. Punching Kanen across the jaw.

Carter pinched his chin in between her fingers. "You need to go. Figure your shit out Kanen." Leaning closer to his face, staring him directly in the eyes.

"I guess you're right Kanen, you just fuck everything up where ever you go. And you know who's fault it is?" She leaned away from his face. "Yours. Not Masons, not mine, not your mothers." She took a step back turning away from Kanen. "You can't keep pushing your friends away." She stayed long enough to watch Kanen leave, she probably shouldn't have let him drive but she was so fueled with anger she couldn't think straight.

"I'll see you around Mason." Carter walked off the porch, she figured that after punching Kanen in front of Adriane's parents, Adriane and Ari she might not be welcomed into their house hold. She was no longer in the mood for turkey and talking anymore. Not that she really was to begin.

High5ives Winona ​

 

[Dazzle]

Zach


Zach hadn't ever been so close with someone who he wasn't trying to get into bed with. Him and Belle sat in comfortable silence as they watched the game. Careful to not get riled up while Belle rested her head on his chest. He let his arm fall from the back of the couch to her shoulder. "I guess that's a fair point." He chuckled lightly. "Damn that looked like it hurt." He watched the replay of the injury, it was pretty pathetic, he genuinely thought he was a way better player than those who were on the screen. He might of been thinking a bit much of himself, considering they were professionals and he played on a shitty high school team.

He listened to Belle tell him about her 'friendship' with Mason, that didn't really sound like a friendship. "If you feel like he'll hold that over your head, just know you have me in your corner." Zach wouldn't pass up an opportunity to beat up Mason if he got it. He didn't know what she told him, he wasn't going to ask either. He just let his mind wander and imagine up ideas of what could be in Belle's dark past.

Maree ​

 

[Winona]

Jace


After the horrific Thanksgiving escapade, Jace had spent most of the last month just hiding from everyone and everything. He had talked to Theo here and there, but had avoided Stu at all costs. Yeah, Jace hadn't wanted Stu twisting what had happened him and Theo into something it wasn't, but threatening Casper had been taking it a step too far. Jace had been shocked to hear Theo threaten it, but he had to stand beside his friend. As much as he knew it was wrong.

He'd also spent the last month arguing with Ash about not going on the stupid ski trip, but as it turned out, his little sister was very capable of beating him up physically. After he had tried to lock himself in his room to hide, Ash had picked the lock, come in, and then tackled him to the ground and threatened him until he agreed to give up and just go. It was very embarrassing to know that a freshman had beaten you up, but even more embarrassing to know that your younger sister could do the same.

They were now in the car on the way up there. Jace had offered to drive, but when Theo did the same, Ash was quick to suggest that they let Theo do it. You run a few red lights and get in a few fender benders, and suddenly no one trusts you to drive all the way up to the ski resort. So now, they were seated in the car, with Jace slouched in the passenger seat, and Ash sitting behind him, with Stu next to her and Casper by him. Jace hadn't been able to look at either freshman, or even talk with them as memories of Thanksgiving kept playing over and over in his head. God help him. He was probably going to go to hell now for threatening kids.

"Jace smile!" Suddenly Ash was leaning over the front seat next to him with her phone held out in front of them so that she could take some stupid selfie and send it to her friends. Who were all on the way to the exact same ski trip. Jace would never understand teenage girls, and he watched as Ash took several photos -- one where he was surprised, one angry, and then one turning towards her.

"Seriously, Ash?! Do you really have to take pictures right now?" He snapped.

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

Ash


Ash rolled her eyes as she flopped back into her seat, flipping through the photos and deleting all of them with Jace except for the one where he looked surprised. At least in that one he didn't look like he wanted to murder her, so it would be perfect for Instagram. "Duh. Of course I do, Jace. I look great today and people care about this stuff. Like, think about the people that follow me who want to know where I'm going and who I'm with. I need to let them know." Ash did have a fair share of followers on Instagram.

She then turned the camera back on and leaned in close to Stu, turning it so that it got him in the camera, too. "Casper, get in here. I need the world to know that I'm not just hanging out with my lame brother, but that I got two of the cutest little freshmen with me. Well, soon to be brother probably and his adorable friend." What? Casper was absolutely adorable, and if her mother was forcing them to all bond, then Ash was going to bond with little Neck Tie. He didn't seem too bad.

Ash took a couple pictures after both boys were in the shot, and then settled back into her seat, posting the whole thing to social media. First Instagram, then her Twitter. "Hey, so, Stu, I figured you could be the first to pick a room." She said, placing her phone down for a few seconds to look at him with a smile. "Like there's a ton of rooms, but a few of them are better than the others. And there's a couple with bunk beds that might be good for you and Casper. Same for you and Theo, Jace."

"Although like, couldn't you guys just share a bed? Or is it not manly to share a bed with your friend?" Ash asked, mostly speaking aloud to herself as she started to question boys. "Like, I've shared a bed with Grace and it wasn't like gay and no one made fun of us, obviously. It's like, a totally normal thing for girls to share beds in a platonic way. But no guys do it? Do you boys share beds with your BFFs, or is that like too gay and you'll get made fun of for it?"

Maree Dede mikaluvkitties​

 

[The_Omega_Effect]

Nikita Romanov

Her mentioning that the books offered to them by the school were uninteresting reminded to him once again that she liked to read books, something that he had already deduced. "Well, I'm not really one for reading books in my free time but the few times I had to pick out books, the school library was enough for me. The course material might be boring but since we have exams coming up I don't really have much choice but to study them." When she mentioned that it was Thanksgiving, Nikita had realized that he had forgotten all about it. He came to Westbrook alone so he didn't have the opportunity to celebrate it with his family. He didn't have any good friends that could invite him over for dinner either. The day didn't really mean anything to him so he did not care though.
"I kinda live in Westbrook alone. Don't have my family here with me because they had to work and all. To be honest, I forgot all about it being Thanksgiving. I kinda just study, play some video games, code for a bit and cook food for myself everyday. I know its boring and monotonous but it is what it is." He assumed that Alice got into a fight with her family for doing something which was why she left in the pursuit for some time alone. But he couldn't just be content with an assumption. "What happened with your family? Did you get into an argument or something?"

