Tyler half-wished he could just let Josh live at his house, because then the ever-stressful first day of school wouldn't be such a burden. Alas, the sleepover he'd begged to let go on until at least the first week was over, ended just a day before school began - that is, Josh had to go home on the fourteenth of August. If it was his choice, Tyler would just reserve the pull-out couch for his best friend, but they both had their own strict parents. It was worse for Josh, hence his concern. Blame it on his anxiety or what have you, but Tyler didn't trust Josh's safety to remain intact even a day away from him. What if he waltzed into Beverly Hills High on the fifteenth with bruises beyond Ty's counting capabilities? Tyler's parents weren't the greatest, sure, but he didn't live in that kind of fear constantly.

So, with his best friend's welfare weighing on his mind, Tyler didn't catch much sleep. He could get to Josh's early, but not too early, so as not to arouse any suspicion, so, of course, he arose at around six-thirty in the morning. He tugged a plain black hoodie over his head and stepped drowsily into some dingy old skinny jeans, not bothering with a shower since he was in such a rush but downing Listerine so he wasn't too unpleasant. Tyler shoved whatever spare pencils he could find and a basketball into his backpack before hustling downstairs, slipping sneakers on, and raiding the kitchen. It was doubtful that Josh had anything to eat over there (or if he did, he was likely giving the luxury to his siblings), so Tyler packed a handful of granola bars away before racing through the door.

Oh, God, he hadn't thought this far ahead. The open garage granted him a few options: skateboard, car, bike... He was a terrible skater, and he couldn't drive to save his own life, but he was an alright cyclist. So Tyler pedalled all the way to the next cul-de-sac over, letting his bike fall over on the curb, before stepping up to the porch. He honestly didn't care what Josh thought of his physical appearance at this point, but when he caught sight of himself in the front window's reflection, he cringed a little and started trying to smooth out his hair. All fruitless attempts. Giving up, he spat the mouthwash still in his mouth out into the grass and knocked on the door sharply. Seven a.m. They had about an hour to spare.

Josh’s eyes snapped open as soon as he heard a small shuffle outside the door; even before the knock had come. He’d tried to sleep in his room but the never-ending nightmares that were his siblings were in the next room, and his father just across the hall from him, so the sofa became his refuge. Not like that helped him with his sleep - he simply lay there with his eyes shut, hoping that he might even get two hours of sleep this time. Jumping up, he slipped into his shirt (which was slumped across the sofa arm as a pillow, since the last one he had got pissed on by his drunken father) and raced to the door. “Wh- Ty?” he exclaimed as he opened the door, to see a sleep deprived Ty in front of him. “What are you doing here? If my dad wakes up he’s gonna kill me!” Josh’s words were usually blunt and rather emotionless, but this time they came out stern; the likes of which he’d only seen with his dad. An apologetic look now spreading across his face, he looked at Tyler. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that…” his words trailed off, his gaze slipping to the floor.

Tyler recoiled from the door as soon as it opened, a bit startled by the speed with which whoever responded appeared - and, admittedly, he half-anticipated Josh’s father to get there first - but it was just Josh himself. He breathed out an audible sigh of relief, only to suck in more breath at the tone his friend took on. He visibly settled, though, at the apology. “No, don’t worry,” Tyler said quickly, waving his hands around uselessly. “I’m breaking you out, man, are you ready? We’ve got, like, an hour until eight, so…” Not that he necessarily wanted to be there on time. Only the preps were there early, and they were no fun to be around. He looked behind himself a little uncertainly, realising he may have to balance Josh on his bike’s handlebars at this point. “Uhh. It’d be great if you had, like, a board or something, too. But y’know.”

Josh weighed the options in his mind. There wasn’t anything for the kids to get around in - just his dad’s stupid old car. Was it worth it? It had to be. Anything was better than being here, but Tyler would go mad. And his dad? God, he’d be horrible. But he had to take risks. “There is something. Grab your bike.” He quickly rushed inside, fumbling around the sitting room for the car keys. Come on… where did he keep them? Josh’s half-open eyes caught a glimpse of something shining in the dim light that came from the door, and he grabbed them, trying not to make a noise. Quickly, he snatched his shoes and slipped them on, before peeking his head out of the door. “Do I need to pack anything, Ty? It might give my dad a hint, not that it’ll make him any less red.”

It occurred far too late to Tyler what was going on here. Evidently, he was too tired to catch on to the fact that Josh was going to up and take his father’s car. He knew full well the repercussions, didn’t he? Tyler nearly protested, but that’d just send them into an argument likely to wake up the family inside. He drove the heel of his hand into his eye like it’d make this any less frustrating and considered the question. When he blinked both eyes again, his vision was spotty and static, but the circumstances hadn’t improved. “No… I’ve got school stuff, you can just share with me, or whatever.” Looking particularly defeated, Tyler stepped away from the door to allow his friend a path out. “Are you sure? Like. Really sure. He’s not just gonna be red - it’ll be, like, red-black-yellow. Y’know?” In spite of his uneasy words, Tyler was backing towards the car, prepared to bolt out of there.

The anxiety was building up inside of Josh as he saw his friend become slightly blue. He bit his bottom lip as Tyler spoke, but slowly nodded in response to his question. “It’s pretty much the best option. I just… I have to get away from this place. It’s so grey-white, I can’t-” he choked on his words. “I can’t take it anymore, Ty.” Josh quickly closed the door behind him, locking it and slipping the keys under the door - it had seen better days, so was slowly getting more and more warped, meaning there was a ever-growing large gap under it. “I’ll start warming up the engine and help you get your bike in the trunk.” The boy jogged over to the car, relieved the door was finally closed. This was actually happening; Tyler was helping him escape. He just didn’t want to think about the consequences that may come with this decision.

Unlocking (and opening) the door, he shook away the negative thoughts as much as he could, inserting the keys and twisting. The engine let out a small splutter, before almost relaxing into a gentle hum. Josh thanked God that it didn’t decide to have one of its’ usual coughing fits; not that he had much faith in the so-called Man in the Sky. His past experiences had denied him that pleasure, therefore leaving him to do all the work of fixing his looks; his negativity. ‘Hide it all under a smile’, that’s what his parents had taught him; that the world is a place worth living in. He squinted his eyes, blinking a couple of times - he had to stop himself from drowning in his thoughts like he always did. Lately it had started to seem that one single touch of his fragile surface would send this house of cards toppling to the ground.

Sighing, he turned to his friend. “Right, the engine should be warm enough in a few. Time to get your bike in.” Obediently, Tyler shoved the backseat over to make enough room for his bicycle to fit both over them and the trunk. In his haste, he didn’t bother to straighten it out or make any efforts towards neatness; rather, he swiftly clicked the trunk closed and then navigated to the front where he could sit in the passenger’s beside Josh. Tyler made no comments towards the car’s temperature; mid-August was warm enough around here, anyway. Instead, he just shot Josh a pleading look to hurry the hell up.

That silent encouragement seemed to be enough, because the drive to school was quick and quiet. Tyler himself was just contemplating how much trouble Josh would be in. Not like he’d have any implication in the matter of literally stealing Mr. Nelson’s car. He brushed the thought away - people couldn’t enter Beverly Hills High looking all depressed without rumours starting or peers jumping on them questioning ‘why the long face?’ So, probably inspired by Josh’s personal motto, Tyler put on his own nervous little smile as he exited the car. He could voice how brown-blue he felt now, but that’d just dampen Josh’s mood as well. Tyler went for a vague grin directed towards his friend instead. “Just in time for the assembly. Check it, they’ve got cookies.” Admittedly, he was a bit wary to approach the Queen Bee herself to snatch himself a snack, so he lingered behind Josh indecisively.

“B-but I don’t… I don’t want to… go over there…” he looked down at the ground, shuffling his feet with a sigh. Josh turned around to face Tyler. “Do you like, really want a cookie? Because I c-can get you one, i-if you want.” The thought of not getting a cookie for Ty made Josh feel green-black, but when he thought about actually approaching the Queen Bee made him blue and want to throw up; there was an aura of lavender and amethyst all about her. It was a constant battle in his mind and he didn’t know whether he was winning or losing. Right now, it just felt there’d be no end to it. Josh looked down at his feet again, leaving Tyler staring at messy tufts of cherry hair. “I don’t w-want you to feel b-blue, but I just…” he trailed off like always, his heart heavy. He was constantly scolding himself in his mind - why let himself get so wound up over it? Tyler would be okay with it, he always was! ...Right?

“Hey, whoa!” Tyler’s hands were quickly on Josh’s shoulders and he was closing the gap between them, looking around frantically to gauge exactly how many people they were going to be crowded by. The school was at least merciful enough to split up the freshman and sophomores away from juniors and seniors, so that each assembly was less horrific. Tyler knew that wasn’t the most comforting thought when you were as anxious as himself or Josh, though, so he bit back the thought. Even given his own proneness to panic attacks, he easily grew defensive when it seemed like someone else was close to having one. “Listen, it’s okay, just… we can’t exactly… skip the assembly.”

With that, Tyler was inspecting the doorway, trying to find a way in that freed them from having to converse with others. Lo and behold, the Queen Bee they were so terrified of moved along to another booth inside, and Tyler rushed over to the door to hold it for Josh. He hazarded a glance through the doorway, figuring the size of the crowd wasn’t necessarily so bad yet but the colours might be overwhelming. He shut both eyes like he was willing it all to go away, but of course, it didn’t. Out of options, Tyler stuck to Josh as if he were the centre of gravity, placing a hand between his shoulders to help guide him along. “Signing up for anything…?” he tried for conversation, trying desperately to hide the fact that he was leaning over the counter of another booth and signing himself up for basketball. Didn’t hurt to give it a shot - no pun intended.

