Realistic or Modern Westbrook

[Winona]

Ash


"Right. For your little cousin." She replied, feigning to not believe him. It honestly made more sense than Sebastian being romantic. He was closed off from people so the idea of him having an actual Valentine? Ludicrous. And hey, she hadn't even known him that long, and had already gotten that vibe. But Ash placed it back into the backpack, deciding to keep the teasing to a minimum. "Hey, I'm totally a stuffed animal on Valentine's Day kind of girl." She said, scoffing.

Okay, so Ash was more of a nice night in with some alcohol type of girl, but stuffed animals were great. "In 4th grade, I got like five stuffed animals for Valentine's Day." Okay, so it had been like two or three, but it was still impressive for a nine-year-old. "Still my best record. Love just... counting the suitors on Valentine's." She was joking, obviously. Kind of.

This was actually the first Valentine's Day that Ash was spending single since she was like twelve. Ouch. It kind of fucking sucked, and she really couldn't wait to get home and lay in her bed alone. Maybe she could get on Tinder and find some lonely guy to spend the night with, but Ash wasn't even sure she had the energy for that.

She waited for Sebastian to get his coat and grab his backpack before she continued walking, but rounding the corner to what should've been her freedom caused her to come to an abrupt stop.

The snow had picked up, and now it was blowing so hard outside that Ash could barely see... well, actually she couldn't see anything. And all she could think was oh fuck.

"We can probably still drive in that, right?"

0k_mang0​

 

[Soap]

Raven

Raven nodded and checked her phone, still no message from Ash and she wasn't very surprised. Maybe she decided not to show up after all. She shouldn't of kissed her, it was just... --they were drunk. And they both needed to let off steam, hopefully she's not all afraid that Raven wants to be more than friends because well, she's a straight girl, and Raven couldn't handle straight girls. An amused huff from the brunette at the mention of being new. "If you don't know me, I haven't been doing my job very well." She grinned and pocketed her phone, glancing down at the prosthetic as her mind traveled to Ryan.

He was the only one she'd ever known with a prosthetic and his accident was always something tragic enough to fit into stories. Wherever he's at now, she hopes he's okay. Raven decided to ignore it and would rather avoid any more sadness today. "Raven Rivera, head of newspaper, and by far-- the most interesting girl in school." She's just teasing, of course. She had nothing on the blondes. They were far too drama filled even for Raven.

Though she had to admit, it was interesting hearing about it once in a while.

"I do suppose you're new though, I would've noticed you."

Daniel Reaving

Caleb

A chuckle escaped him as he shook his head. "Uh... I appreciate it. But I think Caleb fits me better." His mother used to call him cute nicknames as a child, and maybe only one stuck but he wasn't about to admit that to a girl he hardly knew, -- or even Serena actually... it was kinda embarrassing. Her honest words made the boy furrow his brows, and he thought back to his mother, nodding in agreement. Whatever Valentine's Day was to her was clearly nothing good and Caleb understood that fully, he didn't want to press anymore but she continued and he had no problem with being an ear for the girl he didn't know. "Yeah, I.. get it." A small sigh escaped him before he studied her face, as if he was trying to discern why she hated it so badly. An ex maybe? Who knows but he decided not to pry.

"If it helps, you're not really alone." He pulled the cart of basketballs and handed one to her. "Try tilting your wrist forward when you throw it." He grabbed another and threw it, making a clear point at his wrist as he did so. It hit the rim and fell to the floor, but... that's just because he has poor aim. Probably. Not because he was nervous. Duh.

"It's not supposed to do that, but.. well, you try." He offered a sheepish smile and scratched the back of his head in an attempt to look less like a total dork.

Elf_Ruler​

 

[High5ives]

Kanen
The wind whipped at his cheeks the moment Kanen got out of the the blacked-out Cadillac. Instantly, he regretted leaving the heated leather seats and climate controlled interior. The slushy snow leaking through his shows made him hasten his step. Pulling his overcoat a little tighter around himself, Kanen trudged through the snow, marching up towards what he could only assume was Westbrook's entrance. In the snowstorm, he couldn't really tell what was what. Fifty feet away, and his SUV just looked like a shadow in the storm. Out of no where, the school seemed to materialize. Each step he took made it a little clearer. It vaguely reminded Kanen of one of those old pirate movies, where ships emerge from the fog and disappear just as quick. Pirates would be easier to handle than Westbrook. A Pirate would just shoot you and steal your money, for this damn city, that was just childs play. Kanen would know.

It was a personal vendetta that brought the tattooed-tyrant here. He wouldn't let anyone say that he left loose ends and debts unpaid. Kanen wasn't really a good person, not anymore, but he was at least fair. He'd put a kid in the hospital, some little English fuck that didn't deserve it. This was less of an apology, and more of 'Don't ever bring it up again.' type of thing. Kanen would smack a wad of cash into the crumpet-stuffer's hand and go on with his day. Assuming the snow permitted it.

