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"If you are riding with me, I am leaving in about thirty minutes!"

Anna shouted from the bottom of the stairs then turned heel with an eye roll as she waltzed into the kitchen, grabbing a bottled water from the fridge. She was already ready to go and get this bonfire event over with so that she can focus on ideas for the sorority this year. She took a small sip from her bottled water then walked out the front door, eyes peered on the house across the street. Anna made a scowled face as it was the fraternity house and it seemed like some of the guys were already hopping in their vehicles and leaving.

With a scoff, she walked back into the house and shouted again. "If Psi Kappa Delta beat us to the beach, there won't be a sorority this year. Move it!" The rivalry really meant something to Anna, especially since the annual Greek Mixer was coming up, as well. She knew that someone was going to tell her to take a chill pill but most knew how she was so they were kind of use to it by now.

She sighed with another eye roll and took another sip from her bottled water then walked back into the kitchen, sitting on a stool as she pulled her cell phone out to scroll through her social media. Her eyes constantly looked up towards the stairs to see if anyone was particularly ready to leave yet. No one in sight. Anna huffed and was growing a bit impatient as she tapped her fingers on the counter in front of her now, her face inside the palm of her hands.

Divine Howard sat in front of her vanity mirror, carefully using a deep brown-colored pencil to put a few final touches on her eyebrows. She'd been sitting in the same position for a little over an hour, combing medium sized amounts of conditioner and curl activator through her freshly washed hair and applying a thin layer of makeup to her face. Nearly everyone in the house knew by now that it took Divine at least two hours to get ready for an event, which was why she'd made sure to start the process a couple of hours earlier than everyone else. After all, she didn't want to be the person that held everyone up. She'd just finished spraying her favorite setting mist all over her naturally beat face when she heard shouting coming from downstairs. "If you are riding with me, I am leaving in about thirty minutes!"

So, in swift motions, Divine packed her makeup tools back into their respective bags, hopped up from her seat at the mirror, and grabbed her sandals from the shoe caddy that hung on the back of the closet door. After she'd pulled her sandals on, she grabbed her bag and jacket before heading out of the bedroom and down the hall. Before she started down the stairs, however, she poked her head into the room that her best friend stayed in. When her eyes finally found Jasmine's, she sucked her teeth and said, "Girl, let's hurry up before Anna has a damn conniption." It was also at that moment that Anna yelled something else from the bottom of the stairs, something about getting to the beach before Psi Kappa Delta did. "See what I mean?" Divine knew all too well about the rivalry between the two Greek houses. Hell, she had to hear about it everyday when hanging around Anna. Unlike Anna, Divine couldn't care less about the rivalry. At the end of the day, she just wanted to have fun.

Before waiting to hear a response from Jasmine, Divine continued down the hall and skipped down the stairs. She couldn't help but chuckle when she saw that she was the first to come down, an unusual occurrence for someone who took so much time getting ready. She found Anna sitting at the kitchen counter, her cell phone in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. The young woman looked irritated, to say the very least, so Divine decided against making her usual smart-ass comment. Instead, she simply set her bag on the counter and nodded to the other woman. "Ready to go, Boss."

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This Mississippi morning was a hot one, and Archer lay in bed with the covers kicked of his bed. He hated these late summer mornings when it was excruciatingly warm and you wake up feeling sticky and gross. He had been awake for about an hour already just staring up in to the ceiling listening to the house waking up, not that a lot of the guys were awake yet. The reason Archer hadn’t gotten up and started his day was he didn’t want to run in to a half-naked coach in the hall, which had occurred before and that is not something Archer needed right now. With a groan he slung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, he put his face in his hands and rubbed, trying to rub away the hangover he acquired from yesterday. He had ended his night on his balcony with a bottle of rum taking shots whit his room neighbor, Archer needs to learn he can’t win against Dante when it comes to shots.

Archer stood up and stretched his aching muscles and opened the door to the balcony and stepped out into the heat. Looking at the remains from last night Archer let out a deep sigh and started to clean up the mess of bottles and glasses. He sat down at the small table he had set up in his corner of the balcony. It was finally time for the first cigarette of the morning; hopefully this would get rid of the pounding in his head. He looked towards Dante’s door and took a drag from his cigarette, he hoped his friend wouldn’t be mad he missed the morning ritual.

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Archer checked his watch, they needed to be at the beach for the bonfire in an hour. He put down the book he had been reading and got up to get dressed, opting for a short sleeved buttoned down shirt with a duck pattern on it. Just as he was about to change his pants for a pair of shorts he heard a quick knock on his door as it flew open. It was his neighbor and best friend Dante sticking his head in. “DUDE! Boundaries! Or you’ll get to see something you unfortunately don’t want to see!” Archer quipped and threw the pants he had just taken off towards Dante. Dante asked something about who’s car they were going in, “Well if you let me get something to cover my shame I’ll drive us, now get the out you perv!” Archer said as he pulled the shorts on.

After some last minute fixings he bounded down the stairs and out the front door keys in hand. Getting in his car to let the air conditioning do its work before they took off, as he sat in his car feeling the cool air blow on his already sweaty face he looked out towards the huge house across the street where some of the girls where stepping out as well. He was searching for a specific one and then he saw her “Hey Soph!” Archer yelled out of his window “I need to talk to you later, look for me at the beach yeah?” he waved his hands trying to get the attention of his other best friend.