Josh was shaking like a leaf, but Tyler’s hands on his shoulders reassured him a little. However, looking around, everything began to feel copper-burgundy and he took a sharp inhale, barely able to hear the words of his friend as the noise echoed through his ears, bouncing around his head. “Uh… I don’t really feel all up to signing up for any clubs. I guess i-if they ha-had an art club, that might be- um, c-cool.” Josh’s nerves were really getting to him now, and he stumbled over nearly every word. “Tyler, I-I-I-”

Heavy breathing consumed the boy’s words; umber starting to overwhelm him. He sharply turned on his heel to look at Tyler, his face copper-azure, with a desperate plea for escape in his eyes. His lungs felt like they were collapsing, as if each breath was getting smaller and smaller, but the room around him was rapidly growing, making him shrink where he stood. Josh ended up gazing emptily at the corner; the people moving around blurring into one and the desire to bury his face into Tyler’s shirt ever-growing.

It was hard to miss anxiety attacks in general, but when you know someone for a long enough time, it becomes a sort of superpower where you can detect their onset. Tyler was pretty sure he was witnessing that right now. He shot a quick glance around the room, chest heaving for a moment, before wrapping an arm around Josh’s shoulders and leading them back the way they came. Just to avoid looking too suspicious, he halted at a booth for art club and scribbled both his and Josh’s name on a sign-up sheet (and promptly refused the pamphlet being offered to him). “Hey, you know, I think they’re finishing up anyway…” Even though the assembly obviously wasn’t over, Tyler liked to think he sounded convincing enough.

He led them back out into the field adjacent to the auditorium, and promptly started digging around in his bag for a granola bar. “You didn’t eat, did you? Here, have this.”

“T-Thanks.” The boy stammered, trying to resist just ravenously snatching the bar from Tyler’s hands like a wild animal. He was shaking all over; the granola bar’s foil wrapper just rustling from being held in his hand. Slowly, he peeled it off, nibbling at it. He got nearly a quarter of the way through the bar when he suddenly stopped, blinking. “Everything i-is um-umber…” He murmured as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, his body falling limp onto the ground.

There wasn’t even sun out, and already his alarm went off. The tune of Goku from Dragon Ball Z screaming could have probably been heard throughout the thin walls of the Drake house. It definitely was heard from the next room over, which belonged to Jade. Jackson knew this because she banged on the wall, with some obscenities being said. Thankfully, the sounds of Goku’s screaming muffled out her words. Jackson liked to believe that, anyway. But yes, it wasn’t even sunny out, and Jackson was starting to get up.

In the minutes that followed, he had shut off his alarm clock, and rolled out of bed. At this point, Jackson wasn’t wearing much of anything. Only thing that was on his skinny bod was a pair of Rainbow Dash boxers.. Jackson was not ready for this first day of school, or was it orientation? Jackson didn’t know nor did he care. All he knew was that he had to wake up bright and early because apparently being late to orientation was a bad thing. He disagreed, but mom didn’t. One thing everyone in the Drake house knew was that mom was always right. Even when she was wrong, she was still right. Dad knew that better than anyone.

As he hummed the Dragon Ball Z theme (Rock the Dragon) he went through his closet. He was still very much asleep, his eyes were half open, and yawning every ten seconds. His mind was focused on his closet entirely. He was still imagining himself in his dreams, riding the Rainbow Unicorn from Rainbow Unicorn Attack, but nope! He was standing (barely) in front of his closet, deciding on his outfit of the day.

“Ugh,” Jackson yawned and sighed at the same time. He didn’t care about how he looked to everyone else. If they had a problem, they could fight him. So, in that, he just grabbed some clothes. It didn’t matter to him if he matched or not. All he cared about was getting into the shower before Jade would so that he could just do his thing.

When he got there, turned out that he got there before Jade did, which was surprising since she had banged on his wall not too long ago. Whatever. He closed the door behind him, and showered. It would only take him ten minutes since he was a boss like that. After he got out, he proceeded to dry himself, brush his teeth, and style his hair as lazily as he could. Lucky for Jackson, his hair was naturally wavy, so it didn’t take much for him to get it to a way that he liked. As soon as he was satisfied, he started to get dressed. That took an additional five minutes because he had to put on his shorts, his Jack Skellington shirt, the Deadpool hat, his Venom-Spider-Man necklace, his red, fingerless gloves, and of course, his Invincible Iron Man wallet that would simply drop into his pocket.

By the time he was done, ten more minutes had passed, and Jackson was on his way out, stopping by his room briefly to get his board and bag. To hell with everything - or everyone - else.

Nonchalantly strolling on the sidewalk with a large silver coin in his right hand rolling over his knuckles, Rhett Aspen whistled to the music blaring out of his sister’s sky colored headphones, which was Danza Kuduro by Don Omar (Feat. Lucenzo). His sister, Summer, had a large collection of dance music on her mp3 that could get anyone hyped to take on the day. She wore a short black skirt, turquoise heels, a black and white halter top, and white shades all which were bought on a bargain. While he wore a simpler ensemble, a white tee with some stripes on the chest section, a black and gray jacket, a navy blue fitted cap (one of his favorites), comfortable jeans for strenuous activities, and white sneaks. This would be her first year at Beverly Hills High. Luckily for Rhett, she had friends who came with her from junior high so she didn’t have to travel with him and his boy to school. Glancing over at her, who had a kittenish smile plastered on her face and excitement written in her baby blue eyes, he teased, “Who you trying to impress? Your skirt is too short. Can’t believe ma let you out like that.”

Rolling her eyes, she sassed, “We women must showcase our best asset. Mine so happens to be my legs.” Almost reaching the corner where her friend would pick her up, Summer bit her lip, slightly nervous about today, “Rex… Do you think Audrey will like me? I know we’ve went through this but…”

Patting his sister’s nicely done hair, slightly annoying her, Rhett chuckled, “You’ll be fine. Just be yourself. Show confidence, she’ll respect that. But no sass.” He saw her friend’s parent’s van pull up. After he put his coin in his pant’s pocket, Summer turned to him and handed her brother two nicely wrapped boxes, that resembled something you’d receive on Valentine’s. One for him and one for Jackson. Jackson’s box was white, with a red ribbon tied around it. The ribbon had black decorative pokadots. She had gotten one of her friend’s to draw a chibi version of him riding his skateboard with a Naruto shirt on. That was so cute, it made him sick. His was rather plain in comparison. “What’s the occasion?” he asked, letting his blue orbs contemplate her facial expression.

His sister shrugged, there was no sign of embarrassment, “I wanted to bake last night. Plus, you two idiots love to eat. Happy first day~” She stuck her tongue out teasingly, knowing her brother was too dense to catch the drift. With a hair flip, she bid her brother adieu and went into the van to probably gossip with a bunch of other Niners. Goddammit her skirt was short.

Once the car sped off, he put both the boxes inside the large pockets within the interior of his jacket. Checking the time on his cheap leather, roman numeral wrist watch, the brunette debated how long it would take him to get to his bud’s house that was two blocks away. Five minutes. Tops. I can half that..

With full confidence in himself, Rex sprinted down the sidewalk, passed some kids riding their bikes, and gave them a wink before jumping over some stranger’s fence. Yes. He was trespassing, but for a good cause. He needed to beat his record time. Unfortunately, he didn’t expect this house to have a Rottweiler guard dog. He shall be named Nugent, after the film’s, Over the Hedge’s, “Play!” dog. Drool dripped out of the black pup’s mouth (okay it wasn’t a damn pup) and before Rhett knew it, the not so friendly beast was barking it’s brains out and charging at him, with hellfire in its glare. Rex was a halfback about to be tackled or at least, that’s what this felt like. “Nice puppy…” he muttered. Swiftly moving to the right, the boy watched the dog slip past him, as it’s black coat grazed his skin and rammed into the garbage can, causing the object to tip over (sorry dog). Rhett took these next moments to run into the backyard.

Run boy run. No time to stop, gotta go fast. SONIC. After quickly observing his surroundings (fanciful place with a pool, grill, and a colorful garden), he pounced off the ground and onto the dog house. The instant his right foot touched the roof he pushed forward, flipped into the air, and over the tall hedge (rich people, I tell you). Tucking his head inward, his body airborne, Rex rolled onto his shoulder, diagonally across his back. Curled into a ball, he spun on the sidewalk until he was standing up once more. A parked car was directly in front of him (inches away) when he came to a full stop. Catching his breath, he yelled, “I do parkour!”

Seeing his bro’s house across the street, he took a second to fix his fitted cap and take his phone out of his pocket. Crossing the street, he checked the time Fuck yeah, 2 minutes and 30 seconds!. Walking onto the porch of the Drake’s household, he texted Jackie Boy.

To: JB
Omw.

Without any warning besides the text, he flew the door open (which more often than not was unlocked) and walked into the kitchen, “RHETT IS IN THE HIZ-HOUSE!”

Jackson didn’t even have time to check his phone. Quite literally, as he got into the kitchen, he was about to open the text app, and Rhett had come bursting through the door without even so much as a knock.

“Way to let me know, bro.” Jackson scoffed. After staring at his friend with ‘Dude, I did text you’ written all over his face, Rex heard slow footsteps enter the kitchen.