Interactions: A Little Cloud ​

 

[Dede]

Neck Tie

Neck Tie didn’t really talk much with Casper or anyone else since Thanksgiving. He was still grounded, and that plus his three-week suspension meant he was confined mostly to his room, where he had ample time by himself to regret the incident and to fret over the consequences. By the time his punishment was over, it was nearly Christmas. Elise had talked him into going with Jace and Ash on a ski trip to Saddleback Mountain some three hours’ drive away, and the deal was done before disaster struck and made it impossible for him to ever look at Jace in the eye ever again.

Only last week Neck Tie called and invited Casper along on the trip. It was mostly his dad’s idea. Neck Tie personally didn’t want Casper anywhere near Theo and Jace after all the horrible threats they made against him. But in theory, so long as Neck Tie kept his own mouth shut and told nobody about what he saw, no harm should come to Casper.

The ride up to Saddleback was as painful as he’d imagined it would be. Theo was on the wheel and Jace occupying the seat next to him. As expected, Neck Tie hadn’t made eye contact with either of them since Casper and he were picked up at his apartment. Neck Tie was seated in the middle between Casper and Ash, which meant that he was directly in Theo’s line of vision and was seen by that senior whenever he checked the rearview mirror. All Neck Tie could do was keep his head low for the entire length of the journey, a task which proved a literal pain in the neck after about one hour on the road.

Once or twice he also turned to Casper and tried to initiate a conversation with him, but invariably in a whisper: ‘You said Aaron was getting a ride with Drake, didn’t you? So. . . are they arriving today or what?’

Then again pointing at some snow in the distant mountains. ‘Look. I think that’s where we’re headed.'

It was around this time that Ash took out her phone and started taking photos, squeezing past Neck Tie for a selfie with the boys in front. When later she turned the camera on Neck Tie, he did his best to act interested and smiled weakly for her.

He said, ‘I’ll take one for you, if you like!’

The ride was getting bumpy, and Neck Tie barely managed to get a steady photo of Ash. After struggling for a short while, he passed the phone along to Casper. ‘Take one of me and Ash, Casper!’ He leant back toward his future sister so they could both fit in the frame, and said cheese.

Once he was done pretending to be happy, Neck Tie sat back in his seat and watched the mountains in front of them grow bigger and bigger. But Ash spoke up again, this time telling him he could be the first to pick a room. ‘Could I?’ he raised his eyebrows, ‘Cor, you mean I could have the best room in the house, if I wanted it?’

Things went downhill real fast from that high note, though. All of a sudden Ash was talking about gays. . . and bed sharing. Neck Tie sank back into his seat waiting for the awkwardness to settle. It never did. He did offer her an answer though, along with a small shrug. ‘I think anything's better than sleeping on the floor,’ he reasoned. ‘Bunk beds are still much cooler, though. Like, it’s a bed. . . with a ladder! You can't really beat that.’

mikaluvkitties Maree Winona

 

[Maree]

Theodore Presley

Mood: wants to be in another car| Interacting with: Jace, Stu, Casper, Ash
Mentions: Winona Dede mikaluvkitties

Theo was grateful that the thanksgiving catastrophy had passed. They had managed to convince Stu to keep his mouth shut. With the added bonus of him avoiding being anywhere near them. Which was perfect because he didn't want the homophobic little rat anywhere near him. But now sadly he had to drive him and his friend up to the resort. The things he did for Ash. At least he had Jace and Ash to talk to. That way he could just ignore the other ones.

"Come on Jace. The ski trip is always loads of fun. No need to be so grumpy" he teased, taking one hand from the wheel in order to poke him in the side. He didn't see why Jace was so against going on the trip. It was gonna be a great time. Was it because it was mostly gonna be Ash and his friends? That wasn't that weird. He and Ash were pretty much friends with everyone. Besides dicks like Mason or Stu. He looked in the review mirror to see Ash and Stu being friendly. If Ash became friends with him he was going to die. The kid had no positive qualities.

"Oi. What happened to me picking the first room for driving your lazy ass" Theo teased. He didn't really care. It was more he just liked giving Ash a hard time. There were plenty of good rooms. If all else failed he could just throw Stu out of the room if he chose the one he wanted. But it sounded like Stu wanted the bunk beds. No surprises there. Honestly, it acted like it was still in middle school. It was pretty pathetic. Oof he felt bad for Ash, having to sit next to him. He bet the kid smelt like Cheeto dust.

He laughed when Ash brought up guys sharing beds. Oh, he bet the homophobe would love that. Time to make him more uncomfortable. This was perfect. "Depends. Sadly most guys are at least a little homophobic so freak out at the idea of sharing a bed" he said, making eye contact with Stu through the review mirror. Just to make sure that he knew that comment was directed at him. "I've shared a bed with Zach plenty of times. It's better than sleeping on the floor. I've never seen what the big deal was" he added with a small shrug. Then again he and Zach were raised together. Josephine had baby photos of them when they were babies having baths together. They were basically brothers.

code by Ri.a

 

[A Little Cloud]

A L I C E

STATUS
Mood ~ Happy
Interacting with ~ Nikita
Mentions ~ The_Omega_Effect
Alice nodded. Although the school books weren't as enjoyable as fiction and other genres, you had to study them if you wanted to succeed. Sometimes, though, they were interesting. Like her World History textbook. But the only thing unusual about that was the different notes written on the pages. Some were hilarious, and some confusing. "Right. And I forgot about exams." Another thing to complete. "The school library is alright. But that's my opinion." When Nikita mentioned living alone, Alice frowned slightly. "Well, that certainly isn't pleasant." She paused, thinking about her own family. Now Alice wished that they were able to swap families. "But I guess living alone prepares you for adulthood, right?" When she heard about Nikita's lifestyle, she laughed. "I don't think it's boring. More interesting than mine anyway." But she didn't bother telling him what she did every single day. Alice sighed when he mentioned her family. "Well, my mum and I aren't exactly on the best of terms right now. She wants me to be happier, make more friends, but I can't do that if nobody knows I exist. She's also having a great time with my father, and I just didn't want to ruin that for them. I've never seen them that happy on any holiday..." Alice shook her head. She took another glance at the clock and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Well, I gotta go now. See you around, Nikita." Alice put her book away and walked out the door.
~
Ever since Thanksgiving, Alice's mother hasn't allowed her to stay in the house for more than 3 hours. 'Go on a walk, go to the library, tutor, do something! , she would say. Alice decided to do more tutoring. There weren't many clients as during the summer, but Alice made a bit of money. She also met someone interesting. A girl named Ashton, or Ash for short. They met randomly, but Alice knew that she was a nice girl. Now, a couple of weeks later, Ash asked if Alice wanted to go on a ski trip. Normally, Alice wouldn't agree, but she decided that it was time that she got out of the house. She had asked Nikita if he wanted to go, and so their adventure began.
Now, Alice was staring out the window of the car, watching the hills go by. It was boring, but at the same time, amazing. She turned her head back to the front, looking over at Nikita. "How much longer again?" ​

