Realistic or Modern Westbrook

[Elf_Ruler]

Tatum made it to her class on time and sat through quietly she honestly hated being in her classes and she hated the ever dreadful lunch hour. When lunch rolled around she sighed already knowing she hated being in the cafeteria. She dodged past other students not paying any attention to the ones she passed and made her way into the girls room. She didn't always eat in there but the first day back from break was one of the rare occasions for her to hide out in a stall. She was looking at the stalls and saw one was occupied, "Shit," she muttered under breath because she hated hiding out when someone else was in a stall.

She stood in front of one of the sinks in the bathroom staring at herself. She was considering whether or not she should leave the area or just suck it up and hide out like she had planned until lunch period was over. Her nails tapped the sink letting out a small noise while she thought. The girl was taking forever in the stall which made Tatum question what she was doing because there were no sounds or smell coming from the stall.

Interaction(s): Open
Mention(s): Winona (Ava)

 

[Kipsy]

Jaehwa

Mood: Tired | Interacting with: Vanden ( Direct Timing )

Jaehwa pouted when the bottle was taken from his grasp but wound up smiling again anyway. "Yeah, people are leaving and I'm tired," he said, feeling a bit like a child. That irked him, so he straightened his posture and took in a deep breath. "We can stay, though, if you want to. The fire isn't out yet, anyway." But Vanden agreed with him, and soon enough they were walking away from the flickering flames and back out onto the street.

Vanden jogged off. A sigh left Jaehwa's lips and he once again tried to pick up his pace. He grinned when he saw Vanden coming back, thinking maybe he was going to walk alongside him for once. What he didn't expect was for Vanden to offer him a ride on his back. "Oh, I'm okay. It's all healed up, just aches a bit and I don't like moving it too much." Since Vanden insisted, though--got down on his knees and everything--Jaehwa couldn't find it in him to say no.

Wrapping his arms and legs around Vanden, Jaehwa was surprised at how easily he lifted him up. It was embarrassing, being carried around so effortlessly like this, yet he couldn't find it in him to complain. He tensed as Vanden broke off into a sprint, worried he might fall at some point, but the other male was able to hold him up without an issue. At Vanden's request, Jaehwa reached into his back pocket and pulled out the keycard, handing it to him.

"Sure, I can stick around... to watch t.v.," he said, voice slurring a bit towards the end as he laughed. "Some Family Feud or Simpsons, maybe." He paused, shifting a little on Vanden's back. "You can put me down now; I'm losing all feeling in my legs," he chuckled, shaking his head against Vanden's shoulders.

code by Ri.a

 

[Direct Timing]

As Vanden opened the door he went over and stood in front of the bed. After doing an about face he fell backwards onto Jaehwa with a laugh. He rolled off of the smaller boy reaching for the remote on the night stand. He turned on the TV and waited for it to come up. "Dude, we need snacks. I am fucking starving. Wait, do they have room service here? Hand me that brochure thingy." Vanden took it and flipped through the little booklet. "Aww yeah, room service! Jae, are you hungry? I'm about to order everything on this menu." The food finally arrived after what seemed like an eternity. Vanden payed and tipped out of the little bit of money he had left. There was a scary movie on called The Babadook and the two boys watched it while they ate. Vanden was actually getting scared and subconsciously scooted a litter closer to Jaehwa. "Holy shit man, this movie is freaking me out." Vanden admitted staring at the TV.

After the movie had finished Vanden looked over at Jaehwa. "Now we have to look in the closet and underneath the bed to make sure there is nothing there. Uh, you go check the closet, and I'll check under the bed. Vanden got out of bed and looked underneath the bed. There was nothing under there but dust bunnies, a few lost pennies, and a single Cheetos which had went from its dark orange color to a more faded yellowish color. "Nothing under here Jae, what did you find?" He said looking over the bed. Once they determined the room was safe for sleep Vanden took off his jacket and tossed it onto a chair. He kicked off his shoes and socks. "You're welcome to crash here if you want. This bed will hold two." Vanden decided to leave his clothes on because the room was cold. He crawled underneath the covers and looked at the alarm clock before laying his head on the pillow. "CRAP. I have to get up in like two hours to catch the bus..."



Interactions: Kipsy

 

[PenguinFox]

​

Ian's eyes dropped to the ground as Ash stormed off. Not quite the words he was expecting but it still wasn't good. It almost seemed like she was only mad about Nova and not mad at Ian at all. Again though, that didn't make it all hurt any less. "Well that could have gone a lot better." he muttered to himself. He'd have to give Ash some time to process this and then talk to her about it again. He'd also have to learn when to keep his big mouth shut.

After the incident Ian went and found Nova and Sierra and they spent the rest of New Year's off in a quiet corner together. At midnight the couple shared a New Years kiss and soon later they all headed off to bed. They all had gotten up early to head out. Given that she had taken a cab up Sierra insisted on Nova carpooling with her and Ian back home.

Before he knew it it was time for Ian to head back to school. Sierra still had some time before she had to head back to college so she dropped her brother off at school that morning. She wasn't about to let him skate when it was still winter out. As they pulled up Sierra looked to her brother. "I'm sure Ash will eventually get over it, and if not she's not really a good friend anyway. Give her time though. Now get out of my car." she gave him a wide grin as she shoved his shoulder. "Go. Learn things. Get good grades. Be a nerd." she laughed as the boy got out, a grin also on his face. "Later loser!" she called as she began to drive off. Ian gave his sister a wave.