Jackson was going to say something else, but just as he was going to, Jackson’s father, Leonardo, walked behind him, seeming woken up by Rhett’s arrival. Or maybe it was something else. All Jackson knew was that his father was just like him when he woke up: groggy, and unaware of what was going on around him. Maybe that was where Jackson got it. Either that or it was something else. Who cares? Leo was behind him, and noticed Rhett there in front of his son.

“Morning son, morning Rhett.” Leo said sheepishly, moving past Jackson, and towards the coffee pot. He pressed the power button to start it. As he turned around, Leo once again looked at the two boys. He yawned a few times. “So, excited for the first day of school, boys?” Leo asked with a yawn.

Jackson shrugged. School was school. What you did in-between those breaks of class, however, was where the real fun was. “Oh come on pops, you know me. I’M ALWAYS HYPED!” Jackson said in an elevated tone.

“Morning Leo~! Besides my sister driving me insane, I’m pretty amped.” Rhett sighed at the thought of Summer walking the halls of his school (with that short ass skirt). He was surely going to gain white hair within the first week. Speaking of Summer, Rhett opened his coat to pull out the gifts she made for them. His treat was crushed while Jackson’s box looked pristine and untouched. I always lean too much on that damn size.

“Yes, yes, but keep it down. I think your mother is asleep--”

“No, I think his mother is wide awake.” Riley came out from behind her son. Jackson perked up as if fear for his life. His mother had that kind of tone that just made him the weakest man in the room. As Jackson and Leo looked at her, they couldn’t help but look at each other in an awkward way. She was wearing a beige tank with it being see-through, and medium red-violet underwear. Both looked at each other, having a different kind of expression of fear on their face.

Uh.... Rhett’s brain was malfunctioning. Why was Jackson’s mother incredibly hot?! He held the boxes in his hands, wanting to give one over to his friend, but lost in a trance at the practically naked, provocative siren that stood before them. He kept his thoughts to himself, even when he was dying on the inside (DYING). Although his blue orbs were slightly wider, he tried to keep his cool. Is it getting hot in here? Maybe… I should get some water…

Jackson was a trooper, so he wouldn’t acknowledge that his mother was pretty much naked. “Oh hey, mom, sleep well?”

“Better than your father.” She said, glaring at him. Leo perked up just like Jackson did. Someone was in the doghouse for sure. Riley looked at Rhett. “You’re here early. You want some breakfast, hun? I can make some pancakes. Lord knows these two can’t cook worth shit.” Riley wasn’t coy when talking about her two boys - her husband and son. It was known that Riley Drake was someone who didn’t hold back on what she said. She was very opinionated like that.

Play cool. Be cool. Handing the white box to his friend, Rhett beamed a grin at the woman of the house, “My sis was carpoolin’ early, so I made sure she was set before coming here.” Quickly putting his box away, back in his jacket, he leaned on the fridge, trying to make it seem like he wasn’t nervous, “Your food is da bomb, Mrs. Drake!” Why are you a fool?! Be eloquent, not some ratty street boy off the street’s. “I could help you--” his voice went down an octave, realizing this might put him in a terrible position, “If you’d like…” He mentally cursed himself, Bumbling dimwit. That’s what you are. You’re just gonna help cook with the naked sexy MILF! Drop everything. Make a mess. Stare at her-- He cut his thoughts short. No.

“Pancakes sound fresh as fuck, mom. I’ll take two. Blueberry, if you can.” Jackson happily said.

“Of course you will, Jackson.” Riley gave him a smile. She knew her son so well. Her eyes went to Rhett. “I appreciate the help. Get me the flour out of the cupboard, please.” Riley said, giving Rhett the same kind of smile that she gave to Jackson.

Like an obedient slave, Rhett went to the cupboard. His heart picking up with every movement he made. He took a brief moment to give Jackson a death glare for not saving him and grabbed the flour. Before making his way back to Riley, he tightened his grip on the flour to make sure it was secure - no need for accidents. Making his way to her, he took a deep breath in and lifted the flour in the air like some kind of offering to a goddess. Gulping, he asked, “A-anything else?” Don’t you dare stutter, boy.

“No, that’s perfect. Thanks.” Riley took the flour, and started to put together the ingredients. They were all lined up in a row, and she did it like some chef.

As they watched her, Jackson and Leo were sitting at the table. Leo was drinking his coffee, sip after sip quietly. Meanwhile, Jackson noticed Rhett acting…different. Why was he not his usual self? Jackson pondered on that for a moment or two. He would have done so longer if not for him looking at the time. “Shit.” Jackson cursed. “Rhett, we gotta go man. Orientation.” Jackson cursed internally this time. He was really looking forward to eating blueberry pancakes. “Sorry mom, but you know, raincheck on those okay? Save me two. Don’t let Jade eat them. She’s skinny, but she eats like a pig.” Jackson was not joking. His cousin was like a vacuum. What goes in, never comes out ever again.

By some sort of higher power, Rhett was saved! “I’ll make sure to come back to help you out more often, Mrs. Drake!” Shit. He basically promised to cook with her whenever he was over and she needed help. Not wanting to dig his grave any deeper, he gave Jackson’s family goofy finger guns, “Catch ya’ll on the flip side!” Dork. He was an absolute dork. He immediately escaped the house.

As they trekked through Jackson’s neighborhood, Jackson was on his board going around Rhett as he held that white box in his hand. As he examined it while still trying to keep an eye on where he was going, a thought came into his head. “Hey, why is your’s all shitty-looking and mine looks like an artist put it together? Speaking of, who made these? I know you didn’t because we both know that you can’t bake worth shit, and you’re as about artistic as a pig is. So, who man? Tell me!” Jackson was shouting to the heavens in that last one. He must know because as he opened the box, it was a blueberry scone. Not everyone knew that was his favorite. There were only a select few that did.

“Dude.” While throwing his large silver coin up in the air, Rhett annoyingly glanced over at his friend who was all antsy and shit, “Calm your tits. Summer couldn’t sleep much last night so she baked.” The silver coin landed in his palm. Lightly clenching it, he added, “Don’t worry about my box. Your’s is still intact and that’s all that matters.” Not in the mood to linger on about his ruined box because of his foolishness earlier this morning, the coin dancing on his knuckles, Rex thought about what he should change the subject to.

Suddenly Jackson’s usual smile went somewhat dead, frozen almost. Summer made it? Oh goddammit, I forgot she knew about my love for these scones. Jackson hadn’t considered Summer. He thought maybe it was Rhett’s mother who made them. Or maybe some bird left them on his front porch, but for his totally not hot as fuck kid sister to make them for him was one thing, but his box was prime condition while Rhett’s looked like someone ran it through a meat grinder. “I’ll be sure to thank her when I see her at school today.” Jackson said, half-anxiously smiling. Yeah, like that’s a good idea. Tell the hot sister of your best friend thanks for making your favorite breakfast pastry all the while trying to keep a straight face. Real nice, Jackson. Ace job.

Rex chuckled, “Excited to see your girl? I know I can’t wait to see mine.” His head lifted up so that his blue orbs stared into the vast azure sky, “We’re both aiming for money, that’s for sure.” Money was Rhett’s way of saying the girls they were interested in were high caliber and worth every minute of their time.

And the safe haven came in the form of his real love (yeah just keep telling yourself that). “You know it man. This will be my year, I’m telling you. She’ll finally know my name. I swear it man, I fucking do.” Jackson said, as if proclaiming it to whatever fucking god was looking down. Jackson was anything far from being religious, but any god or angel or even devil that could help him, he’ll pray like a mother fucker. “What about you, bruh? Any closer to getting that Arnette poody-tang?”

Grumbling to himself, Rhett put his coin in his pant’s pocket, while he continued down the street with strides, “My competition is the entire school, Jackie Boy.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, “The amount of friends I’m playing up against just for a conversation with her is too damn high.” He took the next instant to look back at his friend and inquire, “What’s your game plan? Harding is one tough babe. She’s only been here for what? Like one semester last year? And she’s already made herself one of the top bitches at this school.” His gaze slightly widened with the realization of how many dominant women were at Beverly Hills High. Without a doubt, his sister would follow suit, but all he could think about was lovable Anna being taken advantage of, by the many people she cared about.

“Still in the brozone, huh? That majorly sucks, bro. That’s almost as bad as me being unacknowledged by Eve, but that’s gonna change.” Jackson said with conviction. Rhett might believe him, but Jackson wasn’t sure if he actually believed what he was saying. As much as Eve captivated him, she was one of those gals that had high standards. Guys like Jackson had no business with her. Besides, she was already hella famous. Jackson was the son of an expensive mechanic and a former model. There was little business he had chasing that specific tail, yet.. “This isn’t going to be like previous attempts. Like what Mike told Walter White in Breaking bad: never do anything half-measured. That’s what I’m going to do, man. I’m gonna full-measure this year. I swear it, Rhett. Come prom, I’ll be dating Eve Harding.” Jackson proclaimed, but this time he believed it.

Taking his right hand out of his pocket, Rhett pounded his chest with respect for his friend’s ambition, “And I got your back, JB. No matter what!” Anyone who knew anything about Rhett and Jackson knew they had one of the closest relationships in school. There were rumors that people thought they were gay for each other, but that was only because of how close they came off sometimes (no personal boundaries - they would hug the shit out of each other). “Just one word of advice, my dude.” He stopped in his tracks to make sure his words reached the young boy full of fire, “Don’t be a bumbling fan, just be you. She probably deals with obsessed fans all the time. You gotta separate yourself from the lot. How you may ask?” Allowing silence in the air, Rex shrugged and continued on his way, “That’s a question I don’t even know!”