Coming closer to the school now, Kanen could see people in the windows, presumably peering out into the snowy shit-show outside. He couldn't tell who it was though. Didn't really care either. Kanen knew Stu wasn't that tall, and he was only here for Stu. His hand gripped the icey door handle when he was close enough and swung it open, fighting against the gusts of wind. Snow blew into the school before Kanen even had a chance to step inside. "It's a fucking shit show out there." He grumbled, loud enough that the girl inside could hear, though he wasn't really talking to anyone.

Kanen took off his overcoat and tossed it into one of the cheap furniture chairs every school had in their foyers. "A'least Baltimore knows how to shovel their fuckin' sidewalks." He grumbled some more, only now looking at the girl by the window.

Blonde. Short. Familiar. None other than Ash.

Kanen didn't even give her a nod of recognition before continuing into the school, leaving behind the expensive coat. Yeah, he'd disappeared again, spending two months driving up and down to all the major cities in the North East, but that wasn't really any of her business, was it? Kanen didn't owe her an explanation, or even a 'hello.' His business was his own, no one else's.

Dede Winona @Whoever tf else.​

 

[Elf_Ruler]

Tatum couldn’t help but laugh a little about his discomfort towards her nickname for him. She knew it was a long shot for him to just go with a nickname from a girl he just met but it never hurt to try. He was the first person who made her feel okay about such an awful day, “Well Cab, you’ve been gifted your childhood nickname,” she teased sending him a small wink. Somehow, she knew she needed a friend like him in her life. Someone who could listen and joke around with her because she couldn’t remember the last time, she truly felt comfortable so easily with someone. He had no judgement in him, and that made Tatum feel more comfortable because everyone seemed to have some judgement and expectation of everyone and yet Caleb seemed to have none of those ideas escaping from his words or actions.

She was more shocked when he told her she wasn’t really alone, no one had really said that to her, even when she had voiced concerns to her parents. It was hard for her to feel like she belonged when she had felt so isolated and alone for years growing up. She knew it wasn’t because she was different, she just never knew why she had a hard time just that she always had a hard time with others no matter how hard she had tried to blend and make herself felt more like she belonged.

With the basketball in her hand she looked at his wrists trying to figure out how to shoot the ball. She then heard the rim and bounce off. Better than she had done so she knew he must know something about how to throw a ball. She lifted the ball and tried to tilt her wrist and the ball went further hitting the top of the backboard before flying back at them. Tatum quickly ducked out of the way and laughed as soon as the ball was out of the injury zone, “Guess I’m not made for the basketball world. I was really hoping to be the next basketball super star.” Her laugh still coming out as she spoke.

Soap (Caleb)

 

[Gomenesigh]

Samantha Gilly

interactions: Winona

Sam was so caught up in her music that she didn’t immediately notice when someone started walking next to her. When she did notice, she immediately popped her headphones out and turned to see Mason. She couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t know exactly what they were to each other, but she couldn’t deny that she liked being around him. A hand unconsciously reached up and ran a hand through her hair as she stopped next to him.


“Yeah, I needed a change.” She shrugged and wrapped her arms around herself. “There’s not really any other occasion to dye it except for like… St. Patrick’s Day, I guess. But I don’t really want to dye it green.” Her nose scrunched up for a moment before returning to normal.


At that point she hadn’t really expected to make plans with Mason, although she supposed he seemed to be more of a last minute person anyways. “Yeah, sure. What did you have in mind?” The smile on her face turned into something more mischievous. She knew he probably didn’t have anything specific in mind and was interested to see what ideas came to mind.

coding by cychotic

 

[PenguinFox]

Tallulah jumped a little at the sudden sound in her ear. She turned around and a soft smile spread across her face when she saw it was Jackson. She playfully nudged his shoulder. "Don't startle me like that!" she said chuckling. Lulu gave him a friendly hug before stepping back and closing her locker. She considered him a friend now after the amount of time they had spent together. He was always a gentleman and never teased her about her interests. "How is your holiday for hopeless romantics and the mindless consumer going?" Sure her view on the holiday was a tad sardonic but she also thoroughly enjoyed. The redhead was by no means against Valentines day. She just disliked that corporations took advantage of people who only want love. It was the corruption of something pure that left a bad taste in her mouth.

Lulu looked Jackson up and down and then looked either way down the halls, as if she was looking for someone. She was only just realizing it but he never mentioned having a significant other before. Either he was single or just never mentioned it. Both options seemed odd to Tallulah. He was a nice enough guy, had the cool persona going on; how was he single? And if he wasn't, why hadn't he mentioned his partner before? She opened her mouth to ask, but thought better of it. Is that a weird thing to ask? 'Hey, are you seeing anyone?' It was definitely, probably rude to do so on Valentines Day at the very least. Instead Lulu paused for a moment trying to not be awkward, then asked a different question of the male before her. "Have you ever tried to sell any of your art?" she asked thinking about the money she had earned today. Her head tilted slightly to show she was asking him seriously. He could if he wanted to, then again not everyone wanted to do that kind of thing. Daniel Reaving

 

[Dede]

Tom

Well this sucked. Teo looked like he didn’t have a muscle to his name and so fragile a breeze could blow him over. Making friends with him would be a complete waste of time, not to mention a strategic blunder. What? It was true. Being friends with other losers wouldn’t help his own image, not one bit. Tom needed allies who could hold their own, no offence to Stu of course. That was the only way a kid could get far in a place like Westbrook, and if he was going to be stuck here he had to take measures to protect himself from ending up like his old friend. No, Tom was not planning on getting his precious little face slammed into any sink anytime soon, thank you very much.

