It was near the end of first period for Zoey in the most boring history class that she had ever been in. The teacher, Mrs Mead, was droning on and on about the first world war in the most annoying voice possible. She didnt even attempt to try and make the class less painful, she just read out infromation from the front and told you to copy it down. Then she would ask questions after. Long, boring questions. Luckily for Zoey some of her new freinds were in this class with her because if they werent she would have probably killed herslef by now, ten times over. In middle school even if a class was horrible she would sit down, try her hardest to concentrate and write down anything that was on the board just so she knew it. She would try. But now, just like Luke and Louise, she was doing nothing. She had her book open but it was on a completely blank page. There was a pen on the desk but it was broken and had been for a long time. This was only so the teacher wouldnt realise that she was doing nothing if she looked over and wouldnt call Zoey out on it. Zoey and Luke sat in the back right corner of the room and Louise sat in the chair infront of both of them. They had been talking and whispering for the entire hour, none of the information had soaked in. The conversation was usually about other people, like that complete bitch Marchele on the other side of the room or the biggest drama queen ever, Amelia. This carried on until the intercom sounded. Everyone went quiet, waiting for something exciting or for their name to be called so they could leave the god awful class. For Zoey, that was the case.

She let out a quiet "Yes!" And looked to her freinds who were both a mix of jealous and being in awe of her. She reached down to the side of her chair, grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder before she went to turn and leave. Just as she did, Luke leaned back in his chair and blocked her path. The teacher had started talking again so the room was filled with her loud, annoying voice. He whispered to her. "Your still coming afterschool, right? I'd hate it if you werent there". She quickly nodded, "Yeah. I wouldnt miss it". She said. He nodded and leaned foward, letting her through. "Make sure you dont, I'll be dissapointed if you do". Zoey smiled and nodded, walking behind him and out from behind the desks. Just as she turned to walk down the aisle and leave, she felt something firm hit her behind. Her eyes opened wide and she blushed hard, turning around to see that Luke had smacked her ass. "Luke!" She whispered, suprised but not particularly annoyed. "See you later". He smirked. She shook her head in mock dissapointment before smiling at him and rushing out of class. Boys will be boys, and she wasnt about too get mad and ruin her freindship with them all over one guy slapping her ass. Besides, didnt that mean she must have looked good to get that kind of attention? From Luke and Daniel? A tiny flicker of confidence emerged from inside her. She was proud.

She practically ran down the school halls between lockers with her bag over her shoulder as she tried to get too the office as fast as possible. Luckily, she hadnt ran into any 'hall moniters' or teachers on her way and so she had a quick run too the office. When she got there, she was expecting to see Sophie and an upset Olivia. Instead she saw Kylie and a perfectly normal Olivia. Oh. "What's going on?" She asked as she stopped running and slowed it too a walk, making her way over too her sisters. She eyed her older and younger sister suspiciously, not quite sure if something had actually happened.

@Emma@ViciousMarrow

"Haha, you really are a funny one." Axel said in response to Kylie's harsh words.

Venomous. That was what Kylie's words were. Any other person would've retaliated with the same amount of venom in their words, but not Axel. Mainly because he didn't really care.

He shrugged and smiled at Kylie once again, "But would you look at that. You've got more than little ol' me. Well, it IS hard to live on a pizza deliverer's salary." He looked inside her wallet and inspected it, before whistling to show that he was indeed surprised. "All right, princess, then have a safe trip. Try not to get robbed or anything in your way back, or on your way to wherever you are going."

Despite his words, Axel couldn't help but think that Kylie was if a bit dumb. If it had been anyone but Axel asking this, and that is, a complete stranger, they wouldn't have let the girl walk away with her wallet intact.

He approached the driver and shot another smile at him, though the man was clearly crept out by his appearance, even more so by his eyes.

"Look after her, will you? She's a bit dumb, you see." Axel nodded at the driver and then turned back to the diner, not before waving good-bye at Kylie with the same smile still splattered in his face.

Though his wave was friendly, seeing how the girl was giving him the finger surprised him a little, but he was quick to get into the same manner and also gave her the finger, though he continued to wave his hand, finger, smile and all.

When the car was safely out of view, Axel sighed. Ha, she called him edgy and she was the one storming out of the diner for whatever idiocy? That was rich.

"Then, let's get me some pancakes." Axel rubbed his hands together with a dubious smile in his face, before going into the dinner again.

He approached his table again only to see that the blonde girl was no longer there, and neither was Anthony. Odd.

"Hm? Where's roomie prospect number 1? And roomie number 1?" He mused as he sat back down. "Did he try to hit on her? And things went south? Man, I thought that only happened to me." He chuckled.

"In any case, where are my pancakes? I am starving." Axel then took out a single zippo lighter and started playing with it, opening it and closing it back.

He never really did light the thing, but did seem to at least be entertained by the clicking sound it made every time he opened it.

"Perhaps Anthony ran after her? Ah, how beautiful is it to be in love, ain't it?" He chuckled.

Or perhaps he was in here still. Trying to focus a bit better in his surroundings, Axel turned his head around to find Anthony talking with the waitress and some other dude.

Should he go? Nah, probably Anthony will come over soon enough. Probably.

---

_@Athinar

Beep Beep, Beep Beep

The noise that Tara absolutely dreaded rang through her room. Tired, she leaned over and groped around to push any button until the noise stopped. She got up reluctantly and went over to her dresser to get dressed, stretching and yawning the entire way. Not particularly caring about what she wore, the raven hair female grabbed a pair of old ripped up jeans and a t-shirt. It didn’t really matter what kind since she was just going to wear her Millington University sweatshirt over it.

After brushing her teeth, taking a quick shower, and getting dressed, Tara glanced at the time. She was right on schedule. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and grabbed her phone and keys. The red eyed girl made sure to lock her apartment door, not that it would do much. The apartment complex was pretty run down, but there was nothing in there worth stealing. Tara sent a quick text over to Riley while walking to her first class.

Hey, I’m gonna stop by for lunch today. I expect to at least get a family discount if not for free. Money doesn’t grow on trees ya know ;)

She decided to text Kylie as well since the two basically had telepathy and she didn’t want to annoy the hot headed Reese this early in the morning.

Pester Rye bread for me, I’m broke and need food.

When Tara finally arrived on campus, she was awake and alert. Well, maybe not completely, but enough so that she didn't run into anyone.

Jerry rubbed his eyes as he walked through the empty living room, there was still more to come from the movers. It was incredible that even in a few years he had managed to acquire so many things that he needed a moving van. Popping his back he checked the fridge, oh that was right he hadn’t bothered with anything more than milk. Probably best to get cleaned up and go into town for breakfast. Checking his closet he grumbled in irritation. ”Still need to find some clothing...maybe the mall this morning.” With that he pulled on cargo pants and t-shirt before putting on his gun belt and badge. With a sigh he grabbed his coat and pulled in on heading out the door. Closing it behind him he locked the door; looking to the right he frowned looking over at the house next door to him. Had he heard yelling from over there this morning? At some point it would probably be best for him to introduce himself later but for now, clothing.

Unlocking the unmarked they’d given him he climbed in and pulled out of the drive way. Such a strange little town, it was different than where he’d grown up that was for sure but at least here it would be okay to start over.

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

Small. It was so strange going back to things that were small. Big cities meant bigger things, more places to hide, more things to go wrong. It was strange only having to worry about the smaller places and smaller problems. Jeremiah walked out of the clothing shop and looked at his watch. It was well past breakfast so it was probably safe to eat something closer to lunch. Stopping Jeremiah collected a pretzel from the food court before settling down in one of the through fares. People were so odd sometimes in the way they moved and acted, it was like they didn’t bother to look at everything around them sometimes which was so odd. With a shrug Jeremiah went back to the pretzel he was working on. The next three days were off so he could sleep in and catch up on life since he still needed to unpack. With a sigh he leaned back and closed his eyes thank goodness for weekends.

@Sakurasan and @Saint Girralo
Nathan took a moment to stop his whistling when a girl got on the bus. She looked a bit younger than him, but nonetheless was very, very cute. She even took the time to smile at everyone on the bus before taking the seat all the way in the back. However, as she walked past him, he noticed that her eyes were slightly watering which didn’t seem to match the rest of her smiling face. Perhaps it was allergies? It didn’t seem like it to him though. It probably was none of his business and she had already sat down and was reading a book, but he still got out of his seat to go talk to her.

”Excuse me, gorgeous,” he said while sporting his goofy smile. “Is this seat taken?”

”Ughh.” Ami groans and covers her mouth a bit in slight disgust. Her favorite character had just been killed gruesomely. Her head now being dragged along the sidewalk. I really thought that she was going to live.

She then heard that someone had begun speaking to her and turned her head rather quickly “-orgeous, is this seat taken?” hmm… I suppose he had just said gorgeous? He didn't look like the perverts that usually came by her she thought as she smiled sweetly at him “Ah, no. Of course you may have a seat. Good morning~”

”Ah… what a sweet girl,” Nathan couldn’t help but think to himself. He gratefully took the seat next to her and wondered what to do next. He honestly has never gotten this far before.

“Thank you, kind stranger. My name’s Nathaniel, but I usually go by Nathan. What’s your name?” he asked, while extending his hand for a handshake.

He was honestly relieved that she seemed okay, but was somewhat disappointed. He didn’t want something bad to have happened to her, but at the same time, he wouldn’t have mind having to play her knight in shining armor.

I suppose he is simply an outgoing person that likes to meet new people.

“Very nice to meet you Nathaniel.” She shook his hand and resumed to say her name. “Ami.” smiling at him while she scooted over a bit, allowing him to have more room. Not that she barely took up her own seat.

She didn't have a name she went by instead of her actual name. She was usually just called whatever and paid no mind to it.

“Nice to meet you too, Ami,” he returned. Damn it. He really should have thought this through. He glanced over at James who was still asleep, somewhat hoping that his friend would wake up and save him. This was starting to feel awkward. He had to keep the conversation going somehow…

“Oh, so you’re probably a student at Millington University too, right? If so, uh, what’s your major? I’m a kinesiology major, myself. Thought about going pre-med, but decided against it.” Was he talking too much? She doesn’t seem like she would mind though. This girl could actually be the one! The one who finally lets him take her out on a date!