“You know, that doesn’t help me.” Jackson said quite bluntly. He knew Rhett was right, though. He couldn’t be like he was twelve months ago. Gods, he knew he couldn’t be that raging-boner kind of fan that was just so excited to first see East of Eden with Jade. He couldn’t be the guy that went up to her after the show when she was signing autographs, and say that idiotic thing that he said to her. He had to be more logical and less cringe-worthy. If he was ever to stand a chance, Jackson would have to grow a maturity bone, but where would he find one so late into his teenaged life? “I know you’re right, man. Eve’s a totally different class of a woman. She doesn’t know who I am at all. At least with the ones in the past, like that chick I told you from this past summer. At least she knew who I was, but Eve? Shit bro, I need to do something major to get her attention. I think I might know how, but I’m gonna need your help.” Jackson told Rhett, hopping off his board, and looking at his best bro. This was one of the few times that Jackson didn’t have an idiotic grin on his face. It was one of the rare times where he was one-hundred percent serious.

Taking in his friend’s expression, Rhett returned the gravity of the situation with a simple eye lock. They stared at each other for a long, hard moment, before Rex muttered, “I’m all ears.”



The assembly came and went. Boring for the most part. The Bro duo were more excited to see their friends at the Clubs and Activities Fair on the football field. The moment they strolled onto the field by the large entrance, Rhett perked up to the sound of Queen Bee, Dominique Saunders’ voice?! The confusion on his face was obvious when he looked at his boy and then at Dominique from a distance waving at him. “Did I do something stupid to piss her off?!” He had no idea why she wanted to speak to him but everyone knew if the number one Queen called you, you marched right on over to her.

Jackson was as confused as Rhett was. Why did the Queen Regent of Beverly Hills High want to see the likes of Rhett? Jackson knew that Rhett was more well-liked than he was, but to get the direct attention of the queen was something a bit odd. “I don’t know man. Maybe she’s mad at you for hitting Arnette with the football that one time. You know how those royals get. Fucking entitled cunts, they are.” It was clear that Jackson held a strong dislike for the royals.

“Hey. Analise is one of those Royals.” He scolded his friend for making a jab at his crush. Though, thinking about that incident did make him cringe since the guy he was playing catch with totally let the ball slip through his hands - what a square. Analise was still beautiful even with her face bruised. Gathering himself, not knowing if he looked decent enough for Dominique nor caring, he offered a fist bump to Jackson, “I’ll catch you later, I guess. Text me if ya need me. And don’t forget.” His eyes narrowed but in an encouraging way, “You’re money, JB. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

“And don’t you let the man - I mean Dominique - rip you a new one, bro. Be the money that we both know you are. Stay golden, Ponyboy.” Jackson echoed the spirit of Money towards Rhett as they went their separate ways, knowing that some day, love will find them.

As he was left alone, Jackson took a look around, and saw all the people. “Shit, what the fuck do I do now?” Jackson stood there, watching people pass him by. Everyone apparently paired up, and Jackson didn’t have anyone to chill with. And then it hit him. “Oh yeah, totally forgot.” Jackson suddenly remembered what he told Rhett earlier, with what he was going to do. He better go do that. And so he did, walking towards a specific part of the fair. Time for shit to get lit, fam.



Whistling the Twisted Nerve tune from Kill Bill (and American Horror Story), Rhett walked with proud steps toward the Queen Bee, showing nothing but swagger. She was handing out cookies to people passing her by and held grace that only someone of her stature could carry. His mind was coursing with thoughts of what she wanted, but he wouldn’t show that on his face. He was cool. When he stood in front of her, he gave her a playful wink, “Hey Dominique-baby, what’s crackalackin?!” He beamed a handsome grin at the elegant woman labeled as their Queen.

“Oh fuck me Jesus.” she groaned annoyingly.

All Jade wanted to do was sleep as much of the early morning as she possibly could, but someone just had to have their alarm go off bright and early. And it wasn’t just any alarm, but the belching screams of that monkey, Goku from Dragon Ball Z. Why did Jackson have such a loud alarm clock? The walls weren’t thin by any means, so did that goofball think it was appropriate to have that loud of an alarm clock alert? Of course he did because he’s an obnoxious little shit. So Jade banged against the wall about as hard as she could. Not realizing it, she banged too hard. There was a crack in the wall’s foundation. Whoops.

And so Jade let the next hour pass her by, snoring her cares away.

And so Jade woke up to the sounds of her door banging. She groaned, looking at her own alarm clock. It said it was seven. Oh well, apparently there was only so long that she could sleep before either her uncle or aunt decided for her that it was time to wake up. She groaned again, lifting her surprisingly heavy.

“Fucking hells.” Jade was up, but she didn’t want to be. If she could help it, she would prefer not to go to that pointless orientation today. So what if they had sign up for classes and meet their classmates? Jade didn’t partake in most school-sanctioned activities, anyway. The only thing she would possibly do would be the dances, but even those tend to be pretty lame.

She had been sitting in her bed, dressed in nothing but a pair of red sweats, and a black tank. She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there. Last time she checked her clock, it read just past seven. As she went to it once more, it was now 7:10am. As if like clockwork, Jade heard another bang on her door.

“Time to get up!” she heard her Aunt Riley say.

Jade sighed. “Yeah, yeah - I heard you ten minutes ago.” Jade somewhat lied. She did hear Riley, but she didn’t really register.

As Jade rounded her bed, and went to her closet, she lazily grabbed a few items of clothing. She didn’t know what she picked out or if it would match, but she didn’t care. Jade just wanted to get dressed, and get this day over with already. Undressing, slid off her pajamas and started putting on her outfit of the day. Within this outfit was a Led Zeppelin shirt, short black shorts, an oversized blue flannel jacket, and her trademark black sunglasses. She looked like a 90s bum, but she really didn’t give two flying shits.

Jade grabbed her phone, and book bag. As she was about to make her way out of her room, she saw Ely just chilling on the edge of her window, blowing a bubble with her bubblegum. “Ever heard of the door, bitch? Comes in handy when coming to another person’s house.”

With her black beanie, shades, one earbud in, which blared Do Not Look Down by MESHUGGAH, and her simple grunge look, Elysia Fable stared at her friend while chewing her gum modestly. Best believe she wouldn’t chew like some damn cow, but she would blow hella big bubbles. Respect. Her skateboard stuck out of her dark purple Journey backpack, her shorts were a bit on the skimpy side, and her jean jacket held her black case for cigs, but they lacked cigs. She needed to get cigs. Her black heeled foot moved up and down with the angry, metal screamo song coursing in her mind, as she apathetically responded to her friend (not really replying to her comment of entering through the front door), “We should go to the store.”

Hopping off the ledge, Ely nonchalantly strolled beside the one girl that probably ‘got her’ in this entire damn country (her faith in people were limited). Her morning was a rather simple one. Just fifthteen minutes ago she woke up on a park bench. Her park bench. The one by that lake. Fuck, what was the lake called again? She could feel it just waiting to roll off her tongue. Something with an F? Fuckin-lake-that-she-couldn’t-remember-the-name-of. Yeah, she’ll go with that. There was a specific bench she took a liking to, which was by a dankass lake and had a great view of the sunrise. EITHER WAY, she woke up on that bench because many nights she would rather sleep there than some stupid house that she wanted to burn to the ground. Fuck that house. The previous night she went to a college party that her brother didn’t want to go alone to. His friends were peer pressuring him to take a break from studies and even Ely encouraged him to let loose. He had a major case of bad anxiety. She could still feel that awesome ecstasy in her veins - but what the hell happened to all her damn cigarettes?! She just bought a goddamn new pack last night. “So yeah, babe, we should be outtie.”

“Yeah for sure. Let me just go tell my annoying uncle and auntie that I’m up.” Jade said, already dreading going out to the kitchen.

She really didn’t get why she had to stay with these fucking idiots? They all were bizarre and had weird family traditions. Jade often found it difficult to believe that she was related to them, Jackson specifically. How could someone so normal-looking be a guy with the most outrageously-obnoxious personality.

“Hey, El, you totally want to freak out my uncle and aunt?” Jade looked at Ely. It was the look when nothing but bad ideas were brewing up in that blonde hair-filled noggin of hers..

Taking off her shades, her eyes a demonic red, since Ely loved to spice up her green orbs with weird ass colors, she hooked her glasses on her tank and let her lips curve subtly. Not a full-on smile, since Ely smiling was a rather weird occurrence, but enough to express that she was all ears, “Yeah. I’m down.”

With a wicked laugh, Jade kind of tugged Ely’s arm, pulling the blonde girl with her. They exited her room, and walked down the hallway. Jade heard her uncle and aunt talking. She couldn’t make it out exactly, but they were loud(obviously, just look at who their son was). When they turned the corner leading from the hallway to the kitchen, Jade gave Ely a wink with her usual Lilith-influenced smirk. That’s when Jade stuck her hand straight into Ely’s very short shorts, grabbing a nice handful of her plump ass.

This however was far too simple. Far too slow for Ely (especially since she was itchin’ to smoke). So while Jade touched her ass, Ely twirled her friend in front of her and aggressively planted a rough kiss on those luscious lips that many people have had the pleasure of touching. While directing her backwards into the kitchen, Ely’s right hand ran through the beautiful, golden locks of her friend’s as their chests pressed up against each other. They made out straight into the kitchen, until Jade’s ass bumped (or slammed) into a chair.