The day seemed to drag on slowly and Ian could barely pay attention to anything that was going on. To be fair, it seemed the teachers couldn't really either. First day back was rough everyone, not just the students. Mostly the blonde teenager kept his head down and made notes in his song journal. He wasn't a bad student, in fact he could do really well, if he ever actually put any effort in. The simple fact was he just didn't care enough. He only ever did the bare minimum to get by.

Finally, after what felt like forever of sitting in that physics class it was time for lunch. As Ian stepped into the cafeteria he looked around. He could see all the various groups beginning to form. While he had many options on where to sit open to him due to the various friend groups he had inserted himself into he just wasn't feeling it today. It was good to be alone sometimes and he was still kind of drained from the trip. He picked an empty table by a wall and tossed his backpack onto it as he sat down. "I'm not caffeinated enough for this today..." he said to himself pulling out the song notebook again. He opened it to the newest page and stared at it for a long while. The green eyed boy leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the chair next to him as he thought of where to go next with this song. It was incredibly cheesy in his mind and he would never admit it out loud but for the first time he was writing a song for someone. His mind wandered to Nova as his fingers slowly made chords on the table, each note clear to him in his head as if it were actually being played. After a while he nodded to himself and wrote down a couple of chord notes before repeating the process again. He was so much in his own world that he had forgotten to get anything to eat. After a few minutes of the imaginary playing and note taking he scanned over the page again, a slight frown forming on his face. He hated it.

Open to interaction
Mentions: Winona txlos

 

[txlos]

​

The excitement of the new year had come and gone, and before long, school was back in session. Nova and spent the day before returning to school making sure that any and all Jace memorabilia had been removed from her closet, dresser, picture frames, etc. They were put into a bag and thrown in the corner of her new room's closet, and while it may have stung a little, it wasn't something that the girl was going to dote over for too long. After all, Ian was wonderful guy, a caring and talented guy, who seemed to really like her. So perhaps this was more of a 'one door closes, another one opens' sort of deal.

If only the long and grueling world of high school worked as fluidly as her break-up had. AP courses and reacquainting with Westbrook's dynamic was proving to be exhausting. People had been giving her odd looks all day, some whispering about her disappearance while others couldn't have cared less. Still, it was slightly picking at the brunette's skin that she had to relearn the ins and outs of a high school she had already gone through. As lunch rolled around, Nova quickly bee-lined from her locker, shoved in her books, then hurried to the lunch room. At least she could finally see Ian now, and maybe a few others that she knew and actually got along with.

Upon entering the cafeteria, hazel eyes quickly scanned over the bustling room, teenagers laughing and passing phones, others silently doing homework, however there was one in the back corner that, even while silent and brooding, still stood out to the petite musician. Her blonde boyfriend was sat with long legs propped onto a seat next to him, his back leaned comfortably against his chair with a notepad laid out in front of him. His calloused fingers tapped thoughtfully against the worn fold out table, thick brows furrowed as she watched the chords work out in his brain. It still amazed her how music seemed to effortlessly flow through Ian's brain and onto paper, a skill she herself was still trying to work out. While he was distracted, Nova crept around the back of his table, silently moving behind him before slipping her hands in front of his face. "A new hit single in the works?" Nova whispered in his ear before pecking a kiss to his cheek and taking the seat beside him. A bright smile comfortably rested against her rose lips as doe eyes brightened, simply happy to be near her boyfriend again.

PenguinFox

 

[Winona]

Keisha


Wow, feisty. Redheads always were. That's what made them so hot. Keisha raised an eyebrow, letting this girl go off in her sassy way as she'd learned to do over the years. It was pointless to try and stop someone like this, so she just sat with a little smirk on her face, eating her apple until the redhead seemed to be finished. Keisha set the half eaten apple down, popping open the top of her milk. "You done?" She asked, taking a long sip of the chocolate milk that tasted, well, watered down.

"You look more approachable than those fake bitches sitting out there," -- she gestured towards the cheerleaders' table -- "like no fucking duh this is school, but guess what? You can graduate without good grades." Keisha placed her hands on other side of her face and made a little mind blown movement, and then dropped her hands back to the table.

"Anyway, I'm Keisha. New kid." She explained with a heavy sigh. "You're kinda hot when you yell. Bet everyone gets you riled up just to get turned on, am I right?"

Dazzle

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

Jace


His quiet moping was destroyed by a young girl stepping into the room. He took in a deep breath, swallowing the near sobs that clawed at his throat as he leaned forward from his slouched position. She stepped towards him and he looked at her quizzically, and perhaps with some worry, as she pulled out a notepad and scribbled something out. Jace didn't have long to wonder what the heck was going on before she showed him the piece of paper with delicate words.

Jace leaned forward, squinting his eyes to read the paper, and then nodded his head as he leaned back. "Oh, uh... yeah, knock yourself out." He said, gesturing towards the piano in the corner. He started to close his eyes, but then realized what he said, and his eyes shot back open, a worried look his face. "N-not l-literally. Don't uh... d-don't just... y'know..." he stuck his tongue out like he was a dead person. A corpse. Someone knocked out. Oh god he was making this so much worse.

"Stay alive." Jace ordered, perhaps too aggressively, and then he started to worry if he sounded like a serial killer or something. Fuck. This was a mess, and just another reason to leave. And now he missed his beanie, and how he could pull it down over his eyes to cover his face and hide from the world like a turtle.

Gomenesigh

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

Ava


Someone else had come in, and Ava was totally prepared to just kick back and wait for her to leave. But then... the other girl didn't, and it sounded like she was standing by the sink. Well this was absolutely awkward. What the hell was she supposed to do? Sure, Ava didn't exactly have any reputation to uphold, but she did have a reputation of not being a bathroom stall hider. Only really weird pathetic kids did that! And... now Ava was one of them. Oh my god. This was the worst school year ever.