Okay, so he has had girlfriends before… like in high school. But college girls are apparently a lot harder to impress. He’s been striking out for so long, he forgot that girls could even say the word, “yes”. But he figured he was bound to get a girl to go out with him eventually… maybe it could be today! He was having a really good day so far. Anything seemed possible.

Smiling brightly, she replied “Yup! I recently moved here and haven't really met anyone though, haha. My major is electrical engineering and computer science.” People often got the idea that she was an airhead and an idiot when they first met her but that wasn't the case at all. Naïve? A bit.

He seemed to be a pretty excitable person as she glanced out the window quickly, realizing that they were almost at the university. Turning back to him, she added. “Do you have classes in the morning?”

“Wow, that seems like a heavy load,” he whistled, definitely impressed. “So you must be a first year then?”

To answer her question, he replied, “Yeah, I have biology first then statistics in the afternoon. What about you?”

He was a bit intimidated by her implied intelligence that came with her major. So not only was she really pretty and nice, but she was apparently smart too? She was definitely way out of his league. Maybe she would still accept a date out of pity…” he thought wistfully.

Today just wasn't going to be one of James’ days, he could feel it as he woke up well before his alarm would go off. Looking around the bus, James saw his old friend, Nathan, talking to some girl, and knowing his luck, he was going to strike out. Better go save my hopeless friend before he embarrasses himself.

Tossing his backpack over his shoulder, he carefully made his way to the two. “Nathan, harassing some poor girl? Have you no shame?” He asks jokingly. “I'm James, James Reese, by the way.” he added, offering his hand to the girl his friend was talking to.

Nathan frowned as his friend accused him of harassing Ami and poked James in the sides. “Just so you know, we were having a nice conversation! Right, Ami?” he turned to the girl to help defend his case.

Ami was about to respond when she noticed a man coming over to him. She then noticed that they both appeared to be older than her. Once he mentioned harassment, her eyes went a bit wider. She knew what “harassment” was and this wasn’t even close. She smiled at the man kindly as she took his hand, shaking it gently as she chuckled a bit. “Haha, of course not. It’s just as he says. We were simply talking, would you like to join in? As he says, my name is Ami Miyasaki. It’s nice to meet you.” Her voice was as gentle as always as she let go of his hand. Harassment, huh. How funny, as if he was harassing her.

James reacted with a light yelp as he jumped back after Nathan poked him in the side unexpectedly. But he stepped back toward the two, knowing Nathan very well and Ami seemed friendly enough. As Ami let go of his hand, he let it drop to his side, and grabbed onto one of the hand holds on the bus. He smiled a tired, but genuine smile.
“It's nice to meet you Ami, the two of you should stop by the diner sometime, it'll give us a chance to catch up, Nathan, and give the two of you a chance to get to know each other better. So what were you talking about before I came back here?” James yawned.

Ami thought about this offer. Did he know that I was hungry? Oh! This must be one of those friendship making dinners! “That would be wonderful! So all three of us? I would be delighted~” Looking at James and back to Nathan. She smiled chipperly. Happy that she would be able to make 2 new friends. However, it might have appeared to be that she was happy to receive the invite from James… Oblivious to what he was attempting to do. She had zero experience with dating and love. Zero. Nein. No. The only romance books she read were where the heroine either got killed or killed the lover.

Nathan’s face lit up with delight. If he could communicate telepathically with James, he would say, ”Thanks bro! I owe you big time! You are the best! I will name my first-born son after you!” or something along those lines.

But unfortunately, she didn’t seem to get the idea. ”Uh… yeah… the three of us… but James has to work… so...hm…” he stammered, trying to keep the dinner to just the two of them. He looked at James with wide eyes, begging him to help out once again. ”My first two sons will be named after you…”

James felt instantly bad about the confusion the Ami had with his statement. “Yeah, usually when I'm not at home or the university, you can find me working at the family restaurant, the Queen’s Orchid. I'm usually there from right after class straight through to closing time.” he sighed, then thinking of something. “Just ask for me. It's not quite like I'm sitting down to dinner with the two of you, but you'll get guaranteed good service, and my brother, Riley is a great cook. That's really the best I can offer.” James yawned again, he was run down and barely scraping by with how much energy he's been burning.

Ami frowned a bit at hearing the name. She had just been there and may have been seen as extremely rude to the workers there but what got to her more was his lack of energy. “That’s nice, thank you… Are you alright? Not enough sleep, eh?” She then took out a pouch and shuffled through it until she found a pack of peppermints. Smiling at him she handed him two pieces. “Here! Not much but they always wake me up a bit when i’m tired and I always get the extra minty ones! Oh! We’ve arrived!” Ami stood up, beginning to walk towards the exit. She turned back around before she left “Make sure to sleep a bit, hehe.” She chuckled “See you around Nathan, James!” With that she waved to them and went towards the university.

She was pretty happy. She was able to meet two new people that seemed very nice.

Nathan sighed as Ami walked away. He sunk into his seat for a moment before remembering that he had to get off at this stop for school. “Well… that’s definitely not a girl I’m going to win over,” he said and placed an arm around James. ”But you, my friend seem to have a better chance.” He chuckled, somewhat disappointed but amused at the turn of events. “Even without the girl, I’m still invited to drop by the diner right?”

James grinned, “Yeah of course, but don't count yourself out yet. You know I'm too busy to go around dating at the moment, and she'll figure that out herself.” He sighed as he looked at the mint Ami dropped into his hand. He opened the wrapper and popped the mint into his mouth, and stood up. “Come on or we'll be late for class.”

“Well, she seems like a really nice girl, you might find yourself reconsidering that policy,” Nathan said before getting up as well. “I’ll walk you to class, princess,” he teased. He allowed James to get off the bus before him.

James felt his face grow red at Nathan calling him princess, but didn't react otherwise. It was just Nathan being Nathan. But nevertheless he didn't argue his friend as he walked to his class room, room 219. “If I had the time, and the energy, I probably would reconsider the policy, but the diner needs me right now, just as it needs Sophia and Riley. But I'm flattered that you think I have a chance anyway.”

Nathan smirked at his friend’s blushing face. “You really need to take a break once in a while. We’re young. we’re in our prime. If you’re not looking for a serious relationship, at least come out with me to meet cute girls,” Soon enough they had arrived at James’ class. “See you later, man!” he said, waving bye to his friend before heading towards his own class.

The teacher was already in the classroom at her desk. "Mr. Reese, can I talk to you for a moment?"

James set his backpack down at his seat and continued to the teacher's desk, nervous about whatever it was the teacher was about to ask him about. Was there an issue with his homework from last time?

"Was there an issue with my classwork or homework, Professor?"

"No, Mr. Reese, there wasn't. I want to talk because I'm concerned about you. I know things have been rough since your parents passed..."

"I'm fine, Professor, don't worry about me, just my classwork and homework. I know I look tired and worn out, and I'll take less courses. I want to thank you for your concern." James cut the professor off, a slight edge to his voice. He had an idea where the conversation would head and it was not something he was quite ready for, especially not from someone else. "Is that all?"

"Yes, Mr. Reese, you may return to your seat.”

_{Collab with @Snagglepuss89 and @lovely complex}

In tune with himself as he sizzled bacon, Riley muttered, "Sorry 'bout that Ron, I didn't mean to let my anger get the best of me." His anger could have been worse but he held himself from having a huge outburst. However, his words stung even for him and he felt the pain his twin was probably feeling.

Patiently waiting for the last buttermilk pancake to cook, the big man shrugged to the smaller man, "Don't worry about it, kid. I have sibs too, I know how it goes." There was a moment of silence between the two who strongly respected each other and Ron inquired further like a worried father, "Ya not gonna go after her? I can hold down the fort."

Flipping the bacon over and staring into deep space, Riley shrugged, "She's an adult. I shouldn't chase after her like I did when we were little." His voice was monotone as he avoided his emotions of feeling like shit for making his other half run away. What a great brother, right? Kylie was the only woman that made his emotions go haywire. He just couldn’t understand how someone that came out of the same womb, near the same exact time as him, was so different than him. She was also the most worrisome out of his army of sisters. At least Olivia helped mom around the house and was incredibly obedient for a teen. His twin, on the other hand, gave their late parents hell. Of course, it didn’t help that they enabled her and so now she was passed the point of no return. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. A bit busy at the time, he decided to check it on his break.

Just when Ron was going to say something to lighten the mood, Sophi stormed in and startled the two cooks with her loud (filled with hurt) voice, "I'm taking a break!"_{@The Muse}

Turning his head as he heard her voice choke up, Riley’s brotherly signals tingled, but before he could even ask what had happened she was already out the back door.

"WTF?”

His face whitened as something dawned on him. There was no one… waiting… There was no one… in the front. Wait, the diner just had two cooks right now-- fucking really? They hadn’t been here for even an hour and they were already this understaffed. Why the fuck did he even bother?! He was always left to pick up the pieces of everyone’s shit.

Ron placed two plates of stacked pancakes on a tray and went to grab a glass of orange juice. Tossing his worry out the window, Riley put the nice, extra greasy bacon on a separate plate beside one of the stacks. Taking off his apron, Riley threw it on the counter and washed his hands. With a long, deep breath in, he stared at his faint reflection on the silver faucet. Today was going to be a long day...

Swiftly drying off his hands, he accepted the tray from Ron and put his natural, charming smile on (which wasn’t hard to do). Unlike his sister, Sophi, who needed to act for customer service, Riley was pretty good with most people. Before exiting to the front, the twin gave his buddy a thumbs up while his other hand held the tray filled with food.

_{@GrafRoy Zeppeli}
Exiting the kitchen, Riley saw people chatting by the podium but didn’t bother analyzing them yet. He went straight to their best table where an interesting style man was sitting alone and under five seconds, the food was placed in front of him, ”You must have one hell of an appetite. I hope you like the bacon, it’s extra greasy like you asked!” Waiting for the guy’s reaction, Riley didn’t want to keep the other two men waiting so he nodded and spoke honestly, “I’m glad my sisters didn’t scare you off. Today seems to be quite an angsty day.” Running his hand through his red hair, he chuckled at the thought of the eventful morning.