“Oh Ja--” Leo had absentmindedly began to say when he saw what exactly Jade - and her female companion - were doing. His mouth went open. His eyes were wide, and looked to his wife who had thus gotten dressed as compared to earlier.

“Jade..what is this?”

Looking to her Uncle Leo and Aunt Riley, Jade smiled, returning Ely’s kiss with one of her own. All the while, Jade was eying her uncle and aunt. As if showing them exactly what it was. When she broke from Ely, she shrugged. “You guys know Ely, right?” Jade said, a bubble on her face that was Ely’s gum. She popped it.

“Yes, we know…her.” Riley had said with disdain in her voice. “You’re the one who corrupted my angel of a son.” Riley said with bitter anger towards Ely. To her surprise, eyes widening, she hear that not only did Leo start laughing, but Jade joined him. Obviously they disagreed.

“Because of me, your boy is fearless. I’d like to think I did ya a service, ma’am.” Ely slowly started backing to the door, while continuing her jab, “Don’t worry, MILF. He enjoyed it, I can promise you that. There’s worst wolves out there than a bitch like me. Now he’ll be prepared for ‘em.” She let out a howl, while giving Jackson’s mother a challenging stare. Her red gaze deeply looked into the authority figure’s eyes with nothing but uprising written on her face, “I guess that’s my cue to leave.” She winked at Jackie Boy’s parents, swung the door open making it SLAM into the wall, and took a bow. In that same moment, Riley took the glass in her hand, and threw it angrily at Ely, barely missing her head, and hitting the door. Glass spread all around Ely.

“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” Riley exploded at Ely. Leo looked at her, slowly took two large steps, gesturing Jade to leave as well.

“Might want to clean that up. Good throw though.” Ely shrugged and acknowledged Riley’s skills, before whistling her way out the house and onto the street, Jade not far behind her.

On the street, Jade couldn’t hold in her laughter and her wide smile. “Now that was hella fun, girl. You totally got to her. And my uncle was just like--” Jade mockingly made the same expression Leo had, “oh god, what have they done?”--she said impersonating her uncle. “Shit, I wish we could have done more with that. Could you imagine what they would have done if we were naked…” The curl of a twisted smile formed on her rose-colored lips.

With a straight face, Ely dropped her skateboard to the ground and planted her left foot on it, “Aw babe, at least take me out to dinner first.” She kicked off and glided around the area, close by her friend, listening to her attentively. Her ipod was shuffling through a bunch of LOUD, hardcore music. Just the right jams to wake up to in the morning. Making a quick figure eight around her dynamite of a best friend, she eagerly inquired, “How ‘bout that store?”



With her skateboard back in her bag, the rebellious blonde with piercing red eyes exited the convenient store, repeatedly hitting the top of her pack against the heel of her hand. Gotta’ make sure her poison burns longer, you know? Taking the top part of the plastic wrap off, she shoved the garbage into her butt pocket - not one for littering - and yanked it open, desperately. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! (There is no god). Lifting the box close to her face, she pushed out a smoke and placed it in between her lips with great satisfaction. Ely let it rest there while she transferred the rest of her cigarettes into her personal leather case that usually resided in her chest pocket. Once she was done crumpling the box, she slipped it into her bag, which most definitely had a bunch of other garbage just chillen’ in it as well. Taking her matches out of her right pocket, she burned one and lit her addiction. Her red orbs gleamed as they stared into the flame. Shaking the match, Ely kept it in the pinch of her fingers so that it may cool off, while her other hand took her cancer stick out after a long, very long, like… dude she needed this long… drag.

While Ely had gotten herself a pack of Luckies (Lucky Strike), Jade had gotten her a bag of Cool Ranch Dorito chips. She began snacking on a couple over the course of the following couple of minutes. She rather liked these above most flavors. Though, Jade does like the nacho cheese flavor. The aftereffects on her fingers are the best part. She loves licking them off finger by finger. She sucks on them for minutes at a time. Jade loves to suck.

Blowing smoke away from her friend’s face, Ely bluntly inquired, “Who you plan on fucking? It would be mad awk if we were after the same cookie crisps.” Bringing her eyes to the sky, she yawned, “But if the cookie wants to dip in two glasses of milk, I’m pretty chill with that.”

“Ely, you’re a whore.” Jade said bluntly, laughing. “But so am I.” she said, kind of half-shrugging. “I really don’t know who I want to have their sausage dipped into my gravy. Definitely not that asswipe Jareth. Last year was bad enough.” Jade shivered with anger at the thought of getting with Jareth again; though she wouldn’t mind hooking up a few more times. Jade kind of missed the way he touched her skin. If only he wasn’t such an oversensitive pussy. “That McMillian guy is kind of hot. A bit nerdy and totally a dumbass, but I could hit that. Oh, and Ghost. I’m definitely going to try and get that hot sausage link.” Jade licked her lips at the thought of that one. “What about you? Which entree are you gonna fancy?”

Flicking some ashes to the ground, Ely muttered, “Whores attract whores.” She hadn’t told Jade yet that she tasted Jareth’s sausage, multiple times after she broke his heart. What better time than now? Not one to lie behind her friend’s back, the royal fuck up let out a monotone chuckle, “You put him through the wringer and I’m his rebound. I can see why you didn’t stick.” Taking another drag, Ely’s stare was calm, as if she knew if her friend wanted to slap her, she could handle it, and even if she didn’t, that just meant both her and Jade shared a similar mindset. “Dude, if you can steal Niles’ virginity, because let’s be honest, I doubt he’s gotten laid, I’d do something real stupid for you. That kid is a walkin’ disaster. I feel sorry for the lil’ shit. Walking to a stop sign, she pressed her cigarette against it, and added, “Ghost, huh? That is a porno waiting to happen. He’s fuckin’ hot.”

“Jar is as much of a whore as we are. I just hope he wasn’t as whiny with you as he was with me. That would kind of suck - and not in the good way, either.” Jade said with a chuckle. “Niles IS a disaster, but have you seen that bod? Surprise of the day, for sure. Alex - I mean Ghost - is someone I just want to put my hands all over. Film me up, Ely!” Jade said with a bad Star Trek reference.

Noticing some random person’ recycle bin, she decided to flick her cigarette butt into it. Ely also took this moment to throw away all garbage in her pockets and backpack - which was a lot. From Monster drink cans, to gum wrappers, to this crumbled paper airplane, to some razor shit she probably shouldn’t even have in her bag… yeah. Goodbye garbage! Perhaps you’ll come back into this world as something else? That’s what recycling was for. As she emptied her backpack, she ‘answered’ Jade’s question, “The peeps I have my eyes on are the timid, shy ones. The ones I want to drive wild. Can you guess ‘em?” She stuck out her tongue, curious to see how well her best friend knew her.

Jade had to think about it. She had an idea about who it was, but shit she didn’t want to be right. She knew who those quiet ones were at school. God, she was even related to one of them. If she was right about that one, Jade might either burst into uncontrollable laughter or raise her eyebrow at her easy friend. “I fucking swear, Ely, if you’re talking about my other cousin..” Jade let out a large sigh, “he’s kind of a loner, you know that, right? Jason, I mean. I don’t hang with him much, but you know he’s got this big thing for Si. It’s pretty obvious. My Aunt Erin even knows it.” Jade said, crumpling up her empty bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, and tossing them into the recycle bin. “But seriously, it’s not Jay is it?” Jade looked to Ely as if looking for a shake of the head. That would ease her troubles on the matter for sure.

Her red orbs glinted deviously and even though her lips did not rise, there was an internal grin within her, as the blonde with the beanie teased, “I’m just shittin’ with you, baby. I knew you’d think of him first. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” If Ely allowed herself to laugh more often, these would be one of those moments. Instead, she let out a light ‘meh’, “People bore me, but thanks for telling me who you’d bang.” Giving a mischievous wink, she led the way down the street.

“You teasing slut.” Jade scoffed, “and here I thought you actually were gonna let me in on who you wanna bang.” Obviously she wasn’t. What a tease. At least when Jade teased others, she got paid for it. Ely was just doing it for the fun of it. “Well whoever it is, I just hope you don’t degrade yourself and go for someone below your standards. I mean, I know you have pretty low standards, but I can think of at least five that are even lower than Jackson.” Jade laughed, shoving her hands into the deep pockets of her flannel jacket.

Sticking her hands in her pockets, letting her thumbs hook on the outside of her jean shorts, Ely glanced over at her friend for an instant in silence before disagreeing, “JB may be an idiot, but he isn’t a bad guy.” She let that settle in before continuing, “You may be a hussy, but that doesn’t make you ‘low’ standards. Not to me, at least. Men and women alike would be lucky to to date you two. If I’m fuckin’ anyone, it’s gonna be people I see good in.” Locking eyes with her friend’s stare, she concluded, “Standards are subjective.”

Jade shrugged to the comment about Jackson. “I guess he isn’t. He’s just a fucking pain sometimes, especially when that alarm of his goes off. Ugh, I have to bang on the wall every morning at six in the fucking morning. Thank the fucking Gods that you don’t have to wake up to that.” she said, groaning. “You see too much good in people. Especially those that might not even have it.” Jade said, sounding surprisingly somber.

“And you see too little.” Ely lowly replied. Her life would never compare to Jade’s, but in every darkness, there was a light. Ely’s darkness was her father, but she did have her light, her mother… until her mother died. Even with how much she allowed the thought of her stupid-mother-fucking-dad get to her, her mother still lived within her - she had to constantly remind herself that. Plus, the late Primrose Fable went through the trouble of getting her daughter a camera before she left this world. That can’t go to waste! Maybe one of these days she’ll compile all the pictures she has with Jade and give it to her as a gift to make her smile. There was also Brandon, who was very much like her mother. He was a damn hard worker and such a soft soul at heart (also handsome AS FUCK). As long as her brother and Jade needed her, Ely could continue on. They meant more to her than she would ever admit.