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With a practiced hand, Sophia wrapped her right hand in athletic tape as if she was weaving a tapestry. Each part of the strand was placed in the exact spot it needed to be, providing support to the girl’s rather slender wrists. She was not to be underestimated however, Sophia was only a few months away from being able to test for her black belt in mixed martial arts and she could certainly throw a punch. As she finished wrapping her hand and wrist up, she stood from her seat on the battered wooden bench and shifted her weight on the balls of her feet. Pulling the earbuds from her pocket, the brown-haired redhead clicked the inline button on the wire and started her music up before she paced calmly over to the punching bag.

As the intro to Can’t Hold Us rang through her head, she lashed out with a lightning fast strike against the punching bag, sending it swinging away from her. As it came back, Sophia steadied it once again with her off-hand before taking in a breath. Then, almost without warning, the rather small girl lashed out with quick, repetitive strikes in perfect synchronization with the 148 BPM of the song. Each strike held as much power as the last, no more and no less. Consistency and accuracy over power, as she’d always been taught.

After a good hour of training and quick shower in the change rooms, Sophia began the relatively short walk back to the Omega Psi Phi house, now donning her plaid PJ bottoms and a rather plain white tank top. Not her most flattering moment, but she really didn’t care right now. She was feeling good and pumped after the kick-ass workout she’d finished and nothing could bring her down from the slight high it gave her. Pacing up to the doors of the sorority house, Sophia opened the door with a careful touch and walked in, proceeding down the hallway on the main floor to her room. Pulling out her phone, Sophia hopped onto her bed and quickly scrolled through her Twitter feed before typing a few responses out and then tossing her phone onto the pillow.

“Hmmm...what to wear…”

She browsed through her rather empty looking closet with an almost bored expression before pulling out her usual black-leather hoodie jacket and a striped tank top. Going into her equally barren drawers, she retrieved her bikini top and bottom, opting to wear it underneath her jeans and tank top in case they decided to go swimming at the bonfire. After finally pulling on her leather jacket to complete her almost signature look, the brown-haired redhead grabbed her keys and motorcycle helmet, slid on her boots and headed out to the front of the house. After hearing the impatience in Anna’s voice, she didn’t want to get on her bad side only three weeks in. That woman needed to learn to relax every once in a while.

"I'm coming mother!"

As she got outside, a familiar voice called out. She saw Archer desperately waving his hands to get her attention and smiled in return, nodding when he said he needed to talk to her.

“No problem, I’ll see you at the beach!”

When Choua wore her hair in braids it usually meant one of two things; She was ready for some fun or she was too lazy to do her hair. Today both of those meanings held true. With her legs crossed underneath her on her bed, her slender finger tips danced along her hair, weaving strands into one another to create two braids running down the back of her head. She could hear the hustle and bustle of the house around her but was lost in her own thoughts as she had gotten ready that day. The braids were the final touch, she had already been up about an hour taking a shower and getting dressed in her swimsuit and her clothes; which consisted of a sleeveless grey top and a pair of jean shorts that were littered with bleached in stars.

Her lips pursed as she tied off the braid, "What am I forgetting.." she thought to herself as she looked through her small beach bag. She had packed a towel, sunblock, a hat, and her phone along with earbuds as to listen to music while the girls sunbathed themselves. Choua racked her brain, trying to remember what was the thing she had done earlier today that she had wanted to bring. Anna yelling from below made Choua panic knowing that if she didn't catch a ride with her she would be out of luck.

"I'm coming, I just need-" Choua yelled down the stairs paused before the oven and her brain dinged.

"EGGROLLS!"

The girl yelled even louder as she sprung up off her bed and sprinted down the stairs, she didn't acknowledge the other girls yet as she straight lined towards the kitchen, throwing the oven open. The edges of her eggrolls were crispy but not burnt, a delicious shade of brown. She picked up a potholder and pulled the pan out, fanning them as quickly as possible with the pot holder as she grinned from ear to ear. The boys may beat them to the beach, but they would not have delicious food, and not to mention- free.

After the eggrolls were cool enough to somewhat handle, Choua cut them into halves arranging them a bit different in the big pan so she could place some small personal plastic containers of dipping sauces into the pan for the easiest way to carry it. She then covered it with aluminum foil so it would remain warm, though that wouldn't be too hard in this Mississippi weather. Holding the pan still carefully because of the warmth she brought it out to the other girls with a big grin, "Not too bad huh?" she egged on giving Anna a look for approval. "You ladies can have first bite, since you're here." she used her hip to balance the pan as she pulled back the foil for the girls to take one if they so chose. Besides that, she was ready to go whenever.

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It was fifteen minutes past three in the afternoon when Dante Mossos finally awoke from his deep slumber. The past night had been a rather eventful one for the young man. He’d received a call from his uncle informing him that his position at Mossos Industries was now guaranteed, and that he would be taking it as soon as he graduated. The blond male had decided a celebration was in order, so he’d hit up the nearby spirits shop for some beer and high-class Puerto Rican rum before dropping by Archie’s room. The two had decided to spend the night at their shared balcony, having some beers, listening to whatever came up on Archie’s Spotify and making their best attempt at drunken karaoke. They’d made the stupid decision to have a shots competition, which Dante’s pounding head was now regretting deeply. Ultimately, Arch hadn’t been able to catch up with him, and after a few times throwing up had decided to call it a night.

Meanwhile, the lone Mossos boy was craving some lovin’ to properly end his celebratory night. That’s why, at half past two in the morning, he’d decided to text his favorite blonde bombshell to see if she was up for some late-night fun. Lucky for him, the girl happened to be a light sleeper, so her reply came less than three minutes later. Fifteen more minutes passed by before they were getting down and dirty up until half past four AM.

To avoid the dreaded “Walk of Shame”, the mysterious young woman had opted to have a quick session before make her exit at seven, which meant that the pair had only gotten less than three hours of sleep. Still dizzy from the combination of lust, alcohol and lack of sleep in his system, Dante had passed out on his bed as soon as she’d left, and he wouldn’t be heard from again until three in the afternoon.