Finally, it was obvious that this other girl wasn't leaving. So Ava stood up, using her boot to flush the toilet as if she'd actually used it, and then stepped out of the stall. She glanced towards the girl for a moment, and then stepped towards the sink, clearing her throat. "Uh, can I..." she gestured towards it, waiting for her to step aside before Ava stepped forward to wash her hands.

"Are you, ah... new?" Was it normal to make small talk with other girls in the bathroom? Seemed like something JJ would do, and JJ was the epitome of girl. Thoughts of her best friend instantly filled her with waves of regret and sadness, but Ava quickly swallowed them back down, not letting any of it show through to this stranger.

Elf_Ruler

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

Ash


Wow, the world was just out to make her feel worse every chance it got, wasn't it? Ash didn't know what to say, and was instead struck silent by Grace's sudden apology. And here she was, about to ruin her best friend's life all over again. That was what she did, though, wasn't it? Ruin people's lives over and over again?

Well, might as well not beat around the bush. Sure, Ash was sure that Grace would hate her, but it was worth it to let her know what she'd seen the day before. "Grace, before you apologize..." she hesitated. "I have to tell you something. Last night, I uh... I saw JJ and Sawyer kissing." It broke her heart to say it, and she waited to see what Grace would say.

Soap​

 

[Gomenesigh]

​

Ana had already turned around and was about to walk to the piano, but... Oh, he was still talking. She reluctantly turned back around and stood there awkwardly as he stumbled over his words. She tried to cut him off, waving a hand at him, but he kept going.

She scribbled out her original words and then wrote another note before tearing out the piece of paper and handing it to him. It read: Don't worry about it. I'm super awkward myself and you don't need to impress me or anything, I'm nothing special. When she handed it to him, she had meant it as kind of a joke, but it isn't easily translated through written words...

As much as she wanted to stand there and let him blither away, the piano was really calling her. So, with that, she turned and pretty much bolted to it. She flung her bag to the ground and sat herself down, where an even more rare relaxed smile spread across her lips. Her fingers ran over the keys before she actually pressed the keys down. First, testing to see if they all seemed to be in tune. Next, she played a few scales, just to make sure everything sounded good.

Now, now she was ready to play and play she did. It was her favorite song and she hadn't been able to play it in ages.

Spoiler: Song

The first time she played it through, it was as normal, but she was still itching for more. The second time around, she put a lot of her own spin on it, adding extra notes and extra layers to the chords. To her, it was complicated and beautiful, something she hadn't been able to do in a long time.

Spoiler: Song 2

She lost in her music this time, closing her eyes and letting her head hang back. Once the second song was finished, she sat back and finally opened her eyes. It was the first time she had really been able to relax and it was an amazing feeling.

Winona

 

[Soap]

Grace

Grace did as told and held her apologies until Ash got whatever she needed to off her chest. It was probably going to be like, 'No, I'm sorry for the twitter thing. Telling you to fuck off. That I didn't need--' Okay, wait what? Sawyer? Kissing someone else. No, impossible. And out of everyone? JJ? No way. Nope. Sorry, that's gonna be a tough one to believe. Grace stared at her, waiting for her to continue. And then she didn't, a laugh escaped her.

"Is this you getting back at me for the whole Ryder thing? I apologized for that countless times! I told you. I only thought it was him, I was drunk and--" Realization hit her.

Maybe that's why Ash had thought she'd seen Sawyer cheating, which, obviously would never happen. "Were you drunk?! Don't lie to me. There's no way Sawyer would cheat on me, and frankly, I'm not sure if I could believe you." Ash had been unreliable as of late. Grace was only thinking rationally, and... maybe a bit in denial.

"Ash, I love you. But you're a mess."

Winona​

 

[PenguinFox]

Ian's concentration was broken when a pair of small hands covered his eyes, an immediate grin spreading on his face. He quickly closed the notebook in front of him before Nova could see what was written. "Hey you." he grinned at her before looking down to the closed notebook. "I'm not so sure on this one, it's..." he trailed off trying to think of the proper words. "Weird? I haven't really done anything like it before." He stuffed the notebook into his backpack for good measure. That one was definitely not ready for anyone's eyes, not even his girlfriend's- especially his girlfriend's. After all, if he was going to write a song for her, it had to be perfect. Honestly she wasn't even supposed to know he was working on something new but it was a little late for that.

"Has you day been as slow as mine?" Ian asked hoping to change the subject and at the same time genuinely interested in her answer. It seemed that no matter what they talked about it was interesting to the Evans brother. He adjusted his position so he could face her, a content smile remaining on his face. He couldn't help but take her in, still amazed that she actually liked him.

For a brief moment Ian's mind wandered back to what Ash had said on New Years. That Nova wasn't genuine, and was a liar. That still didn't seem right to him, unless she was an incredibly good actor. If anything Ian was the one who was a terrible person. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that he was taking advantage of the brunette beside him. He felt like a vulture. He had yet to bring up the talk he had with Ash to his girlfriend but it had been eating away at him ever since and he needed some answers, so despite the fact he hated being a downer he cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Nova I uh..." Ian scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and looked down at the table before returning his gaze to her hazel eyes, his expression was pensive. "I've been thinking...this-" he pointed between the two of them meaning their relationship. "-this wasn't me taking advantage of you at a vulnerable time right? I feel like..." he took one of her hands in his own and traced small circles with his thumb on the back of her hand. "Like it was opportunistic. I guess I just want to be sure that you like me and definitely want this." he looked deep into her eyes, thinking back again to Ash's words, trying to look for any hints to if she was honest or not. Ian always felt he was good at reading people and he was sure Nova was exactly who he thought she was, but he was a little paranoid. txlos

 

[txlos]

​

Her left brow perched higher than the right in interest as Nova listened to the blonde in front of her, watching his fingers scramble to shut the notebook, it's contents obviously not ready for the eyes of viewers yet. Curiosity peaked in her mind, though was quickly replaced by the low sound of Ian's question. While his voice was soothing, it wasn't enough to fully divert her attention from the words that rested in the folds of the spiral bound that she watched be so carelessly shoved into the boy's backpack.