Call Ely an optimist or whatever bullshit label there was but she believed her friend deserved a chance at happiness. The main problem with that was… only the negative blared out to Jade. Like how her brother constantly fought anxiety and doubt, Jade’s life made her soul crumble to the ground and cause her to believe that happiness was not a thing. Happiness could never exist. Not for a girl like her.

Maybe she’ll find someone who can show her the good things in life? Ely wasn’t planning on committing herself to someone anytime soon (or ever). Love was fucking terrifying. Either way, until Jade found someone to clear her cobwebs and her sorrows, Ely would be there by her side. Bringing the hand closest to Jade out of her pocket, she gently nudged her friend’s cheek, her stare conveying only concern, “You’re beautiful, you know that right, Jade?”

Jade immediately flinched back. She stepped back a couple of feet, eyes half-widened as she looked at Ely. Jade wasn’t sure what to say to that gesture nor the words that Ely spoke. “W-what’s that supposed to mean? Of course I do,” Jade said still a bit freaked out by what Ely just did. “You didn’t have to say it like that though.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Just wanted to make sure you knew that.” Huffing to herself, still having a bit to learn about making her friend feel fully comfortable with her, Ely, who was now frustrated, decided to get another smoke out. Changing the subject, not wanting Jade to brood too long on her gesture, Ely grumbled, “Assembly’s over. Prob should head to school.” With her cigarette in her mouth, she uttered, “Don’t got anything better to do. Might as well raise hell or somethin’.”

“I guess since there’s nothing else to do here.” Jade sighed.

While she didn’t want to go to school, there wasn’t anything for her to do. Perhaps, at least at school, Jade and Ely would be able to find some fun to get into. Maybe something good, maybe something bad, but surely something fun.



As they strolled onto the campus of Beverly Hills High, Jade sighed annoyingly. People were around all smiling and acting all happy. “Oh yay, they’re here to sign up for clubs and catch up with their friends. OH EM GEE - they must have so much to talk about.” Jade scoffed about everyone around. She made a gagging gesture with her mouth and hand. She couldn’t stand these things, and even worse, she couldn’t stand seeing all of the fucking preps acting like they owned the fucking place.

Lightbulb! With everyone being at the fair, that meant the halls were practically empty… which meant Ely could totally skate everywhere and do tricks for shits and giggles. “That means they’re distracted. I bet one of those dweebs forgot to close their locker. And even if they did, we can fuckin’ jam em. The hallways belong to us!” For someone who lacked humorous expressions, Ely’s tone sure was excited. Leading the way, she threw the door open and dropped her skateboard on the ground making a loud ‘clap’ noise. “I’ll race you to that fountain that has a penis on it. I’m pretty sure it’s in a Niner hall, but whatever. First one there gets to grab the other’s tits!”

“Are you trying to make me lose on purpose, you whore.” Jade snickered, running after Ely. Even if the offer was tempting, Jade Riley Taylor would never lose on purpose. Though, if she was honest with herself, losing wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen today. Regardless, Jade would not lose this race especially if it meant that she would be able to grab those beautiful tits of Ely’s.

As much as Ely felt positive she was going to win, she didn’t expect the school to add new shit. Taking a swift left into the next hall, there was an oddly placed vending machine, which hit the edge of her board, causing her to spin out, giving Jade the lead. Going with the flow, she pushed herself back into the proper direction, and sped forward, adding an inward heel flip before she was right on her friend’s tail.

Jade heard the sounds of Ely’s board reverberate through the halls. That cheating bitch. Jade didn’t have a board; even if she did, Jade wasn’t one for skateboards. Still, she had to make sure she won. Jade wouldn’t forgive herself if she lost. So, as she ran, about five feet ahead of her, she saw a trashcan. It was perfect. Jade turned to a backwards run for a half-second, and pushed the trashcan, seeing it roll towards Ely. Jade stuck her tongue out at her friend teasingly, and turned her body back around on one step, and ran for hell. She would yell excitedly as she did so.

Okay, so what if she was using a board? Ely knew if she was running, Jade would pull shit like this anyways. Damn girl was a ruthless winner. But that wouldn’t stop Ely from giving her bae a run for her money. The trash can came rollin’ in at the speed of lightning. Nah man, really it was at a steady enough speed for the rebel to see it coming in slow motion, giving her enough time to ollie in the air. When she leapt into the air, she saw Jade turn the next corner. Goddamit. Gonna have to step on it. With reckless abandon, Ely kicked off multiple times to make sure she was going dangerously (and I mean it) fast. Turning the corner making her wheels screech at the the corner, she saw Jade, who was stopped by a teacher and getting reprimanded from running. KARMA BITCH. Speeding passed her, the relaxed blonde gave a thumbs up toward her friend.

“Yeah, yeah, I he--”

“Get dem titties ready~” Ely cooed.

“Oh that fucking cunt.” Jade took off, not caring what consequences it may have for her later on.

The teacher yelled, “HEY YOU!” Ignored. Speeding forward, Ely went toward the stairway and with no care in the world, she popped her board and grinded on the railing, heading downstairs to the basement where the niner hall and cafeteria were. Leaping off the railing before it turned, she hopped off her board, kicked it in the air, and grabbed it with her right hand. It’s running time!

Jade saw Ely go towards the stairs. Though she was running, she thought to herself, wait a minute, she’s going the long way. Jade knew this school like the back of her sinful hands. She knew a quicker way to the freshmen halls. It most certainly wasn’t down that flight of stairs. No, this one was straight, then hooking the first right, and then a left. So, that’s what Jade did. She went straight, then on the first right turn, she took it. As she took that left, there was a left turn not even ten yards away, and she took it.

Fast-forward a few minutes, and Jade intercepted Ely, roughly nudging her skater friend into one of the lockers. “Tough luck, lover.” Jade stuck her tongue, and did a ‘suck it’ gesture with her hands against where her legs met. After that, Jade took off running with the goal in sight. She was primed to win.

“You fuckin’ asswipe.” Ely observed her surroundings while running. Her friend in the lead. The fountain at the end. And a…. WHAM! A locker slammed right into Ely’s face, “Holy mother of hell. Jesus-fucking-christ-oh-mighty.” She put her hand on her face, checking to see if her nose was bleeding. Nah. Good. Ain’t got time to go to the nurse. The niner that hit her face immediately retreated, revealing another niner behind him, who had beautiful, long blonde hair and was practicing her combination. Snapping her finger that wasn’t covering her face to get the girl’s attention, Ely muffled, “Hey. HEYYYYYY. You. Yes you. Blondie.” After giving the girl a moment to acknowledge her presence, the badass rebel leaned her head on the locker closest to her, “You got a damn mirror in that shit of yours? I’m far too lazy to go to the loo.” Pulling away from the locker, she punched it in. The stupid-ass-niner-that-made-her-lose-the-race would pay for what he did. Leaving a very apparent dent in the metal and bruises on her fist, she growled, “Your friend is going to die.” To say Ely was pissed she lost the race was an understatement. She didn’t mind losing, it was THE WAY she lost.

Jade stopped momentarily to look back. Ely got knocked pretty good by that locker. It must’ve hurt. If Jade was a good friend, she would go and make sure her baby was okay. But then again, she really wants to touch those tits of hers. The struggle, right? “Eh, she’ll be fine.” Jade shrugged. She happily ran the rest of the way to the fountain. She even touched it with her right index finger, waving over to Ely. “HEY BITCH! I WONNN! ” Jade proudly boasted, making sure Ely heard her. She even gestured her other hand to her right index finger which was on the fountain and had a proud smile on her face. “GET THOSE TITTIES READY!” Jade made a squeezing motion on her own breasts.

“Fuck you, Jade.” Flipping her friend off with her free hand, the frustrated blonde gave a death glare to her, making her red eyes that much more intimidating. Bringing her attention back to the freshie, she let her daggers penetrate the little girl, “So do you or do you not?”

Well this blowed. The activity fair was booming, and Jackson had no fucking idea what he was going to sign up for or what he was going to start at. Nothing really interested him that the school had to offer. He wasn’t really one for the variety of sports they offered - well, maybe except Wrestling, but the sort of wrestling that the Beverly Hills High Wrestling Team did wasn’t the style that Jackson liked. The kind he cared for was the one involving steel chair shots to the head, being powerbombed through a flaming table, and sometimes piledrived head-first on bare concrete; sometimes a steel ramp depending on the type of match. But not that amateur stuff. God, that was even more boring than hearing the Royals talk about their lives. So yeah, Jackson wasn’t really interested in doing much of anything when it came to school sports.

Still he roamed around hoping that something might happen.

Walking from table to table, hearing what these various clubs had to offer, Jackson did end up signing up for the Anime and Manga Club. You could blame it on whatever, but the fact of the matter was that Jackson needed something to take his free time since Rhett was probably going to be too busy campaigning for the King Bee. Jackson would help him, of course. Rhett would win with Jackson’s help too; however, Jackson knew there would be a void left when — not if — but when he won. That’s why he decided to just sign up for a club that wouldn’t be the most annoying. Besides, he has a love for anime and manga, so it couldn’t be too bad, right?