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer​

Thanksgiving had been a complete mess. Her father was quite literally the worst cook on the face of the planet and Elle had no clue what she was doing either so they'd ended up calling their mother to talk them through everything. Sawyer's grandmother had been a little annoyed with the whole process but helped anyway. She was fairly certain the only reason Gran even helped was because Oliver had told her that Kate was coming. Gran was a complete sap and ever since she'd been informed about Grace she'd insisted on checking up on her and Sawyer at least every week, and she wasn't about to let her sons terrible cooking ruin it. But even with Gran's instructions and Sawyer's uncharacteristically meticulous planning, Thanksgiving with her girlfriend and girlfriend's mother had been a disaster. She would say it was awkward but that would be a terrible understatement. But Sawyer wanted to move past that not so good experience. Besides, Elle absolutely adored Grace and that was all that mattered to Sawyer in the end. The rest of her Thanksgiving break had been spent with Grace and in the gym her father had set up in their garage. She'd been attempting to force her father onto a workout schedule but it was like he refused to even attempt to try. So much for getting back in shape. Sawyer didn't need him anyway she could make use of the place all on her own.

When school rolled back into session Sawyer was less than happy with it. As much as she hated having nothing to do school was not a thing she counted as something. Besides the place was toxic 24/7. A complete cesspool. Her birthday came around a few days before Christmas break and Oliver and Elle bought her a new guitar, an instrument which she was stubbornly trying to teach herself, because the one she had was old and made for a 12-year-old. Sawyer had wanted to be a famous singer when she was younger and felt that learning some kind of instrument was required for that, but her father couldn't afford lessons and she was too scatter-brained to teach herself. This time would be different though. This time she was determined not to let her aunt and father's money go to waste collecting dust in the corner of her room. The highlight of her birthday though had been Grace, of course, she couldn't remember the last time she'd actually go out to celebrate her birthday. In fact, she was fairly certain she had never celebrated it with a girlfriend before. Grace was all adorable and cheesy though and insisted on taking her out to dinner, Sawyer had no problem with cheesy, at least not when it came to Grace. So after the disaster that was Thanksgiving, her birthday was a nice relief from Westbrook's evil clutches.

But now there was the ski trip.

As much as she would like to say she was excited this whole trip only seemed like they were throwing themselves into a closed battlefield. Sawyer had no doubt in her mind that something bad was bound to happen during this thing. But, she liked to ski and she liked the idea of getting away from Grace's demon mother for a little while, so her she was trying desperately to find her god damn keys. Her skis were lost to oblivion, she'd have to rent a pair when they got there, but her keys were not something she could go without. Sawyer almost turned her whole room upside down looking for the stupid things. It seemed she always lost everything she needed when she needed it.

Elle was standing in the doorway to her room kind of smirking at Sawyer as she rushed around her room in a frantic haze. Until she looked down at her phone, made a face as she typed something out and reached down to pat her pockets as she did so. Her keys were literally in her pocket. She could've sworn she checked them. Never the less, Sawyer was breezing out the door like so many times before with a wave to her father as she bounded out to her car, duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

After an admittedly speedy drive to Grace's house, Sawyer was smiling at her girlfriend as she climbed into the car and they pulled out of the driveway and away from Westbrook.

"Sayonara, losers!" Sawyer stuck her free hand out the window as she drove and flipped the bird at the town quickly disappearing behind them and turned to Grace after returning her hand safely into the vehicle, "I lost my skis. As you know from me complaining on Twitter. I really need to get better at keeping things organized." She tapped her fingers absentmindedly on the steering wheel to the beat of the music flowing through the speakers, "Um, I'm kind of on edge about this whole thing. The last thing we need in more tension than we've already had. Close quarters doesn't really seem too good to me right now.....except for with you, of course." She was talking entirely too fast, "Sorry, sorry, rambling. I'm just kinda nervous about shit happening and someone like...getting thrown off a ski lift or something."

Soap

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Casper​

Casper had ended up spending Thanksgiving alone with his parents, trying his best to navigate without someone to act as even a bit of a barrier.

This seemed to characterize the next few weeks of Casper’s life in general. He was used to being alone, but before now, he hadn’t known how to identify the near tangible loneliness that seemed to permeate his entire life. He couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he shouldn’t have stopped sitting with Aaron after all. Aaron had only grown more distant recently, wrapped up in a new friendship Casper hadn’t even noticed forming, and Casper was starting to wonder if he could even do anything to stop Aaron from pulling away- if he deserved to be able to- though if he wanted to was never even so much as a question.

That was his brother, after all.

When Stu had finally spoken to Casper again, he had been ecstatic, not even thinking before he said yes. It was only by some stroke of luck his brother wanted to go on the same trip, or else he may have had to call Stu back and apologetically tell him he couldn’t go, which would have, in Casper’s humble opinion, made everything suck at least a hundred times more.

However, now, in the car, Casper couldn’t help but wonder if maybe going was a mistake. Awkward. That’s how Casper felt. Was something going on that Casper didn’t know about? Did Stu not like him anymore? He fought the urge to lean against Stu, if only for his own comfort. After all, what would his father say if he did that?

Instead, he ended up leaning against the window, looking out it as he bit at his fingers, itching to draw.

It was nearly silent, and Casper was terrified of breaking that. The longer it went on, the more Casper bit his fingers, free hand eventually moving to play with his hair as he thought.

Stu speaking didn’t really help, if anything making Casper more nervous, especially with how he whispered.

The first time, he whispered back, “I don’t know.” The shrug that accompanied it was quicker than usual, perhaps looking as if he were shrugging Stu off by accident. Then, he pointed to the mountains, and Casper’s jaw went slack, eyes widening as he tugged harder at his hair.

And just like that, the silence was broken. Casper jumped a bit, tugging hard enough on his hair he winced, looking to Ash and smiling as she took some pictures, happy enough he didn’t even flinch when Jace snapped.