With that, the twin dismissed himself respectufully, ”If you’ll excuse me. I don’t want to keep them waiting.” He gestured to the podium, his blue eyes gleamed appreciatively, “If you need anything else, let me know.” The thing about Riley’s customer service was he was pretty down to Earth. He tried to be extremely real and honest with his customers and most of the time, they appreciated that.

_@Athinar
Elliot didn't so much ignore Axel coming back into the Diner as his brain refused to process the information. He gripped Anthony's shoulder to steady himself one last time before offering the man a weak smile, ignoring the accusing look on the man's face. He was still alive, and that was something, although the situation was certainly leaning towards the worst possible outcome.

"Thanks for the help..."

With a tired sigh, he continued;

"... It's a really long story though, and I think she deserves to hear the whole story first. We'll just say I made a pretty big mistake awhile back and have been avoiding dealing with it."

With tray in hand, the twin approached the podium where a quite fit and a bit taller, dark haired man stood and…

”No fucking way.”

Rye stopped in his tracks, pretty surprised at the sight of the unkempt mess of a human that stood before him.

"That’s Elliot? Elliot Longstreet?" He thought to himself. The mirage before him looked incredibly different… a bit of a mess, kinda smaller than he remembered, and a cane?

Approaching the two man cautiously, with a feeling of disbelief, the young man inquired with a sad undertone in his voice, ”Elliot, is that you?” This would explain a lot. Elliot was practically Sophi’s best friend back in the day and he left without a word. Riley would be lying if he said he wasn’t hurt. He viewed this man like the brother he wished he had. Don’t get him wrong, he loved James but Elliot was different, you know? He never judged Riley for being a massive nerd and a teenage pervert. But more importantly, he made Sophi smile more than anyone else.

Stunned, Riley couldn’t find it in him to apologize to the stranger that was caught in the middle of this. His grip on the tray tightened. How should he feel right now?

Elliot didn't have a chance to explain further before Riley entered the room carrying the roommates' orders. Sophi was already practically an adult when Elliot left, so she looked more or less the same. Riley though, he'd barely been a teenager, and now he was a working young man. Elliot watched him, noting and blaming himself for the slight irritation that he picked up in his eyes, and taking in his new appearance. He hadn't gotten a good luck at Kylie during the panic outside, but it definitely seemed like the two still held a remarkable resemblance. However, it didn't long for him to be noticed by the Reese boy.

"Elliot, is that you?"

At the mention of his name, he physically winced, the already darkening bruise on his cheek pulsing with pain. He half expected to be hit again, but hopefully Riley hadn't changed that much since he was a boy. Elliot scratched the back of his head sheepishly while thinking of a way to respond. He felt much the same way Riley did towards him, like a sort of brother. Elliot never did have siblings of his own, the Reese's were almost a surrogate family to him.

"Ah, hey Riley, it's been awhile."

The man was a mix of emotions at this point in his day, but more than anything else he was exhausted, and the irritation from earlier in the day had returned. Holding up a hand to tell Riley to give him a moment, he made his way over to one of the tables and sat down with a long sigh.

This is the last day I ever leave the house without a cup of coffee.

That last thought was grounded with more determination that Elliot had ever felt in his life. He tok a look around the Diner, guessing that the Reese family pretty much ran it by themselves now that they were all old enough to lend a hand. Which meant... Between school...

Elliot threw Riley a look of true pity. He had helped out the Reeses' many times when he was younger, knew what a pain in the ass this Diner was when understaffed. This, by the look of it, was nostaffed in comparison.

"Please, just get me a cup of coffee and I promise I'll explain later. I wouldn't trust myself to carry food out but I can lend you a hand in the kitchen if the menu hasn't changed."

He folded his arms on the table and rested his face in them, finishing with a muffled:

"I really need a drink first though."

With a smile that was similar to an expression he would make when he was a kid, Riley listened with care in his eyes. He wasn't going to brood on unpleasant thoughts. Instead an idea popped in his mind that would surely get him in trouble but at this rate, he could careless. The twin just wanted to catch up with his friend. He brought his attention to the other boy (Anthony) and asked, "You're with him?" After waiting for a response and realizing that Elliot came here alone, he nodded, "I hope you enjoy your food!"

With that, Riley scurried to the kitchen and made an announcement while getting a to-go coffee cup, "Ron. I've decided. Today's our day off. I'm closing shop. There's no point in doing rush hour if it's just gonna be us. I mean my friend offered to work here, but he needs to go through training first."

Agreeing with the red haired boy on making a wise decision, Ron didn't complain. This was a salary job and he had paid time off, "I'll close shop and make sure our guests leave with a smile." The big chef could see the tiredness in Riley's eyes and thought for once, the young twin was doing what was best for the family and the diner's reputation.

Grabbing a piece of paper and marker, Riley wrote in big letters: PERSONAL DAY. CLOSED. After he grabbed a strip of tape, he brought the coffee and paper to the front. Putting the coffee in front of Elliot and making his way to the glass door, Riley slapped the paper on the door and flipped the hanging sign to CLOSED.

The world was dead to him. Elliot was devoid of thoughts, devoid of emotion, and only distantly aware that he wasn't being punched in the face at the moment. If anything mattered to him anymore, he would have been thankful at Riley's restraint, but alas that was not the case. He was an empty shell, filled with the darkness of the abyss, the emptiness of the void. And then...

LIGHT

The holy grail had been lain in front of him, a fresh cup of morning brew still steaming. Elliot took no sugar or cream to hide the bitterness, wasted no time for it to cool. That cup had become his singular existence, and he drank of it like the night drank of sunlight to become day. Despite being underweight and weak, he took no notice of Riley tugging on him. It was like trying to move a mountain, or the earth itself.

Finally, finishing it in one long breath, light returned to his eyes once more and he gently set his savior upon the table. It was truly time to face the horror of another fucking day.

With that, Rye went to the last and only customers of the day (Anthony and Axel), "Your meals are free today. Ron, the other cook, will take care of you during the rest of your stay. Sorry about the chaos. Today just seems like a bad day for my family. I hope you come by again... maybe when we get more help."

Giving them a grin, he waved and then returned to Elliot's side, "Get up, we're going out."

Checking his phone, he realized his best friend Tara texted him and replied nonchalantly as he waited for Elliot's reaction. _{@Knight of Doom}

To: Tara~ :D
Meet me at the mall. I'm taking a day off.

The text sent and then he stuffed his phone back in his pocket. Helping his friend up, he stuck out his tongue playfully,
"We have a lot of catching up to do."

Elliot grabbed his cane and stood up, finally relenting to Riley's tugging, finally hearing that he was being spoken to. Elliot nodded, renewed determination in his eyes. He had one ally at least, this day could still be salvaged somehow.

"You've got that right, sorry for kinda closing the Diner for the day, and you're welcome for a day off."

"Haha, don't worry about it. I fucking need it."

With that the two left the diner and went to Riley's late mother's van. To the mall, to the mall they would go.

Miyasaki Ami--

The library

She walked inside of the University, looking around. Ami had only been there for 3 days and could already tell of what a wonderful place it was. It helped that she was a scholar and got to experience the beauty without paying much. There were a few people that she recognized as she found a familiar face. “Good morning May! How are you?” They exchanged a few words and finally went their separate ways, waving goodbye as she walked down the halls.

Soon, she had spotted a place that she hadn’t been in before. A beautiful place that she could even call heaven in her mind. The University library. Her eyes shined as she walked inside, feeling like she was inside of the land of dreams. They had books all the way up to the ceilings, so many genres that it made you wonder how many types of books there were, and tables to relax and read at.

Looking down, she realized then that she still had her suitcase with her. Trailing after her as if it wasn't there in the first place. Ami found a seat near the wall that didn't have as much light and fewer people. As soon as she sat down, she sighed, stretching out her arms. Of course, that was the moment that she had to get a phone call from her publisher. Frowning, she answer it slowly, moving to an area with even less people.

“Hello? Ami here~” the man on the other side hissed, his voice even more harsh than usual. “Where the Heck have you been? Are you almost done with the goddamn 5-12th chapters?? I gave you 3 weeks and it's been 2. No update from you since then. Did you add some fucking romance? Did you make it a little bit more of a happy ending?Are you almost done?!” Ami brought a hand up to her forehead as she pressed on her temples. “Y-yes.. I'm almost done with it. I added some romance and the ending is… A little bit more happy. Really. I'm on the 11th one right now and I'm simply adding a few extra touches before I start on the 12 chapter.. Sorry sir.” Biting her bottom lip as the line goes silent for about 15 second until she finally heard an exhausting sigh. “Ami.. I love you, okay? I'm sorry about the way I am but I really do.” He sighs again before resuming “Just get it done “unknown trash” and I'll be the happiest man on planet earth.” With that, he hangs up, leaving her with a shocked but extremely happy expression on her face. He barely ever said kind words to her so it was refreshing to hear a compliment come out of his mouth. Not that she really liked that. Sighing as she went back over to her seat and taking out her notebook which was titled “Trash”. Since her book and online gigs were pretty well known, she was smart enough not to add “unwanted” to it.

“Hehe, I love you too..” She said to herself, with a small smile on her face. Her publisher had been with her for a long time now that she thought about it. He was 24 and was one of the kindest man that she had ever met. He was like the older brother that she never got to have in her life. To get mad at her when she screwed up and to pat her head when she did a good job.

Her notebook had around 200 pages of this story so far. Filled with a new story that she was working on. A woman that fell in love with the killer of her parents. The main character was raped and sexually abused since she was 10 by her parents and one day she found that they had been murdered mercilessly. Spending the rest of her life as a normal girl but slowly… Ever so slowly turning into a monster. A monster that you wouldn’t be able to control. Killing all men that were older than 18 and entered her line of sight as well as capturing her interest.

“Die. Die. Die. Die.” Why wouldn’t he die? She panted, grabbing her left arm which held a steel knife in her hand.