Speak of the devil, Tom turned away from Teo and crashed right into an older kid. His eyes trailed up nervously. OK, so this dude was a little more than Tom bargained for, with all the tattoos and what not. But he was tall, check. He had the muscles, check. He looked like he could send a kid flying with the flick of a finger, check. So yes, he had all the qualities Tom was looking for in his personal bodyguard.

Tom fixed his bowtie and faced the boy two or three times his size.

'Sorry, I couldn’t see you because of all the tattoo you’re wearing,' he said, with just the right amount of sass to prove that he wasn't from Loserville.

High5ives mikaluvkitties Winona

 

[Winona]

Bowbow


Yawn. This was boring.

And then as luck would have it, her stupid brother bumped into an aggressively gorgeous man. Holy hell, where did this hot piece of sexiness spawn from? Beau's jaw had dropped open for a moment, her eyes practically exploding with little hearts.

"OMG, what's your name, sexy?" And like that, Beau was clinging to his arm. She was in love. Surely he was, too. They were destined to be together forever. "I'm single and I bet you are, too. Do you want to go on a date? My mom can drive us."

She glanced towards Tom, apparently remembering her brother there and his mood-ruining ability. "Hey, twerp, get lost." Beau hissed. There was no way she was losing Sexy Boy #2.

Dede High5ives​

 

[Winona]

Ash


You had to be kidding.

Ash was speechless as Kanen walked through the door, talking to her but then she realized that Kanen didn't even seem to realize it was her. What the fuck was even going on with today?

And to make matters worse, it was then that Nona's voice crackled over the speakers. "Students, I am afraid to inform you that the blizzard going on outside is only going to get worse. We are in the middle of contacting your parents. This is a lockdown. Everyone will remain here over night to wait out the storm."

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Her brain finally seemed to start functioning again, and Ash looked at Sebastian, forcing a smile onto her face. "Officially the worst day ever. Do you want a drink? I want a drink." No, she needed a drink. Ash wasted no time pulling her backpack around and opening up the main pocket to pull out the totally inconspicuous water bottle that was definitely not filled with water.

She readjusted her backpack and popped open the top, taking a long swig of the bitter liquid with a bitter wince before she turned to start heading to her locker. Ash waited for Sebastian to tag along, and then headed briskly for her locker. As they walked, they ended up surpassing Kanen surrounded by knockoff Stu and wannabe Barbie.

Another swig before she offered the bottle to Sebastian. "Quite possibly the worst Valentine's Day ever, right?" She asked with a little forced laugh.

0k_mang0 Dede High5ives​

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Casper​

Casper had to get home. Fast, preferably. After all, snow was on the ground, and the chill would probably bite Casper, even through his layers.

He rounded the last corner of the hallway, only to immediately freeze, curling in on himself as he looked at the barrier in front of him warily. There were people, which was fine. It was a high school, and this was a hallway, but currently his locker was a bit… blocked.

He approached slowly, tugging at the sleeve of his sweater, fighting to keep his eyes off the ground and instead on these strangers. He’d never seen them before, and distantly he wondered why they were in front of his locker.

Act casual. It really was that simple, wasn’t it? Act casual about it, just ask them to move a little bit, be polite, nonconfrontational, unthreatening. It was easy. He could do that, couldn’t he?

He bit his lip, pausing nearby and watching what was happening, just now processing it even the barest amount. Maybe he shouldn’t interrupt. Even if he left now, it would still be cold. His mom wouldn’t be that mad if he didn’t come home quick enough, right? A hand moved to curl through his hair.

It was fine. They were busy, and this wasn’t urgent. He could wait.

High5ives Dede Winona​

~`*`~​

Aaron​

Aaron nodded curtly, frowning to suppress a smile. She was right- snow was too cold. Still, he should have said something… cooler. He thought on how else he could skirt the topic he actually cared about, mind coming up blank as a light panic began to form. He couldn't leave a silence. That would just be awkward, especially after that egregious opening.

Thank god she recovered more quickly than him, asking the question he’d been to afraid to start off with. He nodded, a nail pushing into his thigh. “Yes. If you still want to, that is.”

He paused, quiet for a long second, glancing a bit above her head before again lowering his gaze to hers, expression flattening out again.

“Casper wouldn’t be joining us,” he said, nonchalance bordering on boredom. He almost kicked himself for it, glancing down the hall. She’d know this. Of course she’d know this. Casper hung out with them on the weekend. His parents were used to him being gone weekdays, so there was no point.

Still, he felt the need to add, “Our parents want him home. He has homework, though I doubt he’ll do much more than draw while he’s there.” Aaron couldn’t help a slight smile at the thought. “He’s good at it,” he admitted as he fought the urge to facepalm.