Ash kept talking, and though Casper barely knew her, he decided he liked her. Then, Theo, someone else Casper barely knew, was speaking, and Casper couldn’t help a giggle. Just like that, Casper was reassured that everything was going to be fine.

And then pictures were being taken!

To be honest, Casper wasn’t entirely clear on the reason he and Stu were on this trip- something about future stepsiblings, and… something. As far as he knew, Stu and Jace weren’t friends anymore, which the car’s atmosphere definitely supported, and Ash and Jace were siblings, but Ash seemed to like Stu anyways.

That didn’t matter much to Casper, though, because someone cute and nice was calling Casper adorable. He couldn’t help but smile, looking down with a blush as he nodded, scooting in for the picture.

Then, more pictures were taken, and Casper even got to take a picture of Ash and Stu, though it took a while, because Casper had to get a good one. Otherwise, he hadn’t served his purpose, had he?

He handed the phone back, satisfied with his work, and hummed, fingers going to drum against his knees as he listened to Ash speak, head resting against the seat. She mentioned bunk beds, and he perked up, glancing at Stu for a brief second before Theo spoke. They gave a quiet gasp, looking at Stu excitedly. They could share bunk beds!

Bunk beds had always intrigued Casper- those and canopy beds. There was just something about your space being encased in lace that made Casper feel… something. Of course, he’d never admit to that bit- Canopy beds were for girls.

Theo started speaking, and Casper looked forward to look at the back of his seat with interest.

Casper turned back to Stu, unsure how to respond to Theo, about to ask if maybe they could share a bed, when Ash continued speaking.

Immediately, Casper was uncomfortable. He shifted, trying not to let it show as he again looked out the window.

He listened to Stu and then Theo speak, and, desperate to change the topic, even for the worse, Casper said, “I’ve never shared a bed before. Me and my brother have different rooms, and... I don’t… have a lot of friends...” He trailed off, only realizing partway through just how pathetic that sounded. His dad would definitely be making fun of him right now. He tugged at the collar of his greyish pink sweater.

Winona Dede Maree​

 

[Winona]

Ava


This sucked.

She didn't want to go, but as soon as Ava's parents found out, it was destined to be another milk incident. So when JJ came to pick her up, Ava was begrudgingly on the sidewalk waiting with her backpack and her Nintendo Switch. She had woken up far too early because she may have waited to pack until the last minute, so now she was crankier than usual and looked like even more of a mess than usual. A huge oversized sweater, her curly hair pulled back in a loose ponytail with strands falling down around her face, sweatpants, and she had tried to come outside with no shoes, but a lecture from her mother meant she was wearing a pair of old sneakers.

As soon as JJ came up with her car, Ava was stomping over, tossing her things into the trunk, and then slinking over to the passenger seat to slide in, Nintendo Switch in her lap. And that was when Ava was informed about them picking up Zach, and even worse, Belle. Were they dating or something? Ugh. It was so disgusting. Surely they weren't, but even if they were it wasn't like Ava would care. Why would she care? She had no reason to care. Obviously. Ha.

Okay, so maybe she cared a little bit because if she had known that some stupid popular cheerleader and stupid mean Zach were coming, maybe Ava would have actually showered or brushed her hair. Not that she cared what either thought of her, but maybe... okay, so maybe she did kind of care what people thought of her. A very small bit. And as they pulled up, Ava could see Zach and Belle. And of course, stupid Belle looked absolutely perfect, as usual. And here Ava looked like she had just crawled out of a dumpster.

Ava slid farther down in her seat, knees resting on the dashboard in front of her as they pulled up to Zach's house to get both him and Belle. Wow. They even hung out together at his house. How gross. She pulled her hood up over her face and turned on her Switch so she could ignore everyone as they got on the road and actually headed for the ski resort. Although every now and again, Ava had figured out that if she scooted up just a bit and glanced at the rear view mirror, she could catch sight of Belle and Zach. They were disgusting. Holding hands in the backseat. Ugh. Ava just rolled her eyes, sliding back down.

She played MarioKart, determined to get good enough to beat JJ when they got around to that rematch. This time, there would be no teams to drag her down. Ava decided that she was better off on her own, especially since her last "teammate" had been arch nemesis Zach. There was no way that Ava could get someone to play with that was as good as him, and she'd be damned if she went crawling back to him after what she had said. Ava was far too proud for that.

Finally, she couldn't help herself as she looked over her shoulder, glaring in the backseat at the two of them. "So what? Are you two dating now or something? I thought you were dating Drake? And Zach I thought you were dating..." Ava paused for dramatic effect, "well, dating whatever broad happened to walk by."

Soap Maree Dazzle​

 

[Winona]

Jace


Why did his sister have to ask such awkward questions? Jace wasn't even sure how to respond, as a huge blush formed across his face at her horrible question about sharing beds. He looked out the window, unable to make eye contact with anyone knowing what Stu already thought, and what had happened with Theo. So he didn't respond to his little sister's question, instead looking down at his phone when it beeped... only to see it was a notification of Ash's post.

He winced a bit when Theo mentioned homophobia, and Jace didn't know why it bothered him so much. For the most part, he'd never worried about it and what people thought. Why would he have? He was a perfectly straight young man, obviously, who was all about those ladies and... whatever. Nova had proven that... right?

God, he still kind of missed Nova, but he was almost able to move past her just by hanging around Theo so much. He was a good friend and kind of pulled Jace's thoughts away from her but in a very platonic, friendship-y way. Yep. Definitely. God... maybe he should hunt down Grace and ask her questions again. She was obviously the queen of gay, so maybe she could help him figure it out. Maybe if he just stared at pictures of hot guys and girls, he'd get his answer.

Okay, he didn't answer. Wasn't gay. Duh. Obviously. He couldn't be gay. End of story.

"Ash, does that mean Stu can choose our rooms?" Finally, he turned around in his seat to look back at his little sister, but he tried to ignore Stu and Casper. God, he still felt bad about bringing the little dude into the hostage mess. Anyway, yes, the two had their own "rooms" that they had picked out as small kids when their grandparents first purchased the place.

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

Ash


This trip was going better than expected, at least in Ash's opinion. Stu and Casper couldn't have been sweeter while they played along with her and took pictures. Yeah. Ash could totally get behind this new brother thing. She'd always wanted a younger sibling, and Stu was perfect. He was sweet, and his eyes lit up at the mention of getting to choose his room, and he actually took pictures with her and tried to smile. Stupid Jace. He could learn a few things from this new brother.