The man looked at her, blocking the attack with a swift swerve. She looked familiar. Extremely familiar. Where had she seen her? Then it all came back to him.

July 4th, a day where the fireworks were a main attraction that people gathered with their family to waste 1 hour. 40 minutes of that time which would be spent on finding a nice spot to watch the show, reuniting with friends, and grabbing something to eat. He was bored. He stood up from a comfortable lawn chair and began to ponder around. Soon coming upon a house that was never there. A house that shouldn’t be there. He smiled as he strut over to it, quite the walk to the entrance if you asked him. Placing his black masquerade mask over his face as he knocked on the door. 3 times. 2 doorbell rings.--

That’s where it stops. She was the young girl that had been there that day. The young girl that had to watch her parents throat get slit. The girl that had to watch blood pour out of their neck as well as other body parts. Maybe he deserved this.. “I-I’m sorry for killing your parents..”

Once these words were heard, Mira dropped the knife. Her lip quivering as he simply lay on the ground with her on top of him. Her hands pressing against his chest. “I-

And that was where it stopped. Sure, it would be edited heavily later but that was where she had to figure out what a girl would say to the man that killed her parents and saved her from hell but had turned her into a monster no less. Ami sighed, what would she say? She set her notebook to the side for a second. Love, a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Haa, and what would you do if you were in love? Would you want to k-kiss? Or maybe a hug? I suppose so but mother did those things even though she was supposed to be only in love with father.. It was confusing and then she got it. Love was often mistaken for lust.

Ami smiled a bit to herself as she placed the notebook in front of her and got out her book. A different one than the one she had been reading before. Her notebook was a lovely spiral notebook which she carried around with her at all times. Always making sure that she didn’t lose it. It was filled with her so called “garbage”. The stories surprised her when they got famous, people buying her first book left to right, all excited that their favorite web writer was publishing their very own story. Yes, web writer. Which was what she called logging into WritingTreasures.com and submitting her own short stories for others to read. The site was extremely popular. Millions of people signing in every day just to read new stories and her own being featured more than once.

The book that Ami was reading happened to be a romance/ thriller which was about a stalker, a model, and a PI. She read on happily with a smile. A smile that no one actually got to see. A different smile than the ones that she showed people on the streets or simply had plastered onto her face throughout the day. A smile that made you wonder what was wrong but all the same made you wish that you could be as at peace as she was. A sweet smile that welcomed anyone with arms opened wide and couldn’t accept truth.

(ADDED) Looking down at her arm, she realized that it had begun to itch. Her sleeve bothering her right arm. She took off the sleeve, glad that no one was around. Staring at the tattoo that had the words "Trash" written beautifully in cursive. She smiled at it. Her own personal bracelet. She barely ever got the chance to take off her sleeves so her arms were more relaxed as she allowed them to breathe. The tattoo that was forced onto her simply staring back at her. She turned her head, returning to the book.

"Mommy..." A five year old boy with dark brown hair and vibrant, green eyes tugged onto the ends of a thin woman's skirt. Her outfit included a gray toned jacket and shirt, a leather skirt, knee high black stockings, black ankle heeled boots, and a maroon scarf to add color. The young boy wore an almost fully jean outfit, black glasses, and like his mother, he wore a scarf but instead of red, his was blue. Most people would see a big sister and a little brother since the woman looked barely in her twenties, maybe even younger, and that wasn't entirely untrue. But there were always those few people, who assumed the worse, and... they weren't wrong... Nana was a twenty one year old, single mother who raised a five year old boy, you do the math.

In Barnes and Noble which was in the Palace Nine Shopping Center, the seemingly timid woman brought her attention from a bookshelf to her precious child, "Yes, my little man?"

The child lifted a fairly hefty book up, she grabbed it from him so it wouldn't drop on his face, it read: The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales.

"I want it." With pleading eyes, the boy gave his mom a pout hoping the power of cuteness would win his mom over. Cuteness always won.

Giving an expression of concern, Nana asked, "Why does this book interest you, Jude?"

The boy grinned and brought his hands in the air gesturing for his mom to give the book back. Passing it to her son carefully, she watched him bring it to the floor and opened it, "Pretty pictures." His fingers trailed down the artwork of Rumpelstiltskin. Kneeling down to be at a closer level with her son, the mother sighed, "The book might give you nightmares..."

"I'm a big boy mommy! Please, please, PLEEEEEEEEASE. If I get a scary dream, we can get a new book, okay?" Nana couldn't help but smile at her son, he would be quite the diplomat when he got older. Both of them did agree that if they had a disagreement, they would meet each other half way. Her boy was pretty level headed for his age and he loved to read so she wasn't going to prevent him from indulging in knowledge... UNLESS it was something naughty. Naughty books was never an option. Not even when he reached the age to have such thoughts.

Leaving the book on the floor, Jude rose up and offered his mother his hand, "Deal?" Grabbing his tiny hand, she giggled as she shook it gently, "You got it, angel."

With that, she picked up the book, grabbed his hand and went to go purchase it. Placing the book on the counter, she felt the eyes of the cashier on her. A ghastly older woman who didn't look like she's seen sunlight in awhile. Her dark void eyes looked Nana up and down and then at her son. Scanning the book, she smiled unpleasantly, "Cute boy, your brother?"

Not the type of person to lie to people about her son, nor ashamed of having a child, Nana answered honestly, "This is my son." She looked at Jude and lifted him up to see the lady, "Jude say hi."

"Helloooo Miss." Putting her boy down, Nana listened to the older woman's simple response, "Oh." The mother could feel the eyes beaming on her now. Not just from this older woman but from everyone around her. It made her sweat. Quickly paying, Nana grabbed her bag and Jude's hand and paced out of the bookstore.

She hated leaving the house. But... today was her day off and Jude deserved to go out every now and then.

Trying to get her mind off of other people's judgements, she asked her child as they walked, "Want a pretzel? We had a big breakfast so I don't think you're ready for lunch just yet."

"OH MY GOODNESS. Yes mommy! like ten yeses!" He gestured to all his ten fingers and then exclaimed loud and proudly, "This is the best day ever!" Luckily there was not a terribly long line to the pretzel stand, but when she approached it and waited patiently in line, a bunch of teens ran in front of her...

The mother observed their attire and the way they held themselves, the boy, with a faint bruise on his neck, who wore long sleeves that probably covered up scars, looked like a delinquent, who had a lot of pressures in his life and the two teen girls looked like they both had extremely overprotective parents, fathers to be exact, who wanted a little bit more freedom. Their clothing spoke louder than words.

Tapping one of their shoulders, she said softly, "Um... excuse me, I was here first..."

"Buzz off, slut. You were too slow. I got my ladies to feed." The young girls couldn't help but giggle and stare lustfully over the boy as he brought them closer. Nana felt the need to gag at the sight but held it in.

With narrowed eyes, Nana muttered, "Jude, baby, cover your ears." Jude did exactly that and looked at a baby stroller passing by.

Approaching the three minors, Nana gritted her teeth, "Listen you little shits. If you don't get out of my way, I'll find out exactly who you are and tell your parents you're playing hooky. Millington is a tiny town and my friend, secretary to the only damn highschool all three of you probably attend, will make sure to make your life a living hell. My child and I were here first and if you think going to the authorities will solve your problems, think again, because from the looks of it, you're all scared shitless" She looked at the dimwitted girls and laughed, "Your parents wouldn't approve with how slutty you're both dressed" and then to the annoying "thug" boy, "And your father is probably a teacher or the principal of the school who would beat the living shit out of you if he knew you were here. Now if you'll excuse me."

The pretzel guy cut in to assist the single mother, "I actually know Mike's parents personally. His father is the principal. Comes here all the time, actually."

The kids backed away, a bit shocked with how right she was, and the boy named Mike was like, "Jeez lady... you'll be a wonderful parent for that boy." Flipping the pretzel guy off, Mike and the two girls escaped before things got worse.

Eyes a little widened, the pretzel guy was like, "You don't play..."

Going back to her timid self, Nana shrugged, "I don't like people disrespecting me or my son." Ruffling her son's hair, she watched her baby unplug his ears and grin up at her, "Pretzel time?"

"Yes baby, pretzel time." Her attention was brought to the pretzel guy's question, "How did you know all that?"

Giving a confused expression, she answered, "I guess I'm good at bluffing?" and with that, she ordered some nice, warm pretzels.

---

The pretzel guy ended up giving Nana his number totally turned on by her rage, when she reached the nearest garbage she threw it away and then went to go find a seat somewhere... probably away from the food court. All the benches were taken, but there was one bench with enough room for her and her child. Of course, there was someone else sitting there a blonde haired male with cargo pants on, but he didn't look that mean... hopefully. Holding the bag of pretzels in one hand and her child's hand in the other, she approached the bench and the man. Cautiously, Nana kindly asked, "Mind if we sit with you?" Before the man got to respond, her son was already climbing the seat and offering his hand to the stranger, "Hello sir!"

"Baby... what have I told you? Don't approach random strangers." She didn't mean to offend the man... "I- Not saying you're a bad person. I just..." Jude slid to the other side of the bench and mumbled, "I don't think he's bad."

@Themerlinhawk

"Okay, so here's the deal: I'm not gonna babysit you two, and I'm not gonna treat you guys like Riley, James, or Sophi do. Fuck their authority. You two are my sisters and I want you to have fun. There's no rules with me, and you can tell me anything, okay?" Kylie expressed to her baby siblings, standing just outside the entrance to the mall. The ride here had been a little cramped, but it had been enjoyable catching up with her sisters' lives. Zoey was 15. Who the hell would have guessed that?! She couldn't believe how much her baby sisters had grown up.

"As a treat from me, I'm gonna give each of you..." The redhead stopped a moment and pulled out her wallet. She immediately took out $400, and handed two $100 bills to each sister. "Two hundred dollars! AND I'm going to buy you guys some new clothes. Because whatever you're wearing... It ain't workin'." Kylie stated, gesturing at Zoey's outfit. "I mean, seriously, if you wanna draw eyes you gotta show more of these or this. Nobody cares about the stomach anymore. I've got over 500,000 Twitter followers, so I would know." The gamer girl grabbed at her chest and slapped her own ass to emphasize what she meant.