"My day has been... interesting," The words were paired with a sigh as the brunette's shoulders dropped down into her back, her head tilting to the side as hazel eyes softened. It didn't go unnoticed, the unease that seemed to be radiating from the young man sitting in front of her, and when he began talking with a slight shake to his voice, her suspicion was confirmed. Though the contents of his discomfort definitely wasn't what Nova had expected. Taking advantage of her? It not only was completely false, but also ridiculous. She was a big girl, and the petite girl made her own decisions. Never one for rebounds, or petty love just to make her feel better, it wouldn't even be like her to jump into another relationship, but Ian was just... different.

"Of course I like you, really like you," Her tone was thickly layered with sincerity, the greens in her eyes flooding with worry as the words spilled from Ian's lips. Doubt seeped into the cracks of her mind, but Nova quickly decided that until an explanation was offered, she would attempt to keep her anxiety to a minimum. "Look," The girl began, scooting a little closer to the blonde and folding her legs to sit criss cross in the chair. "This isn't usual, but we've been over that. I'm not the type to get out of a relationship and hop on the next guy to show me attention, but this was different, Ian. I promise. You didn't take advantage of me, you weren't being an opportunist, this was something that I opened myself up to because I wanted to. I hadn't seen Jace in three months, I hadn't been able to talk to him in three months, he moved on and I respected that. I did the same thing. I don't see anything wrong with it." Rant over, Nova took a deep inhale, pursing her lips before pushing a gentle hand through Ian's hair. "What got you thinking like that anyway?"

PenguinFox

 

[mogy]

Noah
​

Noah was almost over the jet lag from the 8-hour flight back to the USA. He had arrived home three weeks ago, after almost four months spent abroad. He has missed his family so much during those four months, and to be completely honest, he even missed this town, and some of his friends, if he still had any. Luckily, since it was Christmas time, the whole family, even Caleb, came home and spent the holidays together, like the old times. Noah really needed that to prepare for going back to Westbrook High.

Last night, the night before going back to school, his parents had a long mandatory lecture about how he needed to lay low, not create any more drama because if he did, he would get expelled. They also explained to Noah how he would be home alone for the next week, as both of them had to go on yet another business trip.

Those were the main two reasons why Noah couldn’t sleep. He wasn’t terrified but was definitely something along the lines of scared. He was never home alone for so long because whenever his parents left on business trips, his brother was always with him. Maybe this Italy trip prepared him for being home alone. He was all alone in another country for four months, and he did just fine.

The other reason keeping him awake was that his parents still thought that all of the drama that happened last year was somehow his fault. It was true that he was a part of it, but he didn’t start it. He was simply defending himself from being socially eaten alive by Ashley and her piranhas. Did they already forget how that bitch publicly outed their son to the entire school, town possibly? He was obviously still very pissed about the whole situation and thinking about it only made him even more pissed.

---​

A very familiar but annoying sound was heard from Noah’s room. His alarm clock sounded off, letting Noah know it was time to get up and get ready for his first day of school. He turned it off as soon as he heard it, still laying in his bed. He thought he was ready to go back to school, but he wasn’t so sure anymore. He didn’t want to go back to school today, mostly because he didn’t know how it would all play out. Did people forget all about sophomore year, or was it still one of the trending topics? It couldn’t have been… So much time had passed, it would surprise Noah if anybody even remembered what had happened last year. Maybe some of Ashley’s friends?

Oh, for fucks sake, almost everybody knew about what had happened last year, and it wasn’t going to be long before another one of those kinds of dramas came in touch with Noah. He really just wanted to be left alone for the rest of the school year, but that wasn’t bound to happen. Another thing he realized was that nobody actually knew he was coming back. Everybody was on that ski trip for most of the winter holidays, and he hadn’t kept in touch with anybody from Westbrook after the end of sophomore year. This could only mean that a lot of shocked faces would be welcoming Noah back to Westbrook High.

He quickly jumped from his bed, entering his bathroom and doing all of the essentials, like taking a shower, brushing his teeth, and flossing afterwards. After he was done with that, he opened the half-empty closet of his and took some jeans and a white t-shirt. With putting on the only pair of sneakers, apart from his running ones, Noah was ready to go.

---​

Without even realizing it, Noah found himself in the school parking lot, looking at the building he had so many good, but mostly bad memories about. He was still sitting in his mom’s car, not being able to force himself to exit it. Truth-be-told, he did have time—he was almost half an hour early, probably because of that little anxiety problem both him and his mother had.

Even when he was in the car, some people stared at him, most of them not being able to believe their eyes. They would secretly try to send a text to their friends, or if they were with their friends, talk about how they couldn’t believe he was actually back. Even though it was basic high school gossip, it still bothered him, big time. He didn’t know if he wanted to snatch their phones from them, and snap the phones in half, or if he wanted to silently lay down and cover himself with a blanket, where nobody could see him. No matter what he did, he would always be that guy who was outed to the whole school.