It took him a good fifteen minutes to finally muster up the strength to merely take up a sitting position on his bed, and another ten to physically get up. A long shower had helped somewhat, and the usual cigarette had taken him to his near-usual self. A quick glance at his phone’s clock was quick to disturb his peace, as he realized that they needed to be at the bonfire in less than an hour. Cursing, Dante put out his cig with the sole of his shoe before going back to his room to get dressed for success. In all honesty, he didn’t really care about making it early- or making it on time at all. But he was the Vice-President of the fraternity, after all, so appearances had to be kept. After dressing up in a plain white T-shirt, dark wash jeans and some Bullboxer boots, and spending his usual amount of self-grooming time, the young man was ready to go. But there was one small detail to be figured out first…

Mossos walked out of his room and took the two steps to Archie’s door, knocked on it twice before flinging it open and sticking his head in. He was greeted with a rather colorful surprise.

“DUDE! Boundaries! Or you’ll get to see something you unfortunately don’t want to see!” Archer had quipped, throwing the pants he had just taken off towards Dante’s face.

The blond male’s mouth broke into an amused grin. “Look, Arch, I don’t give a shit about seeing your limp dick, okay? It’s not like it would be the first time.” he said teasingly, grabbing the pants thrown at him and attempting to throw them into the nearby laundry basket. He shoots, he scores! “I just wanted to know if we’re taking my car or your car to the bonfire.”

“Well if you let me get something to cover my shame I’ll drive us, now get the out you perv!” Archer replied, face slightly red with embarrassment as he pulled his shorts on.

Chuckling, Dante closed the door to Archie’s room and made his way to the fraternity’s front door. He decided to smoke another cigarette and text his cousin all about his past night’s conquest to kill some time while he waited for his main man to be ready. He’d been so absorbed in his virtual conversation that it wasn’t until Archie yelled out to Sophia McLaughlin that he’d realized it was time to go. Their exchange left a sour taste in the young man’s mouth, which was visible on his face as he boarded the passenger seat of his best friend’s vehicle.

“I don’t get why you still talk to her, of all people…” Dante commented, still annoyed at the fact that the one chick he’d had the biggest falling out with happened to be the one chick who blatantly stole his best friend. It had to be done on some petty purpose: some girls were cunts like that. He shook his head disapprovingly before changing the subject, a complicit smile on his lips now. He didn’t want to fuck up the night before it even got started. “Sorry I missed this morning, dude. I was fucking hammered, and I didn’t get to sleep till like after four in the morning.”

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In the darkness caused by the blackout curtains was the illumination of a computer monitor meekly pouring its light onto the current occupant of the room. Stretching his arms above his head, Mariano would take off his headset and stifle a yawn. An eight hour gaming session was exactly what he needed to get back into Platinum in Overwatch's Competitive Mode, so he was really feeling himself at the moment. Unable to hide his grin, he would shut his computer down and get up, his sore back aching.

As he shuffled towards his bed, his legs hit the edge, and he let himself plop onto it. Just as his eyes were about to close, the tiniest speck of sunlight coming between his curtains would shine on his face. Letting out a dramatic hiss, he jumped back to his feet, pulling the curtain to the side. Letting out a yell as the bright light would cause him some pain in his eyes, he squinted at the bright blue sky.

"Is that the sun?" He asked himself. After a few seconds of realization, Mariano let out a sigh. He figured this would happen, so he had prepared his bag beforehand. Letting out a groan, he dragged himself to the bathroom, taking a quick shower before changing into his bathing suit and a sleeveless white shirt. After grabbing his bag, he jetted down the stairs, stifling a rather loud yawn as he looked around. He couldn't remember who he was supposed to go with.

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Sunscreen, flip flops, beach umbrella, sunglasses, towel to dry, towel to lay down on, clothes to change into, extra swimsuit, extra clothes to change into, extra pair of flip flops, hair ties, portable hair blower, soap, deflated beach ball, volleyball, volleyball net, beer, vodka, rum, piña colada mix, sodas, chips, plastic cups, plastic plates, plastic utensils, portable grill, charcoal, matches, lighter fluid, regular lighter--

Rosalinda was outside, her car's trunk open as she looked around and made sure she had everything she needed. In her hand was her trusty notebook (or as it was so mockingly called, the 'Handy Dandy Notebook') where she had scribbled down her list of things she figured they would need for the beach party. Her sun hat flopped around as she moved around, her round sunglasses protecting her eyes and hiding the fact that they were frantic. Her paranoia made her feel like she was forgetting something, but she had checked twice and had found no differences between what she had in her car and what was on her list.

She was already dressed as well; a flowy, white blouse and a pair of shorts with her swimsuit underneath made her ready for the water. So it wasn't like she wasn't ready, she was, and as she looked across the street, she noticed the Psi Kappa Delta men. Her brown eyes scanned them for a moment, a small frown on her face. At that moment, she heard Anna's yell, making her jump. Shoot, she needed to focus.

Giving up for the moment, she would pocket her notebook as she hung in the doorway, hands on her hips. "My car's ready to go," She said.

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She huffed again while taking yet another sip from her bottled water then started to hear movement about throughout the house. 'Finally.' Anna's eyes went towards the first person beside herself enter in the kitchen. It was Divine and she nodded her head back towards the female as she sat down her bottled water. "It seems like we're the only ones ready to go." Anna muttered towards Divine with an eye roll as she got up and made her way towards the sorority parking lot. That was when she heard Sophia shout that she was coming then called her mother.