Standing here, Kylie started craving a good smoke, and a strange thought crossed her mind. 'I wonder...' She waved a hand for her sisters to follow her, but not to where they were expecting. Rather than going into the mall, they went to the right of the door and took a left. The eldest sister pointed to a dumpster and urged her sister's to get behind it.

"Before we get inside though... Let's make things more fun." she whispered to them as she reached into her pocket, making sure they were all concealed behind the dumpster. As soon as the coast was clear, the negative influence of a sister took out a tightly wrapped joint and a lighter, and with one flick, lit the doobie. She pulled it to her mouth and inhaled deeply, savoring the harsh smoke that flooded her lungs. In an attempt to impress her minions, she held up a hand, made sure the smoke collected in her cheek and blew out an impressive smoke ring. "Don't flake on me now, girls. My first time smoking was with mom, so I figure if you haven't already tried weed, you might as well try it with your sister." Kylie extended the joint out to whichever one wanted to try it first. Her eyes were positively urging them to go ahead.

Around them the skunky smell of weed wafted out, completely masking the awful garbage next to them. The now-buzzed redhead didn't mind but noted they probably shouldn't stick around here for too much longer.
@BilboTheGreat@Emma

The soft voice intruded on Jerry’s thoughts as he looked up. For the briefest moment irritation flashed across his face before he smoothed it away. “Of course. Hey there little man.” With a chuckle he helped the small kid up onto the bench. “Although you should certainly listen to your…” Jeremiah paused for a moment assessing Nana for a moment. “Mom, strangers can be dangerous. Although today is your lucky day. You can always trust a police officer.” Unclipping his badge Jerry held it out to the young kid.

Letting the young guy take it Jeremiah slid over for Nana. “You’re welcome to sit, I don’t mind.” With that he shifted so that Nana could sit as well. Jerry shook Jude’s hand and gently shook it as it was offered. “I’m Jeremiah, but you can call me Jerry. Unless you’re doing something you shouldn’t be and then in that case you can call me Deputy Richman.” After shaking Jude’s hand he stood up and offered his hand to Nana. “Same goes for you Miss”

He noted the lack of a ring on her left hand and made another educated guess about her marital status. “What brings such a wonderful pair out this time of day?”

Sitting back down he positioned his back to the wall and made sure he was facing the two of them looking over their shoulder as Jude chowed down on his pretzel.

@lovely complex

Zoey had been a little suprised when she was told what was actually going on. She had never been that close to Kylie and the two had never really tried hard to bond, but she wasnt going to complain when her sister had taken her out of school and was taking them too the mall. The car ride was a little cramped, and she was a little disheartened when she had to tell her sister how old she was, but it was going okay. It was nice to actually talk to her for once, rather than just hear her shouting at a computer screen. She was enjoying the day so far.

But then, it just got better. "$200!" She excalimed, over the moon. Her tip jar at the diner would have never, ever given her this much. "And new clothes!" She said excitedly, nodding when her sister told her that she needed to show more of this and these. This girl, her sister, really seemed to know what she was talking about. Maybe that was just her impressionable teenage mind, or maybe it was 500,000 twitter followers. Zoey barely had 400, that number was huge. Maybe one day she could have 500,000 twitter followers, but that would take a little more work than just a change of wardrobe.

She followed her sisters to behind the dumpster, wondering for a moment what was going on. She opened her mouth too speak, but quickly shut it again when she saw what her sister was pulling out. A joint. Weed. Drugs. She couldnt help but smile a little as she watched her light it and take a puff. This was something that her new freinds all did and had asked her too do a number of times. Everytime she would agree but she would always stop herself at the time and instead just turned to alcohol while her freinds did both. They were stupid kids, and she was following them desperately. Maybe if she did it here, with her sister, then she would be able to go and impress Becky! She could impress Luke and Daniel. "Hey guys! I know I was too scared to do it with you before, but I smoked! It was great!" They would be really impressed. It would add to her list of new things she had done since she joined highschool and started changing herself from the bullied, shy, shell of a person she was in middle school. I've gotten drunk, I've hugged and kissed with boys, I've skipped classes and skipped school and now I'm getting high! The last part she said to herself in her head was the part she was most happy about. Finally, she would have done all, or most, of the things Becky and Louise had done.

Zoey didnt hesitate, quickly reaching out too take the joint from her sister. She held it in her hands, eyeing it up for a second before she raised it too her mouth. She looked at Kylie as she inhaled and the smoke quickly filled her lungs. She coughed out the first time, but not too loud, and it wasnt that bad. It tasted good. Before Olivia could take it, she raised it too her mouth and did it again. This time she didnt cough, breathing it in and holding it for a few seconds before she blew it out of her mouth. It was only a cloud, not anything impressive like Kylie did, but she wasnt going to be blowing out 'o rings' on her first time. "Wow... that was... Awesome!" She said as she held it out for Olivia too take.

@The Muse@lovely complex@Viciousmarrow@BilboTheGreat@Emma

James' class was about halfway over, and the teacher would soon allow the students to get up and stretch out a bit, get some water, use the restroom, etc before resuming class. James made plans to pull his phone out and send a quick text to Sophia and Riley, and see how they were doing. And then he remembered that Zoey and Olivia would be in between classes soon themselves, or maybe he just missed it, but their phones should at least be on vibrate if not muted. He then resigned himself to check on everyone as Kylie was the last of his siblings to check in with. And soon enough the teacher said, at 9:08, "Okay, let's take a short break. I would like you all back in your seats by twenty after. That's twenty after nine for those who claim to need me to be more specific." Just like clockwork.

James stood up from his seat and made his way to the door, and slipped into the hallway with the others in the mass of students. He pulled out his phone and flipped over to his text thread and quickly typed up a text to send over to Sophia, 'Hey Sophia, how's it going over there? How Kylie's training going? Is she someone we can actually work with? When you get a moment, shoot me a text.' He looked it over a moment before hitting send. He then went to his text thread with Riley, 'Hey man, I figure your busy with the morning rush at the moment so let me know as soon as you can how things are going. How's Ron doing? I know I can just ask shortly when I get there... nvm. How's Kylie doing on her first day so far? Sorry again for not being up to help with breakfast.' James scanned it over real quick before hitting send.

James began walking to the water fountain to grab a quick drink, and went to Kylie's near empty text thread. They rarely texted each other. 'Hey Kye, how's it going? I know you aren't quite happy working today, but it'll be good for you. I'm sure your not enjoying having to follow Sophi around for training, so I'll take over when I get there. I'm sure you'll have some more leeway with me than her. Take care.' He sent it without a second thought, having proofread it already. That just left Zoey and Olivia, who should be in between classes right about now. He switched it over to Zoey's thread and hesitated for a moment before typing up, 'I hope you're between classes at the moment, and if not I'm sorry, I just wanted to say have a good day at school and I'll see you when you get to the diner.' James paused another moment, knowing that she could get in trouble if she in fact forgot to at least switch the phone over to vibrate, but ended up hitting send anyway.

He set his phone aside for a moment as he leaned over to grab a drink of water from the fountain, and took a couple of gulps before picking up his phone and heading to the restroom. Fast forward a few minutes... As James finished up drying his hands he pulled out his phone again and pulled up Olivia's text thread. 'I hope you're between classes at the moment, and if not I'm sorry, I just wanted to say have a good day at school and I'll see you when you get to the diner.' the exact same thing he sent to Zoey, but there wasn't a whole lot else he could write if he wasn't going to expect a response. And with both of them in school, he didn't expect a response from Zoey or Olivia. And with that James put his phone back in his pocket and promptly returned to the classroom. The teacher smiled softly as students began to trickle back in and said "Alright let's resume."

The car ride to the mall was full of singing to the radio, making fun of their older siblings, and Kylie trying to explain what a Chinese fire drill was to them. Kylie seemed genuinely interested for once in the lives of her little sisters. It was nice, and the car ride was making Olivia feel a tad bit better. She had never been one to pick favorites. And she had close bonds with all her siblings in some way or another, but Kylie was kind of like her idol. Olivia had always looked up to her, ever since she was little. Kylie was confident, and did and said exactly what she wanted whenever she felt like it, which was something Olivia never had done. Zoey and Olivia being the closest in age, had been inseparable as kids, but after Zoey started high school she seemed to change, and not want her little sister hanging around her anymore. At least it seemed that way to Olivia.

They parked close to the east entrance of the mall, and got out of the cramped car. When Kylie handed them each 200 dollars in cash, Olivia’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you sure Kylie…?” She asked looking at the money in her hand. She looked up at her redhead sister with a look of amazement and admiration in her eyes. Kylie’s dis on their fashion senses went unnoticed by Olivia, she was just enjoying the first moment of happiness she had had in over a month. It wasn’t the money, or promise of shopping and new clothes. It was the fact that Kylie seemed to be here for her right at this moment, no rules, no judgment, no pity, or treating her like a fragile baby made of glass. For a split second she contemplated telling her the truth about the night of her parents accident, but that idea flew away as quick as it came.

She had a feeling that her family blamed her for the death of their parents, even if they didn’t know it themselves. Olivia blamed herself more than anyone of course. What her siblings didn’t know was why her parents had been rushing over to get her in the middle of the night. She put the money in her purse, as she listened to Kylie brag about her followers and what was necessary to draw the boys in. Olivia had no intention of drawing any attention to herself, especially from any of the boys. She had tried that once and it ended in an epic tragedy. She followed behind Zoey and Kylie. The detour past the mall entrance and over to the dumpster was odd. When Kylie pulled out the weed Olivia quickly looked over her shoulder in a panic, and then moved in closer to their little makeshift circle behind the smelly dumpster.