He was better than this. At least, he was most of the time. Being around Maisie or even Drake was different, though, and he wasn’t quite sure why. It was an almost heady experience. He wanted to speak, even if it meant tripping over his own words. Talking to them… it made him feel heard, maybe even almost important.

It was a dangerous feeling, but maybe that was part of what made it fun.

Soap​

 

[Winona]

Ariana

Yes, she was ready. Ready to have fun until her dad came home.

Which for an unsupervised three-year-old meant absolute trouble. So far she had pulled the toilet paper roll all around the house, successfully decorating much of the interior for when Raven got home. From there, she'd grabbed herself a cereal box but accidentally had opened it upside down and then dragged that through the kitchen before she noticed. Woops.

Now, Ari was looking for a juice box, which happened to be on the top shelf of the refrigerator.

She opened the door, and grabbed the upper shelf. There was the juice box... so close... she started hefting herself up, reaching one chubby little hand for it. It was almost in her grasp...

And then her foot slipped, and Ari went tumbling down, her hand still tightly clenching one of the shelfs. Down it came with her, spilling fruit, bags of vegetables, and an orange juice container that splattered upon impact.

Ari was going to cry from the loud clattering, but there was her juice box. She happily picked it up, but then realized she couldn't open it. She stepped through the spilled orange juice and mess of vegetables, carefully over her toilet paper streamers, and headed for where Stu was. "I want juice! Please!" She yelled.

Dede​

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer
​

The last time she’d read an entire book and actually enjoyed it had been in the eighth grade. The title of the book she’d found in her dad’s bookshelf was now completely lost on her, and all that came to mind when she thought about it was kids in a forest and British people. And something about flys. Whatever the hell that was about. This made her choice to go to the library a few days ago an odd one for someone like Sawyer, but what was even weirder was the fact that she’d checked out a book and actually liked it. Sawyer had never read something so fast in her life and now she was more than thankful that she’d discovered it was a series. What possessed her to pick up and read something titled Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was beyond her. Maybe it had something to do with the story actually being pretty cool or maybe it was just because Sawyer hadn’t been getting enough sleep and she was hallucinating this whole entire thing. The smell of the library assured her it was the former. Sawyer’s nose crinkled as she pushed open the library doors and was greeted with a healthy waft of stale book air. The mingling of old book smells and new did not make for a pleasant smell in Sawyer’s opinion. The librarian sitting at the check out desk was almost as old and dusty as some of the books the Westbrook school library offered. Sawyer could’ve sworn that when her eyes, covered in a bluish film, moved to glare at some kid being too loud and they grated against her eye sockets like sandpaper, and her fingers made awful cracking noises every time she moved them. She reminded Sawyer of a skeleton. The Library Skeleton. Sawyer smiled to herself and even managed to chuckle a little. The Library Skeleton’s head snapped to her with a crack and Sawyer jumped as she ducked into a row of books to escape those vulture-like eyes.

She took to wondering about the isles, searching for the one that she’d found the book in and hoping that the rest of them were there. It felt good to enjoy something other than basketball right now. She’d been having a hard time focusing and she found that reading did help a little. They certainly helped more than Jess did. Sawyer sighed as the swimmer came to her mind, her and that god awful high pitched giggle. She shuddered to think how lonely she’d been that she’d turned to that. It wasn’t like she was depressed or anything, of course. It had just been hard not to wake up every morning and find herself wanting to call Grace, text Grace, something. Her dad had learned to just not say anything to Sawyer about Grace for fear of making her upset. Sawyer knew it was stupid. She knew. It had been long enough. So why the hell wasn’t she over it? That was a question she did not want to think about right now. Now, where the hell was that damn book?

There. Sawyer smiled as she spotted the second book in the series and plucked it off the shelf, thumbing through it and glancing at some several of the black and white photographs inside before tucking it under her arm and turning to exit the aisle. What she saw when she lifted her head made her want to turn around and walk the other way. Grace and whoever the hell that was sitting together at a table. Sawyer swallowed hard, squared her shoulders, and sank down at the table right next to there’s. She opened her book and propped her feet up on the table, safe from the view of the Library Skeleton. What she was doing, she didn’t know, but it was too late to back down now.

Soap Winona

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Jasmine

For a second she didn’t get the joke in Ravens voice but she got it after a quick second and giggled a little. “Well Raven. I’m jasmine.” She said softly to the girl. Hearing her say that jasmine was new she kinda shrugged. “You could say so. I’ve been here since that party up at some persons cottage at a ski resort so. Kinda new. I haven’t made any friends yet though.” She said softly as she reattached her prosthetic and stood up with a sigh.
Soap​

 

[Winona]

Mason


Fuck. He'd thought about it, but now here he was on the spot.

Mason hesitated for a moment, and then he started to speak and lay out some grand plans when Nona's voice came over the speakers. Her announcement of being left in the school instantly was both a blessing, and a curse. At least it saved him from having to come up with some kind of romantic fucking night, but his worries instantly landed with Ari.