Realizing he didn’t really have a choice, and that he would have to leave the safety of the car at some point, Noah put his game face on, making himself seem a lot more confident than he actually was, and left the car, slamming the car doors a bit too loudly. If anybody outside of the school didn’t know Noah Stewart was back, they did now. He really wanted to hit himself at the moment, but he kept his cool, and started walking to the school entrance, as confidently and as normally as possible. He noticed some people who didn’t seem to keep their eyes off of him, but he ignored them the best he could, and straightened the backpack on his back before finally entering the school.

As he walked around the hallway, a lot of the memories came flooding in, but that didn’t stop Noah from observing the people around him. Not a lot of people inside, almost nobody, noticed that he was back, because almost everybody either didn’t know who he was or was engaged in some other activity like talking, taking books out of their lockers, etc. Noah didn’t complain, in fact, he was glad that that was the case. The less drama the better.

---​

The day went by really quickly, and before Noah knew it, it was already lunch. The first couple of periods were better than expected. The teachers introduced him, or to be more exact, said that he was back, and then just continued with their lecturing. There were a few people who just couldn’t stop themselves from staring at him, but he was okay with that, as long as nobody confronted him, which, thankfully, didn’t happen.

His first ‘real’ interaction of the day happened around lunch. Noah was just casually walking towards the library, where he would eat the lunch his mom packed for him beforehand. However, before he reached the library, a very familiar face said hello. His friend Mason. He was very relieved that Mason didn’t think badly of him or anything, and that the two were still friends.

“Hey! Um… Nothing much… I was just going to sit down and eat something, but you can join me if you’d want. How have you been doing?”

Interactions: Winona (Mason)​

 

[Dede]

Neck Tie

​

Neck Tie ran his hands under the freezing water, occasionally glimpsing at Aaron in the mirror, seeing how that boy still leant against the towel dispenser and was tapping his arm restlessly.

If Aaron was trying for the intimidating look, he didn’t succeed because he just came off looking like a spoiled brat who was used to having things his way. The whole tough guy act might have worked on others but it could’ve had no effect on Neck Tie, who was battle-hardened by countless feuds with older kids such as Mason and Theo and Jace and the like. Aaron didn't scare him and why should he? He was a freshman just like he was.

Then Aaron responded and it further annoyed him. That was a crummy move to bring up the leaked video, as if that affected Casper in any way, shape, or form. It didn’t. That video had nothing to do with Casper at all. How could it? Casper wasn't even in the video, he wasn't even at the party. Sure, people might laugh at Neck Tie for what he did, but they weren’t going to drag Casper into it and bully him too. . . right?

For a moment Neck Tie was doubting himself. What if Aaron was right, and the other kids started making fun of Casper, too? Had Casper even seen the video?

Still, Neck Tie had never hurt Casper in all the months they had known each other. Not once. So it wasn’t fair that Aaron was accusing him of being a bad influence on him. Plus, he didn’t think Casper was weak, or as weak as Aaron made him sound. And even if Casper was weak, which he didn't think he was, there was no reason why they couldn’t still be friends.

He figured the real reason Aaron was saying all this was because they disliked each other. This wasn't exactly a secret. And Aaron was probably jealous that Casper was spending more time with Neck Tie than with him. So he made it all seem like he was protecting his brother and being all heroic, so he could feel justified and good about himself, whereas this was all just about him.

‘You know what’s good for him, do you?’ he said, squeezing some soap out of the dispenser and rubbing his hands under the tap. ‘Is that why you got him all drunk like that at the party? Or why you’re always being mean to him? Cos it was good for him?’

mikaluvkitties

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Tatum had heard the toilet flush so she must've been wrong all along, now all she had to do was make it seem like she had meant to be the bathroom. When the girl stepped out and cleared her throat she moved, but stayed in view of the mirror acting like she was fixing her hair. She hadn't expected the girl to ask her question. The question caught her off guard, "I mean I did transfer here, but not super new. Like I haven't lived in this town my whole life." She shrugged her shoulders. She could've said more to this girl but she didn't want to come off as an over-sharer. From the looks of the girl she seemed like something was off, but Tatum couldn't tell what the emotion was.

Tatum wasn't the best person to talk to especially to someone that didn't know her but she didn't want to be rude to this girl, "I know it's not my place or anything, but are you okay?" I mean she was in a bathroom for awhile so the girl could've been sick, but Tatum was also in there and so she didn't exactly have the greatest explanation for herself. Tatum had her reasons for hiding out in the bathroom, but she wasn't asked about those reasons so she knew she wasn't going to say anything to the girl. She figured if she had made it seem like she was just fixing her hair, that sure it may have made her seem shallow but she didn't want to seem like a loser in front of some stranger.

Interaction(s): Winona

 

[Dazzle]

Carter narrowed her eyes at Keisha, maybe she wasn't half bad. At the very least she had good taste, but in obvious state of her being a literal child she just didn't get pressure. Probably spoiled to some extent with all the moving, parents feeling bad about up rooting her over and over again. She crossed her arms and leaned forward on the table getting closer to Keisha. "Oh honey. You wouldn't understand the half of it." Carter sat back down on the on the stool below her and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Mothers a bitch and if I don't have the grades, I'm on lock down. If I get the grades I get to do what I want." Carter shrugged her shoulders, she wouldn't get into her whole story.

"Carter." She said plainly,"If you think I'm riled up now, you should see me when I'm actually mad." Carter picked her apple back up taking another bite and swallowing before she began talking again. "Where are you from new girl? And how'd you get stuck here in shitty old Westbrook."