After he signed up, the person at the table told him thank you. “Yeah, see ya there, I guess.” Jackson shrugged, gave a smile, and walked away.

He decided that one club was enough, so he would mentally decide to himself that he would leave the fair. As he would reach where he was left off from Rhett, he would see a rather familiar - if not just a bit “out there” - blonde approach him. However, he didn’t notice it in time as he had got knocked into. Hard. They both fell to the ground, and Jackson cursed to himself loudly. It was loud enough to be heard by several people who might’ve been walking by the two blondes on the ground.

“What the fuck!?” Jackson cursed. His hat fell off his head, and to the ground in front of him. His strawberry hair obscured his view. He pushed it back with his right hand. He looked beside him, and it clicked. “Of course.”

It was Atlantis Strang. She hardly left anything to the imagination. You could tell how fit she was, how round her curves were. Athletic and short. She was shorter than Jackson was, yet she seemed to be taller just by how lean she was. Jackson had to remind himself multiple times a day every time he saw Tis that he was solely focused on Eve. Regardless if the latter chick didn’t even know who he was, he wanted her…

But damn it, why did Tis have to have a nice rack.

“Oh hey Tis.” Jackson said, trying all he could not to look at her tits(it was hard..no not THAT, but you know). Most people wouldn’t understand what the fuck she was saying. Up to a point last year, Jackson didn’t either, but he picked up on things. Plus, the way she talked wasn’t all that different from skaters. Jackson picked up on a few things here and there. “Like you’re one to talk. You got enough blonde hair there to make a Donald Trump wig.” This was how they were. She would throw some surfer lingo at him, and he would respond with pop culture references. Talk about a weird, two-way street of a friendship, right?

Summer had been long, hot, but it was equally as enjoyable for one Jason Ravindra Singh. Most of it was spent indoors playing Playstation. It wasn’t ideal for what someone of his age should have been doing for the summer, especially since the temperature had been fairly decent on some days. His mother urged him to go outside at least once a week. He protested mildly, but it ended when his father chimed in.

So, there were fewer days that Jay spent in his room, on his Playstation 4, and talking to and playing with Nightingale. It was noticeable for sure. Whenever Jay had to explain why he was going to be offline, Jay could recall the disappointment in her voice, but she of course knew about his father. She knew about his mother, Erin, and she knew about how annoyed he got at his younger sister, Kareena. Nightingale knew that Jay’s father was tough on him. Granted Girisha was reasonable on some things, but others not so much. That of course meaning that Jason had to be out and about doing something. It didn’t matter what he did, but as long as he did something, and wasn’t in his room all the time.

But the thing was that Jason Singh didn’t have a lot of friends. He had some, of course, but no more than the amount on both hands. Even then, the total amount of friends that he at least hung out with in his real life was less than five. The ones that he did spend most of his mandatory couple of hours away from his gaming console were childhood friends of his that also had the same setup from their parents. What friends to have right?

Well, at least the summer was over, and Jay could use the excuse of being in his room all day on his homework from school. If not, Jason would think of something. At the very least, he would be able to blame it on something.

Speaking of school, orientation started today. Jay got up at six in the morning just like his father made him every day during the summer. Today was no different. Jason had gotten up, picked out an outfit for the day, took a ten minute shower like he usually did, brushed his teeth, and had breakfast. Today, Girisha decided to make breakfast. Usually it was his mother, but it seemed father was feeling generous this morning.

“Good morning Father.” Jay said, walking into the kitchen.

“Ah, morning honey.” His mother Erin said sweetly, giving Jay a kiss and a hug.

“Morning Jason.” Girisha gave a nod and a hug as well.

Seeing his mother, Erin, and his father, Girisha tag-teaming breakfast, Jay sniffed a few times inwardly. “]What smells so good?” Jay asked, taking a whiff of the aroma in the air of the kitchen.

“That would be your father’s doing.” Erin giggled.

“Masala Chai and Besan Chili.” Girisha said.

“When will it be done?”

“In just a few minutes.” Erin said. As Jay would take a seat, she looked to him. “So, Orientation today, huh? You excited?”

“I guess.” Jay shrugged, half-frowning.

“Why the long face? It’s a brand new year. You should be excited like your sister.” Erin said.

As if like clockwork, Kareena came in a light pink crop top, and blue jean shorts that clearly were the bare minimum of length. Her features showed and all Jay - along with Girisha - could do was shake their heads. Obviously something that Jay picked up from his father. She had on a golden-brown belt, and a pair of matching strapless wedges.

Girisha didn’t say anything to his daughter’s choice of attire. He tried so many times to get her to wear decent clothes, but she wasn’t having it. So, he wouldn’t bother anymore. “Breakfast is ready.” Girisha simply said, ignoring his daughter almost completely.

“Not hungry. I’m having Patty pick me up. “ Kareena was about to head off.

“Sit. Down.” Girisha said firmly. His voice spiked a few volumes, but it was the way he said it that struck fear into her body. She didn’t fight him, or say anything at all. She just sat down, and ate her breakfast. Everyone else did as well

After about twenty minutes or so, everyone had finished their breakfast. It was in this time that Girisha said goodbye to his family as he would take off to work for the day. He hugged his children, kissed them on the forehead, and gave Erin a hug, and kiss on the lips. As he left, Erin noticed the time was escaping her, and she would offer a ride to Jay and Kareena to drop them off at school. They both agreed, and they were off.

Along the way, Kareena kept on texting her friends, all the while Jay had been checking his Pokemon GO app. He was one of the many that chose Team Mystic. Another person he knew that chose Team Mystic was Nightingale. He knew she lived in the same state that he did, but exactly where he didn’t. Only that, when he checked his Pokemon GO App, he saw that not only was she on, but she was near him. “Wait what?” Jay said a bit too loudly.

“What’s wrong, dork?” Kari asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Whatever.”

Jay thought his phone was glitching, so he turned it off and on again. When it had turned back on, he opened the app up again. He saw that Nightingale was still in the area. Okay, so it wasn’t a glitch. Nightingale is in Beverly Hills. Not only that, but she was nearby. Jay tried looking out the window, but there were people passing by in too large of numbers, and too many cars around to give him any kind of hint of who Nightingale might be. Jay had no choice but to wait until he got to school. Which wasn’t long since only five minutes later, he and Kareena were dropped off. Jay gave his mom a kiss, and grabbed his bag.

Not wasting any time, Jay went back to the Pokemon Go App. He saw the name of Nightingale. She was here. She was at Beverly Hills High. Not only that, but she was in the Activity Fair. Jason’s glance from his phone and his surroundings was never constant. He saw Nightingale’s name, but in real life, there were so many people. He couldn’t possibly know where she was. It was like trying to find a needle cleverly hidden within haystack that was bleached silver. Only by actually running into her did he stand a chance of finding his online best friend.

Jay went into the fair of people. His social anxiety was acting up, but it didn’t bother him. Just a few seconds later, he saw her. No, not Nightingale, but the other her. “Sierra Jameson.” Jay said, his heart starting to increase its steady pace of beating.

How many times had he watched her from afar? How many times had he wished that he would just walk up to her, introduce himself, and maybe strike up a conversation? How many times had he wished he had even half enough balls to say a simple ‘hello’ that he had online when he would say the most racist jokes to Nightingale? It was like when he saw her, regardless if she was wearing those comic book T’s and some raggedy pair of jeans that somehow didn’t make her look any less beautiful as when she glammed it up with gothic-inspired skirts and shirts that barely left anything to the imagination, he felt all of those multi-colored butterflies flap away in his gut, and any notions of actually walking up to her were rendered useless.

But Jay was feeling different today. He had something in him that wanted to go over there. And he was almost going to do it if not for the rush of people around him. Increased social anxiety overtook any notion to introduce oneself to their four-year-long crush. So, instead, Jay turned around. He walked away from the view of Sierra in her checkered skirt and black sleeveless shirt. He turned away from her beauty, and went to one of the tables.

This was Jay’s high school life from freshmen year all the way to now. He thought he was going to talk to her, but fear of the surroundings and the moment set in, and he retreated like the coward he was. If only Mockingjay could be like how he was on the internet. If only..

Have you ever been so enraptured by someone that you forgot where you were and who was around you? Certain individuals just have something about them… where once one hears their voice they know there’s more to the face, more to the exterior, more to her than what meets the eye. One thing that the band, East of Eden, were known for was by their virtuoso singer that led them. Dark brown hair, gorgeous hazel eyes, her most distinctive feature... those kissable lips, and her influential presence, on and off stage. Eve was the face, after all. Not only was she gifted with a vocal range out of this world for someone of her age, but she also carried herself with out most confidence, whether that is faux or not has yet to be determined.

Evelyn Harding? Daughter of Van Ash and the late Cyndi Phillips from Underneath Paradise? She has excellent technique and the most versatility out of any young female metal vocalist in the 21st century. The aspiring starlet exudes metal and may be one of the best, and most memorable, teen voices metal has to offer today. Eve will surely be the next gen of vocals with how stunningly clean they are, how beautifully operatic it could be, and how her ominous scream and crystal thought-provoking ballad performance sends shivers up her audience's spines.

Along with heart-throbbing voice, especially now in her prime, Eve’s band in itself is remarkably talent. Most if not all members are multi-instrumentals, especially the Nilsen twins. Eve may be at the frontlines, but without the help of her band, she wouldn’t have made a tremendous leap in the charts this past year. Anyone whose been fortunate enough to see East of Eden live, whether when they started to get noticed when Eve was fourteen (although the band was formed when she was twelve), with the backing of her father, or recently as she’s approaching her twenties, know the chemistry between all musical elements in any song they played. Music is all Eve has ever known. No matter what is going on behind the curtain, when they perform, they are a force to be reckoned with - together.