"Fuck." He grumbled when her announcement was over, and he pulled out his phone. Mason was in the middle of sending a text to Adriane to know if she had Ari still. It was only a couple moments until she replied letting him know that Stu had his little pride and joy. Oh no. Mason was worried, but he couldn't act like he was worried. Sharing his daughter was something that he had planned to bring up, of course, but it wasn't exactly the easiest thing. How did you even start that conversation? "Hi, so I had a kid when I was fourteen. She's three. I'd like to date you and I promise I learned how to use protection."

Yeah, no.

So Mason had to swallow his worry, even though he stupidly and absentmindedly sent that Twitter message to Kanen. How the fuck was he supposed to know that Sam might see it?

"Sorry." He said, sliding his phone back in his pocket. "So I guess a nice dinner is out. I'm sorry that Valentine's Day is kind of, well... ruined." And he was! Even if he didn't have any plans.

Gomenesigh​

 

[Winona]

Keisha

She may not have been at the school long, but Keisha had been there long enough to know who the fuck Sawyer was. But she didn't let the annoying appearance of Grace's ex distract her for long.

Keisha leaned across her book, looking at Grace and trying to keep her attention away from the bitch at the table next to them. The announcements had just gone off announcing the night of being stuck at the school. "One more chance. That's all I'm asking for. We're stuck here all night, so what do you say to trying this again?"

Her heart was thrumming away in her chest while she awaited Grace's answer. She had made sure to ask her question loudly enough for Sawyer to be able to hear it.

If this failed, then fuck, Keisha would be in a world of embarrassment. But if it didn't and Grace agreed... well, then Keisha was going to have to figure out how to have a nice date in the fucking school.

Soap KingofAesir​

 

[Soap]

Grace

Grace was just tired of all the drama going on, it was one thing after the next and before she knew it. Instead of Keisha answering her rather awkward question; both of their attention flew to the person who sat a table away from them, of course it was Sawyer. She was just reading a book next to them. But Grace knew her ex quite well and everything she did had a reason... usually. As much as she tried to mind her own business and keep her eyes off of her ex. She couldn't.

Her gaze wandered more than once until Keisha leaned over, successfully grabbing her attention and keeping it there. Grace felt her heart do multiple flips at the question, whether it was due to Sawyer being near her, or... if she actually liked Keisha. She wasn't sure what to say, her mouth opened and nothing came out for the first few seconds and she didn't dare to turn around to look at Sawyer. She knew that would immediately make her answer a no.

And Grace really didn't want to say no.

"... Actually, yeah. I'm up for trying it again." She had to bite the corner of her lip to keep a smile from forming, that seemed insensitive in front of Sawyer. She probably didn't even know what they were talking about in the first place. While she didn't want her to bring up their last date, what's the worst that can happen if they try it again? Give them a second chance. Why not? Grace wasn't sure if she was saying yes to get back at Sawyer, or if she actually wanted to date Keisha. Either way; She felt selfish, but why? Sawyer had Jess now. Why can't she have Keisha?

KingofAesir Winona

Raven

Raven's eyes rolled at the mention of the Christmas getaway that was nothing but terrible. Though, a small smile appeared on her face soon after. That one night she spent with Mason wasn't so bad; they danced, talked. It was sweet. She shook her head from the weird memory. There was obviously much more important things to be thought about other than Mason.

"Pretty name... for a pretty girl." An eyebrow raised towards her in an attempt for gauge her reaction at the flirting. Of course it was nothing serious and to be expected from the brunette. But... it was Valentine's day, and Raven not flirting for it? Well, that'd just be sad. "Ignore my cheesiness. It could be the day of love interfering with my words." She chuckled.

"So, why are you working out on this oh-so perfect holiday?"

Daniel Reaving​

 

[DrabberRogue]

Jace didn't normally have anything against Valentines Day. It was a holiday just like any other, with all sorts of fun little traditions that gave him something extra to do. In past years he'd never shied away from sending unsigned flowers or idly flirting with pretty girls in the spirit of February 14th. He'd even sent a flower to Serena the previous year, and still took amusement in the fact that she didn't know who it was from. Although upon reflection she probably didn't care, given that she'd gotten like five others.

This Valentines Day wasn't really as fun though. He couldn't put his finger on it, but for some reason the lovey-dovey atmosphere in the air actually put a damper on his positive mood. Instead of sending flowers with cryptic messages to girls he knew or having fun with the romantic theme, he was actually kind of on edge. Well, as on edge as a boy like him could be. Which just meant slightly quieter and less smiley than usual. It also wasn't entirely true that he hadn't sent any flowers. He'd sent one. A rose, all by itself without any message or signature to mark who had sent it. Giving her any hints that might've lead back to him would probably just complicate things. It was bad enough he was sending anything in the first place. As much as he disliked the rumors, Ash probably did have a line of guys who wanted to be her valentine.

In any case he Jace didn't want to spend any more time with all the inseparable couples, nor did he want to run the risk of running into that blonde. In spite of the fact that he'd actually love to talk to her. So he decided to go find somewhere with less people. Somewhere quiet where he could wash his sub-par mood away with a game.