Winona​

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Aaron​

Aaron almost relaxed when Stu began to respond. Maybe he would finally see reason. Of course, that was too much to ask. Instead, Stu started acting like he knew Aaron- like he knew Casper.

Aaron began tapping his arm again as Stu listed imagined slights, one of the flourescents overhead flickering. He bit his cheek.

Did he really think drinking was that big a deal? Besides, Aaron had that under control. And he was not mean to his brother- No meaner than he deserved, at least.

Stu thought he knew all about Aaron and his brother, thought he knew what it was like to have Casper for a brother. To have to take care of him because he couldn’t manage it without getting himself hurt in one way or another.

“At least I wouldn’t let him kiss me,” Aaron sneered, eyes narrowing. "You think that's good for him? I doubt you even like him. And what if someone who gave a shit found out? Have you even considered that?"

Dede​

 

[Dede]

Neck Tie

​

Neck Tie had almost forgotten about Casper’s kiss. Who could blame him? The only kiss that he was thinking about was Grace’s. Hell, he was still thinking about it now, even when Aaron was confronting him about Casper.

So he was taken a little aback when Aaron brought up the kiss. How did he find out about it? Did Casper tell him? Had he told anyone else?

On another day, Neck Tie might have freaked out. He might have freaked out about how he’d have to deal with rumours of Casper and him kissing, and how he’d have to deal with it on top of that embarrassing video that was still making rounds as they spoke. And sure, he was feeling a little rattled inside. But Neck Tie knew better. He knew better than to make the same mistakes as his younger self again.

Quietly, he pushed for some more soap from the dispenser. Squeak. Squeak.

‘Casper can kiss me if he wants to,’ he said as he rubbed his hands up to the wrist and rinsed off the soap.

He didn’t care anymore. Before Tom kissed him, Tom was a miserable kid with no friends, and after he kissed him he was still a miserable kid with no friends. But he saw how happy Tom was when he kissed him, and that moment’s happiness? That was the only thing that mattered. He wouldn't give it up for anything, or anyone.

'So what if they find out?’ Neck Tie said. ‘There’s nothing wrong with it. Nothing. It’s not his fault he likes boys, is it?’

mikaluvkitties

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer​

Sawyer was fairly certain JJ was trying to tell her that she didn't know her girlfriend. She gave JJ an odd look as the girl seemed to forget the topic and start talking about getting back at Bryan. But Sawyer couldn't shake what she'd said previously. People can surprise you. What the hell did that mean? Well, she knew what JJ meant probably speaking from experience with Bryan, but Grace? Sawyer didn't understand why there was so many people that seemed to think Grace was some kind of bitch just because she was a cheerleader and popular. She remembered Raven even seeming not the like Grace very much. Sawyer kind of shook her head at the thoughts, who cared? Grace didn't seem to mind and as long as these people weren't acting on their dislike, Sawyer didn't either. Besides, lately Sawyer had been trying to see the good in people and she felt like JJ just needed a friend. If that friend she needed was Sawyer then so be it.

"I don't think you should do anything, honestly." Sawyer told JJ with a shrug, "I mean, isn't that kinda stooping to his level?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow. Sawyer believed that the best thing a person could do in these kinds of situations was take the high road. She felt like there's nothing that could hurt a cheater more than seeing the person they'd cheated on being happy. Because, obviously, someone who felt the need to cheat wasn't very happy at all. So, eat a tub of ice cream, complain to your friends, and watch at least two sad movies and forget about it. Cheaters weren't even worth that time in her opinion. Sawyer found herself wishing that she had followed her own advice with Natalie a few years ago. The high road was definitely not the road Sawyer took back then. She kind of wished that part of her life could just be erased. But, JJ probably wasn't going to listen to Sawyer so the high road wasn't an option here.

"But, even if I think you should take the high road," She scratched at the back of her neck, "whatever you decide, I'll try to help if I can. I know what this shit feels like and I could've used some help back then." Memories of crashing in Ryan's garage night after night, with girl after girl flashed in front of Sawyer's eyes and she shivered. Definitely not the highlight of her character. So, to try and keep something like that from happening to JJ, she was at least going to attempt to help her out on her revenge mission. Besides, it could probably be pretty fun messing with Bryan. She really didn't like the guy to begin with to be completely honest.

Soap

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Aaron​

Aaron watched Neck Tie pump soap onto his hand, and the lack of immediate response was… concerning. He was running out of ideas. He had a goal here, and the idea of it being left incomplete- his heart twinged. No, he need to get Neck Tie away from his brother.

Neck Tie spoke, and his hand stilled, expression growing stiffer.

For a second, all he did was look at Neck Tie, rolling his cheek between his teeth. Who the hell did he think he was? Someone worthy of kissing his brother? Someone who could keep Casper safe? Safer than Aaron had for years?

His heart was speeding up, and his jaw set as Neck Tie kept going, somehow making everything worse. So what? So what? Did he want Casper to get hurt?

Somehow, the words that left his mouth last were the worst, and Aaron didn’t know why.

All he knew was he hated Stu French.

In a flash, he crossed the distance between the two, gripping Stu’s hair tightly, sneer having morphed into a horrendous snarl.

Before he could hesitate, he slammed Stu’s head into the sink, hard and without an ounce of care for Stu's safety, then threw him onto the ground.

Dede​

 

[Dede]

Neck Tie

​

One moment Neck Tie was rinsing soap off his hands.

The next his whole head dipped and his face came crashing into the edge of the sink, so hard it bounced off it. A sharp pain exploded in his skull. The impact threw spatters of red across the white counter top. It sent a stray tooth clattering across the floor.

It was over in a flash.