Ash listened as all the boys gave their opinions on sharing beds, and her heart broke a little bit when she heard Casper. "Hey Casper, you have friends now. You got Stu, and like, I'll be your friend." She said, offering the kid a sweet smile before she looked back at Stu, and then at Theo. Well then. "Bunk beds are still cooler. Stu's right. They have ladders and you can't beat that... except for when you hit your head on the ceiling. That sucks." Still, sleeping high up like that was fun.

She rolled her eyes at Jace's comment as everything came back full circle to who got to pick rooms first. "If he wants to, Jace, then yes he can. You don't deserve to pick a room first. Only good brothers pick rooms first." Ash said and stuck her tongue out at her brother, who just rolled his eyes in response at her childish behavior.

"I am a good brother!" Jace whined.

"Nope. Remember that time you dropped your ant colony in my bed sheets and didn't tell me?" She asked, eyes narrowed at Jace as she crossed her arms over her chest. By the look on his face, he did remember. "I still haven't forgiven you for that. Stu doesn't drop ants in my bed, and he nicely takes pictures with me. And his friends are adorable and sweet." She added. "So they get first pick of the rooms." Which just earned a huff from Jace as he turned back around.

"And Theo, you can choose afterwards but let's be honest. Did you really want to let Jace drive? We would've been dead already." Ash joked, although it was the truth. Her brother was horrible.

Maree Dede mikaluvkitties​

 

[Kipsy]

Jaehwa

Mood: Happy | Interacting with: Tristian | Mentions: Maree

Stiffening, Jaehwa swallowed audibly. Bite? There was no denying it: Tristian was indeed flirting with him. He couldn't believe it. Someone was actually interested. No... Surely Tristian was drunk. Or high. Or influenced in some way or another. It was utterly impossible for anyone to actually like him that way, right? Right.

But to bite. "I don't know. I don't know. Maybe?" he managed to say, embarrassed. Stupid. He should've just stayed silent. Stupid stupid stupid. "Nevermind. That was uncalled for. Ignore me." Shaking his head, he shuffled out of the cafe, staring pointedly at his feet. He hoped he hadn't just overthought things. But, then again, that was what he was known for doing, whether he liked to admit it or not.

Jaehwa hesitated only a moment before taking Tristian's hand, a smile somehow coming easily to him. He swung their intertwined hands back and forth playfully, enjoying the calm serenity that enveloped them as they walked. He almost was upset when it was interrupted with a question. Almost.

"Besides theater? I'm an awkward nobody. Don't play sports, rarely go to parties, and I... Jeez I'm lame, aren't I?" He laughed, trying to think of something else he did for fun. "I dabbled in some online roleplay stuff a while ago. I don't think I was very good but I enjoyed it." Deciding he himself wasn't interesting enough, he switched the conversation around, looking up at Tristian with doe-eyes. "What about you? What are you into?"

It didn't take much longer for Jaehwa to see where they were going. The sky was painted a brilliant tangerine with purples starting to bloom around the edges. It reflected marvelously on the water. He watched as Tristian laid out a blanket, a bubbly feeling in his stomach. This time he didn't hesitate, sitting down beside the other male and allowing himself to be embraced.

"Worth it?" Jaehwa repeated, pretending to be in deep thought. "It definitely was." He nuzzled against Tristian's side, wrapping his arms around his torso. "Thank you for taking me out here, really. This makes my day a whole lot better. I really appreciate it."

code by Ri.a

 

[Dazzle]

Zach


Zach was excited to get to the mountain for a weekend of snowboarding. JJ had offered to drive so he was happy to ride along. He hadn't exactly told anyone that Belle was coming, and definitely didn't tell Belle that he wasn't driving. Knowing everything that had happened before she moved to Westbrook. He mentioned it to JJ that morning so no one could back out last minute. JJ tried to tell him no, but after begging and pleading with her she did give in.

Zach watched as the car pulled into his drive way, he had to fight Belle out the front door his hand grasped around her wrist dragging her to the car. "Come on. You'll be fine, have I done you wrong yet?" Zach winked at Belle as he opened the door for her nodding for her to get in.

"Hello there Avalon." Zach leaned towards the passenger seat whispering in Ava's ear. "Didn't think you could do any sport." He smirked sitting down in the middle seat.

Zach could feel the blood circulation being cut off from the rest of his arm, her nails digging into his arm. "Dear god, you really are nervous." He whispered into Belle's ear.

They had both been talking quietly till he heard Ava pipe up, in Ava fashion of course. Zach just had to laugh, shaking his head. "I'm single, if thats what you're asking Ava." He nudged Belle. "What are you playing there." He craned his neck to see what Ava was doing.

Winona Maree

Carter


Carter some how became the DD of the weekend, at least she knew once they were at the mountain she wouldn't have any need to drive anywhere. Carter of course had offered to drive Mason and Drake, but taking Drake meant taking his crowd and she wasn't prepared for what she had signed up for.

At this point the amount of people she had needing a ride, that Drake had promised to them without asking Carter first, she needed to borrow her mothers mini van. Carter wasn't even sure why her mother had bought one, considering Carter was her only child. Carter kinda thought that her mother had hoped that she would have more children, better children than Carter.

It was early enough that Carter's parents were still sleeping, she took the keys swinging her backpack over her shoulder. She had packed her board and helmet the night before. She was pretty sure everyone she was going with didn't have their own equipment, but made space for everyone's luggage.

She hated driving the mini van. It wouldn't go over 75 without beeping constantly at her. All of its safety features put in place by her mother was the most annoying part of driving the vehicle. Besides the fact that it was an ugly mini van. She would rather be in her little subaru, at least she could go 90 like it was nothing. All she wanted was to get to the mountain as fast as possible so she wouldn't be stuck with Drake and all of his mistfits in a car for 3 hours.

Carter pulled up to Mason's house, finding the two boys already outside surrounded by luggage and the rest of the crew. Carter rolled down her window resting her arm on the side of the door. "Get in losers. We're going skiing." She smirked, happy to see Raven had decided to join on this adventure. Maybe the car ride wouldn't be the worst. As long as Mason or Raven got shotgun..