So it was that, with the blizzard outside growing to the point that the school had to lock down, Jace found his way to the library. Just as expected, there were only a few other people around. Grace, Sawyer, and some cute freshman looking girl he actually didn't recognize. He could practically feel the awkward tension of two exes sitting just one table away from one another. Maybe he'd get some free entertainment along with his gaming? Making his way to one of the far corners of the room, where the bookshelves blocked the librarian's view, he gently set his bag down on the table closest to one of the power outlets. He then pulled his laptop out and plugged it in, sitting down in a seat that gave him a good view of the rest of the library and putting in his headphones. The final touch was to hook up a wireless controller he often carried in his bag. It was often more comfortable than keyboard and mouse.

But now that he was all set up what would he play? Jace's icy blue eyes scanned through his unusually small list of Steam games, trying to decide on what he was interested in. In truth he didn't actually feel like playing anything in particular. It was kind of a frustrating feeling, like he didn't want to do anything at all. Which was annoying because he definitely didn't want to do nothing.

What was more annoying though was the constant buzzing coming from his blazer's chest pocket. Something he normally welcomed. Pulling his phone out, he briefly checked to see just what all the notifications were coming from. Twitter, of course. It was the usual suspects catting it up all over his feed again. While this was normally something he liked to watch, a lot of it just darkened his mood even further, although that didn't show on his face. There were people within line of sight after all. However he decided to leave the phone on the table so he could watch the notifications as they came, opting to satisfy his curiosity anyways. After that he turned his gaze back to the screen of his laptop, scrolling through the games once more before his piercing gaze finally settled on a game.

Normally Jace wouldn't be caught dead playing a sports video game like Fifa. If he wanted to play a sport he was going to go outside and play it in person. However the latest annual installment of EA's cash cow had been on sale, and he had been in the mood to try something new. So for the past couple of weeks he'd been indulging himself in virtual soccer, quickly becoming pretty decent at it. Decent enough that he'd been thinking about trying his hand at going up against more competitive players.

Why not?

Leaning back in his chair, Jace opened up the game, letting it load before hopping into a match with one of the people on his friends list. Some British sounding kid he'd run into a few days after he started playing. Summoning up some of his reserve positivity, he put his slender fingers to work on the keyboard, typing a message into team chat while the match started. He was in the library after all, it wasn't like he could use his mic.

'Yo buddy, still alive?'

Dede Winona

 

[KingofAesir]

Sawyer​

At first, her intent had been to just sit there to annoy Grace’s new friend or whatever, but with the conversation she was overhearing she was beginning to regret that decision. She didn’t know exactly what they were talking about, but with the way Grace answered it seemed like something she really did not want to be hearing. But, ever the stubborn asshole she ways, Sawyer stayed perfectly seated and perfectly silent. If she didn’t have the control over her facial expressions that she did, the tornado tearing up her insides might have been obvious to the outside world. Sawyer knew this was stupid and she knew she had no right to be sitting here being petty like she was, but damnit she couldn’t help it. No matter how hard she tried, Sawyer just couldn’t accept the fact that Grace wasn’t hers anymore. It hurt too much. Like when you fall and skin your knee when you were little and that shit hurt like hell but someone was always there to pick you up, dust you off, and kiss it better. There was no one there to pick Sawyer up. She was just a kid sitting on the sidewalk with a bleeding knee, too scared to stand. Too proud to ask for help, but she was also too damn stubborn to give up. So she was just going to have to crawl. Grace had made her feel like she belonged somewhere, a feeling that was far from common in her life. Grace was her home and to hell if she was just gonna let her home get taken from her.

Sawyer snapped her book closed as loudly as she could. Scraping her chair across the carpet and standing with a huff. She dropped the book down on the table with a bang and heard the exact sound she was hoping to. The quiet groan of a thousand-year-old chair as the Library Skeleton stood from her desk. What felt like an eternity later, the woman herself rounded the corner and was upon them, standing tall like a hungry raven staring down its next meal. Sawyer simply smiled at the old woman as her gaze swept lazily across the three of them and when she spotted Grace and what’s her face leaning close to each other her eyes narrowed.

“I do hope you children are being appropriate.” Her voice sounded like it might’ve been beautiful in her younger years but was now a broken bell, “I’ll not have anything distasteful in my library overnight.” She walked closer to Grace and whatchamacallit, those hazy filmed eyes boring holes into them as she bent down with a sickening crack of her back, “You know the rules.” She stood up slowly and turned to Sawyer.

“You quiet down, Miss Andrews, not another sound.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The Library Skeleton stalked away and Sawyer settled back into her chair, propping her feet back up and plucking her book up again.

“What an old crone.”