When they started off, East of Eden pulled all the cards and showed that their talent ranges from glam noir and dark cabaret like Jill Tracy singing Evil Night Together, to American jazz like Peggy Lee singing Black Coffee, who will be forever known for her sultry version of Fever. As well rounded as they are, their true calling is in Symphonic metal where they continue to strive to be among the greats (Nightwish, Kamelot, Epica, Within Temptation, and many more).

East of Eden make a group of Sinners that share their loss of Paradise with the world. Every performance, Eve brings her Adam out of Eden and to the land of Nod, the place East of Utopia. She is his tragic masterpiece. Good and Evil go hand in hand and her band uses biblical imagery to enhance the human nature of being bitten by the lonely. Embracing her fans’ faults, she can make her audience feel like they belong with her, that they were her Adam and had no care for the Garden. Her performances are not only awe-aspiring, but immensely sensual…

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- Arya Roshanian, Variety

Am I the only one who pities the band, East of Eden, specifically the youngest, Evelyn Harding? Currently the band age range is from 18 to 22, but the records say they truly started off six years ago, making the age range from 12 to 16. These kids, and I will emphasize on the word kids, were never given a chance to have a childhood, all coming from influential musicians, who molded their children to be just like them.

Don’t worry parents, your kids will most definitely surpass you because of how much you enforced music in their lives. The reason why I feel sorry for Eve in particular is because of how wild and unstable her entire life seems to be. You can see her in photos when she was four with her parents backstage appeasing their VIP fans. Everyone has a right to their own opinion and mine so happens to be against the majority of this media crazed world. Being the daughter of rock and roll couple, Van Ash and the late Cyndi Phillips, only meant a little girl constantly traveling around the world and witnessing, possibly partaking in, all things Rock-N-Roll: sex, booze, and drugs. On top of that, this little girl lost her mother around the same time her father called up his friends and created a band using their talented children as tools to their own game. Seems to me Van Ash only cares about his own fame and fortune than giving his daughter a chance to… live.

I mean for god's sake! The band name basically whores her off as the woman, who brought humanity to their downfall. I give props to the kids for taking their band name, given to them by their parents, and soaring with it. East of Eden is no longer about a bunch of kids that want their generation to let their demons and flaws rule them. No. Through the years, Eve has gained more power over the direction of where her band is heading toward, choosing to inspire kids to not be ashamed of their mistakes, but to embrace them, including their sexuality, ultimately crafting something beautiful.

Her summer tour has ended and I’m stoked she’s taking a break from the dog-eat-dog music world to be a teenager again, returning back to Beverly Hills High after being there for only half a semester. Her trial semester. I guess that means things went well the previous school year to make her run back, yeah? I can’t say if this is her decision or her father trying to ‘better’ his image, but at least she can be surrounded by other teenagers that have yet to make major strides in their career – only good can come out of this.

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- Mathew Blanchard, Ghost Cult Magazine

"Wait. I won't be able to until Saturday? Seriously?" The raven haired woman pridefully strode down the halls of Beverly Hills High with a blue tooth earpiece on and a red thermo in her hand that contained what the school assumed to be coffee. This wasn't entirely untrue. In her thermo she had 1 ounce of Patron XO Coffee Liqueur, 1 ounce of Baileys Original Irish Cream, double shot of espresso, steamed milk, and mint spring to garnish it on the top. Combine those and shake it with ice then you have one hell of a hot espresso cocktail that would surely wake you up kick you in the face. One could say Evelyn Harding had a problem, but she would never admit it. She simply just did what she wanted. Her morning was an early one. Most people would imagine her waking up in a mess of a house with her band shitfaced and her cuddling up with her bassist, Nero, because they had one hell of a time last night. In reality, most nights she woke up alone in her condo on South Doheny Drive, which was 1.4 miles away from the school. Her home looked nothing like a daughter of a rock couple would have. If anything, the few friends that have visited her humble abode (purchased last school year) would say she could get a job in interior design with how elegant and simple it was.

Occasionally, Eve would find herself with her band mates at Nero's apartment, but she preferred the peace and quiet of her own home and hated sharing it with others unless they were immensely close with her (which isn't an easy feat to accomplish). The few people she could think of on the top of her head that were allowed in were Silvan (manager), Nero (bassist), Maxwell (half brother), and Audrey (best friend). Audrey would be her only exception of a relationship that blossomed a lot faster than Eve ever believed a friendship could. There was something about the strong presence of her dear friend that appealed to the singer, but also Eve felt like she could relate to this woman over anyone else she's had the pleasure of meeting. And boy, was she right. When Audrey and Eve were together, people quivered and shook in fear or anticipation or both. The dancer already had a well-known reputation in the Halls of Beverly Hills High, add Eve to the equation, whose quite formidable herself... that spells hell in paradise.

"Fine. Fine. I'll get it to you by the end of this week, but they better not over schedule like they did last time." As she walked, the McMillain kid, deep into a book walked (crashed) into her boobs and immediately fell onto the floor in embarrassment, "E-Eve. Hi. Uh- fuck, sorry." His wardrobe was casual as ever. Her hawk eyes watched as he hurriedly picked himself up with a faint blush on his face, leaving his book on the floor.

"Sil, I'll talk to you later. At school. Yeah, gotcha." Pressing the button on her blue tooth, she knelt down and picked up Volume 18 of Ouran Highschool Host Club, a shoujo manga. Niles immediately snatched it out of her hand and put it behind his back. "Your girlfriend's?" She knew it wasn't, but the genre of the manga itself was aimed at teenage female readers. She's heard a bit about this kid, how he's a disaster and commits social suicide on a daily basis. This would be the first time he met Eve face to face.

Keeping one hand behind his back with the book, Niles brought his other one to his hoodie's shoelace and began to nervously pull on it, "I'm obviously bootylicious like you and get all the ladies." Her lips curved up, amused at his choice of words.

Tilting her head, observing his every move, she gently licked her bottom lip like some sort of predator, "I'll take that as a compliment. I'll also take it that no, you do not have a girlfriend."

By this point, Niles' hoodie string was almost completely out one end as he rambled, "Like anyone would want to date me. I'm like an old dead fish! No woman would touch me with a ten foot pole!" A sense of alarm fell on his face, like he shouldn't have said that. God, why did he say that? He sounds like such a debbie downer.

While Niles was internally dying inside, Eve received a text message and gestured for the geek to give her a moment as she replied back to her Matriarch.



The singer never failed to meet with her beloved in the time frame she gave. When Audrey called, she was there in a heartbeat. Hopefully she could check out the music area after she aided her number one lady. If Eve was into pet names, her phone would probably have Audrey under Goddess or something like that, but for the sake of business she had to keep her contact list organized and professional. Bringing her attention back to the undervalued geek, Eve gave him a gentle smile, which made him lose balance, since he heard rumors about her but this wasn't the woman he thought she was, "I'd love to stay and chat but duty calls."

"Ah-yeah... of course. I-I'll see you later?"

A kittenish smile fell on her face, which made him bring his book in front of his pants, "I'd like that, Niles. But one more thing before I leave, don't cut yourself short. You're a handsome boy, I'm sure there's someone waiting for you right now who wouldn't mind going on a date." Before she sauntered away, the succubi winked, making the boy cough up his saliva.

The difference between Eve's walk (plus attitude) and Audrey's walk was the hint of something more than what meets the eye. Audrey will always be fearlessly sovereign, Eve, on the other hand, was a woman who came across as wickedly bold, her hazel orbs hinted at a sex deviant, and her words were alluringly positive and could draw most weak-willed men in. People saw one thing, but like any person, there were hidden layers. Only the daring ones took the chance to break her shell and only people like her best friend knew there was a serpent behind the beauty. The ones who got to see her true colors were either the ones she was already through with or the ones she could careless about. She didn't mind destroying your ego if you meant nothing to her.

On her way to the dance booth, a fairly attractive blonde girl stopped her in her tracks, "Um, sorry to interrupt you... I was wondering if you knew where I could find the dance section? The one that Audrey leads?" The Niner held onto a pamphlet and looked at Eve with awe and wonder. "Oh how rude of me, my name is Summer Aspen."


"I see Rhett's kept you in the loop. You don't seem--"

"As stupid as him, yeah I know." Summer was definitely an assertive Niner.

Gesturing for the girl to follow her, Eve listed a couple of things for the audacious freshman to keep in mind, "Audrey has a fuse. Do not speak over her. Do not act like you know more than her. Wait until she acknowledges you. Here's some gum for your breath." The songstress already had mint Trident gum out for her to take, her voice was as rather calm... "Don't chew like a cow, we both hate that. And if you want a chance to be seen as more than nothing, don't be a pushover. That doesn't mean tell her off, that means show her you can handle what she throws at you. Not many people can."

"Uh-" Summer's head was spinning with all this information that was given to her when they finally arrived at the booth.

Looking down at the small niner, Eve gave her an unsettling, yet comforting smile, "I'm Evelyn Harding, by the way. Good luck." Leaving the blonde's side, whose eyes widened when she registered who she was walking/talking with, Eve twisted the cap off her thermo and finally took a long needed sip of her 'coffee'. Her threatening gaze looked at the other blonde, the extremely naive one, and waited for the moment to end, before walking beside Audrey, "Beautiful as ever." She genuinely complimented. She gave Analise a nod of acknowledgement, but that was about it.