"I swear I want to take my claws and scratch her." Anna said with a slight smirk spreading among her lips as she sighed then noticed Choua coming out with egg rolls. They smelled really good and of course, since Choua was offering she quickly grabbed one then another and another. "Gosh, I am trying to lose five pounds, Choua. Not gain them." Anna said with a chuckle as she took a bite out of one of the egg rolls.

It was then that Ashley appeared next and Anna eyed her with a smile. "So, the girls are out here before the Vice President? Typical." Anna huffed as she finished her last egg roll then turned toward Ashley, who asked if she had room in her vehicle. Not that she didn't want to answer but she had a mouth full of egg roll at the moment so she just nodded her head towards Ashley. At that time, Rosalinda peeked her head out and said that she was ready to go.

"Well, let's not wait any longer, ladies. If you're riding with me, come on. Riding separately, be safe." Anna said as she unlocked her 2018 Tahoe, which was red in color because they did not have pink though red was the closest color to pink. Anna got in the driver's seat and put on her seat belt then started the engine. The annual bonfire was officially a go and she couldn't wait to see how this year's was going to go.

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After one last slam of the drawer in his room, he was finally unpacked and now ready to head to the bonfire with his brothers of Phi Kappa Delta. It seemed that most of the guys were already getting inside of their respective vehicles, some riding with each other but the voice of the person he looked up to, at the moment flowed through his ears and made them twitch. Cornelius reviewed himself over in the mirror then walked out of his room and heard Archer's voice screaming to Sophia.

Cornelius opened the door that lead out towards the fraternity house and shook his head while standing in the doorway. "Dude, keep it in your pants." With a scoffed chuckle, Cornelius turned heel but left the door opened as the scent of Dante lingered in the air. He wondered where Dante was then again, he heard his voice and actually bumped into him. "What's up brother from another mother?" Cornelius spoke as he smiled now.

"Ready to get this year kicked off at the bonfire? I think we should be leaving now." He could not help but ask towards Dante as he took out his phone, waiting for a reply. He decided to send a text towards the one person that felt the same way about this sorority and fraternity rivalry as he did, Divine.



Cornelius sent the message then placed his phone inside of his pocket then looked up towards Dante again.

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Archer grinned at Sophia as she answered and disappeared in to the group of girl gathering at the front of their house. As he settled back in to his seat he saw Dante sitting there with an annoyed face, Archer jumped as he didn’t think anyone was in the car “Holy shit dude!” he yelped and clutched his chest looking like an old southern lady seeing someone sinning. Dante’s face didn’t change “I don’t get why you still talk to her, of all people…” he sighed. Archer relaxed down in to his seat and looked at his friend“Well you know D, you don’t divorce friends. And besides, you very rarely come up in conversation.” Archer put a comforting hand on Dante’s shoulder “Mainly because she needs to punch something when she thinks of you!” he smiled and slapped Dante on the back. Archie knew it was an awkward situation they were in, but it wasn’t his fault he tried to talk to both of them when all of this went down and he refuses to choose sides.

“Sorry I missed this morning, dude. I was fucking hammered, and I didn’t get to sleep till like after four in the morning.” Dante said with a small smile on his face letting Archer know his friend had let the subject go, for now. “Mmmhmm yeah I bet, I didn’t remember wearing that shade of lipstick yesterday…” Archer mused referring to the stained glass he had found on the balcony earlier, he raised an eyebrow “Did someone have a late night lady friend visit? Was it sister chr…” Archers comment was cut short with the arrival of Cornelius.

“Ready to get this year kicked off at the bonfire? I think we should be leaving now." Cornelius said looking in through the passenger side window. Archer sighed “Yes well, that’s why we’re in the car CJ” He deadpanned looking at Cornelius as he was immersed in his phone “So are you getting in?” Archie gestured to the backseat.

Another loud noise made Archer jump again when Mikey pounded on the roof of his car “Fuck! What’s with people jump scaring me today, make some sound when you approach!” he shook his whole body to get rid of the shock.

"Wanna race to the beach today? I really wanna burn some rubber. Bet I’ll win this time!" Mikey asked with hope in his voice, Archer looked towards the cherry bomb and then back at Mikey “What makes you think this piece of junk can race anything let alone that gas guzzler?” he laughed and punched Mikey’s arm playfully “We’ll see you at the beach babe!” .

Archer rolled up his window and started the engine and backed out of the driveway and began the drive towards the beach. He connected his phone the aux cord and put on his driving playlist, one of his favorite songs started playing and instantly his fingers started drumming on the steering wheel. The drive went smoothly with a short stop at a gas station for cigarettes and snacks, soon enough they arrived at the beach. Stepping out of the car and looking around Archer saw that a lot of people had already started to set up “Well let’s get this party started!” he said as he put his sunglasses on.

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^{I break bones to carry my weight on
Strain muscles and string them around
And around my neck
In a vice}

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Late summer air smelled the sweetest. It filled his nose to mingle in his lungs and expel in a burst of breath. It beat his heart to the pounding of his feet against the pavement. Wildflowers grew along the edges, between the cracks of the sidewalk. He stepped on a few walking out, to which he cursed and frowned, but otherwise moved on.

Five a.m. wasn't a time people liked to find themselves waking to, whether the sun rose or not. He, however, found it the perfect time to throw on a pair of shorts and jog in brisk air. He breathed it in, let it fill him, until vigor surged forward. A pair of ear buds hung from his ears, bouncing against his chest to pump song after song until he lost himself in a high.

And then he found himself at the front of his building, chest heaving that late summer air. His eyes spotted the meandering bodies, the ones passing windows and the ones exiting. Dash Cunningham, or Coach, as he preferred, saw to a group of young men day in and day out. Usually, he did so without fail. It didn't look that way today and he pinched his brow before running inside, slipping past a young man to which he slapped a hand to.