Soap Winona

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Jasmine
She had to admit she wasn’t expecting flirting. Especially from one of the popular girls. It brought a slightly bashful look to her face and a light blush as she chuckled trying to hide her enjoyment in it. Even if this was just possibly a fake. It was the first time someone besides her family had called her beautiful since the accident. It was nice to say the least. Being pulled from her moment of embarrassment at the girls words she grew hesitant. “W-well.... Rehab... honestly.” She said softly. “T-the accident that.... you know.” She glanced down to her leg. “I-it happened not that long ago. I’m still in rehabilitation. Moving here was actually apart of it.” She said softly as her eyes glanced up to the girl. Sadly though this happy feeling quickly washed away. The sound of the outside world being replaced with water. Rushing waves of water. She knew she shouldn’t have talked about it, Nor thought about it. Slowly her eyes widened as she started to see red, deep crimson red, diluted almost as if it was in another liquid.... like water.

Her breathing quickly picked up in its back as she took a small step back, her heart racing as the memories flashed. Her screams filling her ears as she stared the girl down in horror. Jasmine didn’t know what to do. She had found the best way to get through these was physical contact, a grounding point in reality. Normally she had someone close to her with her whenever this happened, her aunt or uncle, her cousin, but right now it was her and raven. A stranger, yet the only person she could try to rely on. She did the only thing she could and reached out towards the girl desperately with a hand. Then Quickly and without warning she moved to Raven between flashes of the incident with desperation.

Wrapping her arms around the girls body in a death grip and burying her face into Ravens chest as she tried to fight off the images and old sensations that flashed in her mind. The oh so subtle feeling that she was missing something, the pooling mix of water and blood.... a shark fin. Gliding through the water around her, menacing and petrifying. It was enough for Jasmine to lose strength in her legs. She fell to her knees dragging raven with her as she continued to pant stressed shaky pants.
Soap​

 

[High5ives]

Kanen
Murphy's law: Anything that can go wrong, will. For most people, being bumped in the hallway really wouldn't be that big of a deal. You apologize, move on, end of story. Kanen, obviously, wasn't most people. Especially with little smart-asses who think they're clever. His dark eyes lowered on the little blonde who was now standing a bit too close for comfort. The accent and bowtie were enough for Kanen to know that the kid wasn't from around here. Kanen's gaze was steel, giving no hints or signs as to what was going through his head. Beat the kid, or keep on with his day?

He didn't even come to a decision before he felt something clinging to his arm. Nails dug into his skin. Cheap perfume flooded his nostrils. And that fucking voice, so high pitched and preppy. Kanen looked down to find some hell span latched onto his arm like a baby monkey. Good god she was like a fucking gremlin. No. Gremlins was a good movie. She was what happened if The Annoying Orange and and Ewok had hate sex in the middle of a radiation plant. Nightmarish. Absolutely god awful. Luckily Kanen had plenty of practice when it came to pushing people away. He looked at her for only a moment before the insults started rolling off his tongue.

"That fucking bow is ridiculous." He spat, taking a moment to make a quick mental list of everything he hated about the girl. It didn't take long. "Your voice remind me of a llama getting fucked in the ass. Yours eyes belong on a porcelain doll, there's nothing intelligent behind them. You've got the claws of a fucking ant-eater, and you're dressed like a damn circus clown." He slung the insults in rapid procession, not blinking in between each. " You've got the energy of a puppy, with none of the redeeming qualities. You understand personal space about as well as a Ukrainian Peasant understand the concept of food. Apparently neither of have got any brain cells left, and if you do its only one; shared between the two of you." The more Kanen said, the more bored he seemed. He talked like he was explaining a math equation or something, not like he was insulting every little thing about some tween.

His eyes fell back on the boy. "Take the fucking lemur off my arm and keep on walking down the hall before I beat your stunted ass unconscious and bury you out in the snow." Only now did Kanen's expression change, his upper lip raising in one corner, nearly snarling.

Dede Winona​

 

[Gomenesigh]

Samantha Gilly

interactions: Winona

Sam was sorely disappointed when a voice rang over the speakers, announcing their inability to leave the school. She pouted for a moment, her arms crossing over her chest as she stood there, but soon became more interested in what Mason was up to. He seemed awfully eager to get in contact with someone, though she had no idea who. She ended up pulling out her own phone and checked social media. She was sure some of her classmates would already be blowing it up with all sorts of crap.

Boy, was she right. At first she was shocked. Mason had a kid? She’d been hanging around him for almost a month and didn’t know he had a _child?_ Was she that stupid or was he just that secretive? She wasn’t sure but she sure felt stupid now. It was all she could do not to glare at Mason when he spoke as she tucked her phone away.

“Yeah, what a bummer.” Her voice was cool, almost to the point of iciness. She wasn’t sure exactly if she was still confused or getting angry at this point, but she didn’t think she wanted to be around Mason. “Well, guess I better find someplace comfortable before all the good spots get taken.” She turned on her heel and walked in the opposite direction of the front doors. She wasn’t sure exactly where she was going yet, just anywhere away from that spot.

coding by cychotic

 

[Dede]

Neck Tie

When the weatherman was warning Westbrook about a storm earlier, he never mentioned anything about a Hurricane Ariana.

Before he knew it, all the furniture in the house was draped in toilet paper. Hell, even Neck Tie was covered in toilet paper too. How did that happen? He had absolutely no time for this; the all-important match was about to start. Reluctantly he slid off the bar stool. . . and stepped right on a hard piece of cereal. Crunch.