The boy was curled up sideways on the floor, moaning, writhing helplessly in the spot. He was in shock. Blood. There was blood, lots of it. Seeping from his forehead and down the pale of his cheek, where it met the wider stream gushing from his nose, his mouth, and collected in a puddle under him.

He tried to raise his head, tilting upward at the blurry figure of Aaron who now towered over him. He couldn't get up. He cried for help but no voice escaped his broken lips. In his weak flailing of arms he only managed to smear the floor tiles around him red.

mikaluvkitties

 

[PenguinFox]

A soft smile rose to Ian's face as Nova reassured him. There was no doubt about it, he was absolutely sure she was being honest with him. She was also managing to convince him that perhaps he wasn't an opportunistic asshole. At least for the moment. He gave her hand a small squeeze. "Thanks. I'm sorry I brought this up again, and probably will again in the future." a sheepish smile flashed across the boy's face. "Insecurities are always persistent, aren't they." he said more as a statement than a question.

The Evans brother couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt in the back of his mind. He knew his words were true. It was very likely that this insecurity will continue to come up. He wished it wouldn't but he deep down he could feel that it would always sort of nag at him, and that wasn't fair to Nova. Why should she have to continuously keep dealing with that? Once should be enough of a reassurance, but it wouldn't be. It may never be enough times. He looked away for a moment and bit his lip a little. His eyes returned to meet hers when she ran her hand through his hair. It was oddly comforting, and he wanted nothing more than to just melt into it and cuddle up to her. Her next question brought his teeth back onto his lips, this time harder. Ian was unsure if actually telling her was the right decision, but he didn't want to lie to her. Hopefully getting it off his chest would help to put his mind at ease, and not upset either his girlfriend or his best friend any more.

"That question actually leads into the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. I talked with Ash. It...didn't really go well. She..." The green eyed teenager paused for a moment thinking of how to put this nicely. "...she doesn't seem to really like you. Why? What happened between you two?" an eyebrow arched curiously. Perhaps he could eventually mend the fences between two of the most important women in his life. He had to at least give it a shot, he couldn't deal with having to lose his relationship with one of them. txlos Mentions: Winona

 

[txlos]

​

Ash.

An ongoing battle that seemed to lurk in the undertows of the sea of this high school. At first meeting, Nova had had no problems with the West sister. She seemed nice enough, wasn't overprotective of Jace, and overall seemed like a laid back girl who could be fun to hang out with. The two even shared a lovely time of being thrown into the ocean by Ryder, helping one another out of the frigid water, and yet, Nova still couldn't put her finger on why the blonde girl seemed so disgusted with her presence.

"I don't really know what happened to be honest,"

A defeated sigh fell from Nova's lips and her eyes trailed down to her hand that was thoughtfully interlaced with Ian's. His overpowered hers, obviously, however it was somewhat comforting, comforting enough for her to be able to relax down into her seat a little more. The brunette's thick eyebrows knit together as she tried to piece together what the qualm between her and Ash meant, if it was even valid or if it was something that could be brushed off, though she had a deeply pitted gut feeiling that this was a topic that needed to be laid out for Ian's sake. After all, he was friend's with the girl. And Nova had never prided herself in being a girlfriend who was so overly controlling that she had a say in who and how her significant other convered with.

"One day she just sort of snapped, said I was using Jace which absolutely wasn't true. She later apologized, and then we were fine, all through Jace and I dating we seemed totally fine. Now I'm guessing she doesn't like me because, in her eyes, I came home and started dating someone else. But she doesn't know the full story of my breakup with her brother, and it's not mine to share."

A gentle squeeze to the blonde boy's hand came along with her words, a meek smile filtering onto previously frowned lips. As much as it sucked to talk about, Nova was internally extremely grateful that Ian had had the guts to speak up about his interaction with Westbrook's it-girl. She had figured as much, that the sister of her ex-boyfriend wouldn't exactly remain to be her biggest fan, but she hadn't expected the girl to slander her name to her boyfriend. It seemed a little harsh, but then again, it wasn't exactly a battle that seemed worth fighting.

"I don't have any problem with Ash," She meant it. "I understand why she doesn't like me," She truly did. "And I hope what she said doesn't effect your view of me or the way I treated Jace. He was boyfriend at the time, I liked him a lot, it just didn't work out." It definitely didn't.

It felt better, having the small elephant in their blooming relationship out in the open. However, the swirling feeling remained looming in the brunette's stomach. She hoped it would settle, maybe even dissipate and go away. But something felt odd, something felt wrong. She could only have faith that the girl, her boyfriend's good friend, would get the full story and maybe understand. She seemed like a ticking time bomb right now, talking poorly to even about Nova, making enough comments to prompt the blonde boy to speak up. She was... well...

Ash.

Interacting with: PenguinFox
Mentions: Winona

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Aaron​

Almost immediately, Aaron regretted this impulsive action. Blood went everywhere, even on him, and his face grew more monstrous as he looked down at himself. There was blood- blood- on his sweater.

He looked to Stu accusingly, and his condition only made Aaron angrier. Really? That was all he could take? He hadn’t even used all his strength.

So, he did the logical thing, and kicked Stu. It wasn’t that hard, but it felt good enough he kicked him again, putting some weight behind it this time as he aimed for Stu’s stomach.

He wanted to scream. Stupid Stu, letting his brother sit with him, letting his brother kiss him.

Why couldn’t he just do what Aaron said?

He kicked him again, and then again. He wanted to scream, but instead he stayed quiet, the sound of his beating echoing off the tile floors. He wondered if Stu’s blood would stain them, and couldn’t help a feeling of brutal satisfaction.