"Archie boy, wassup," he called out, smiling a large row of teeth as his eyes wandered the group of brothers mingling into Archer's car. Coach stood in the door for moments, squinting after the lot of them. It hit him and he closed his eyes before throwing himself back inside. Course he forgot about the bonfire.

It took him mere moments to shower and then suddenly Dash Cunningham was outside with megaphone in hand.

"Sorry boys!" he called out, still pulling up a pair of shorts on his way through the door, "Daddy's ho—gah—Daddy's home and he's ready to kick off this semester!" After a moment, he stepped up toward Archer's car with his tank top in hand. He pressed the megaphone to Mike's chest, mumbling out, "Hold this for me, kiddo," before throwing on the shirt and retrieving his torture device voice amplifier.

Dash bent low, looking at Archer and Dante. He pressed the megaphone to his mouth again and turned it on with a loud squeak, "Did someone say race?" Whipping around, he spotted Cornelius not too far off, "Stop sexting and get over here! Mikey needs a partner and I'm mediating!" He turned back around to notice Archie had left, racing down the road.

"Hey! I didn't say go, yet! This doesn't count! Archie!"

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Sophia walked back towards the house and paced up to Choua after hearing the word “eggrolls” leave her mouth. With an excited little grin, Sophia plucked one of the eggrolls from the pan and smiled warmly towards the chef. “Always the best food from you Choua. If I give you a few rides on my bike, will you teach me your magic?” The auburn haired girl ran a hand along her own twin dutch braids, still damp from her shower, before she brought the eggroll up to her mouth and took a bite.

“Amazing as usual. Why aren’t you in culinary?”

Sophia then looked over to Anna and gave her a mostly genuine smile before turning on her heel and heading back outside to the parking lot. Almost obscured by the shadow it sat within, Sophia’s Honda CBR500R motorbike sat parked on the asphalt in front of her. Sophia couldn’t help but grin as she looked over the sleek sport bike. It never ceased to amaze her how a piece of machinery could look so damn good. In one fluid movement, she mounted the bike and slid the key into the ignition. With the quick twist of her hand, the bike came to life. After pulling her matte black helmet on and flipping up the visor, she looked over to see Archer’s car leaving and grinned. She quickly pulled on her gloves before revving the bike loudly and tearing off behind Archer, calling out to the rest of the sorority behind her “I’ll make sure we get there first!”.

After cruising down the road for no more than a minute, she came up behind Archer and saw an all too familiar silhouette in the passenger seat. Dante-fucking-Mossos. Her grip tightened on the bike and she throttled up, coming up along side Archer’s car on the right side. Sophia knocked on Dante’s window, and after getting his attention, promptly flipped him off before popping a quick wheelie on her bike and speeding off ahead of the car. It was going to be a good day.

Moments later, the auburn haired girl pulled up to the beach and dismounted her trusty mechanical steed. Sophia looked behind her to see Archer and Dante pull up, but promptly turned away and walked onto the beach.

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It was the middle of the night, half past two as her phone violently rumbled on her nightstand. Rousing the light sleeper awake, she cracked an eye open and looked at whatever caused the ungodly noise at this time of night. There was no good reason for things to be occurring at this time of night, nor was there anything to do. God have mercy upon whoever decided to send out whatever it was tha tmade her phone make this unholy noise way too early. However, upon reading the text, she quickly found out there was, in fact, something or someone to do.

Biting her lip, she smiled and quickly replied, before starting to get ready. Man, she had been asleep for quite a while now. It wasn't like she was already ready to see someone. Some preparation had to be in place first, before she'd make the trip there. It was about fifteen minutes before she had made her way to her impromptu appointment not too far away from her dorm. Hunter knew, she timed it herself and counted the amount of steps that she needed to get there.

Her appointment took about two hours, ultimately ending with her crashing at the venue because she couldn't have been assed to go all the way back. However, because she was crashing, she had to make her way back. Lucky for her, her and her host knew what to do. It wasn't Hunter's first time at the rodeo, to say the least.

At seven sharp, right after another session, she made her way out and rushed back to her dorm. Hopefully her roommate didn't notice that she was gone overnight. Luckily, Hunter had no obligations that day other than the party that was to occur later today. That just meant Hunter had more time to sleep.



Waking up by herself for once (shocking, I know), Hunter rolled out of her bed and checked her phone. It was about time to go to the beach and Hunter's eyes widened.

"Oh goodness..."

The one time she would've liked to be punctual, she overslept and missed her target. Typical. She started scrambling and darted out of the bathroom to get freshened up. There was no time to apply makeup, and she sure as hell wasn't going to risk jabbing herself in the eye with her eyeliner pencil in the car. She'd just have to make do with her bare, natural face like a regular person.

Coming back, she was fumbling for an outfit. The problem with having a taste like Hunter's was that she was very picky and particular about her outfits. It was showing right now. She was chucking shirts onto her bed. No way was she going to wear that shirt to the beach or that other shirt to the beach. It was simply unacceptable. Taking what felt like a decade later, she finally figured out an outfit. It was simple, but it would've had to do given the circumstances.

Getting dressed in a jiffy, Hunter got all of her belongings and darted out to where they were supposed to meet up. Looking down at her phone, she was trying to see if anyone was willing to give her a ride. But, according to the friend finder app, some were there already, which was a shame. However, there was someone who wasn't on the app who still had her car. It was that Rose fellow, yeah? Sighing a breath of relief, she walked up to the car, catching the redhead who was doing whatever.