She watched the smoke ring get bigger as it floated up above them until it disappeared into the air. She wondered how Kylie had done that, and if it was a hard a learning to whistle, which was something, James had tried to teach her but she just couldn’t grasp. When Kylie mentioned that her first smoke was with mom, Olivia raised her eyebrows in question. “Mom smoked pot before?” She asked incredulous. She couldn’t imagine her mom doing any illegal, especially doing drugs with one of her own children. Zoey took the joint and puffed it. Olivia watched how she did it, and when Zoey handed the blunt to Olivia she held it between her fingers like she saw divas on TV smoking cigarettes. It dawned on her that if her mother had still been alive she would probably be the one doing this with her like Kylie said. The fact that her parents would never be there for all the big mile stones in her life was heart crushing, but the pain killers she had this morning kept her loopy enough to not go down that emo path of thought.

She was hesitant, but she really wanted to prove to her sisters that she was not a baby. So she put the joint to her lips and inhaled as deeply as she could. Coughing immediately followed her terrible first attempt at smoking. Her throat burned, and her eyes water from all the smoke pouring out of her mouth and into her eyes. More coughing followed as she lend against the dumpster to catch her breath, and tried her best to not cough up a lung. She held the joint out for anyone to take it from her. Once she stopped coughing she looked up at her sisters and said between breaths “I don’t feel any different…”

As the joint was passed around the circle again she paid close attention to what her sisters where doing, and when it was finally her turn again she puffed ever so lightly, drawing the smoke into her mouth rather then her lungs. They stood around the dumpster for a good ten minutes, and that when Olivia started feeling it. Her brain felt floaty, and time seemed to be going slower. “This is weird…” She said blinking slowly as her eyes adjusted to the high. She felt sleepy, and just really strange, but also kind of good and goofy. Then she felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out and saw that it was a text from James. Normally she would be feeling extremely guilty right at that moment, and probably call James and ask for forgiveness...but the mix of marijuana and oxycodone in her system kept her high as a kite.

'I hope you're between classes at the moment, and if not I'm sorry, I just wanted to say have a good day at school and I'll see you when you get to the diner.'

She quickly texted him back. 'School is stupid. I think maybe I should drop out and be more like Kylie. *poo emoji* ' She sent it and started giggling at the emoji.

@Saint Girralo - @BilboTheGreat - @Viciousmarrow

Classes were boring. Tara didn’t really enjoy any of her classes. Of course they were just General Ed, so nobody liked them. But for Tara, nothing really interested her, school wise. She planned on going into Business, but was most likely going to drop out before then. At least she made it farther than her mother. The raven haired girl might end up in the lower class range, but that didn’t particularly bother her. She was use to it. It’s how she lived for most of her life. The only luxuries she ever had were when she was at the Reese’s house. Even then, being rich didn’t really solve any problems. However, if she played her cards right, Tara could worm her way into the upper class with a bit of seduction. One just needs to find a rich husband to be well off.

The professor continued babbling about some sort of math test or another. Tara pretended to be taking notes, but she was actually writing a story. Her stories were usually bits a pieces of whatever she felt like writing. Nothing really official. There were some that were actually pretty lengthy. The creative girl had never shown these stories to anyone, not even the twins. Quite a few were about romance, those usually turned her face a bit red, but there were also others. It simply depended on what she decided to crank out. As she was reaching the end of her recent idea, her phone vibrated in her back pocket. Tara pulled it out and saw that it was a message from Riley.

Meet me at the mall. I'm taking a day off.

Sweet, any excuse to ditch her next two classes.

Great, I’ll be there as soon as possible. Don’t have too much fun without me ;P

Class ended soon anyways, so Tara began packing her things. The second, the professor dismissed them, she was out the door. She made a quick stop by her apartment to drop off all the school stuff she didn’t need. She may be athletic, but she wasn’t a fan of doing unnecessary work. A quick jog over to the mall later, and the student found herself milling around the mall texting Rye Bread once again.

Yo, I’m here where you at?

@lovely complex

_{Collab with @Athinar}

"Thanks for the help...... It's a really long story though, and I think she deserves to hear the whole story first. We'll just say I made a pretty big mistake a while back and have been avoiding dealing with it."

Anthony nodded, and contemplated the statement. Yeah, Miss Reese deserved to hear the man’s story first. She was the one that this guy had hurt, so she needed answers first. Going back to the table with Axel, he sat down silently, and sipped his coffee, until the only remaining Reese in the restaurant came with a plate of pancakes and some more coffee.

"Your meals are free today. Ron, the other cook, will take care of you during the rest of your stay. Sorry about the chaos. Today just seems like a bad day for my family. I hope you come by again... maybe when we get more help."

Anthony took the pancakes without speaking, and began tearing into them, devouring the flapjacks like a wolf. It wasn’t until this moment that he realized just how hungry he was, having not eaten anything this morning at all. He didn’t want to have to rely on the Reese’s charity, but it seemed that they kept insisting on making his meals free.

Standing up after wolfing down his food, Anthony said to Axel, ”Sorry we didn’t get to talk. We’ll hang out later, okay?”, and walking away from the table, he strode towards the front door of the diner, intending to look for Ami, his now-absent roommate.
_{@GrafRoy Zeppeli}

---

Sophia sat outside, staring up at the sky as the clouds slowly passed by overhead. Her back up against the building, butt on the ground, and completely silent. “ What do I do, what do I do….” She thought, nervously bouncing her right leg repeatedly. “ I have to go talk to him at least…. right?” She took a deep breath and stood up, dusting off her jeans. She had taken a good few minutes outside by herself in the fresh air, feeling slightly less irate than she had in the diner. Nonetheless, her heart still raced and her stomach twisted in knots.

Walking back into the kitchen from the back door, Sophia noted Ron beginning to wrap up in the kitchen and her brother Riley missing in action. Great, Riley was bound to have noticed Elliot too if he had left the kitchen. “ Closing shop?” She asked, her voice still just as unsteady as her hands were. Ron nodded in response as he washed a few dishes, “ Yes ma’m. Riley said to take the day off. I think you all need it.” Sophia nodded in agreement and sighed, hesitant to leave the kitchen. She wanted to see Elliot again, but at the same time she didn’t. “ I’m sorry you have to deal with all of us.” She forced a half hearted laugh, and Ron smirked in response. “ You’re all my family too.” Sophia smiled, “ You’re stuck with us now.” He laughed as he finished putting away the last dish, “ I’ll go check on our last customer for the day.”

Sophia watched Ron disappear from the kitchen doors, then began to pace back and forth inside the kitchen. Was he still out there or had he left already? What had Riley said to him? Were they talking right now? Did Sophia hurt him with the slap? Why did she even do that?! He probably thought she was the worst person alive now!

As she paced, she noticed the large shelf of alcohol they had in the kitchen. While the diner was known for it’s breakfast and lunch, they still served dinner which offered a variety of alcohol on the menu. “ A drink. I need a drink for this.” She thought, immediately set on it. She quickly grabbed down a bottle of Jack Daniels, a small shot glass, and poured herself a shot. Sophia threw it back, then another, and then a third. Setting the shot glass down for the final time, her face cringed but her insides felt warm and fuzzy. Maybe now she could deal with interacting with her imaginary friend. Closing the bottle and putting it back on the shelf, Sophia walked over to the sink and cleaned out her shot glass before putting it back as well.

Finally, with a minor pep talk to herself, Sophia pushed through the kitchen doors…. only to find no one but Anthony, his friend, and Ron. Elliot was nowhere to be found. AGAIN. For a moment Sophia bubbled with rage, wanting to seek out Elliot and give him another slap or eight. Maybe a kick too. Just as she was about to march out the door to see if she could catch him, and most likely Riley, Sophia caught sight of Anthony headed for the door.

Suddenly, Sophia had a better idea. Who needed Elliot anyway? She had survived five years without him, she would live. What was the good in finding him at this point?

“Anthony!” She called after him, the alcohol filling her with a little more of a confidence boost. “ That’s your name, right?”

Anthony simply nodded, waiting by the door for her to catch up, face beginning to break out into a small grin. She wanted to speak to him? That was…. great! ”Yes, that is indeed my name, Miss Reese. Or can I call you Sophie?”

She made her way over to him, rage replaced with a sincere smile instead. “ It’s Sophia, actually, but Sophi for short.” She beamed, “ He knew my name?!” Suddenly, her expression began to fade, “ I’m really sorry about that… honestly.” She frowned, stopping as she stood next to him. “ It’s… a little more complicated than it looks… I guess.” She half smiled this time, the hurt in her eyes clearly visible; she was truly sorry for the dramatic scene she had caused.

Anthony waved his hand back and forth, as if brushing off the whole issue. ”No worries. I’ve had worse mornings, believe me.” Anthony opened the door, and stepped aside, waiting for her to pass through. ”So, where are you headed next?” Anthony asked mainly out of self-interest, he admitted it. He wanted to talk to this cute girl who apparently knew his name, and worked at the restaurant that he loved to eat at.

She had another bright idea. This day was going to turn around, whether Elliot tried to destroy it or not. He would not be allowed to disappear from her life, crush her, and then suddenly appear back into her life unexpected like nothing had ever happened. “ Have you ever been to Outerworld?” She asked, stepping outside and noting that he had held the door for her. How sweet! “ The arcade and bar? It’s a lot of fun!” She paused for a moment, then spun around to face him. “ Would you like to come with me?!” Her voice oozed enthusiasm, expecting no less than a yes from him.

Anthony’s grin began to turn into a smile, what with all of this freaking energy this girl had. It was wonderful. ”I think I went…. maybe twice, when I first came to study at the University. I had no job, and I wasn’t enrolled in any classes, so my roommate, Axel, dragged me there. It was pretty fun.” Anthony could remember the room fairly well, with pixels, lights, and 8-bit sounds mixing with the sound of people shouting in friendly competitiveness, drinking, and just having a blast. ”And of course, why not?” Closing the door, and stepping next to her, he said, ”Shall we?”

Thrilled, Sophia practically began skipping down the sidewalk. “ It’s this way! Luckily the diner isn’t far from it. Just near the mall!” She gestured for him to follow her, smiling the entire time. At least she could enjoy the day with somebody. Plus, she was getting her moment to talk to Anthony on an actual friendly level. It turned out she didn’t need those three shots of Jack after all, but they certainly helped her mood.

As they walked, Anthony glanced at Sophia, and asked, ”So, what’s it like running the diner? Aside from the craziness that is today, of course.”