‘OW!’ the boy squealed.

The floor all the way into the kitchen was a Kellogg’s minefield. He held his foot in pain and hopped away on one leg, searching for the little culprit. He got there just in time to witness her spectacular demolition of the refrigerator.

‘Ari, what have you–?’

His boyish voice kind of just trailed away into a whimper when he saw the mess she made. There was food everywhere on the floor, juices, leftovers, carrots, you name it. They were in so much trouble. Correction. He was in so much trouble.

Neck Tie quickly hurried over to Ari who happened to be slopping her way toward him, demanding juice. He got a hold of her so she couldn’t spread the mess elsewhere, but he might have already been too late to contain the damage.

‘OK, OK. . . I’ll open it for you.’

The accidental babysitter took the juice box from her and worked to get it open, his hands trembling in a panic. He slipped in the straw and handed it back to the toddler from hell.

‘Here you go. Hold on, hold still.’

Now he bunched up some toilet paper -- which wasn’t all that hard to find considering the whole house was covered in ribbons of it -- and he soaked up the juice from Ari’s feet and then checked her for injuries.

‘You didn’t hurt yourself did you?’ He surveyed the kitchen one more time, with a defeated sigh. ‘. . .Your dad’s gonna kill me.’

So taking his eyes off Ari for even 3 seconds was a bad idea. Lesson learnt. He picked the little girl up and carefully brought her back to the counter and pulled her up on his lap, hoping she’d miraculously stay put for at least 15 minutes. With any luck the juice box might buy him enough time to see off the important match. Then he could finally give the girl his full attention and be a proper babysitter worthy of Adriane's and Mason's trust.

‘I just need to finish this round, OK? Then we can go play. . . What do you wanna play?’

He was just going to have to deal with all the mess later. And boy was there a mess.

Neck Tie fitted his headphones back on and awkwardly held the controller in front of himself and Ari. Though the girl was balancing perilously on his lap he made sure he had locked her in place with his arms, securely like one of those roller coaster seats. The last thing he needed was for Ari to fall off -- because Mason would surely have his head, and this once he might actually follow through with his threat of shoving nuggets down his throat.

There was crackling in the microphone as he responded to his impatient teammates, who were eager to start the match.

‘OK – sorry. *crackle* I’m ready. *crackle* Let’s go.’

So the game began. What could possibly go wrong?

Winona DrabberRogue

 

[Daniel Reaving]

Jackson

Jackson couldn’t help but let his smile grow wider as tallulah turned to see him. Gently nudging his shoulder as he chuckled. Hearing her ask how he’s enjoying the holiday for hooked romantics he responded. “oooo ouch that hurts since I am one of those hopeless romantics.” He teased back to her as he twirled the rose in his hands behind his back. Waiting for the right time to give it to her. “well I mean. It’s not as easy to sell a painted wall as it is to sell pictures goof.” He said laughing a little more as he stood there with her. Smirking as he moved to her side and leaned against the lockers, his arms behind his back as he looked over the features of her face. He couldn’t help but mentally curse himself for not at least trying to kiss her that night. Still he knew it was for the best he didn’t. Quick relationships like that would never last.
PenguinFox​

 

[Winona]

Mason


Ah, fuck. What was her problem?

A million curses went through his mind as he started after Sam. "What the hell is your problem?" He asked, maybe a little too harsh, but what the fuck? They had just been talking about going on a date, and now she was pulling this shit? There were literally stuck in the school until further notice. What the fuck was she planning on doing for the next eight hours or whatever?

Sam easily had to be the most confusing, difficult girl he'd ever tried to get with. Even fucking June hadn't been this much of a headache. She always seemed to have some kind of issue with him but instead of talking it over, Sam would just walk away. What the fuck did she think they were? In middle school where you kissed and ran?

"You know, you could do this fun thing called talking instead of just fucking walking off without any explanation." Okay, so yeah, Mason was really irritated with this situation.

Gomenesigh​

 

[Gomenesigh]

Samantha Gilly

interactions: Winona

What the hell is your problem? The words made Sam stop dead in her tracks. She turned on him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, you want to bring up talking? How about the fact that you never talked about the fact you have a child? In the month or so we’ve been doing… whatever this is,” she took a moment to gesture between them before crossing her arms again, “You never thought to mention that?” She was going to stop there, but Mason was just being an ass, which she supposed wasn’t too far from normal. He wanted to bring up talking when he barely spoke at all?

“And let’s talk about exactly what you want, Mason. Plenty of people have told me about your past escapades and I’m not stupid. But, I gave it a chance, anyways because maybe what they said wasn’t true.” She honestly wasn’t sure why she had risked it. Maybe with the stress from home and her sore lack of friends she was lonely.

What she did know, was that she really didn’t want to deal with this. Not when they were going to be trapped in this building for the rest of the night. She could avoid him, but that wouldn’t really solve anything. Not that blowing up in the middle of the hallway was very useful either. She took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down.

coding by cychotic