"Hi! I'm so sorry! Are you going to the beach party? Do you mind if I catch a ride with you?"

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To avoid any bickering, Dante decided to not remind Archer that they’d been friends way before Satan -Sophia, he meant Sophia- had decided to steal him. Instead, they focused on more exciting topics, like what had happened after Archie had gone to bed. At his best friend’s look and comment about the lipstick, the Mossos boy’s face lit up in an impish grin. The grin only widened as Archie seemed to be correctly guessing the identity of last night’s visitor, but the full mention of the name was cut short by the arrival of his disciple.

"What's up brother from another mother?" Cornelius spoke up to Dante from the right side window, smiling at him.

“S’up, CJ.” Dante greeted Cornelius, followed up by doing the official frat handshake.

“Ready to get this year kicked off at the bonfire?”

Dante nodded with one of his mischievous smiles. “You know it.”

“I think we should be leaving now." Cornelius said looking in through the passenger side window.

“Yes well, that’s why we’re in the car CJ.” Archer replied sarcastically, earning himself a friendly elbow on the ribs courtesy of Dante. “So are you getting in?”

“Yeah, man. You’re more than welcome to catch a ride with us.”

Just then, a loud noise in the roof of the car interrupted the conversation. It was Mike, peering at Archie and Dante from the former’s window. He greeted both young men before piping up the idea of a race to the beach, which made Dante’s eyes lit up at the mere mention of it. “Fuck, man. If I’d known we were racing I’d taken Sonic out for a spin. God only knows I’ve been dying to burn some rubber lately...” he said disappointedly, thinking of the last time his Ferrari F60 America -the humble gift he’d received from his family for his sixteenth birthday- had seen any real action. Back in Cali, him and his team were kings of the streets, racing at least once a week. But in his current town, races were once in a blue moon, and the competition was too easy to beat. It saddened him that his favorite hobby had to be put on hold just for being in this stupid state.

His whiny thoughts were interrupted by a loud, unholy screeching coming from Archie’s side of the car. Cursing loudly, Dante looked around to find none other than their frat president, holding a megaphone.

“Fucking hell, Coach! Was that really necessary?” Mossos exclaimed in annoyance, rubbing his left ear in an attempt to recover his hearing. Leave it to Dash to make an attention-grabbing scene like this.

Fortunately for Dante, Archer chose that very moment to speed off in the direction of the beach. They’d been on the road for less than a minute -jamming along to one of Archie’s favorite songs at the same time Dante smoked- when they were forced to a stop by a stoplight. The sound of a very familiar motorbike behind them reached Mossos’ ears, causing him to let out a frustrated sigh. With one quick glance at the rearview mirror, his worst suspicions as to who was behind the bike were confirmed. Of course it had to be fucking Sophia McLaughlin: the girl who never seemed to let things go. The young man closed his eyes, praying for the patience he was currently lacking, because he just knew in his bones that this bitch was bound to do something to get under his skin…

He didn’t have to wait long for it. As if reading his mind, the roaring sound of the bike moved from the back to the right side of the vehicle, right beside where he was sitting. Pointedly looking to the front, Dante purposely ignored her knuckles knocking against his window. It soon became clear she wasn’t stopping the annoying knocking until he graced her with his attention, and so he did just that. In response, the girl flipped him off, did a wheelie and promptly sped off. Mossos merely sighed, watching her go with the unamused expression he’d learned from his aunt of someone who’d just had his time wasted by meaningless petty shit.

"And that's why you don't stick your dick in crazy." Dante mentioned to Archer, motioning in the direction where Sophia had just passed them. “I’m literally just sitting here all chill with my jams and my cigarette and look at that. Then she has the audacity to go around talking crap about how I ‘trigger her’. It’s some bullshit, man, I’m telling you…” he trailed off, taking a long, angry drag of the cig before flinging it out the window. He secretly hoped that this wasn’t a premonition to how the rest of the night would go, because if it was, then he would have been better off not attending the bonfire at all.

When they reached their destination, Dante let out an annoyed scoff at seeing that Sophia had arrived just seconds before they did. The young man watched her as she took one look in their direction before promptly walking away. Meanwhile, Archie was gone in a blink, shades on and enthusiasm on high. Mossos, on the other hand, had decided to stay in the car for a few minutes. Apart from wanting to avoid a scene with Sophia, his current position was perfect for keeping an eye out until the one person he was waiting for finally made her entrance.

Tonight, he had only one mission in mind: finally make a move on her.

---

Isaiah stared up at his ceiling for five minutes, sleep fogging his mind to the answer of the burning question running through his thoughts. Why the absolute, God-fearing fuck did he set his alarm? Isaiah couldn’t think of anything important that was happening that day – classes hadn’t started yet, so there were no deadlines he had to worry about. The senior made a point to never agree to outings with friends or whatever they like to think they are to him; that option was out, too. The last category was that it was a ‘Frat Thing’ and, like all things that fall under the category ‘Frat Thing’, it was bound to be unimportant. Not because the Frat did things that were unimportant to them, but because Isaiah found them inconsequential and extraneous. Confusion still present, but curiosity abated, Isaiah drifted back to sleep.

It couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes later – a second in the dream world – when Isaiah’s phone began to ring. This time it wasn’t the irritating Christmas jingle he set as his alarm – nothing annoyed him more in the mornings than Christmas jingles. In the jingle’s place was none other than “Cotton Eyed-Joe,” the song being the bane of his existence.

His eyes opened blearily, his bedroom unfocused to his sleep-glossed eyes. When he turned his head to the sounds of a redneck singing about STDs, brightness invaded his retinas like fucking warlords racing across fields with pointy sticks (spears, his mind supplied). Flashing across the screen was the contact name “Bootleg Bill” and Isaiah sighed, any chance of going back to sleep escaping in that one breath.