Sophia sighed, her outward excitement dissipating at the thought. “ It’s… good.” She didn’t want to make her regular customer think that she thought badly of the diner, but she didn’t want to lie either. She truly loved the diner, it was just as dear to her heart as it had been to her parents. Lately, though, it was hectic. “ My family has been trying to deal with our loss… so, it’s been rough.” She frowned, meeting her eyes with his. “We’re getting through it.” She shrugged, unsure if he knew that they had lost their parents. It seemed like everyone had been informed in this little town, and surely a regular customer would notice that the two main owners were nowhere to be found for a month.

Anthony nodded sympathetically, and thoughtfully looked at the ground in front of him. ”Sorry for bringing it up, I know it must’ve been hard.” Anthony, of all people, could sympathize. When he was fourteen, his father was killed in a freak accident where his bike went over the side of a bridge, and broke on the rocks. Anthony’s only consolation was that he was most likely dead on impact.

Changing the subject, Anthony looked at her and hoped that she had come to the mutual agreement that they would move on from such things. ”So, are there any games which you particularly want to play at the Outerworld, or what?”

Sophia’s smile was instantly brought back to life, “Oh, I’m the best at Cruis’n USA, the racing game. Would you like to take a shot at the great undefeated driver herself?” She joked, laughing lightly. “We can race on an easy track if you’re scared.” She held her head up high, as if she truly was the greatest video game racer of all time, an amused smile on her face.

Anthony almost sighed in relief; she wasn’t upset or distraught over his idiotic comment, at least not that he could tell. He wouldn’t forgive himself if she was. ”Cruis’n USA? Heh, sounds simple enough! Bring it on, miss “undefeated driver”! Anthony smiled, but he looked at her, still trying to see if his callous offhand remark had made her upset. That smile, while beautiful, might be hiding something for some reason.

“Here we are!” She bounded to the door and skipped through, feeling warm and happy enough from the shots that it would have been hard to bring her down. She didn’t want to focus on what had happened last month, or what had just happened in the diner. As they entered the arcade bar, she felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. “Over here!” The place was nearly empty aside from the employees, as they had just opened only a few minutes ago. Sitting down in the obnoxiously red racing chair, Sophia took out her cell phone and read a message from her younger brother James. Quickly, she typed back a response; “We’re taking the day off. Didn’t go well. You’ll never guess who’s back from the dead.” With that she shoved her phone back into her back pocket, not wanting to be rude to Anthony. As her dark haired friend took his seat in the other racing chair, Sophia grinned. “Loser buys dinner?” She stuck out her hand for a handshake on the deal, unafraid of basically asking the guy out on an official date. Traditions were overrated anyway, right? _{@Saint Girralo}

Anthony smiled. Sophi really wasn’t afraid of social conventions, was she? Taking her hand, Anthony felt a little spark along the nape of his neck, and he said, ”You’re on, Sophi.” Turning back to the game, still smiling, Anthony chose a slick-looking car, and settled into the seat. Dear god, was he blushing? He thought he had gotten over that years ago. Nevermind that. It was game time. Focusing intently on the screen, Anthony looked ready to completely own Sophi at this game. It was at this point that he realized, ”I have no idea how to play this game. At all.”

“Yes!!” She thought as he took her hand in his. “It’s a deal then!” Giddy, Sophia couldn’t help but smile as she turned to the screen and picked out her car; a bright red Corvette. After picking an easy map, their two chosen vehicles appeared on the screen and slowly rolled out of a garage. They revved their engines as the countdown showed on the screen.

“ 3… 2… 1… GO!”

A woman in a bikini appeared on screen and waved the black and white checkered flag and the cars sped off, wheels squealing. Sophia quickly sped around the computerized cars, including Anthony’s. She giggled, “Hurry up, you slowpoke!” She glanced at him for a brief second, then turned her eyes back to the screen to make sure she didn’t crash right into a tree. She couldn’t lose now! There was a date on the line here!

Working the pedals like a master, Sophia sped through every checkpoint and made nearly every turn perfectly. She went off track once, but was able to regain her first position quickly. There was no way she was going to lose this race.

Anthony was completely focused on his screen, barely registering Sophi’s “slowpoke” comment. How was this so hard to do!??! He had driven before, but the wheel on this machine was way more sensitive than one on any car Anthony was behind the wheel of. However, he thought he had gotten the hang of it- aaaand he crashed into a tree. ”Damn.”Anthony winced as flames started to pour out of his car’s hood, and his little driver leapt out of the vehicle, running in circles, until the screen went black, putting him back on the road.

Now that everyone was ahead of him, Anthony could have room to breathe. Accelerating, he listened to the purr of the sports car’s engine, and found himself wishing that he had a car as nice as that. Driving down the road, he found himself overcorrecting, and slammed on the brakes hard, taking a deep breath, Anthony figured that he had a decent control of the…. controls, and burnt digital rubber, trying to catch up with Sophi.

WINNER!!

The words displayed across Sophia’s screen and confetti fell from all around on screen, while fake people cheered for her. “I win!” She threw her hands up in the air, triumphantly. Grinning, she looked over at Anthony’s screen and watched as he placed in damn near last place. She laughed, “ So where are you taking me, sir?”

Anthony smiled and shook his head. ”I blame the trees. The game is showing favoritism.” Standing up, and looking at Sophi, he said, ”Well, I have work in about an hour, hour and a half, but later, I just might take you out to dinner at Giovanni’s later, and would you mind if I took you to The Underground after?”

“Giovanni’s and The Underground?!” She had only been to the famous Italian restaurant once before, but it was delicious the last time she was there! The Underground was a comedy club, which was always bound to be a good time. “ So fancy.” She laughed, getting up from her race car chair. “ Of course, what time?” She took out her phone and unlocked it, handing him her phone. “ Want to put your number in there? ” She smiled with half a smirk, watching him with Jack Daniels confidence.

Anthony grinned and navigated his way to the contacts, and put in his number, and first and last name. ”Be sure to text me, I need your number as well.” Handing back the phone, he continued, ”I’ll be around 7:00 to take you to Giovanni’s, where do you want me to pick you up?”

Sophia took her phone back, saving the contact in her phone. “I’ll text you my address.” She smiled, beginning to walk with him out of the arcade and back onto the sidewalk. “Thank you for coming with me… I appreciate it.” She met eyes with him, her words no longer playful but instead solemn and genuine. It was nice having a distraction.

Anthony nodded. So everything was set. ”No problem, Sophi. To be honest, I was glad you invited me. It was fun.” Anthony looked into her eyes, sincerity in his steel grey gaze. She really needed this, huh. Well, if he was to be perfectly honest with himself, he needed this just as much as she did. He had been crippled with indecision for a long while, and she broke through that particular shell. ”Alright, I need to head to work. See you at 7:00!”

Eradicated.

_{Collab with @Snagglepuss89 and @lovely complex}

As Riley drove down the road to the mall, which wasn't too far from The Queen's Orchid, the radio music was low but still filled the emptiness of the car. The song that was playing softly was "Apologize" by OneRepublic, what a mainstream song. However, music helped make things less awkward between the two friends. The twin was definitely curious about Elliot: how was he, where has he been, why he didn't stay in contact, all the changes in his life that made him...

It's too late to apologize (it's too late)

"So how you been?" Holding the steering wheel with one hand, Riley went up to fix his rear view mirror - it was slightly slanted in a way he did not like, which annoyed him to no end. Bringing his hand back, his thumbs tapped on the wheel as he waited for Elliot's response. Curiosity filled Rye's mind, especially on Elliot's game plan on how he was going to fix his relationship with Sophi. After El left, abandoned Sophi, not a single word to give her solace, things changed. Sure, Sophi hid her feelings with a smile, but that doesn't change the fact that Riley was worried. After that experience, Sophi seemed a bit "off". How could he not worry? If Tara just up and left him with no word... well that would just be depressing. Don't get the twin wrong, he was hurt when Elliot left but his pain was nowhere near Sophi's. There's a lot of hurt in her that needs time to heal, but the twin knew deep down his sister still loved this man. Elliot use to be her best friend, how can you forget your love for someone that close? But now it was up to him to make things better, right? Riley would at least try to help.

I said, "It's too late to apoligize (it's too late)

His phone vibrated for a bit, it seemed like he got a couple of texts. Digging his phone out of his pocket, he tossed his Nokia X2-01 (pretty low tech for this day and age) to the man sitting in the passenger seat.

"Can you text people back for me? If it's Soph, Kye, or J, just be like 'K'. I kinda don't want to deal with their shit right now. Plus, James writes fuckin' essays. Ain't nobody got time for that." He thought to himself on who else could be texting him right now and had an ah-ha moment, "Oh! It could be Tara. Be like... almost there! Be by the fountain in ten." The list of people in his head kept going as he continued, "I doubt my girl would text me right now.. though I could be wrong. You can leave that text alone. If it's Oli or Zoe, let me know what's up."

---

How could he have such bad taste in music?

Elliot would need to show Riley what constituted real sound some day, however he wasn't going to spend their reunion bitching about his friend's taste. He didn't really have time to answer Riley's first question before a phone was being shoved into Elliot's hands. A mild panic began to set in as he realized he was supposed to be going though the man's texts and replying. This felt wrong. Total privacy violation for the sender.

Well, I suppose I do owe him some kind of cooperation for not decking me in the face.

He looked over the messages, torn over what to say. Three of them belonged to the Reese family, and he wasn't sure that he wanted his first words to them to be impersonating their brother. The other two, at least, were simple enough.

"Be there in ten minutes." @Knight of Doom

Done. As for the other three... Kylie he could ignore, and fully planned to. James, he felt like he at least owed some kind of message to. Maybe if he found out ahead of time that he was back in town a punch to the face could be avoided.

"Elliot is back in town, the diner ended up way understaffed. Closed shop early today." @Saint Girralo

Finally there was Olivia. Their mother smoking pot with Kylie? Elliot could certainly see it, that child had always been a wild one. It wouldn't surprise him if they started giving her pot just to get her to chill out. Still, he had no answer for that one, and let it go for the moment until Riley could text her himself.