Winona mikaluvkitties Soap ​

 

[Winona]

Mason


When he'd originally agreed to drive up with Carter and Drake, he'd assumed that it would just be the three of them, and no more. But then Drake said that Aaron would be going along because he had to because of Casper. And alright, Aaron was a little weird and not his favorite friend of Drake's, but fine whatever. Maybe Aaron would keep him quiet on the ride up. But then Drake also added in that Maisie was definitely going. And then somehow, Raven got jostled in, and now Mason felt like he was waiting at a bus stop with the band of children and Raven standing all around him outside of their apartment.

Drake had been talking everyone's ear off about who the fuck knew what, and Mason was thankful when Carter pulled up. While he was loading things into the back, Raven tried to make her way to the front. Mason was a little annoyed that he'd have to sit in the back with Drake and his friends, but then his brother did the best thing ever.

He walked up and slid into the passenger seat before Raven could, and it took all of Mason's self control to not break down in laughter right there as he closed the back of the van and motioned for Aaron and Maisie to get into the very back, and then he climbed into the second row of seats, right behind Carter.

"Looks like Drake kinda stole your chance right there," he said quietly to Raven as she got in beside him, an amused grin on his face. "Wanna bet on how long it'll be before Carter kicks him out of the front?"

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

Drake


Could snowmen ski? That was Drake's one-sided topic of conversation until Carter had pulled up. He'd been questioning whether or not a snowman could ski or snowboard, because if water people could swim, then surely snow people could do that. And then he started questioning why there weren't snow people. Like mermaids that were half fish, half human. Why didn't snow have an equally amazing counterpart? Or maybe they did, and they were like evolved mermaids and either arfed around like seals, or were penguins from the waist down. Drake then decided that both would be horrible creations, and should also just be murdered and that that was surely why snow people didn't exist. And then he was sad for a moment at the extinction of a race.

Luckily Carter had pulled up. Drake was quick to throw his things in the back and then start hopping his way towards the front, smiling when he saw Raven had even nicely opened the door for him! "Wow, Raven, thanks so much! You're so sweet. How did you know I was sitting up here?" He asked with a laugh, and slid into the front seat, slamming the door after him before he buckled up, and then turned to Carter, practically bouncing in his seat in excitement.

"Are you ready for this? I'm ready for this. I even have a playlist titled 'Fun Time with Carter' for this entire ride. Three hours of different songs about having fun because me and you are going to have such a great time!" He said with a huge grin, and finger gunned at Carter as everyone got in the car, and then they started off down the road.

Drake was off and running in just a matter of minutes. The first song on his playlist came on, and Drake couldn't hold it back. "When the working day is done, oh girrlllss, they wanna have funn!" He sang at the top of his lungs in a slightly off key manner, before a thought hit him. "Why isn't there one about guys? Like as a proud man, I can tell you that I also just wanna have fun, but nooo. I'm expected to like work and support a family. But what if I just wanna have some fun?" He asked, wiggling his finger very sassily.

"Hey have you ever stuck your head out of the car window like a dog? Oh my god it's the best even though dogs are absolutely evil." Drake said, grinning as he rolled down the window and stuck his head out, and then his arms and the upper part of his chest, while yelling at the top of his lungs about, well, girls wanting to have fun.

Dazzle Soap mikaluvkitties​

 

[Maree]

Belle Taylor

Mood: Death is coming| Interacting with: Zach, Ava
Mentions: Dazzle Winona Soap

Why did Zach have to be so strong? It wasn't fair. He dragged Belle out of his house like it was nothing. She thought she would be safe if she sat down on his couch and refused to move. But no. He just picked her up and carried her till they got to the front door. Then she thought maybe just maybe if she clung to the doorframe he wouldn't be able to move her. Also no. As soon as he got ahold of her wrist she was done for, he dragged her over to the car.

She looked up at him visibly unimpressed. "No, but there's a first time for everything" she grumbled. Then begrudgingly got into the car after Zach gave her the look. Why couldn't she have just driven them up? It would have been much better than having to deal with Tweedledum and Tweedledee. There was also a much smaller chance of a terrible death her way. But no. For god knows what reason they had to go up with those two.

Every time JJ drove slightly sketchy or hit the break too hard Belle squeezed Zach's hand. She didn't squeeze lightly either. For a small girl, she had a lot of force in her hards. Her nails digging it probably didn't help either. She turned to glare at him as he made a comment about her being nervous. "No shit Sherlock" she whispered back. Despite her sarcasm, she stopped digging her nails in and loosened her grip slightly. "What happened to liking it rough?" she whispered, a small smirk playing on her lips.

Belle looked at the front when Ava spoke to see her glaring at them. Woah, who shit in her cornflakes? It wasn't like she wanted to be their either. When she questioned if Zach and she were dating she couldn't help but giggle. "Us? We are like polar opposites when it comes to relationships" she laughed. Jeez was this girl jealous or something? Oh god had she gotten into a car with one of Zach's groupies? It seemed pretty obvious at least to her that she and Zach were just good friends.

"As for Drake. We are a thing but not dating. If that makes sense?" she said with a small smile. Why hadn't she had just gone with Drake instead of this torture? Oh yeah. Because that meant putting up with Mason for three hours. And that was even worse than putting up with Ava and JJ.

Belle released Zach from her grip for a moment in order to pull her switch from her bag. She poked him in the sensitive part of his side before smiling innocently. "Wanna play? Give your hand a break from me breaking it" she joked. A distraction from JJ's questionable driving would be great. Besides Zach got her into this mess the least he could so would be to play some games with her.

code by Ri.a

 

[Soap]

Grace

This past month hasn't been great. Most of it had been spent with Sawyer. And, well, Belle. She didn't really have any one on one moments with Ash in a while. Cheerleading practice wasn't a lot to go on, and she'd... be lying if she said she didn't want to talk to her again. This was probably the longest they'd ever gone without talking and it killed her. Putting her problems aside with Ash. Thanksgiving was a nightmare. Her mother said she'd 'try.'

But that didn't help the glares she'd thrown Sawyer, or worse, her aunt. Who probably gave her more compliments than her girlfriend and her friends combined. Elle was extremely sweet and everything didn't bother her as much when Grace talked to her. If Elle was well, gay, and okay. Why can't Grace be? Simple as that. Even if it was a disaster, this was better than not having either of them at all. It's her mom. And... then it's the only person she'd ever loved. But of course she couldn't blame everything on her mother, it was clear Kate was hurting too and it was because David had left. It hurt her too. She missed June, and David. They were just starting to be like, maybe, an... actual family. It sounds stupid. She knows that. But was it really so much to ask for?