“Who the fuck calls anymore?” Isaiah slurred into the phone as he heard the heavy panting of his alcohol supplier – er, illegal alcohol supplier. Considering Bootleg Bill was called, that means Isaiah had to refile today’s event under Important and that’s goddamn annoying.

“I do. Now, where the hell do you want me to deliver it, Walcott?” Bootleg Bill asked gruffly. (His real name was Andrew and Isaiah just refuses to have an alcohol supplier named Andrew. Jesus, imagine introducing him to people, “Hey guys, remember that keg I brought that one time that was decidedly not beer? Got it from this dude. His name is Andrew.”)

Isaiah scratched his wrist hard, the sweater he slept in itching and clinging to him with sweat. The burning sensation left behind woke him up enough to answer the illegal distiller. “Uh, just drop it off at the, uh, the thing.”

Fuck, what was going on today?

“Real specific, Walcott. Got an address for the-uh-the-thing?” His supplier coughed roughly, almost like it was around a lung full of smoke and Isaiah could only imagine that he’s on the last of his cigarette pack.

Oh wait, today was the bonfire.

Isaiah cleared his throat in some weird smoker’s lung sympathy, feeling that if he didn’t he might just choke on a nonexistent cigarette burn. “Fuck off, I’ll text it to you.”

Isaiah hung up before Bootleg Bill could respond, tapping in the beach address to the thirty-five-year-old fucker. This goddamn moonshine better be damn worth it.

With that squared away, Isaiah went through the daily routine. Even though he was late, there was no point in rushing him. Isaiah would take as much time as he needed and if his alcohol supplier had to wait a little for him, that doesn’t exactly seem like his problem.

His routine was quick anyways. He never did care much for superfluous fashion and so some basic jeans and t-shirt was really all that was required of him. Isaiah peeked into the mirror hanging in his room and lazily ran his fingers through his hair, deciding that it looked okay enough to leave the house with and the mussy look could simply be chalked up to deliberate bedhead.

From outside, he could hear laughter and loud talking of those people, i. e. his frat brothers. He preferred to call them those people in his mind, it gave him some reprieve from acknowledging the fact that he was one of those frat bros.

Peeking through the window blinds that he always kept shut, Isaiah pulled a black sweater over his head as he dispassionately studied them all. A couple of them were standing around a car and talking about, probably, cars. From the second floor, he could see the frat president Cougar? Couch? Cooch? (Coach, his traitorous mind supplied and he shoved the name to the back recess of his mind). The dumbass was loftily holding a megaphone and Isaiah could already feel the headache coming on. The car some of them congregated around sped away and Isaiah couldn’t really say whose car it was or who was in it. Then again, Isaiah doesn’t know half the frat brothers’ names so who gives a fuck.

Fuck, if they left does that mean he’s going to be subjected to the administrations of Coach Cujo? Nope, nuh-huh, Isaiah doesn’t fucking wanna. The only way to possibly escape Coach’s Christina Aguilera’s clutches was to walk out, head down, face low, presence invisible.

With that in mind, Isaiah softly padded down the stairs with the most twisted form of fury he could manage to pull onto his face. Hopefully, if he seems irritated enough, the assholes he lived with would leave him be? Isaiah sent a prayer to the fucking Lord when he walked out of the frat house and began to slink off towards his old lady car.

---

Anna had ducked and dodged just about every car on the interstate in order to get to the beach. The people that rode with her but probably complaining, or criticizing about her driving but she didn't care because they were not dead yet. As soon as they were nearing the beach, her eyes went towards the sun that was setting in the distance. "Beautiful." She muttered loud enough for only the passenger to hear her. She swung around the corner then swung around another corner before pulling up into the parking lot with a screeching stop that jolted everyone forward a little.

"Alright, ladies, we're here." Anna spoke with a smile as she took off her shades that she had placed on herself earlier on the interstate and sat them on the dashboard before her. She pulled down her mirror, just to check herself out then lifted it back up while turning to eye the other girls that rode with her. "Let's go and not be sluts." She finally unlocked the doors, so that everyone could get out then grabbed her purse, which she stuffed her car keys into after locking her vehicle.

The sun had finally went down and the bonfire was being lit up by some people, Anna did not know who they were but she did not care as she walked over towards the cooler and got herself an alcoholic beverage, nothing but a Strawberita then walked over to join her sorority girls. "You guys better something to drink before the boys get everything." Anna said with a chuckle as she popped the tab of her drink then took a sip, keeping her eyes open for the fraternity boys. She wondered to herself if they were already there or was going to walk in like they owned the place, as they do every year.

Anna shrugged the thought away as she directed her attention back towards her sorority girls. "Gosh, I should not have worn these short shorts." She muttered to no one in particular as she started to sway her hips to the Miley Cyrus song that was playing.

After several compliments and complaints over the eggrolls Choua had felt that she had done a good job either way. She ate two on the ride over, not really caring too much about it. Eggrolls were a great source of vitamins and good for you, always. At least that is what her mother would say about home cooked Asian recipes.

Eat more, you're too skinny. Eat more, you're too fat.

After a fast paced ride, Anna had gotten the girls safe and sound to the beach, though each were thankful to be out of the car as soon as she found a parking spot. Choua was in the middle of the back passengers, so she waited patiently until they unbuckled and got out before she followed suit. Placing her large tray of eggrolls next to some of the coolers others had laid out, Choua handed some out to several of the other beach go-ers. "Share, don't take too many!" she threatened an already drunk boy. She took the beer bottle from his hand and took it for herself as she rejoined some of the other girls. She took a swig of her beer, it was pretty disgusting but it would have to do. Hopefully the boys would be bringing a lot more alcohol, because Choua wanted to get fucked up tonight.