"Anyway, I'm doing all right minus the assault charges I'm going to have to press against your sister..."

Ah, right, Sophia. He needed to find some way to get her to talk to him. Surely she wouldn't stay mad forever. She was always way more emotional than he was, but she also tended to bounce back quicker too. Then again, he did sorta fuck up on a level he had no data to compare against. Still, a slap in the face and calling him a liar and running off? Yeah he was sorry, but he was miffed too. He began looking for her number while talking.

"I'm going to message her, all right?"

It wasn't really asking permission so much as vocalizing his plan. With his hands on the wheel there wasn't exactly much Riley could do to stop him at the moment. Calling her crossed his mind, but he decided against it. He already lost one leg, he didn't need to lose an ear to her screaming too.

"Your brother dragged me off, try to let me talk sometime. ~ The man carrying your handprint on his face." @The Muse

Finally, he let the phone lie in his lap, turning once more to Riley.

"By the way, Olivia wanted to know if your mom and Kylie smoked pot together."

---

The twin was too lazy to flip through his stations to find good music. Instead, Riley just stared ahead of him and waited for Elliot to finish texting people. The man brought up "assault charges" and everything became crystal clear.

Ah, so she slapped him. Riley was tempted to say something, but he wondered if that would be a bit much for Elliot to handle right now... it seemed like the dude was going through one shitty day already.

Elliot then brought up he was going to text his sister.

Wait.

A little hesitant that he would say something unpleasant, Riley tried to stop him with his words but when his mouth opened only silence escaped him.

Well.

The text was sent and he prayed to god that Elliot didn't make him look bad in front of his sister then suddenly...

Riley's eyes widened.

"By the way, Olivia wanted to know if your mom and Kylie smoked pot together."

Within a split second, the car swiftly made a U-Turn and he snatched his phone back from Elliot hitting speed dial 5 near immediately. In silence, he waited as the ringer went off. Finally someone picked up.

"Good morning, this is Millington Highschool, Linda speaking, how can I help you?"

"Hey, my name is Riley Reese. I was wondering if Zoey and Olivia Reese were recently picked up today?"

"Oh yes! Their sister, Kylie, picked them up. She had said there was a big family accident. Is everything alright?" Riley's world was going in circles. The phone in his hand was shaking.

No... No... No....

With a smile, he cooed calmly, "Thank you so much! Next time, can you make sure the girls aren't taken out by anyone else but their brother, Riley Reese? My sister did a favor today but I'm usually the person that picks them up, so I'd like to keep it that way. Just protocol for the future."

"Oh absolutely! Sorry about the misunderstanding."

"Don't worry about it... time to comfort my sisters..." Before the lady said anything more, the phone line went dead and the twin made another quick U-Turn, Riley was now racing to the mall. Rather than call Kylie, he pressed the number 3 and it sped dial "Olivia" as he approached the mall, the phone rang.

The phone went straight to voicemail. The veins in Riley's neck began to show. He pulled up in a parking spot in the mall and called again.

You better pick up.

With worry and anger in his eyes, the twin looked at the other man and muttered, "Lets. Go." He was planning to ask his best friend to help him find three of his sisters... they could be anywhere.

@Emma@BilboTheGreat@Viciousmarrow

“Aww! My little sisters have grown up so much!” Kylie practically squealed with delight as she watched her sisters pass the joint around. She was so proud to call herself their big sis now! Silently, she reflected on her first time with their mother, remembering how messed up she got, and imagined they must be feeling the same way. Unlike the girls, she had a tolerance for the substance now so Kylie was only slightly buzzed. Putting out the marijuana cigarette and flicking it into the garbage, the redhead strolled up to the two and pulled them together in a big hug. “I love you guys.”

Suddenly, she heard Olivia’s phone ring. Kylie could only assume that was one of her other siblings calling, considering no one else would dare call her if they thought she was in school. “Don’t answer that! I’m gonna be in a lot of trouble if they know I signed you guys out!” she told the youngest Reese. Huffing that one of them found out so soon, Kylie took at her own phone and saw she had a text from Tara and James. Nothing from Riley though, interestingly.

’i got fired cuz im 2 sexy 4 work. lol. smoke weed every day, ho.’ she quickly typed out, trying not to raise any of his alarms. _{@Saint Girralo}

’riley has a stick in his ass 2day, so idk if u rlly wanna fuck wid dat ho. lol. also have u met his gf? i h8 her alrdy.’ was her message to Tara. _{@Knight of Doom}

Done with her phone for now, she leaned out from behind the dumpster to check if there were any security guards or what not. While there was no one that could potentially arrest her, her blue eyes did see Riley and a crippled man saunter up to the entrance of the mall. Ducking back behind the dumpster, she covered her mouth and her eyes went wide. “Fuck, Riley’s here.”

Why the fuck was he here?! Did he really not trust he?! Smacking her forehead, Kylie thought of a plan. It wasn’t a good plan, but it was at least something. “Okay, we’re just going to use the side entrance over here and go to the Wet Seal.” the woman explained to her minions.

---

The trio managed to get the Wet Seal, a store her brother would never enter, without encountering him or the mysterious handicapped guy he was with. As of now, Kylie was helping Olivia and Zoey change into the new outfits she had chosen for them while throwing on something new for herself.





”Yessss! Now you girls look sexy!” Kylie exclaimed. Now they were ready to take on society. ”Don’t start thinking about changing into your old clothes though. They’re going in the trash as soon as we get home. Today, you gotta strut your stuff!” Corralling the provocatively dressed girls up to the cashier’s post, she had the poor person scan the tags while they still wore the clothes. Kylie also asked for a bag just to throw their crappy clothes into. The cost of everything together ended up being around $150 since they had a good sale going on. Not bad for their first stop.

“Hm… now what do we need?” the redhead wondered as they exited the store. Answering her question, Ky’s stomach rumbled with hunger. She had not eaten Riley’s food in silent protest to his actions this morning, so she was actually starving. “…Well, that answers that. To the food court we go!” A hamburger for breakfast sounded really good right now.
_{@Emma@BilboTheGreat}

Olivia’s phone rang just as Kylie threw the joint into the dumpster. She glanced at the screen. It said Riley in big blue letters, with a picture of them together making a dumb face underneath. Olivia laughed at the picture remembering the day she took it. It had been during thanksgiving last year, when her parents were still alive and everything was perfect. She did as Kylie said and tapped the red circle on her phone screen letting his call go straight to voice mail. That’s When Kylie spotted Rye in the parking lot. Olivia was baked, and completely wrapped up in how gravity seemed to not be working properly, because she felt weird, but in a good way so she just giggled at Kylie’s reaction to seeing Riley.

Riley called right back for the second time, and Olivia tapped the cancel call circle again without even looking at the screen. She followed her sisters into the mall through the side door that said employees only. Everything was rather funny at the moment, but the guilt and worry was slowly creeping in on her high. Entering Wet Seal they made their way around the store. Kylie seemed hell bent on getting Olivia to wear something she picked out. “This is pretty.” Olivia said holding up a white dress to show her sister, and seeking their opinions. Kylie rolled her eyes and herded Olivia into the dressing room with a waded up bundle of black pleather.

She dressed in the tight booty shorts and matching crop top Kylie had picked out. She could hear Zoey, and Kylie outside the stall door, telling her to hurry up because they wanted to see. "I don't know about this one...Kylie I look weird." She said looking at herself in the mirror as she turned around. She had positively no curves and was hardly an A cup, so she looked like a kid playing dress up. She hated what she was wearing and how she felt in it, but she didn’t want to be a party pooper and kill the fun. So even though she felt naked as she came out and showed her sisters the hooker outfit, she just smiled and nervously laughed with them as she spun around to show them the clothes. Her childish braids clashed with the ensemble, and at Kylie urging she tugged off the purple hair ties and unwove the braids in her hair. She felt a little better with her hair down as it was long enough to hide her exposed back and arms. Her hair had been wet when she braided it this morning, so now rather then it being naturally pin straight, it was crimped with waves.

Just as she was about to go back into the dressing room to change back into her clothes, Kylie decided that they should all just wear their new outfits out of the store. Olivia went wide eyed as her sister corralled her to the register, and she was also upset that Kylie wanted to throw her clothes away. The mauve sweater had been a present from Mom last Christmas. Olivia wiggled out of the way “Um…I’ve got to get my purse I left it in the dressing room.” She said reluctantly handing her old clothes to Zoey and hurrying back to where the dressing rooms were. She was kind of freaking out internally because she really didn’t want to leave the store dressed like this. She found her purse and quickly got her phone out to text Riley.

“Sorry. I’m really sorry. Don’t tell Kylie or Zoey that I told you, but we are at the mall. Ok? Please come find us, I’m not having fun anymore. & please don’t be mad!”

She made sure her sister didn’t see her sending the text. She put her phone back in her purse and scurried up to the register with her sisters. Her old clothes went into the shopping bag, and they left the store dressed like tramps. She crossed her arms over her bare stomach, and walked with her head down trying to hide behind her long brown hair; letting it fall like a curtain around her shoulders and back. Every time she saw or felt someone looking her way she just wanted to turn invisible, and hide under a rock. They made their way to the food court, and Olivia trailed behind them feeling extremely insecure and slightly paranoid, trying her best to keep up and hide between Zoey and the wall.

The food court had hardly anyone in it, as the only people who went to the mall on a week day in the morning were the elderly, or moms with toddlers. She was really thirsty and her mouth felt super dry ever since she smoked the marijuana with her sisters. “I really need something to drink.” She said looking around at the options of the food court, and secretly hoping Riley would spot them soon and intervene, possibly let her borrow his blazer so she could cover herself. She stay close to her sisters following them to the counter of the Burger joint. Kylie ordered for them, without asking their opinions, and so Olivia ended up with a deluxe burger, large fries, and a mountain dew. They sat at the empty table in the middle of the food court, out in the open for all to stare at. Olivia sighed staring at the over sized meal she would have never chosen. "Kylie...um I want to change back into my clothes, can you hand me the bag please?" She said embarrassed looking over at the Wet Seal bag that smelled like pot.