Believe it or not. Grace was on twitter. Something she'd usually tried to restrain from considering she ends up as the main topic for them to gossip about. But she couldn't help but not lurk, especially not when Ash had started posting. Grace wanted to ignore it all together, but Ash seemed... totally fine. And that bothered her more than she would want to admit. Ash was flirting, and laughing, and genuinely enjoying herself online, posting pictures and the whole thing.

Maybe she never really needed Grace in the first place. But then again, who did? It was probably most of her feelings and the fact she'd ignored her previous comment, which, yes, was a little aggressive, and she continued to provoke the other blonde. It ended in hurtful words and some weren't even from Ash herself. She stared at Kanen's tweet probably a little longer than was deemed necessary and some would say she was probably just torturing herself re-reading the same message over and over again as if that'd suddenly change it, or change the truth that she might've believed from it. "Your... friend is outside." Her mother had told her, and it's clear what 'friend' she was talking about.

Turning off her phone with a sigh. Who needs twitter anyway? Social media was worse than a lot of things. And Grace always knew it, better off to not use it at all. Saying goodbye to her mother and heading towards her 'friend's' car. Throwing her bag into the back of Sawyer's car and managed a smile at her girlfriend, chuckling at her antics to WestBrooks goodbye for now. It was nice to get out of town for awhile, and Kate was weirdly okay with it. Maybe everything that went down with David messed up her judgement or something. But Grace wasn't complaining. She was okay with permission to take a break from this place. Even if she felt a little guilty leaving her mom right now.

"It's okay, I have a whole system at keeping things organized. I'll teach you." It was only a semi-joke. She leaned over and turned down the music to pay attention to Sawyer when she started rambling, and Grace squashed an amused smile as she listened. She shook her head and took a hold of her free hand. "Don't apologize for being nervous, I am too. This month has sucked." Raising her hand to her lips and placing a light kiss on top of it. "But who cares about all of that. We get to have a vacation, and close quarters with each other. Everyone else be damned." Grace wiggled her eyebrows and sighed.

"There won't be anyone falling off, or getting thrown off of ski lifts, or whatever you got going on in that pretty, amazing, and smart, little head of yours. It'll be fine. I promise." She played with the ring on her finger. It would be fine. Promises and them worked out perfectly.

KingofAesir

​

 

[Sook]

Wanda
Kipsy

Melissa went on to tell her that she wouldn't really know the city very well as she didn't get out much, which made her kind of excited "Well that just means we can get lost together instead of alone." Wanda had to admit, she was kind of pleased about the prospect of staying in one spot for a couple years because it did have it's benefits. She could form proper relationships with others, rather than staying somewhere a week or a month and then being ripped away from everyone she'd met. She still had a couple long distance friendships, but they were really long distance now that she had moved across the globe. It worked out with them simply because they lived in places her father had commonly done runs for, like Sydney and newcastle. She even had an ex girlfriend in Sydney. Funny enough, her name was Sydney too! She'd used to see her for about a fortnight at a time then head out on the road again. Eventually she'd just gotten sick of it, and the final straw was when 15 year old Wanda had said she was planning on becoming a truckie like her father.

Before she had even begun to wonder down that train of thought, she heard Melissa return with her milk and let her know her food would soon follow. Wanda couldn't help but feel a little bit special with all the attention she was getting. She could see customers around her still waiting for their table water. After a fairly short wait her food was presented to her. Wanda grinned and rubbed her hands together like a cartoon character. As if on cue her stomach growled loudly. She expected the female to leave again but she stopped to talk, which was a pleasant surprise.

She grinned and said "You just can't beat the flavor they create " She said "When I was growing up, my dad loved chilly. He even made his own hot sauce! I guess I just got used to it" She said, talking about her dad like he was sitting at home waiting for her "I bet I could make something you would like, I'm not a bad cook myself"

 

[Dede]

Neck Tie

Putting an ant colony in Ash’s bed? That sounded just cruel and immature, but he could totally see Jace doing that to his little sister. Not to mention it was cruel to the ants, who had their house destroyed for Jace’s childish pleasures. They were all probably sprayed and killed after the joke was over. Neck Tie had never hurt an ant on purpose, though he’d probably flattened a few in his locker whenever he deposited his heavy textbooks in a hurry.

Neck Tie didn’t really care if he got first dibs on the rooms. It wasn’t such a big deal where they slept, as long as it wasn’t in the same room as crummy Jace and Theo. He would have liked to sleep in the top bunk though, if Casper didn’t want it. But he guessed he could sleep in the bottom one too. There was just something inherently cool about climbing up a ladder for a kip. The last time he slept in a bunk bed was when he travelled with his football team to Cornwall, but even then he didn’t get to sleep in the top bunk because Tom wanted it more badly than he did.

Of course Theo wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with another boy. He and Jace had probably already shared beds many times since Thanksgiving. He would hardly be surprised if Jace turned up pregnant one day. It was theoretically possible since Jace didn’t have balls and wasn’t a man at all.

Neck Tie decided that the mature thing to do would be to just ignore Theo and his snarky comments completely. They just weren't worth his attention. Theo was a monumental asshole, that much had already been established, so why should Neck Tie let his stupid words get to him? If Neck Tie was going to be stuck on this trip, he might as well try to see the fun side of it. He had never gone skiing ever before in his life, so there was plenty of excitement for him to look forward to. He did hope that his friend would have more experience than he did in this winter sport: ‘Casper, have you ever gone skiing before?’ he asked.

His ears popped a few times as the car hugged its way up the mountain. Finally the great cabin came into view:

Judging by the lack of cars, they must have been the first to arrive. The cabin looked stunning. Surrounded by pines and sitting on top of a handsome hill, it was a perfect spot from which to view the dramatic slopes of Saddleback Mountain. The day was perfect day too, without a single cloud in the blue sky. Neck Tie stepped out of the car into the ankle-deep snow, dragging his feet in the snow like a penguin. Forget skiing, he crouched down and rolled up a ball of snow and hurled it at Casper. He gasped because it smacked the back of Casper’s head, almost too accurately. They could play in the snow all day, maybe build a snowman. He also threw a snowball at Ash, but this time making sure he didn’t aim for the head.