Dancing next to Anna, "It's chilly for shorts, but we look damn cute." she smiled, giving a playful push on her arm.

The backseat window was rolled down, and the wind was blowing through Divine's mane of hair as Anna Palumbo sped down the road. The sorority president was a borderline reckless driver, and that Divine knew for sure. In fact, just after the older woman increased her speed in order to overtake a rusty, old minivan, Divine almost lost her lunch. The young woman had scarfed down a couple of Choua's homemade eggrolls before they left the sorority house; she suddenly found herself wishing that she'd waited until they got to the beach to find something to snack on as the crispy rolls slowly began to make their way back up the way they came. Thankfully, the car soon came to an abrupt stop in the parking lot. "Holy shit, I'm never riding with you again," Divine said, nearly falling out of the backseat.

Divine quickly looked into the car's wing mirror, making sure that her hair and makeup were perfect before kicking off her sandals and stepping foot onto the cool sand. Like most of the other party-goers, Divine wore a bathing suit; her neon green bikini top was on full display underneath her jacket, and the bottoms were covered by a crochet skirt. She absently picked at the yarn as she headed towards the cooler and grabbed a bottle of beer and an eggroll from the tray that sat next to it. She'd never been a big drinker, but decided that she wanted to at least feel a slight buzz since it was indeed a special occasion. Their break was coming to an end, so the very least she could do was have a little fun before it was back to homework, exams, and petty drama.

It was at that moment that Divine realized that she'd received a text. She pulled the large cell phone from her pocket and unlocked it to see a message from none other than Dom Johnson. She couldn't help but grin and shake her head as she typed out a quick "you'll see me" in response. Afterwards, she slid her phone into her drawstring bag and slung it back over her shoulders before making her way towards the bonfire. Divine had never been a fan of Miley Cyrus, but she still swayed a bit to the song that played, a beer bottle in one hand and an eggroll in the other.

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Archer turned around and walked backwards as he looked at Dante as he was still in his car, Sophia apparently really gets under Dante's skin. Archer snapped his fingers as he kept walking to get Dante's attention when his friend looked up Archer made a mock tear motion with his finger and then made a locking motion to signal Dante to lock the car when he was done... doing whatever he was plotting. Archer turned around again to face the bonfire and walked up to the little refreshments area and grabbed a beer and looked at the spread of food. His face lit up when he spotted a tray of egg rolls which had obviously been made by Choua, it was easy to see when you looked at the rest of the snacks. He grabbed a few of them, and as soon as he took his third one Choua's scolding tone could be heard.

“Share! Don't take too many!” She frowned at him and snatched his beer out of his hand, Archer chuckled as he tried to swallow what was left of the egg roll. “I'm sorry Cho! You know I can't handle myself around your food! Hey, come dance later!” he yelled as he went further in to the crowd of people dancing. In the crowd he bumped in to some of the girls from one of his creative writing classes, they squealed with joy when they saw him and begged him to stay and dance and Archer felt he had to comply even if it was to Miley. After a few songs Archer felt way to hot so he took of his shirt and threw it on a nearby rock, he'd find it later... hopefully. He continued to dance with the girls for a while but then returned to the drinks to grab a new beer from the cooler, he bent over to take a closer look at his choices.

“Hey there handsome! That's a sight for sore eyes.” A voice came from behind, Archer straightened up and spun around. Standing there in front of him was Theo Kaiser, they guy Archer had been dating, or where they dating? Theo seemed to think they where at least. Archer smiled nervously at the boy in front of him, Theo is very tall and muscular with a strong jaw and perfectly styled hair. Their relationship had started out innocently enough with a few looks in the library which led to a few kisses behind the library that lead to some night time visits to Theo's dorm room far away from Dante's prying eyes. Archer saw it as something fun and frivolous and he liked the feeling of being loved and needed, but lately Theo had shown more intense feelings and that made Archer nervous. He didn't really understand why someone like Theo would even go for someone like Archer.

“Hello Theo.” Archer said as he ran a hand through his unruly hair. Theo scoffed and pulled Archer in to a big hug and planted a passionate kiss on Archer's lips. Archer stiffened as he was still not really comfortable with public display of affection in that way, he knew that people probably didn't care but it still made him uncomfortable. He pulled away from Theo with maybe a little to much force, and looked around. As expected no one was really watching “What's the mater? You're so stiff.” Theo walked around Archer and put his hands on his shoulders and started to kneed, already feeling uncomfortable Archer pulled away again with a nervous laugh

“Uhm, I just need to...find...” He frantically looked around for a reason to escape and finally he spotted Sophia sitting with some people “Yeah I need to talk to Sophia she's... uh really upset!” he put on a apologetic look on his face and kissed him quickly before he almost jogged over to where Sophia where sitting. Archer smiled at the people she was sitting with “Can I just steal her for like one minute? I'll bring her right back!” He said holding up a finger with one hand and grabbing Sophia by the arm with the other he pulled her on to a more private log that surrounded the bonfire.

“Dude I think I'm in deep trouble!” Archer whined trying to avoid Theo's stare by staring at his friends soft face. “I should probably have told you sooner but I've been kind of seeing someone, don't look but he's standing over there” He nodded his head ever so slightly in Theo's direction. “Anyway, it's moving way fast and I kind of want to bail...but not like break him!” He glanced at Sophia “You know... like... ugh” Archer groaned and laid back of the log and put his back on the still warm sand. He looked back up to Sophia “Help me?”