Dede​

 

[PenguinFox]

Ian leaned forward some in his chair, listening intently to Nova, hoping to gain some insight as to what went down between her and Ash. Disappointingly his girlfriend didn't have any answers he was looking for. Her side of the story filled in the what's but none of the why's Ian had. It all kept coming back to Ash. He would have to get the minutiae from her, once she had accepted Ian and Nova's relationship of course. He needed to know exactly why she had such disdain for his girlfriend. He some ideas now, but nothing specific.

The Evans boy leaned forward and kissed Nova's forehead. "Thank you for your side of the story. I'll have to talk to Ash once she's cooled off, and if you're both willing maybe try and patch things up?" his voice was hesitant, unsure if the brunette would be willing to be in the same room with the blonde girl. Sure Nova said she didn't have a problem with Ian's friend, but if she was worried about being verbally attacked by Ash he wouldn't force anything. Green eyes dropped down to their interlocked hands. He began to gently fiddle with a ring on Nova's hand. "Ash was one of the first friends I made when I first moved here. Her friendship is important to me and I'd hate for there to be any animosity between you two. I just...I think I need things cleared up y'know?" his gaze returned to meet hers, a small smile on his face. "The only other option I can think of would be going to Jace but..." he trailed off thinking about how awkward that conversation would be.

Ian went silent for a moment as he collected his thoughts. He then started to chuckle to himself. "Oh man, this is like I'm asking for a blessing for marriage. That's kinda weird isn't it? I feel like that's weird." a grin began to creep onto his face. "Anyway, don't worry; what Ash said was a heat of the moment kind of thing and she probably didn't mean it. It definitely didn't change how I see you either. To me you're still this wonderful, kind, gentle, caring soul that I'm lucky to know." he grinned and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Not to mention how beautiful you are. I could go on, but we can't spend all day here." While Ian had said it jokingly, he really felt like he could probably spend a whole day describing everything he liked about Nova and how extremely lucky he felt to be with her. The electricity he felt in his skin when they touched was still quite prevalent and everything seemed so much brighter when she was around. If he could give her even a fraction of that feeling he would be happy.

As he leaned back in his chair Ian, almost regretfully, pulled his away from Nova's. He carefully pulled her chair closer to him so that she could face the same direction he was. "Come here, I want to show you something. Now this may seem strange, and perhaps I'm the only one, but do you ever just see art? I don't mean like going to a museum to see paintings or photos or whatever. I mean looking around at the world and seeing potential; seeing dance in people's movement, or hearing music in the inconsequential sounds and silences, or portraits in the lights, maybe even stories in the lives of those around you?" as he spoke gestured out to the cafeteria before them, pointing to various things that may have art hidden in their meanings. Green eyes glowed as if he were seeing the art right now as he talked. A bright smile shone on his lips. "It's something I've noticed about people when they are truly happy or at peace. They notice the small beautiful details in the world like that. The art all around us-" he turned his head to meet his girlfriend's hazel gaze. "-or the art right next to us." The boy's eyes returned to the sea of teenagers in front of them, picking out individual stories to wonder about. "So yeah, that's the kind of stuff I think about in my free time I guess." He finished with a shrug as if he had just stated the weather. txlos

 

[Dede]

Neck Tie

​

Neck Tie felt every kick that came his way. Each one a sharper blow than the one before.

The boy clutched his stomach as if trying to hold his internal organs in place, curled up sideways into a ball, raised his weak elbows to fend off his attacker. But they were just casually kicked aside, and the beating resumed.

He was already down. He had been down since his face was introduced to the sink. But Aaron was relentless: he wouldn’t stop.

Neck Tie glanced up pleadingly, eyes barely open. A kick dug deep into his ribs. He couldn’t breathe, felt his lungs closing. The pain started up his spine and spread through every inch of his body. He tasted metal in his mouth and heard a sharp ringing in his ear. The boy coughed up a murky red spit, moaned and his forehead touched the floor. He dripped blood into cracks between the tiles.

Aaron. . . Aaron wouldn’t stop.

mikaluvkitties

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Aaron​

Stu tried to protect himself, then coughed up blood, and something about that pissed Aaron off more. He kicked harder.

For a terrifying moment, it seemed like Aaron would keep going long past the point of no return.

And then, slowly, the door to the bathroom opened.

Aaron didn’t immediately notice.

In fact, Aaron didn’t notice until a quiet “Aaron?” echoed through the room.

He stopped kicking Stu almost immediately, recognizing that voice. He looked over his shoulder, anger and worry warring over his face. For a second, there was a hope that maybe Aaron would see reason.

The moment passed, anger winning, and he stalked over to Casper, grabbing him roughly by the shoulder as the other flinched. “I am done playing games with you, Casper.”

Casper’s eyes widened, eyes flitting between Aaron’s as he bit his lip. “But-”

Aaron smacked him- It was nowhere near as hard as he’d been hitting Stu, but it was still enough to make Casper flinch, tearing up.

“You are no longer this boy’s friend. You won’t make me say it again. Do you understand?”

Casper glanced back at Stu, gaze pleading, then at Aaron, lip wobbling.

“Don’t make me smack that look off your face.”

His gaze dropped, flickering between Stu and the floor, and tearing up, he nodded.

Finally, Aaron smiled, and it was as far from kind as a smile could likely get. “Good.” He rested a hand on Casper’s shoulder. “You’re making the right decision.”

“Can we go now?” Casper asked, voice quietly pleading, and Aaron’s smile grew.

“Of course.” He took off his sweater, balling it up under his arm, and left the room with Casper, the door thudding with resolve behind the pair.

Dede​