When he was done having a bit of fun, Neck Tie went round the trunk of the car and pulled out Ash’s luggage, and then Casper’s, and then his own, carrying them one by one to the porch, where he waited for Ash to arrive with the keys. ‘This is really cool,’ he told her, ‘Do you really get to come up here every year? You’re so lucky!’

The porch was ideal for a BBQ, and he’d heard they were doing something like that tomorrow. The hot tub out front looked great, if not a little worn down, but he hoped it still worked. He couldn’t wait to see what was inside the house, in fact he was cupping his hands to peer in through the window to get an early glimpse. He wondered which room Casper and he were going to agree on, hopefully they'd find one with a great view of the mountains.

mikaluvkitties Maree Winona

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer​

Grace was right. Of course Grace was right, Sawyer couldn't remember the last time Grace had been wrong about something. No matter what grievances or worries Sawyer had her girlfriend always seemed to be able to fix them. Since she had started dating Grace it had been like she wasn't worried about anything any more. A simple "it'll be okay" from Grace was all she needed to melt her worries away. It was as if it was magic. With her worries about the ski trip dissipated, Sawyer was able to let herself be excited about the trip.

A smile found it's way onto her face as she sucked in a breath and squeezed Grace's hand in hers. There wasn't anything she would rather be doing right now. Time away from Westbrook with her girlfriend, somewhat alone, was a god send. Sawyer absolutely despised their town and the people in it. Grace's mother was almost equivalent with a demon in Sawyer's eyes, though she supposed that the woman was trying and Sawyer had to give her the benefit of the doubt for that. But that didn't excuse the things that she'd put Grace through. Or the fact that the woman downright refused to call Sawyer Grace's girlfriend. She was getting kind of tired of being called a friend. The inflection on friend was even more annoying. Sawyer knew Kate didn't like her, but pretending she wasn't what she was did absolutely nothing. Of course then there was the rest of the parents in Westbrook. Somehow Sawyer was blessed enough to have the dad that she did because god damn some of their friends had insane parents. Ash's mother was the most annoying in her eyes, that woman was Satan incarnate. So, Sawyer was glad to be away from all of that, at least for a little while.

"You're right." Sawyer kind of chuckled, "You're like always right, it's weird." She thought for a moment, her head cocking to the side as a question popped into her head, "Hey, who all is supposed to be coming? I...uh...I haven't seen Natalie in like three weeks." Sawyer knew is probably wasn't too smart to mention her pregnant ex girlfriend at this moment but...she was worried. It wasn't like she had completely lost all care for Natalie, because she hadn't. No matter how much Sawyer would like to pretend that she wouldn't give a damn if Natalie dropped off the face of the planet, she did. The girl was almost three months pregnant at this point for god sake.

"I'm kinda worried about her." Sawyer bit at the bottom of her lip, "It's just...ugh...I don't know she's pregnant and I just feel bad." She glanced over at Grace for a split second before focusing her eyes back on the road, "Never mind. I don't know what I'm trying to say. Shouldn't have brought her up at all." And and she shouldn't have. There wasn't any reason she should be concerning herself with Natalie's well being....and yet. No. No. Stop. Not worried about Natalie. She's fine.

Soap

 

[The_Omega_Effect]

Nikita Romanov
"Although there are difficulties as you never get any help from anybody so you are pretty much left to fend for yourself, you are right about it teaching me adulthood. I also think its a good thing to be as independent as possible. I don't really like...depending on people." Nikita listened to her continue on with the situation her family is in, with him trying to chip in here and there. "I mean at the end of the day it is up to you to decide whether you being annoyed or sad is worth someone you love being happy. Its not that difficult to make friends...I know its rich coming from a lonely person like me but it becomes simpler once you understand the way people tend to interact." He honestly had no idea what the problem was in her family. Her mother wanted her to get friends and become social, whereas other parents were busy convincing their children to drop their terrible friends and start studying more. From the information he had gathered so far, this little conflict was being caused entirely by Alice herself. But he did not want to make and rash judgements so far. He had limited knowledge after all. Even if he had a valid conclusion, he wouldn't interfere in her life. He was only "friends" with her up until now. He gave a brief farewell to her as she rushed out of the library, leaving as quick as she came in.
Ω
Nikolai's life had been pretty uneventful. Just as it had been before thanksgiving. Making a single new friend didn't really do much to change that. He went through the material at his own rate, slowly but surely catching up to the students who seemed to be progressing through the syllabus at a snail's pace for now. Weeks after Thanksgiving, Alice had asked Nikita if he wanted to come along with her and her friend to a ski trip. Although he enjoyed skiing as a fun activity to do once every few years or so, he was note sure whether doing it with other people would be a good idea. Living alone was tiring however, meaning that he needed a break of some sort. Might as well give the whole "being social" thing a try. On the way there, Nikita did not really pay much attention to anything as he waited for them to reach their destination. He was pretty much drifting in and out of sleep when he heard someone ask how much longer it'd take to get there. Nikita slowly turned his head and realized that the question was somewhat directed at him. "I don't know. Never been there before."
Interactions: A Little Cloud ​

 

[A Little Cloud]

A L I C E

STATUS
Mood ~ Excited
Interacting with ~ Nikita
Mentions ~ The_Omega_Effect
Alice blinked, looking at Nikita. She didn't understand for a second, then she sighed. Of course. He's new, so he never knew. "Oh..." She turned back to her friend, smiling weakly. "Well, we'll see soon." Alice turned her attention back to the street, scolding herself for getting distracted. One second of talking, and we could all be dead! No, no. Don't think about that. Alice gripped the steering wheel, looking around for any signs of the cabin. "It should be appearing soon." Alice did notice that they were the only car on the street. She sighed. Well, everyone else is having a nice time. Skiing should be fun. Well, I've never done it before. But maybe Nikita has. Alice turned her head slightly, keeping her eyes on the road. "Nikita?" She waited until she got his attention. "Have you gone skiing before?"

A couple of seconds after Alice asked the question, the big cabin came into view. Alice gawked at the size and beauty. She parked the car near the other one, glaring at the ice on the ground. She opened the door and climbed out. Opening the trunk, Alice grunted as the lifted out her luggage. She considered getting out Nikita's but decided that he would be able to handle it himself. Alice dragged her luggage through the snow, looking around at the big cabin. "Well," she turned to smile at Nikita. "Here we are!" Her smile faded a bit when she saw other people playing around in the snow, but she shook her head. Of course, there are people here. We're never going to be alone. Alice opted out of playing in the snow and headed towards the door.​